wooden boat builder: January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Wooden Boat Festival, Port Townsend, WA

Port Townsend Washington's annual festival of historic wooden boats.

Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2008 HD - Click, Watch In High Quality

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Will's Wherry

A few construction pictures of my Cedar Strip 14' Cosine Wherry
rowing boat. It took me 398 hours to complete.

Getting started. Showing the forms and strongback.

Planing, sanding, gluing & clamping.

Closing her up.

Sanded, Faired, 1st coat of resin. Showing her colors.

Glueing on the gunwales. Ever seen so many Clamps?

My favorite picture, wife and boat.

This picture was taken in Depoe Bay, Oregon at the
2002 Wooden Boat Show.

Will

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Items for sale or free to good home.

Category:

Other/General

Cleaning out that garage/workshop to make room for your new project? One man's trash is another man's treasure! Post your items here in the marketplace.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Welcome new members... and MSN transferees. It's good to see yous here.

Thanks for stopping in to our new Wooden Boat Builder site here on Multiply.

Click "Post" at the top right of the main page. You can post messages in either the "Blog" or the "Note" sections.

You can also upload Photos, Videos, and other content to share with the group.

-Kruez-

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Boat Building

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Professional & Technical
Author:	Percy W. Blandford

W & G Foyle Ltd - copyright 1958 - 7.25 x 5 " 92 pgs.

This book is a delight, especially for beginners and those who enjoy smaller boats. Its eight chapters give the builder the foundation for six different boats, two canvas covered decked canoes, a punt, and three dinghies. In the preface the author describes his work as "a guide for the amateur with little equipment and no experience." The first chapter, "Materials and Methods," touches on woods, plywood, canvas and fasteners and illustrates riveting using boat nails and roves. The discussion of glues, paints and varnishes is dated, in view of modern materials but good for purists wishing to build as it was done in the past.

Chapters 2 and 3 give plans and methods for building an eleven foot and a fifteen foot canvas covered decked canoe (or kayak, if you prefer). Drawings for the frames, stems and sternposts are shown on grids so the builder can enlarge them to full size. Details for sealing the ends are provided too. The instructions for the longer boat include splicing boards if 16 foot stock is not available. The next chapter, "Canoe Accessories," shows how to make paddles, seats, brackets, covers, a trolley and sailing rigs, including a full sloop rig for the longer one.

The fifth chapter details a thirteen foot punt with curved sides and bottom. It's symmetrical end for end, the only difference being an off center thwart and oarlocks. This is the first of the designs to be laid out and built on the floor although no lofting is required, the frames and ends giving the layout. The plans are first given for building with boards with an addition for building with plywood or hardboard.

The ten foot rowing dinghy in Chapter Six doesn't require lofting either but the author uses this chapter to give an introduction to the process. This boat is flat bottomed, built of plywood over frames.

If you'd rather be moved by the wind than oars and you prefer a dinghy with a slight vee bottom, the next chapter has the plan for you. This is a twelve foot, cat rigged boat with a daggerboard that looks like a good introduction to sailing. The sail is hoisted on a gaff that is pulled up to near vertical, parallel to the mast.

The last chapter brings out the most traditional construction. The plan here is for a seven foot, round bottomed pram, clinker built with a planked hull. This boat has a bow board so there is no fitting the planks to a stem post. If that seems too easy, there's the process of treating the ends of the planks, which overlap, flush at the bow board and transom. That sounds like something I'd have to learn by doing, not by reading.

The spirit in which this little handbook was written is summed up in the last line of the preface: "Finally, the statement that there is no fun to equal that to be got from messing about in boats is perfectly true, but to do it in a boat you have built yourself is an immensely satisfying experience which words cannot describe."

Reviewed by Spiritus Solus.

Boat Data Book

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Professional & Technical
Author:	Ian Nicoloson

Second Edition - Conway Maritime Press Ltd.-ISBN: 0 85177 345 1

Ian Nicolson’s “Boat Data Book” can’t be described as a “sit down, page burning, cover to cover read”, but certainly should be a centerpiece of any boat builder’s library. In fact, if you did try to absorb this wealth of data in one sitting the men in white coats would probably scoop you up for a restful weekender in a softly lit room with gentle walls and probing conversations about your family life and potty training. But this 175 page gem is the best compilation of boat building facts, charts, tables and descriptions this reader has ever encountered. It also gives one an idea of the myriad of things a Naval Architect must keep in mind when casting ideas onto the drawing board and lofting floors. If you’ve ever wondered how long a typical arm’s reach at a Nav. station should be, or the breaking loads of bolts in wood, or prop pitch and thrust horsepower conversion ratios, (how big a screw do I need to stick on this beast to make it go somewhere?) this is the resource for your desk/bench. I mean this book has IT. You'll find most useful the immediate access to every sort of conversion graph between imperial and inch, foot, pound, and volume measurement imaginable. It’s a wealth of information on lumber and ply, fastener specifications and loading values to name just a few of the miracles packed between the covers. Everything from weight per volume per species to radius of curve (with and across grain) to shrinkage rates per moisture ratio is there for the taking. For bending tolerance info it's worth it’s weight in gold or, more to the point, marine ply. When wondering if you can really slap that half inch thick fir ply to that radical bend or go with two layers of quarter inch this will give you a measure of the reality factors. The price of the book will probably be recovered in the Marine plywood you don’t turn into oatmeal because you didn’t know the bending strengths required to make that monster fit.

My dog-eared and stained copy is the Second Edition and I see at Amazon.com that the Fourth edition is now the current release. I can’t imagine that much has changed through the subsequent releases from mine perfect edition, so you can’t go wrong with a new one or an old one. Look in the used books stores too. I bought mine there. Can't imagine why someone let it go. This is gold on paper my lofty (bad pun) friends. And good news! The book’s price won’t empty your college fund or take food from your baby’s mouth. Amazon starts it at $16.00 for used and $21.00 for a brand spanking new copy. Believe me, your copy will not stay squeaky clean and newly for long. At roughly 9” X 6” X 1” it will live happily amongst the glue pots and sawdust of your shop with epoxy resin thumbprints and pencil notes happily showing you are a wizard of nautical. For the longest time I carried my copy in the car for those few minutes of read and dream while waiting at the drive-through or for sweetie to finish at the grocery.

Reviewed by: Prairie Schooner

Wooden Boat Builder

It will take some time to re-organize the site. What do yous think so far?

-Kruez-

2008 Wooden Boat Festival: Video Postcard

Wooden Boat Festival 2005

Wooden Boat Festival 2005 - Port Townsend, Washington

Featherweight Boat Building

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Professional & Technical
Author:	Henry "Mac" McCarthy

WoodenBoat Books copyright 1996 11 x 8.5 " 101 pgs.

For anyone curious about cedar strip construction, this is the place to start. Mac McCarthy takes the reader through the process, detailing the building of an eleven and a half foot "Wee Lassie" open canoe. The nine chapters take you step by step from selecting the wood to enjoying your finished boat with clear instructions backed up by plenty of photographs.

The author is not only a builder, he enjoys the quiet backwaters every chance he gets. The book provides five interludes or "Time Out"s where he tells a short tale of some of his favourite paddling places.

Chapter One covers the set up, selecting the wood, ripping the strips, bead and cove edges and building the molds. Chapter Two is devoted to laying up the hull and sanding the exterior. In Chapter Three he details applying the protection of epoxy and fibreglass.

The next chapter deals with the detail work on the interior, inner rails, decks, bulkheads, the thwart and seat. If you like the traditional look of a hand caned seat, the instructions are right here. Chapter Five leads you through varnishing.

The author recommends a double bladed, kayak paddle for the Wee Lassie so building one is covered in Chapter Six. Later chapters deal with "using" the boat (including sailing), "Thoughts on Strength and Weight," and a troubleshooting guide in Q & A format. Appendices give a materials list, tools, materials suppliers and patterns for the molds. Using slightly different molds (patterns provided) and a little more cedar, epoxy and fibreglass will give you a longer (13' 6") Wee Lassie II.

Speaking of fibreglass, the cloth becomes (and remains) transparent when saturated with epoxy so even though sealed, the wood shows. This allows for accent strips or any other artistry you include to shine through.

This book shows that the author knows what "messing about" is all about.

Featherweight Boat Building - Reviewed by Spiritus Solus.

Product Catalog

http://www.bristolbronze.com/products.htm

Excellent source for traditional bronze boat hardware. Especially interesting to me is the good assortment of spar goosenecks as theyseem very hard to locate. A bit more expensive but what an assortment...

The Wooden Boat Rescue Foundation

http://www.woodenboatrescue.org/

Fred and Gerry's Wood Work Tips

http://www.theworkshop.net/Tips/wood_tips/woodwork_tips.htm#band

Hi heres a good site with lots and lots I meam lots of tips for woodworking using the bandsaw,table saw,mitre saw,sanding, and finishing and much much more.

Fred and Gerry's Wood Work Tips

http://www.theworkshop.net/Tips/wood_tips/woodwork_tips.htm#band

HI try this site for lots and lots I mean lots of tips for using a bandsaw, table saw, mitre saw, sanding and finishing and much much more all to do with woodworking.

Antique and Classic Wooden Boats for Sale

http://www.antiqueboatusa.com/

Project Boat Company (Portland, OR)

http://www.projectboatco.com

Brokerage specializing in bargain priced vessels, often needing repair or completion. Listings nationwide and occasionally exceptional boats located out of the country.

Good link to Used Marine Gear Stores!

ht

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tahiti_ketch/
A forum for Tahiti Ketch owners, and aficionados or simply the curious.

"Poke her nose to the mornin' sun, On a tide that's ebbin - speedy, Start her sheets to the breeze fresh run, On a slant for old Tahiti." --JGH

-Stitch and Glue Boat Construction-

http://www.boatbuilder.org

Marine Supplies from Fisheries Supply - Everything for the Boat Owner

http://www.fisheriessupply.com

Muskoka Cottage Rentals,Muskoka cottages for rent,Antique Wooden Boats, Chris Craft

http://www.portcarlingboats.com

Muskoka Antique and Classic Wooden Boats

ht

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cedarstripcanoes/

Cedarstripcanoes is one of three Yahoogroups set up to encourage the craft of strip-building small boats using the strip-builtand cold-molding methods of boatbuilding.

Wooden Canoe Heritage Association

http://www.wcha.org

Epoxy by the Leading Epoxy Manufacture | WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

http://www.westsystem.com/

I have used several brands but I have found in my own experience that this company is the best for consistency in their products and customer assistance.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Book Reviews

By WBB Members and web sources

The Traditional Small
Craft Association's
Review of
Wooden Boats To
Build And Use
by John Garner
Review by Tim Weaver

Woodenboat.net.nz's
on-line serialisation of

Simple
Boat-building
by Geoffrey Prout
(1946)
After Clicking on the book,
Notice the left pane;
The entire book can be read
on-line.

Featherweight
Boat building
By Henry "Mac" McCarthy
Reviewed by Spiritus Solus

"For anyone curious about cedar strip construction, this is the place to start."

Boat Building
By Percy W. Blanford
Reviewed by Spiritus Solus

"This book is a delight, especially for beginners and those who enjoy smaller boats."

Boat Data Book
By Ian Nicolson
Reviewed by Prairie Schooner

"can’t be described as a “sit down, page burning, cover to cover read”, but certainly should be a centerpiece of any boat builder’s library"

Grand & Glorious
By Larry Larkin

"Some of these boats are so rare that they have not previously been photographed"

This book is off-line.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Resources - Index

Brokers
Boat Builders
Boat Kits, Designs, & Software
Charts
Insurance
Miscellaneous
Museums and Associations
Publications
Restorers
Sailing Associations, Etc.
Schools
Supplies
Surveyors
Weather
Wood Suppliers

If you happen to come across any dead links, please post a comment on that page and I will fix it. Same is true for links you think should be added.

Thanks,

Disclaimer
Any links to external websites are links to alternative sites not operated by WBB.
WBB is not responsible for the content of the alternate site. The privacy and security policies
of the alternate site may differ from those practiced by WBB. WBB does not represent you
or the third party if you enter into a transaction with the third party.