Ferry Plantation House - A Historic Site in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ferryboat Report, Update 02
Prepared for Friends of Ferry Plantation House (FoFPH) by:
Dean Giangregorio, Ferryboat Captain

11 March, 1500: Visited Yukon Lumber in Norfolk to make a request, in person, for a possible donation of some lumber to Ferry Plantation House for the ferryboat’s restoration. The project was discussed briefly with Yukon’s donation coordinator, and he advised faxing a formal Charitable Donation Request to Yukon so it could be presented to the owner for consideration.

13 March, afternoon: A Formal Charitable Donation Request was faxed to Yukon Lumber. A copy of the faxed letter is included in Ferryboat Restoration Log, in a section dedicated to Correspondence.

21 March, afternoon: Phoned Yukon Lumber to follow up on Charitable Donation Request. The donation coordinator said the request letter was handed to the owner, but he also said that due to recent donations to other organizations she was undecided if she would grant this request. He said that if she decided to make a donation she would call the phone numbers provided on the request letter.

No calls have come from Yukon Lumber. Other donation avenues are being explored.

29 March, 1000: I arrived at Ferry House (no apprentice today – he had other obligations) and continued scraping off the flaking paint. Most of the exterior had already been scraped so work was concentrated on the boat’s interior. Scraping starting at the bow and moved aft, alternating the sections between the ribs – first port side, then starboard side – so both sides would progress evenly. It became obvious after a short while that the rotten trim around the inside of the gunwale was in the way, and work shifted to removing the trim. Some of the trim crumbled as it was removed and removal took longer than anticipated. There were also some corroded wires stapled to the underside of the trim; the wires ran forward under the forecastle deck and were spliced with others (possibly for running lights at one time?). The trim was completely removed and work was secured at 1500, at which time progress photos were taken.

12 April, 1830: A great crowd arrived at Ferry House for a private birthday party, and at that time the four new saw horses for supporting the boat were delivered. The horses were placed inside the boat where they can stay until a team can be assembled to transfer the boat from the trailer to the horses. The boat will be lofted during the transfer.

19 April, 1100: I arrived at Ferry House for boat work (again with no apprentice – maybe he needs a good flogging), and started work by testing new reefing hook I made for clearing old caulking material from seams. The reefing hook was made from a wooden-handled linoleum knife with the razor-sharp edge ground down to a flat surface about one-sixteenth inch wide. The hook performed admirably; the seam along the port side of the stem was cleared, as was the first seam up from the bottom on the port side.

Since reefing the seams can be accomplished with the boat either upright or with her keel up, work resumed on scraping the loose paint off of the interior (which is not so easily done if the boat is upside-down). I swept down boat’s interior to remove paint flakes and other debris (rotten wood chips from gunwale trim, tree and shrub droppings, and the odd plastic wrapper that blew in from somewhere). The interior is about three-fourths scraped now. Secured work at 1600 at which time more progress photos were taken.

The “All Call” has gone out to my coworkers, some of whom are fellow Living Historians, for assistance with lofting the boat. A projected date for lofting is Friday, 25 April, at some time in the afternoon. Anyone else who may be interested in helping is welcome to join in.

Updated Task List:
• Scraping of the interior’s loose paint will be finished before the boat is lofted;
• Once the boat is lofted the keel will be removed and thoroughly inspected for soundness;
• The false keel will be measured before being removed; the measurements will be used to fashion a new false keel;
• The plywood bottom will be completely removed;
• The areas around the chine will be cleaned and then further inspected to determine if any repair is needed before installation of new bottom planking;
• New planks roughly 6 inches wide will be laid for the bottom; this is consistent with 19th Century small boat construction;
• The old seams will be reefed, and all seams will be prepared for new caulking.

Goal: The goal is still to have the ferryboat ready to “get her feet wet” on or about July 1st, and have her fitted out and ready for the Grace Sherwood event on July 10th.