Chine bLog - 5. Boat Media

Great children's reading: "The Island-below-the-Star"

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:19:41 +0200

I recently picked up a great book for my kids: "The Island-below-the-Star", by James Rumford. It a wonderful story / "myth" about Polynesian discovery of Hawaii in a double-hull canoe and the navigation skills that help the voyage. Worth grabbing for fellow traditional boat lovers with size-small crew floating about.

Doing a sail-plan? You need to read Tom Jackson's latest in WoodenBoat

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 04 May 2008 04:01:01 +0200

I read an article last night that prompted me to reflect on how I rate the value of a magazine article. One could imagine a star system, like those for restaurant, movie, or record reviews. Zero stars means that, at best, the article gave me nothing - no entertainment, no new knowledge, no nuggets of wisdom to chew on - basically it wasted my time. One star means that I was entertained on some level but basically got nothing out of it. Two stars gave me a little something new, and so on. Five stars, then, would be an article that is entertaining, includes several new bits of knowledge, presents a solution(s) to an interesting problem, and basically leaves me thinking 'I absolutely need to clip this out because there is 100% certainty I will want to go back to this again.' Allow me to introduce you to a Chine bLog-certified five-star article.

The piece is "A Suit of Sails," featured in the latest issue of WoodenBoat (May/June 2008, Number 202) and written by Senior Editor Tom Jackson. Jackson is building himself a lovely Nomans Land Boat (some discussion on the type in this thread) and is trying to design a sail plan for her, there being no original one on which to base it (at least one that is known). Jackson outlines eight possibilities, walks through pluses and minuses for each, cites a few experts and principles they offered, and provides sketches of each option. Not only do you get Jackson and his experts' views on one level, but you also get the perspective of Jackson as a boatbuilder, working through a problem as it has hit him. The article thus has a great multifaceted discussion that is both incredibly useful and incredibly entertaining. Five stars, Tom.

Oh - and, by the way, the boat in question is gorgeous and will, no doubt, be another gem for the Maine coast.

Thanks for the visit, David Fleming Day

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:58:20 +0200

We at Chine bLog are immensely proud to have received a comment in the last week to a post from from two years ago. The post was on a great issue of WoodenBoat magazine and noted, among other things, a nice bio of Rudder founder and Bermuda Race originator Thomas Fleming Day. That someone found a two-year-old post was interesting, but when the comment comes from someone named David Fleming Day, it got us quite excited. David, we assume you are a descendant of Thomas. Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your perspective on this great man.

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!.

Canoe Sailing Magazine - where did it go?

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:10:58 +0100

And just like that, Canoe Sailing Magazine seems to have disappeared. Anyone know what happened?

In print again! WoodenBoat features PEACE OF THE PUZZLE!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:30:34 +0100

We are thrilled here at Chine bLog to announce that our efforts have again gotten us in the pages of WoodenBoat. PEACE OF THE PUZZLE made it into the Launchings column for this month's issue (March/April, #201). Thank you much to the team there for selecting this boat!

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.

Welcome to the world Canoe Sailing Magazine!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:59:00 +0100

Some of our kindred spirits have been hard at work. Canoe Sailing Magazine has launched online - congrats to the proud authors! I just noticed its birth just this evening and haven't looked at it much, but I am fairly confident I won't live to regret giving it the Chine bLog stamp of approval in the form of a place in our Honor Roll and RSS reader. Todd Bradshaw, he of Canoe Rig fame, seems to be in the mix, so I'm in based on that alone. This looks fantastic, folks - well done!

A new (for us) messing about in boats blog: Messing About in Sailboats

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:09:09 +0100

We continue to have plenty of company in the blogosphere as a appropriator of the famous Wind in the Willows line. The blog Messing About in Sailboats has a nice recent post highlighting the Calendar of Wooden Boats, featuring photos by Benjamin Mendlowitz. I have had a couple of editions and they are just gorgeous. The blog's post features a montage of past covers of the calendar, which is a thing of beauty in its own right. If you don't like gleaming brightwork and gaff rigs, venture no further...

A great read: the Dye's "Ocean Crossing Wayfarer"

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:03:56 +0100

As I mentioned recently, my dad gave me Frank and Margaret Dye's Ocean Crossing Wayfarer: To Iceland and Norway in a 16ft Open Boat for Christmas and I tore through it in several days. Great book for those liking adventure or those liking nice wooden boats.

For those not in the know, Frank Dye began investigating the possibilities of dinghy cruising in the early '60s. He bought a Wayfarer dinghy and began going offshore, into - and then across - the North Sea. He survived force 8 gales and kept pushing. The book details two voyages: one from Northern Scotland to Iceland and one form Northern Scotland to the Faeroe Islands and then central Norway. Both were double-handed trips, and both are full of the fine line between expert seamanship and sheer lunacy. It is all, however, entertaining, the moreso because of Dye's no-ego style (Margaret's words based on Frank's logs).

Even more interesting is the appendices, which detail the supply lists and lessons learned from the trips (the Dye's went on to do many more dinghy cruises). In particular, he reviews equipment choices (including updates in the newer edition on more modern alternatives) and even maps out rigging / layout he used on the Wayfarer WANDERER. Its fascinating and makes you think a bit about following the Dye's brave lead...

Roger Fletcher and the river boats of the American West

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:08:58 +0100

There is logic to this, but I won't get into it. Suffice it to say that I had recently been thinking about the wooden dories and river boats indigenous to the American West. I don't know much about these boats and have never been in one, so I don't think about them much (of course, that means nothing, since I think a lot about lots of boats I have never been in - let's move on...). Well, lo and behold, if my nightly missive from the good people at Google didn't bring me a little something on the subject (courtesy of The Statesman Journal form Salem, Oregon). I guy named Roger Fletcher from Oregon has just written a book about these boats that is the culmination of his exhaustive research into them. He literally resurrected 13 designs (publishing 11) from the dead and has now preserved them. The boat is called Drift Boats and River Dories: Their History, Design, Construction, and Use, and it looks like a great resource. I certainly am inclined to raise a toast to Mr. Fletcher's efforts - we need people like him to make sure great designs and the thinking behind them remain available.

I particularly liked a few passages from the article that found me:

"My passion for boats is tied to the parallels I see between the river and how one runs this course we call life," Fletcher said. "The river is wonderful medicine for the river of life. That sounds kind of hokey, but that's where my passion is. I enjoy fly fishing and I enjoy getting out, but that isn't what pulls me. It's the river itself, and the people who share the passion."

His research, the hard work that it was, sucked him in... this led me down a path that brought me in touch with a variety of marvelous people whose passion for rivers and river people surpasses my own..." By telling the story of those people, he also tells the story of the boats.

"What I've done is define the key points in time in the evolution of boats -- what caused the builder to quit building a square-end boat and start building a double-ended boat," Fletcher said. "What were the circumstances, what experiences did he have and how did he do it? I discovered the history of these boats and my natural curiosity took over. These boats are Oregon's unique contribution to the wooden boat world, and that has become more and more obvious as I've done the research."

Location: Oregon, USA

The Getting Started in Boats blog

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:32:54 +0100

Unbeknown to me, there has been a blog companion to WoodenBoats's Getting Started in Boats series. It seems to be written now by Karen Wales, an associate editor at WoodenBoat. If this insert series is interesting to WoodenBoat readers, then the blog might be a useful tool to go along with it. It seems to have suffered a long hiatus until recently and I am hopeful that Ms. Wales is a new breath of fresh air to get it going again. Goodness knows, she has already had the great wisdom to point her readers to my series on building the Peace Canoe!.

Movie you need to see: "Ten Canoes"

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:54:00 +0100

Here's a movie you Chine bLog readers should see: "Ten Canoes." The movie recounts an Australian Aboriginal myth, highlighting the culture and practices of the people of far Northern Australia in the process. It is another in the genre of movie that features actual members of an indigenous community in the area where the film is set. I happen to go for this type - these "untrained actors" always do an amazing job and, in this case as well as others, create a lovely tale.

Here is the bonus: as the title suggests, local traditional canoes, and the making of them, play a hefty "supporting actor" role. I clipped the image here from the movie site. They are bark canoes (the tree species is not identified). The builders basically cut around the circumference of the trunk at the bottom and then make another cut around it about 15 feet for so up the trunk. Apparently it has to be the right season so the bark is supple. They then cut a straight line down the trunk, thus allowing them to unroll a roughly 15 foot buy three foot sheet. As best I could tell, they then stitch the ends together, stitching two rows in the bow to create a flat surface. Somewhere in here they also some branches as athwartship "frames." Finally, they cut the bow shape out of the stitched end. Voila, a bark canoe, down-under style.

As I have mentioned before, I am always impressed to see how different boaters around the world design their craft...

Continue reading "Movie you need to see: "Ten Canoes""

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.

Never Sea Land's pictures from Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 19:47:04 +0200

David over at Never Sea Land posted some great pictures from Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. There are a number of them and it would be impossible to highlight all the great boats in there. Just site back, scroll, and feel the love. I do recommend finding the Haida-style canoe - that is a nice traditional boat David shot among the classics.

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.

Stunning traditional boat images by San Francisco's Lisa Kristine

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 16 May 2007 03:13:48 +0200

I recently had to go to a conference in Sonoma, CA. It was a rough assignment, what with all that wine tasting, but I managed to pull through. Along the way I stumbled on the gallery of Lisa Kristine, a San Francisco-based photographer. Ms. Kristine specializes in images of indigenous peoples and the nice thing about this subject is that one tends to capture great boats in the process of studying the people. And that Ms. Kristine has done. I offer some samples below, but go to her site to view them all (select the Water image) - you will not be disappointed (and may be moved to buy one - I am looking into it...).

First up, a nice sail in a lanteen rigged boat off Zanzibar, Tanzania... get in before that weather comes, fellas!

Continue reading "Stunning traditional boat images by San Francisco's Lisa Kristine"

Many thanks to WoodenBoat for the recent plug

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 03:21:38 +0100

So I was merrily flipping through the latest issue of WoodenBoat recently when I turned the page and was greeted by an article entitled "Boat Blogs." Great, I thought, glad to see they are covering this... but what are the chances... Well, lo and behold, they we are - Chine bLog making the pages of the granddaddy of our space. Needless to say, it was a thrill. I believe the person who really needs a thank you is author Eric Sorensen, author of From the Dock - The Official Blog of the S/V Mistral, an experiment in public seamanship -- free rides! -- and the coolest old sailboat in Seattle. Coming soon to an adrenal gland near you. Best wishes, Eric. Keep us queued up on your newsreader!

In case you are interested, Eric also found our friends at intheboatshed.net and Craft A Craft, among others. Dovetails looks like one to check out - the author has a friendship sloop, which makes him our instant friend.

Another nice boating blog - Craft A Craft

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:45:03 +0100

Our rigorous standards of judgment here at Chine bLog were bested this evening with the discovery of Craft A Craft, a blog on boat design, building, and cruising that has a number of good pieces in it. More importantly, Craft A Craft found us and complimented the name. That, my friends, is how you make headlines here. Like bloggers aren't the biggest whores around... ;^). Seriously, if you are interested in systems stuff, for instance, go there - I don't know %*& about that stuff, and this seems like a good source. Author Bruce Dillahunty is tech savvy and topically in line, and it looks like he has found some good resources. Keep an eye - or an RSS feed, if that's your bag - on this one.

In case you missed it - my Del.icio.us feed

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:14:54 +0100

I am a big fan of the Del.icio.us service, where you can create communal bookmarks. I use it to track intersting links, some of which get a post and many of which don't get their due. On the left side of this blog is a running list of sites I bookmark. Please explore the list and see if there are any that are useful / interesting to you as well. You can also add me to your network or subscribe to my bookmarks. Its pretty cool. Anyway, here are my tags; click on one to see related links (bigger tags mean more links are tagged with that term).

The blog we now aspire to be: intheboatshed.net

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:27:36 +0100

In browsing my web stats tonight I discovered a new referrer that peaked my interest: intheboatshed.net. "Hmm - what could that be?" I thought and promptly checked it out. And, lo, I came upon the mother of all wooden boat blogs I have had the pleasure to run across. If you like this blog, you go nuts for intheboatshed.net. The author, Gavin Atkin, is a British journalist and boat enthusiast, and he clearly has way more time and depth of knowledge than I do - he's put up 160 posts in the last four months! And it isn't idle chatter, either - Atkin has a whole page of notable how-tos. Dude, I am formally impressed.

I have already grabbed the RSS feed, and I suggest you do too if you like messing about. This site looks like it will only become more of a gold mine.

Beautiful small boat artwork - from a great guy

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:34:12 +0100

I am pleased to be able to show off two great pieces of artwork that fans of this blog will surely enjoy:

The talented artist? That would be George Shaw. Name ring a bell? That would be my dad. Good stuff, eh? I believe the second boat is a Caledonia Yawl by Iain Oughtred. Couldn't have picked a much nicer subject, Dad.

PS - He'll also whip your butt in a Turnabout race...

Whitewater paddling portal site of note

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 04:22:11 +0100

I wanted to give a quick shout-out to Playak.com, a global, but mostly European, it seems, paddling portal site that picked up my little ole' blog a couple weeks back. It appears to be run by serious kayakers from Europe and the U.S. and has a wide range of news, reviews, forums, images, links, etc. I especially like the rich paddling spot reviews, like this one, complete with pictures and Google maps. Very helpful. They coverage is global, but seems to be focused on whitewater. Not that that's a bad thing - just don't go there for your next trip in your 19' touring boat.

"Canoe Rig" - an amazing way to expand the possibilities of what a canoe adventure could be

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 03:02:35 +0100

Canoe Rig: The Essence and the Art, Sailpower for Antique and Traditional Canoes, by Todd Bradshaw, is one of those books that stakes out a new piece of turf in your mind. In this case, that turf is the possibilities of adding spars and canvas to the traditional canoe. Bradshaw presents, in great, well-illustrated detail, a set a rig options and associated hardware for setting sail in a canoe. He also outlines, canoe background and sailing theory, as well as I have seen it done. His artwork captures the concepts amazingly well.

The canoe, as my father noted in flipping through the book, is not the most obvious choice for conversion to a sailing rig. Bradshaw seems to accept this point, noting that the sailing experience in some of the scenarios he sketches out is fairly exciting and that one may need more attention to matters hand than one does in, say, a Flying Scot. Maybe that is what is so compelling to me about the book - it presumes traditional designs and hardware yet sketches out a world we don't think about. It is not new, of course - many ideas come from the days of Rushton. The arts of this little realm of boating, though, have been lost to modern options, and Bradshaw's rescue of them is as commendable as it is exciting. As is apparent, my idea of adventure involves the small, simple, and traditional. Bradshaw's rigs taking an able adventure craft and give it new possibilities. This one is definitely a keeper.

A new design for WoodenBoat.com - a review

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 05:14:00 +0200

As I mentioned recently, WoodenBoat gave WoodenBoat.com a major update recently. It was pretty badly needed, I am sorry to say, and the effort goes a long way toward grasping some available opportunities. As I have also mentioned, I do internet consulting professionally, so I am going to do a little mixing of business with pleasure here (to be clear, I am getting nada for this) and offer my thoughts on the new design.

Some thoughts on WoodenBoat's online strategy

I haven't had the pleasure - and I really would have adored this job - of sitting down with the good people at WoodenBoat and thinking about how they should be using the internet. My very first post on this blog talked about my impressions of WoodenBoat Publications as an organization and the unique value proposition it offers. That's consultant-speak for "what makes it good." Let me recap.

Continue reading "A new design for WoodenBoat.com - a review"

New resale tool for wooden boats - a good thing for keeping these craft loved and afloat

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 03:22:00 +0200

WoodenBoat has always had classifieds at the end (a nice place to day-dream, I always found as a kid). Now it has added to this service with a web version: Wooden Boats For Sale Online. I like the idea - every little bit help in terms of keeping nice boats in loving hands and, thus, afloat. Any efforts like this should be praised - and supported.

New WoodenBoat.com design

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 18:53:14 +0200

I see WoodenBoat finally redesigned their web site. Looks MUCH better. I will be looking at it further and giving a full review.

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.

Top designer: Iain Oughtred

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 03:41:00 +0200

I bit ago I realized I was overdue doing a post about Iain Oughtred, a man whose drawing table has produced some gorgeous small craft. I first got introduced to him vis his book on glued lapstake building: Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual. Yeah, he's a Brit, so he used "clinker," which, however laden with tradition, is a term I have never liked - but I digress.

Iain has a great gift for looking at the traditional, finding its merits, and bringing it forward to today. Adding in the glued 'strake construction, which allows for solid but lightweight craft with all the charm of their rivet-n'-rib bretheran, he hits my particular sweet spot - the modern traditional boat. Mark my words - I will build one of his boats when I can get to building again.

Continue reading "Top designer: Iain Oughtred"

Great new collection of classic boat artwork

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:40:35 +0200

Check out Bray Prints, a collection of great artwork showing profiles of classic boats. The artist is Kathy Bray, and she has apparently been producing these lovely pieces for some time. The site is new. Thanks to RudderPosts for showing this off first.

Beautiful story on WoodenBoat's RudderPosts blog

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 26 May 2006 04:51:15 +0200

There is a lovely new story on WoodenBoat's RudderPosts blog about the late (recently) Georgia boat-builder Robb White. Definitely worth a read:

The Evolution of Robb White

Latest WoodenBoat (May / June) - A Stacked Issue

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 09 May 2006 02:34:00 +0200

I just finished the latest WoodenBoat and my goodness was it packed with good stuff. After Tom Jackson's usual goodies in Currents we get a great story on the history of Knockabout Sloops, a cluster of designs that encompasses a gorgeous portfolio of late-19th / early-20th century racing yachts (e.g., the Manchester / Dark Harbor 17). B. B. Crowninshield's name is next to about half of the designs shown which is all you really need to know.

There is then the cover story on a lovely, well-conceived power cruiser from New Zealand. It is a great example of a boat that is designed for performance below the waterline but retains plenty of charm above it. She's sweet. Spend a few minutes to wander over to designer Peter Sewell's site and see what more recreational powerboats should look like.

We next get a profile of Thomas Fleming Day, of whom I am displeased to report I had never heard. It turns out that this same man gave birth to both The Rudder, the classic small boating publication of its day (and probably progenitor of much of the good boating mags available today) and the Bermuda Race. He's an amazing character.

Finally, there is an excellent how-to piece on building your own Greenland-style kayak paddle. It comes courtesy of Mike Parks of Longbow Paddles, located over on the Eastern Shore (that would be the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, for those of you outside the parochial Mid-Atlantic). His core theme is that he uses the techniques of making bows (as in "and arrows") to bring the right level of flex to the paddle such that you get a bit of power out of the wood's springback. I never would have thought of that, but it makes tons of sense. Mike likes to make the paddle from a single piece of lumber - ash, mostly. I have to believe that you could laminate the blade if you keep the shaft running straight to the tip (not there is a huge blade on a Greenland-style paddle). I know laminations like my paddle are not traditional, but I think they look extremely sharp if done well. Wood is gorgeous stuff - - let it harmonize a bit!

Wood-and-canvas canoes on screen (and DeNiro too...)

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 08 May 2006 02:01:41 +0200

The March/April issue of WoodenBoat is not the first place I might turn for movie previews, but it turns out there is a movie coming out in late this year called "The Good Shepherd" that has an impressive cast: three wooden-and-canvas Old Town canoes and an Adirondack Guideboat. That's talent, if you ask me (apparently it also has Damon, DeNiro, Jolie, Pesci, A. Baldwin, W. Hurt, and several other known names, if you have a more conventional view of cinema). All were restored by Mason Smith of Adirondack Goodboat for use in the film. Apparently they are effectively extras but it was a nice deal for Mr. Mason - and for the boats. I wonder which one will bring home the "Best Use of Restored Classic Boat" Oscar.

While we are on the subject, it seems as good a time as any to discuss the Adirondack Guideboat, that venerable craft of far upstate. If I may go from cinema to popular music, I feel, and have always felt, about the Guideboat as I do about The Beatles. Important? Absolutely? Talented? No doubt. Deserving of long-term praise? Sure. On heavy rotation on my iTunes? Not a chance. I just don't enjoy listening to The Beatles and I have never liked the traditional guideboat lines. The high ends and tumblehome stems have never looked right to me, no matter what artistry of cedar and oak is holding the package together. I actually have never been able to take one for a spin, but I am sure they row great - they have to much esteem not to. I think I'll drop more oars elsewhere, though. Sorry, to the 'dacks crowd.

A second shout-out to Messing-About.com

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:38:00 +0200

Many thanks to my new friends at Messing-About.com, which I profiled a little while back. They immediately linked to my blog here upon request and sent a good number of visitors my way. Folks, I hope you enjoyed it and return again!

I do internet strategy stuff for a living and we often tell clients not to do open web forums because they are tough to make work well. Well, kudos to these folks for pulling it off. They have a few active forums with some interesting threads, e.g., this one on centerboard design. People are posting real design drawings here, so it seems a seriously useful resource with members who know of what they speak.

While I am here, I noticed another thread asking about information on small boat rigs. I'll pile on a recommendation a few others posted: 103 Sailing Rigs by Phil Bolger. It is an extremely useful run-through of just about any rig you can imagine, as well as many you never could! It is Bolger after all. Each profile is a page or two worth of the pluses and minuses of each, along with enough history to give you a sense of how it is used. I found it indespensible on my current design project for figuring out the optimal rig.

Great book on building skin-on-frame kayaks and other boats

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 04:53:10 +0200

One of my recent fascinations is skin-on-frame boats (and, if I read my blog stats correctly, others also have this interest). For those with this interest, I recommend Building Skin- On-Frame Boats by Robert Morris. It is an easy read with a good mix of theory, practice, and background. Mr. Morris is a real seat-of-the-pants builder - literally. He teaches customized kayak design via seating oneself on the floor and measuring key dimensions with your fist and other "at hand" tools, just the way the Inuit did. Pretty cool to imagine these people figuring this out with driftwood and seal-skin. That's is some genius.

Mr. Morris' shop is Brewery Creek Small Boat Shop in Vancouver.

Messing About In Boats magazine

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 04:06:03 +0100

I subscribed to Messing About In Boats magazine when I was in high school, which was... a while ago. It is published not far from where I grew up outside of Boston. It certainly isn't polished - they still seem to be in black and white - but it is well done and has good small boat content of all kinds. I recommend it and am sorry I can't get through the reading material I do get, because it would be a nice add. Pleasantly surprising is that there are online archives with some useful looking short articles.

Latest book - part II - Mighty Fitz

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:14:00 +0100

I am a huge fan of Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I have alsways loved it - it might be my favorite song. Given this longtime obsession of sorts I naturally grew interested in the story of the ship. I have been to The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, MI, the nearest point of American land to where the ship went down, but I have always been interested to learn more. This Christmas my mother-in-law, at my wife's suggestion, gave me Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher. It is a great read and an excellent, updated account of the mysteries of the accident. Fascinating that the controversies exist to this day. I highly recommend for shipwreck buffs in particular and those interested in maritime affairs in general.

Recent read: At the Mercy of the River

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 04:34:00 +0100

I recently completed At the Mercy of the River : An Exploration of the Last African Wilderness, an account of the first decent (by kayak) of the Lugenda River in Mozambique. It was written by Outside contributor Peter Stark, who was invited on the five-person trip to document it. As books from this genre go, it is pretty good. There is a decent amount of adventure complemented by the de rigeur philosophizing. In this case, Starks muses on exploration in general and African exploration in particular, infusing it with a healthy dose of the history of European "exploration" of Africa. He does this well, and it never bogs down the adventure. I recommend it for those who like this type of book. If you are interested in getting a flavor of the scenery in this area, much of the trip takes place along the Niassa Reserve, and its site has some nice images and maps. The book was also excerpted in the March 2003 issue of Outside.

In praise of WoodenBoat

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:27:00 +0200

My inaugural blog posting gives a nice shout-out to the only logical choice: WoodenBoat Publications. Of course the core publication, WoodenBoat Magazine, is a gem, always my favorite read. But the really cool thing is the larger organization.

Continue reading "In praise of WoodenBoat"