December 27, 2016

Well! The big news is we successfully turned Schooner Huron Jewel’s hull over right side up. With a good crew of five, using jacks to lift up one side and chain falls to lower the other side down, we took our time over two days and made it happen.

Of course, it took most of a week to make room in the building, cleaning and stacking, disassembling workbenches and in general opening the space up wall to wall. Overhead there was just enough space without cutting anything – less than an inch, for the turned hull to clear the rafters.

I built two frames around the boat and installed big eyebolts for straps so that we could just roll it over. Bunker Manufacturing kindly provided some heavy rollers that meant, with a concrete floor sanded smooth by Julie, we were able to push the whole 11,000 pounds by hand back to the wall once we had it tipped up on edge. A time-lapse video is on the website at www.ditallship.com for those who weren’t there and would like to see what a 60 foot long hull, that is 14 foot 8 inch wide, looks like being rolled over inside a building 30 feet wide and 15 feet 3 inches high.

Then we leveled it and I have started working on the interior, mocking up the various counters and built-in pieces of furniture and cabinetry to make extra sure there is enough room for tankage as well as people. Next is sealing the inside of the hull with epoxy and installing all the interior stuff – tanks, engines, steering gear, galley, head, berths and much more. Plumbing, electrical and ventilation… the list seems endless. Then there are spars to make as well, and piles of equipment to order.

– Captain Hugh