It's all a yoke...

So we slipped quietly into our third year of the build sometime late in September. I am quite pleased when people ask, with an ironic raised eyebrow: "finished the boat yet?".... Pleased, because a lot of people have stopped asking altogether.

Well, actually, since you ask, or not, we are very close. The biggest excitement was the recent purchase of the equipment to spray the beast: welcome, Edward the Compressor!

We also bought all sorts of tools to attach to Edward, none of which are a great deal of use, since we've done most of the manufacture anyway.

The last few months have mainly involved a great deal of sanding: we both understand that the quality of our preparation will be the determinant of the final finish and have slipped into an uncharacteristic detail consciousness. Well, sort of...

A few bits are still in production: components that will be fitted after the varnishing. We are tremendously pleased with our mahogany and oak breasthook (see earlier blogs) and this led to a decision to try to repeat the pattern on the yoke for the rudder. 

Here's the rudder, before and after a coating of shiny stuff. We chose to make it from ply and deliberately to show off that fact with the 'natural' pattern formed by feathering it to shape. Perhaps a matter of taste, but we like it:

The yoke will sit horizontally at the top of the rudder, once finished and shaped: here it is in production:

Watch this space for more exciting pictures as this takes shape.