Decked Out and a Swim

Tom supervises the deck operation.

 

(to start of project)

Spent the weekend on more prep work. Though there’s not much to see, a lot got done. Used a round-over bit to take the sharp corners off all the exposed edges on the framing. It’s a small detail, but keeps the wood from splitting and splintering when stuffing gear inside. It also keeps you from getting bit when reaching in to retrieve things. An especially nice touch on grab surfaces, where hands naturally go for carrying or moving a boat.

With the router already set up, I used it to round off leading and trailing edges of the centerboards to their final semi-foil shape, so that’s done now, too.

 

 

A friend, Tom Klippstein, offered to help for the weekend. There are still a few tasks left before the decks can go on, but with extra hands available it was a good time to prep the undersides of the decks. They’re still fragile with only one side glassed – I cracked one not long ago moving it around by myself. The crack was small, and easily fixed, but made me wary of handling them alone. Taking the big belt sander to them would obviously require careful support from underneath.

Then there’s the more dubious prospect of moving them outside where there’s room to work. This would be a first test of whether the boats will actually make it out the basement door when they’re done. They cleared the opening with about a half inch to spare on either side. That’s no guarantee the boats will fit, but if the decks didn’t fit the boats definitely will not. (Which is why I’ve been putting off repairs to the back of the house.)

Temperatures have been approaching 100 all week, so we got started early and worked in the shade. It all went well, and now they’re ready to go.

Tom donated the carpet remnants protecting the floor and my knees for the past year and a half. His wife, Toots, loaned us a bee hive when our wild colony swarmed. They are one of two remaining couples at Springtree, a coop/commune they started with a bunch of other folks here back in the early ’70’s. It’s a beautiful place: 120 acres of woods and fields rolling down to a small river, handmade houses lined with books, and large well-tended gardens. No satellite TV. No internet. They’re great people, with great values, and we always get recharged when we go to visit.

Sunday was Father’s Day, so I wrapped things up early. Taking a break from the heat, the girls and I loaded up the dogs for a swim in the Rockfish River. We’ve been going to a favorite swimming hole there since the girls were in diapers, when our dog was a puppy. Now they’re in college, and Beatrice the dog may be in her last year with us.

The water was a little murky from all the rain, but it still felt great. A nice way to end the week, and a nice Father’s Day.

Youtube link.

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