Curach hull complete

Another full day of work on the curach and suddenly it’s all come together. It’s amazing how long it’s taken to tie on all the laths and we’ve put quite a bit of time into getting the curves of the bow and stern just right using more of the hazel rods. This is going to make the boat what it is so it’s worth spending the time.
We did a final check and adjustment of all the couples positions then came the time to turn the curach over to work from the top – an easy job with such a lightweight boat, we’ll have to weigh it when the skins on.
While Ian and I trimmed and wedged the couples in their final position, Edward planed down the oars.  Curach oars have a very particular design, only 2″ wide with a wide wooden block called a ‘bull’ which acts as the pivot. Since the thole pin passes through a hole in the bull it means you can release the oars while working without the danger of  losing them.

It doesn’t sound like a lot but there’s a lot of thought in each step and some time spent just standing to admire our work so far. The fixed seat will go in next and then we’re on to fitting the canvas skin.