Chine bLog - 3. Boatbuilding

The Center for Wooden Boats - Part 3: Build a sweet baidarka

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:55:00 +0200

My very first finding at the Center for Wooden Boats, even before my Cape Ann dory sail and my close-up with Haida dugout canoes, was the biggest surprise. I walked into the Center and was immediately confronted by a few folks working away on some skin-on-frame Aleut baidarkas. It sure looked like a class, and indeed it was. Holy smokes, I thought, this place runs boatbuilding classes too? It does offer boatbuilding classes - lots - and a bunch of other kinds of classes too.

It seems they have run this class before, as there were a few finished baidarkas on the floats. I found these to be really lovely kayaks. I confess I am much more a fan of other forms of kayaks - some baidarkas just look funny to me - but these ones worked really well. The class was doing a fantastic job too. They were building the boats entirely with pegs and lashing and the details were great. I was particularly struck by the bows.

It seems that the various classes run the mix from being day or weekend classes to full-week ones, like this baidarka one. This would be a great destination. We haven't even touched on Puget Sound beyond...

Location: Kodiak, AK, USA

The Center for Wooden Boats - Part 2: Real Haida dugout canoes!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:47:00 +0200

Hopefully you enjoyed my last post on my first rental experience at the the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle. Let me now step back to some of the other treasures I saw there.

I thought they might have a Haida dugout canoe there, and I was itching to see a real one. They do not, though, have one. They have two and quarter. Behold.

They had one in the water; I am not sure if it is open for rent (though I will be asking next time). It is one fine-looking chunk of cedar, though, eh? I find these boats beautiful, not just for the lines, but also for the artwork. Native Northwest art is incredible, and seeing it on a boat is seeing it in a truly natural form.

The second canoe was up on land; not sure what its status is. Her artwork is well displayed, though:

Continue reading "The Center for Wooden Boats - Part 2: Real Haida dugout canoes!"

Sailing a Delaware Ducker - finale, for now, with Cheaspeake Bay Maritme Museum's Apprentice for a Day program

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:23:00 +0200

And so, like all good things, another set of sessions with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Apprentice for a Day program has ended. And what a way to go - sailing a Delaware Ducker, the sister of the one on which I have been working. We got two little sails in, with some fine tuning of the rigging in between. Video of the sail is below; note that I shot it before we tightened up the snotter to get the sail to lie right. Enjoy, and thanks to our new friends at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum!

Here are the completed boats. That red one is just amazingly beautiful...

We have a launch! Rowing a Delaware Ducker

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:23:37 +0200

I was able to get out to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for another round of its Apprentice for a Day program. The highlight of the day was launching the other Delaware Ducker (then one not being built in the program) and getting out for a little row in her. Here is a short video of her maiden strokes with master shipwright Dan Sutherland first and then Tony, another museum employee second.

Based on a brief outing, this boat rows beautifully. I hope to be able to sail one soon.

Now, to other updates...

Continue reading "We have a launch! Rowing a Delaware Ducker"

Happy birthday Lowell's Boat Shop!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:59:00 +0200

Nice article in the Newburyport (MA) Daily News on Lowell's Boat Shop, which turns 215 - that would be two hundred and fifteen years old - on May 5. Not impressed yet? Chew on this: This makes it the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the U S of A. Not yet? The founder, Simeon Lowell, invented the dory. Invented. The. Dory. My friends, we are talking about some hallowed ground. Keep it up, Lowell's!

Another member of the club - the blog ARPEX, from Rio

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:23:44 +0200

We at Chine bLog try to be quick to point out other doing similar stuff online, especially if there is quality content. I therefore eagerly introduce any readers who haven't found it themselves to the blog ARPEX, written by Peter Mirow out of Rio de Janeiro. Peter gives us too much credit for writing about the Jangadas from his native land. I, of course, grabbed the meat of that post from Bob Holtzman at Indigenous Boats, but I'll take a finders fee's worth of credit.

There is much to find at ARPEX. Peter is building a boat and has nicely detailed his project. He also shares our interest in outrigger canoes. This post in particular has a couple nice boats - I especially like the first. Welcome aboard, ARPEX!.

More sparring, partner - Cheaspeake Bay Maritime Museum "Apprentice for a Day" part II

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:45:28 +0200

I got out to to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Apprentice for a Day program again this past weekend and had another great day. First of all, the Delaware Ducker has a full combing, the beginnings of a paint-job, and a cleaned up false-stem. She is looking lovely.

For work, I got to finish my sprit. You may recall that last week I took a blank down to something nearly, but not totally, round. First, let's put this spar in context...

Continue reading "More sparring, partner - Cheaspeake Bay Maritime Museum "Apprentice for a Day" part II"

Introducing myself to the Delaware Ducker - apprenticing again at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:42:45 +0200

For Christmas this year, Mrs. Chine bLog again gave me a four-pack of days apprenticing with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Apprentice for a Day program. You may recall my very happy time doing this last year. This is SUCH a sweet deal. For $25 ($15 if you do the right thing and join the museum) you get a full day working on as fine a small boat as you could find with some great people and highly accomplished shipwrights. Even if you interest in great boats is passing, check it out - you will have a great time.

This year I went unaware of what the project du jour would be. Happily I arrived to find a real treat - the latest in a growing fleet of Delaware Duckers. I had not, heretofore, made the pleasure of their acquaintance. I didn't catch the actual dimensions (doh!), but I am guessing the boat is 16' long and a bit under 4' abeam, designed for rowing and sailing, originally in pursuit of the eponymous fowl. Check out the pictures below - these are some stunning boats, and apparently they sail as well as they look.
Continue reading "Introducing myself to the Delaware Ducker - apprenticing again at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum"

Another boat under way - the Knockabout Sloops blog

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:45:37 +0100

Tonight I came across the blog Knockabout Sloops, which is devoted to one man's construction of a long, pretty sloop in glass with nice trim. I like the daily progress logs. Of course I could never have done this. Too many days saying the same thing... followed by reverses...

Traditional boat lovers are in the house! Welcome Indigenous Boats!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:16:21 +0100

Our good friend Gavin over at intheboatshed.net has score another great find. Thanks muchly, Gavin, for introducing us to Bob Holtzman and his new (I take it) blog "Indigenous Boats - Small Craft Outside the Western Tradition." All of a sudden we find our selves with lots of company here, but heck, if it helps elevate the treasures to be found in other waters, bring it on.

this post on native American whaling craft, especially for its nice picture of a Haida-style canoe. Welcome to our little club, Bob. I look forward to learning from you.

Malay Traditional Boat - the Malaysian Chine bLog?

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 04:08:08 +0100

I tell you, say what you want about Google, its alerts tend to bring me exactly the kind of stuff I want. I never expected that there were than many folks like me who were so into traditional boats that they would spend their free time writing about them for all the world to enjoy, or, in this case, ignore. And then, voila!, Into my in box comes Malay Traditional Boat - Wooden Yacht, a site that appears to be cataloging the traditional boat of Malaysia. There is plenty of advertising to wade through, but you can't fault someone for trying to make a buck off this. Beyond that there are some great resources. The post entitled Perahu Kolek - Terengganu Traditional Boat, for instance shows off the boats below. Striking craft, with these high ends and flourishes. I hope there is more to come. THIS is how you get added to the Chine bLog Honor Roll.

Location: Serawak, Malaysia

Greg Rossel recognized for his efforts to teach kids the art of wooden boat building

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:48:43 +0100

A quick call out to an article in the Morning Sentinel newspaper (of Maine) about boatbuilder / boatbuilding teacher / author Greg Rossel teaching a group of kids how to build wooden boats. I am always a fan of efforts to bring the next generation into the fold of wooden boat builders and afficianados, so here's to Greg for doing this.

"Everywhere you look at it there is cool stuff," said Greg Rossel, the lead instructor for the class. "The kids have got to pay attention to chemistry because they're mixing the glues. They have to know the qualities of the wood. When you're doing layout you're using geometry. It's team-building. Each part that everyone's making is important and the boat doesn't float until all those parts go together. It's using life skills and having the confidence you can build something. Even if these kids don't go into boat building, they'll always have the confidence they can do this."

Maine needs boatbuilders

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:52:19 +0100

A business contact of mine pointed me to an interesting article in USA Today - no, really, USA Today - on the shortage of boatbuilders in Maine. Apparently there are a number of factors driving the trend, but it threatens one of the hotbeds of boatbuilding - especially the classic kind we like here at Chine bLog. Worth thinking about how those of us with this interest can help (short of quitting and heading there with sanding board and block plane in hand). We'll certainly keep up the publicity end on ye olde blogosphere.

For four centuries Mainers have turned trees into boats, creating an industry that epitomizes the state's hard-working, sea-faring sense of itself. But now Maine has a problem with boats: Not enough people want to build them.

By the way, my contact was with The Wilderness Society, in important conservation organization focused on many places, including coastal lands.

The Wooden Dory - another blog in the family

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:36:45 +0100

I ran across a new (to me) blog in our little circle: "The Wooden Dory - Dedicated To The Worlds Best Wooden Boat". It is small and gets infrequent attention, but I hope that will improve. Time was when I would have backed the subtitle wholeheartedly, at least for small boats. My tastes have now changed a bit, though, and I would call various flavors of classic dory great, great boats, but not the best. No matter - the blog's author, Fraser Wheaton, is on the right track and I hope he expands on his idea so that the dory as a "class" gets more much deserved attention.

Here is a nice sample, taken form the post "Why Build Your Own Dory":

In short sir, you take the time and effort to build your own dory because its something you can take pride in, in a busy world where folks no longer take the time to stop and create something with their own two hands. It keeps us in touch with our past and lets us enjoy the present a little more.

Could have said it better. In fact, couldn't have said it anywhere near as well. Row on, dory man!

The traditional Malagasy fishing boat, part deux - the rig

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 03:06:10 +0100

Thanks to Ruth from the blog VazahaGasy for picking up my last post on her partner's building of a traditional Malagasy fishing boat. She updated her pictures to include a few of the boat under sail.

As I suspected would be the case, the boat carries a loose-footed lanteen rig. Really, I would have accepted nothing less! Seriously, this fits the boat well - I bet she looks nice under sail - and shows how that rig made its way down the coast of Africa.

Rath also gives us a good shot of the owner / builder. Great work! The boat is lovely. It is a work boat, but you can tell was well finished nonetheless. Enjoy!

Location: Antsiranana, Madagascar

Using a wooden sloop to go green in Antigua

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:34:00 +0100

To the Caribbean we go - specifically to Antigua. I recently came across a blog post by a company called Adventure Antigua which is touting its plans to have a traditional Carriacou sloop built for eco-tourism. Good move - this will be WAAAAYYYYYY cooler than the generic plastic things the company now sports. Carriacou sloops are traditional freight boats for the islands and should work well as passenger craft, a la the Windjammers in Maine and elsewhere. We'll keep an eye out for pictures. Apparently, the builder has already harvested lumber in Grenada, and, unlike in most cases, is having trees planted in the area to replace them. Well done.

An excellent intro to Malagasy boatbuilding

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:39:32 +0100

Today I came upon an interesting post and some great pictures courtesy of the blog VazahaGasy and author Ruth Frost. The post outlines the author's experience watching the building of a traditional Malagasy fishing boat. It is a quick read, clearly an interested, observant, non-boatbuilder's take on the process. No matter - she gives a sense of construction techniques, materials, and dimensions. Most importantly, then, she takes lots of photos. Bravo!

View a full slide show of the building process or a slide show of the launching (which looks like a fascinating communal exercise). I think the end-result is a fairly handsome boat (great paint job), though it looks like what was once a sailing craft is now destined for an outboard. Practical, but I'd like to see how these were rigged.

Location: Antsiranana, Madagascar

The 2007 Peace Canoe project - an index

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:31:20 +0100

I decided it might be helpful for folks that are coming to see info about my Peace Canoe, PEACE OF THE PUZZLE, to have a little better overview page for the project. Below, therefore, please find a list of all the related posts, along with the topics covered.

Walking the walk - a wooden boat (Peace Canoe) for Chine bLog! - Rationale for choosing to build this boat right now.
Beginning work on the Peace Canoe - Materials, making seats, and cutting the chine logs.
More on the Peace Canoe - scarfing sheer clamps and chine logs - Some pointers on scarfing the sheer clamps and chine logs, but please read this one in partnership with the entry below on issues I had.
The Peace Canoe progresses - have plywood, will start cuttin' - Cutting out plywood side panels and using butt-blocks to create the full panel length. Includes problems with the butt-block method.
The Peace Canoe gets seats and gets closer to full sides - Seat unit construction and fitting chine logs to stem and sternpost.
Building the Peace Canoe - time on the Moaning Chair - Problems in scarfing; problems with stems / sternpost bevels; repairing sheer clamps.
Back in business - the Peace Canoe - Fitting the bottom.
Structurally complete! The Peace Canoe gets a bottom - Pictures of the boat before final finishing.
Getting closer - ready to paint the Peace Canoe - Picture of the boat pre-painting.
And that's a wrap! The Peace Canoe is complete! - Pictures of the completed boat in the yard, with better close-ups that the ones below.
Successful christening and launch of the Peace Canoe! - pictures of the boat on the beach and underway.
Initial performance thoughts on the Peace Canoe - What is the Peace Canoe like as a boat?

I hope this series is fun and useful! Enjoy PEACE OF THE PUZZLE!

A good time to support Alexandria Seaport Foundation

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:36:44 +0100

I have written in the past about the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. I love this organization. They are currently building their endowment and have a commitment from the Ohrstrom Foundation to match donations. Think about supporting them now.

Another organization doing good by building boats - Rocking the Boat in NYC

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:12:49 +0100

I stumbled onto the story of the non-profit organization Rocking the Boat, based in the Bronx, New York City, in the blog Bridge Over Troubled Water. It's another great story of an organization using the building of wooden boats as a path to helping at-risk youth. I love it. Here's a nice quote form the founder and principal, Adam Green:

Knowing that they can solve problems, knowing that things happen and we can deal with them, says Green. We cant deal with everything in our lives, but certainly when you're working with wood on a boat you can talk things out, look at the problems and resolve them. I think that kind of problem solving, as deep as you can imagine, is a really, really powerful part of this.

Good stuff. Rock on, Adam.

Incidentally, Bridge Over Troubled Water seems to be about water quality issues in general, especially in New York City. It has a link to this organization, The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, a club dedicated to canoing a pretty nasty industrial canal to promote its revitalization. More power to you, folks...

Nice post on The Cottage Chronicles

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:57:48 +0100

I found a nice post on the blog The Cottage Chronicles about boatbuilding. A few highlights, to whet your appetite:

Lately I have been thinking about...no wait...fantasizing about building a wooden boat. Don't ask me what has me on this tangent, it's not like I don't have anything to do with my time, or that I have a lot of free time. It's just one of those things I would like to do before I die....

Perhaps it's because my Dad built a couple of wooden boats, a speedboat and a wooden rowboat that we still use around the cottage, some 50 years later. It could also be because there is something kind of special about the way a wooden boat handles in the water. And of course, there is the intrinsic value of creating something with your hands, something that your family might keep around long after you are gone.

Amen, brother. Go for it!!!!!

I will say, though, that the object of these aspiration, The Micro Trawler from Common Sense Boats, looks like a pretty big project for a first-timer. Don't go too big, lest you find it all too daunting and have trouble finishing.

Successful christening and launch of the Peace Canoe!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:36:00 +0200

Gorgeous October day here outside DC, a perfect day to be on the water. Gulls and an osprey wheeling about, gusty nor'wester keeping things clear and cool, the pleasant surroundings of Mason Neck State Park (map) - just the environment to christen and launch the Peace Canoe. So christen it we did (the kids helped), using the very nastiest champaign I could inadvertently pick up. She is now PEACE OF THE PUZZLE. Enjoy some pictures of her first outing (we were lucky enough to come upon some friendly kayakers, one of whom took our picture and was kind enough to send it).

Thank you to all who have read about PEACE OF THE PUZZLE's birth and provided encouragement along the way. It was a blast and I look forward to some great family adventures ahead!

And that's a wrap! The Peace Canoe is complete!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 22:53:00 +0200

I have spent much of my free daylight hours over the last couple weeks putting paint on the Peace Canoe. Today, at about 10:30 AM local, I made some final touch-ups and called her done.

Obviously there are little things that make me cringe (that only I will likely notice, for the most part), but on the whole, I am pleased with the boat. If I do say so, the colors work well. I agonized a bit on this point, so it is good that the results are so positive.

Part of the reason the results are so good is that the design is a good one. I had moved the boat into the front yard to paint (we have an oak the rains acorns), and as I began to see the boat from a shallow angle on the port side, I began to fall in love with the sheer.

Well done, John Harris.

By the way, I wish I had moved to the front yard months ago. I have gotten tons of complements from folks walking by (we live on a main path to the local coffee shop), as well as several drive-bys (including a "Damn! Good job, sir!" from a dude in a utility van). It has been a thrill. Of course, if I had been working there earlier, there may have been more commentary on the work in progress ("yes, I DO know that that piece is cracked!!!")...

Getting closer - ready to paint the Peace Canoe

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:27:03 +0200

And after a couple weeks of planing and sanding and one final clean-up, she is ready to paint. Voila!

I have also chosen the colors, not an easy task for me. She will look something like this:

Structurally complete! The Peace Canoe gets a bottom

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 03:40:00 +0200

And then, after a final push, in the gathering twilight, the Peace Canoe had a bottom. And that, gentle readers, means she is structurally complete. Houston, we have a boat!

Just a whole lotta planning and sanding, plus a mother lode of plastic wood, and we will be cracking open a paint can or four!

Rediscovering Never Sea Land and its ULUA in progress

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 04:21:00 +0200

I have written before (with admiration) of Gary Dierking's ULUA, a sailing outrigger canoe. I recently noticed a comment from David over at Never Sea Land, one of Chine bLog's sister blogs in this space. It turns out he is building an ULUA, and is blogging about it. This category is also interspersed with a variety of useful links of outrigger canoes. David, great looking effort, keep up the good work. Consider your RSS fed.

Michael Storer Boat Design - nice work from Down Under

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 03:48:00 +0200

I recently found some comments I had heretofore not noticed, including one from designer / builder Michael Storer, who seems to hail from Australia. Thanks for visiting, Michael! Storer has some nice-looking plans, including one I particularly like, a sailing canoe called BETH.

Back in business - the Peace Canoe

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 03:19:00 +0200

At long last, I believe I have the sheer clamps replaced in a working manner. Man, oh man, was that an mistake that added time to the project! Just getting the broken ones off took several nights of careful digging for the nails with a tack-puller and cutting the goop with a utility knife. Exhausting and frustrating. But, I persevered. And now, I am ready to move forward!

So it looks pretty good. That there is a boat. So let's see... what next...

Continue reading "Back in business - the Peace Canoe"

Building the Peace Canoe - time on the Moaning Chair

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 03:55:09 +0200

At the beginning of Howard Chapelle's seminal tome Boatbuilding, there is a 4-page introduction in which Chapelle goes through the entire building process at a 10,000' level. After talking through getting out molds, cutting the rabbet, and installing deck beams, Chapelle devotes the final paragraph to a subject that one must assume is of equal importance to the others: the "moaning chair." He writes:

In every amateur boatbuilder's shop there should be a "moaning chair"; this should be a comfortable seat from which the boat can be easily seen and in which the builder can sit, smoke, chew, drink, or swear as the moment demands.

I raise this, obviously, because I have had to spend some time in my own "moaning chair" of late, and since I don't smoke or chew and had already had my nightly beer, it was swearing that was the business of the day.

You will notice two things in this recent picture. On the good news front, I finally have attached the seats to one side panel unit and then attached the other side panel unit to the opposite sides of the seats and brought both sides together at the stem and stern post. In doing that, I should have been working with completed side panel units, chine log and sheer clamp attached. So what are those clamps doing along the sheer, you may ask? Therein lies a tale...

Continue reading "Building the Peace Canoe - time on the Moaning Chair"

The Peace Canoe gets seats and gets closer to full sides

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:53:40 +0200

Voila, the seats are ready. I have been working on them at night or during glue cures, and they have come along well. Here is the middle one. The plans specify cut-outs on the ends of the seats; I added my own flavor of these cut-outs.

I have also installed both chine logs, and last night the bow and stern stems on one side. Here is my handiwork on the bevel for the chine logs meeting the stems, since I moved them inboard. It wasn't too bad to cut and my joints are close enough. I am ready to begin the process of attaching the seats to one side panel and then the other. Stay tuned...

Relief - The Smithsonian Folklife Festival delivers

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 05:04:00 +0200

I called out the Smithsonian Folklife Festival recently and I am pleased to say I was wrong. There was indeed an exhibit on traditional boatbuilding along the Mekong, albeit one boat from one group of people. It was not a total loss, so bravo for not having the big miss I initially suspected.

The exhibit in question featured a group of Bahnar people from West-central Vietnam [Editor's later addition: strictly speaking, it seems these people do not live on the Mekong]. They were build a traditional log canoe using a decidedly untraditional, for them, poplar log. There is a great write-up in the Washington Post on their story of getting to and being at the festival. Suffice it to say they are a remote people and this was a big voyage into very unfamiliar territory.

Continue reading "Relief - The Smithsonian Folklife Festival delivers"

The Peace Canoe progresses - have plywood, will start cuttin'

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:59:00 +0200

So I got the plywood, some good quality, from what I can tell, marine fir. That in hand, it was time to start getting big pieces together, starting with the sides.

The plans call for five 4x8 sheets of 1/4" plywood, 2 1/3 of which go into the sides. The Getting Started in Boats write-up assumes one has a nice, big, level area on which to do the layout. I was using our lawn, that leaves a bit to be desired in the "level" dept. To keep things in line, I used clamps to keep the sheets aligned while I plotted the side panels. I was blessed with a) having spline weights from my design dabbling and b) having a nice off-cut of 12' 1x that was a perfect batten. I had to pend a bunch of time and hands-and-knees with a straightedge and pencil, but I was able to get the sides out fairly easily.

Continue reading "The Peace Canoe progresses - have plywood, will start cuttin'"

More on the Peace Canoe - scarfing sheer clamps and chine logs

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 04:42:00 +0200

While I wait on the plywood I have been preparing the sheer clamps and chine logs, which I took out of 10' and 12' 1x. I thus have had to - and the write-up in Getting Started in Boats assumes this - scarf pieces together for these fore-and-aft members. I am not a very steady had with a hand-saw - though I finally bought a Japanese saw and am in heaven with it - so I developed this system where I find the angle, clamp a guide to the main piece, and cut along the guide. That has worked well.

I was worried about keeping the pieces of the joint from slipping around in the process. I decided I would reinforce the joint with nails anyway, so I decided to drive them just enough to provide a little bite to help hold the pieces. Bingo - pretty good joints, all.

Beginning work on the Peace Canoe

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:38:45 +0200

I have begun gathering the lumber and hardware for the Peace Canoe project. It is, by the way, AMAZINGLY difficult to find appropriate plywood. Even specialty places around here - and while we are not a maritime center here in DC, we aren't land-locked, either - seemed to have a hard time once "marine grade" entered the equation. Then the quotes that came back suggested that multiple people didn't know what they were talking about. The designer, Chesapeake Light Craft, actually sells Okoume for a pretty reasonable price (though I just can't bring myself to go there for this boat). I hope I don't regret the decision...

I did have pretty good luck with the other material. I managed to find - in Home Depot, no less - some straight, pretty clear pine that I am some way through turning into sheer clamps and chine logs. I also have turned out the seat supports.

Continue reading "Beginning work on the Peace Canoe"

Walking the walk - a wooden boat (Peace Canoe) for Chine bLog!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:08:13 +0200

So here is the situation: as I have mentioned I have a family with small children. I get to go out in my kayak sometimes, but if we had our own boat, I would get out much more because it can be a family activity. Rentals are possible, but leave things to chance (availability) and limit expeditions to a few places. There wasn't much interesting on Craig's List, and I was having a hard time thinking about adding ANOTHER non-wooden boat to the family fleet. Buying a wooden one was too expensive and I don't have the room to build one I'd really want. T'was a conundrum.

What I needed was to find a easily built boat - meaning I could pull it off over short period of time in my back yard - that didn't seem bland or non-functional. I admit this was a tall order - I am a bit snobby on this front. Well, fate began to intervene recently in the form of the recent two issues of Getting Started in Boats, WoodenBoat's companion publication. Volume 3 of this new publication came a couple months ago showing the Peace Canoe, a design by John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft. I admit - again - I dismissed it as another boat that was great for getting people started building, but wasn't, ahem, a "real" boat (yes, I will get over myself at some point). Volume 4 the arrived recently, just as I was chewing on the dilemma above. I looked again. I studied it a bit more. I started to like its lines. Lo and behold, it fit the bill.

Continue reading "Walking the walk - a wooden boat (Peace Canoe) for Chine bLog!"

Here's a treat: National BoatBuilding Challenge

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 03:38:37 +0200

So you could build a boat at your leisure... or, for speed! Check out the National BoatBuilding Challenge:

The concept is simple: Teams of two build the same skiff design. They are graded on time of build, quality of workmanship, and speed on the water against each other. The current world record for building is 2:11:47... OPEN TO ALL! Housing contractors, plumbing inspectors, paper-pushers, professional wooden boat builders, and general lay-abouts.

There are two locations, Belfast, ME and Georgetown, SC. Apparently carpenters generally kick boat builders a*ses, but maybe the Maine-uhs will show the a thing or two. 2:11:47 is a pretty wild time, though...

It seems there is also The Classic Small Boat Show, which also seems interesting.

A room with a view...

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:22:00 +0200

I recently got back from a trip to San Diego for a wedding [side note: aside form the perfect weather, pleasant scenery, laid back lifestyle, and ubiquitous water sports, what IS the big deal about this town? ;^) ]. We were in a nice hotel on the harbor, but decided not to pay up for a room with a nice view. So we faced the road in. Ahhh - but what is ACROSS the road? A great view indeed! A boat yard specializing in wooden boats!

We were right across from Koehler Kraft, which seems to be an established San Diego yard. There were a couple of interesting boats out for repair - this sloop was short a couple planks - and a number of others on the floats. Unfortunately I couldn't get closer - this place was stacked. Now this is a view for us at Chine bLog!

Simba - a fine-looking Italian boatbuilding and restoration services

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:31:38 +0200

It's always nice to find a new blog in our little space on the old web. Welcome, then, to our new Italian friends at Sibma Navale Italiana, a wooden boat building / boat restoration shop on, as best as I can tell, the Italian Riviera. Given that seems to be where TONS of key restoration projects are happening these days, it must be a nice place to be in the business. Keep up the good work and keep beautiful boats going strong!

Simba seems to specialize in building pretty power boats like that one above, and there is a series on the blog about the process. I confess my Italian is not far beyond that which has found its way into the American culinary lexicon, so I can't provide much commentary (and, in case you were wondering, Google Language Tools does an outstandingly bad job at providing a useful translation of a boat building blog - Come si dice "cold molded?"). I do like the blog as a way to tell stories about projects that are too detailed for the shop's main web site. It is nice to be able to get a peak inside a project in process.

Of course Simba found us here at Chine bLog, so they are also CLEARLY an astute bunch, in general...

Making sawdust again, part IV - a mast and its partner

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 03:18:50 +0200

And so, it came, my last of four trips out to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Apprentice for a Day program. What a great experience it has been - I can't wait until life's other demands allow me time to head out there again.

The boat is coming along well. The frames and deck knees are all in and shaped, the forward deck beams are in, and the centerboard trunk is now snugly in place. Having worked on a number of these pieces over the last few weeks, I love seeing them in their rightful home.

Continue reading "Making sawdust again, part IV - a mast and its partner"

More from Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - a small replanking project

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 04:16:39 +0200

This skipjack is up on blocks at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. I think the planking might need a little work. Looks like it is in good hands.

Making sawdust again, part III - Of deck knees and a centerboard

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:14:53 +0200

Geez - it has been too long. Apologies to my loyal readers - yeah, you three - for keeping you hanging. Last weekend brought me back to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's for another installment of the Apprentice for a Day program. And a great day it was.

The boat has come along a bit more since I was last back. Frames installed, a couple deck beams, centerboard trunk coming along, and preparation of deck knees. And deck knees were the task for the day.

Continue reading "Making sawdust again, part III - Of deck knees and a centerboard"

Making sawdust again, part II - I was framed!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:08:07 +0100

Yesterday was another gorgeous day, with a light breeze and a clear sky. Chesapeake Bay looked gorgeous, shimmering below me, as a crossed it on the Bay Bridge, headed East again for another day with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Apprentice for a Day program. Last week had whetted my appetite; yesterday I was hungry, though. I couldn't wait to get back in the shop and see how the boat was coming along. And here she was, already looking more herself:

Seeing a boat right-side up for the first time is always exciting, though I was interested to so how much had NOT been done in the week I had been away (which included two full building days). Most of her planking was done, but not all. There were a couple gaps up forward that seemed odd, until they were explained by my master for the day, Tony. It turns out, with these cross-planked boats, that there is so much twist up forward that the conventional way, even after steaming, doesn't work. The forward planks were literally being carved from solid blocks of pine. Wow - what a chore! This boat was going to be authentic, but there is a reason most boats have fore-and-aft planking, and this might be part of it. Can't say I hadn't already learned something, and class had yet to begin.

Continue reading "Making sawdust again, part II - I was framed!"

Making sawdust again - apprenticing at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 03:25:51 +0100

As my regular readers know (you know who you three are), I am longer on boat building desire than I am on facilities and time to actually do it. Ergo, I blog... That all changed today, however, and will again three out of the next four weekends. Courtesy of a thoughtful Christmas gift from Mrs. Chine bLog, I am spending four days in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Apprentice for a Day program. This is the perfect deal for someone like me. I get to head out to St. Michaels, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and spend a day in a working traditional boat shop guided by the museum's boatwright staff. It was great, needless to say.

Click on image to see lines drawing

The current project is a 17ish foot crabbing skiff, which looks like it will be a beautiful and solid boat. She is being built to lines taken off by Chapelle in his invaluable surveys of traditional American craft. I arrived to find the hull still upside-down, with planking in progress. One pair of fellow apprentices set to work on a day of fun with bevels, creating the forward bottom planking from cedar stock. I headed aft...

Continue reading "Making sawdust again - apprenticing at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum"

Vacuum-bagging webinar from Professional Boatbuilder

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 03:46:29 +0100

Interesting stuff from Professional BoatBuilder magazine: they have launched a series of monthly webinars (web-based seminars, for those not in the internet biz) on boat-building topics (they are calling the series "ProBoatEvents:Online"). Their first one was "The Basics of Vacuum-Bagging," featuring Joe Parker of Gougeon Brothers. It seems these will be free, and this first one is available for 90 days. I haven't seen it yet, as the servers are getting maintained tonight, so no idea if how good it is, but it is a pertinent topic, they have Gougeon, a main source on it, and it comes from a quality publication. Enter the replay # 1820174651 when the page pops up.

The Degenhardt Foundation trains young boatbuilders in Vietnam

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:43:16 +0100

It was nice to see my recent post on traditional boats from Vietnam caused a huge stir in the wooden boat world. No sooner did my post hit the 'net than WoodenBoat had not one but TWO pieces on boat building there. I am DEAD sure there is a connection. Really.

I am a big fan of training young people to build boats; all the more so if doing so if doing so positively transforms their lives. I was, therefore, particularly interested to learn about the Degenhardt Foundation's Cam Kim Boat Project. The program trains young people in traditional boat building techniques, thereby both preserving the techniques and providing opportunities for the students. I call that a win-win.

And the boats are quite nice little craft, aren't they? Godspeed to this program.

Location: Vietnam

And more - the Vietnam Wooden Boat Foundation

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:30:00 +0100

WoodenBoat was also good enough to highlight the Vietnam Wooden Boat Foundation, which is:

Dedicated to preserving the maritime history of Vietnam with an emphasis on the art, craft, lore, and history of traditional Vietnamese wooden boat building.

I can buy into that. They seem to be small, but ambitious. They are collecting and publishing information and also seem to be intent on making some sawdust on both sides of the Pacific. And there are some really interesting boats to preserve.

One project is to build a boat called a Ghe Nang in Vietnam and bring it over here. I like this boat - it looks great and, according to the foundation, was known as the fastest of all Vietnamese sailboats. Interesting rig description too:

It was double ended and had a slotted stem-post forward which held a removable centerboard, and a slotted stern post aft which held a removable rudder. It fished using driftnets secured to booms set fore and aft. The centerboard and rudder were raised out of the water during fishing operations and when beaching the boat. Another unique feature was that the hulls were typically made from woven bamboo attached to a top wood frame. Woven bamboo hulls are common in central Vietnam.

Their web site includes photos of a number of other types of boats. A taste:

Continue reading "And more - the Vietnam Wooden Boat Foundation"

Pygmy Boats - great looking kayaks from a kit

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:02:00 +0200

So I was out for a walk by the river with my daughter a couple weekends back and came across a guy taking a beautiful multi-chine wooden kayak off his car. I complemented him and inquired about the boat and learned he built it from a kit sold by Pygmy Boats out of Washington State.

I think this model, the Coho, was the one in question. I had heard of this shop but never seen one and I was quite impressed. For starters, this guy had done a great job building her - I wish I could name him here and give him credit. The multi-chine lines, however, added to the look. She was much sharper than the typical hard-chine kits you often see. If you are interested in going this route to build a kayak I would say you should definitely give these folks a look.

Mots Maya - Kayak-building and kayak-eco-tourism in the Yucatan

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 23:35:56 +0200

Oh my - sometimes you run across something astoundingly special. A new client of mine, Rare, has funded a venture on Mexico's Yucatan Pennisula that provides kayak-based eco-tourism. The venture supports the local economy in a new way and provides new opportunities for local communities to have sustainable livelihoods. Even better, it appears that they are using self-made kayaks, creating the first kayak shop in the region:

This path took Jose Eduardo to Canada to learn the art of kayak making. He is now the only kayak maker in the Yucatán. With start up grants from Mexicos National Institute of Indigenous People and Rare, Mots Maya is attracting visitors for tours ranging from birdwatching to kayaking expeditions.

This is totally cool. Anyone heading down that way should definitely look into supporting this venture.

Good call from WoodenBoat - "Getting Started in Boats"

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 18:33:00 +0200

I was pleased to see the insert in the July/August 2006, Issue #191 of WoodenBoat: "Getting Started in Boats." It is a step-by-step manual for building an attractive little skiff aimed at the novice boat-builder. Kudos to WoodenBoat for jumping on this opportunity to expand the proverbial pie and bring more folks aboard the wooden boat world. Even better was that they created a nice web site with a builders forum. I think this will be an important step - connecting people who are working on the project with each other. Camaraderie, shared advice, shared celebrations - all are nice inputs on top of a well-thought publication.

Interestingly, I guess there has been some discussion about the choice of design. It is not a slam-dunk: cross-planking on the bottom, changing stem bevels, and a stem-bent keel. Many felt this was too complex for the first-time builder. The editors recently explained, in the current issue's editorial, they liked it in that someone who mastered the tasks need to build this boat could take on most any second project. I like that thinking, but I am afraid I don't agree. I was struck by these aspects of the design when I first saw it and I fear the analogy is that of getting into shape: people decide to get back into shape, they go out for a long, hard run or whatever, they get hurt, and they stop exercising again. Mission failed. I worry that could happen here - that people will get excited but get bogged down and not complete the project. That is the worst outcome - they will feel poorly about themselves and will be more likely to distance themselves from our world. Good ideas and fair points, gang, but I think we need to start smaller.