Making knot work mat

This mat was made wight the help of this great knot project book: Des Pawsons Knot-Craft-Ropework-projects

One week on hired sigma 33 on the great glen Caledonian canel

All done

Remaining cracks in wood filled with red lead putty and then painted with anti fouling ready for the rising tide.

Stern tube sealing

Mixing the red lead putty and then pushing the wooden plug ended stern tube through the keel and dead wood. Fergus on the outside is holding the red lead putty in place with a wooden plug as dad pushes the tube through. Making a great seal of putty round the tube. Fergus loved coming to sleep aboard while we worked together on the job.

3am on slip.

Preped before fitting

Painted the propellor for longer life. New dead wood block in oak painted. Turned wooden plug to squeeze through red lead putty in keel to make a seal between stern tube and wood.

Prop, stern tube and bearings cleaned

Ready for sending to engineer for him to turn new prop shaft end, remove cutless bearing and reduce length of stern tube.

Clean polish propeler

Remove the dead wood block and plug to hole

Squaring off

Using the stern tube and cutless bearing flang to mark the high spots i squared the wood.