Whiskey plank placed in restored Ida May ship

The final plank has been placed in the hull of the restored historical ship the Ida May, marking a major milestone in the building process, and bringing the team of shipwrights and volunteers one step closer to finishing the project. With the hull complete only a few steps remain before the Ida May will once again be prowling the waters in Oyster Bay Harbor.

The original Ida May was built in 1925 as part of the fleet of Frank M. Flower & Sons. The ship was one of the first oyster dredges powered by an engine in the Sound and helped gather oysters in the harbor for roughly 75 years before it had to be retired.

Since 2009 local volunteers from the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corporation and professional shipwrights have been building a replica of the historic vessel. Now with the placing of the final plank of the outer hull, known colloquially as the “whiskey plank” because of how back in the day shipwrights would refuse to put it in place unless provided with whiskey by their employer, the final stages of the reconstruction process can be complete.

To celebrate the placing of the whiskey plank, a large crowd of the many volunteers and shipwrights who have worked on the vessel as well as their families and friends gathered to enjoy some snacks and drinks and watch the placing of the whiskey plank.

“The procedure here is that we have the last plank, known as the shutter plank, as well as the whiskey plank,” said George Lindsay, president of the Christeen Corporation’s Board of Director’s, “but we’re all going to have a chance to participate.”

Josh Herman, the head shipwright of the project, explained how he would be placing the whiskey plank, which he said he had been taught was called the shutter plank because, “it shuts the hull.”

They invited the volunteers and their guests to right their names onto the dowels they would be using to secure the plank, so that their names would always be a part of the ship.

Herman also went on to explain more about the importance of placing the whiskey plank on the ship, as it is one of the final stages of the ship construction process. While the ship will not get on the water until May 3, much of the major infrastructure work is now complete, leaving only the painting and finishing of the interior before the Ida May will be seaworthy again.

“The moment this plank is in, the last one, the boat will float,” Herman said. “So it’s a big deal because it’s no longer a thing you’re building, it’s actually a complete vessel.”