Worm shoe and a key
The worm shoe installation has been going swimmingly. Phil has come up for a few weeks from the warmth of the deep south to lead this particular project.
Bob and Ryan have been helping Phil make this happen. This photo is taken looking aft along the starboard side of the boat. You can see two sections of worm shoe here, the one in the foreground that they’re maneuvering close to the keel and one aft that’s already awaiting installation.
These pieces have been shaped in the shop, drilled for fasteners, and primed.
They will be installed with a layer of Irish felt (a tarred fiber mat) between the shoe and the keel.
And here are the first two sections installed.
This is what the Irish felt looks like.
The sections of worm shoe meet with an angled scarf joint. A spike is driven through both of the sections at this angle to lock them together.
Here, Phil is cleaning up that joint as part of the final fitting. He’ll put tar in the joint before spiking it.
And as long as we’re under the boat, you might be wondering about that stick of wood coming out of the keel.
Well, technically, it’s the false keel since it sits under the actual keel, but no matter. That stick fits into the square key slot in a locking scarf. Here’s a diagram of this type of joint as seen from the side.
A scarf joint is a way to join two lengths of wood end to end. The end coming in from the left is given a hatched pattern to make it a little clearer, and the end coming in from the right has no pattern. A notch is cut in both parts to accept the square key. The key is given a stippled pattern. While the joint is fastened with spikes, the key adds another layer of protection to prevent the joint from sliding when under tension.