Planking will begin in full speed tomorrow, even though full speed when it comes to planking is more like plodding through waist-deep snow. Thankfully having the original planking intact is helping us, but those boards are pushing 70 years old. Understandably, they have not held their original dimensions during that time.
And, despite our best efforts, the original king plank just could not be saved. As with the rest of the foredeck planking, it became badly cupped over time, probably due to the outer side having higher moisture content than the underside, which had been painted in the factory.
For now we’ve fabricated all the blanks, and have coated their backsides with two coats of Sandusky Chris Craft Mahogany Bilge Paint (part # 9605). The deck and gunwale framing has been similarly coated.
Once they have been provisionally positioned and temporarily fastened, we release and rout Sikaflex seams in the fore and aft deck planking, after which they will be bedded in 3m5200 and fastened down for good.
Vintage Boat Preservation
