first we polish the steel

Perhaps the most ambitious of our spring boat projects is the creation/addition of a boom gallows to C'est la Vie. We are creating the gallows to both provide a crutch for the boom while at rest and to provide an attachement point for a cockpit bimini. C'est la Vie's boom end sheeting has made it difficult for us to find an bimini design that we feel is sturdy w/out detracting from the aesthetics of the vessel. Our solution... add a gallows and design a custom bimini.

Thanks to a family friend we were able to obtain the requisite stainless steel tubing and plates for the price of polishing our own steel. The tubes were delivered with a dull finish. So one afternoon with a polishing wheel on the grinder later and the steel is ready for the metal shop.
FYI the lower half of the two tubes on the left are unpolished in the image.

I have also purchased a 3" X 10" X 10' piece of Sapelle for the wooden section of the gallows. Step two will be to begin shaping the wooden cross brace.