Yak Shaving and Nutshell Pram Middle Planks

13 Feb 22:

Yak shaving is when we start off to do one thing and end up doing 2 or more other things, while avoiding the original task. Today we planned to attach the middle planks to the Nutshell Pram, but when I walked into the Carriage House it was almost 80F inside. Partly because it was 72F outside and also because the Carriage House has a charcoal colored metal roof. So the first order of the day was to open the Carriage House windows for the first time for some cross ventilation. 

 It was so nice outside that we decided to liberate the deck furniture cushions from the loft and put them to use, but first I needed to replace 3 slats on the love seat.

Since it was so nice outside, we rolled out SCUPPERS, then we rolled out EXCUSE ME, to hold a lapstrake convention in the driveway.

We also pulled out the DeWALT table saw on its portable stand, to cut out new slats from 1x4 pressure treated pine.

The deck furniture was left at the Florida place we bought in 2011, and it has weathered multiple Gulf Coast Hurricanes. During Hurricane Sally most of the pieces floated from the backyard up into the front yard, where we rescued it. When we moved we thought it best to rescue it all the way to dry ground in Virginia. Slats replaced, and a few more deck screws added to tighten everything up. Then it was time to a Gatorade and Fritos break while Skipper burned stuff in her burn keg.

I took the old broken slat and made a knick knack shelf.

During our back porch yak shaving, we discussed the need to get a rescued wisteria plant outside for some fun, and back into the ground next to where the pergola will be built. It will go next to a corner post, so I grabbed a tape measure to figure out where the post would be, but then needed to move the kayaks out of the way to make the measurement. We found the spot for the wisteria and dug a hole, planted the plant and looked at the muddy kayaks, which will need to be somewhere else while the pergola is built. That led to the next yak, making a storage rack for the kayaks. We found some malingering 2x4 lumber and cut out support arms for the kayak's rack.

The new fence osts were pressed into service to hold the support arms and kayaks CLARK and SACAGAWEA. We put them high enough off the ground to avoid rain splattered mud and discourage critters from building condos underneath. Eventually the utility trailer HUEY will be parked next to the kayaks, HUEY is the prime mover for the kayaks.

Yak shaving complete, we turned our steely gaze to the middle planks on the Nutshell Pram. Here are some helpful marks to make on the inside of the plank, denoting where to dispense the thickened epoxy on the transom. Another helpful mark would have been to mark which edge of the plank to to smear epoxy onto, I got it upside down and had to scrape off the epoxy from the wrong spot, and re-apply it to the correct edge.

EXCUSE ME heading back to her slip after her driveway cruise. 

SCUPPERS has the watch again.

Log of EXCUSE ME.