Acorn To Arabella · video

What this video covers

Replacing the 100-year-old mahogany transom on Victoria, Arabella's tender, Steve mills a replacement panel from larch — also called tamarack, hackmatack, or juniper — sourced from a neighbor named Rod across the bay, who also lent his thickness planer.0:46 The original mahogany came from a larger boat called Big Victoria but had deteriorated beyond serviceability.0:22 Steve glues the oversized larch panels using TotalBoat Thixo Fast Cure epoxy in a racked Emerts vise, explaining that epoxy requires only moderate clamping pressure — too much squeezes out the adhesive and starves the glue line.3:08 He lays fiberglass cloth on the transom interior and exterior, wetting it out with epoxy and stopping at the existing paint line, then trims the excess after cure.4:12 Because Victoria is a working tender rather than a show boat, Steve accepts imperfect glue lines knowing the fiberglass and paint will reinforce and cover them.4:52 The glue cured just in time for departure; the transom was functional but not fully finished before Arabella left for the south coast of Newfoundland.14:46 Fiberglass sheathing over epoxy-glued panels is a practical way to compensate for imperfect joinery on a working boat.

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

From Acorn To Arabella — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.