Every year, the “Big MAC” gets hauled out of the water, scraped, painted, and repaired.  There is always something that needs my attention, and every year I learn new things about what it must be like to be a boat builder.  The neat thing about owning this boat is, it’s nothing more than a big three dimensional puzzle.  When a part wears out, breaks, or rots, all I have to do is duplicate that part and make the repair.  

Over the past few years I have had an ongoing battle with the starboard side washboard, toe rail, and gunwale.  For those who don’t know, the toe rail is an interesting little component.  For a waterman, its job is to elevate his toes while standing on the washboard when pulling up oysters or crab pots.  This naturally throws the waterman’s center of gravity back.  If he loses his balance he is more likely to fall into his boat than out of it.  The curse of the toe rail is that it traps moisture underneath.  And underneath the toe rail hides the seam where the gunwale meets the washboard. 

This picture was taken in 2002.

 This picture was taken in 2002.

 As I continued to lose the battle with the rot, that now extended below the washboard and into the top strake, I took action.

This picture was taken in 2008

This picture was taken in 2008

When I got this far with my repair, the flat, smooth "missing-toe-rail" look appealed to me, so I opted to strip it all from the boat for a new look.  Because I am not a waterman, I spend very little time standing on the washboard.  Should the need arise, I can always put it back on.  The new washboard is Pine, and the Gunwale is Mahogany.

This picture was taken in 2008