Back to Schooner Mahdee Stem Project

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In February 2006 we visited the boat and took these pictures (left) of the stem. In March 2006 when the boatyard did a more complete assessment, from the outside and the inside, the stem initially looked "OK" to boatyard we chose for repairs. Of course, we were cautioned that the stem knee may be expected to have rot around the thru-bolts and that the stem could be found to need repacement because of unseen rot.

Indeed, the stem had an "interesting" repair. The the boatyard advised us that we should go ahead and (have them) replace the stem due to this repair and due to rot along the rabbet line where the plank ends tie into the stem.

 

 

The removal of the old stem "repair" showed us the butt-joint repair cut in the original stem. In the photo one can see that the yardworker cut back all the (assumed bad) planking to to a frame station making access to the stem more convenient. The gaping hole this created has stared out at us since the stem removal in late August 2006. See the "frames and floors" discussion regarding what was done to help keep the boat's shape after the removal of stem and knee.

With the removal of the stem and knee, we needed wood for new ones. Originally, both were white oak. No seasoned white oak of the needed (large) sizes could be found. Instead, we have access to purpleheart (Peltogyne spp. Family: Leguminosae).

The purpleheart was ordered in early September and arrived 27 Sep 2006. Upon its arrival, the yard's shipwright ripped several lengths of purpleheart into 1/4" x 5 1/2" strips for laminating the stem knee. After planing the strips and laminating several together, the shipwright determined that we needed to purchase additional purpleheart locally for laminating since the ordered wood was not as dry as he would like for the knee laminating.

The laminating was performed in three "lifts" with plenty of clamps. The old knee was laid on top of the new laminations to guage how much more might be needed to complete the knee.

 
Finally, on 20 Nov 2006, the stem knee was ready to be planed and shaped. It took more than one person to run this 65 lb laminated knee through the planer. After planing, the yard carpenter begins the process of trimming the knee and cutting to fit the forekeel. This process involved much back and forth from the boat to the bench, cutting and fitting.

The shipwright decided he would loft the new stem from the drawings. As such, he didn't make a pattern of the stem on the boat before they were removed by a yardworker in August. After the knee was completed, the shipwright began lofting the stem.

After lofting the lines and beginning on lofting the important rabbet line from the 3/4" : 1 ft scaled drawings, the shipwright thought something was not quite right. So, he "recreated the as-built-stem" by putting it all back together and clamping it to the boat. Going back and forth between measurements pulled of the drawings and the "as-built-stem," a pattern was made then for the stem and later for the rabbet line.

The lofting numbers were pulled from the original drawings of the boat (left) and checked against the "as-built-stem" clamped to the boat (below left). After creating the patterns, a 6x12 purpleheart timber was rough cut by the yard carpenter and literally "carved" to shape.
 

"Why are we putting the old stem up yet again?" owner David queries the yard carpenter.

The yard carpenter exercised extreme caution in measuring and re-measuring before cutting the stem rabbet.

  

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What's next with the stem project?
New Pics' coming soon! of the stem and knee in place. The work is continueing with finishing the rabbet line with the stem and knee bolted in place.