Foredeck and thwarts installed

Bottom finished, boat turned and put on trailer, and oars roughly shaped.

The boat has been progressing pretty well this month. I managed to get 3 coats of paint on the bottom and I am happy with the finish. You can see imperfections clearly, but I had always intended on a "work boat finish."




I got some help from my friend Jacob, his dad Larry, and Larry's buddy Richard. Richard is about 4 feet 31/2 inches tall and Larry about 7 feet tall, and neither is very strong.

First we lifted the boat inside the shop, turned it up on it's side, and carried it out to the grass, with much moaning and groaning. Jacob was yelling at his dad, "Man up!" "Grab it and growl!"

Once we got it to the grass I took a minute to admire my work. I think it looks damn good with the paint on it.







Next we picked up my second hand boat trailer, turned it sideways and carried it through the shop door. The reason I'm going through all this trouble is: 1. I want to set the boat down on something that is not going to mar the paint; 2. I need to adjust the trailer to fit the boat and doing this inside the shop keeps me away from the gnats; and 3. I didn't really think it would be that difficult with 4 people.





Finally we carried the boat back into the shop and set it down on the trailer. Well, ole Sasquatch decided to give Willow the side that needed to come up the highest. So, we ended up rubbing the topsides on the steel fender of the boat trailer. So, I have some nice scratches to touch up.

It's not a big deal really because I am painting the interior the same color and have to touch up the transom and stem later anyhow.




I'm getting anxious to launch the boat.

































Here are some photos of the 8' spoon blade oars I made from cypress. The pictures don't show them very well. I'm not going to finish them completely until I launch the boat, that way I can make any necessary adjustments.