After some consultation with project manager and guardian angel Herbert Krumm-Gartner (of Classic Boats NZ) I did the deal and he was kind enough to give me a crash course in timber appraising - closeness and straightness of grain, colouring, checks, shakes, bows, knots and other factors to be taken into account. He also offered to store them in his timber racks in exchange for some planks, which is brilliant, and there's much more than I need anyway. As a further bonus the Taupo seller offered to bring the sixteen planks up to Hamilton for me to collect, so yesterday I borrowed a truck from work and headed south.
Forgot half the things Herbert had told me to look for when I saw the wood, but when unloading it at his workshop he seemed happy with the quality (and quantity!) of what I'd bought. Only the colour seemed greyer than expected, but this is only an appearance issue, not really a fault. When varnishing I might have to experiment with staining pieces first. Now once the hull is done this will be used for the stringers, seats, motor box, coaming veneer and other details.
