I had started to regret ever agreeing to re-build “Daring”, the International 14 dinghy designed and built by Uffa Fox in 1930. She had suffered from some misguided repair work and a degree of neglect so the hull was not in good shape. She came into my workshop in August and by September I had a plan of attack and I began to feel more positive that I could pull the old girl back from the brink.
These early 14’s have a very complicated but lightweight hull construction. “Daring” is double planked with an inner diagonal layer and a fore and aft outer. The planking is copper fastened onto tiny Rock Elm ribs spaced every 2 inches. This is an extraordinary piece of boatbuilding.
I have managed to force the centerline back into shape and replace about 2/3rds of the keel. The diagonal inner planking has had 30 new sections scarfed in and I am about to start re-planking the bottom.
Megan, my daughter, has been helping to remove hundreds of old copper nails and I am hoping she will return to help nail up all the new planking. This is not a job you can do alone as to hammer a tiny copper nail through the planking and the rib on the inside you need someone to hold a “dolly” (a solid lump of brass) against the rib to absorb the hammer blows. It can be a bit repetitive by Megan and I work well together.