Milling exterior planking
The recent focus of the shipwrights’ efforts has been on milling exterior planking and ceiling for the Morgan. Much of the southern long leaf pine from Thomasville, Georgia, has already been milled and work will commence soon on some of the live oak. Planking is being cut to a 4 inch thickness, which, when planed, will provide boards of 3 ½ inch thickness. Ceiling planks will be cut to 3 ½ inches and planed to 3 inches.
A little over 3 inches of the hog has been eliminated. This job proceeds methodically with a target of reducing the hog by 4 ½ inches. To the eye the curve in the keel is much less pronounced. Evaluation of the rot in the stem continues. The shipwrights are unsure how deep the rot goes behind the rabbits. Additional bulwark planking in the bow will be removed next week to help in the assessment.
A team of volunteers is being assembled to strip all paint off the Morgan both on the exterior and the interior. This is a key task as the vessel has had so many coats of paint that the planking dries unevenly and the continuity of the paint is poor. The middle of a plank may be dry but the seam edges remain wet due to the paint build-up.
I-beams for the overhead crane or trolley system have been delivered to the shipyard. Assembly will commence soon. Not only will the crane/trolley system facilitate the removal of large pieces of wood, it will hold up the between decks by means of a system of rods extending through the main deck.
On the main deck caulking is being removed from the butt ends to permit contraction as the hull shape changes but also to facilitate the start of the recaulking of the entire deck. The main deck is in good condition dating from a 1980′s restoration. However, several planks in high visitor traffic areas will need to be replaced.