Chapter 39 - 14: Rainy Night_3
After working on and off, by around four in the afternoon, Chen Zhou finally finished cutting the four framework pieces.
The heavy physical labor and his unfamiliarity with sawing techniques made him realize his limitations. Being unable to even manage a simple task like sawing wood, the idea of carving precision joints seemed like a pipe dream.
He needed to find some nails and adhesives to assist with the work to prevent the raft from being "out of service right after launch," or he would truly become a laughingstock.
Yesterday, he had mostly explored the ship, with only the second-floor stern rooms and some odd little corners left unexplored.
Using the excuse of looking for things, Chen Zhou reasonably gave himself a short break to start searching for adhesive on the ship.
Due to the unpredictable winds and waves while sailing, and to deal with potential collisions or grounding during the journey, the ship stored not only materials for patching holes but also pitch and resin paint for waterproofing, as well as several barrels of Fish Swim Bladder Glue.
This bio-based glue, refined artificially, has extremely strong adhesion, is environmentally friendly, and can be softened with hot water, unlike modern chemical glues which, once adhered, cannot be undone. Using brute force to open them often damages the wood structure, even ripping out the wood fibers.
However, Fish Swim Bladder Glue has a drawback that’s not quite a drawback—it emits a foul smell akin to rotting fish.
Chen Zhou was indeed overwhelmed by the stench when he opened the barrel.
But having endured various unpleasant odors these days—from the bow’s toilet to the drainage room, and the kitchen’s cured meats and cheese—he had developed a strong tolerance for bad smells. With a bit of adjustment, he got used to it.
Stirring the white, solidified swim bladder in the barrel with a stick, although Chen Zhou didn’t know what it was called, he recognized its adhesive-like properties and covered the barrel before moving it to the deck.
Once the tongue-and-groove joints were carved and installed, he planned to apply a layer of glue between the gaps to bond them more firmly.
Then, he would paint the surface of the raft for waterproofing, adding two extra layers of protection in the process.
However, while moving the glue, he realized a new problem.
After the raft was manufactured, it was overly heavy, weighing approximately four to five hundred pounds. He needed to come up with a prudent way to launch the raft into the sea smoothly.
Launching it smoothly didn’t mean simply preventing it from sinking. The density of a fully wooden raft is less than that of seawater, so preventing it from sinking was quite straightforward.
However, unlike a bamboo raft, this wooden raft has a front and back, with the sail and anchor installed on the front. Chen Zhou had to ensure the raft is launched right side up, not upside down.
Looking at the railing on the side of the ship, he started considering the feasibility of slowly lowering the raft using rigging.
Simulating the process of moving the raft and then lowering it into the sea several times in his mind, Chen Zhou felt that without the help of a pulley system, relying solely on his own strength, it would be impossible to achieve such a task.
Then he thought of the large winch drum used for the ship’s anchor—a hoisting device.
So, could it be used to lower the raft?
To verify his idea, Chen Zhou went to the bow’s compartment, observed the drum from top to bottom, and even personally gripped the handle to push it half a turn, ultimately determining that he could use this heavy anchor winch.
However, he didn’t celebrate too early.
Because he knew, to hang the raft at the end of the cable, two prerequisites were needed: one, the cable had to be long enough, and two, the ship’s anchor had to be released.
He walked to the bow and looked down, seeing the giant ship’s anchor locked by an arm-thick iron chain, and Chen Zhou completely gave up on this idea.
Clearly, this approach wouldn’t work either.