Muriel Elizabeth back in the water

 

Tom put up another pic of Muriel Elizabeth.

Couta Boat Muriel Elizabeth at 2020 Wooden Boat Festival Geelong.

Pic credit to Tom Smeaton.
Muriel Elizabeth winning the Wooden Boat Festival Passage Race.

Pic credit per post from Instagram. Bazas boat, Muriel Elizabeth is the blue hull center right in the pic. The pic was taken at Portarlington, inside the new harbour in the evening, after we had left her there after the sail from Queenscliff. Baz, Dave Colins, Simon Dodd’s and I brought here around. We were joined by Kingie for the Saturday passage race to geelong. 

Great race... we won. Yay. We also won the series, because further racing on Sunday was cancelled due to high winds. 

Cherub getting close

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Couta Boat gets a Deck

Cap't'n Ratty would be proud of me, I have progressed the couta boat build a little further. The boat now has a partial deck. I am thinking of leaving a little bit off the deck permanently, so as to be able to see the construction details underneath.

Couta Boat

Couta Boat

Couta Boat - Deck planks installed w/o gunwhales

Brass Fittings from Hinges

Spent the day making up more of the hardware needed on the couta boat from a couple of old brass hinges. Items included gudgeon for the rudder and a prop.

Test fitting the rudder attachments

Mad up a little mandrel to hold the prop parts for soldering

Couta Boat build moves ahead

This is a former I made up to bend the timber for the cockpit combing

Deck frames removed to show where the combing will be inserted

Half of the combing fitted

Three drop pulley system for the centerboard

Brass cap for the bowsprit made from brass

Combing finished fitting but not sanded and faired

The Couta boat and Whitehall 14' skiff together

A few additions to the Couta Boat build include installing the combing around the cockpit (made from kari); an engine cover box (capped with Black Heart Sassafras) ; a bowsprit (in Cyprus Pine) with brass bow fitting made up from an old tap and a brass door hinge; and double and triple block system for raising and lowering the centreboard.

Some more work on the Couta Boat

Ribs almost finished. Will now need to work out how to cut the center-board slot in the keel.

Went to Queencliffe Maritime Museum to check out more details on Aerial and found that they have and additional exhibit - this one is a recently built 1" to 1 ' replica of Maud. Looks very nice. The builder has an exceptional eye for detail.

Also for $20 got a set of plans of Hero. These plans are in greater detail that those I am using. They give deck layout, so will be very helpful at this time of the build.

Couta Boat Model Update

After many months gather dust, I dug out the couta boat and tested various timbers for the ribs. I think I will settle for the NZ kari. It bend well after a little boiling in water. I tried some sassafras, but it doesn't like to be bent al all.

A Couta Boat On the Way

Clive had some plans of "Ariel', a Couta Boat which is still sailing out of Queenscliffe. Named after the baracouta fish which the fishermen sort just outside the Rip, the Couta Boat was first built in the 1880's. A simple but rugged boat, constructed (when available ) in New Zealand Kari, couta boats were generally about 26 ft long and rigged with a lug sail before motors were introducted in the 1920's.

I have started a model and just removed it from the moulds. I was able to get the planking details from an actual boat located at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum which had the paint stripped from the hull,

and when there had a close look at a model (built by Arthur Woodley in 2002) on display.

I don't think I will be able to match the level of detail Arthur applied to his model, but hopefully will meet the ever demanding standards required by Ratline Industries.