keel hauled

The last week was spent working on the keel. We needed a semi-hard wood, which is difficult to come by in Tauranga despite all the boat building. Eventually I found a little saw mill down a windy gravel road near here. Once you manage to find the rickety old building - behind all the stacks of timber - you’re not sure if it’s been abandoned for 30 years until you see some sawdust billow out from behind a machine. This place reeks character.

Eventually they found some old kauri floor beams and machined one up for me. A beautiful piece of timber barring a few nail holes.
Considerable time was spent draughting the keel and then shaping it with the assistance of the router. Then I spent some rather uncomfortable time inside the boat waiting for the command to fasten the screws.

The last two pieces either side of the centre-board slot went on in rather a rush before dinner on Saturday. I went out yesterday and grabbed one of the Makitas, but some wayward epoxy seemed to have fastened it to the hull. Don’t tell Dad…