Wumping

I am not sure of the origin of "wumping or womping." It appears on the Mystic Seaport video about building a whaleboat. The idea is to pre-bend the plank into a cupped shape to match the curve on each mold where it lies when hung. In carvel building, the inside of the plank is carved out to match the mold curves, but whaleboats were built cheap, out of thinner stock. The process involves spiling and planing the plank to fit; steaming it until soft and then clamping it between curved molds until cool and dry. The next day the plank is removed from the clamps and hung by clench nailing it to battens above and below.
The steam for this bag system is generated by the shops metal "gas" can system over a propane burner hooked up to a plastic bag slid over the plank and tied off at the end. Gloves are needed as the plank is very hot coming out of the bag.

Clench Nailing

Got to try my hand at clench nailing on the whaleboat yesterday. I have been wanting to do this for a long time. Everyone said your anvil wrist will ache afterwards because of the pounding. Here is the skinny. We drill the holes through the plank and batten, and place the nail oval perpendicular to the grain. Back it with the iron next to the hole and tap the nail thru from the plank side until it just clears the batten. Move the iron over the nail. Hold it at an angle so the nail starts to turn back into the batten. Tap it home flush with the plank surface.

The picture from the batten side shows the point sides bent back against the batten.

5th Plank Gets Wumped

Planking is moving along on the whaleboat. The planks are wider now and must be pre-curved to match the bend in the molds.

Wooden Boat Fest at ISM

Racing Acats at SPYC

Back to Work

Sailing is almost over. MASCF and the Wooden Boats Fest still to come. Welcome to Bruce, the new WoW manager! The V-hull and comet are on the reserve list while progress is being made on the Sea Bright skiff and whaleboats. Adding a steel compression strap to the steambending jig has reduced failures to almost none. Charles riveting in a new frame. Randy & Newt fitting a scarf in the 2nd whaleboat plank.

Grace

There is a certain grace in losing races. Unaccustomed for sure. SPY was moving well and LOTUS, MARY ANN beat us too at the last puff. TAMWOCK tried some unconventional tacks that paid off for her crew. RAVEN looked beautiful. Last race for the museum crew this year, see you in '12.
Thanks to Peter Chance, TORCH ended her bay racing season 2nd overall and 1st in the A-cat worlds!

Acats at the Middleton Cup

Scandalized

Sailing URCHIN in Pleasant Bay Breeze picked up. rowed out and sailed back with her sail shortened. Looks a little messy, but we cruised inshore so fast we were there before you knew it.

Sun finally came out.