Nip and Tuck for Lady Jane

Lady Jane with the bilge exposed.

A couple of months ago, Lady Jane came into the shop to get some paint and varnish.   She’s a “Handy Billy” design by one of my favorite boat builders, Harry Bryan.  You can read more about the design here.

Bilge exposed
Here the seats and sole planks have been removed, revealing the bilge.

In the process of preparing her for paint we disassembled the cockpit as much as practicable, taking out the sole planks and exposing the bilge.  This revealed some rot in some of the frame ends and floors which significantly weakened the hull.  The owner decided to go ahead with some repairs that would extend Lady Jane’s life significantly.

 

 

 

 

Repairing frame ends in a wooden boat
New frame ends and floor 5 fit and ready for glue

We cut out the rotten frame ends and floors and replaced them with white oak.   A quick aside–floors in boating lingo are the solid piece that joins the two frame ends and fastens them to the keel.

 

 

 

Lady Jane with new paint and varnish
Lady Jane with new paint and varnish. Reassembly is almost complete.

Once we got that taken care of, Lady Jane was ready for new paint and varnish.  I understand she’ll be providing transportation for a bride and groom this spring.  Bon Voyage!

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