Big Wave Refit picture Gallery
Progress as at 25th August 2009.

Repair work on the ship has been relentless over the past weeks and things are now progressing quite rapidly on the hull work. Mike Lyon assembled a very experienced and talented team of shipwrights to tackle this major job.

All the timber heads - which are the vertical stanchions which carry the bulwarks above deck level had to be replaced along the starboard side . In order to gain access to them and refasten them into the hull structure, the deck waterways and hull planking had to cut away and the old steel fastenings and bolts removed. This has been a painstaking task for the shipwright team but making good the damage has provided a sound foundation for the new timbers going in to the ship.

While we knew how strongly the Danes made these Baltic Traders (they were built and surveyed for the North Atlantic and Scandinavian trade) it has been impressive to look inside the construction and see how the massive strength was built into the ship 60 years ago. With the materials used the ship will be as good or stronger than new.

There some very large timbers now going in to the ship. The wood that has been chosen to replace the original Danish Oak is purpleheart, an imported hardwood that is extremely strong, dense and stable. The pictures only partially show the timber's colour, a strikingly deep purple that comes through after the wood is freshly cut.

The ship at her repair berth in Whangarei.	Home for the next few months.	The scaffolding structure built over the deck with a shrink-wrap enclosure has given us a weather proof work area.	Scaffolding also provides a stable work stage area right along the starboard side of the ship (looking aftwards).
Rusty manhandling new timber head in and out for fitting and shaping.	Colin hand planing the curve into a repaired frame head.	Massive original lodging knees exposed.	New purpleheart timber waiting to be used.
4.5 meter planks are able to be lifted by 2 guys - just .	With the deckhouse dismantled and removed the deck is a covered workshop.	Grant measuring and cutting margin board.	Strong new timbers - paired frames and timber heads.
Beam end scarf and bolt hole.	Colin with very long drill.	Cubie driving in 20mm dump fastening.	Marcus fitting short hull planks at fore end of poop deck.
Completed repair at the aft-most damage area at the break of the poop deck.	550mm bolt fastening through a lodging knee.	Shaping the curve of the deck up forward.	New and repaired frame ends.
Ben uses handy billy to position new timberhead.	Progress.	Mike in motion.	Laying waterways scarf.
Stockholm tar is liberally applied to all hull timbers.	New meets old.	Rusty and Ben make final adjustments before fastening.	The margin board completed.
Taking shape - deck level from the main hatch looking forward.	Mike and Marcus wedge and clamp.	Josh fits the first short hull plank.	100mm thick purpleheart, as heavy as anything.
All buried surfaces sealed with red lead.	Scarf, bolt heads and Danish deck spikes from Tommi Nielsen. (The molegrips show this pic wasn't posed.)	Covering board chocks are measured up.	20mm steel fastenings coated with Res-Q-Steel before fitting.
Original builders preserve well in the top of original frame ends - refilled with stockholm tar.	Cubie, Colin, Mike in shipwrighty discussion at the bow.	Terri commencing caulking.	Colin (the Dumpinator) with power hammer for 600mm horizontal steel dumps.