The following photo was taken in 2012 and shows the frame that supports the tarpaulin cover. This frame is very sturdy, but it sits on the rub rail and against the outside of toe and cap rails. Restoring the topsides and these teak rails will be impossible with this frame in place.

A new frame is being constructed that will nowhere touch the boat. Its height will be about the same as that of the current frame, but it will be five feet wider and supported by the ground. The current frame has six trusses that are interconnected with furring strips. The new frame will require eight trusses, with one forward of the bow and another aft of the stern.

The trusses will be constructed of pressure-treated 2x4s that are connected at the ends with plywood gussets.

The trusses will be 6.5 feet apart, with the forward-most truss about three feet forward of the bow and the aft-most truss about three feed behind the stern. Construction must wait until a new tarpaulin is delivered, but in the mean time the forward-most truss was roughed together.

In the following photo, the forward-most truss is being held vertically. The two 2x4s that make up each side are eight feet in length, so each truss will be over 16 feet high at its highest point.