Thwarted !!!

There are five structural pieces that run athwart ships, I have been waiting to use the term "athwart ships" for YEARS. I finally have a reason to use it, athwart ships. The first time I heard it used in a sentence, and correctly, was at the Adirondack Museum . A very cool place to spend a day if your in the neighborhood. There was a room of boats used in the Adirondacks, and there was a nice young man building a piece of art called an Adirondack Guide boat. He was very good, and very nice. He was planking the boat with quatersawn white pine, about 1/4 inch thick. Now I don't know about your lumber yard, but quatersawn white pine doesn't exactly grow on trees where I live. And he was tapering the edges and cinch nailing them so that it required no caulk to be water tight when finished. He was very good. Of course I had to have a conversation with him about the boat and his work. I asked about the shape of the boat, he said it was symmetrical fore and aft and athwart sips. I was very proud of my self because I knew what that meant. Athwart ships.
Back to the free-cycle canoe. The five athwart ships pieces are two handles, bow and stern, two thwarts, and a portage yoke.
Here they all are:
The boat had the thwarts, yoke and one handle with it when I got it. But they where in sad shape. They appeared to be moldy, and just plain plain. The thwarts where just straight pieces of wood, no real shape at all. I wanted a little more visual interest when looking athwart ships. The thwarts and yoke also where soft at the ends, there was no sense in trying to clean them up and reuse them. I wouldn't want them to fail if there was too much stress athwart ships.

All of the athwart ships members where made of red oak. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, they're "supposed" to be ash, but I used red oak. Why? Because it's readily available at HD and Lowes, I would have had to spend a morning going to a place to get ash. It's relatively cheap, so if(when) I messed a peice, it's not that much cash to replace, and a short trip for more wood. Plus it's my boat, so deal.



The handles are just some sort pieces bull nosed on both sides, and about one and a half times wider than the original. Take a look:
Stern












Bow














The thwarts that came with the boat where also just straight pieces, not pretty at all. I looked at buying new curvy ones, in ash, but decided that since I have a complete wood shop (thanks to my wife), I'll make them. I laied out a shape that I liked,cut a sample from cheap pine to see how it looked on the boat. It was ok so I cut the bow thwart on my seldom used band saw. Some work with the router, and a lot of sanding, some trimming, and it was done. I wanted to make the stern thwart curvier, so the layout was changed, and a sample cut. When I went to cut it on the band saw, it blew a tire. Yup, band saws have tires, rubber strips on the wheels. I don't use the band saw much, and the tires dry rotted. Thats the breaks. So the second thwart was cut with the jig saw. It didn't take much longer, and with some sanding, routering, and more sanding, both thwarts where done.
This is them;
Back;











Front:














The yoke, which is the curviest piece that is athwart ships, was next and last. I it wanted to look and be a bit beefier than the original, the same as the thwarts, because I want to be able to add bungees at a later date. The neck part is also wider and deeper than the original. They layout took much head scratching, measuring, and the purchase of a new french curve. A paper pattern was made first. So some cutting with the jig saw, sanding, routing, more sanding, the yoke was cut, then trimmed and fit to the boat.
Here it is;


All of these athwart ships pieces where treated with Watco Teak Oil, they finished up pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

Well, we're close to getting wet, but there is still more work to be done.

Till next time, ATHWART SHIPS! (I just love saying it.)