By Lorne Swarthout

On Sunday an active group gathered for what Ruth once called “boat church.” We tackled a variety of projects from a brass stem band for King Tide to coxswain rails to shop clean-up. But our main task was fitting out the interior of our new gig. We glued new frames and floors in place, sanded mahogany seats, and cut and fit more than 70 deck beams. You can see the results in the photos below.

One of the things we talked about as we worked with dark epoxy “peanut butter” on our blond cedar gig on Sunday was “working clean.” This is the practice of taking extra care when working on a project that will end up with a clear finish. If your boat is going to get painted, glue stains are not so important. But if the goal is to show off the beauty of the natural wood, a glue stain prevented (or quickly wiped up) means some tedious sanding has been prevented. We have been taking care to “work clean”, and as a result our gig is not only going to be fast, it’s going to be lovely as well.