Naked Gondola

Joe Gibbons just sent me these photos from Boston.

 

Warning: these photos show graphic gondola nudity.

Joe included this message to explain the details:

Hello Greg and all our gondola friends.

It's that time year here in Boston - maintenance has started. 

 

She's Naked.   

 

Since Firenza's birth in 1994, we estimated that she

had at least 17 coats of paint. 

It was time to give her a facelift and take care of lots

of little problems that we all know exist under that paint.

With a little bit of luck she'll be back in the water in early May. Looking forward to the start of a 16th season here in Boston. 

Winter has passed - all signs of snow and ice are gone.

I love seeing the photos that come in this time of year.
Spring is here and several gondola owners are ramped-up and running,
full steam ahead to get their boats ready for launch.

Here's a close-up of the tail.

I love that stainless steel trim.

 

As gondoliers, we always talk about how gondolas are

"made of eight different types of wood",

and yet it's hard to tell when it's all painted black.

 

Take a closer look at the above photo and the difference is obvious.

You can easily tell the difference between the hull planks and the tail stem.

 

When you strip away all that paint, and get down to bare lumber,

you can really appreciate the good stock the guys in the squero use.

 

The folks at Gondola di Venezia in Boston have my respect:

They've chosen to do something that most talk about doing...but never

actually go through with.

 

Having stripped away all the paint and primer,

they can now see everything, and take measures to fix problems...

...both present and future.

 

So I say bravo to the boys in Boston!

I hope your work is both successful and enjoyable.

 

Oh, and...nice shop!