WINTER IS HERE! CONSTRUCTION STOPS!

Perry was unable to do much more work on the scow after about November 10th, mostly due to weather and other priorities. Today (December 7th) it is definately winter here with bitterly cold lows of -33C! So no work will be done on the scow for some time now. We had a big blizzard and Perry says the scow is well and truly buried under a big snow drift but is safe under the big covering tarps. He might be able to do some small scale work in his work shop, but I think we can consider major construction on the scow suspended for at least 3 months. Over this time I will arrangle to have the scow tent constructed, crew tents made, get landowner permission to explore the badlands outcrops on their properties, give some public talks on the trip, buy some last supplies and equipment, and do a thorough census of all the tools and equipment for the trip which have been acquired over the past 6-7 years. These will be sorted by theme (i.e. kitchenware), brought together and boxed for the upcoming trip. Looks like we will leave in June, likely towards the end of the month so we can take advantage of snowmelt from the mountains and foothills. As much as I hate winter, I am hoping for one with lots of snow, so we have lots of water in the river for our trip.

Construction progress, November 6, 2009.

Perry has drilled the holes in the sides of the 4 sections which will hold the bolts that will hold the sections together.

Construction progress, November 1, 2009.

Yesterdays high was +18C (about 67F) so any sealant materials on the scow requiring final curing no doubt had their chance then. Perry is now well on his way installing the floatation foam. This very light white foam is exactly the same stuff used as packing material for stereo equipment, etc. It is also used for floating docks. The foam company erred a bit on the order making a bit more than we needed but making it in slightly smaller blocks than we wanted. So Perry is having to cut it up somewhat. Too much foam is a bonus as now we can fill the entire hull with foam and the top decking will hold it all down. You can see here how the foam stops about 3 inches (7.5 cm) below the top. The extra blocks can be cut into slabs 3 inches thick and placed atop the blocks of foam seen here.

Construction progress, October 29, 2009.

The floatation foam was delivered on time and Perry has begun installing same. It is dark early in the evenings now and with Daylight Savings Time ending soon it will be darker even sooner. Perry has to work by floodlight. He had to cut the foam for the angled sections and it breaks apart easily into little crumbs which are full of static and stick to things such as the camera lens as seen here. A trip during daylight is scheduled for November 1st so better pictures will be available then. Very warm weekend + 17C on Saturday!

Construction progress, October 28, 2009.

Perry got the last of the internal waterproofing done last night so now we await the delivery of the foam.

Construction progress, October 27, 2009.

Last night Perry got the caulking all done on the inside seams. It was a relatively warm night and this was curing so well that he started the water sealing of the internal wood, and plans on having that finished tonight. The foam sections are to arrive at the scow's contruction site in a day or two, so Perry wants to be ready to install those.

Construction progress, October 26, 2009.

Today Perry began caulking the internal seams. He now has more water sealant to put on after the caulking has dried. We are starting to get close to the time when we will have to cease construction work, unless the weather holds. Plywood sheets here are just resting on the joists, they will be properly attached once the caulking, waterproofing, tiller supports and foam inserts are all done.