Acorn To Arabella · video

What this video covers

The construction of the wooden boat Arabella reaches a milestone with the acquisition and installation of a 53-foot white oak keel timber.2:01 Sourced from New England Naval Timbers, the beam weighs over 3,000 pounds and serves as the vessel's backbone.0:50 To move the timber into the boathouse, the crew organizes an open house event where nearly 100 volunteers assist in rolling the beam along a system of pipes and cribbing.14:47 The process involves manual labor and careful coordination to navigate the timber into position. During the event, the builders demonstrate the lofting process, explaining how to draw full-scale plans on the floor and use battens to spring curves for boat molds.11:34 They also showcase a restored 100-year-old bandsaw equipped with a Variable Frequency Drive to control motor speed and startup torque.11:46 Future plans include sourcing Atlantic white cedar for planking and spruce for the mast.6:06 Moving heavy timber manually requires a systematic approach using rollers and constant repositioning of cribbing to maintain control.14:09

More from Acorn To Arabella

We Stripped Our Wooden Sailboat Back to Bare Wood... AgainOct 2026Saying Goodbye to Newfoundland—and the Man Who Inspired ArabellaSep 2026Upgrading the Rudder and Another Trek To The CliffAug 2026We're Climbing a Wall No One Has Ever Climbed Before | Rock Climbing on Newfoundland's South CoastJul 2026

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