A pause to assess and document progress
With much of the ceiling removed, the shipwrights are pausing to assess and document progress made so far. Work has moved from carpentry to archeology, as we go through the debris which has accumulated in the bilge.
Meanwhile milling continues for the new futtocks (futtocks are components of the framing) and the scaffolding in the hold is being reconfigured to ease access to the frames. The shipwrights were surprised to discover that much of the framing thought to be white oak is in fact southern long leafed pine. The pine futtocks are thicker than those made of white oak. We plan to replace them with the same type of wood as they were originally made from, so we are going to need to acquire additional yellow pine.
The shipwrights will spray another coat of anchor seal on the hull to suppress drying. On the inside propylene glycol will be used. The object is to keep ahead of plank shrinkage. Foam will continue to be inserted in the seams of the underwater hull planking. This planking has held up quite well as revealed by an the inspection of the hull facilitated by the ceiling’s removal. As it turns out the planking may be in better shape than anticipated, although there are some waterline planks which certainly need to be replaced.