Side pull complete
The side pull went off without a hitch yesterday. In the previous post, I got the date wrong and said that the side pull would be happening on Tuesday (today). I apologize to anyone who came by thinking that it would happen today. The good news was that the entire event was in fact rather dull. When moving a huge boat, dull is exactly what anyone involved with the project wants.
In the days before the side pull, the apprentices had been busily cleaning out the area beneath the boat. They wanted to make sure that the tracks were completely clear of debris for the pull.
Even a pebble on the track could act as a brake.
Some areas really needed a lot of work.
That’s 3 1/2 years of debris accumulation.
A few large shores were added to make sure that the hull was well supported aft.
There were two tall transom supports that went from the boat to the ground.
Since these wouldn’t move with the cradle, they were removed just before the pull.
The final bits of staging and scaffolding were removed in the days before the pull,
and finally, we were able to get an unimpeded view of her bow.
Those green lines going down the hull were part of a measuring system. More on that in the next blog post.
The crane came early Monday morning and the riggers installed some temporary, decorative, masts.
These will act as stand-ins for actual spars during the launch.
Down on the ground, Dean and Scott set up the come-a-longs and chain for the pull.
The shores were all given an extra bit of bracing with 2x4s to make sure that they didn’t shift during the move.
The tracks and concrete pad were given one last thorough sweeping to make sure that the area was completely free of debris.
The top section of the boat’s crane was removed to minimize weight up high,
and lastly, the landing that connected the stair tower to the boat was lifted off.
At last. Around 10:15, we started the pull. Many of us took turns cranking away at the four 6-ton come-a-longs that were hooked to the boat.
Here is a short video of the boat moving sideways. You’ll hear a sharp noise at one point as the cradle bolts release a little strain. No worries, perfectly normal.
As you can see, the boat moved very very slowly. In fact, it was only when we could view the ship next to a clear reference point, like the stair tower, that the progress became obvious.
There was a good slideshow of scenes from the move over at The Day.
By 1:00, the move was done, and she towered over the shop and visitors gallery.
Scott and Jim began the process of turning the wheels on the cradle to face down to the lift dock. They start by placing a high power hydraulic jack (that yellow and silver puck) beneath the cradle.
Scott lubes the wheel pivot and turns the wheel to face down the track.
He only did one side of the boat for now. With half of the wheels in opposition, there is no possible way that the boat could be rolled either down to the lift dock or back along the side tracks.
We set up a ladder for access to the boat, installed one more decorative spar,
and called it a day.
It was a good move, very well thought out and perfectly executed. Tomorrow we’ll push her to the lift dock and get her wet to start the planks swelling. More on that soon.
In the meantime, here’s a great little time lapse video done by our friends at The Day, showing the removal of the cover and scaffolding.