Now that our rock climbing camp is behind us we needed to get back to business. Today we can finally say that the decks are all on, and sealed. We also managed to get the inner gunwales installed. As we get closer to the end I think we will find that we are having shorter work days but a lot of progress. Our boat is even starting to look a lot like its "sister ship" in Mr Alps boat building yard! Only 20 days until we launch!!!

What a weekend! Despite having tons of work left to do on our boat, we left thoughts of the water behind this weekend and took to the rocks of the Niagara Escarpment. (I'm sure Mr Alp missed us terribly) We travelled to Camp Nemo, a Scout Camp just outside of Hamilton where Scouter Steve went to Scout Camp some 35 years ago (it hasn't changed a bit) and bunked down in our Adirondack Shelters. On Saturday we headed out to Rattlesnake Point where we met up with Frederick, Ray and Steven from One Axe Pursuits and enjoyed a full day of rock climbing. Check out the One Axe link on our home page. The guys from One Axe were outstanding instructors. We learned a lot but most importantly we had tons of fun and enjoyed an experience we will not forget for a long time.

http://oneaxepursuits.com/2014/

“There are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading in the same direction,
so it doesn’t matter which path you take.
The only one wasting time is the one
who runs around and around the mountain,
telling everyone else that their path is wrong.”

Along with an amazing rock climbing experience, this weekend was also Jamboree of the trail (JOTT). Jamboree On The Trail is an annual day for the World Scout Movement to hike together. All Scouts, whatever their age and wherever they may be in the world, are invited to participate in whatever way they can. Here is a link to check out JOTT.  

http://jott.org/

Some days are longer than others when it comes to boat building...today was a short (but important) day. Todays builders put a second, and final coat of epoxy on the underside of the decks, sanded out the interior and installed the aft deck. Once the aft deck is installed it's pretty important that we don't wiggle and jiggle the boat around too much, otherwise the glue will not set properly. Even though it wasn't a long day, everyone did a great job.....and Riley kept his fingers....so that's good news too!

Another busy day behind us and lots to show for it. Today we put a second, and final coat of epoxy in the inside tanks and cubby. We also put a coat of epoxy on the underside of the decks. In the pictures below you will be able to see the side tank supports and backing plates for fairleads and cleats. While we waited for the interior tanks to dry we flipped the boat over, planned the chines down and put fibreglass tape on the outside seams. We are doing our best to take advantage of the weather and make sure that all our Scouts get a chance to get involved with key points in the build. We also want to do a lot of our epoxy and sanding work outside....epoxy can be a bit stinky.

A Scout is wise in the use of their resources....and since we are building our boat out of wood we thought it would be a good idea to replace some trees. Every year Scouts all over Canada participate in planting trees. This is not only an important fundraiser for Scouts, it's also a great way to make our communities a little better.