The next task in the very long list of things to do before Shoal Waters may be relaunched is to make the support beam that will hold her up at the front of the boat so that the trailer may be wheeled out from underneath.
I slid one of the scaffold boards under the trailer and marked off where I needed to cut the board so that about 40 cm protruded past the outside of the tyres.
The board was trimmed to length and then cut into three, more or less, equal pieces.
The three pieces were glued and clamped together and then screwed with timber screws.
I was not stingy with either the glue or the screws since this needs to be very secure.
It is looking quite good but it is not finished yet.
The timber screws are long enough to go through all three pieces and stop just short of the point coming out the other side. I did screw one in slightly too far and the point has penetrated so I’ll have to remember to file the point off before I cut myself on it.
The beam is slightly wider than it is tall deliberately. I’ll probably also build a vee-shaped support in the centre such that Shoal Waters rest nicely on the beam and won’t slip sideways when being raised. This won’t be done until the glue has dried. I’ll weigh the hull, then put the beam in place and then build the vee-section. Once that is all done I’ll coat the while assembly with a preservative as it will be stored in the Hay Barn. Since Shoal Waters is the same hull as Naiad the support beam with be used for both boats as required.
Time for a cup of tea.