Paper Jet 14 Sailboat Boat Plan Plans

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204

THE MAGAZINE FOR WOODEN BOAT OWNERS, BUILDERS, AND DESIGNERS

VETERAN: A Pacific Northwest Purse Seiner

The Best of the Eastern-Rigged Draggers Minimally Invasive Frame Repair Stepping Up to Speed Under Sail The Boat as Teaching Tool in New York City

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 NUMBER 204 $6.25 $7.99 in Canada £3.95 in U.K.

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September/October 2008

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Number 204 September/October 2008 50 ROANN The best surviving Eastern-rigged dragger

Walt Ansel

58 The Stewards of AIMÉE LÉONE How decades of good owners spelled survival for an elegant cutter David D. Platt

Page 58

FEATURES 30 The Bandsaw Beveler Turning a regular bandsaw into a ship saw

Walt Ansel

40 Installing Sister Frames

Page 64

from the Outside

A careful repair staves off a restoration

Thomas M. Wells

44 The Pacific Northwest

Yachting Photography of Asahel Curtis

Scott Rohrer

64 Stepping Up to Speed The Paper Jet 14

Dan Segal

70 Taking Care of VETERAN Under Nick Fahey, a classic Puget Sound purse seiner lives on Tom Jackson

84 Rocking the Boat Old ways teach kids new life lessons

Page 50

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WoodenBoat 204

Steve Rappaport

Page 40

Page 84

DEPARTMENTS 5 Editor’s Page The Language of Craft

6 Letters 13 Fo’c’s’le Deadwood

David Kasanof

15 Currents

edited by Tom Jackson

33 The Apprentice’s Workbench Rails and Moldings

Harry Bryan

80 Launchings…

and Relaunchings

Karen Wales

89 Designs

OCEANUS Then and Now Robert W. Stephens

92 In Focus

The Buzzards Bay 30s photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz

99 Wood Technology

Separating Mahogany from Substitutes

Page 30

READER SERVICES 108 How to Reach Us 112 Boatbrokers 116 Boatbuilders 126 Kits and Plans 132 Classified 143 Index to Advertisers

SUPPLEMENT Insert Page 16/17 Richard Jagels

101 The WoodenBoat Review

Getting Started in Boats Volume 12: Home Boatshops

• The Six-Metre— 100 Years of Racing Chris Museler • Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest Llewellyn Howland III • Rockler’s Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig and Bead & Radius Bits Karen Wales • Transatlantic with Street Sally Erdle • Books Received

Karen Wales

Cover: VETERAN is a survivor of the Pacific Northwest’s dwindling purse-seiner fleet, thanks to the efforts of her caring owner.

110 Calendar of Events 144 Save a Classic

GREY DAWN: A Robb-designed

keel centerboarder

Maynard Bray

See Page 70. Photograph by Neil Rabinowitz

September/October 2008

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WoodenBoat 204

EDITOR’S PAGE 41 WoodenBoat Lane • P.O. Box 78 Brooklin, ME 04616–0078 tel. 207–359–4651 • fax 207–359–8920 e-mail: web site: PUBLISHER Carl Cramer EDITORIAL Editor Matthew P. Murphy Senior Editor Tom Jackson Associate Editor Karen Wales Technical Editor Maynard Bray Boat Design Editor Mike O’Brien Contributing Editors Harry Bryan, Greg Rössel Editorial Assistant Robin Jettinghoff Copy Editor Jane Crosen ART & PRODUCTION Art Director Olga Lange Associate Art Director Blythe Heepe CIRCULATION Director Richard Wasowicz Associates Lorna Grant, Pat Hutchinson TECHNICAL PROJECTS Manager Tom Hill MARKETING & SALES Associate Publisher Anne Dunbar ADVERTISING Director Todd Richardson Manager Michele Corbeil Coordinators Wendy E. Sewall, Laura Sherman Classified Kate Holden Sales Associates New England: John K. Hanson, Jr., 207–236–8622 Mid- and South Atlantic: Frank Fitz, Ray Clark, 401–245–7424 Central: Scott Akerman, 207–799–4145 West Coast: Ted Pike, 360–385–2309 RESEARCH Director Anne Bray Associates Patricia J. Lown, Rosemary Poole BUSINESS Office Manager Tina Stephens Staff Accountant Jackie Fuller Associate Roxanne Sherman Reception Heidi Gommo, Rosemary Poole THE WOODENBOAT STORE

1–800–273–SHIP (7447) Jody Allen, Scot Bell, Elaine Hutchinson, Ann Neuhauser, Bob Noessel, Chet Staples WOODENBOAT SCHOOL Director Rich Hilsinger Business Manager Kim Patten WEBSITE Manager Greg Summers Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Jonathan A. Wilson President and General Manager James E. Miller WoodenBoat (ISSN 0095–067X) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September, and November in Brooklin, Maine, by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc. Jonathan A. Wilson, Chairman. Subscription offices are at P.O. Box 54765, Boulder, CO 80322–4765; 1–800–877–5284 U.S. Subscription rate is $32.00 for one year (6 issues) in the U.S. and its possessions. Canadian subscription rate is $37.00, U.S. funds. Surface rate overseas is $45.00, U.S. funds per year. Periodical postage paid at Brooklin, ME 04616 and additional mailing offices. In Canada, periodical postage paid at Toronto, Ontario (Canadian periodical Agreement No. 40032149, GST Registration No. R127081008). U.S. POSTMASTER: Please send Change of Address (form 3579) to P.O. Box 54765, Boulder, CO 80322–4765. CANADA POSTMASTER: P.O.Box 122 Stn Main, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S8 Copyright 2008 by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted without written permission from the publisher. CONTRIBUTIONS: Address all editorial communications to Editor, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616–0078. WoodenBoat is a largely reader-written magazine. Care is taken with unsolicited contributions, but we are not responsible for damage or loss.

The Language of Craft Djamal Kazi-Tani is a boatbuilder from Algeria. Kazi-Tani, as he is called, spent three weeks at WoodenBoat School here in Brooklin this past summer in a sort of reciprocal arrangement, following my own visit to his country 18 months earlier. In December 2006, I’d been invited to Algiers—the capital—to serve on a panel discussing plans for a new maritime museum there. This museum, still in the works, would have a central facility in the capital city, and numerous satellites celebrating regional maritime history in various port towns—including Kazi-Tani’s, Beni-Saf. Algeria’s maritime past spans millennia. Ancient artifacts are littered along its littoral; people using little more than fins and snorkels have retrieved 2,000-year-old clay amphora. The coast is largely unsurveyed archeologically, and one can only imagine the bronze and marble statuary preserved there in relatively shallow water. These valuable and ancient items are the stars of the show for the proposed new museum, but the boats that carried them—and their descendants—seem overlooked in the planning. In fact, during our visit, there was very little discussion of watercraft. But there’s a rich history of vessel development and trade along the North African coast, and it deserves documentation and celebration in Algeria. So arose our interest in inviting a student of boatbuilding to WoodenBoat School last summer. To what end? Educational programming is growing in importance at maritime museums worldwide. Many institutions replicate, restore, and conserve historically important boats. We saw an opportunity to offer a glimpse of this profession to Algeria’s future maritime museum professionals. It’s a baby step, for sure. But our hope was that a few weeks at WoodenBoat School would spark a nascent vision. The invitation was extended through the U.S. embassy in Algiers, which in turn put it to the country’s department of fisheries. In the end, it wasn’t a university student who accepted the offer. Rather, it was Kazi-Tani, an established builder of large fishing vessels. He is smart, curious, charming, and quick to learn—and knowledgeable, too. Although his native language is French, and his English had atrophied in the two-and-a-half decades since his university days, the man immediately began assimilating new ideas—and sharing his own—upon his arrival. Kazi-Tani brought with him two envelopes of color photographs. One photo showed his family—wife and three children—back home in BeniSaf, a five-hour drive along the coast west of Algiers. Another showed his shipyard, which was packed with wooden vessels. But for the North African architecture and the earthen-colored flat ground, the scene might have been from 1880s Essex, Massachusetts: Large sawn-frame vessels up to 70' on deck stood in various stages of completion—in frame, partially planked, completed and ready for launching. One image displayed three iroko logs, 3' in diameter and 20' long, just arrived from Niger; the next showed a mammoth bandsaw mill reducing these to planking stock. The flat-bottomed skiff upon which we’d decided to launch our program suddenly seemed a bit elementary for this man—though more advanced concepts would follow. But Kazi-Tani assured us, in gestures and basic English, that he was learning new things—despite struggles with communication. The language of boatbuilding is universal. “Sometimes,” said Kazi-Tani, “when the teacher speaks quickly, I do not understand. But when he shows…when we pick up the tools and work, it is very clear.”

30%

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

Cert no. SGS-COC-003253

To view the winner of last issue’s cartoon-caption contest, turn to page 8. September/October 2008

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LETTERS Penn Yan Attention: M. Murphy, The article in WB No. 203 on Penn Yan was ver y interesting and informative. However, it appears that an omission should be corrected: The ownerrestorer of the beautiful boat on the cover and at the start of the article on page 72 is Don Groeschner of New Milford, Connecticut. Paul Erickson Norwalk, Connecticut

Good Books Dear Matt, My mother sent me Daniel Robb’s book Sloop shortly after I started working in a small boatyard near here. Like the author, I’m originally a summer resident of Cape Cod, remember the Quissett H 12 1⁄ 2 fleet, and helped restore one. Thus it was a delight to read, especially his digressions—and particularly the one about Thoreau. Robb visited Walden Pond with new Harvard students on an orientation week day trip. I grew up near Walden and walked to school on occasion past the pond and the site of the cabin. Robb’s sensitive understanding of Thoreau was matched by his clear-eyed writing about boat restoration. Thanks

to Art Paine for recommending it so my dear Mom could send it along! Dave Tew West Boothbay Harbor, Maine Editor, I was delighted to read in your last issue (p. 106) Jon Wilson’s review of the new release of PRINCESS by the late Joe Richards. In addition to being beautifully written, PRINCESS offers humorous affirmation and warm insight into the complicated relationship between people and our wooden boats. It’s also a joy to see (at last!) examples of Joe Richards’s paintings, which so complement his memorable saga. Thanks for bringing this work to the attention of another generation of wooden boat enthusiasts. Johnson Fortenbaugh, Jr. Chestertown, Maryland WoodenBoat: I just received the latest issue of WoodenBoat and read with the greatest interest the book review of PRINCESS New York . It filled in, for me, the details of Joe Richards’s later years. However, I have information of his earlier connection to PRINCESS. My dad owned a hardware

WHEN PERFORMANCE MATTERS

store in New York City, and Joe, while rebuilding PRINCESS, stopped in often to purchase tools and fastenings, not to mention just to chat about his project. He gave a copy of his finished work, sadly not inscribed, to my dad in the middle 1950s. The copy still in my possession is dated 1956 and labeled “First Edition.” It might well have been his influence on my dad to have him end up building his own boat—described in a WoodenBoat article by my brother Jan Herman entitled “Murray’s Ark” (WB No. 148) and then by extension to me, creating a lifetime of messing about in boats—including several projects (with a partner), a Whitehall skiff drawn by Chapelle, Harry Bryan’s Handy Billy (WB No. 159), and Herreshoff’s Coquina (WB No. 187). I retraced Joe’s voyage south 10 years ago, reading passages in time to his own descriptions. The coastline has changed much, but it was not hard to “see” the trip through his eyes in coincidence with my own. So I blame Joe Richards for the bug he passed on to two generations of Hermans. The world needs more men like him, able to instill the love and lore of boats in others. Irv Herman Charleston, South Carolina

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WoodenBoat 204

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Perfectionism Hello Matt, Congratulations and thanks for publishing a delicate and very controversial human subject matter with Lawrence W. Cheek’s outstanding article “Perfectionism & the Wooden Boat.” This is an important and little-discussed subject that lurks in the hearts and minds of many wooden boat owners, builders, and enthusiasts. The idea is, of course, substantially promoted by the always picture-perfect professional photographic images in WoodenBoat magazine and other boating publications. To always seek perfection in the things we do can be a destructive force and a slippery slope to fall down. It takes a long time in life to realize this, and some people never do learn or subscribe to any middle road. A friend of ours summed it up neatly with this personal description: “A perfectionist is a man who takes great pains doing things and then passes it on to others” (like spouse, children, family, co-workers, and friends). Informed and applied moderation in our chosen profession or actions can also be virtuous and rewarding. As a 30-year member of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, I have witnessed the phenomenon of overdone and

deep-pockets perfectionism elevate the hobby to new and grand heights, but it has left just as many casualties along the way as it has gained. Thanks again to you and author Lawrence W. Cheek for publishing this much overdue and thoughtprovoking article. Joe Fossey Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Setting the Record Straight Dear Tom Jackson, It was great to read in your July/August Currents column, in the “Around the yards” section, about the re-building of the Bath-built schooner MARY E. This vessel does seem to be the only surviving wooden commercial sailing vessel built on the Kennebec River, which is saying a lot. Folks at Maine Maritime Museum are very interested in this vessel, which was rebuilt in the 1960s on what is now museum property. Congratulations to Matt Culen, Josh Herman, Capt. Eric Van Dormolen, and all the others who have worked hard to give this significant schooner a new span of life. The column contains some misinformation, however, and I cannot resist taking the opportunity to set the record straight. MARY E was not built by William

T. Donnell, but by Thomas E. Hagan, still in Bath but a few shipyards further up the river. Hagan partnered with Donnell in 1866, in the building of a boat, so the men knew each other pretty well (it’s a small town). But, still, different yards. Also, Donnell did not build 91 vessels, as stated. He built 63 in partnership with Gardiner Deering, then 9 on his own after the partnership broke up, and his son Harry built 2 in the same yard while the old man was still around to keep an eye on him. So that’s 74, which is nothing to sneeze at. Another 34 were built in the same yard under different owners, most of them before William T. Donnell was born. Maine Maritime Museum does indeed have William T.’s house open seasonally to the public, as mentioned in the column. One more niggle and then I’m done: William R. Donnell, who rebuilt MARY E in the 1960s, is William T. Donnell’s greatgrandson, not his grandson. You can tell because each generation changes the middle initial. William T. had a son William R ., who had a son William T., who had a son William R., and so on. It matters because this William R. Donnell is still around, and has a clapboard mill in Sedgwick, Maine.

A bow to the past. Honoring the classics: runabouts, cruisers and outboards of a bygone era. That's the role of the Antique & Classic Boat Society – to help others restore, maintain, preserve or simply enjoy their classic boats of all types. ACBS is over 8,200 members strong with Our annual traveling International Boat Show is a must-see for wooden boat enthusiasts. Last year, scenic Lake George, New York. This year, spectacular Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 57 local chapters sponsoring cruises, shows and “hands-on” workshops on maintenance and preservation. Members also receive Rudder, a colorful quarterly magazine about events, retrospectives, “how-to” tips and destinations. Join us. Just chart a course to www.acbs.org or send an email to [email protected] for a membership brochure in the mail. By the way, The Authority on membership can pay for itself with benefits that include a 10% discount Antique & Classic Boats on insurance from Hagerty... Since 1975. Image: Don Emery

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September/October 2008

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LETTERS

Whew! I feel better now. This is a significant vessel, and it’s my job to make sure that these historical details are remembered correctly. Nathan R. Lipfert, Senior Curator Maine Maritime Museum Bath, Maine

Air–Sea Rescue Boats To the Editor, It was pure pleasure to read “P-399: SEA HORSE” in WB No. 202. I grew up around boats in Southern California in the 1950s and ’60s, and converted AVRs (Aviation Rescue Boats) were a common sight and an exciting image of speed and daring with their distinctive reverse sheer and speedboat hulls. One of the better-known boats was BLUEFIN, owned by the State of California and used for fish and game enforcement for many years. In its blue-gray patrol boat livery it was quite a stunning sight. Unfortunately, most converted AVRs were repowered with smaller diesels and operated in semi-displacement modes, so we never saw one at speed. The lead photo of SEA HORSE helps to correct this bit of missing memory. Tom LaMers via e-mail Editors: I read with great interest your article on

“He already has your ears—that’s enough!” On last issue’s Editor’s Page, we challenged you to submit captions for the above cartoon. Brian Manahan of Newcastle, Maine, won the contest and will receive a stylish fleece-and-nylon vest from the WoodenBoat Store. Thank you to all who participated. —Eds.

the 63' Aviation Rescue Boats (AVR) built during WWII (WB No. 202). Many of these boats went on to form the backbone of the Sea Scout Program in the San Francisco area. These boats proved to be excellent for training. They were operated by volunteers and budgets provided by the skippers and parents. As I remember, there were the NORTHLAND, FARALLON, CHASER, REVENGE, and several others I have, regrettably, forgotten. Sadly, many of them were retired in the late

1970s and ’80s, having served long careers. The U.S. Navy deserves some credit for making these boats available to the Scouts and at times providing material, assistance, and facilities. There were several privately owned AVRs to be found along the West Coast. I believe the OREL is still to be seen in San Rafael. Some, if I recall correctly, ended their days as targets by the U.S. Navy out of Port Hueneme in Southern California. Most of the boats were repowered with two 6-71s, but a few had 8-71s and other more powerful plants. I remember many days spent on the SSS NORTHLAND (Sea Scout Ship No. 52) and enjoyed my time tremendously. Many of the Scouts involved in the program continued on in the maritime industry and are now pilots, masters, and chief engineers onboard the U.S. merchant ships. Carl Gruelund Master, G.T. COLORADO VOYAGER On page 38 of that article, in the sidebar on Dair Long, we mistakenly referenced WB No. 123 in regard to PT boats; the proper issue is WB No. 129. Want to comment on the current issue? You can do so online at , or by postal mail at Letters to the Editor, WoodenBoat magazine, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616.

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WoodenBoat 204

Thank you for another spectacular WoodenBoat Show! Over 13,000 wooden boat enthusiasts joined us at Mystic Seaport this year for a festival of wooden boats, boatbuilding, exhibits, and demonstrations. We enjoyed talking to so many of you, and are excited to announce that we will return to Mystic Seaport next year, June 26-28, 2009 to bring you another fantastic WoodenBoat Show!

“Mystic Seaport and the WoodenBoat Show are the perfect marriage. I look forward to celebrating their next anniversary!” ~ Jay P., Concord, MA

WoodenBoat magazine and Heritage Marine Insurance proudly announce the

WINNERS of the 2008

Concours d’Élegance JUDGE’S CHOICE AWARD LONG WHITE CLOUD Paula & Stephen Pepperell

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD APHRODITE Charles Royce/Brooklin Boat Yard

OUTSTANDING INNOVATION AWARD PEACE IV Ann & Nev Clement

SAIL Awards Professionally Built 1st Place: BeetleCat 14, Beetle, Inc. Honorable Mention: CHARLOTTE, Gannon and Benjamin

Owner Built 1st Place: BONNIE SEA, Nathan Rome Honorable Mention: CJ, Andrew Kitchen

Professionally Restored 1st Place: BERNICE, Rockport Marine Honorable Mention: SINGOALLA, East Passage Boatwrights

Owner Restored 1st Place: GABRIEL, Barry & Sue Blaisdell

Owner Maintained 1st Place: LONG WHITE CLOUD, Stephen & Paula Pepperell

POWER Awards Professionally Built 1st Place: ARUNDEL, The Landing School Honorable Mention: FIRST LIGHT, Pease Boatworks

Owner Built 1st Place: TANGO, Hank Bravo Honorable Mention: KISA, Svein Kopfelt

Professionally Restored 1st Place: EULIPION, YNOT Yachts Honorable Mention: MOUSE II, Vintage Yacht Share

Owner Restored 1st Place: SUNSET, Antique and Classic Boat Society Honorable Mention: LIL’ DARLIN, Allen Marine Intergration

Professionally Maintained

MANUAL POWER Awards Professionally Built 1st Place: Columbia Dinghy, Taylor & Snediker Honorable Mention: Courting Canoe, Salmon Falls Canoe

Owner Restored/ Maintained 1st Place: WHISPER, Herb & Sally Pollock

1st Place: APHRODITE, Brooklin Boat Yard Honorable Mention: SUMMERTIME, Thomas Townsend Custom Marine

Owner Maintained 1st Place: TRUE LOVE, Fred & Fran Roffe Honorable Mention: BETTY HUNT, John Snyder Sponsored by

Owner Built 1st Place: LADY BUG, Bryan BoatBuilding

Join Us Again Next Year At The WoodenBoat Show June 26-28, 2009 at Mystic Seaport www.thewoodenboatshow.com

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WoodenBoat 204

ENGINEERED

SAILS

FO’C’S’LE

Deadwood by David Kasanof

I

am about to embark on a great effort, but the task before me is so daunting that I sometimes despair. My task is to purify and streamline nautical language and to purge it of borrowed words. I have wracked my brains and made rather a poor start. Barque and salon are all I can come up with for words of French origin. I’m sure there must be many more, though. The trouble is that some French words are pretty sneaky. Red-blooded American terms like captain and chart look suspiciously like modified French to me. I’m putting them on my list of suspects. You can’t be too careful. I hesitate to go gunning for words of Dutch origin, because if I got rid of all of those, there would be virtually no vocabulary left. It’s the opposite of the French problem. One can hardly think of a boating term that isn’t of Dutch origin. It’s not surprising, because the Dutch taught the English everything they think they know about sailing, including the very word boat (from the Dutch boot). Even keelhaul comes from the Dutch, who were the first to employ this motivational technique. So, getting rid of Dutch words is indeed tantamount to getting rid of the entire vocabulary, which is obviously not a good idea. On the other hand, if we could find good redblooded American words to take their place, we might manage. We took jagt and made yacht out of it, so maybe we could get rid of yacht and substitute something not so Dutch sounding, like horse.

Before you dismiss this idea, consider: Horse is sometimes used, especially on old gaffers, to denote what is more often referred to as a traveler. The only difference is that the horse is usually of extremely stout construction and does not allow the mainsheet block to…well…travel quite as far when the vessel comes about. The point is that we don’t need two words for things that are so similar. Also, horse makes no sense whatsoever as a name for the mainsheet traveler, and it makes equally no sense when applied to what we once called a yacht (once jagt ). The horse-traveler duplication is only part of a more basic problem. Our nautical vocabulary just has too many words. We don’t need so many. Do we really need helm, wheel, tiller, and steer? If you want someone to steer, why not just tell them to steer? I once asked someone to “take the helm,” and they laughed at me. I think they said something like, “Well,

la-di-da!,” and they were right. Steer would have covered all the relevant possibilities. The boat had a wheel, and my crew probably had noticed that it wasn’t a tiller. Also, helm is of PETE GORSKI Scandinavian origin, related to helmet and even home (holme), generally the seat of authority. Seat of authority? Hah! Having once lived aboard, I know that the poor dummy who happens to be steering isn’t the seat of anything, much less authority: object of ridicule and criticism, perhaps, but a long way from authority. In addition to near duplications of terms, there’s too much clutter in our vocabulary. We have names for things that don’t really need names. Attentive readers of this publication know the meaning of flam, defined in a recent issue. I once knew what that word meant, but I have forgotten, although I remember that it’s different from flare. I propose the following rule: If you forget what a boating term means 24 hours after learning it, you probably never needed it. Admittedly, if we got rid of all linguistic deadwood, we might have some difficulty talking to each other. Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad thing.

September/October 2008

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WoodenBoat School FALL 2008

in Brooklin... There’s still room in the following classes being offered in September!

Boatbuilding/Woodworking Carving Waterfowl Decoys August 31 - September 6 with Bob Schwinger

in Annapolis, Maryland... Chesapeake Light Craft Shops Build Your Own Shearwater Sea Kayak September 22 - 27 with Eric Schade

Build Your Own Wood Duck Kayak October 20 - 25 with John Harris

Elements of Boat Design September 7 - 13 with Paul Gartside

Building Your Own Willow Sea Kayak September 21 - 27 with Bill Thomas

Seamanship Coastwise Navigation August 31 - September 6 with Dick Devoe

Elements II of Coastal Kayaking September 7 - 13 with Stan Wass

Related Crafts Marine Photography September 7 - 13 with Jon Strout & Jane Peterson

Maritime Details in Watercolor September 7 - 13 with Amy Hosa

Surveying of Fiberglass Boats September 14 - 20 with Sue Canfield

Why wait? Give us a call today and reserve a spot! WOODENBOAT SCHOOL ~ CELEBRATING 28 YEARS 14P.O. • Box WoodenBoat 204 78 • Brooklin,

Maine 04616 • Phone: 207–359–4651 • Fax: 207–359–8920 • www.woodenboat.com

CURRENTS

Edited by Tom Jackson

A new chapter for Danish ketch FRI? by Tom Jackson or David Moodie, every piece of the 77' 9" 1912 Baltic ketch FRI has a story behind it. Many of these stories are his memories of fellow sailors. Many of these were volunteers who, starting in 1971, sailed together to far-flung parts of the world, almost always carrying a cause of environmental protection or world peace, often under the Greenpeace banner (see WB No. 87). For Moodie, the fo’c’s’le scuttle built by hand in Sri Lanka, the head decorated with peeling paintings, this piece of wood from Fiji, that piece from Australia, the windlass bar forged by Pitcairn Islanders, the clever fold-up workbench built on deck—all of it is deeply meaningful. But now, it appears that the relationship between man and boat is coming to an end. FRI, moored for years now at the Ring-Andersen yard in Svendborg, Denmark, where she was built, is badly in need of extensive restoration. She’s covered with an awning to keep the rain off. She even went to the bottom not long ago. (It’s unclear what happened, but her pumps may have been shut down ignorantly or maliciously by a neighboring boat’s crew, allowing her to settle enough for water to flood through topside seams that had dried out and opened up.) The kind of work she needs now is beyond the means of most individuals. But it appears that as one chapter in FRI’s life closes, a new chapter may be opening— without Moodie this time. As of this writing, she was expected to be purchased by an association with a view toward making her a day-sailing charter boat out of Svendborg, under her original name, ANNE MARGRETHE. Thomas Bretton-Meyer, formerly of the Denmark Maritime Center in Svendborg, which is on the island of Fyn about two-and-a-half hour’s travel west of Copenhagen, is one of the principals in the association. He said the boat was expected to be hauled for a survey in early June. The association, however, is already aware of the scale of the project—Bretton-Meyer estimates needed repairs at about 5 million Danish kroner (about U.S. $1.05 million). “I think the story of how she ended up in the condition she’s in now is a story of my stubbornness, Danish stubbornness, and an inability to meet on any common ground in the end,” Moodie said. Considered one of the oldest and most

TOM JACKSON (BOTH)

F

The Danish-built Baltic trader FRI, which served environmental and social causes for decades with owner David Moodie (right) at the helm, appears to be entering a new phase of her life, as a charter boat.

original of the existing Ring-Andersen boats—and with a colorful history in her own right—she was considered for restoration funding from government sources because of her historical importance. But the money never came through. In 1997, Moodie had much of the port side and more than half of her sawn frames replaced at Ring-Andersen at a cost of about U.S. $120,000. But the easygoing lifestyle Moodie and his Danish-born second wife, Therese Kristensen, had during their years of sailing didn’t translate well to life alongshore in Denmark. Moodie was never licensed as a skipper, for one thing. FRI for many years typically found a legal niche by being leased out to organizations like Greenpeace, and under these contracts she was not considered a passengercarrying vessel. Danish authorities, not known for their looseness, didn’t look kindly on that type of arrangement, or other operations aboard FRI . Moodie takes delight, for example, in telling of slinging young children for fun rides in a cargo basket (literally a basket, acquired in India during his voyaging and capable of carrying a quarter ton of cargo), but such dockside antics were quickly halted by local port officials. Moodie’s relationship with FRI started in San Francisco with no experience and limitless ideals. He and his first wife and his two brothers bought the ship from an owner who had used her to ship a cargo of beer and whiskey to the United States. After some training from the previous owner—and anyone else they could find, coming as they did from Ohio with no sea experience at all—they set out for Hawaii and the South Pacific. Early in their first voyage, the crew was belowdeck when two

of four candles in a circle extinguished simultaneously, and all agreed that the last candle alight would determine their next course. They protested nuclear weapons at Bikini Atoll, went to Hiroshima, Japan, for the 30th anniversary of the first nuclear bomb, served as a platform for Greenpeace New Zealand’s founding, carried solar electrical panels to Tonga, and sailed on any number of other cause-related voyages in several oceans. If the association is successful in restoring FRI to sailing condition, a rather different future is envisioned. Bretton-Meyers says that as an important local type, the boat will fit in well with the regional charter boat fleet, working out of Svendborg. She’ll be capable of carrying 30 passengers for day trips or 12 overnighters. “In this moment we’re trying to find money,” Bretton-Meyers says. He himself has experience running sail-training programs for young people, and on such a basis “it was possible to keep these boats alive in these conditions. It’s a very good tool to think together, to work together, to cooperate sailing in nature, in the sun, the rain, and everything they have to do together.” For Moodie, the boat’s survival into a new era seems bittersweet. On the positive side, she’ll sail again, if all goes well. And, after all, she’ll be sailing in her native waters. But on the other hand, her central purpose for so long will be part of her past, and not likely part of her present or her future. “I think the story of the ship is so wonderful, and the story isn’t going to die—maybe it will resurface in some new way,” Moodie says. “Everything I see is a story, and there were so many wonderful people.” September/October 2008

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CURRENTS

Around the yards ■ Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine, builder of some of the largest coldmolded wooden yachts to come out of any yard, has been branching off in other directions in recent years. After completing a carbon-fiber prototype of a fast special-operations boat for the U.S. Navy, in concert with the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center in Orono, the lessons learned have made their way into the yard’s yacht construction. Exhibit A is a 62' Café Racer expected to launch in fall 2008. She is essentially a performance cruising sailboat—but with three “en suite” heads, a washer and dryer, and a fully outfitted galley, she can’t be considered a pure racing machine. The yacht is constructed almost entirely with carbon fiber to a design by Bill Tripp. The only wood involved in the project came during setup: Alaska yellow cedar planking 3 ⁄ 16" thick provided the first layer of a multi-part lamination for the hull, to give the yacht the warm feel of wood belowdecks. Built upside-down over permanent, cored carbon-fiber bulkheads and temporary frames set every 16", the hull was first planked up with yellow cedar in some areas and plywood where aesthetics weren’t important or desirable (for example in the chain locker, under the engines, and in way of her integral carbon-fiber fuel tanks). Once the wood layer was established, one layer of carbon fiber was laid in epoxy. After it set, the rest of the hull—meaning more carbon fiber, a 1" lightweight core material, and exterior layers of carbon fiber—were installed in a single infused lamination. Half-jokingly, I asked lead builder and longtime employee Robbie Ham for a 25word definition of infusion, and he came through with it, running only a little long: “Basically, it’s a complete dry layup on an airtight surface, using a full media of some sort. You build into your part a way for the glue to move around, and once it’s under vacuum, you have one, two, or however many vacuum ports that go to a bucket of glue. With the vacuum at one end or around the perimeter, you suck the glue into the laminate. Once your laminate’s wet out—which you can see—you close off the feed, and the vacuum pulls the part down to full vacuum. When the glue kicks, it’s done, in one step for the entire lamination.” Wood comes back into play where the bulkheads meet the hull sides; laminated Douglas16

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COURTESY HODGDON COMPANY

For information about the new association or the restoration, contact Thomas BrettonMeyers at +45–6222–3454, or see , which is in Danish only.

fir cleats epoxied to the bulkheads are in turn epoxied to the hull sides. Where load is great—for example, in way of the mast partners and the hydraulically operated drop keel that itself weighs almost nine tons in a boat that displaces only 19 tons altogether—the bulkheads are tabbed directly to the carbon fiber in the hull, after the wooden form was removed. So you ask, dear reader, what in the world has this got to do with wooden boats? In the past, Hodgdon has spent as many as four years building over-the-top coldmolded sailing yachts like SCHEHERAZADE, WINDCREST, and ANTONISA and power yachts like YOREL and LIBERTY (see WB No. 156, 138, and others). But with expanding yard space and a growing work force—upwards of 100 employees now—the yard is perfecting the use of advanced composites to round out its services and even out its work flow. Nevertheless, the company has no intention of turning its back on wood construction by any means. In June 2008, the yard opened a new facility in Richmond, Maine, specifically for high-end interior joinery, not only for its own yachts but to increase its ability to work as a subcontractor for the megayacht market hither and yon. The move— involving 20 employees now, with potential to grow to 60 within a year—cleared the building shed where ANTONISA was constructed in the 1990s. With that move, Hodgdon Yachts now has the capacity to simultaneously build three large yachts as long as the largest it has built so far. No doubt some of those will be coldmolded or a blend of wood and composites like Kevlar and carbon fiber, techniques Hodgdon Yachts is not alone in pursuing. For Robbie Ham, mastering carbonfiber infusions has become part of his profession. “I think familarity-wise, it would be a lot more comfortable to be back doing wood,” he says. “This is a learning curve to me. We’ve hired some composite people, and we’ve trained a bunch of composite people ourselves, but I’ve been doing wooden boats so long, it’s kind of

Hodgdon Yachts, Inc. in East Boothbay, Maine, has been using a lot of carbon fiber in its constructions lately—and almost exclusively in this 62’ Café Racer designed by Bill Tripp. With recent expansion at the yard, several large yachts can be built simultaneously, and given Hodgdon’s track record of high-end cold-molded yachts, many of them will be built of wood.

second nature. Obviously, selfishly, it would be easier on me if we were doing wooden hulls, because I understand it. But I do understand that we’ve got to be ready to do whatever, because this is the type of construction that these fast boats are going to require.” According to company representative Ted Smith, designers played a key role in steering clients toward advanced composites, but it’s possible that as they come to understand Hodgdon’s engineering techniques, those accustomed to working in anything but wood may take another look at cold-molded construction, and maybe the clients will, too. Buyers have been known to come to appreciate wood’s qualities during construction—and even more once they start taking their boats to sea. “It doesn’t squeak, it doesn’t make any noise, it’s seakindly, all of that,” Smith says. “That’s a leap of faith—they don’t know going into it.” Yard owner Tim Hodgdon, too, still has his heart in cold-molded construction. “Absolutely,” he says. “We’re constantly looking at that kind of project—in fact, we’ve got one right now that has a possibility of going forward for coldmolded construction. I’m still a firm believer in that. But because of the scale of the company, and so forth, it’s pretty hard just to bank on that kind of construction.” Fifteen years ago, the company had perhaps six employees. “Now, I don’t know, I’m not even sure—maybe over a hundred now.” And growing. Hodgdon Yachts, 14 School St., P.O. Box 505, East Boothbay, ME 04544; 207– 633–4194; . ■ Walsteds Baadeværft in Thurø, Denmark, has had a pair of vintage 12-Meter racing yachts in its regular care in recent years. Most recently, the yard touched up the topsides of ERNA SIGNE, which a new owner wanted to have bright-finished. The William Fife–designed yacht, launched in 1912, has been in Walsted’s care for some years and is in impeccable condition. As of May 2008, she was also having a galley

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TOM JACKSON (BOTH)

CURRENTS

Left—Thorvald Walsted, who with his sister Sonja runs the yard founded by their father, stands in the companionway of ERNA SIGNE, a 1912 William Fife 12-Meter yacht recently refurbished. Above—The 1932 Johan Anker–designed VEMA III, which was given a thoroughgoing restoration by Walsted’s in 2000, is regularly maintained by the yard.

refit and minor interior modifications. She is 62' 4" LOA, with a beam of 11' 1", and a draft of 8' 6". The yard also continues to care for VEMA III, a Johan Anker–designed 12-Meter. The yacht was extensively rebuilt and restored in 2000 at Walsteds, and she continues to have annual maintenance at the Thurø yard. VEMA III, designed in 1932, was composite-constructed, meaning she had wooden planking over steel frames. Her original galvanized mild steel frames were replaced with stainless steel during restoration. At the same time, the yard rebuilt her skylights and deck structures, gave her a new deck and covering boards, splined and restored her topside planking, restored her interior, renovated and updated her galley along the lines of the original styling, and found ways to insert systems—such as hydraulic power winches—with a minimum of disruption to her original interior cabinetry and finish style. The yard is run by Thorvald Walsted and his sister Sonja, after their father, Aage Walsted, retired in December 2006 at the age of 84. From time to time the elder Walsted still comes by the yard, which is a short walk from his home, but he’s reportedly spending most of his time in his garden these days. Walsteds Baadeværft A/S, Saugskærvej 21, Thurø DK-5700, Svendborg, Denmark; +45–6220–5168; . ■ Russ Peterson writes from Juneau, Alaska, with news that he is deep into the restoration of a 65' LOA 1926 mailboat, SEAL, in conjunction with his shipwright friend Michael Svensson. The restoration is the third boat in this size range that Peterson has undertaken, and he’s been learning quite a lot about the history of his latest project. “SEAL was the first boat built, in 1926, for the Territory of Alaska, well before 18

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statehood,” he writes. “SEAL served as a territorial mail and supply ship serving Juneau to Glacier Bay and all the little villages and towns along the way. The National Park Service has a lot of her photos posted on their site as well—many discussions took place on board SEAL about making Glacier Bay a park in the first place. She has only had two private owners since her service time for the territory and into statehood.” The best photo of her he has found came from the wall of the Pioneer Bar in Sitka, and he’s done taped interviews with one of the former territorial captains and with Tommy Osborn, a fisherman who owned the boat when Peterson first saw her. “I fell in love with her about 20 years ago, when I was restoring a 1931, 65' sailboat called the RELIANCE here in Juneau. I have been restoring SEAL for four years now, hand-to-mouth, one job at a time to pay for one project at a time, struggling to get time off between wages to actually ‘do’ the work.” At the end of his day’s work as a computer network technician for the Alaska Department of Labor, Peterson has been “running home each evening to dive into my grubby clothes, and pick up where I left off the evening before, project by project. “I’ve never taken her out of the harbor, and never seen the light come in any open window through the tarps, but I know each project brings me a little closer to that day. My dream is to create a nonprofit, for which the only stipulation is that I get to caretake and skipper her until I am too old and goofy to do so anymore. The SEAL really is the most historically significant vessel in Juneau, since she carried so much load in bringing Alaska to statehood, and there are none left like her in Southeast Alaska. “When I finally got her four years ago, she had pretty much been abandoned at

the dock for four to five years, and was in terrible shape. No wiring at all, motor stripped, no running water except what strained through her deck seams! I just rebuilt the wheelhouse, which included restoring all the curved pocket windows, which I made of teak and African mahogany, with koa wood sills, all new bronze, and more. I am making it a specific point to not only restore her using traditional materials, but also with traditional methods such as caulked decks, oakum, cotton, pine pitch, and tar. Last summer, Michael and I replaced the bow stem, and this summer we are replacing the port sheer plank, covering boards, and deck planking. “Michael is a really talented guy—and I have worked with every shipwright that’s passed through and called Juneau home for the past 20 years. Michael is handsdown the best I have had the pleasure to work with, and call a friend.” For more information and photographs, see the SEAL web site at .

RUSS PETERSON

■ “The yard at Hall’s Boat Corporation on Lake George, New York, turns 100 this year,” Reuben Smith writes. “Once a dealer for Fay and Bowen and Gar Wood, Hall’s still services some of the boats it sold back in the 1920s. Walking into the storage shed in the winter is like walking into a museum, packed with about 70 classic wooden boats, from torpedo-sterned launches on up to modern Hacker-Crafts. In the summer, the covered slips are filled with bright runabouts, same as it ever was at Hall’s. But behind the scenes, things

Russ Peterson has a thing for restoring 65’ yachts, and his latest one is SEAL, a historic Juneau, Alaska, mailboat. He’s been working with his shipwright friend Michael Svensson on a major reconstruction, including the wheelhouse’s curved pocket windows.

September/October 2008

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CURRENTS shop, after working out of Jones River Landing in Kingston, Massachusetts, for the past several years. “Steve and Nick Lamando have great ambitions for the yard, first to maintain the historical service, but also to expand the business into boatbuilding, restoration, and boatbuilding programs. Already, work has begun restoring an 1899 32' Elco, beginning with a complete structural rebuild on through to new upholstery and a rebuilt original electric motor. Like a lot of old boats at Hall’s, this Elco has been on Lake George all its life, and the

CY NDE SMITH/HALL’S BOAT CORPORATION

are very different, as the yard is under new ownership. Steve and Nick Lamando are now running things and have invested heavily in the facility, and in the crew. Pete Bombard has stayed with the yard through many transitions in his 45 years of laying on varnish here. Mark Wilson and Steve Clark run the white-glove mechanic shop, rebuilding and restoring period engines. Mike Reagan runs the waterfront, working with a crew of kids and keeping the customers happy and the boats in the water beautiful. I am moving to the Adirondacks to head up the boat-

At Hall’s Boat Corporation on Lake George, New York, as of mid-June, two bright-finished Chris-Craft Sportsman boats were in for restoration, an 1899, 32’ Elco was opened up for a structural reconstruction, and a Cape Cod knockabout was under restoration as well. Next up? A 1928 Chris-Craft Cadet, and a 1915 Fay and Bowen 30’ torpedo-stern launch.

new Hall’s is continuing in a great tradition of awareness and appreciation for wooden boats on Lake George.” Hall’s Boat Corporation, 9 Front St., Lake George, NY 12845; 518–668–5437; .

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■ “You have to admire a guy like Bill Donahue,” Professional Boatbuilder editor at large Dan Spurr writes from Bozeman, Montana, “because he is one of those all-too-rare individuals who was willing to give up a profitable whitecollar career to pursue his real love in life, at no little financial expense to himself and family. In Bill’s case, the career was a bank consulting company, and the love was—because you are reading it in these pages—boats, of course. Growing up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, he built his first boat at age 10, and never really gave it up, though boats were necessarily in the background. “Five years ago he decided it was ‘now or never.’ So he quit his job and started Annapolis Classic Watercraft, mainly because he likes good-quality wooden boats, but also because he perceived an open niche in the Chesapeake Bay area. Donahue’s business plan is four-pronged: restorations, brokerage, classes, and new boat construction, and it is the latter that brings us to the Homewood Landing 24. “The origins of this design are something of a mystery. But first, some background. The original Homewood Landing 24, AQUILA, was built by a talented, though amateur boatbuilder by the name of Fred Touchton, about 20 years ago. The construction was strip-planked with 1⁄ 8" meranti veneer glued on over the

CURRENTS cedar planking. Frames are laminated oak. Original power was a 30-hp Atomic Four with 2:1 reduction gear, which gave it a cruising speed of 8 knots and a maximum speed of 11. Donahue remembers seeing it motoring up and down the Severn River, which separates his present shop from the U.S. Naval Academy on the opposite shore. He calls it a ‘very elegant cocktail launch or sundowner.’ Touchton died about 10 years ago, and the boat languished alongside his barn. Eventually friends of the family called Donahue to see if he’d broker it. He did them one better: he bought it. “Included in the purchase was a faded set of plans from its designer, one Thomas Connolly of Sacramento, California. The name of the design was a Kingston Lobsterboat, but Donahue states accurately that it is not. Efforts to learn more about Connolly have dead-ended every time. “Donahue contemplated molding the hull in fiberglass, by a subcontractor, and finishing it out in wood himself. But up-front tooling costs were prohibitive and Donahue prefers to work in wood anyway. The plan, then, is to restore Touchton’s AQUILA for marketing purposes…with some modifications. Donahue’s son Jonathan is a marine engineer (Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University), and he has designed a new console and reorganized the cockpit. Each boat will be custom, and can be configured as a center-console launch, as designed, or a tiller-steered open boat, cuddy-cabin weekender, water taxi, or club launch. Donahue retained naval architect Mike Kaufman to do some power and speed calculations, enabling Donahue to spec both a diesel and gasoline engine that will deliver performance in the 15to 18-knot range. The boat is 24' 2" LOA, with a beam of 7' 10", a draft of 2', and a displacement of 3,900 lbs. “ The hull is certainly an attractive starting point for any of the above, bearing a resemblance to a number of other handsome skiffs, such as the Hampton, West Pointer, and the Handy Billy. The Homewood Landing 24, named after Touchton’s boatshop, which was proximate to the estate by that name belonging to the founder of Johns Hopkins University, has good company in Donahue’s regular

clients: a Luders 16, a 22-Square-Meter built in 1927 by Abeking & Rasmussen, a Herreshoff 12-1/2, and a number of 1950s-era Chris-Crafts.” Annapolis Classic Watercraft, 410 Innovation Dr., David Taylor Center, Annapolis, MD 21402; 866–263–9366; .

succeeds in restoring her and making her a charter boat off the coast of Denmark (see the lead Currents item on pg.15), she won’t be alone. She’ll be amid a fleet of large traditional wooden workboats that operate in the charter trade in that country, almost all of them built in Denmark and many of them little known outside the country. In May, I visited with Nikki Alford, an Englishwoman who owns the 1904 English West Country ketch BESSIE ELLEN, built in Plymouth and now based in Denmark. Alford is one of a number of charter boat

Offcuts

I

f the association that plans to purchase the Danish-built Baltic ketch FRI of 1912

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aging workboats alive for a new purpose in a new generation. One example is the current reconstruction of TRILLE, ex-ALEXANDER, now in the midst of an extensive restoration in Hvide Sande in the west of Denmark. The yard, Hvide Sande Skibs og Bådebyggeri, has replaced the stem and sternpost and 300 lineal meters (almost 1,000 lineal feet) of oak planking 2 1 ⁄ 2" thick on the 74-ton boat. Much work is yet to be done, including a new

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deck that will take her back to her original configuration. A May 2010 launching is expected. The ship was built in 1914 in Hobro for Ålborg Portland, a cement factory. She remained in that service until the 1960s, when she went into private ownership, converted to a fishing vessel and a school ship. She languished for 15 years before Sailor Life bought her for conversion to the charter trade. Sailor Life, Lyngtoften 61, 7800 Skive, Denmark; +45–51–52–19–12;

COURTESY SAILOR LIFE

Above—BESSIE ELLEN, a 1904 West Country ketch from England, is one of a fleet of converted workboats operating out of Denmark. Right—The organization Sailor Life is having TRILLE, formerly owned by a Portland cement factory, rebuilt.

Photo credit Billy Black.

owners jointly marketing their cruises through an organization called Sailor Life. She bought the 84' boat in 2000 and restored her original rig and appearance, fitting her out for charters. BESSIE ELLEN’s working life continued in England, and later in Denmark and the Baltic, into the 1970s. She was near the end of a long project to make her a charter vessel when Alford bought her and restored her original gaff ketch rig. Sailor Life represents three such large charter vessels, all with historic pedigrees and workboat roots and all operating in Denmark’s inshore waters. According to Tonny Schnoor, the organization’s boats aren’t well known outside the country because regulations deny them deepwater operations. This means they cannot venture far enough afield with charter passengers to participate in such large events as, for example, the maritime festivals in Brest and Douarnenez in France. Within Denmark, however, they are gaining ground for vacationers and also for corporate teambuilding programs. In this, Sailor Life is similar to other joint marketing organizations, like the Maine Windjammers Association, that help customers find their way to historic boats— the more the better. This trade keeps

TOM JACKSON

CURRENTS

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rail can be clamped on edge along the bench top to taper its bottom. There is usually not enough wood to remove to bother using power tools here. Draw the taper on the back side of the rail, or at least mark where the taper will start and the full depth of wood to be removed at each end of the rail. There is a trick to hand-planing a taper without needing to draw it out full length. If, for instance, the taper is to be 6' long and you will be removing 1⁄ 4" at the end, you cannot start at the 6' mark for every stroke of the plane, as this would produce a hard spot and a hollow at the starting point. Instead, start at the end of the rail and take a 6" cut. Then follow with a 12" cut, then an 18" cut. Keep increasing the length of stroke until you reach the 6' mark. These strokes aren’t meant to be measured exactly but to show a methodical way of approaching the problem. Keep your eye on the 1⁄ 4" goal and repeat if necessary. While you have the sections of rail at the bench, you should consider working a slight hollow (1⁄ 16" max.) along each piece’s inner face. This will give the rail a firmer stance on convex sections of the hull or bridge the uneven surface created by canvas and staples. A backing-out plane (a plane with a slightly convex blade) can be used for this work.

A slash scarf with a slope of 10:1 will serve for gluing, but for a scarf that is assembled with bedding compound it is best to avoid a thin, tapered point by using a nibbed end.

It is impractical and unnecessary to look for unusually long pieces of wood to make rails in one piece from stem to stern. Scarf joints, either glued at the bench or assembled with bedding compound on the boat, will adequately join the sections. It is easier to shape each section (usually two pieces that make up the length) before cutting scarfs and assembling the rail.

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37

THE APPRENTICE’S WORKBENCH

To seal the seam at the top of the rail, apply a little extra bedding compound and draw fastenings up slowly. Then scrape the excess with a putty knife and clean with paint thinner.

Fastening and Bedding Rails The principal concerns when fastening rails are that they must be removable in case they are damaged, and that every precaution should be taken to see that water does not get under

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Your organization can produce a Family BoatBuilding event! Are you part of a 4-H or Scout group, local maritime museum, boatbuilding company, non-profit association, or other well-meaning organization? By organizing a two-to-three-day event, you can introduce members of your community to boating. All that’s required of your organization is a commitment to producing a high-quality event for the families and groups who will participate.

Family BoatBuilding is produced by WoodenBoat magazine, online at www.woodenboat.com.

www.familyboatbuilding.com 38 • WoodenBoat 204

them. You have little choice about where the fastening will go because the rail is so narrow. Unfortunately, the seam between deck and hull or cabin side will usually be right where the screw wants to go. Do the best you can, angling the screw slightly if necessary. I find that the spacing of the screws will be determined by what is needed to get a continuous squish of sealant from one screw to the next. An open boat will not have enough thickness of plank to hold a rail fastening, so the fastening must go into a frame. Hopefully, you placed your upper sheerstrake fastening down on the frame a bit to give room. Skiffs and other simply built boats that don’t have decking or inwales can have their guards back-fastened through the planking. To install a rail without humps or hollows, start the initial fastening at the forward end, installing every third screw. Then, sight along it for problems. If there is an unfair spot, pull the offending fastening and fasten either side of it to correct the line. Then, re-drill and replace the offending screw. I cannot overstate the importance of adequate bedding. Bedding can be either a polyurethane sealant (such as 3M’s 5200 or Sikaflex) or a bedding compound (International’s Boatyard Bedding Compound or Pettit’s Dolfinite). You might argue that 3M 5200 or equivalent polyurethane is too permanent an adhesive for a rail that is supposed to be removable. The rail can be removed by sawing along behind it with a thin wire stretched between short sections of dowel used as handles. Follow closely with wedges to keep tension on the sealant as you saw. It is often difficult to close the seam along the top edge of the rail. Think about what happens in a hull without much flare when you bend the rails around, then lift their ends to follow the sheer. The middle of the rail will want to roll outward at the top. Put a bit more bedding compound along the top of the rail in anticipation of this problem, and draw the fastenings up slowly. Clean off the squeezed-out material with a putty knife, then denatured alcohol for polyurethane or paint thinner for bedding compound. Stand back and admire your work. Harr y Br yan is a contributing editor to WoodenBoat.

National BoatBuilding Challenge Stand Back—This Is NOT for Everyone! Let the Pros (and Serious Amateurs) Take Over And Let the Rest of Us Cheer Them On. 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. These are real boats! OPEN TO ALL! Housing contractors, plumbing inspectors, paperpushers, professional wooden boat builders, and general lay-abouts. To enter or for more information, go to www.NationalBoatBuilding.com or contact one of the organizers directly. To join the National BoatBuilding Challenge Circuit and run your own competition, email [email protected]. • May 3 — Moehring Group - AV Mill Outlet National Boat Building Challenge. Susan Sanders; tel. 252-241-4485; [email protected]; www.beaufortboatbuildingchallenge.com. • July 26 — Belfast, ME. Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce. John Burgess; tel. 207-338-3808; [email protected]; www.belfastmaine.org. • September 6 — Kingston, NY. Hudson River Maritime Museum. Betty Osterhout, tel. 845-338-0071 ext.16; [email protected]; www.hrmm.org. • October 18 — Georgetown, SC. Harbor Historical Association. This event also hosts the National Championship. Susan Hibbs; tel. 843-546-2021; [email protected]; www.woodenboatshow.com/boatbuilding_challenge.html. WoodenBoat is proud to be the official media partner and promoter of the National BoatBuilding Challenge. WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616. www.woodenboat.com.

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39

Installing Sister Frames

Figure 1

A careful repair staves off a restoration by Thomas M. Wells Illustrations by Sam Manning

T

he following article describes sister framing from the outside of a hull without interfering with a boat’s interior. It is not meant as a new and better way of repairing broken frames, but rather as an alternative to a major rebuilding. The work described was done on a Nevins 40 in generally good condition. The boat had a fair hull with no apparent loss of shape, but there were a few known tension breaks in frames behind the bilge stringer, and some of the plank seams in this area were a bit ragged from multiple and varied 40

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WoodenBoat 204

attempts to keep the seams tight. Some of the breaks were clearly visible—for instance, in the head where a holding tank had been installed. A few more could be observed with a mirror. With that initial information, we suspected more breaks behind the bilge stringer. To get a closer look and to ascertain the full extent of the damage, a single planking strake was removed (Figure 1). With the careful use of a mirror, we determined that there were many breaks; we marked the hull to map out their locations and then set to work formulating a repair plan.

from the Outside The Plan While the goal was to restore the integrity of the frames, there were several factors guiding the development of this repair solution: First, despite the breaks, the rest of the boat was in overall good condition. Second, while most of the affected frames were cracked right through, the broken ends remained tight together. And, finally, there was no rot. The broken frames spanned from nearly all the way aft to well forward where the frames had less bend. This meant that most of the interior would be upset if the job were approached from the inside of the boat. The Nevins 40s have a full ceiling and a considerable amount of joinery—not to mention components associated with water and sanitation systems. Removing and replacing these would add a significant amount of labor to the job, and I wanted to avoid the “having gone this far…” syndrome that is inevitable when a boat is opened up that much. We decided that if substantial sister frames could be installed from outside the hull, it would make sense to do it that way. Rather than have these sisters lie adjacent to the original frames, they would lie midway between them. Some people may be uncomfortable with middle-of-theframe-bay sisters, but I have concluded that installing sisters independently of the broken frame is the best approach, for several reasons: First, by not mating the sister to the origiFigure 2 nal frame, you eliminate a potential dirt, debris, and water collection point (a.k.a., rot incubator). Second, you are not tempted to through-bolt the sister to the original frame, which would weaken both the frame and the sister. And third, new fastenings are located farther away from originals, thus weakening the plank less.

The Work At the break locations marked on the hull, we made patterns of the hull’s sectional shape at the outside of planking (Figure 1). It is helpful to transfer marks on the hull noting break location to the pattern and eventually to the new frames, making them easier to locate when installing. The objective is to extend the new frame as far as practical beyond the break; four planks or more on each side is good, and three is the minimum. Ultimately,

hull shape will determine what length frame you will be able to fit. When the patterns were complete, we removed two more planks, creating a three-plank window through which to install the new frames (Figure 2). We then prepared the existing frames in the usual way for replanking, plugging old fastening holes, etc. It’s important to note that if the situation involves multiple breaks in the same place along the hull, additional propping should be used to maintain hull shape and prevent the boat from “squatting” when planks are removed, for the tired old frames may not be up to the job. Using the patterns—and spacers to represent planking and frame thickness—we set up bending jigs September/October 2008

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41

for laminating the frames (Figure 2). A bit of overbend was incorporated to compensate for the small amount of springback that occurs when the clamps are removed. Six 1⁄ 4" laminates (Figure 3) were prepared for each frame, yielding a molded dimension of 11⁄ 2"; the original frames were 15⁄ 8". These thinner laminated sisters leave a little room between hull and ceiling to allow for new-frame insertion. This method works because each frame is installed in two layers. When the sisters were made, glue was applied as in normal laminating, except that it was omitted on the mating surfaces of laminate Nos. 3 and 4—but for a couple of inches at the ends. To do this, we cut a piece of plastic sheeting slightly shorter than the overall length of the frame and inserted it between the two laminates (Figure 3). When the glue had cured and the sister came off of the mold, it behaved as one piece since the ends were glued. The frame was then cleaned up and run through a thickness planer to achieve the proper sided dimension. When the ends were cut to length, it

became two 3⁄ 4" pieces bent to the correct shape—but fairly flexible (Figure 3). This flexibility of the frame halves is not only helpful with getting frames in and out of the boat but it also allows for some twist. In most cases, this won’t eliminate the need to plane a bevel on the outboard face of the frame, but it will compensate somewhat. We dry-fit the pieces first by inserting one at a time and then bringing them together to see how they conformed to the hull. A stiff batten or two spanning the existing frames helped in determining the bevel; it also provided a clamping surface and kept the new installation fair with the original framing. With the known bevels measured at the opening in the planking, we could extrapolate the bevels to the outer ends of the frame. The flexibility of the two halves is appreciated here (Figure 4). After one or two you’ll get the idea of how the pieces will behave and how much overbend is required. When fitting frames, it was helpful to have some assorted low-angle wedges at hand to keep the halves together and pushed against the inside of the planking—short ones used at the bilge stringer and long ones slipped between the ceiling and ends of the frame. Small wooden hand-screw clamps were also convenient for keeping the frame halves aligned; gripping the frame, they can rest on the top edge of the lower plank in the opening to keep the frame in correct position up and down. When the fit was right, we made registration marks on frame pieces and edges of existing planking and bored for fastenings. The frame halves were then removed, glued, rejoined, wedged in place, and fastened (Figure 4).

Dealing with Butt Blocks When sistering in this fashion, butt blocks in way of new frames have to be eliminated. The solution here is to scarf in new plank sections. Butt blocks are most easily removed by simply cutting the plank back to each frame closest to the block and then cutting 12:1 scarfs in the cut-off plank ends. A new section of planking is then fitted to the scarfed ends, filling the gap where the butt once was and resulting in a continuous plank—and no butt block to obstruct the sister frame (Figure 4). This is stronger than planks joined with a butt block in the traditional fashion (see WB No. 69).

Final Thoughts Figure 3 42

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WoodenBoat 204

Some additional thoughts about frame installation may be helpful. With laminated frames, it’s best to size fastenings so they will engage the

Figure 4

inboard-most laminate of the frame. This ensures that all glued surfaces are backed up with mechanical fastenings, which is especially important when working with oak. When driving the screws, work from the middle of the frame where wedging and clamping are done more easily than at the outer ends. By working outward this way, your previously installed screw helps to keep halves together while you drive the next one. Some of the gluing will most likely have to be done after frame halves are inserted into the frame bay, because glue might otherwise be scraped off by plank edges during frame insertion. This is not as difficult as it might seem. Just move the parts up and down in the opening to expose the surface to be glued; use a hand-screw clamp as described earlier to keep them from sliding into the bilge. A glue brush with a 90-degree bend will be helpful when applying glue to the inboard face. Another benefit of installing

frames this way, although not on the top of the priority list, is comfort. This entire job was basically done standing up. There are probably quite a few boats suffering frame breaks similar to those of this Nevins 40 (though perhaps not as severe)—boats whose owners are uncomfortable with the thought of delving in deep to get to the underlying problem. Procrastination certainly won’t help with situations like this; they should be addressed before they compound themselves into something more involved. While it is correct to strive to make repairs by replacing parts as original, this is sometimes impractical. I believe it’s important to maintain perspective when faced with a project like this. A well thought out and executed repair does not have to become a restoration project. Tom Wells runs Wells Shipwright in Greenport on the East End of Long Island, New York. September/October 2008

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The Pacific Northwest

Yachting Photography of Asahel Curtis by J. Scott Rohrer

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

robably no photographer did more than Asahel Edward’s name only. The brothCurtis (1874–1941) to capers parted ways and never spoke ture both the natural splendor again. and the emergent 20th-century Asahel Curtis would continue civilization of the Pacific Northhis photography, slavishly west. The Curtis Collection at recording an era of astonishing the Washington State Historical changes spanning the next four Society in Tacoma features sigdecades. From the agricultural nificant images of almost every boom of eastern Washington to cultural and natural aspect of the first ascents of many peaks the place and its people—one in the Cascade and Olympic of which was yachting. mountain ranges, he moved Curtis was 13 when his fameasily throughout the Pacific ily moved to Puget Sound, but Northwest on a multitude of his father died within a few days projects. His detailed 1910 docof their arrival. The family was umentation of a Makah Indians’ living in Port Orchard, Washwhale hunt off Neah Bay, for ington, when his older brother, example, still defines this conEdward, moved to Seattle to Asahel Curtis documented many aspects of Pacific troversial practice. join a commercial photographic Northwest life in the early 20th century—and He often encouraged other business. When Edward dis- among his yachting assignments was coverage of talented young photographers, patched Asahel (pronounced the Lipton Cup races of 1914. sharing his studio with them. –a-shu ˘ l) to cover the Alaska Gold Imogen Cunningham, for examRush of 1897, the younger ple, often worked there. Curtis’s brother had been working in the studio for two years. early studio products included lantern slides, postcards, Arriving at Skagway in early fall, Curtis headed up the and “cabinet” prints, many hand-colored and framed in trail to Lake Bennett and what he hoped would be a 500- the popular “piecrust” style of the time. mile sleigh ride in a crude drift boat down the Yukon An avid hiker and climber, Curtis became one of the River to the goldfields at Dawson. Starting too late, he area’s earliest conservationists. He was one of the founders spent the winter snowed-in at Summit Lake on White Pass. of The Mountaineers, a visionary group formed in 1906— In the spring of 1898, low on provisions, he backtracked and still very active today—to explore Northwest wilderto Skagway, joined another party, and headed up again, ness areas and collect the history of those places during this time via the tougher Chilkoot Pass. White Pass (also a critical period. called Dead Horse Pass) was torture for men and aniCurtis’s prolific commercial work often took him out mals, but Chilkoot was too steep for pack trains or of Seattle to places of farming, fishing, logging, and dogsleds. It just devoured men. Curtis captured the hard manufacturing. His photos of native canoes, squarerealities of both places on 8"  10" glass plates. riggers, riverboats, steamers, locomotives, and early autoEdward Sheriff Curtis would later gain wide renown mobiles followed 20th-century transportation as each for his lavish series, The North American Indian. But in mode was eclipsed by the next. His work appeared in 1898, a heated dispute arose between the brothers after periodicals ranging from Seattle newspapers to National several of Asahel’s Alaska images were published under Geographic. 44

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 12669

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n Curtis’s time, the yawl was the racing rig of choice in the Pacific Northwest, and he captured a nice one when he found the 40-footer AQUILA reaching smartly across Elliott Bay in 1909. Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill can be seen just off her headstay. Built and owned by Oddie and Adolph Rohlfs, AQUILA was designed by Small Brothers in Boston, Massachusetts. A sistership, GAZEKA, was built in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1906. She won races on both sides of the border and served as flagship of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in 1908. A third sister, LILA, was built by Reed & Adams and won her class on the 1907 Brooklyn-to-Bermuda Race. In 1909, AQUILA stood by with an armed crew while semi-lawful piledriving was done to make the base for a new Seattle Yacht Club clubhouse in West Seattle. A nearby lumbermill also had plans for the site but had not finalized a deal. By the time an injunction was filed, the pilings were in and the club worked out final terms with the owners. On board with the Rohlfs brothers were boatbuilder Quent Williams and violinist William Hedley of the Seattle Symphony. AQUILA had a waterline length of 30', 13' 6" beam, 6' 9" draft, and 1,172 sq ft of sail area.

In 1907, public interest in yacht racing exploded in Seattle, sparked by the dramatic Canadian-American match for the Alexandra Cup. Seattleites crowded the shoreline to witness some very close finishes. Large sums were wagered on the outcomes. News and commercial photographers alike covered the races and found numerous markets for their photos. Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted a return match in 1908, but racing stopped abruptly in 1909 when the third challenge for the cup ended in a scandal that led to a bitter rift between the cities of Seattle and Vancouver. While visiting Seattle in 1912 en route to meetings in San Francisco, Sir Thomas Lipton heard about the dispute while spending considerable time being entertained by local yachtsmen and their families. Ever a supporter of the sport, Lipton offered a challenge cup for a race involving yachts in the R class of the new Universal Rule. The baronet’s generous intervention would revive

racing—and friendships—between these two great cities. The yachtsmen of both cities enthusiastically embraced the new format. The Alexandra Cup was put away and never awarded again. When the clubs met in July of 1914, The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club took their new R-boat TURENGA south to face one of three Seattle boats, all purpose-built for the Lipton Cup. Together, they formed the first fleet of R-boats on the Pacific coast. Several Northwest marine photographers compiled larger catalogs of pleasure boating images than Asahel Curtis did—Webster & Stevens, Will E. Hudson, and Kenneth Ollar come to mind. But Curtis was unique in capturing the feel of summer boating on Puget Sound with an artist’s keen eye. At the same time, he covered the 1914 Lipton Cup races for Pacific Motor Boat magazine with a newspaperman’s sense of history in the making. September/October 2008

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30762

COURTESY OF SEATTLE YACHT CLUB

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n outdoorsman his whole life, Curtis had many friends at the Seattle Yacht Club who often commissioned him to record club events and boats. In 1913, he joined a party of club members for a cruise to the five-acre site of a planned outstation at Manzanita Bay on Bainbridge Island. He climbed up a low bank to capture part of the fleet at anchor. The large schooner in the background is W.G. Norris’s 75' LA VIAJERA.

he handsome 55' express cruiser GOEDUCK (a variant of today’s more common “geoduck” spelling for the enormous mollusk) was built by Johnson Bros. for W.G. Norris in 1913. She had an eight-cylinder Sterling gas engine and was the flagship of Seattle Yacht Club when Norris served as commodore in 1915. While some have suspected that she may have been used for bootlegging, it is not likely. Rumrunners of this size always had two engines, some three.

smartly attired party crowds the rails of the yawl GWENDOLY N II off Alki Point in Seattle. Lloyd Johnson designed “Big Gwen” and built her with his brother, Dean, at Georgetown in 1907. She became the first Seattle boat to race to Hawaii when she sailed the 1908 Transpacific Yacht Race from San Pedro, California, to Honolulu. She was second to finish, second overall. A year later, her sails show the effects of the race and stormy deliveries. A large brass bell that was presented to the Johnson brothers before they left for California hangs in the lounge of Seattle Yacht Club, engraved with the words, “Go in and win”—still good advice. GWENDOLY N II was 48' 6" LOA, with a 37' LWL, 13' 9" beam, 6' 9" draft, and 2,000 sq ft of sail area.

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WoodenBoat 204

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30763

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 26658

nother fine yawl of the same period as AQUILA (page 45) was Seattle architect John Graham’s ORTONA. Built by the Johnson Brothers and Norman J. Blanchard in 1912, ORTONA spent most of her life in Southern California. Curtis has captured her in a typical Puget Sound setting: reaching shorthanded down Admiralty Inlet with Foulweather Bluff just visible off her lee bow. Wind from the southeast with a sky like this means only one thing on the Sound: changing weather. The yacht, designed by L.E. “Ted” Geary, was 48' LOA, 36' LWL, 12' 6" beam, 7' 6" draft, and carried 1,400 sq ft of sail.

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30783

uent Williams’s Rboat SPRAY seems to pose for Curtis as she runs down the Sound before a fresh northerly. SPRAY ’s flat-bottomed Sonder-type hull suffered numerous penalties under the Universal Rule. She fared badly in the Lipton Cup trials and was the first boat eliminated. With her rig well forward and a bowsprit, she was probably at her best downwind. It appears that Curtis was shooting from another yacht when he caught this sparkling portrait. He later chose this image for a special “oro-tone” edition available through his studio. SPRAY was built by Washington K-D Boatworks in 1914.

September/October 2008

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30758

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30784

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he Royal Vancouver Yacht Club challenger was TURENGA, designed by Edson B. Schock and built at the W.R. Menchions yard. She gave SIR TOM better competition than either DEFENDER or SPRAY had done. Here, she is seen beating in flat water off Duwamish Head. The first SYC club house, the King and Winge shipyard, and part of Luna Park amusement center can be seen in the background. Edson B. Schock was a native of New Jersey who had once worked in the New York City office of A. Cary Smith. He moved to Vancouver in 1910. Later, he would move his practice to Southern California, where he did most of his work before retiring to Rhode Island. TURENGA was 36' LOA, 22' 6" LWL, 7' 11" beam, 5' 4" draft, with 600 sq ft of sail area. Her sails were by Griffin, and her skipper at the time of this photo was Ron Maitland.

he boat of the moment was designed and skippered by L.E. “Ted” Geary. Named for the beloved donor of the new challenge cup, SIR TOM dominated the elimination trials and went on to meet the Canadian challenger undefeated. The yacht was launched only weeks before the racing, and Geary and his crew put her through extensive trials, ultimately swapping out her first mast for a heavier spar before the Lipton Cup finals. July 16, the day of the first race for the Lipton Cup, brought fresh breezes of up to 25 knots, and SIR TOM went to the front right away. Difficulties with their rig forced the Canadians to sail with a shallow reef in the mainsail. Geary sailed under full main, and all photos of this leg show his boat out-pointing TURENGA by a few degrees. Her lead at the first mark off West Point was a margin of 3 minutes, 16 seconds. The last leg of the first race was a reach from a mark set off Port Blakely to the finish off West Seattle. Starting the leg under working canvas, SIR TOM was gradually freed up and finished under her big reaching jib. TURENGA was unlucky on this leg. She hit a light spot and finished 12 minutes, 39 seconds behind the home team. In the second race the next day, TURENGA gave the Seattleites a tougher battle, but the result was the same. Re-rigged and rebuilt several times, SIR TOM would hold the Lipton Cup continuously until beaten by LADY VAN in 1929. “Tommy,” as SIR TOM was casually known, looked good working upwind and down. She flew her spinnaker in the popular practice of the day, with the clew snubbed down to the centerline well aft of the forestay. This wasn’t a very efficient reaching rig, but it did allow the boat to be sailed very low on the runs. This image of SIR TOM lifting her bow in a fresh northerly shows this setup in some detail.

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WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30805

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ondon silversmiths Mosley Flowers & Co. of Albermarle Street crafted this wonderful piece of Victorian silver in 1913 to the order of Sir Thomas Lipton. Here it is pictured in its original form atop an oaken base. In later years, three additional oak tiers were added to accommodate all of the later winners’ plaques. It is still awarded today for Six-Meter class racing.

FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE AUTHOR

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30757

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o capture this remarkable photo of Ted Geary, Curtis jumped aboard SIR TOM following the Cup races to get a portrait of the winning skipper. The position of the photographer in the small companionway of the R-boat, balancing his large-format camera, might itself have made an interesting study. Curtis’s mountaineering experience probably benefited him this day.

he euphoric feeling of success was shortlived for Ted Geary. Two weeks after the racing, Geary’s offices were destroyed in a spectacular fire at the Grand Trunk Pacific dock. Of course, Asahel Curtis got into a boat and took this picture. The designer is reported to have gone out a window on the second story and worked his way along a narrow ledge until he could slide to safety using a downspout. The drawings of SIR TOM were lost.

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30814

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n a post-race moment, the victorious SIR TOM crew posed for Curtis as he came alongside in the moorage. Geary is on the foredeck alongside sailor extraordinaire Fritz Hellenthal. On the gaff is Norman J. Blanchard, co-builder of the boat. Aft, in his pinafore and sailor hat, is John Dreher, sailing writer for The Seattle Times. Missing is fifth man, Dean Johnson.

J. Scott Rohrer, himself a two-time winner of the Lipton Cup, is a yachting writer and historian from Seattle.

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© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT. PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN

ROANN ROANN ROANN The best surviving Eastern-rigged dragger

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here is talk these days at the fishing port of Point Judith in Rhode Island about Mystic Seaport’s extensive rebuild of “their” beloved Eastern-rigged dragger ROANN. Some of this talk is about her distinctive bold sheerline that Albert Condon, her designer, drew a little over 50 years ago, and that master shipwright Roy Wallace crafted into oak and iron, and that her skippers marveled over throughout her working life. Some fishermen in Point Judith say that we Mystic guys won’t get the sheer right. A few who really care have come down to see what we’re up to at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum. It’s my job to worry about all this, as I have the privilege of being Mystic’s lead shipwright on the complete restoration effort on ROANN. I’m backed up by the wisdom and experience of two other veteran shipwrights, Kevin Dwyer and Rob Whalen; I’ve had the great pleasure of working with these two since the building of the schooner AMISTAD eight years ago.

by Walt Ansel Giving Her the Eye

In late December 2007, about two-thirds of the way through ROANN’s restoration, Kevin and I found ourselves up in the visitors’ gallery, at deck level with ROANN, sighting that sheer. Honestly, I was sweating a bit—yes, nervous. We had long, clear pine battens nailed to the tops of the new stanchions at heights gleaned from the old bulwarks, profile photographs, and Condon’s original drawings. Our job was to blend these sources and come up with the right sheer. In a dark moment, Kevin kidded me and muttered that they probably wouldn’t remember what was right anyway. After seeing Capt. Jack Westcott’s perfect little carved model of his brother Chet’s ROANN, I was not so sure. I’d noticed that these fisherman have deadly accurate eyes for the shape of their vessels. Perhaps it’s all those long hours on a featureless sea where any boat fishing alongside is studied for days. Kevin and I tweaked the batten up and down, rechecked the photos and drawings, and then did it again

ROANN is rolled out of the main shop at Mystic Seaport’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard following an extensive threeyear rebuild of her hull and deck. For 50 years, she safely brought her crews home from year-round, offshore fishing.

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Particulars LOA LWL Beam Depth Fish hold capacity Fuel Fresh water

61' 56' 5" 16' 9" 9' 55,000 lbs iced fish 2,000 gal 200 gal

© MYSTIC SEAPORT, DANIEL S. GREGORY SHIPS PLANS LIBRARY, MYSTIC, CT

ROANN’s lines show designer Albert Condon’s deep understanding of the Eastern-rigged dragger. Her gallows frames, set fore and aft on one side, is a defining feature of the Eastern rig. Her mid-body sections show similarity, which contributes to carrying capacity and reduces pitching.

throughout most of a damp Mystic morning. We collared Doug Butler (supervisor of the paint shop) and put his experienced eye on our line. We put ladders against the inside wall of the shop and sighted the port bow at deck level. We sighted from aft, paying particular attention to how the topside sheer blended into the round stern bulwark in a distinctive S shape that resembled the back of a wooden clog. This final sighting was taken from the top of a steel I-beam, 10' off the shop floor, that held the chainfall for the ship saw. Gradually, as we shifted our viewpoints up and down and back and forth, we became confident in what we saw. The low point was just ahead of the wheelhouse trunk, the stern kicked up nicely, and the bow had that long, high rising curve. I recalled the reassuring words of Capt. Tom Williams, ROANN’s last skipper and owner: “I told them you’re doing it right.” For ROANN, with her looks and sterling pedigree, things have always been done right.

A Darling of the Port In her 50th year of fishing, Tom Williams found that ROANN could no longer really compete with the modern steel stern-trawlers. But owning one of the darlings of the port made selling her a tough proposition. Everyone seemed to be watching her and yet no one could afford to keep her going properly. While wintering at Mystic and engaged in various museum-related projects, WoodenBoat’ s technical editor, Maynard Bray, happened upon ROANN tied up in her slip at Point Judith and thought she was “beautiful and [might be] available.” He introduced himself, got aboard for a fishing trip, and started discussing with Tom the idea of ROANN retiring to Mystic Seaport. Maynard talked about this possibility with fellow fishing vessel enthusiasts Cyrus (Cy) Hamlin and Rick Burrows. That summer, with a contribution from Hamlin, Mystic purchased the vessel. September/October 2008

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ZELLA WESTCOTT

GEORGE HINTEREGGER ZELLA WESTCOTT

The museum had never taken ownership of a fishing vessel directly from her last trip. ROANN came with her net and trawl doors on deck, food in her galley, and a few stray flounders that were not discovered until much later. She also came with fishing logs, oral histories, and photographs. She was “turnkey”; and for the museum, a unique artifact. And, perhaps best of all, as Cy Hamlin observed, she was unaltered from her 1947 configuration. Mystic tied ROANN up as an exhibit alongside their Gloucester fishing schooner, L.A. DUNTON. There she would represent the next chapter in the history of New England offshore fisheries after the cod hookers—the draggermen. 52

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Top—Under Chet Westcott’s ownership, ROANN begins her day on the Northern Edge with swordfish high flyers stowed along the rail and her topmast rigged for action. Left—Catch of large tilefish held in deck checkers; trawl gear is over and towing on starboard side. Right—A magnificent swordfish is landed on deck. Scale is provided by 12" deck tiles.

ROANN is 61' long, 16' wide, and draws 9' loaded. Ketch rigged with her buxom hull painted green and black, she has a small white wheelhouse placed well aft. The location of this house and the fact that ROANN’s gear was handled off the side identifies her as “Eastern-rigged.” The net and trawl doors were set and hauled off steel gallows, inverted A-shaped rigs bolted to massive timbers, one located forward by the mast and the other aft by the wheelhouse. Trawl cables lead from the gallows to ROANN’s big Hathaway trawl winch that rests athwartships in front of the wheelhouse. Her hull is divided into three main compartments: forward, the fo’c’s’le, with living quarters for five men; ’midships the fish hold, capacity of 55,000 lbs of iced fish; and aft, the engineroom, with all the attendant machinery, fuel tankage, and systems. Two additional berths are in a small stateroom aft of the engine. A jaunty buff-colored dory perched upright on top of ROANN’s wheelhouse completes her appeal.

© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN (BOTH)

Left—To offer dockside protection against damage and better handling in following seas, ROANN (and other draggers) were built with a round stern. Original builders Newbert and Wallace used massive timbers for component parts; sawn frame pairs, rim timber, horn timber, and sternpost. Right—The top surface of her 13"-sided horn timber.

Looking Back ROANN was built for Roy Campbell, an old-school, hard-

working fisherman from Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. At that time, Newbert and Wallace in Thomaston, Maine, was the yard to have your dragger built by, particularly if she was designed by Albert Condon. No shortcuts were taken. Vessels were built to the highest standards by master shipwright Roy Wallace, who would not build to a fixed price, but would take payments. Condon was widely recognized by fishermen as the designer blessed with the finest eye for Eastern-rigged dragger shapes who had ever been in the business. Roy bought plans from Condon during the war, but cannily slowed the delivery date after watching a friend’s new dragger get requisitioned by the Navy. Roy Campbell’s new dragger was set up and built in a shed on the west bank of the St. George River. Roy Wallace ran the crew while Herb Newbert ran the on-site sawmill and kept the books. Other than the usual floor-mounted stationary tools like a thickness planer and bandsaw, the setup was minimal, consisting mostly of hand tools and the few electric Skilsaws and drills available at that time. (Powered hand planers, for example, did not appear until the late 1950s.) Construction was stout, to say the least. Curiously, ROANN was built with steam-bent frames, unlike most heavy-displacement draggers, which were of sawn-frame construction. They were doubled-up oak 2 4s on 10" centers that were mortised into the keel. The double layers were held together with clenched boat nails. ROANN was conventionally carvel planked with 1 3⁄ 4" oak fastened with 5 ⁄ 16" round galvanized hatch nails—a favored fastening of Roy Wallace’s. Six 3" 5" bilge stringers stretched from stem to stern. The shelf and clamp structure was similarly heroic. Two 2" 9" pieces of oak made up a double clamp backed up on the inside by a three-layer shelf 4" thick. The middle shelf piece was raised to form a lock strake that the deck-

beams could be notched over. Both stringers and clamps were through-bolted with hundreds of galvanized bolts. A construction detail of particular interest on ROANN was her round stern. Newbert and Wallace built many of these, both on their draggers and their sardine carriers. Draggermen much preferred these sterns for their strength and their lack of corners for tow wires to snag on. Surprisingly, they cost the same as transom sterns. On close inspection, even by the experienced boat nut, the round stern framing is as complex as a Rubik’s Cube. A large, horseshoe-shaped rim timber, placed on the flat following the sheer, forms all at once a transom, a deckbeam, and a shelf. This timber is rabbeted on the bottom to accept the hull planking, bolted to the horn timber and shelves, and has the decking fastened to its top surface. The top surface also has sheer and deck camber cut into it! Ray Wallace, Roy’s son, said that Herb Newbert used to build the rim timbers on the ground, then hoist them up to location. Ann Campbell christened the new boat on May 21, 1947. Named ROANN, an amalgam of both their names, she was launched unharmed, in the traditional fashion with bilge blocking carrying her weight on a track of greased timbers. Ray Wallace observed that these occasions were exciting when 90 tons of iron and wood slid quickly down the ways. Quite a few vessels got away and shot across the river into the mud. Roy Campbell wasted no time in putting his new vessel to work. We can only imagine his proud new dragger in those days with her brand-new yellow 1300 Caterpillar diesel down below, a great coal stove in the fo’c’s’le, and all the cypress wainscoting gleaming bright under fresh coats of varnish.

The Ship’s Log ROANN carried a crew of five or six. Besides Roy there

was a mate, an engineer, a cook, and one or two deckhands. Everyone worked the deck, both to handle the gear September/October 2008

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© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT

and sort the catch. Roy fished well offshore, 120 miles east of Cape Cod on the “southeast corner” of Georges Bank. The catch of cod, yellowtail, flounder, and other groundfish was taken out and sold in Woods Hole and New Bedford. While it was said that Roy would fish in any conditions with his rugged new dragger, a sobering event five years after she was built would severely test her. Laying to in the early-morning hours, midAugust 1953, out on the southeast corner, ROANN was hit by what we would today call a rogue wave. Roy was asleep in the fo’c’s’le, along with one of the crew and the cook. The engineer and another man were on watch in the wheelhouse. The great sea rose on her beam with a corresponding trough on her other side. She fell over at 90 degrees with her mastheads awash and was buried by whitewater. Roy, standing on the fo’c’s’le ladder under the scuttle, watched her right herself from this astonishing event. Injuries to the crew were minor cuts and bruises, the most being sustained by the cook, who broke off the galley table in his flight across the fo’c’s’le. ROANN was fine; she had a few feet of water in the fish hold, a shattered wheelhouse window, a smashed dory and scuttle, and water inside the masthead lights. The net had floated up from the deck and tangled aloft in the springstay. Roy let the net remain there for folks to see back at the dock. ROANN had long been admired by other fishermen who watched her work at sea. Chief among them was Chet Westcott, mate aboard his brother Jack’s smaller, hard-fished, Condon-designed dragger, JOYCE ANN. Chet managed to talk Roy, whose wife was seriously ill, into selling in 1961. The Westcott clan was a powerhouse of fishing talent from Point Judith. All three brothers went on to own and fish Newbert and Wallace draggers at the same time: Chet with ROANN, Jack with the SUZANNE, and Carl with the BOB & BARRY. All three boats were from the same Condon design with slight modifications. Chet, who owned and skippered ROANN for 23 years, was an articulate, innovative, and highly successful fisherman. He dragged for groundfish as Roy had, but also seined for menhaden and harpooned swordfish. The first year Chet had the boat, he landed 900,000 lbs of groundfish and 3.5 million lbs of menhaden. It is apparent from Chet’s fishing log (which we now have at the Seaport) that he excelled as a swordfisherman. This was a late-summer, early-fall hand-harpoon fishery. Spotting the fish was what it was all about. ROANN was rigged with a topmast that reached 60', ratlines for access to it, and a bowsprit, called a stand, that put the harpooner 20' ahead of the stem. What a spectacular sight she was with this towering predatory rig! Chet fished the northern edge of Georges Bank, a 24hour steam northeast of Point Judith. Trips averaged a week or more and utilized a spotter plane that flew out

PHOTOGRAPHER: MARY ANNE STETS

Capt. Tom Williams and his sons stand proudly aboard ROANN, her Hathaway trawl winch in the foreground. (Left to right) Tom Jr., Tom Sr., and Aaron.

of Cape Cod. A typical log entry from mid-August 1971 found ROANN and Chet on the “edge” toward the end of a 10-day trip. The plane appeared in the morning, spotted for two hours, and got them two fish. The fog rolled in and the plane went home. They got three more by sight and lost one to the beam trawler MASSACHUSETTS, which cut them off. At the end of the day they steamed into Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to ride out a tropical storm with two other sword boats. Chet laconically noted that it blew 80 miles an hour in Halifax. A day later found them back on the “edge” boating five more fish. Chet headed home with, in his words, “one beautiful trip,” 30 fish aboard weighing 8,000 lbs. His gross stock (price to the vessel at the dock) was $9,000. Eight days later he harpooned 28 fish in a single day.

A Great Life For 23 years, ROANN, in the words of Chet’s wife, Zella, gave the Westcott family “a great life.” By 1984, however, the northeast New England fisheries started to change drastically. All the prime swordfish ground on the northern edge was lost to the Canadians by treaty. This ended successful swordfishing for Chet. With son Scott’s future of hard offshore groundfishing ahead, Chet reluctantly decided to sell ROANN and move to a more modern vessel. Chet had been watching young Tom Williams maintain and fish his wooden day boat, JUDY & BETSY. He liked what he saw and one day, while having coffee with Tom below in JUDY & BETSY ’s fo’c’s’le, offered his ROANN to Tom, who would become her third skipper and owner. Tom knew that he was taking somewhat of a technological step backward with ROANN. However, she came complete with all her gear, ready to fish, with fishing charts—and at a reasonable price. It also helped that she was an established port favorite and one hell of a sea boat. Tom had the unique experience of being able to raise three young sons in and around ROANN. The youngest, Aaron, started going out overnight at age five. A year later he was going on three-day trips. A total natural, this young, third-generation fisherman was docking the boat while standing on fish boxes and running the big Hathaway winch by the age of eight.

© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN

ROANN is outfitted with new white oak deckbeams and locust stanchions. Hatch openings are for fish hatches, engineroom soft patch, and aft trunk cabin. Hank Drude and Chris Taylor confer up forward.

steel stern-trawlers, HERITAGE and TRADITION, and are still fishing out of Point Judith, still chasing groundfish on Georges Bank.

Faithful Restoration

Tom Williams said that the seamanship his boys learned aboard ROANN by doing things the old way, with tackles to handle the gear and hand-hauling the net, placed them way ahead of their peers who had experienced only mechanized stern-trawling with net reels. It was very fitting, then, that in the summer of 1997 Aaron Williams and Scott Westcott helped bring ROANN up the Mystic River to her retirement at the Seaport. Today, Tom Jr. and Aaron are skippers of the family’s two state-of-the-art, modern

After seven years of static display at Mystic Seaport Museum, ROANN’s age finally caught up with her. A 50-year-old, unrestored, ironfastened, oak vessel that has been in a wet salt environment her whole life is a maintenance nightmare. Her topsides and bulwarks were soft at most butt and scarf joints The fish-hold structural members, after years of freshwater ice melt, had become a terrarium; the sheer clamps and bilge stringers were completely rotted through. The tannic acid from her oak planks and frames had eaten her hull spikes down in many places to a needlelike diameter. ROANN had lived out her first life as a wooden fishing vessel. Her condition was not a result of neglect, but of a natural process of decay whose final stage she faced at Mystic in 2004.

© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN (BOTH)

Left—External temporary framing was needed to hold the forefoot shape during replacement and fastening. Right—Chris Taylor (left) and John Snyder (right) fit covering board backing blocks between deck beams. Note the locking feature of the middle shelf piece (below Chris Taylor’s knee).

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© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN (BOTH)

Left—The author (left) and Kevin Dwyer (right) cut rabbets across the new sternpost. The new sternpost bottom mortises into the original skeg and keel timber; work carefully done by Kevin Dwyer. Right—Using a power-driven frame bender invented by shipwrights at Mystic, Dean Seder (left) and Rob Whalen (right) use the invention (nicknamed the moletrap) to push a stern frame piece out to meet the planking for clamping as the author draws in clamps from below.

During the first six months of ROANN’s careful disassembly and documentation, we formulated a plan of attack with these priorities: First, to preserve her unique sheer and hull shape; second, to restore the vessel so that she could go to sea in a “fishing” condition; third, to accurately duplicate the original structure; fourth, to keep as much original fabric as practical; and finally, to keep the whole restoration crew actively employed on parallel, non-conflicting projects. We started taking ROANN apart in the water during the late fall, 2004. We removed her rig, wheelhouse, engine, and tanks. This brought her weight down to 62 tons, a manageable load for a crane lift onto land. The fo’c’s’le bunks, settees, and cabinetry were removed in pieces as large as possible to ensure their intact return after the rebuild. As in all reconstructions, this early time was the time of the Sawzall, wedges, and pry bars. The chainsaw was only deployed with great discretion, as it was found to not cut bolts very well. The policy of saving each piece, regardless of how deteriorated it was, paid huge dividends later when dimensions, locations, and shapes were needed. The hundreds of photographs taken by our shipyard documentation man, Kane Borden, were also invaluable. Through measuring, we found that ROANN was a foot longer than designed—with the added foot at the forward engineroom bulkhead. We started the project with only four shipwrights— Kevin Dwyer, Rob Whalen, Sean Kelly, and me. Sawyer and mechanic Scott Noseworthy and yard foreman Dean Seder did most of the mechanical disassembly. We cut the bulwarks off at the covering board level in approximately 12' sections. At the same time, the trawl door sheathing was removed from the hull—along with one 13 ⁄4" hull plank 56

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which lacked any evidence of fastenings! By February 2005 we were ready for Tom Brownell, who came with his large hydraulic trailer and moved ROANN into our main shipyard shop. ROANN was originally ballasted with a combination of iron and concrete that had been placed and poured into her fish hold. This had to come out to allow access to her rotted frames. We jackhammered 3" of solid cement from the fish pens and slaughterhouse floor. In the layer beneath it, the job began to take on the feel of an archaeological dig. Mixed with the boiler punchings and cement were many other artifacts: machine parts from a shop in Rockland, Maine, jackhammers and chisels, cast stove parts, an oil cup from an engine, and all sorts of unidentifiable ironmongery. We loaded all this into one dumpster at the hauler’s encouragement and were able to get a total weight of 22,000 lbs at the scale. We didn’t realize it right away, but the oil from millions of dead menhaden had percolated down through the cement. This ripe bait-barrel smell, trapped for 30 years in the ballast, filled the shop and followed our work clothes home, to the dismay of our families. Our first projects were tackling the backbone and framing. Rob took on the stem replacement job and Kevin the sternpost, both timbers having rotted from their exposed top end-grain downward. Both of these projects grew in scope; for Rob, a new forefoot and for Kevin, a new shaftlog and horn timber were called for. Scott was busy sawing up very large, nearly perfect white oak trees for this work, many from an abandoned tobacco farm in Suffield, Connecticut. With the removal of the covering boards and ceiling we found that at least three-quarters of ROANN’s frames were rotted beyond saving. Sean and I started removing

A Progress Report

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aunch day was scheduled for May 17th. That day came, bright and clear with a brisk northwest breeze that caused all the flags to snap and stand out straight as they bent the spars of our temporary launching rig. It was a day of family connections for ROANN. Professor Rick Burroughs, who in his youth was a friend of Roy Campbell, gave an erudite speech on ROANN, offering a discourse on her historical significance and her possibilities as a traveling educational vessel. Captains Tom and Aaron Williams and their families came for the launching. Beth Van Stads, Albert Condon’s granddaughter, came and presented the lead shipwright with one of Condon’s handmade backing-out planes. Zella Westcott and her

Rick Remenda joined us from the Apprenticeshop, and Jeff Morris arrived from the C.A. THAY ER restoration project. Barry Rhodes came from the steamboat SABINO, and John Snyder, a shipwright from Westport, Massachusetts, joined us two days a week. In June, Tom Daniels, an IYRS intern, joined us for the summer. A volunteer team of mechanics led by Dick Wing tore down ROANN’s V 12 -71 Detroit Diesel and completed a major overhaul. At the same time, her long-term shipkeeper, volunteer Jim Collins, master mechanic Mike Franco, and systems man Craig Carter labored tirelessly on preserving mechanical and electrical systems in the engineroom. This task was complex beyond belief what with 12, 32, and 110 volts all powering equipment in a space smaller than most kitchens. The record for volunteer commuting distance went to our master metalsmith, Wayne Whalen, who drove up monthly from Cape May, New Jersey. Today, as I write this in the winter of 2007–08, after three years in the main shop, ROANN’s hull is completely rebuilt, caulked, and primed. The brand-new old-growth fir decking is painted on its underside and ready to be laid in the next few weeks. The bulwarks are almost planked, and the newly rebuilt Detroit, painted a fresh alpine green, sits in a spotless engineroom. Why has the restoration taken three years plus? Good work takes time. In addition to our jobs as shipwrights, we also worked as conservators, researchers, and docents. We never compromised any part of our rebuild in terms of materials or workmanship. From ordering and driving 6,000 custom-made 3⁄ 8" bronze lag plank fasteners, to cutting stanchion mortises in several-hundred-year-old cathedral pine covering boards, to watching in awe as Wayne Whalen built faceted, tapered cowl ventilators exactly like the originals, everyone did their best for ROANN. We want this vessel to go safely to sea and to endure as an exhibit vessel for years to come. And, by the way, we think you’ll like the sheer. Walt Ansel is lead shipwright on the ROANN project at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. He is also an instructor at WoodenBoat School and a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. See his article “The Bandsaw Beveler” on page 30. © MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN

alternate frames in the fish hold while searching for new 16', clear white oak 24 framing stock. Our Connecticut sources exhausted, we had to buy these pieces in Virginia and Maryland. Bending frames this size in place inside the boat was too daunting for a small crew, so we ended up making patterns and bending on an adjustable jig capable of preparing three doubled frame pairs at one setting. Bevels were planed on before the new frames were installed. While this worked perfectly well for her mid-body, the bow and stern frames had so much twist they had to be bent in the boat. Reframing took nine months (ironically, ROANN’s original construction time). To support ROANN and retain her shape as we removed more and more structure, we built eight external molds from Microlam house beams. These were stood on end and bolted with threaded rod through the hull. We installed cables and turnbuckles to prevent spreading. Faced with the extent of the hull’s problems, our potential despair was staved off by our retired steam engineer and shipwright, Barry Rhodes, who reminded us how one eats an elephant—one bite at a time. The three original stacked 9"  11' oak timbers that made up ROANN’s keel were sound. We had no clue, however, as to the condition of the 1" keelbolts that held the whole works together. So we hired a local pipe X-ray team to check them out. This proved visionary in more ways than one. These fellows brought their portable rig: a columnator, a black box that held a radioactive genie, and a portable darkroom. For some reason, they didn’t want anyone in the shop while they did their job. They produced clear, life-sized pictures of each keelbolt. Many were rusted down to 3 ⁄ 4" or more. We decided to rebolt and used hydraulic jacks and push plates to pull up the old bolts. New bronze bolts, 1 ⁄ 8" larger in diameter than the originals, were installed. By late summer, the ROANN project had built up a good head of steam and, over the next year, the Shipyard hired new hands and gained many volunteers. Of the new paid staff, two shipwrights, Chris Taylor and Hank Drude, came from the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS).

granddaughter Jennifer poured harbor water from Point Judith on ROANN’s bow. ROANN , the lady of the hour, was lowered gently into the Mystic River. The checks in the oak shaftlog that had worried us leaked only moderately, and the lead trim ballast brought her great, powerful bow down to reasonable trim until we could complete our work of fitting out interior, houses, deck gear, spars, and rigging; work that will consume about 3,000 more hours of our time, with a hoped- for completion this fall. Next summer we’d like to steam her to Maine for a reunion of Newbert and Wallace boats at Maine Maritime Museum at Bath. —WA September/October 2008

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BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

The Stewards of AIMÉE LÉONE How decades of good owners spelled survival for an elegant cutter by David D. Platt

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here is a theory that the boats are in charge, and that we who love them are really here to do their bidding. In the case of AIMÉE LÉONE, a handsome 37' British pilot cutter built in the 1930s and still going today, the idea makes good sense: this vessel, built by men who cared deeply enough about her to do their jobs really well, has endured thanks to the hard work and dedication of a series of owners who have sailed and cared for her over the decades. They each brought special skills, interests, and resources to bear, and each appreciated the

boat in his or her own way as long as they could, then passed her along to someone else. Launched at Dartmouth on England’s south coast in 1934, AIMÉE LÉONE sailed in the English Channel and along the English coast, into the Baltic and to other western European areas for nearly 40 years. She survived World War II and may have taken part in the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. She was Bermudan-rigged from the start, and her hull and decks were planked in teak. She was given a near-vertical stem profile, a bowsprit, a saucy

British-built cutter AIMÉE LÉONE, launched in 1934, has enjoyed a long line of careful, thoughtful owners—and a long life as a result.

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AIMÉE LÉONE’s warm and inviting interior. Although it’s been changed over the years, this space still evokes the

boat’s prewar period.

counter, comfortable (if narrow) accommodations, and a roomy cockpit: a well-put-together combination of workboat and yacht design suited to the surly conditions of her home waters. She has had at least 14 owners. She has crossed the Atlantic at least once, earned her keep at a sailing academy, spent time in Florida and the Caribbean, been rebuilt twice, and had several changes of engine, as well as new suits of sails and other replacements. The answer to the question, “Is she original?” would be complicated: In all likelihood the proportion of her that dates from her 1934 construction is at least as high as that of the USS CONSTITUTION, the venerable queen of the U.S. Navy that has undergone successive rebuildings since the War of 1812. But I doubt if originality has been the goal of AIMÉE LÉONE’s many owners. Like a well-loved house, she has been repaired, restored, modified, and for the most part improved on over the years; the yacht that exists today is the sum of 74 seasons’ worth of work to keep her afloat and seaworthy.

Sid Waterhouse, an American couple, in 1970. From the U.S. and British documentation records I have assembled a list of owners that I believe to be complete, but since AIMÉE LÉONE hasn’t always been documented, there could be gaps. The Waterhouses moved aboard and spent nine months preparing for their voyage across the Atlantic to Marion, Massachusetts, where Dick was to begin teaching at Tabor Academy in the fall. “It was a tidal lock marina,” Sid recalls of the yard in Dover, remembering a disagreeable living situation wedged between a pile of coal on one side and a pile of road sand on the other. When the wind blew, coal dust or grains of sand would settle on the boat. “It made it hard to paint,” she said. “So we let it [the teak trim] all go gray.” Sid, Dick, and Ian Murray, a friend they met at the Cinq-Ports Yacht Club in Dover, set sail in early spring for France, Spain, Portugal, Madeira, and across the Atlantic to Bermuda. The Atlantic crossing took “28 days, 191⁄ 2 hours,” she said with precision; longer than normal because their northof-the-trades course took them into the Sargasso Sea where they were becalmed for several days. In mid-ocean, they went swimming. The rest of the crossing to North America wouldn’t be as uneventful. Two days out of Bermuda on the way to Newport, Rhode Island, a three-day gale reduced them to bare poles and a trailing hawser to keep the boat headed downwind. A huge wave struck AIMÉE LÉONE and nearly capsized her. “We were right over on our beam ends,” Sid remembers. The boat flexed somehow and the hatch over

“When needs arise, a boat of this quality imposes its expectations on whoever happens to be in charge.”

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IMÉE LÉONE had at least four English owners.

Her first, Roger Chetwode (1906–1940), an officer with the British Army in India, kept her for only a year and was later killed at the start of World War II; her second, who owned her by 1946, made the first postwar cruise to the Baltic from England aboard her, when the place was still full of mines. She was sold twice more, the record indicates, before being bought by Dick and

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WILL WEST (THIS PAGE)

Will West, a shipwright, owned AIMÉE LÉONE from 1989 to 2000. He conducted a thorough refurbishing, including replacement of the iron floors with new ones of oak, and a new laid deck.

I the main cabin popped out, leaving cabin and crew exposed to the elements. Dick nailed canvas over the opening; Ian took the helm; and Sid, sitting on the cabin sole, began bailing out the green water (because the pump had jammed, she was obliged to use a bucket). She then provided everyone with whatever hot meals she could manage. “We didn’t have time to be afraid,” she said when I asked her about the experience 37 years later, adding that she never lost confidence in the boat, which eventually weathered the storm without additional damage. “The boat was fantastic,” Sid said. “She steered really well, was really well balanced.” One morning on the transatlantic trip, Dick discovered that a rope on the selfsteering rig had broken during the night. AIMÉE LÉONE had held her course anyway. At Tabor Academy they moved ashore to an apartment on campus with a view of the harbor, where they moored the boat. Teaching duties kept Dick away from the boat more than he liked, and so he proposed that cruising under sail become a “sport” at the school; his idea was accepted and several students became regulars, readying AIMÉE LÉONE for spring launching and then sailing aboard her on weekends. They kept the boat for three years, selling her only after the old Lister engine quit somewhere in the vicinity of Camden, Maine, on their way to Lubec where Dick planned to enhance his woodworking skills at The Boat School. 60

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first became acquainted with AIMÉE LÉONE in 1973 when a Colorado friend of mine, Bill Caile, bought her in Camden from the Waterhouses. He still remembers how he found her: “I stopped in about every harbor and/or boat basin on the way to Camden looking for the ‘ideal’ old wooden boat. I didn’t find anything even close to my budget. Finally, after over a week on the road, I arrived in Camden. I was wandering around the side streets looking for Page Marine Services [precursor to the brokerage firm of Cannell, Payne & Page] when I stopped and asked a fellow walking along the road if he knew where I could find it. Turns out he, too, was looking for Page Marine Services, and while we found our way I learned that he had ghosted into Camden Harbor the evening before on AIMÉE LÉONE after the Lister single-cylinder diesel had seized. He was looking for PMS to sell AIMÉE. Of course, he was Dick Waterhouse!” After sailing AIMÉE LÉONE south to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, Caile scratched his sailing plans, sold the boat, delivered her to the new owner in Rye, New York, and returned to Colorado, where he went into the construction business. The decades passed. Six more owners came and went. I lost track of the little cutter, which spent more time in Florida, the Caribbean, and New England. During the summer of 2006 at Billings Diesel and Marine in Stonington, Maine, I spotted an interesting-looking set of spars and went over for a look. A long bowsprit, a tasteful paint job, and ample varnish drew me closer; noticing her name I began to realize I was in the presence of a very old friend. She didn’t look all that old, in fact. Clearly, she had undergone a very skillful facelift. The boat I remembered from the 1970s had been weathered from stem to stern; her only varnish in those days had been on her spars and a small amount of trim. She had been as gray, in fact, as the skies over the English Channel, looking very much like the working pilot boats that had inspired her design.

WILL WEST (THIS PAGE)

The tearout phase of Will West’s rebuilding of AIMÉE LÉONE revealed the boat’s massive and high-quality construction— including the wooden rudderstock, which has since been replaced with one of bronze. After six years of surgery, West sailed the boat for a few years before passing her along to Terry Rhoads, her current owner.

But in 2006 she had a coat of varnish over well-sanded cabin trunk, coamings, caprails, hatches, and boom gallows; her teak decks gleamed, and lots of other parts I couldn’t see had been replaced. It took me a while to feel certain that I was looking at the same boat. I told Bill Caile in an excited e-mail (with photos) a few days later that she looked “like a million bucks.” And he, responding from Colorado after looking at my photos, assured me it was indeed the same boat he’d owned all those years ago, and that he was thrilled to know that AIMÉE LÉONE was still afloat and looking so youthful. She has kept her old name. AIMÉE LÉONE, Bill told me, meant something like “friendly lion” in French, and no one has seen fit to change it. Very few boats of my acquaintance can claim that distinction, and in this case the name goes right back to the beginning at the Phillip & Son yard in Devon, where she and a sistership, MERLIN, were both launched in 1934 and registered in Dartmouth. The translation can vary a bit: Terry Rhoads, her current owner, prefers “beloved lioness,” which may be a reference to her first owner’s mother. Or it may be a feminized version of a name referring to the original owner’s father, an “old lion” British general during World War I. Whatever the origin or the meaning, the name has remained the same for seven decades.

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he number of owners isn’t as interesting to me as the evidence that none of them seriously neglected or mistreated AIMÉE LÉONE over the years. The boat I first encountered in 1970 was still strong and seaworthy—old-fashioned and weathered, perhaps, but not hogged or leaky or showing signs of neglect. Successive surveyors have given her good marks; insurance companies have underwritten policies when asked; when it was time to make repairs, successive people had stepped up and made sure the work was done. When needs arise, a boat of this quality, with luck, imposes its expectations on whoever happens to be in charge.

Even good maintenance can’t stop time, and by 1990, age had taken its toll. Fortunately AIMÉE LÉONE had fallen into the hands of a skilled boatbuilder, Will West, who would spend six years rebuilding her interior, replacing most of her iron floors with oak, replanking her decks, and installing another in the series of engines that have provided auxiliary power since 1934. Pictures taken during West’s rebuild show a boat stripped down to her frames, undergoing a restoration that many would have abandoned long before it was complete. West first encountered AIMÉE LÉONE in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where a previous owner was living aboard. The boat was in the water, mast out, under a cover. She didn’t look particularly good, West recalls, but eventually, after someone had sailed her north to Essex, Connecticut, West mortgaged his house and took the plunge. He had her trucked to Freeport, Maine, where he had a boatyard at the time, and began his rebuilding project. “I love old English cutters,” West told me recently, sharing an album of photos taken during his rebuild. In this boat’s case, it seems, he wonders if his love clouded his judgment: “I was a certified marine surveyor and I went out and bought a rotten old boat,” he recalls. “The decks were leaking…I took her apart, and she kept coming apart. The iron floors kept eating at her sawn oak frames. Iron drifts had made every joint rotten. I reframed the boat from the inside; took out the iron floors, replaced them with wood. Replaced the bilge clamp, sheer clamp, September/October 2008

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Under Terry Rhoads’s ownership, AIMÉE LÉONE has undergone a multi-season renovation that stiffened the structure, renewed her finish, and added ballast to compensate for changes in the boat’s trim over the years.

all deck framing, garboards and first strakes, some of the deadwood. New decks. After I bought her I decided I’d made a $20,000 mistake.” But as a professional boatbuilder West also knew he owned a craft of unusual pedigree, built of materials that would be hard to assemble today. “She was built at a time when England still controlled the teak forests of the world,” he said. So he kept going, and by 1986, except for the deadwood, much of her planking, her spars, and what he had saved and reinstalled of the interior, the boat was largely new. He cruised Downeast, coming to appreciate her balanced sailing qualities, then kept her in Freeport, Maine, for a few summers before deciding to part with her. West listed her for sale in 2000 with Cannell, Payne & Page, the Camden brokers who had handled most changes of ownership since Bill Caile’s and Dick Waterhouse’s day. Like so many occasions when distinguished boats go in search of new owners, the 2000 transaction generated at least one anecdote. Terry Rhoads, who lives in Denmark, Maine, and summers on Vinalhaven, had been looking for a boat, and while visiting friends in Boothbay Harbor he spotted what he thought he wanted in the distance. “Six months later Cannell, Payne & Page sent me a listing,” he recalls. “It was the same boat.” He bought her subject to a survey, which was carried out in a January blizzard at Robinhood Marine in Georgetown, Maine. The boat had been leaking, and the survey revealed that more work needed to be done. Over the next two years Terry Rhoads, who planned to keep the boat at Vinalhaven, considered various boatyards before choosing nearby Billings Diesel and Marine, in Stonington, for the rest of the rebuild. The head of Billings’s carpentry shop, Jim Foley, has wide experience with restorations. With Rhoads he mapped out a multi-season project that would eventually result in more new floors (some of them bronze), a stiffened maststep, a new keel, a new rudder, and 3,500 lbs of additional outside ballast. “We solved the leak problem,” Foley told me in 2007. “She was sailed pretty hard last year, and she’s been right tight.” The additional ballast was necessary, Foley said, because AIMÉE was floating too high: changes in engines, the interior, tanks, or other things had apparently resulted in a lighter boat that needed additional ballast. (A fact about her past Foley hadn’t known about: at one point AIMÉE LÉONE’s bilges were filled with lead pigs added by Sid 62

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and Dick Waterhouse in the 1970s. The lead was cast from discarded type from the Amsterdam [New York] Recorder, the newspaper owned by Sid’s family.) The new ballast was added outside, after the repairs to the deadwood and keel were completed. “We cast it flat,” Foley said. “Then we sprang it to the rocker we needed, and fastened that on with long bronze lag bolts up into the deadwood. We had the boat hanging in the air from 4-by-4 timbers, on six upright posts…you could walk right underneath it.” Billings also replaced the steering gear. The tiller-steered wooden rudderstock, dating from 1934, had been compromised over the years by various configurations of engine and propeller shaft. Foley replaced the timber with a new 4" bronze one, descending from the deck to the bottom through a new, heavy fiberglass tube. He also built a new oak rudder. “It works extremely well,” Foley said. All of this work had required the removal of AIMÉE LÉONE’s interior, for at least the second time. Outside experts endorsed the results. “With the work that was done in the ’90s and this recent work,” declared Capt. Paul Haley of G.W. Full & Associates, “the vessel is basically a new vessel.”

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arly September 2007. At the invitation of Terry and Carol Rhoads I ferry across Penobscot Bay from Rockland to Vinalhaven, where they meet me in their powerboat for a quick run to Widow Island, where AIMÉE LÉONE now spends summers on a mooring or at the Rhoads family’s float. We have time for a short sail, a necessary ingredient for this story. At the float we climb aboard. Admiring Will West’s fine teak decks, the boat’s roomy cockpit, fine lines, and fresh varnish, I lay hands on her long tiller for my first time at the helm of this remarkable boat. The cutter’s bowsprit is brand new, Terry tells me; the old one was damaged as AIMÉE LÉONE sat on a mooring at Billings and has just been replaced. In a light wind we motor away from the float. Carol seats herself on the afterdeck; Terry hoists mainsail and jib; we kill the engine and fall off on a starboard tack. I remark on the stiff rudder, which Terry reminds me is new and somewhat larger than the one it replaced. It stays where you put it; in this wind at least, there’s no hint of weather or lee helm. Sid Waterhouse’s story of the boat keeping her course with a broken self-steering rope in heavy seas comes to mind. Stiff steering or not, AIMÉE LÉONE moves forward at four or five knots with promise of greater speed and responsiveness in more wind. She has a very long keel, after all, and she tracks very straight. After half an hour we go about and head home. Mission accomplished; the boat’s abilities demonstrated at least in part; the Rhoads family’s care and concern for AIMÉE LÉONE very much in evidence.

BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

AIMÉE LÉONE near Stonington, Maine, June 2008.

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life well lived is a series of stories; a boat well appreciated seems to trail good stories in her wake. As she survives, ages, and grows more distinctive among all the other boats out there, AIMÉE LÉONE seems to attract owners who are more and more interested in her history and the stories that accompany it. Dick Waterhouse speaks of the man who sailed her into the Baltic after World War II and avoided the mines; Bill Caile remembers his encounter with Dick on a Camden sidewalk; Will West shakes his head over his personal plunge into her restoration; Terry Rhoads speaks of his serendipitous sighting of her on a mooring, six months before learning she would be his. Sid smiles at her memories (including the storm at sea) and suggests it’s time to get everyone together to share them. And so, year in and year out, these owners have told AIMÉE LÉONE’s stories, done her bidding. Miraculously, the seemingly magic chain has never been broken, and now she will sail on into the future, better than new, collecting more stories as she does. One story about AIMÉE LÉONE has moved me ever since I first heard it 30 years ago. “She was at Dunkirk,” someone told me, referring to the heroic rescue of British troops who had been backed to the French beaches by the Nazis in 1940. A fleet of small vessels—fishing boats, ferries, pilot boats, yachts—put out from places like Portsmouth and Dover and the Isle of Wight, heading in a desperate race for France, in hopes they could save the British Expeditionary Force from annihilation.

It’s a powerful story of heroism, and it has followed

AIMÉE LÉONE through the years. But I’ve never been able

to verify it: The person who told me can’t recall where he heard it; the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (www.adls.org.uk) doesn’t include AIMÉE LÉONE in its detailed list of participating vessels. Still, it’s very possible she was there; a thousand others like her sailed across, some manned by fathers and sons, putting vessels and lives at great risk. The rescue was successful, a testament to the spirit that saw beleaguered Britain through World War II. In my mind I can see AIMÉE LÉONE at that terrible place, her tall mast swaying, her bowsprit bobbing as she stands offshore, waiting her turn to take desperate men aboard and transport them home. It’s a great story about a good boat. If it isn’t true, it should be.

“…the vessel that exists today is the sum of 74 seasons’ worth of work to keep her afloat and seaworthy.”

BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

David D. Platt is editor of The Working Waterfront, the monthly newspaper published by the Island Institute of Rockland, Maine.

Terry and Carol Rhoads, AIMÉE LÉONE’s current owners, upon the boat’s commissioning early last summer. September/October 2008

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The Paper Jet 14

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here are people in this world who see sailing as an athletic endeavor. With specialized boats, they wrestle speed out of whatever wind is granted them— real speed won by taking every ounce out of a hull and adding every square inch to the sail plan. Changes in wind pressure have to be anticipated instead of reacted to; crews are tethered to masts with wires, so a good wipeout can launch them right into the mainsail with considerable force. For these folks, blood on the deck is not considered a badge of honor. It’s just expected. On a slow and easy day, these so-called “skiffs” sail at 10 knots. On a fast and hairy day, with good enough crew, they hit the upper teens or low twenties. It’s not possible to achieve those speeds without commitment. There’s some ego and quite a lot of pride tied up in taming such a boat—or getting beaten up very badly trying.

by Dan Segal

Photographs by Billy Black

There is, however, a moment when everything is just right—when the boat is flat and in the groove…when every ounce of concentration is focused on the water, the wind, your own body, the very delicate balance of it all. The tiller extension feels like a feather barely pinched between your thumb and forefinger, the mainsheet becomes a source of connection to the wind itself. Every tiny increase in pressure isn’t more struggle, but instead results in more speed. The water is there only to push the hull higher and faster. At that moment you are not simply harnessing huge amounts of power. You become attuned—at one —with the physical universe. You can bend it to your will, and it seems not just obliging but eager, helpful. The boat is the tool that puts you together with that special place. More sail can carve out more wind. Less

Above—Dudley Dix designed the Paper Jet 14 as a training boat for those aspiring to high-performance skiffs. Three separate rigs allow sailors to step up from a relatively docile single sail to the high-performance rig seen here—all with the same hull.

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Bruised bodies (and egos) are par for the course in skiff sailing. Recovery is quick with the Paper Jet 14, with righting lines secured to the hull's wings. Author Dan Segal is at the helm.

hull weight puts you in closer touch with the elements, and allows faster acceleration. The better the sailor, the more often she or he can get there. The intensity of the experience is proportional to the dedication of the individual, sail area to displacement ratio, hull shape, and how much you weigh compared to how much the hull weighs. There is risk in such sailing, and it is worth it. Then you realize that you’re too low to make the next mark. You head up and it all becomes a thrash again. But that moment was so special, so filled with wonder,

that you want it back. And anything that deepens it is worth doing. More sail, less weight. There’s a reason people build boats that are no longer class legal. If this sounds like addiction, then you understand. These boats are not easy to sail. There are trainer boats—mostly older one-design classes. Those used at the local club don’t get kids (or adults) up to speed very fast. The more modern ones are more difficult to sail—like the single-trapeze trainer called the 29er. It’s a 14 1 ⁄ 2 - footer with wings built into its hull and an asymmetrical ’chute.

At the time of this article's publication, there were two Paper Jet 14s in existence (twelve others are currently under construction.) Author Segal met designer Dix for a demonstration sail at Newport, Rhode island, just days before the WoodenBoat Show at Mystic, Connecticut. The pair continued to sail at Mystic, where most of the photographs in this article were taken. No doubt there'll be a growing fleet of these boats by the time of next year's show.

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This mini version of the 49er (the Olympic-class skiff) is aimed at kids who want to learn how to sail skiff-style boats, and it’s increasingly popular; in fact, it’s under consideration as the women’s Olympic-class skiff. In some conditions, however, it’s even harder to sail than its bigger sibling, rather than easier. There almost needs to be a trainer to learn how to sail the trainer. Enter, the Paper Jet 14.

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he Paper Jet 14 (PJ) is a skiff-style trainer with a progression of three rigs, using the same spars, for the same hull. Start with the main by itself, unstayed with simple sail controls (think Laser). Progress to main and jib with upper and lower shrouds and a two-person crew (think Windmill). Substitute a longer top section on the mast, expand the sail plan with a large, fully battened main, an asymmetrical spinnaker on a retractable bowsprit, and hang a trapeze to hold it up (think 29er). Add to all of that the fact that the boat is designed to be quickly home built of 4mm plywood either from a kit or from plans, and is relatively inexpensive. There is little compromise, by the way, in the materials or the fact that it can be home built. Let’s do some comparisons: A Laser is 13' 1" long, carries 76 sq ft of sail on an unstayed two-piece mast, and weighs 130 lbs. The PJ is 13' 5" long; the smallest rig carries 77 sq ft of sail on an unstayed two-piece mast, and weighs about 100 lbs. The PJ is about a foot wider, but that’s all in the wings; it adds up to more power. A Windmill, albeit 2' longer than and almost double the weight of the Paper Jet, carries 119 sq ft of sail in main and jib. The smaller sloop rig of the PJ carries 109 sq ft of sail. The Windmill uses a lot of flare in its hull, rather than wings, for hiking power, but it’s still narrower on deck by about 7". Fully rigged, the PJ is lighter, and in some ways a more powerful boat than a 29er (though it’s less single-minded). Both boats have fixed wings that are built into their hulls. The 29er has an overall beam of 5' 10" on deck and a length of 14' 7". The Paper Jet is 5' 4" beam on 13' 5" length. The 29er carries 134 sq ft on the wind and 161 sq ft off the wind; the Paper Jet carries 146 sq ft upwind, and 210 sq ft off the wind. The Paper Jet’s hull is significantly narrower at the waterline with significant flare in her topsides. Her sheet-plywood hull weighs about half that of a 29er. The Paper Jet, properly handled, is one very fast boat. From simple numbers, it seems even more serious than the current crop of fast sailers. Yes, there was blood on my deck when I sailed the PJ. But in fact, the PJ 14 is new, so we don’t really know yet what kinds of speeds it’s capable of. Mostly it’s been sailed by its designer, Dudley Dix. Dix is a fine sailor (see sidebar), but he isn’t, shall we say, exactly in the demographic for the design. And the big rig is not quite perfect yet, and has been in the boat only a month or so as I write this. Nonetheless, Dix claims that he has had reaches in the mid-teens or a little above, and I believe him. With time and some rig tuning, it’ll be much faster. Dix has been working with sailmaker David Baxter out of Norfolk, Virginia, to get the rig just right. They’ve got the smaller rigs about perfect; the biggest rig is getting close. We had the chance to sail the Paper Jet in a variety of 66

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Dan Segal sails the Paper Jet’s cat—or “Una”—rig. He likens the boat’s performance under this single sail to that of a Laser.

conditions, though none strong. In winds of 10–12 miles per hour, Dix loafed along at 9–10 knots with the big main and the ’chute. He is fairly new to skiff sailing, which is the point. I was sailing a second PJ 14 that had just been built by Larry Foster at Howdy Bailey’s yard, also in Norfolk. My first time out in the boat, I was being a weenie and chose the rig with the smaller main and no ’chute. The boat requires a very light, though precise touch. The foils are large and thin; once the boat is moving, steering is very positive, and once the boat is moving fast, the rudder feels very large. Steer small. The rig is fairly simple. The halyard uses a masthead lock and drops outside the mast to a mast-mounted cam cleat. The mainsheet uses a rope traveler and comes to hand from the floorboards. The jib furling line dead-ends on the mast support. The cunningham and clew outhaul both come aft to hand on both sides. The jibsheets are crossed to cam cleats on the wings. All spinnaker gear is led aft, of course. The hull is very sensitive to crew weight, both fore and aft, as well as athwartships. Sit a little forward and let the Paper Jet lean on its leeward wing, let the sheets fly, and it sits docile, if not quiet while you get acquainted or get ready for the next move. When sheeting her in the same 10–12 knots of breeze under this medium rig, the transition to plane was instantaneous and the demand for hiking immediate. The acceleration was a gas.

Paper Jet 14 Particulars LOA 13' 5" Beam 5' 4" Draft Board up 5" Board down 2' 8" Weight Hull only 100 lbs Rigged 150 lbs Sail area Lite rig 77 sq ft Standard rig 109 sq ft Turbo rig 146 sq ft Turbo downwind rig 210 sq ft

Stepping up to speed— The Paper Jet's three sail plans, with the Una rig (77 sq ft) at top right, the Intermediate rig (109 sq ft) in the middle, and the Turbo rig (146 sq ft upwind; 210 sq ft off the wind) at left.

The Paper Jet 14 was developed for amateur construction, and kits are available; Dix has agreements with computerized milling shops in nine different countries.

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On another occasion, with the smallest rig consisting of just the smaller main, unstayed, in the forward maststep, in very smooth water and not much over 5- or 6-mph breezes, the PJ 14 easily transitioned to plane without hump, pumping the main, or really even paying attention: the stern wave just suddenly went silent as it separated from the transom and a shallow, hull-shaped groove lengthened in the water. Very nice. And that was hard on the wind.

too good a job of it. Still, it never felt out of control. I might have had an easier time if I’d pulled the daggerboard up an inch or two, International 14–style. A little more wind would have been fun rather than a handful. Dix says the boat is designed for a pair of young teenagers and an optimum crew weight of about 200 lbs. Add the big rig, and things get more interesting. Dix, at 165 lbs, singlehands the PJ this way, but finds her something of a handful in winds over 15 mph or so. With the two of us on board in 8–10-mph winds, aper Jet’s hull is very clean and we never got on the trapeze. We were over looks businesslike, though it’s softthe optimum weight by 50–60 lbs, but it ened by the use of bright-finished makes the boat quite docile—though still wood at the maststep and rails. There is fun. There’s plenty of space for two, but virtually no sheer, though the gunwale The Paper Jet's spars are there’s a difference in aesthetics: When the line is canted a bit so that the bow is built of wood, and are hollow. boat is sailed light, the stern wave goes slightly higher than the stern. The out- The wider, darker staves are almost flat once it separates from the tranboard edges of the wings are virtually of cedar, the narrower lighter som. With the two of us on board, we left a parallel. The hull is very fine and deeply ones are poplar. The buoyancy small roostertail. Not as pretty. veed forward, quickly transitioning to a of the spars makes it difficult— The wings add deck space and make it wide, flat planing surface; it’s obvious if not impossible—to turn the easier to transition to various hiking modes. that this boat is designed to plane on boat turtle. Although in many skiffs the crew has to be only the last few feet of hull when at full very careful to keep wings out of the water speed. The transom is low and vertical, lest they trip the boat over them (or, more and the deck just high enough above the waterline to dis- exciting at speed, cartwheel!), in the PJ 14 the fixed wings charge water coming aboard. There are no gewgaws— actually seem to add leeward buoyancy—even some stanothing there that doesn’t have to be there. The only bility. The wings warn of approaching capsize, and they structure outside the enclosed hull space is the elegantly slow it down and help prevent it. It’s pleasant to stand on arched support for the mast, and it has plenty of room a wing sailing in a light breeze; easy to look around and underneath for the spinnaker retrieval bag and the stretch your legs. retracted bowsprit. To people who like speed, this is a It is critical to keep the Paper Jet as flat as possible. most beautiful boat: light, clean, simple, room to move Heeling tends to drop the fine bow into the water rather around, nothing that’ll hurt much to fall on. It has the than keep it up and just kissing the surface. Heel further, evil look of the best of this breed. The name of the boat and the leeward wing goes in; the boat can plane on the comes from its simplicity: Without the mast-support arch, wing’s bottom surface in some conditions, but if a wing Dix thought the hull looked like a folded paper airplane. goes into the water, it slows the boat considerably. While And yet, this is a different take on the skiff concept. this doesn’t threaten to trip or cartwheel the PJ as it does There’s more to it; this skiff has options. Speed is always other skiffs, if the wing is immersed deep enough, it will one of them. But to learn a light, fast skiff’s ways, it can lift the rudder out of the water. be throttled back. First learn the ways of a very light hull. Like other fast sailboats, PJ needs to bear off in a strong Then build up to the speed. The Paper Jet has a forgiv- puff. Then the boat just takes off and flies, the hydraulics ing side. It’s more approachable, less high-tech, prettier under her wide stern add to her stability, flatten her than its cousins. There are a variety of places to sit, even out—making her go faster—and control is maintained recline, if sailing in lighter breezes. It can be sailed com- with a wonderful rush to go along with it. Try to feather fortably. These things are up in a puff, as you might relative, of course. Very in a slower, heavier boat, light boats move a lot. and the Paper Jet heels furPaper Jet reacts very quickly ther rather than less, the to small changes in wind wings go in, sharp bow goes pressure. Don’t plan on setdown, bites in, and over you tling down for a long stay. go. The wings make that capOptimum crew weight size happen slowly, and goes up with each rig, there’s no fun in it. of course. At 145 lbs, in 12–14-mph winds, I was working reasonably hard Despite its seeming complexity, to keep the boat flat with the Paper Jet 14 goes together the standard main and quickly from readily available jib, though from the look material—as a quick inspection of the photos I wasn’t doing of the rudder reveals.

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Dudley Dix

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udley Dix has had hundreds of boats built in 74 countries. A graduate of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology, he’s a native of South Africa now living in Virginia. He’s known in the Antipodes as a schoonerman and, indeed, many of his better-known designs have a traditional look and feel—with more modern underbodies. His Shearwater 45, a fin-keeled, clipper-bowed schooner or cutter, won Traditional Voyager and Boat of the Year awards at the 2001 Annapolis Boat show. That said, he has designed multihulls, dinghies, ferries, sculling boats, and production fiberglass cruiser/racers. A large number of his designs have been for professional shops around the world and in virtually all materials. But most of the boats he designed and built for himself were of moderate or light displacement, and virtually all of them were plywood. One of these, a modern, moderatedisplacement multi-chined cruiser, won a Cruising World design competition in 1979. In 1995, Dix designed and built a 38' plywood boat to race the Cape Town to Rio Race. It displaces only 8,816 lbs, of which 4,408 lbs are ballast. It was 17th to finish, beaten by one multihull, a 44' catamaran, and it outpaced a Swan 61, a BOC Open 50, and all the Farr 40s. The boat has crossed the Atlantic three times, twice in adverse conditions. Although intended for amateur builders, it’s impossible to tell that these radius-chined (see WB No. 154) boats are built of sheet plywood. They look identical to cold-molded or fiberglass hulls. Dix is an iconoclast. He pays little attention to the work of other designers (though he credits Phil Bolger as a major inspiration). He prefers to explore concepts that are off the beaten track, such as the fast-building and

Once the boat is dumped, the sealed, hollow mast keeps it from turtling. The lee wing floats her very high, and righting the boat is made easier with righting lines under the wings. It comes up easily. I dumped twice the first time out. I was able to stay dry on the first one; the lee wing kept her high and buoyant, and I just climbed over onto the daggerboard as she went. On the second, I hadn’t gotten my foot under the hiking straps in time, and slid right down the deck and off the boat. It was embarrassing, but I’m sure it won’t be the last time it happens.

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aper Jet is built almost entirely of 4mm plywood with the exception of gunwales and spars. A ladder backbone is set up, then bulkheads and transoms. Stringers are set in for deck support. The interior of the hull and the underside of the deck are sealed with epoxy, the deck is installed, and the exterior is sealed. The solid wood can come from the local hardware store, as do the stainless shackles, saddles, and fastenings. There’s an option in the plans for sail track to be made from plastic pipe. The standing rigging is lashed to the hull rather than attached with chainplates, which is easier on the hull and the rig. Thumb cleats replace block hangers on the spars. And the crosshead tiller extension is made from light and flexible plastic pipe and bamboo garden stakes:

Dudley Dix, seen here sailing the first Paper Jet 14, cemented his reputation as a designer of fast, light ocean racers. His radius-chined construction (see WB No. 154) employs sheet plywood but resembles molded, round-bilged construction in its finished appearance; it's quite approachable by amateurs.

fast-sailing round-hulled plywood boats mentioned above. His designs are extensively and carefully detailed. To take the Paper Jet as an example, even the details of the modified bird’s-mouth joints in the spars are specified. Typically, the buoyancy of the spars has been calculated to keep a capsized boat on its side indefinitely for easy self-rescue. And, Dix points out, they are lightweight though resilient enough to be free-standing; the artist in him notes how attractive the “contrasting colors of poplar and cedar” are. Dix lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife and daughter. –DS easier to fit between thumb and forefinger. Dudley Dix figures speed doesn’t have to be expensive. He spent about $2,750 on materials and gear through the smaller sloop rig on the first Paper Jet, including $995 for a precut six-sheet CNC kit from Third Coast Composites in Texas. (Kits are available for the other pieces as well.) The bigger rig brought that up to about $4,000. Dix wrote a detailed 50-page building manual with about 200 photos. It took Larry Foster, a professional builder at Howdy Bailey’s yard, about 311 hours to put the hull together. Spars, finish, and rigging add another 80 hours. I’ll be watching the impact this boat has on the highperformance sailing scene. It’s simple, relatively easy to sail, very good looking, inexpensive. Oh, and fast. Want to get a little blood on a new boat? Dan Segal, a former managing editor for Small Boat Journal and for The Yacht magazine, is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. He used to sail International Canoes, one of the crazy boats mentioned above. For more information on the Paper Jet 14, and to learn how you can build your own, contact Dudley Dix at 1340–1272 N. Great Neck Rd. #343, Virginia Beach, VA 23454–2230; 757–962–9273, fax 757–965–3573; www.dixdesign.com. September/October 2008

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Taking Care of VETERAN Under Nick Fahey, a classic Puget Sound by Tom Jackson purse seiner lives on Photographs by Neil Rabinowitz

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ot so many years ago, an annual spring migration would begin in southern Puget Sound towns like Gig Harbor, Washington. There would be a flurry of outfitting and net-loading along the piers lining the waterfront. There might be a blessing of the fleet, and soon the purse seiners, a great many of them wooden-hulled boats that had made this migration for decades, would begin filing out the narrow harbor entrance one by one, heading north. Soon, they would reassemble in and around the San Juan Islands, rafting five or six deep at the commercial boat docks at such ports as Friday Harbor and Anacortes, ready for the

salmon season. Almost everyone who ever saw the boats admired them, and those who didn’t, simply didn’t know what they were looking at. The long, lean products of the Skansie Ship Building Company in Gig Harbor were among the most admired, not just by fishermen but by anyone who had an eye for a boat. The yard built 96 purse seiners between 1912 and 1949. GENIUS, AVALON, FRISCO, SHENANDOAH, ST. FRANCIS, VETERAN—these and many more were like reliable old friends. Workboats must be made to pay, and with the long, slow decline of the salmon fisheries, they’re not paying

For more than 80 years, VETERAN has pursued salmon throughout the waters of Puget Sound, and particularly the area around the San Juan Islands.

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well these days. Some have gone to the bottom. Some have been broken up. Fishermen often shake their heads slowly when asked about the condition of an old favorite. In Gig Harbor, the modest old Skansie family house in the center of town, a brick home with a blue-painted net shed just behind, is now part of a public park and a potential museum—but the dolphins just offshore that held the much-photographed AVALON and GENIUS for so many years are vacant. The handwriting’s on the wall: this fleet’s day is done. It’s unusual, therefore, that a longtime fisherman would go to great lengths to keep up an old purse seiner. It’s even more unusual that one would show up at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in September, ordinarily considered the height of the fishing season. In 2007, that boat was VETERAN, a 1926 seiner built by the Skansie yard. Purse seiners launch a powerful skiff off the afterdeck to drag a net in a large circle around a school of fish. Floats keep the top line at the surface, and the net is drawn together into the shape of a large bag by a “purse line” at the bottom. The net is then hauled, bringing the fish alongside close enough to be brailed into the hold. Sixty-five feet overall, with an extreme beam of 16', and Left—Nick Fahey has been a commercial fisherman most of his life. When VETERAN came up for sale, he bought her primarily because she was a boat he had long admired. Below—Fahey still uses VETERAN for salmon fishing, but dwindling runs have severely limited—and often eliminated— fishing time.

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Purse seining is a two-boat operation: a powerful skiff, launched off the stern, tows the net away from the boat to encircle a school of salmon. Originally hauled by hand, seine nets on VETERAN now come aboard by a large power block. The expansive aft deck—today surrounded by aluminum bulwarks instead of the original wood— leaves ample room for handling the seine net.

drawing 7', VETERAN was remarkable not only for being an active workboat in a fleet of pleasure craft at the Port Townsend festival but also for her condition, fresh from a round of work at Steelhead Marine in Port Townsend. Her owner is Nick Fahey, a lifetime fisherman from Cypress Island with an eye for a boat and a fisherman’s straight-ahead ways. In March 2008, I visited Fahey aboard VETERAN at Anacortes, Washington. • Did you grow up in this area? I was born in Seattle, but we always had this property on Cypress Island, and so that was kind of the focus of our family. It was an old homestead on 100 acres on a nice point on the west side. That property has kind of been the focal point of my life, since I was a little kid. I have a small sawmill set up over there that I’ve been operating for the last 30 years, and just barely taking any timber out of it, selling it locally. I would work that sawmill in the winter, and fished one kind of salmon fishery or another in Alaska and here, in the summers. • Is that what you’ve been doing most of your life? That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 30-some years. I just turned 65. I did farm in Eastern Washington for about eight years. I’m not sure how that all happened. Then one day I was plowing, and seagulls [which come over the mountains sometimes during storms] were following the plow. I didn’t think about it at first, but they just looked good to me, and finally I thought, you know, it’s pretty neat over here, but there’s no salt water, and I like the seagulls. So, we packed up, sold the farm. But that was my main career, salmon fishing. People forget how important salmon fishing was in these islands. I mean, this town was alive, the whole waterfront was alive, boats coming and going, or else everybody was gone fishing somewhere. A lot of guys made their living—and made a good living—just in Puget Sound. That’s what, you know, ruined me, as a little kid. I was on a couple of tenders as a little tiny kid, and just thought there couldn’t be anything better than that in life, probably. You’d see them fishing, and hauling fish aboard, and guys yelling, it just looked like the way to go, and I guess that’s where I went. • Are you still actively fishing this boat? I still fish this boat occasionally, but actually the fishery 72

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is pretty much gone. Puget Sound at one time was probably the biggest salmon-producing area in the world, if you included all of Puget Sound and everything that went out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was tremendous. You know, there are so many inlets and rivers, plus the Fraser River and the British Columbia fish that come down through the islands. So it’s kind of over. • So, why are you doing this, with this boat? I can’t help it. I don’t know, I just...I like the boat. I have some other income, so I can afford to have it not make money. I guess some guys fix up old cars, and airplanes, and stuff. So, I’m just lucky I guess, to be able to do what I want. I still go down, especially when the boat is anchored up at the place there, I still go down to the beach and just look at the boat and just kind of admire the lines, and just the way it looks sitting there.

The catch is brought alongside in a bight of the net, from which the fish are brailed to the fish hold. A broad ring, clearly visible here, holds the brailing net open. This set was a demonstration—no salmon were injured in the making of these photographs.

• How did you come to own her? I was fishing in Bristol Bay, and got out of there, and was kind of burned out on fishing. And then old Francis Barcott died. [He had a heart attack and died on deck.] I’d always admired this boat. He bought the boat from Whitney Cannery. They had had it for, I’m guessing, 10 years. But before that, the Skansie family not only built this boat but owned it for two generations of Skansies. The boat was built for Peter Skansie, and I don’t know how long he fished it, but then his son Vincent fished it, I believe up into the ’70s. And since they owned the shipyard, I think they put some better wood or something in this boat, because it just held up better. All the old fishermen usually say, well, oh yeah, the VETERAN, that was always a special boat. It had nice wood trim. Some of them were built pretty rudimentary, those purse seiners, and pretty bare-bones. But this one was kind of, I don’t want to say a Cadillac of boats, but more care had gone into it. And since the Skansie family had it for so long, and it was in Gig Harbor, I think it just had good care. That extensive work I did last year—new frames, new covering boards, new guards, new sheer plank—you know there’s always the fear that when you open up an old boat, that there may be nothing to attach the new wood to. The bent oak frames, 2"  3", were okay, but a lot of them had split because rust from the fastenings had expanded. So while the covering boards were off we drove new frames, we put like 44 new frames in. But amazingly, almost everywhere the wood was still hard and bright. You know, 82 years—that’s a long time for wood.

• She was built in 1926, right? It does seem that boats of this particular period have something unique about their ways. How would you describe it? One of the things I’ve thought of is that they didn’t have big, powerful engines in those days. They started with gas engines, maybe 40 hp, maybe 60, they could just barely beat the current when it was running hard. So they had to make a boat that would go through the water nice. It has to have a bow that can take some weather, and be able to pack some fish, but not be too power-scowed like. I think these boats are pleasing because they are graceful. The lines are almost canoe-like. When you see this boat out of the water, these lines are just so fair, you can just see the water flowing easily by. Also, these boats were built low to the water because they [the fishermen] were pulling the nets by hand. Most of that horseshoe stern isn’t in the water when the boat is empty, so it isn’t dragging. You can load and load and load these boats, and they just—they hardly seem to go down. I don’t know what this boat will pack. I’ve never filled it up. I think I’ve had it about half full, and thought we had a lot of fish, but we were just barely down to the bootstripe. Every year they [the Skansies, who never built to lines plans] changed their design. You can see the older boats had less flare—the first ones had almost no flare in the bows, then they started getting flare. This one has some flare, not a lot. Then the newer ones, they started getting more radical flare. • What is the difference between this boat and the Alaska limit seiners? They came later, didn’t they? And they were shorter to limit the catch? No, it was to limit the boats that came up from Washington State to Alaska, to cut out this fleet of big boats that the Alaskans felt were—and they probably were, you know— cutting into the Alaskans’ harvest. Fifty-eight feet is the Alaska limit. Most of the Alaskan boats were smaller at that time because they would haul them out up there. They did shorten the bows on some of these. There were boats that were this size where they just cut most of the bow off. Some of them don’t look very good, some of them you really can’t tell, they just look kind of blunt. • Why does it matter to fishermen that a boat looks good? I don’t think some fishermen care. But yeah, there are those that do care. Being a boat guy, I have an eye, that I can look at a boat and just in an instant I can say it’s pleasing or not, if it looks like a good boat or not. And your friends say, “Why don’t you like that boat?,” and you can’t even say, hardly. But there’s a lot of boats speeding around here now that look more like turnips or beets or something. I mean, they’ve got reverse sheer, the bows are lower than they are amidships, they’re higher than they are long, they’ve got a flying bridge on top of the September/October 2008

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TACOMA PUBLIC LIBRARY

The svelte lines, below, of SHENANDOAH, a seiner of similar vintage as VETERAN, have been documented by a U.S. National Park Service surveyor for the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor, Washington. These are the only lines known to exist of a Skansiebuilt purse seiner. The boat itself is also in the collections of the museum, which has plans for a new building in the historic fishing town. The Skansies, who were among immigrants from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia who introduced purse seining to Puget Sound, never used formal plans. The photo below shows SHENANDOAH in her first configuration, when nets were set and hauled by hand. At right, two purse seiners take shape in the Skansie shipyard on the Gig Harbor waterfront. The yard built 96 seiners.

SHENANDOAH

Particulars

64' 19.5 m 58' 7" 17.9 m Beam 15' 4" 4.7 m Draft 7' 3" 2.2 m LOA LWL

LINES & PHOTO COURTESY HARBOR HISTORY MUSEUM, GIG HARBOR, WASHINGTON

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At 65’ LOA, VETERAN’s hull is easily driven and economical to run. During her career, she has fished primarily in Puget Sound, but perhaps also in the Cape Flattery area at the western opening of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The state of Alaska placed a 58’ length limit on purse seiners to bar such boats from its rich fisheries.

top house sort of a deal. They look like they should tip over. Whereas in an old boat like this—I mean it rolls, you know, but you always feel comfortable in it, even when it’s really crummy. It has a nice feel to it, it goes through the water, without slowing down too much. • Have you been out in some nasty weather in this boat? Not what I would call real nasty. I have in other purse seiners, where you’re wondering, “Why’m I out here? Aren’t I smarter than this?” And the skiff’s starting to slide around on the back deck, but you’re kind of stuck there. This boat may have fished out at Cape Flattery when that was still open, which was up into the early ’50s. That’s why these boats were built to take some weather. They’re pretty tough boats. • Do wooden ones handle differently in those situations? I’ve heard guys say they’ve been in tough weather and the VETERAN just goes by them sometimes. A boat with a big, huge, flared bow hits the wave, and the whole bow just jerks way up. It also slows them down, when you hit a wave, like the front of a barge hitting a wave has a tendency to slow it down. This boat sort of knifes a bit more through the water. I’ve taken some pretty nice cruises on her with some friends, and gone up to Desolation Sound. And it’s a very comfortable boat to be on. It seems like one of the beauties of this boat, when we’ve gone cruising, is all this open deck. We have a table out there in the sun, and some kayaks.

• You say it’s still competitive as a fish boat. How is that? Well, we can put a net out as fast as anybody. A lot of fishing is just figuring out where to be, and how to get in front of the other guys. But if you know what you’re doing, you can do as well as anybody. It’s not going to be as fast getting the net back in, because we don’t have the hydraulics on here. I took the drum off because the power takeoff just wasn’t beefy enough on this old engine to run that net reel, especially when you’ve got a lot of net on it. I snapped the shaft off of a [hydraulic pump], like at least a 1 1 ⁄ 2" stainless shaft on the double hydraulic pump—it just snapped it off, in a surge or something. Plus, it’s not that hard to fish with a block anyway. • You’re talking about the hydraulic power block at the end of the boom? The big power block, yeah. It’s easier on the net, but it’s a little slower, and maybe you’ll miss a set once in a while. And that could be quite a bit of dough, and in that way the drum seiners are more competitive. A lot of it is if you’ve got your nets hung right, and if you’ve got a nice skiff with lots of power, and a lot of it doesn’t have to do with the boat itself. I don’t really care much about fishing anymore. It seems like such a hassle now. Two years ago, it was supposed to be a pretty good sockeye run. I’m talking about the Fraser River, ’cause that’s really the only thing left that’s viable. Towards the end of July, they said, well, stand by, we may do a short-notice announcement of an September/October 2008

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NICK FAHEY (THIS PAGE)

Right— When Fahey purchased VETERAN, all of her deck structures were painted gray and she had a hydraulically operated net reel mounted on deck. Fahey uncovered the original woodwork in the wheelhouse and took them back to a varnish finish. He also removed the reel. Remarkably, VETERAN’s Douglas-fir hull structures and planking were in very good shape— they had never even been refastened. Below left—Tim Hoffmann’s Steelhead Marine in Port Townsend, Washington, installed steam-bent oak frames in the spaces between the original frames to strengthen the hull. Below right—New sheerstrakes, covering boards, and guards went in after reframing.

opening. So, you’re standing by. You’ve got to have a crew kind of half lined up, or some extra guys you could get. You get your net on board, and all your stuff’s ready. So we wait around, and every couple of days there’s another announcement. Well, there’s some test fishing, and well, the results are looking better, then, well, now they’re not looking so good. And we waited—or I waited, the other guys were doing whatever they were doing—and finally, I think it was like on the 28th of August, they finally gave us six hours. That was the sockeye season. So you kind of can’t do anything else. You’ve kind of got to be ready and on top of it. So here I am with the boat. But there are guys in this town that fished as kids and have other professions and other jobs, and they love going. I mean it’s like a party. “Yeah, let’s go fishing!” And they’re good. These guys are eager, they know what they’re doing. They’re old pros, kind of, they fished Kodiak, they’ve seen a lot of stuff. And God, the food they bring, “Oh, we’ll bring the food!” Oh, Jesus! We eat like kings. So that part, it is fun that way. 76

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• You had a prime position at the festival. It was great to see a good workboat there. I think a lot of people sort of felt that way, that there were all these yachts, and just beautiful, beautiful sailboats, just exquisite boats, and here’s the old VETERAN, this tough old boat, but looking pretty good. And the lines, you can’t deny those. Yeah, that was fun. A lot of people were interested in the boat. I’m sure there were people, yacht-type people, who probably just walked by it and didn’t really look at it, but there were a lot of people who were interested and who didn’t know anything about fishing and didn’t realize how big fishing used to be. • What is the engine? It’s a D-13000 Caterpillar [diesel], 1,300 cu in. This one cruises nicely at about 950 rpm. The maximum rated is 1,050 on this one. It has an hour meter at 5,000 or something, but who knows how many times it’s gone around. It’s maybe 60 years old, and it’s rated at 115 hp. Well, by today’s standards, in a 65' boat, people would say, well,

VETERAN’s fo’c’s’le has

eight bunks. Together with the captain and cook’s bunks aft of the wheelhouse, she sleeps 10. At the time of VETERAN ’s launching in 1926, nets were hauled by hand, and a large crew was needed. Her galley was originally in the fo’c’s’le, and the original stovepipe collar is still in place. The rungs of the fo’c’s’le ladder were so worn that the ladder was turned end-for-end, to allow more generations of fishermen to wear out the other side.

you might as well put an Evinrude on the back. But, it goes 8 1 ⁄ 2, 9 knots and burns maybe five gallons an hour. Compare that with any new 65' boat, which is going to have more beam, and basically be a bigger boat, those guys likely burn 15 gallons an hour and are maybe going the same speed, maybe a little bit faster if they push it. This engine was almost unrecognizable ’cause of rust and grit and stuff. I painted and cleaned it up. I did have to replace the head gasket on these first three cylinders. On these Caterpillars, you don’t need any special tools, but you need some big tools. The head must have weighed 250 lbs. It was a brute getting that out of there. It’s a beauty of an engine. It takes a little whiff of starter fluid to get it going unless it’s warm. It’s a gigantic engine for 115 hp. A modern engine this big would be 700 to 1,000 hp, probably. I think it weighs almost 8,000 lbs, with the reduction gear. Caterpillar started producing this engine in the late ’30s. It’s kind of the engine that really made Caterpillar; they sold a million of these. It’s the same engine that was used in the D-8 bulldozer. There were probably a lot of them sitting around after the war. We totally rebuilt the front half, and when the guy checked the main bearings, he said these main bearings don’t show any wear yet—after 60 years. He said they’re still at factory specs on the main bearings, which seems amazing. A couple different guys told me they never took one of these engines out because it failed. They did it to get more horsepower. At 900 or 1,000 rpm, it’s a very gentle-sounding engine, and smooth-running. It’s a 3:1 reduction gear, and with the big 54" wheel, it just scoots right along. And it can tow like...I mean, the seine skiff we were using had a 250-horse Detroit diesel in it, and I could easily pull him backwards. Guys have said, hey, you should repower that, get some speed out of it. And, yeah, maybe you could get a couple more knots out of the hull, because it’s a nice hull, it’ll

really go. But I thought, shit, if somebody gave me the engine I wouldn’t be able to afford to trade it out. I mean, can you imagine? You’d have to come in through the bulkhead back here, into the fish hold, out, you’d have to redo all the exhaust, all the controls, the wiring, the engine beds would have to be changed. • And then you’d be burning 15 gallons an hour. Yeah, and going two knots faster. If it were still a really viable fishery, and you thought that speed would make you some money every year, then maybe you’d consider doing it. If you had the cash flow going through, then maybe you could justify it. I had a lot of enthusiasm when I first got this boat. It was a pleasure to clean all the crud and dirt off this engine, and slowly get a section done, and then I’d get some paint on it. I’ve done most of this stuff myself, I did all the hydraulic work myself. • And you removed the drum? When I bought the boat, they still had the drum, which was hydraulic, and the power block was hydraulic. But the winch, the bilge pump, and the anchor winch were all chain-driven. So the deck winch had one speed, and to stop it you had to shut the whole PTO [power takeoff] off because it was all directly powered. It was pretty awkward, and it was tough on purse line, because a lot of times you need to slow the winch down, or stop it, or back it up a little bit. It had a big double hydraulic pump, so I rigged that up to run the winch, and I did the same with the anchor. • The cost of the wood must have been a shock. You don’t even ask. What you ask is can we get some wood that will do this job and just forget about what it’s going to cost, ’cause it’s going to be a lot. You kind of don’t want to know. September/October 2008

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Above left—The Caterpillar D-13000 has been a reliable workhorse for VETERAN for more than 60 years. Above right—Her simple accommodations aren’t original, since the deckhouse has been reconfigured over the decades. Right—The wheel and its bronze gearing are original, though it now connects to a hydraulic steering system. Fahey found the original builder’s plate in the fish hold, heavily painted over, and cleaned it up for a place of honor.

• Do you harvest your own? I was going to supply the wood, but then he [Tim Hoffmann at Steelhead Marine] told me they don’t really want to use Doug-fir. They use tamarack [also known as larch and hackmatack]. I knew what tamarack was because we used to use it for fenceposts over in Eastern Washington. It’s tougher than cedar but has a lot of the resins and toxins and stuff in it that apparently cedar does. They don’t trust the Doug-fir they get now. The old guys probably went up to the sawmill and said, well, we’ll take that log, and not that one, but this one over here looks like it’s got pitch in it. Whatever they were looking for, I’m sure they got really good at finding the great wood. • Is much of the boat still original? That was one of the things that really attracted me to this boat—nobody had really monkeyed with it, at least from the ’50s on. There was no shag carpet on the ceiling. There was a lot of pretty bad stuff done to these boats, at least in my opinion. We did change the steering to hydraulic steering last year, we did that when we were doing all this other work. We just used all the old mechanism here [the original spoked wooden wheel and bronze gears] that used to drive the chains. It had never had any new frames put in it. I’m sure those were the original covering boards that we took off. It had never been refastened, even. When I first got the boat, I thought, you know, an old boat, let’s refasten it and do some recaulking. So we went up to Bellingham 78

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and got hauled out, and we did everything from forward of amidships back to the stern. There were no extra screws anywhere in any of those planks. So it had been almost 80 years, 75 years, on the original [galvanized] fastenings. The planking and caulking forward was so tight that the guy said, “I don’t think we’d better go forward any

Fahey keeps VETERAN in Anacortes, Washington, not far from his family’s property on Cypress Island. During Fahey’s time with the boat, its usual fishing grounds have been in Rosario Strait.

more because we’re having a hard time getting the oakum and stuff out of here.” So they just stopped, in that forward part. This boat has 10 bunks. I think this is the original configuration, probably two in the original cabin, eight in the fo’c’s’le. The galley used to be in the fo’c’s’le, with the old setup. Everything’s still there. The fo’c’s’le still hasn’t changed, I don’t think. There’s a ladder down there to come up on deck, and the top of the wooden treads got worn so bad, they turned the ladder upside down and put it back. And there’s pretty good wear on the other side, too, so you know that’s probably original. The boat does not leak. And you know, there are a lot of seams on this boat. It leaks a little when I’m running, a little water comes from somewhere up near the stem, and there are probably some seams that are normally out of the water that are open a little bit. I can see a trickle going down on the keelson there. Nothing to worry about. You hardly ever have to pump with this boat. • You must think about rainwater a lot in this climate, too. Rainwater is what kills these boats. I come down in the

winter and get the deck hose going. I used to try to do it every week at least, so that there’s some salt getting worked into the wood, and really flood the deck everywhere. That’s probably why some of these fish boats have survived so long, because they’re kind of pickled. When you’re fishing, you’re hosing the deck off after every set, and it’s just salt water, salt water, salt water, just constantly back there. And I don’t know if that deck hose just made me feel like I was doing something up forward, but I’ll tell you, it can’t hurt. When we’re out on the marine railway doing the bottom paint and stuff, and the guys in the shipyard will say, “Jesus, this boat really looks good underwater.” It still just looks all new underwater. • What do you think’s going to happen to this fleet? They’re going to be gone. They’re going fast. Every once in a while one sinks and they haul it out and break it up with a big excavator. There’s a few that are being taken care of, by guys who must feel like I do. Tom Jackson is WoodenBoat’s senior editor. September/October 2008

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LAUNCHINGS Edited by Karen Wales

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BILL WARM

hese pages are dedicated to sharing news of recently launched new boats and “relaunched” (that is, restored or substantially rebuilt) craft. Please send color photographs of your projects to: Launchings, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616, or e-mail us at . Include the following information: (1) length on deck; (2) beam; (3) type, class, or rig; (4) boat’s name; (5) names and contact information (include e-mail or phone) of designer, builder, and owner; (6) port or place of intended use; (7) date of launching (should be within the past year); (8) brief description of construction or restoration.

BILLY BLACK

Above—Bill Warm of Madeira Beach, Florida, recently launched this Doug Hylan–designed Beach Pea. The hull is of glued-lapstrake construction using mahogany plywood. She has a 13' LOA, a 52" beam, and weighs 115 lbs. The boat is a gift for Bill’s wife, who aptly christened her MY BOAT. Plans are available from The WoodenBoat Store, .

WALTER WALES

Above—George Butler and Kim Granbery at Reedville Marine Railway built this trailerable pocket cruiser for Granbery’s sister, Joya Hoyt, to use on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. BANTAM was built by “rack of eye,” based on Butler’s previous work. She is 24'10" long with an 8' 2" beam. The hull is white cedar on yellow pine frames encased in epoxy and ’glass. Contact Butler at 804–453–6849.

Above—In a school program offered by the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine, eight eighth graders from the South Bristol Elementary School built two of yacht designer Walter Wales’s PAL skiffs. Each skiff has an LOA of 9'6" and a beam of 441⁄2". Instructor Kurt Spiridakis led this year’s class, now in its thirteenth year. Contact the museum at .

PRISCILLA SIMPSON

Left—IMI LOA (Hawaiian for “to explore”) is a 32' sprit-rigged pinnace (longboat) with a 7' 8" beam, powered only by oars and a suit of sails. Built by Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine, IMI LOA is strip-planked in Port Orford cedar over oak frames. Owned by Woods Maritime of Newport Beach, California, she is sailed off the island of Hawaii and used in educational programs.

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PETE LEENHOUTS

Right—Led by Instructor Tim Lee, students at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, Washington, recently launched this reproduction of a 14' Davis boat, designed in the early 1900s for the purpose of inshore fishing in Alaska. The boat has red cedar planking over white oak frames on a sapele backbone. Contact the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding at .

TOM WICKE

Left—EDISON is a finely crafted 17' barrelback runabout from Tom Wicke, Steve Shoveley, and friends at Edison Marine, in Portland, Oregon. The monocoque hull is constructed in African mahogany, fastened with epoxy and bronze screws. With two 85-peak-hp electric motors powered by a 15,000-watt-battery pack, EDISON is able to attain speeds of up to 30 mph. Contact Wicke at .

PETE THOMPSON

Right—Blue Crescent Wooden Boats in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, presents ARMADILLO, built to Iain Oughtred’s Badger design. She has an LOA of 19' and a beam of 3' 8 1⁄2". Builder Pete Thompson used 1 ⁄4 " okoume plywood for planking and mahogany, Douglas-fir, and jatoba for structural members, semigloss topside paint, and 10 coats of varnish on “the pretty parts.” Contact Thompson at .

DIANA ANTONOVICH

STEVE LONDON

Below—Steve London designed and built LOST CREEK X3, a 7' LOA fly-fishing catamaran with a 54" beam. His boat (for which he has a design patent pending) is made of 3mm-okoume plywood with Douglas-fir and cherry trim. London can be found using LOST CREEK X3 while fly-fishing on the lakes and rivers of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Contact London at .

Right—William Muirhead recently launched this Shellback Dinghy designed by Joel White. SALTY PUP has an LOA of 11' 2" and a 4' 5" beam. The hull is glued-lap okoume plywood and has mahogany trim. The tiller is walnut salvaged from a fallen tree in the builder’s yard. Muirhead and family sail the waters of Charleston, South Carolina. Plans are available from The WoodenBoat Store, .

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LAUNCHINGS

NINA LEPAK

Left—PEACE, a 15' LOA Chester Yawl with a 42" beam, was recently launched by builder and owner Suzanne Lee Kolm. A kit boat, PEACE is built in okoume plywood with mahogany trim. Kolm intends to ride the tides along the shores of Ipswich Bay and Plum Island Sound in Massachusetts. Plans and kits are available from Chesapeake Light Craft, .

CLINT SKELTON

Right—LITTLE TOOT is a displacement mini-tug built by Clint Skelton, Paul Goss, Haden McCrorie, and crew at Adix Boatworks in Spain. This fairytale tug has an LOD of nearly 16' and has an 8' beam. LITTLE TOOT was constructed in marine plywood and then sheathed in epoxy and ’glass. Contact the builders at .

BRUCE PLAZYK

Below—Clyde Grindell introduces LIT’L SCOON, a Phil Bolger–designed Light Schooner, with an LOD of 23' 6" and a 5' beam. Living in the Colorado Rockies, Grindell used spruce and fir for most of the construction. Masts are lodgepole pine, made from trees that had been cut for fire mitigation. Plans are available from Phil Bolger and Friends, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA 01930.

LESTER JOHNSON

Above—BOGUS BATOID is a strip-built, human-powered submarine that was designed and built by the father-and-son team of Bruce and Martin Plazyk. This is a wet-type sub (one that fills with water and is operated by a single, hard-pedaling scuba diver). BOGUS BATOID has an LOA of 11', a beam of 30", and an 8' wingspan. A linear pedal drive engages its oscillating wings. Contact the Plazyks at .

DAVE STILLMAN

Left—Dave Stillman stayed away from the television all winter long by building this wherry from a Pygmy kit. SALTY DOG is 14' LOA with a 48" beam. The hull is stitch-and-glue construction, sheathed in 6-oz ’glass and epoxy. He added fore and aft decks and trimmed them with laminated ash. All fittings are bronze. He rows SALTY DOG on Long Island Sound. Contact Pygmy Boats Inc. at .

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...AND RELAUNCHINGS

AUSTIN NALLY

JOHN JANSSON

Right—AMY CHRISTINA is a 24' couta boat, originally built by Alex Lacco in 1946. Current owners John Jansson and John Counsell of Rhyll on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia, gave AMY CHRISTINA a new lease on life. Restoration included replacing her engine, centerboard case, forward coaming, mast, and bowsprit. She recently had her first sail under full rig since 1960.

Above—INNISFAIL, a 1939, 91' Mathis Trumpy, was meticulously brought back to her original 1930s style by Moores Marine Yacht Center in Beaufort, North Carolina. Restoration included replacing the pilothouse and smokestack, restructuring and stiffening the deck, and installing teak plywood in the main saloon. She is now used for chartering. You can reach her owner Frank E. Lynch at .

BRUCE LOCKHART

Right—It took Bruce Lockhart nearly three years to complete the comprehensive restoration of his 1956 ChrisCraft Continental. This classic runabout has an LOA of 23' and an 8' beam. Power is a Chevy 350. Lockhart replaced the bottom framing, stern framing, aft sections of the chines, and part of the keel, topsides, and deck. Lockhart enjoys motoring in South Bristol, Maine.

HARVEY LEVINE

Hints for taking good photos of your boat:

Above—Dr. Harvey Levine (age 87) and his son Matthew lovingly restored LEGACY, a 1953 Chris-Craft Sportsman runabout with an LOA of 18' and a 6'4" beam. The 6,000-hour job included replacing some topside and deck planks, restoring the 95-hp Hercules engine, upgrading the electrical system, and applying 27 coats of varnish. The Levines enjoy their LEGACY in Sarasota Bay, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico.

1. If you use a digital camera, please shoot to the highest resolution and largest size possible. Send no more than five unretouched images on a CD, and include rough prints of all images. We also accept transparencies and high-quality prints. 2. Clean the boat. Stow fenders and extraneous gear below. Properly ship or stow oars, and give the sails a good harbor furl if you’re at anchor. 3. Schedule the photo session for early, or late, in the day to take advantage of low-angle sunlight. Avoid shooting at high noon and on overcast days. 4. Be certain that the horizon appears level in your viewfinder. 5. Keep the background simple and/or scenic. On a flat page, objects in the middle distance can appear to become part of your boat. Take care that it doesn’t sprout trees, flagpoles, smokestacks, or additional masts and crew members. 6. Take many photos, and send us several. Include some action shots and some of the boat at rest. For a few of the pictures, turn the camera on its side to create a vertical format.

We enjoy learning of your work—it affirms the vitality of the wooden boat community. Unfortunately, a lack of space prevents our publishing all the material submitted. If you wish to have your photos returned, please include appropriate postage.

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Rocking the Boat

Old ways teach kids new life lessons

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here was a time not that long ago when a youngster with a sense of adventure could head for the shore and look for a new direction in life. Countless young men went shipping on the deep sea or in coastal waters. Others boarded fishing schooners, and later draggers, bound for the Grand Banks, or signed on to dayfishing boats closer to home. Most found ways to support themselves ashore, often learning trades that would be useful among hundreds of shipyards and boatyards that dotted the coastline. Perhaps just as important, young people learned how to make their way in the world, whether at sea or on land. It is no secret that the fishing and shipping industries have declined precipitously and represent much smaller

by Steve Rappaport Photography by Joaquin Cotten

segments of the American economy than they did just a few decades ago. Today, for most kids, especially innercity kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, the idea of earning a living or learning about life from boats or the water isn’t even on the horizon. Most lack an awareness of boats or the sea, and few have any connection with the water that, in a city like New York, surrounds them. A small organization based deep in the heart of one of New York City’s grittiest neighborhoods is working to change that by teaching high school kids to build traditional wooden boats and to use them safely for the environmental restoration of local waterways. The organization is Rocking the Boat. Its goal isn’t to train a

Above—Teamwork of the kind required not only to build boats but to move them in tight quarters is one among many skills students learn at Rocking the Boat in New York City. This boat is MOMENTUM, a 16' melonseed skiff built at the school’s construction shop at Hunts Point, the Bronx, in 2008.

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Every Rocking the Boat launching is worthy of a celebration parade. RANGE, a 19' Rangeley Lakes boat, took a route through Hunts Point Riverside Park to the Bronx River for her launching.

handful of inner-city youths to become apprentices in the boatbuilding industry, but to help as many of those young people as possible learn the skills they need to become successful, productive adults. “We’re building kids. That’s what we do,” said Adam Green, Rocking the Boat’s founder.

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ocking the Boat has its roots in a semester that Green took off during his junior year at Vassar College, a small liberal arts school located in Poughkeepsie in New York’s Hudson River Valley. There his studies were focused on folklore and storytelling. Green spent his “semester abroad” as a volunteer at a junior high school in New York City’s East Harlem— one of the nation’s most economically depressed urban neighborhoods. While there, Green led a group of 10 students who built an 8' wooden dinghy that they eventually launched in the school swimming pool. A year later, Green was back in East Harlem, New York City, with a bachelor’s degree from Vassar and his New York teaching credentials in hand. An after-school program at a local community college in the South Bronx gave him another opportunity to run a boatbuilding program, this time for high school students. By the end of the school year, in the spring of 1997, Green and the students completed what would be Rocking the Boat’s first project—a 14' epoxy-and-plywood skiff based on a

Whitehall from one of Mystic Seaport maritime historian John Gardner’s books. Green’s qualifications for teaching boatbuilding were scant, but not nonexistent. As a teenager, he worked as a volunteer on the Hudson River sloop CLEARWATER, and after his semester in New York, he “picked up books” on traditional boats and boatbuilding, as he tells it, “and started reading.” During the summer after his college graduation, Green took the first practical step in developing his boatbuilding skills. He came to WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, Maine, and took Bob Elliott’s course in dory construction. Most of his fellow students were older than he and already had some boatbuilding skills. The experience was a watershed for him, Green said. “It was very powerful. I didn’t know what I was doing. I realized I was completely ignorant and that there was no reason why I shouldn’t be. I learned about boatbuilding, but I also learned about learning.” The results of that learning, and 11 years of experience, are evident in the current operations of Rocking the Boat. Now based in the economically disadvantaged South Bronx, the tax-exempt organization has a 2008 budget of $1.3 million, and 14 full-time and 10 part-time employees. It relies almost entirely on funding from corporate, government, and foundation donors. The Boatbuilding Program is currently based in a September/October 2008

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What practical purpose is learning to use a jack plane to shape an ash oar? The joy of doing a job right, earning the respect of your peers, knowing the feel of a fine tool, making something that you can hold in your hands and put to work...the list could go long.

Students in the program build boats of traditional design. They use traditional plank-on-frame construction techniques, including fashioning solid-wood backbones and steam-bending frames. The aim isn’t to produce a crop of skilled boatbuilders but rather to give kids from difficult backgrounds the opportunity to participate in a process that is educational in its own right and “to create something beautiful and functional from scratch.” “We build traditional boats, but we’re not too hung up on them being perfect,” Green said “They really are built by the kids, and it’s through making mistakes that everyone learns. We try to minimize them, of course.”

B 1,000-sq-ft shop. During the past decade or so, students have built 24 boats, most of them based on the Whitehall type. But in recent years they have also built a dory, a peapod, a Cape Cod oyster skiff, a Rangeley Lakes boat, a Colonial river ferry, and a melonseed skiff. The one thing these boats share is their historical connection to the kinds of small working craft that once were common in the waters around New York. Still, Green said, “what’s driving our design choices” for the boats the program builds “is not history, but our present needs.” The Boatbuilding Program operates two semesterlong after-school classes during the school year. Each class is divided into two sections, each with 10 students, that meet twice a week for a total of seven hours. Each class builds a boat from start to finish. There is also a seven-week summer program that pays students a $575 stipend to work four days a week on the grounds of Philipsburg Manor, a living history museum at a historic house in Sleepy Hollow, a few miles up the Hudson River from New York City. The students dress in 18th-century period costumes and build a traditional boat. The students also participate in a week of outdoor adventure—often sailing on a tall ship—that for many is their first exposure to such activities. Subjects like geometry that might seem abstract in school suddenly take on reallife meaning when the task at hand is to puzzle out the complicated shape of a stem rabbet or cut the transom bevels for a 14’ Whitehall pulling boat.

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uilding techniques at Rocking the Boat have evolved considerably since Green led the program’s first construction of a Whitehall at the Bronx Community College in 1997. His experience with that boat persuaded him that he had some learning to do. He took a year off and worked as an apprentice on the CLEARWATER, and he also returned to WoodenBoat School during the summer of 1999 for a two-week boatbuilding course taught by Greg Rössel. “I had my own tools this time, and I had perspective,” Green said. Although Green started out as Rocking the Boat’s chief (and only) instructor, he hasn’t actually built a boat since 2005. Instead, he has had to focus on the business of running—and funding—a burgeoning nonprofit organization. “Since then, I’ve pulled back and concentrated on business. It’s exciting, because I’m still very much connected to the kids and the programs.” For the past few years, Rocking the Boat has split its operations between two locations. The office and Boatbuilding Program were based in a storefront on an

Putting Boats to Work

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he core of Rocking the Boat, according to founder Adam Green, is boatbuilding. But the organization has also developed four other programs serving thousands of inner-city schoolchildren. Although each is independent, they all draw on resources and opportunities afforded by the others: • The after-school On-Water Program enrolls 20 kids each semester. The group is divided into two sections, each spending seven hours, spread over two days, developing maritime skills and working on a variety of environmental restoration projects. A sevenweek summer session pays students a $575 stipend and offers a weeklong outdoor adventure experience. Using boats built in the Boatbuilding Program, students learn small-boat handling and navigation. They also learn how to swim and are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid. The boats are also used for some environmental restoration projects on the Bronx River—a marshy tributary flowing through a heavily industrialized part of New York City. A few years ago, the river was essentially a dead zone, but today it supports considerable wildlife. Birds, beavers, and fish can all be found along or within its banks— including a population of oysters planted to help purify the water. Students from Rocking the Boat have helped marine scientists plant some of those oysters. They also participate in environmental restoration and monitoring projects in conjunction with scientists in varied disciplines. • Initially offered just to high school students, the OnWater Classroom, which runs during school hours, was expanded to include middle school students last year, when it served more than 500 kids. That expansion reflects Rocking the Boat’s commitment to serving the community where it is located. The Hunts Point neighborhood has two middle schools but no high schools. Operating in conjunction with classroom teachers, the curriculum is tailored to fit specific needs. The flexibility extends to scheduling as well as content. The focus, though, is to introduce students to maritime skills and to help them connect with the natural environment of the Bronx River. • Community Rowing enables Rocking the Boat to make valuable resources—its boats and its experienced students—available to the larger Hunts Point community. Rocking the Boat gives local residents instruction in rowing and boating safety and teaches them about the social and industrial history of the Bronx River. Members of the neighborhood can participate during scheduled, weekend, and special-occasion sessions. “The people in Hunts Point that have been looking at the water for years finally got a chance to go out on it,” Green said. • Job Skills, established two years ago, offers a sort of “post-graduate” work for up to 16 students who have completed and excelled in at least two semesters of either the Boatbuilding or On-Water programs. “This is much more intensive,” Green said. “We train the students in technical skills, and help them go out into the world as successful adults.”

Rocking the Boat’s small craft become on-the-water tools for everything from community rowing to school environmental classes. This flotilla rowed the Bronx River past one of New York City’s largest metal and plastics recycling yards.

Students enrolled in Job Skills are considered apprentices, are paid at least minimum wage, and may stay in the program for up to two years. Boatbuilding apprentices help maintain the Rocking the Boat fleet, and in addition some boatbuilding commissions may be generated as a fundraising tool. Environmental restoration apprentices work with scientists involved in projects on the Bronx River and serve as environmental educators in the On-Water Classroom and Community Rowing programs. Particularly outstanding participants in the Job Skills program—up to 10 a year who have shown exceptional leadership or communication skills—have the opportunity to become program assistants at Rocking the Boat. As paid, part-time employees, the program assistants serve as instructors and leaders during the school year and summer classes. As important as the technical education available in the Job Skills program is, perhaps even more important is the support program participants receive from the Job Skills advocate. This staff member serves as guidance counselor, career counselor, and mentor to students in the program. Similar services are available to students in the Boatbuilding and On-Water programs through a student advocate. Both advocates focus on helping students in Rocking the Boat programs to achieve the organization’s core goal—becoming successful, productive adults. The student advocate focuses on helping students stay, and succeed, in school and in teaching them life skills they may not have opportunities to learn elsewhere. Job advocates work with Job Skills apprentices and program assistants, introducing them to college and employment opportunities and helping them acquire the fundamentals—how to interview for a job, how to behave as an employee— they will need after leaving Rocking the Boat. —SR September/October 2008

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Recognizing boatbuilding as one way to bring important life lessons to inner-city students, Executive Director Adam Green founded Rocking the Boat in New York City in 1997.

urban street five miles from the water. The organization also has four other programs with environmental, community, and job skills emphases (see sidebar), all of which were based at a community center site on the banks of the Bronx River in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. Late last spring, the organization signed a 10-year lease on a 6,000-sqft warehouse adjacent to the Hunts Point center site. By this fall, Green said, all of Rocking the Boat’s facilities should be consolidated under one roof. That “tremendous step in our development” will make life much easier for Green and the organization’s administrative staff. “The biggest challenge now is running operations in two places,” Green said in March. “It’s incredibly challenging. We built the program out to full scale in a makeshift way. Now we’re getting the space to maintain what we’re doing.” According to Green, 70 students participate in the Boatbuilding Program each year. While boatbuilding is central to the organization’s four other programs, it directly serves only a fraction of the kids reached by the On-Water and the related On-Water Classroom

environmental programs. Rocking the Boat serves students from four of New York City’s five boroughs and who represent Latino, African-American, West Indian, Indian, Asian, South American, and African cultures. Although the organization uses the boats it builds in its other programs, Green stressed that that isn’t the reason for building them. “We’re not trying to build wooden boats to clean up the Bronx River,” Green said. “ Those are our tools to encourage young people to become responsible adults.” Through its boatbuilding and other programs, Rocking the Boat “is trying to do the work that hasn’t been accomplished at school, and oftentimes at home, for so many of these kids,” Green said. One reason the programs work so well, Green added, is that “the only reason anyone is there is because they want to be.” Eventually, all students leave Rocking the Boat, but where they wind up may not have anything to do with boats or environmental issues. “The kids we’re working with are incredibly committed, but not necessarily looking to become wooden boat builders,” Green said. “Many of them are shy and not ready to leave the Bronx. They still need a level of support and guidance.” Rocking the Boat tries to offer that guidance, but Green said it doesn’t try to “push” kids in any specific direction. Instead, the lessons are designed to “expose kids to a whole wide range of things” so that they can pursue whatever direction they want. Green said that Rocking the Boat’s students leave with the realization that they might very well have more of a future than a dead-end life on the streets of the South Bronx. When students move on, Green said, they do so believing, “If I can build a boat, I can do anything.” Stephen Rappaport, an experienced sailor and boat owner, writes about a wide range of marine issues from East Blue Hill, Maine.

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of launching a boat you’ve built with your own hands. Like the boat itself, there’s no telling where the skills these students learn at Rocking the Boat may take them after launching.

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DESIGNS

OCEANUS Then and now Design by William Garden Commentary by Robert W. Stephens

B

ill Garden is the elder statesman of West Coast yacht design. Wait—let’s revise that to read “boat design.” Even this broader description is misleading, as Garden’s far-flung career has spanned decades, included a fair bit of hands-on boatbuilding, and thoroughly covered more genres of boat design than most would even dare dabble in. Since the early 1940s, he has designed elegant lapstrake pulling boats and husky coasting schooners, working fishing trollers and planing runabouts, burly tugboats and obscenely gigantic motoryachts. Now well along in years, Garden claims to be retired, but a quick phone conversation dispelled any notion that he’s consigned to the steamer chair and the checkerboard; his keen wit and unstoppable energy preclude anything

Particulars New OCEANUS LOA LWL Beam Draft Displacement Sail area

64' 3" 48' 3" 12' 4" 7' 0" 38,000 lbs 1,304 sq ft

so sedate. Relieved of the pressure of drawing up paying commissions, Bill is free to doodle on anything he wants. And he’s taken on quite a challenge—he aims to improve upon a boat he designed more than half a century ago, a boat whose admirers (and I count myself among them) might well believe simply could not be improved. I’m talking about the mighty OCEANUS. Bill designed OCEANUS as his own cruising boat in 1954. He meant for her to be a fast cruiser, easily handled by a husband-and-wife team, and equally fast under sail and power. Two words come to mind in describing her: “moderation” and “simplicity.” Her hull is long, light, and easily driven by the 1,145 sq ft of sail that Bill settled on as the most a single watchkeeper would want September/October 2008

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DESIGNS

The original OCEANUS

Particulars LOA 62' LWL 48' 0" Beam 12' 0" Draft 6' 8" Displacement 36,000 lbs Sail area 1,145 sq ft

Designer Bill Garden drew the original OCEANUS as a fast cruiser for his own use. The slender and shapely hull has inspired sailors for more than half a century.

to handle. Her sections are easy and pleasing. Her displacement of 36,000 lbs leaves room for ample cruising comforts, but her 48' waterline and 62' overall length ensure that her long lines flow gracefully, terminating in an absolutely stunning canoe stern. Her displacement/ length ratio is 145, startlingly low for a 1950s cruising boat. OCEANUS’s underbody is a bit of a hybrid, exhibiting a rather short fin keel with a very large skeg that protects the propeller in an aperture, and a rather conventional sharply raked rudderpost. Garden reports that the effects of this underwater profile on the yacht’s balance weren’t properly anticipated, and after her first season her rig was shifted forward a couple of feet to correct a somewhat excessive weather helm. And here may lie the seed of the new OCEANUS. Bill described to me how in her original trim, when sheets were started on a reach in a breeze of wind, she would simply gather herself up and fly, giving the crew a “feeling of wanting to holler, it felt so good!” Once the rig was shifted, the helm became more mannerly, but she never again produced that excitement. It seems that Bill has had fifty-plus years to mull over the causes, and is ready to try to “recapture that wonderful feeling.” With the new OCEANUS, Garden has worked hard to shift the hull’s center of buoyancy aft, allowing him to shift the fin keel aft as well without worry of the stern sinking too low. This means he can place the rig in the same position over the hull as in the original, with hopefully the same delightful result. I hope someone will build this boat and put his theories to the test. The running lines of the boat—the waterlines and buttocks—are extremely sweet and clean, but the run shows the effects of the aftward shift of the hull’s volume. The buttocks rise more steeply toward the stern than in the original, and I fear this may suppress the feeling of breaking away that the original boat instilled. 90

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In any case, the underwater profile of the new boat shows the education of the intervening years: the fin and rudder are separate and distinct, and the rudder and its relatively small skeg will function well as a single foil. Steering should be more precise and less labor-intensive. The big, powerful rudder will form an asymmetrical foil with its skeg, lifting the boat to windward decisively. The propeller doesn’t enjoy the same degree of protection as in the full aperture, but it’s well hidden behind the fin, and should be fine in all but the most fouled waters. The new boat’s sections are very similar to the old one’s, and her construction method is identical as well—tripleplanked diagonal cedar over 2  4 longitudinal stringers. This is a light, robust, and straightforward construction, and when combined with slack bilges and lack of reverse curvature in the garboards, is, as Bill said of the first boat, “a real cinch to plank up—for a glue job.” The only change Bill suggests is to replace the outer layer of Alaskan cedar with Western red cedar, as it holds paint better. The first OCEANUS’s layout was effective and stylish, with a shapely doghouse (what some would today call a raised saloon) providing light and air below through large, carefully shaped windows, and sheltering the forward end of the cockpit also. A roomy but simple cockpit could swallow a racing crew, but was effective for shorthanded sailing as well, especially when Bill deployed his “secret weapon”—a custom-crafted sheet winch driven through a shaft by a Chrysler Crown electric starter, to enable him to singlehandedly sheet home the insanely large 180percent genoa permitted by racing rules in those days. The new boat sports a rather different style. Garden’s concept recalls the luxurious look of the Landau tops of automobiles of the 1920s and ’30s. His outboard profile shows a distinct trim line running just above the large saloon windows and sweeping down along the coamings as it runs aft. This line defines the edge of the leather (or some

DESIGNS

For the new OCEANUS, the designer has moved the center of buoyancy and the fin keel aft. The buttocks rise more steeply toward the stern, but the running lines remain sweet and clean. Details of the stylish house recall the Landau tops of classic automobiles.

synthetic facsimile) sheathing that he envisions applied to the saloon roof. The roof itself would be molded of fiberglass over a temporary form created by tightly stretching canvas over a series of molds to create a “hungry-horse” concave effect. The effect would be completed by a polished metal Landau bar on each side of the coaming. Some will like it, some will hate it—but it will be eye-catching. There’s plenty of fodder for dreams here—two remarkable cruising boats, separated by fifty-odd years of noodling

and doodling by one of the most diverse and prolific...well, by Bill Garden. Enjoy. Bob Stephens designs and builds boats at Brooklin Boat Yard, Brooklin, Maine. For more about the original OCEANUS, see WB No. 81, page 106. Plans for the new OCEANUS are available from Bill Garden, Box 2371, Sidney, BC, V8L 3Y3, Canada.

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IN FOCUS

The Buzzards Bay 30s Photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz Text by Maynard Bray

Continuing last issue’s four-boat Buzzards Bay 30 restoration feature, here are photographs taken at completion showing how beautifully simple and elegant these century-old gaff riggers used to be, and once again are.

In June, three of the four newly restored Buzzards Bay 30s simultaneously slid down the Belfast, Maine, launching ramp, each on its own trailer, all rigged and virtually ready to sail. They are French & Webb re-creations, while the fourth boat, MASHNEE, rigged marconi, splashed into Lake Champlain a few weeks earlier from Vermont’s Darling Boatworks.

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Under sail for the first time since her June 22 launching is LADY M, one of the three boats identically restored by French & Webb.

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IN FOCUS

Inside the sparse yet elegant interiors you get to appreciate the exquisite proportions of the yacht’s anatomy because most of it shows. Even the stub ends of the varnished oak deckbeams have been left exposed.

Twin compasses swing on gimbals at the coamings’ forward ends. The companionway drop boards slide in grooves so that the top board, when raised, engages and lifts the middle one—a signal feature of this particular builder.

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Originally, in 1902, all 14 boats of the BB 30 class came with circular bronze foredeck hatches and lovely crank-operated capstans set up to handle chain as well as rope anchor rodes.

IN FOCUS

Narrow rectangular trunk cabins entirely varnished are a familiar feature of Herreshoff yachts of the era. They’re basically a box with a crowned top. Identical windows and no curve or tumblehome make them unusually easy to build.

Eyesplices, leathered against chafe, secure the wire standing rigging aloft where they’re held from slipping by wooden hounds and half-cleats. Rigging and sails are by Nathaniel S. Wilson.

Historical Arts & Casting of Salt Lake City, Utah, furnished this folding lavatory, as well as the light and the bulk of the replicated fittings on deck and aloft.

White oak cockpit sides contrast beautifully with the surrounding varnished mahogany. Aft of the tiller sits the man who tends the long and vital mainsheet, trimming and slacking the 1,000-sq-ft sail without benefit of a winch.

Photographer Benjamin Mendlowitz shoots regularly for WoodenBoat. Maynard Bray is WoodenBoat’s technical editor.

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N u t sh e ll Pr a m s

D a ysa ile r s

by WoodenBoat

by Joel White

12' 4" variation of a Beetle Cat, with carvel/epoxy construction with intermediate skills. #400-143 $75.00*

by William Garden

A thoroughly charming boat, Eel exudes strength and character. She can be carvel-planked or cold-molded. #400-090 (30WB) $100.00

Capacious, flat-bottomed skiff weighing less than 150 lbs. Lapstrake construction. #400-011 (50WB) $50.00

Slightly larger than a Nutshell, with a pointed bow. See our Site for kits. #400-109 (40WB) $75.00*

1 3 ' 7 " Sa ilin g/ Pa ddlin g Ca n oe , M a cGr e gor

1 5 ' Se a Ka ya k , Tu r siops by Paul Ford Skimalong II is a beamy strip-built touring by Mike Alford kayak. Easily built, she weighs just 38+ lbs. She With her 28" beam, substantial will take you almost anywhere along river, lake flare, and sweetly shaped ends, or coast. #400-114 (40WB) $45.00 she loves rough water. #400-085 (30WB) $45.00

18' 6" Ca n oe Ya w l, Ee l

D a ysa ile r s

12' 4" Ya n k e e Te n de r

11' 2" Sh e llba ck D in gh y

16' 7" Ka ya k

by William Garden

by Iain Oughtred

Build as 13' 7"or 15' 8" from this set of plans. Beamy but elegant. #400-080 (30WB) $65.00 1 4 ' Ca t a m a r a n , Pix ie

1 1 ' 9 " W hit e ha llt ype Acor n Sk iff

by Richard Woods

by Iain Oughtred

A fast daysailer of stitchand-glue plywood construction. Dismantles for car-topping. Deep-V hulls, no centerboards. #400-083 (30WB) $75.00

Elegant, lightweight, with glued-lap plywood construction. Highly detailed plans help the first-time builder. #400-043 (50WB) $80.00* 19' 6" Ca le don ia Ya w l by Iain Oughtred

Especially handsome sheer, glue-lap-ply construction. See WB Nos. 183—185 for a building article. #400-103 (40WB) $150.00*

2 2 ' 6 " Re cr e a t ion a l Sh e ll, Kin gfish e r by Graeme King V-bottomed single shell with sliding seat, outriggers, light ply construction. Featured in WB Nos. 61—63. #400-051 (50WB) $75.00

16'

Pow e r boa t s

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Glued-lap plywood rowing or sailing tender with plenty of capacity. See our site for full-sized kits. 7' 7" #400-041 $75.00 9' 6" #400-057 (50WB) $75.00*

Tom Ca t

Cr u isin g

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by Joel White

Pe r for m a n ce Row

Ca n oe s/ Ka ya k s

D in gh ie s/ Sk iffs

www.woodenboatstore.com

BOATBUILDING PLANS

14' 10" Ru n a bou t , Ra sca l by Ken Bassett

A modified V-bottom, with constant deadrise in its after sections. #400-100 (40WB) $120.00

Ge n t le m a n ’s Ru n a bou t by Nelson Zimmer & John Hacker

A low-power, moderate-speed inboard runabout for protected waters. Designed for sawn frames, batten-seam planking. #400-076 (30WB) $120.00

1 7 ' 1 " Plyw ood Ca t boa t

1 9 ' 6 " M ist

by Charles Wittholz

This cozy pocket cruiser combines simple sheet-plywood construction with more than a touch of elegance. #400-107 (40WB) $90.00

by Karl Stambaugh

1 8 ' 6 " Re dw in g by Karl Stambaugh

A gentle, shoal-draft, low-powered (5- to 10-hp), sheet-plywood outboard cruiser. She can live right on her trailer. #400-108 (40WB) $90.00 2 2 ' 2 " Cr u isin g Sloop, Gr a y Se a l by Iain Oughtred

Based on the Folkboat, this plywood lapstrake double-ender combines honest trailerability, and comforting rough-water. See WB Nos. 128—130. #400-091 (30WB) $275.00 Fift y Wooden Boat s ( 50WB) Fort y Wooden Boat s ( 40WB) and Thirt y Wooden Boat s ( 30WB) are our t hree wildly WoodenBoat 204popular cat alogs of st udy plans. At $12.95 each, t hey’re t he best bargain on t he planet . V-bottomed trailerable cruiser designed for plywood construction with accommodations for two and inside ballast. #400-048 (50WB) $90.00

from The WoodenBoat Store 1 0 ' 2 " Acor n D in gh y

1 2 ' 8 '' Ca t spa w D in gh y

by Doug Hylan

by Iain Oughtred

by Joel White & N.G. Herreshoff

A most elegant lapstrake plywood peapod for oar and sail. See WB Nos. 133—135 for a how-to-build feature. #400-110 (40WB) $75.00

This chunky dinghy will be a good load carrier for her length. #400-088 (30WB) $80.00*

1 7 '1 ” B.N . M or r is Ca n oe by Rollin Thurlow

1 7 ' Chesa pea k e Sea Ka ya k by Chris Kulczycki

This expedition kayak features a high bow for big wave performance. Hardchined, stitch-and-glue construction. #400-141 $69.00

Includes three different construction alternatives: wood-strip planking, with frames; woodstrip frameless planking covered with ’glass; and Rollin’s specialty, wood and canvas construction. #400-096 (40WB) $60.00

1 4 ' 6 '' W hilly Boat by Iain Oughtred

Handsome double-ender performs well as a daysailer and beach cruiser. Clean, frameless, glued-lap ply hull adds up to ease of construction. #400-104 (40WB) $90.00*

An open, carvel-planked boat that rows with ease and is stiff under sail. #400-012 (50WB) $60.00*

1 7 ' Se a Ka ya k , En de a vou r by Steve Killing

Six detailed plans pages include full-sized mold, coaming, and hatch patterns. She is the featured boat in the Ted Moores book KayakCraft. #400-140 $110.00*

1 5 ' Ca t boa t , M a r sh Ca t

1 6 ' H a ve n 1 2 ½

by Joel White

A handsome and popular daysailer based on the Herreshoff 12½, modified for a centerboard. #400-075 (40WB) $180.00*

by Joel White

Her 6' 11" beam makes for a big 15footer. Cold-molded, lightweight, and trailerable. #400-095 (40WB) $90.00 1 8 ' Pu llin g Boa t , Fir e fly by Ken Bassett

2 7 ' Recrea t iona l Double Shell, Kook a bu r r a by Graeme King A double version of the popular Kingfisher. #400-135 (40WB) $90.00

An entry-level sliding-seat pulling boat. Provides rewarding speed in an easily built plywood hull with enough stability to keep a beginner out of trouble. #400-121 (40WB) $60.00

1 8 ' Lapst rake Pulling Boat , Liz by Ken Bassett Pure elegance. The traditional lapstrake construction accentuates every detail, and will require skilled builders. #400-097 (40WB) $90.00

Ru n a bou t Be r m u da 2 8 1 9 ' 7 " Albu r y Ru n a bou t by Doug Hylan

Built by eye in the Bahamas for the last 40 years. Doug Hylan’s drawings allow for strip-planking or cold-molding. #400-136 (40WB) $90.00

by Nelson Zimmer

The longest runabout we offer, this 28' high-speed, triple-cockpit runabout will also require highly skilled builders, but oh, the rewards.... #400-105 (40WB) $120.00

2 8 ' Ca n oe Ya w l, Rozin a n t e by L. Francis Herreshoff , with

Doug Hylan Hypnotically striking canoe yawl ranks among the most admired designs of our time. See WB No. 123 for more. #400-134 (40WB) $325.00

PLANS AGENT

1 3 ' Sa ilin g Pe a pod

2 9 ' Cu t t e r by Paul Gartside

Displacing more than 18,000 lbs, this is a big 29' boat. #400-084 (30WB) $150.00

STUDY PLANS Instant Downloads of Individual Study Plans Just 99 cents www.woodenboat st ore.com 3 0 ' Sloop/ Ya w l, M a la ba r , Jr . by John G. Alden

Carvel-planked, outside-ballasted cruiser with choice of three or four berths. #400-004 (50WB) $150.00

* I ndicat es we’ve published a book about t his design, and it ’s also available at www.woodenboat books.com Call us Toll- Free 1.800.273.SHI P ( 7447) Fax: 207.359.2058 Em ail: wbst ore@woodenboat September/October .com 2008 •

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New Kit from WoodenBoat!

The Babson Island 14

Designed by Tom Hill of Ultralight Boatbuilding book fame, and WoodenBoat founder Jon Wilson

LOA 14’

BEAM 51”

Glide through the water in the elegant and stable Babson 14. She’s made of precision-cut Occume mahogany plywood, and kits contain all lumber pre-cut (including the scarfs), hardware & fastenings, West System epoxy, 10 oz ‘glass cloth (for the bottom) as well as a slotted building jig to ensure an accurate build. The jig/molds go together in less than an hour. Plus you’ll receive Tom’s stepby-step building guide along with a sheet of drawings.

DRAFT 6”

I nt ended capacit y: 3 Suggest ed oars: 7’- 9” Kit : # 602- 001 $1995.00 Shipping, via UPS ground: approx $290 t o $410, depending on dest inat ion. Lower 48 st at es only.

Order Toll-Free 1.800.273.SHIP (7447) • www.woodenboatstore.com 98

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WOOD TECHNOLOGY

Separating Mahogany from Substitutes by Richard Jagels

I

n my last column, responding to questions from Alec Brainerd of Artisan Boatworks in Rockport, Maine, I compared the properties of American mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) with some alternative woods, namely African mahoganies, sapele, sapo, and the 3) Swietenia (tangential, lauans (also known collectively 1) Swietenia (transverse) 2) Cedrela (transverse) low magnification) as Philippine mahogany). Alec also asked, “How exactly can one identify true mahogany so as not to be confused with Philippine or other species?” This is a tougher question, but one I addressed in 1983 (WB No. 55). With some modifications, I will repeat the information in that column here. In addition to the above woods, I am adding Spanish 6) Shorea (transverse) 5) Khaya (tangential) cedar (Cedrela odorata), a Latin 4) Swietenia (tangential, high magnification) American wood that resembles mahogany and is often used by boatbuilders. Also, I need to add a correction. successful observation of details with The features that we will use are: In my previous column I interpreted the hand lens. (1) Arrangement of Vessel Pores the wood that Alec called “sepo” as Hand lens identification has dis- (transverse surface). This feature can “sapo.” Upon reflection, sepo is much tinct limitations, and to become adept sometimes be seen without a hand lens. more likely “sipo”; both would be pro- at separating a wide range of woods The large openings, or pores, seen in nounced the same. Sipo is Entandro- using this technique requires months the transverse surface of a hardwood phragma utile, and its more common or years of training and practice. may be uniformly distributed across trade name is utile. My faulty inter- However, the procedure is useful to a growth ring (Figure 1), in which pretation points out the serious flaws amateurs if confined to distinguish- case we say the wood is diffuse porous. in using common names for woods. ing a very limited number of species. Or, the largest pores may be concenThe procedure used by wood sci- I will describe here only the follow- trated in a band at the beginning of entists for identifying wood involves ing woods: the growth ring (Figure 2), in which cutting very thin sections and exam- • Swietenia spp.—American case we say the wood is ring porous. ining them under the microscope. mahogany, also called Honduras (2) Arrangement of Rays (tangenThis definitive method is the only one mahogany, genuine mahogany, etc. tial or flat-sawn surface). Ray tissue is that holds up in a court of law. An • Khaya spp.—African mahoganies. composed of cells with the long axis intermediate method requires only • Cedrela spp.—Spanish cedar, oriented in the radial direction; and the use of a hand lens (preferably 10X cigarbox cedar, cedro, etc. hence, rays appear like spokes on a or higher magnification) and a sharp • Shorea spp.; Parashorea spp.; wheel in a transverse section. This can knife or razor blade to smooth the Pentacme spp.—Collectively be easily seen on a smooth end sursurfaces of wood. I recommend Bruce referred to as Philippine mahog- face of an oak log. On the tangential Hoadley’s book Identifying Wood (The any or lauan, and separately as surface, rays are seen as short, vertically Taunton Press), as it has great color meranti, red lauan, white lauan, oriented hatch lines. In oak or beech photos of smoothed transverse suryakal, almon, tangile, etc. these can be seen with the unaided eye. faces, also known as end surfaces, of • Entandrophragma cylindricum— In many other woods a hand lens is North American woods and a few sapele, penkwa, aboudikro, etc. necessary. If these hatch lines are tropical woods. Obtaining a smooth • Entandrophragma utile—utile, arranged in regular, slightly wavy transverse surface is critical to the sipo, okeong, kosi-kosi, etc. horizontal rows, we say the wood has September/October 2008

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WOOD TECHNOLOGY

Mahogany Identification Key Read both choices at each number; continue to choice indicated at right until you reach a statement that is true for your sample and is followed by a species. (1) Wood ring porous .................................................................................... Cedrela (1) Wood diffuse porous ........................................................................................(2) (2) Storied rays (ripple marks) ....... Swietenia, Entandrophragma cylindricum (2) Unstoried rays* ............................................................................................(3) (3) Gum ducts in long, tangential arcs of parenchyma .................................................. Shorea, Parashorea, Pentacme (3) Tangential arcs of gum ducts absent**........... Khaya, Entandrophragma utile * Khaya may occasionally have storied rays but they will be sporadic and irregular. ** Khaya may occasionally have traumatic gum ducts, but these will be very sparse.

storied rays (or contains “ripple marks”). Figures 3 and 4 show storied rays; in Figure 4 the nearly horizontal arrangement is highlighted with white hash lines. Figure 5 shows the random arrangement of unstoried rays. (3) Presence or Absence of Axial Gum Ducts (transverse surface). Gum ducts are long tubes or ducts that run vertically in the stem and, therefore, are seen as tiny openings or pores on the transverse surface. In the Philippine mahoganies, these pores are embedded in relatively short arcs of parenchyma tissue (consisting of soft, unspecialized, thin-walled cells) and

are seen as tiny pores, which are smaller than vessel pores, embedded in whitish tangential arcs of parenchyma (Figure 6). The key above uses these features to provide some separation among the woods. However, we see that Swietenia is not separated from Entandrophragma cylindricum, and Khaya is not separated from Entandrophragma utile. For these separations, we need to rely on wood color. The color of Swietenia and Khaya heartwood is reddish, pinkish, salmon, or yellowish when fresh, darkening with age to deep, rich red or brown. By contrast, the

heartwood of the two Entandrophragma species is medium to dark reddish or purplish brown. Separating old wood among these is more difficult, but planing or slicing a mahogany board should reveal the lighter color. I might also note that Khaya and the lauans are more likely to have ribbon stripe grain pattern thanSwietenia orCedrela. With some practice, storied rays in Swietenia can be seen without the use of a hand lens, especially in the lightercolored, faster-growth material (Figure 3). Certain features are best seen on a dry wood surface while others are often clearer if the surface is wetted. Experiment until you achieve the best results. Practice first on well-identified samples, if possible, until you are comfortable that you can recognize the key features. However, if large monetary stakes are riding on the outcome of your identification, I would recommend contacting a reputable wood anatomist for a final verdict. The cost may well be worth it. Dr. Richard Jagels is a professor of forest biology at the University of Maine, Orono. Please send correspondence to Dr. Jagels to the care of WoodenBoat.

Yacht Sails Rigging BUILDERS OF HIGH-QUALITY HAND-FINISHED SAILS Full-service sail and rigging loft P.O. Box 71, Lincoln St., East Boothbay, Maine 04544 (207) 633-5071

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REVIEW PRODUCTS • BOOKS • VIDEOS • STUFF

The Six Metre— 100 Years of Racing The Six Metre—100 Years of Racing, by Pekka Barck and Tim Street. Bluewater Books and Charts, . 220 pp., hardcover, $140. ISBN 978–952–5045–31–4

Reviewed by Chris Museler

A

s a seventh grader in 1987, I distinctly recall the vision of a dozen Six-Meters tied like a quiver of arrows to a pier at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. I had drooled over shiny maxi racers and new IOR 50-footers in my young life as a bowman, but the sight of these Sixes, so elegant yet ridiculously powerful, became a permanent fixture in my memory. I did not know what it was about these boats that made them such an addictive attraction for me, especially since I had never sailed one. I was young and they were like candy. It was probably this inspiration that drew me to TOTEM, the 1930 Luders Six I owned, raced, and cruised for four years with my wife, and the reason why, though I do not now own a boat, that I am heavily involved with organizing the class in New England. My only issue with owning TOTEM was that I couldn’t decide if I enjoyed watching her sail more than sailing her. Watching the sinuous wave of her wake was almost better than sailing, as you could soak in the big picture. It is no surprise then that I had butterflies in my stomach when I saw the nearly two-pound copy of Pekka Barck’s and Tim Street’s bible of the class, The Six Metre—100 Years of Racing. The vertical aerial shot of a bright-sided Six crashing through a wave and the shiny Six-Meter logo that began to appear in the light as I moved around it were drawing me in. I flipped to the chapter on yachts, and the opening pull quote summed up what I could not

previously describe and why most people, not just sailors, are inspired by these diminutive, peculiar works of art. “The minute I saw SAGA, I fell in love with her. I thought she was the most beautiful boat I’d ever seen. I loved her shape, her sheer, her dainty transom, and her long, straight counter… It was terrible. All I could think of on the way back to the States were the lines of that darned boat. She literally haunted me.” That quotation from Cornelius Shields accurately describes the basic appealing qualities of an International Six-Meter, and why, just over 100 years after the first one hit the water, the class is actually growing, albeit mainly with classic restorations. The hardcover book itself is beautifully appointed with, as expected, pages upon pages of glossy, close-up shots of Six-Meters doing what they do best: sailing hard. September/October 2008

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From a full spread of modern Sixes with 3DL sails charging off a starting line to the image of the dusty yellow-colored modern ST. KITTS sliding along upwind with a white sand beach and palm-tree-covered hillside as a backdrop, the visuals in this book are stunning. The magical aspect, aesthetically, is the amazing collection of period images of boats that have made their mark on the class and the people who owned, designed, and sailed them. Images of the boats of this time are pure poetry, including those of the legendary Sparkman & Stephens–designed GOOSE and the fine-lined TUTTI V, a Gustaf Estlander design, under sail. A half-page shot of the British-American Cup team, including the hugely successful AMERICA’s Cup sailor C. Sherman Hoyt, in 1923 taken on the S/S MAURITANIA is a fascinating glimpse into the past, each owner in a three-piece suit, straw skimmer hat, and pipe in hand. The impressive aspect of this book is that you see images of the same boat racing in its heyday and also racing just last year. The timing of the book as it relates to the current renaissance in the class is perfect. It’s easy to just look in awe at the beautiful pictures on your first gaze at this book, but the chapters and text are tight little nuggets of detail that need not be read in order. This fun arrangement is tempered by the

different writing styles of the different authors that interrupt the flow of the book. This is largely because, as Pekka Barck recognizes in his foreword, the project was halted a year before publishing when his hard drive with all the book’s research crashed. All the material was lost. What happened after this disheartening blow was nothing short of inspiring as e-mails went out and class members volunteered to put the pieces back together. From coordinating the list of every known Six-Meter created to re-creating the designer and yacht profiles, this growing family of enthusiasts passed their first big test as a group with the successful release of this book. The list of various acknowledgments is long and spread throughout. Broken up into chapters including the rating rules, racing, designers, yachts, and countries, the book attempts to be both a grand coffee-table book and the definitive book on the class. It does both, and it is easy to overlook the change in styles as you pore over the fun details of British-American Cups, Scandinavian Gold Cups, and World Cups of the past and near past. Many images lack captions, but it is fun to decipher their origins and the yachts within them. It is a Herculean effort to try to sum up William Fife’s, Olin Stephens’s, Bjarne Aas’s, or Ian Howlett’s design influence on the class in two to three pages apiece. The

Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest Reviewed by Llewellyn Howland III Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest, by Daniel J. Boyne. Mystic Seaport, P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT 06355–0990, hardcover. 242 pp. $34.95. ISBN 0–939511–23–1

J

ack Kelly (1889–1960) was possibly the greatest oarsman who ever lived. His son, Jack, Jr.—“Kell” (1927– 1985)—ranks only a stroke or two behind him. Between them, with a handsome boost from Jack’s first cousin Paul Costello, they dominated the world of competitive single (and double) sculling for more than four decades. They did so with consistent grace, good sportsmanship, and rowing finesse. The Kellys’ rags-to-riches story is, and no mistake, one of the most remarkable in American sporting and social history. And the luck of the Irish has stayed with them in Daniel J. Boyne’s warm and winning new biography, Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest. John Brendan Kelly, born and raised in working-class Philadelphia, was one of 10 exceptionally talented children of poor but literate and ambitious Irish immigrant parents. Blessed with a good mind, a superb physique, 102

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and an iron will, though compelled by family circumstances to quit school in the eighth grade and apprentice as a bricklayer, Jack Kelly first made his athletic mark as a boxer. But while his quick temper and fists gained him the respect of his peers, it was Jack’s fortunate proximity to the Schuylkill River and its burgeoning blue-collar boat clubs that brought him into the world of competitive

WOODENBOAT REVIEW

Chris Museler is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. He wrote about the issues of classic yacht racing for WB No. 201.

rowing. His formative experiences on the Schuylkill, both in team boats and single sculls, taught him what a long, lonely river he—or any competitive oarsman, then or now—must travel to achieve technical mastery, never mind the self-discipline and stamina and cunning to excel in national and international competition. Yet Kelly experienced few major setbacks or detours on his way to greatness as an oarsman. Between 1908 and 1916 he won some 55 races. In 1914 he won the national NAAO championship in Association Senior Single Sculls (now called Senior Single Sculls), as well as in Senior Double Sculls (now called Elite Double Sculls). From 1914 to 1916 he won 13 races in succession. True enough, he did lose in the 1916 national finals. But as Jack’s indomitable mother reminded him right after the race: You’re not beaten until you stay beaten. With such words from such a mother, how could Jack go wrong? Long days as a bricklayer and long daily workouts on the river had certainly toughened Jack. They had also taken a physical toll. At least in this respect Jack’s military service during World War I proved to be a welcome break from rowing. During his time with the American Expeditionary Force in France, Jack briefly but successfully resumed his career as a heavyweight boxer. Only a broken foot kept him from going against Gene Tunney for the AEF heavyweight boxing championship. A civilian once more and now the proprietor of a rapidly growing Philadelphia construction firm, “Kelly for Brickwork,” Jack won the NAAO Senior Single Sculls (now the Elite Single Sculls) in 1919 and again in 1920. At the age of 30, he was indisputably America’s leading oarsman and well on his way to becoming a leading citizen

Karen Butler Photo

WINCHES

authors, however, did something that has never been done: they put it all in one place for us to see. The introduction by Olin Stephens, designer of some of the most successful Sixes of all time, is both technical and brilliantly simple in its message. He gives his lifetime of perspective by looking at the class as a continuous being as opposed to a bunch of antiques being restored for the sake of restoration. They are raceboats and are still racing. There are a few oversights in the book, but nothing can take away from the exciting compilation of images, stories, and statistics, including two bar graphs charting the number of Sixes built over time and the number registered by country. In Barck’s and Street’s book, there is an image from the 1920s in Finland of spectators in rows of folding chairs watching as silhouettes of 18 Sixes race upwind in an offshore breeze. It seems to me, and to Cornelius Shields, that watching these boats sail is a rewarding, inspiring experience in and of itself. The Six Metre—100 Years of Racing gives you the feeling those Finns were experiencing at that moment, since, in my estimation, watching a Six-Meter sail is just about as exciting as sailing on one.

SELF-TAILING WINCHES Upgrading from a standard to a self-tailing winch frees your tailing hand and allows a single person to trim or raise the sails. Either manage light loads with one hand, or use both hands to deliver more power to a Speedgrip handle.

POWERED WINCHES The touch of a button allows you to sit back while a powered Harken winch does all the work. Upgrading to powered winches lets you perform high-load jobs effortlessly and sail larger boats shorthanded. In marginal conditions a single electric winch can make the difference between sailing and motoring.

ELECTRIC WINCH CONVERSION Harken winches made after 1999 can be converted to electric power (size 44 and up).

1251 E. Wisconsin Ave., Pewaukee, WI 53072, Tel: 262-691-3320 Fax: 262-691-3008, Email: [email protected], Web: www.harken.com

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14th Annual

Windjammer Weekend August 29,30,31 2008

T

photo © Annie Higbee/Imagewright

he largest annual gathering of windjammers in the USA, reminiscent of the days when hundreds of coastal Schooners and wooden masts lined the Camden, Maine waterfront. Festivities include: Fireworks, Schooner Tours, Chowder Challenge, Treasure Hunts, Sea Music Pirates & Fun with a Nautical Flair.

Come check us out! windjammerweekend.com

of Philadelphia. The time had come for him to compete for England’s Diamond Challenge Sculls—“for an oarsman the closest thing to immortality.” But it was not to be. Despite earlier assurances to the contrary, Henley’s Committee of Management rejected Kelly’s application. It was an ugly reminder that the war to end all wars had not put an end to exclusion by class, race, ethnicity, or gender in Great Britain or elsewhere. Henley’s Stewards could not have spoken more plainly if they had said, “No Irish Bricklayers Need Apply.” Yet even from this bitter fruit, Jack was able to squeeze nectar. Barred from Henley, Jack was enabled to compete in the 1920 Belgian Olympics both in single and, with his cousin Paul Costello, in double sculls. In the deciding race for singles, which Jack won in world record time, he rowed against none other than the winner of the 1920 race for the Diamond Challenge Sculls. That same afternoon Kelly and Costello won the gold medal for double sculls. Four years later, in the French Olympics, rowing a double scull, they captured gold medals again. This, cruelly condensed, is Jack’s story. His son’s story differs, of course, in dates and particulars (among them education at a private school and at the University of Pennsylvania—no “manual labor” there), but includes “Kell’s” eight national single scull championships and— how could it have been otherwise?—winning the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley in 1947. Not the self-made

Rockler’s Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig and Bead & Radius Bits

The traditional Maine sardine carrier, Jacob Pike making the rounds of Penobscot Bay from station to station taking on fish.

SIDNEY CULLEN, COURIER GAZETTE

THE JACOB PIKE NEEDS YOUR HELP The Penobscot Marine Museum has a mission: The plan is to restore this iconic old vessel, one of only a few of her kind still surviving, to seaworthy condition. Once again ready for duty, she will ply the waters of Penobscot Bay along her former routes as a living educational exhibit of Maine’s important heritage in the commercial fishing and boatbuilding industries during their peak years. You can help us in our mission with a modest donation of $75. And to show our appreciation we will send you an 8" X 10" photo print of the Jacob Pike, like the image above. Send check or credit card to: Penobscot Marine Museum P.O. Box 498, Church Street Searsport, ME 04974-0498 (207) 548-2529 104

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by Karen Wales

C

raig Addis, an instructor at WoodenBoat School, told me that, if one were to mill all the strips needed to build just one Wee Lassie canoe, the combined cutting and routing operations would require each piece of stock to travel about a mile. Ripping thin stock presents danger and challenges. Until now, the best way I have known to rip uniform, thin pieces was to cut next to the fence, with the wide part of the board to the left side of the blade. To do this, I use a zero-clearance insert, a plywood-cutting blade, maybe a shop-made splitter, and a wide and sturdy push-stick. (Janet Collins uses this accepted practice in her article on inlay in WB No. 202.) Still, it is safer to keep the bulk of the wood between the fence and the blade, with the thinner portion to its left side. The new Thin Rip Tablesaw

WOODENBOAT REVIEW

man Jack Kelly was, Kell “lived the first part of his life thinking he was dad,” said Kell’s sister Grace, “and the second part…trying to be like James Bond.” An equivocal epitaph for a great athlete and fortunate son who died of a heart attack while jogging at the young age of 58. And what of Grace Kelly? The author assigns her only a walk-on part in this biography. But he does include a photograph of her congratulating Kell after a race. It is quite enough to remind us that while various oarsmen have won NAAO championships and the Diamond Challenge Sculls, only one was the brother of Princess Grace of Monaco. Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest goes easy on dates and statistics. It does not dwell on arcane points of watermanship or boat design and construction. It is sparing of detail (perhaps too much so) regarding Jack’s and Kell’s extensive business and political careers. Clearly, Daniel J. Boyne has written this book not to invade the privacy of the Kelly family, but to celebrate Jack’s and Kell’s athletic achievements on the water—and the hopes and values and skills and sacrifices that such achievements reflect. In this he has succeeded abundantly. Likewise, master designer Trish LaPointe has given the book a spacious and welcoming format. If the cost of such a format is the awkward placement of captions in the back matter, so be it. For the most part, the images speak for themselves. The reviewer is grateful to Radcliffe crew coach Kate Woll for wise counsel.

WOODEN BOATS? YES! YOU NAME IT Abeking & Rasmussen A.C.F. Carl Alberg John Alden Angelman Colin Archer John Atkin Benford Besotes Blanchard Brewer Brownell Burger W. Starling Burgess William Burgess Butler Casey Century Chapelle Cheoy Lee Chris-Craft Colonial Concordia Co. Consolidated Correct-Craft S. Crocker Crosby B.B. Crowninshield Dawn Derektor Dickerson Ditchburn Dodge Dunphy Egg Harbor ELCO Eldredge-McGinnis Fay & Bowen Feadship Fife Gamage

William Gardner Gardner Gar Wood Laurent Giles Thomas C. Gilmer Goudy & Stevens Grady White Grand Craft Grand Banks Greavette John Hacker William Hand Hanna L. Francis Herreshoff Nat Herreshoff Lyle Hess Higgins Hinckley Hodgdon Bros. Hood Huckins C. Raymond Hunt Hubert Johnson Morton Johnson Palmer Johnson Kettenburg Knutson Lawley Luders Luhr's Paul Luke Lyman MacKenzie Mason Matthews E. Monk Moody Morse Murphy Aage Nielsen

Nevins Old Town Olsen George Owen Ownes Pacemaker F. Paine Pembroke Penbo Penn Yann Murray Peterson Post Nick Potter Phil Rhodes Rice Bros. Richardson Riva Arthur Robb Rybovich Shepherd Shields Edwin Shock, Jr. Skiff-Craft Slickcraft Sparkman & Stephens George Stadel Olin Stephens Sweisguth Thompson Tollycraft Bill Tripp Trojan Trumpy Ulrichsen Viking Walsteds “Wink” Warner Watson Wheeler Wittholz Fenwick Williams

WE INSURE IT! Jig from Rockler allows strips to be taken smoothly and uniformly from the safer side of the blade. The Thin Rip Jig is easy to set up. A knob lets me lock the jig into the miter track of the saw’s table, and the jig has a graduated scale that lets me fine-tune my setting. My favorite feature, though, is the ball-bearing guide that presses against the board as the board passes through

A complete insurance program designed and serviced by wooden boat owners for wooden boat owners.

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1-800-959-3047 P.O. Box 188 • Mystic, CT 06355 September/October 2008

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the saw. This guide imposes almost no drag on the workpiece and allows for precise, repeatable cuts. The Thin Rip Jig stays put during the cutting operation; the fence moves after each cut. (If you’re ripping multiple boards, it’s best to do so assembly-line style: Make a single rip on each board before moving the fence and repeating.) I tested the unit against featherboards large and small. The featherboards impose friction on the workpiece. The Thin Rip Jig outperformed all comers. The holding pressure is, as Goldilocks might say, “just right.” It remains critical to use a zero-clearance insert when using this jig. Thin pieces are some of the worst offenders in tablesaw incidents, as they can fall between the blade and the insert and then be shot out with surprising force. The directions posted on the packaging do not adequately convey the importance of this need to users. It’s there, but it’s not prominent; I’d like to see the tool itself carry this warning. Still, whether you’re planning to cut boards into miles of stripping for boatbuilding or making a few delicate strips for intricate work, the Thin Rip Jig is a smart way to carry out the job safely and accurately. In building the Wee Lassie and a lot of other stripbuilt boats, whether large or small, the standard practice these days is to mill the edge of each strip with a bead on one side and a cove on the other side. That way, the strips mate in a hinge-like configuration that eliminates gaps, without beveled edges. For cutting these profiles, Rockler offers dual-profile router bits designed for cutting both the bead and the cove. The idea is that you cut the bead, raise the bit, and then cut the cove. These carbide-tipped bits, each with a 1⁄2" shank, come in three sizes: 1⁄8 " (for 1⁄4 " material), 1 ⁄ 4 " (for 1 ⁄ 2 " material), and 3 ⁄ 8 " (for 3 ⁄ 4 " material). I disagree with the basic premise of the dual-profile bit for this application since it is not a good idea to expose more blade than is absolutely necessary. In this case, when the cove profile is in use, the bead profile is exposed. This exposed blade can easily hook, shred, and catapult nearby material, including outfeed scrap or a passing finger. However, any of these bits can be used to cut the profiles on strips if the operation is done on a router table with an appropriate zero-clearance jig that covers the exposed upper profile while the lower profile is in use. Still, it would be my preference to use individual bits dedicated to each cutting operation. The Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig (item No. 36833) and Bead & Radius Bits (item numbers 36195, 36992, and 32906) are available at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, . Karen Wales is associate editor of WoodenBoat.

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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

Transatlantic with Street Transatlantic with Street. DVD. Produced and directed by Gavin Shaw. Distributed by Bennett Media Corporation; . 120 minutes, color.

Reviewed by Sally Erdle

I

n many ways sailing across the Atlantic in 1985 was more like it had been a century before than what it is like today—especially if you were doing it aboard an 80year-old, engineless wooden boat. But some things about sailing seem eternal: the joy of a fair-weather sunrise at sea after a long night watch, watching dolphins speed effortlessly in your bow wave, the satisfaction of learning seamanship from an experienced and patient skipper, the conflicting emotions of a longawaited landfall. This DVD is a re-release of the 1986 video made by British advertising executive Gavin Shaw, who took a three-month sabbatical to sail 5,000 miles with Don Street aboard the 44' IOLAIRE from Glandore, Ireland, to English Harbour, Antigua, via Vigo, Spain, the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, and the Salvage, Canary, and Cape Verde island groups. Street says, “We had no electronic navigation, only a Brooks and Gatehouse RDF, a sextant and a radio to check time signals. There were no cruising guides: We knew nothing of Porto Santo, the Salvage or the Cape Verde islands, and very little of the Canaries. We sailed in and out of everywhere as we had no engine.” With no self-steering gear either, the crew of five took turns hand-steering, by tiller, all the way. Shaw adds that IOLAIRE was a wee bit wetter to sail than the modern craft his skipper refers to as “twostring plastic bathtubs,” remarking that often “she feels like she’s sinking out from under you.” (No fear: The tins of food may have gotten rusty, but IOLAIRE had enormous and regularly exercised bilge pumps.) As Shaw said at the end of the trip, arriving in Antigua, “We felt more like explorers than tourists.” The DVD has a very “you are there” feel, giving a real sense of what it’s like to do a long ocean passage on a small boat. It’s a little too real sometimes—the format of Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four… (three months, remember) occasionally gets just as tedious as living through a long voyage when nothing much of interest is happening and you’ve run out of your favorite foods. But, as in bluewater voyaging, with all its sidetracks and slow spots, there are also moments of exhilaration

Antique Boat Center 1959 22' Riva Ariston Hull # A266 $112,900.00 Owner states that the boat is completely restored.

Sales, Service, and Full Restoration 5521 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45217 Tel (513) 242-0808 • Fax (513) 242-0555 www.antiqueboat.com • [email protected]

(207) 236-3561 www.gambellandhunter.net September/October 2008

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HOW TO REACH US TO ORDER FROM OUR STORE: To order back issues, books, plans, model kits, clothing, or our catalog, call The WoodenBoat Store, Toll-Free, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST (Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.)

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and transcendent natural beauty found nowhere but at sea. Shaw has an eye for shots that capture the moment, and the original background music by Craig Wrigley, mostly acoustic guitar, adds to the overall aesthetic appeal. The educational components of this DVD will be greatly appreciated, especially those segments concerning sail trim. Shaw’s clear line drawings show the various rigs (such as “poor man’s twin headsails”) used on the trip, and Don’s voice-over explains them. Also throughout are seamanship tips that are just as valid today as they were 23 years ago. Of the making of the original video, Shaw writes: “When Don saw the JVC equipment we hoped would survive the three-month passage from Ireland to Antigua, he said: ‘Electricity, copper and salt water make green gunge.’ However, electricity itself was in short supply on IOLAIRE and cooling the skipper’s beer was the first priority for the wind and water generators. Diverting enough power to charge the video batteries was one challenge. However, death by green gunge was the biggest threat to the camera on Don’s dear old boat. In ’85, a thousand gallons were hand pumped [from the bilge] every day when IOLAIRE was working in the Trades. We kept the filming equipment in an airtight case with a kilogram of desiccating crystals which were dried in the oven after the morning’s bread making. On deck, the camera was protected from spray and rain by a strong but lightweight plastic hood. With this regime the camera and recorder kept working all the way and had successfully captured 13 hours by the time Don’s Herreshoff bower anchor hit the bottom in English Harbour.” Many viewers today, accustomed to television and film’s current fad for quick, choppy cuts (three seconds is now a “long” shot) and a dozen car crashes per hour, might find this DVD’s pace—well, as slow as sailing itself can sometimes be. Just ease your mainsheet. It’s worth taking 120 minutes to settle in with a favorite beverage or two, a big bowl of popcorn, and a few sailing buddies and take this historic yet timeless trip. Sailing doesn’t lose its magic.

Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., EST:

Sally Erdle is editor of Caribbean Compass, a free monthly newspaper covering marine and shore-based topics in the Eastern Caribbean.

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BOOKS RECEIVED Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, by Lin and Larry Pardey. Published by Pardey Books, P.O. Box 29, Arcata, CA 95518. 223 pp., paperback, 3rd edition, $22.95. ISBN–13: 978–1– 92921–447–1. ISBN–10: 1–92921–447–2. New edition contains nine new chapters and builds on the Pardeys’ further cruising experience around Cape Horn since the last edition was published. The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing Story of the Powerful River in the Atlantic, by Stan Ulanski. Published by the University of North Carolina Press, 116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514–3808. 240 pp., hardcover, $40.00. ISBN 978–0–8078–3217–2. How the Gulf Stream was formed, how it changes, and its effects on ocean life, climate, human history, and transportation.

WOODENBOAT REVIEW

In the Wake of the Dhow: The Arabian Gulf and Oman, by Dionisius A. Agius. Published by Garnet Publishing Limited, 8 Southern Ct., South Street, Reading, RG1 4QS, U.K. 253 pp., hardcover, £35.00. ISBN 0–86372–259–8. Covering the history, construction, and types of Arabian dhows, this book includes many photographs and drawings, and an extensive glossary and bibliography. Seaborn, by Craig Moodie. Published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. 208 pp., paperback, $17.95. ISBN–13: 978–1–59643–390–8. ISBN–10: 1–59643–390–6. For young adults; a boy and his father sail their catboat to the Gulf Stream on a lark and run into a gale. Endless Sea: Alone Around Antarctica—as Far South as a Boat Can Sail, by Amyr Klink. Published by Sheridan House, Inc., 145 Palisade St., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522. 272 pp., paperback, $19.95. ISBN 978–157409–259–2. Brazilian adventurer and author Amyr Klink took about six months to sail his 50' aluminum boat, PARATH, from Brazil, below the Antarctic Convergence, and back again to Brazil. Messing About in Boats for 80 Years with Jack Sutphen, by Jack Sutphen. Published by Classic Yacht Foundation, 120 W. Dayton, Suite B-6, Edmonds. WA 98020. 92 pp., paperback. ISBN 0–9702569–5–7. At age 89, Jack Sutphen put together this book of photographs and memories of his extensive sailing experience, which includes several AMERICA’s Cup campaigns. The Life and Ships of Gardiner G. Deering: “Patriarch of Maine Shipbuilding,” by Kenneth R. Martin. Published by Tilbury House Publishing, 8 Mechanic St. #3, Gardiner, ME 04345. 216 pp., hardcover, $60.00. ISBN 978–0– 88448–307–6.Gardiner G. Deering (1833–1921) built nearly 100 schooners in his career as a shipbuilder in Bath, Maine. Herlinbåtar: Herlin Yachts, by Tore Herlin. Published in Swedish and English by the Swedish Herlin Society, Dalvändan 5, 139 54 Värmdö, Sweden. 2nd edition, 96 pp., hardcover. ISBN–10: 91–631–8440–0. Stunning collection of the plans of Swedish naval architect Tore Herlin; covers the period 1904–1964. The Complete Wooden Runabout Restoration Guide, by Don Danenberg. Published by Voyageur Press, Quayside Publishing Group, 400 First Ave. North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401. 432 pp., paperback, $34.99. ISBN–13: 978–0–7603–3488–1. ISBN–10: 978–0–7603– 3488–9. Previously published as two separate volumes, this guide covers hull surveying and repair as well as upholstery, plumbing, wiring, engines, and more.

and a DVD Zeb, Schooner Life: A film documentary about Zeb Tilton—the place he came from, the life he lived, the legacy he left. Directed by Gordon Massingham. Detrick Lawrence Productions, 140 Cooke St., P.O. Box 1928, Edgartown, MA 02539. . Zeb Tilton was a legendary schoonerman from Martha’s Vineyard; this film combines archival footage with interviews of modern-day Vineyard residents.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Schooners HAZEL HAWTHORNE, ALABAMA, and PRIDE OF BALTIMORE

EAST

Continuing through October 14 Lecture Series Bristol, Rhode Island The Herreshoff Marine Museum’s monthly lecture series continues on September 16 and October 14. Both lectures are at 7 p.m. The museum closes for the season November 2. Herreshoff Marine Museum, 1 Burnside St., Bristol, RI 02809–0450; 401–253–5000; . Continuing through November 6 First Thursday Speaker Series Point Allerton Station, Hull, Massachusetts Speakers had not been determined at press time. Dates are September 4, October 2, and November 6. Mass Bay Maritime Artisans, P.O. Box 73, Kingston, MA 02364; 617–462–7215; . Continuing through November 15 Various Events Hull, Massachusetts The South Shore Youth Rowing Fall Season begins September 15, with the Endless Summer Waterfront Festival held the following week on September 20. The annual Head of the Weir Rowing Race will be October 18 and the Pemberton Sprints will be held November 15. Hull Lifesaving Museum, Inc., P.O. Box 221, Hull, MA 02045; 781–925–5433; .

September 3–6 The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta and Yacht Race Provincetown, Massachusetts Four classes of all size boats race the same course alongside two classes of schooners. Seating on board the

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schooners is available for purchase offering spectators a rare chance to be in the race alongside the crew. The Great Provincetown Schooner Race, P.O. Box 559, Provincetown, MA 02657; ; 508–487–3000. 13 Classic Boat Day Duxbury, Massachusetts Wet paint auction, on-the-water boat show, races, and other activities. Event information, Missy Batista, 781–934–7555 or . Duxbury Bay Maritime School, P.O. Box 263A, Duxbury, MA 02332; . 20 Classic Yacht Regatta Southport, Connecticut The Pequot Yacht Club’s annual regatta is open to cruising sailboats built in 1970 or before with a current PHRF certificate, and the club is trying to boost participation by wooden yachts. Jeffery Priest, P.O. Box 935, Southport, CT 06890; 203–382–9001; . 27 Wolfeboro Rendezvous Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Held at the public docks. Follow it up with the Annual Fall Foliage Cruise on Saturday, October 11. Event information, rendezvous: Phil Spencer, 603–569–5038 or ; or Bill John, 603–569–5824 or . Cruise: Charlie Train, 603–569–4256 or , or Bill John as above. Sponsored by New England Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society; .

Level Marina. Event information, Brian Gagnon, 856–727–9264. Sponsored by Philadelphia Chapter, ACBS, c/o Brian Gagnon, 737 Mill St., Moorestown, NJ 08057; . 11–13 Chowderfest Mystic, Connecticut Food, music, kids’ activities, and more at Mystic Seaport. Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT 06355–0990; 860–572–0711; . 15–18 Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Baltimore, Maryland About 35 schooners are expected for the annual race from Baltimore to Portsmouth, Virginia. The race is dedicated to the Bay’s maritime heritage and preservation of natural resources. The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, P.O. Box 8176, Norfolk, VA 23503; 757– 362–0001; .

SOUTH September 19–20 18th Annual Smith Mountain Lake Antique Boat Show Huddleston, Virginia At the Mariners Landing Resort and Conference Center, Smith Mountain Lake. Event information, Tim Weitzel, 540–297–5104. Sponsored by Smith Mountain Lake Chapter, P.O. Box 332, Moneta, VA 24121; .

30–October 5 New York Classic Week New York, New York Events include Concours d’Élégance, Corporate Regatta, Statue of Liberty Race, Classic Parade, and more. To reserve a berth at North Cove, call 212–786–1200 or e-mail . Entry forms are found at their web site. Manhattan Sailing Club, 385 South End Ave., No. 7G, New York, NY 10280–1003; .

October 4 Fall Boat Show and River Cruise Wrightsville, Pennsylvania An annual event held at the Long

TIM WEITZEL

Continuing through October 4 WoodenBoat Classic Regatta Series Various locations, New York The final three regattas of the 2008 season are all in New York. On September 20, the Greenport Classic Yacht Regatta will be held in Greenport. Glen Cove hosts the Heritage Cup Regatta on September 27. The season closes in Manhattan on October 4 with the New York Classic Week Regatta. WoodenBoat Classic Regatta Series, P.O. Box 188, Mystic, CT 06355.

vie for position at the start of last year’s Great Schooner Race in Provincetown, Massachusetts. JULIAN POPKO

Continuing through October 4 Various events St. Michaels, Maryland The Boating Party, the museum’s fall gala fundraiser, is on September 13. Participate in Maryland’s Lighthouse Challenge by visiting lighthouses around the state on September 20 and 21. The Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival, a premier small-craft event, is on October 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, P.O. Box 636, St. Michaels, MD 21663; 410– 745–2916 ext. 136; .

Enjoy classic boats, music, food, and on-water demonstrations at this year’s Smith Mountain Lake Antique Boat Show.

Compiled by Robin Jettinghoff

October 10–11 Blue Ridge Chapter Annual Meeting and Show Chapin, South Carolina Lighthouse Marina on Lake Murray. Event information, Dennis or Julie Moore at 706–376–1433 or . Sponsored by Blue Ridge Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society, 123 Mr. Johns Choice Rd., Hartwell, GA 30643–2365. 10–12 Pickwick State Park Rendezvous and Boat Show Pickwick Dam, Tennessee Friday’s festivities begin at 9 a.m. Saturday’s get started at 11 a.m. Event information, Ned Smith, 901–767–1635 or . Sponsored by Dixieland Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society, 3293 Hoot Owl Ln., Birmingham, AL 35210; 205–956–9304. 18 Georgetown Wooden Boat Show Georgetown, South Carolina About 60 boats in the water and exhibits on land at Broad and Front Streets, with the first ever National Boatbuilding Championship at 12 noon. The top local teams from each of four cities currently on the National Boatbuilding Challenge circuit––Beaufort, North Carolina; Belfast, Maine; Kingston, New York; and Georgetown, South Carolina–– will vie for the national boatbuilding title and attempt to beat the current world record of 2:27:33. Event information, contact Georgetown Wooden Boat Show, P.O. Box 2228, Georgetown, SC 29442; 877–285–3588, . 18–19 Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival Madisonville, Louisiana The festival has been billed as the largest gathering of historic, antique, classic, and contemporary wooden sail, power, rowing, and steam watercaft in the South. Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, 133 Mabel Dr., Madisonville, LA 70447; 985–845–9200; . 25 7th Annual Wood Boat Show and Cowboys on the Water Plymouth, North Carolina More than 40 boats are expected for the event, now in its sixth year. There is no fee to display your boat. All events are free. Event information, Darcie Tumas at or 252–793–3677

The Dragon SOMMERFLUGEL,

US10 leads BARBAREE, CWB’s

Thunderbird #60 on a windward leg of one of the Saturday races during the 2007 Norm Blanchard WOOD Regatta on Lake Union, Seattle, in front of the Ship Canal Bridge.

or call Doward Jones at 252–809–3938 or e-mail . Roanoke River Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, West Water St., Plymouth, NC; .

CENTRAL September 27 Geneva Lakes Boat Show Fontana, Wisconsin At the Abbey Resort. Event information, Ted Cartner, 847–395–8902, P.O. Box 683, Antioch, IL 60002. Sponsored by Blackhawk Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society; .

November 12–14 Spray Finishing Workshops Toledo, Ohio A three-day intensive workshop, focusing on equipment and techniques. Jaime Wineland, Workshop Coordinator, Owens Community College, Center for Development & Training, P.O. Box 10,000, Toledo, OH 43699–1947; 800–466–9367, ext. 7320; .

WEST Continuing through October 11 Ancient Mariners Sailing Society Events San Diego, California The annual Cruise to Glorietta Bay will be September 20, the San Diego to Ensenada Race on October 3, and the last two 20 Guinea Cup Races will be held on September 6 and October 11. Ancient Mariners Sailing Society, P.O. Box 6484, San Diego, CA 92166; 619–688–6961; . Continuing through October 17 Third Friday Speaker Series Seattle, Washington The Center for Wooden Boats continues its series September 19 and October 17, both at 7 p.m. in the Boathouse. CWB, 1010 Valley St., Seattle, WA 98109; 206–382–2628; .

CHRISTINE DAVID, CWB

27 Antique and Classic Boat Show Raleigh, North Carolina Sponsored by the Triangle Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, of the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill areas, the in-thewater show will be at Lake Wheeler in Raleigh. Event information, Charles Mansfield, 919–688– 3024 or . Triangle Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society.

September 12–14 WCHA Northwest Chapter Fall Meet Naches, Washington A gathering of canoe owners and enthusiasts for a full weekend immersed in all things canoe. Held at Camp Dudley, Clear Lake, 14830 Tieton Road in Naches. Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Northwest Chapter, 1097 Jackson Way, Tsawwassen Delta, BC, V4L 1W5, Canada; . 13 Family Sleepover on the Star of India San Diego, California The imaginary voyage starts at 3 p.m. and runs until 9 a.m. the next morning. For reservations and more information, call 619–234–9153 ext. 124. San Diego Maritime Museum, 1492 North Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101; 619–234–9153; . 19–21 West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium Port Townsend, Washington Located at Fort Worden State Park Conference Center. This year’s theme is Women & Families. Contact Nikki Rekman, PO Box 243, Milner, BC, V0X 1T0, Canada; , 800–755–5228; . 26–28 Norm Blanchard WOOD Regatta Seattle, Washington Held on Lake Union, the regatta typically draws more than 50 boats. WOOD stands for Wood, Open, One-Design boats. Event information, Vern Velez, . The Center for Wooden Boats, 1010 Valley St., Seattle, WA 98109; 206–382–2628.

October 18–19 Jessica Cup San Francisco, California Sponsored by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Master Mariners Benevolent Association, San Francisco, CA 94109; 415–364–1656; .

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BOATBROKERS These fine companies have specific expertise in the care and maintenance of Riva boats. Alan Weinstein Associates Inc.

Sales, Service and Parts

Alan Weinstein ·7490 NW 42nd Court Lauderhill, FL 33319 · 954-747-1851 e-mail: [email protected] www.rivaguru.net

St. Lawrence Restoration Co. Inc. Don Price · 411 Franklin St. · Clayton, NY 13624 315-686-5950 · e-mail: [email protected] www.boatrestoration.com

Sierra Boat Co. Inc. Herb Hall · 5146 N. Lake Blvd. · Carnelian Bay, CA 96140 530-546-2551 · e-mail: [email protected] www.sierraboat.com

Brokerage of quality used Rivas is available.

C U S TO M BU I L D I N G

★

DESIGN

★

R E S TO R AT I O N

★

B RO K E R AG E

“INTUITION”

“LYRA”

“PIP”

2006, Modern Classic Sloop, 43'

2004, Bridges Point 24 Sloop, 24'

Located in ME. Asking $489,000

Located in ME. Asking $75,000

2004, Haven 121/2. Joel White design, built by Eric Dow. Located in ME. Asking $45,000

NEW LISTING PHOTOS AVAILABLE SOON “SEARENITY”

“TRACY KATE”

“DOUCE AMIE”

“SIRIUS”

1959, Vineland 32 Sloop, 32'

1989, Bridges Point 24 Sloop, 24'

1947, Phil Rhodes Sloop, 26'

1960, Lobster Yacht, 30'

Bill Tripp design, built by Vineland of Norway. Located U.S. East Coast. Asking $27,500

Built by Eric Dow of Brooklin, ME. Only Located in ME. Asking $28,000 wooden version of this Joel White design. Located in MA. Asking $47,000

Rich Brothers classic. Located in ME. Asking $38,000

DESIGN

NEW CONSTRUCTION, SERVICE & RESTORATION

BROKERAGE

207-359-2236 [email protected]

207-359-2236 [email protected]

207-359-2193 [email protected]

P.O. Box 143, Center Harbor • Brooklin, ME 04616 USA • www.brooklinboatyard.com 112

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Y.B.A.A. MEMBER

CANNELL, PAYNE & PAGE Y

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American Boathouse, Atlantic Avenue P.O. Box 1208 • Camden, Maine 04843 207–236–2383 • Fax 207–236–2711

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Further details and more listings at

www.cppyacht.com Email: [email protected]

BILL CANNELL JIM PAYNE

60' Custom Crowninshield/Lawley Sloop, 1903. Completely rebuilt in ‘90s. An outstanding yacht & a rare classic. Highly recommended. MD.

COAST PILOT—64' Eldredge-McInnis Offshore Tug Yacht, 1944 by Nunes Brothers. Fir/oak. 225-hp GMC. Extensively cruised including round trip to HI, and as tender to HOKULE’A’s Polynesian Expedition. West Coast.

DELILAH —47' Alden LADY HELENE Ketch, 1964, American Marine. Mahogany/oak/bronze. Sleeps 4 in roomy interior. Handsome, able yacht. MA. Asking $300,000.

41' Custom Derecktor K/CB Double-Planked Sloop/ Cutter, ‘64. Extensive upgrades include new sails, spars, rig. Outstanding performance & fun to sail. Highly recommended. ME. REDUCED & OFFERS ENCOURAGED!

PENOBSCOT—37' Mower/Hodgdon Bros. Universal Rule “R” Class Yacht. 1932. Yanmar. Sleeps 4. Classic racer/minimal cruiser. Recent refit. FL.

BERYL W—40' Alden/Morse Trawler Yacht, 1969. Mahogany/oak. Cummins. Sleeps 5. Well-maintained trawler yacht recommended as able cruiser. CT. Recent price reduction. $70,000.

32' Joel White Double-Headsail Cutter, ’91. Cedar/oak/bronze. Outstanding design built to very high standards & exceptionally well maintained. Widely admired & our highest recommendation. ME. Reduced.

38' Matthews Classic Cabin Cruiser, 1928. Mahogany/oak/bronze. Extensively rebuilt & well maintained by longtime owner. Sleeps 5. NY.

ROSIE—28' L. F. Herreshoff Rozinante, 1996. Mahogany/oak/bronze, Port Orford cedar deck, teak trim. Fine example of one of L. F. Herreshoff’s finest designs. CT.

34' Frank Loud Aux. Cutter, 1977. Mahogany/oak/bronze. Westerbeke diesel. Sleeps 4. Many upgrades. Recommended. MD.

HILARIA—53' S&S/A&R CCA K/CB Yawl, 1966. Ford diesel. Sleeps 8. Major refit 2006-08. Twice Mackinaw winner. Finest possible pedigree. MA. Asking $450,000.

SEA ITCH—32' Atkin “Colin Archer” Double-Ended Cutter. Alaskan yellow cedar/oak. Albin diesel. Sleeps 4. Well-regarded coastal & offshore design. FL. $25,000. (Plan shows ketch rig.)

40' Concordia Yawl, 1957. Mahogany/oak/bronze. Yanmar dsl. Sleeps 4. Numerous upgrades over years. Offered by knowledgeable owner. Highly recommended. Near Camden, ME.

40' Custom Bluenose Boatyard Gaff Schooner, 1974. Pine/oak/bronze. Proven voyager to Azores, Med, Caribbean, & back. NS.

43' Custom Hossman Argentinean Yawl, 1969. Tightseam planking on lam. frames, copper rivets. Proven passagemaker & excellent sailer. Well built & recommended. Reduced. ME.

MOHICAN—66' Consolidated Commuter, 1929. Thoroughly restored with exhaustive attention to original detail. Recent cosmetic & mechanical re-fit. Superb original example of classic. Highly recommended. Greece/Italy.

LAISSEZ FAIRE—50' Alden K/CB Ketch, 1961. Able & comfortable. Thorough maintenance/significant upgrading including recent new deck & frame & plank replacement. Reduced. FL.

50' Elco Flat-Top Cruiser, 1926. Extensively upgraded. Sleeps 7. Well-equipped and maintained. CT.

SAIL

35' Warner Cruising Cutter, 1980. Cedar/oak/copper/bronze. Highly recommended.

46' Scots Zulu Gaff Ketch. Completely rebuilt. Highly recommended. MA.

20' SANDBAGGER GAFF SLOOP, ‘02. MA. Reduced.

36' International 600 Yawl by Henry/DeDood. Perkins diesel. Mahogany/oak/Monel. Sleeps 5. REDUCED. MA.

50' Rhodes/A&R Yawl, ‘51. Mahog/oak/bronze. Wellequipped, proven cruiser/racer. VA.

21' ALDEN/FENWICK WILLIAMS gaff-rigged aux. sloop. Cedar on oak. Yanmar diesel. MA.

39' CONCORDIAS—Several 39 & 41 Yawls. Inquire for prices & locations.

52' S&S/A&R CB Motorsailer Dsl Ketch. MD.

26' Stadel Pilot Sloop, 1951. Cedar/oak/bronze. Atomic 4. Handsome traditional design. ME.

43' NIELSEN/WALSTED Double-Ended Ketch. Recent major rebuild. Outstanding condition. Tasmania.

POWER

35' Mod. Herreshoff NEREIA Masthead Ketch, 1966. Very well equipped & upgraded. RI.

44' Scheel-Designed Fishers Island 44 PH Teak Ketch, ’62. NY.

36' Down East-Style Lobsterboat. Extensively upgraded & re-powered. ME.

16' HERRESHOFF 12 1/2 Gaff Sloop, 2007. Highly recommended. ME.

NEW LISTINGS WELCOME • MORE LISTINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

BOATBROKERS

David Jones Yacht Brokerage

Classic Wooden Boats P.O. Box 898 • Rockport, ME • 04856 207-236-7048 • www.davidjonesclassics.com

TRISTAN — 1980 Friendship Sloop 25'. Traditional and handsome classic. Survey available. $19,500 (RI).

NYLLA — 1954 Sam Crocker center cockpit schooner 36'. Immaculate condition. Sleeps 4. $98,000 (ME).

DANIEL WEBSTER CLEMENTS — 1997 Biloxi schooner 73' LOA. USCG Approved for 49 day passengers, 20 overnight. $1,200,00 (FL).

FIRE ISLAND BELLE — 1948 Wheeler 62' ferry converted to woodworking shop and living accommodations. $95,000 (CT).

SEA LARK — 1960 Matthews 42' double cabin flying bridge cruiser. Very comfortable, survey available. $110,000 (CT).

ROSE OF YORK — 1952 Laurent Giles Cutter 38'. Proven passagemaker and swift racer. Well cared for. $120,000 (CT).

DODSON BOAT YARD www.dodsonboatyard.com

Sistership

Dame of Sark: 1961 39'10" Concordia Yawl. Hull #86 Bright hull & trim, impeccably maintained. Thoroughly rebuilt to highest yacht standards. $285,000

1956 39' 10" Concordia Yawl #44. $110,000 Full restoration services available. Please contact us to discuss your project.

Howard Taylor CPYB • Dodson Boatyard LLC • 194 Water St, Stonington, CT 06378 Tel 860-535-1507 x114 • Fax 860-535-2163 • E-mail [email protected]

300 Gulf Road, P.O. Box P-203, So. Dartmouth, MA 02748 Tel (508) 999–1381 Fax (508) 999–0450 [email protected]

Watch Hill Yacht Services 3 India Point Road Westerly, Rhode Island 02891 401-596-8815 watchhillyachts.com

33 High Street Poole BH15 1AB, England Tel: +44 (0) 1202 330077

“Bavishing Reauty”, 40' Camden Shipbuilding/Malcolm Brewer designed and built, 1946. Bristol condition - professionally maintained. Many upgrades. $95,000 (RI)

“Pilgrim”, 45' Sparkman & Stephens Keel/Centerboard Yawl built by Nevins, 1946 Exceptional condition. Complete refit, most recently centerboard trunk replaced by Gannon & Benjamin. $240,000 (RI)

Rebecca of Vineyard Haven Classic wooden schooner, built 2001, 60'/18.28m on deck, Angelique and silver and bali on white oak. A yacht of “jaw dropping” beauty, built for the next 100 years! Designed and built by Gannon & Benjamin, Martha’s Vineyard USA – their designs are famous for their speed, seaworthiness, practicality and simplicity. Accommodation for eight in four cabins, she displays exquisite craftsmanship both above and below deck. Conceived as his “dream yacht” by the designer, to combine blue water cruising with classic racing (1st Classic Class in Antigua Classics 2002) she is fully MCA coded for charter, skipper maintained and carries a CIM rating. Price £ 925,000

Lying France

email: [email protected] www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk 114

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WoodenBoat 204

“Hummingbird”, 68' Trumpy Motoryacht, 1971. Impeccable condition. Houseboat with galley up. Complete professional upgrade and refit including twin MAN 800HP diesels with a top speed on plane of 20 plus knots, new Kohler generators and more. With these upgrades, she is truly one of a kind! Price available upon request. (RI)

Additional photos and detailed information on our website:

watchhillyachts.com

AQUILA 40' Hacker-Craft Custom Lightly used unique picnic boat. $275,000

BANDICOOT 39' Abeking & Rasmussen CB Sloop, 1962 Highest quality, fine sailer. Asking $89,000

Ged Delaney – Broker, Ext. 125 One Shipyard Lane / PO Box 408 Doug Weber – Broker, Ext. 124 Cataumet (Cape Cod), MA 02534

1 (508) 563-7136

www.KingmanYachtCenter.com

METINIC YACHT BROKERS

Member

52' Malabar VI Schooner l924 John Alden design #248B

LIBERTY For Sale Requesting $180,000 USD Serious offers considered • Classic

• Historically significant • Manageable maintenance • Numerous sail combinations • Powerful and fast • Beautiful

Take advantage of 20 years of experience with the yacht business. Whether your search is for buyer or boat, the process should be effective and painless, even a pleasure. It takes time as well as experience to best serve your needs. We give you both. 124 Horseshoe Cove Rd., Harborside, Maine 04642 • 207–326–4411 — Located at Seal Cove Boatyard —

LIBERTY at Sweethearts Classic Regatta 2007

Contact: Robin Clair Pitts 9901 Estate Emmaus St. John, VI 00830

38’ Starling Burgess US1 Design. Built in 1944. A classic high performance daysailer to rival those from the chic manufacturers of today. Very good condition. $32,500.

Web site: www.coralbaystjohn.com/Liberty.htm Telephone: 340-779-4994 Fax: 340-776-6136 Email: [email protected] September/October 2008

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BOATBROKERS

GOOSE 33' Buzzards Bay 25, 1999 Cold-molded, excellent condition. $125,000

BOATBUILDERS P E A S E B O AT W O R K S • C H AT H A M , M A

Dedicated to preserving the traditional skills

Introduces a timelessly beautiful 26 foot center console…

of wooden boat building, repair, & restoration.

This new center console couples our 25 years of custom boat building experience with the desire to offer a traditionally handsome vessel that is strong, [email protected] •

5 0 8 - 9 4 5 - 78 0 0

or over 37 years, Billings Diesel and Marine Service has provided one-stop service for yachts and work boats of all sizes and types, specializing in yacht restoration. For engine sales and repair, full woodworking facilities, AwlGrip, expert painting and varnish work with heated work space and a fully stocked marine store, call Billings.

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fast, quiet, and fuel efficient.

Now in our 53rd year! One of the more experienced crews on the East Coast. The result is quality workmanship.

STORAGE • REPAIRS • RESTORATION

New constrution — 25' classic runabout

BOATBUILDERS

Rhodes yawl, repowered and refinished

Herreshoff Rozinante undergoing total refit

Rozinante at the dock prior to sail away

Wet Winter Storage Available in Our Marina • WOODEN BOAT SPECIALISTS • • • • • •

HULL REPAIR and MODIFICATIONS PAINTING and REFINISHING REPOWERING RIGGING CHANGES RAIL and LIFELINE INSTALLATION

• • • • •

AWLGRIP REWIRING ELECTRONIC INSTALLATION CUSTOM FIBERGLASS WORK PEDESTAL STEERING

Visit us or call. Your boat is our first concern. 70 MAPLE STREET • BRANFORD, CT 06405 (203) 488–9000 [email protected] Visit us at: www.dutchwharf.com September/October 2008

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BOATBUILDERS

Tribute Performance Boats

Tribute, builders & designers of high-performance wood & epoxy sportfish boats 15924 Assembly Loop Jupiter, FL 33478 (561) 775-6060

www.tributeboats.com [email protected]

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SEA ISLAND BOAT BUILDERS SEA ISLAND SHIPWRIGHTS Custom Boat Builders • Charleston, South Carolina

Just Launched and for Sale — Commuter 36.

Mark Bayne — Boat Builder/Shipwright 843-886-3077 [email protected] 118

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WoodenBoat 204

www.seaislandboatworks.com

Wooden Boat Repairs Since1981 1981 Since Plank and Frame Repairs Interior Joinery Cold-Molding

Recent Projects Include:

Annual Maintenance

• A total re-framing and re-decking of the 1923 R Boat “Nayada” (pictured above) • Continuing restoration of the 1931 65' Chesapeake Bay Buy Boat “The Mary Jemison” • Total restorations of: 1936 Chris-Craft Utility, 1940 Chris-Craft Barrelback, 1955 Chris-Craft Capri, 1955 Century Speedboat

• These and other fine boats can be seen at www.cwbw.com

435 Old Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY 14850 607.272.1581

BOATBUILDERS

• And many more projects in our two locations. Please call or e-mail to inquire about the boat that you love

1-800-397-3442 www.zimmermanmarine.com

The 1929 Fife Belle Aventure remains in our fully climate controlled restoration facility for her extensive refit.

The Boothbay Harbor Shipyard 120 Commercial St. Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 207-633-3171 www.boothbayharborshipyard.com September/October 2008

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Ron Rantilla Rowing Systems

GANNON & BENJAMIN

Forward facing rowing systems, touring rowboats, kits and plans www.frontrower.com 30 Cutler Street, Warren, RI 02885

24' catboat, launched July

PHOTO: LYLE ZELL

Marine Railway, Inc., • PO. Box 1095 Beach Rd. • Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 (508) 693–4658 • Fax (508) 693–1818

Other Projects:

BOATBUILDERS

• 36’ power boat, spring ‘09 launch • 45’ sloop, 2009 launch • Herreshoff 12 1⁄2, complete rebuild

Please contact us for custom designs and traditional construction. e-mail: [email protected] web: www.gannonandbenjamin.com

CROCKER’S BOAT YARD, Inc. 15 Ashland Ave. ~ P.O. Box 268 ~ Manchester, MA 01944 978–526–1971 ~ 888–332–6004 ~ Fax 978–526–7625 www.crockersboatyard.com Full service yard for wood & fiberglass yachts Restorations a specialty

28' Crocker DesignDesign #271 #271 28' Crocker All of Sam Crocker’s designsdesigns All of Sam Crocker’s available at Crocker’s Boat Yard available at Crocker’s Boat Yard

TRADITIONAL BOAT WORKS, INC. New construction & repairs on wooden boats only. Masts and spars a specialty. Superb craftsmanship by skilled professionals, at reasonable rates, in one of the few quality West Coast wooden boat yards. Fully insured, references.

Douglas Jones 3665 Hancock Street San Diego, CA. 92110 Phone or Fax: 619-542-1229 [email protected] www.traditionalboatworks.net

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Christopher Dalton

Current Projects include: • PC – PUFF • Rhodes 33 – THERAPY • 55' mast for WHISPER • Several classic projects available (please inquire)

PACIFICA–49' S & S yawl built by HB Nevins in 1947. Rebuilt by TBW in 2005-2007.

FRENCH W E B B & COMPANY, INC.

BOATBUILDING

& CUSTOM JOINERY

BOATBUILDERS

21 F RONT S TREET B ELFAST, M AINE 04915 207~338~6706 fax 207~338~6709 www.frenchwebb.com

Beetle Cat Boat Shop

J IMMY S TEELE ’ S D OWNEAST P EAPOD

®

Sole Builder of the Beetle Cat Boat

28' Hanley Catboat KATHLEEN on her Maiden Voyage

Custom wooden boat building and restoration from traditional rowing craft to 30' power and sailboats.

A Fine Maine Tradition Rows On

©OLIVIER BARNAUD

O

riginally designed for lobstering close to shore, peapods are

beautiful, seakindly, and a dream to row. In a tribute in Maine

Boats, Homes & Harbors (March 2008), author Bill Mayher praises

WE OFFER:

Beetle Cat & NEW Beetle 14' Catboat

• New Boats • Used Boats • Storage • Parts • Repairs • Maintenance

Beetle, Inc. 3 Thatcher Lane • Wareham, MA 02571 Telephone 508.295.8585 • Fax 508.295.8949

www.beetlecat.com

Jimmy’s Downeast Peapod for its “...sweet sheer and near perfect balance between lightness and strength....” Built for 40 years by premier peapod builder Jimmy Steele. Still being built in Jimmy’s shop in Brooklin, Maine, using his jigs, molds, and tools. LOA 13' 6" • Beam 4' 6" New England white cedar planks on New England red oak frames From lines drawn by Captain Havilah H. Hawkins, Sr.

“Riding like a seabird on the water, it will rise to surprisingly big oncoming seas without taking water, or even spray, over the rails.” —Maynard Bray, The Book of Wooden Boats

DOWNEAST PEAPODS Rows quick Order your Peapod today: 207-570-8585 Tows slick w w w. d o w n e a s t p e a p o d s . c o m September/October 2008

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Rumery’s Boat Yard BOATBUILDERS

Biddeford, Maine 04005 (207)282-0408 www.rumerys.com

Elegant & fast – no wake Your choice of deck and cabin layout

Rumery’s 38

A full service boatyard Inside storage, custom construction Repairs & restoration of wooden & composite boats to 50 feet

Introducing The Samoset 30 Custom Built, cold-molded, deep-V, Yanmar 440

SAMOSET BOATWORKS, INC. 106 Industrial Park Drive • Boothbay, ME 04537 207-633-8350 • 207-633-8351 (Fax) [email protected] • www.samosetboatworks.com

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FREE E-Newsletter! Simply go to www.woodenboat.com and enter your email address in the box on the right.

Stay in touch with ALL we do! 122

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The West Point Skiff Traditional pine strips and oak construction using SiBr throughout 16, 18 and 20 foot models available

300 West Point Road, Phippsburg, Maine 04562 www.westpointskiff.com (207) 389-2468

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Because every wooden boa  has a story

CUTTS & CASE SHIPYARD a full-service boatyard

DESIGNERS & BUILDERS OF FINE WOODEN YACHTS

Caring for classic wooden boats and their owners since 1928 • Restoration • New construction • Antique marine engine restoration

SINCE

1927

P.O. BOX 9 TOWN CREEK OXFORD, MD 21654 410-226-5416

Lake George, NY 518-668-5437 www.hallsboat.com ©2008 Hall’s Boat Corporation. All rights reserved. 004-0708

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BOATBUILDERS

Nichols Boat Builder LLC – Richard Nichols, Builder

An elegant personal launch for the discriminating yachtsman or yachtswoman.

The Homewood Landing 24 by Annapolis Classic Watercraft

MP&G L.L.C. BOATBUILDERS

Wood Boatbuilding & Yacht Restoration

866-263-9366 www.uncommonboats.com [email protected]

Inside SPARTAN

929 Flanders Rd., Mystic, CT 06355 860–572–7710 • Fax 860–536–4180

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Mike Kiefer, Boatbuilder

DAMIAN McLAUGHLIN JR.

GREAT LAKES BOATBUILDING CO. 14' Whitehall Rowboat

•

This is the finest rowboat on the water. Order your dream boat today.

Visit our website for more information: www.greatwoodboats.com

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BOATBUILDER

269–637–6805

Wood Construction and Restoration to 50'

THOMAS MIGNONE

7066 103 Ave., South Haven, MI 49090

Custom Boats and Yachts Since 1970

www.dmcboats.com

Proud Builders of Arey’s Pond Catboats and Custom Boats. • • • • • • •

14' 16' 16' 16' 18' 20' 21'

Cat Lynx Cabin Lynx Open Launch Daysailer Cruising Cat Launch (508) 255-0994 • 45 Arey’s Lane, Box 222, S. Orleans, MA 02662 www.areyspondboatyard.com

BOATBUILDERS

Portage Boat Works, LLC Building New History

Fine custom built mahogany runabouts 30 years experience in correct restoration & repair

—Tennessee River—

P

hil Mitchell — Wooden boat restoration and repair. All makes cruisers, runabouts, and sail. Major hull work, small repairs, refinishing.

—Call 865-603-1418— 1316 Indian Shadows Dr., Ten Mile, TN 37880

P

E N D L E T O

YACHT•YARD

N

R e b u i l d e r s o f C l a s s i c Ya c h t s 525 Pendleton Point Rd. • Islesboro, ME 04848 (207) 734-6728 • www.pendletonyachtyard.com September/October 2008

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KITS & PLANS

the best boats you can build.™ Plans and Kits for Kayaks, Canoes, Rowing Craft, Dinghies, Sailboats, and More! Stitch & Glue – Strip Planked – Guillemot Kayaks – Boat Building Supplies and Accessories ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

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| 410.267.0137 |

www.clc boats.com

NEW BOOK! IN PURSUIT OF GLORY by William H. White Sail again with Oliver Baldwin in the US Frigate Chesapeake as she leaves Hampton Roads, VA on a routine patrol. Anything but routine, the ship is confronted by the 50 gun HMS Leopard outside the Virginia Capes. The British ship is seeking Royal Navy deserters and, when Commodore James Barron refuses the British captain’s orders to produce them, fires into the ill-prepared American frigate with disastrous results. This lop-sided fight was one of the major contributors to the War of 1812 which started five years later. Following the ensuing court martial, Stephen Decatur takes command of Chesapeake to enforce the Jeffersonian Embargoes on the Atlantic seaboard with Oliver, Henry Allen, and others from William H. White’s The Greater The Honor. Oliver will experience more – though less disastrous – encounters with ships of the Royal Navy, and ultimately, the start of the War of 1812. 6" x 9", 352 pages, hardcover, $38 postpaid US & Canada/$52 Int’l. Airmail. or softcover $23 postpaid US & Canada/$34 Int’l. Airmail.

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KITS & PLANS

A9/08

— Cradle Boat —

PARKER MARINE ENTERPRISES

BABY TENDER

STOCK PLANS & CUSTOM DESIGNS

Classic lapstrake elegance for the newborn sailor.

BABY TENDER 45" x 22" Classic yacht tender with davits. Lapstrake planking on bent frames, copper riveted. Plans & Patterns $49

Commuter 36

BABY TENDER II 46" x 22" Traditional flattie skiff. Lapstrake planking, copper riveted. Includes rockers and davits. Plans & Patterns $39

Bateau 25

Catalogue of Cruising Sail . . . . . . . . .$30 Catalogue of Sharpies . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25 Catalogue of Power Boats . . . . . . . . . .$20 Catalogue of Small Craft . . . . . . . . . .$20 The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding . .$25 The Sharpie Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25 The Voyages of Fishers Hornpipe . . . .$35 Postage included — Overseas add $5 Sorry, we do not accept credit cards

PO Box 651429, Vero Beach, FL 32965 [email protected] www.parker-marine.com

JOLLY BOAT ROCKER 48" x 23" Salty flatiron play skiff, for the older sailor. Plans & Patterns $32

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE WATERCRAFT

New book by Warren Jordan “Jordan Wood BoatsBoatbuilding My Way” A comprehensive manual of my boatbuilding techniques, and the ideal companion to plans from Jordan Wood Boats. $29.95 plus $7 S&H. (Plans ordered at the same time as the book ship for free).

FOOTLOOSE 15' BEACH CRUISER

Plans- $65

Flat Rate Shipping $4.50

Jordan Wood Boats P.O. Box 194 • South Beach, OR 97366 • 541-867-3141

www.jordanwoodboats.com

Viking - 22' x 92" Beam. Center Console Fishing Boat. Trailerable, Inboard, Outboard, Stern Drive. Plans & Patterns $105, postpaid. # PB 226 CC. Pre-Cut Kit Available.

KITS & PLANS

Wetback - 10' x 58" Beam. A Race Proven Real 3 Point Hydroplane. For Competition or Just Fun. Class A, B, or C. Speeds up to 70 mph with 30 hp. Plans & Patterns $45, postpaid. Boat Kit $895, plus shipping. #CU 42.

Bobcat - 8' 5" x 56" Beam. Fast Little Hydroplane. Easy to build. For adults or kids. All your friends will want to run this hydro. Up to 15 hp. Plans & Patterns $39, postpaid. Boat Kit $625, plus shipping. #SR 1.

Cedar Strip Designs -We have everything you need to build a cedar strip canoe, kayak or dinghy. Plans & Patterns, station molds, cedar strips, epoxy, fiberglass and more. Order our Boat Kit catalog for further details.

Mongoose -19' 8" x 86" Beam. Deep V racer. Speeds over 60 mph with 200 hp. Excellent for racing or skiing. Plans & Patterns $72, postpaid. #KS 198. Pre-Cut Kit Available. (Cuddy cabin version also available.)

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Bel Aire - 24' or 26' x 8' Beam. Modern Deep V Hull Form. Ideal for High Speeds in rough, choppy water. Plans & Patterns $130, postpaid. #PB 248X. Pre-Cut Kit Available.

Catalog of Boat Kits & Plans: $5.00 — USA $6.00 — Canada $10.00 — Overseas Priority Our Catalog of Boatbuilding Supplies is free. Epoxy resins & glues, fiberglass, paints, flotation foam, bronze and stainless fasteners, cable steering, books, and more.

Crown Cruiser - 24' or 26' x 8' Beam. A Classic Trailerable Model. Plans & Patterns $154, postpaid. #PB 70-72X. Pre-Cut Boat Kit Available.

Hartley 16 - Length 16' 5" x 88" Beam. Hull Depth 27". Draft 49". Plans & Patterns $49, postpaid. Frame Kit $380 (plus UPS). #C 30. (Other versions available from 12' to 28'.)

Pram/Dinghy - 6' x 42" or 8' x 48". Makes a fine rowboat, power up to 3 hp or an excellent sailboat. Plans & Patterns: 6' row $27; 8' row or sail $29, postpaid. Boat Kits: 6' – $435 (plus UPS), or 8' – $645; 8' Sail version – $960, includes mast, boom & rigging, less sail, plus shipping.

Kit Boat Kits — Kits of the 1950’s! You Can Build One! Exact reproductions of the Chris-Craft Kit Boat

Call 800-554-BOAT (2628) or email [email protected] www.jamescraftboats.com

Build. Paddle. Escape.

www.pygmyboats.com

rugged top rated

P r o d u c e d b y t h e c o u n t r y ’s l e a d i n g w o o d e n b o a t k i t m a n u f a c t u r e r. Designed by veteran wilderness paddler John Lockwood, built by you.

KITS & PLANS

P YGMY

versatile ultra-light

t h e osprey

P y g m y B o a t s I n c . , P. O . B o x 1 5 2 9 , D e p t . 2 5 , P o r t T o w n s e n d , W A 9 8 3 6 8 • 3 6 0 . 3 8 5 . 6 1 4 3

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DUDLEY DIX YACHT DESIGN Different boats for different folks Two small plywood designs, two very different reasons. Cape Henry 21 for relaxed cruising • Lapstrake plywood trailer-sailer Didi Mini for hard-nosed racing • Radius chine plywood. Please visit our website for more info.

dixdesign.com

KITS & PLANS

1340-1272 N Great Neck Rd. #343 Virginia Beach, VA 23454-2230 [email protected] • T: 757-962-9273 • F: 757-965-3573

THE WOODENBOAT STORE

The Nutshell Pram Kit One of the nicest towing, rowing, and sailing dinghies ever to hit the water has been built by thousands of folks—and for many, it has been their first boatbuilding project. Take your pick: The Nutshell Pram comes in either a 7' 7" or a 9'6" version—whichever best suits your needs and desires. Plans are $75, and kits run from $1290 to $1825. The kits include hardware, epoxy, building jig, precision cut pieces from the finest (hull is Sapele mahogany) materials. For more info: Toll-Free 1-800-273-SHIP (7447) or visit: www.woodenboatstore.com

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CLASSIFIED To place a Classified Ad in WoodenBoat , visit our website or call our Classified Ad Manager at (207) 359–4651. Deadline for the November/December issue: September 5, 2008

BOATBUILDING SHOPS

HADDEN BOAT CO. Wooden boat construction and repair to any size; sail and power. 11 Tibbetts Lane, Georgetown, ME 04548, 207–371–2662.

CHARTERS

JOHN M. KARBOTT BOATBUILDING. Custom wooden boat building and repair. Lobsterboat styles a speciality. WoodenBoat School instructor. Member Massachusetts Marine Trades Association. 789 Rocky Hill Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360. 508–224–3709, fax 508–224–8560, . INDEPENDENCE BOATWORKS— specializing in outboard skiffs and glued-lapstrake construction. P.O. Box 145, Defiance, OH 43512. 419–782–2876. . REPAIR, RESTORATION, STORAGE, and SURVEYS. Low overhead and low rates, 35 years experience. MICHAEL WOODEN NORSEBOAT 17.5 now WARR BOATWORKS, Stonington, ME, available! Beautiful, high-performance 207–367–2360. sailing and rowing cruiser with classic lines. Professionally built or in kit form HUNTER BAY WOODWORKING— for amateur constr uction. Tel: Custom building to 45'. Traditional 902–659–2790, web: . for Hunter Bay Boat Project. See WoodenBoat No. 195. Now building a Lyle Hess 32' Bristol Channel Cutter. Available for purchase. Lopez Island, WA, 360–468–2915, .

PISCES 21. Cold-molded daysailer crafted to the highest standards for long-lasting value and low maintenance. Also custom wooden boat building, brokerage and full service boatyard. Visit us on Mount Desert Island, Route 102, Bernard, ME 04612, 207–244–3374, .

NOMAD BOATBUILDING. Building, repair, and restoration to 20'. Traditional and modern construction. Victoria, BC, 250–884–1577, . crafted plywood/oak, epoxy bonded, stainless-steel screws. Rugged but lightweight. Easy rowing and towing. Stable underfoot. $1,100 & $1,400. Maxwell’s Boatshop, Rockland, ME 207–594–5492.

THE DORY SHOP—Custom-built small boats and Lunenburg dories since 1917. Oars and paddles, too. Call 902–640–3005 or visit . MIAMI, FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA KEYS. 30 years experience building, repairing, and restoring vintage and modern boats. Nice people, quality workmanship, reasonable rates. Please call 305–634–4263, , or visit our webpage .

NORTH BROOKLIN BOATS—Building “Sunshine” 10' 6" lapstrake dinghy. Traditional construction. Rowing and sailing models. Visit website for photos and inventor y. Brooklin, ME, 207–359–6550, 207–460–5814, , . boat restoration services and marine surveying. GARY LOWELL, Greensboro, WINDEMERE BOAT COMPANY— NC, 336–274–0892. . Now building John Brooks’s 12' “ELLEN” glued-lapstrake rowing/sailREDD’S POND BOATWORKS, Thad ing dinghy. . PA, 724–775–8972. MA 01945. 1–888–686–3443, 781–631– 3443. Classic wooden boats, tradi- FRIENDSHIP KAYAK—Custom kayaks tional materials. , .

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SAIL AS CREW ON A SQUARERIGGER—Explore Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, and the West Indies. Challenge yourself in ways you never thought possible. No experience needed. Barque "Picton Castle," 902–634–9984, .

SATTER’S RESTORATION—Traditional wooden canoes and boats restored. Quality woodwork, brightwork, repairs. Branchville, NJ, 973–948–5242, . THIN AIR CANVAS AND WOOD— Florida. Custom canvas by Deb: Cushions, covers, tops, enclosures. Woodworking by Dan: Vintage restoration, repairs, cabinetry. 30 years experience both fields. Highest-quality craftsmanship. Secure facility central Florida. 772–463–8493. REPAIR, RESTORE, BUILD. Structural and cosmetic repairs, interior and exte- SAIL MAINE ABOARD MAINE’S rior. Call CT, 860–828–3832, ask for OLDEST WINDJAMMER, “Lewis R. French.” Enjoy great sailing, lobsters, Fred Harrington. new friends, and fresh air (no smoking). CLASSIC YACHT RESTORATIONS. Sailing from Camden, 3-, 4-, and 6-day “Highest Quality Hand Craftsmanship cruises with only 22 guests, May–October. with an Artisan’s Eye.” Serving CT and Capt. Garth Wells, P.O. Box 992 W, RI shoreline. Mike Terry, 860–514–7766, Camden, ME 04843. 800–469–4635. . .

CLASSIFIED BUILD A DORY in Lunenburg, oneweek course at The Dory Shop, Sept. 15–20. Six openings. Call 902–640–3005 for details. .

SAIL ON THE ALDEN CLASSIC KETCH “Abigail.” Enjoy a daysail, overnight, or week-long cruise with experienced captain aboard this beautifully restored and maintained 39' wooden sailboat (see WB No. 167). Sleeps four comfortably. Book now for summer 2008. Brooklin, ME. NAVTECH MARINE SURVEYORS’ 207–266–1667, . COURSE. Surveying recreational/commercial vessels. U.S. Surveyors Association, Master Marine Surveyor program. FL, 800–245–4425.

CLOTHING

MARINE ART Bands in Gold & Platinum Hand-crafted in Maine

RATTY’S CELEBRATED QUOTATION with original illustrations featured on our shirts and bags. Toll-free 877–637–7464. .

EDUCATION

MARINE ENGINES

MODELS

REBUILT CHRIS-CRAFT 6-cyl engines, parts, manifolds, pistons, and bearings. Also a few Chris V-8s. MITCH LAPOINTE’S , 952–471–3300. GRAYMARINE, CHRIS-CRAFT, Chrysler engines remanufactured to the highest standards. All engines are test run at our facility and come with a written THE FINEST wooden pond sailers. warranty. We stock many models includ- Free brochure: 1–800–206–0006. ing the Gray four–112 and the Sea . Scout–91. We also have a large parts department with parts for above engines, also Zenith carburetors, Paragon, Borg Warner, AC and Carter fuel pumps. Van Ness Engineering, 252 Lincoln Ave, Ridgewood NJ 07450, 201–445– 8685, fax 201–445–3099. NEW 10 KW WESTERBEKE diesel generator, factor y seals, repair kit and sound shield. $8,000, offers. TN, 865–671–2279, . 1962 TWIN 6V-53 DETROIT diesel engines, in-frame factory rebuilt in 2006, original operating manual, two binder shop manuals. Will sell separately, $4,500 each, offers. TN, 865–671–2279, .

WOODEN POND MODEL KITS. Models that really sail! Great fun in pool, pond, or sea! Order toll free (U.S.) 800–533–9030. Visa/MC accepted. Brochure available Other kits and plans available, catalog $1. SEAWORTHY SMALL SHIPS, Dept. www.davidvirtue.com EPOXY COATED CARBON steel fuel W, P.O. Box 2863, Prince Frederick, tanks, 2  200 gallon. Custom built with MD 20678. . offers. TN, 865–671–2279, . note cards with the art, $150. See SABB AMERICA EAST, INC. Your sup. ply center for new engines and parts SHIP WEATHERVANES. Hand crafted, for all Sabb engines from Norway. 119 opulent, accurate, intricate, awesome. Lake Shore Circle, Leesburg, FL 34788. Stainless steel. Authentically painted. Phone 352–589–2882 or 888–301–1706, Incredibly striking. . MARINE ENGINE RESTORATION. BLUEJACKETS COME IN 3 SIZES! Total engine remanufacturing. We can K204 fiberglass 33" R/C boat, $375. machine for hardened valve seats and KLW207 planked 21.5", $112 “Down re-babbitt bearings, plus all the usual East Boat.” K1023 Red Baron solid hull machine and assembly work. DRAKE 12", $155 with tools and paint included. ENGINES, INC., 2285 Ridgeway Call or visit for our catalog of over 60 Ave., Rochester, NY 14626. 585–723–1336, model kits, fittings, tools, and books. Open all year long. Also specializing fax 585–723–1078. in antique model restorations/repairs. MARINE ENGINES AND PARTS: M-F, 9–4 year-round. Open Sat. in sumChr ysler, Graymarine, Chris-Craft, mer. BlueJacket Shipcrafters, 160 E. ATTENTION ICEBOAT SAILORS— Interceptor. Aftermarket thermostats Main St., Searsport, ME 04974, Portrait Pride creates custom regatta and alternators. Carburetor, fuel pump, 800–448–5567, . celebration posters and elegant, full- water pump rebuilding. Duby Marine, color portraits of your yacht or boat 254 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, UNIQUE MODEL BOAT KITS. See from your own photographs. Visit our NY 14120, 716–694–0922, fax Freedom Song Boatworks at exciting website .

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CLASSIFIED 12 INCH RADIO-CONTROLLED wooden model sailboat kits. Unique, simple, construction, and great performance. Free catalog. SCALESAILING, 1535 N. 36th Street, Sheboygan, WI 53081. 920–208–6863, .

JAMES WHARRAM DESIGNS—Easyto-follow plans for the amateur builder. Safe, seaworthy, catamarans 14'–63' in plywood/epoxy/’glass. Design Book $28.50, including p&p (Canada $32). Tel/fax: +(44) 1872 864792, Webshop: .

ELEGANT SCALE MODELS. Individually handcrafted custom scale model boats. JEAN PRECKEL, , 304–432–7202.

LEARN HOW TO BUILD your own cedar-stripped boat. Plans for dinghies, canoes, row, sail, paddle, outboard. . AZ, 520– 281–2901.

MOLDS FOR SALE DO YOU HAVE A SET OF HULL MOLDS? Are they taking up valuable shop space? Can't bear to burn them after all of that careful work? Would you like to sell them to another builder? If so, advertise them in our classified advertising section, Molds for Sale! Please visit our website, or contact Kate for more information.

WoodenBoat Classifieds P.O. Box 78 Brooklin, ME 04616 Phone: 207–359–4651 Fax: 207–359–8920 [email protected] www.woodenboat.com CNC PRECISION-CUT MOLDS from your plans that are quick and easy to assemble. Self-aligning, self-plumbing, notched, and numbered with built-in strongback. For both amateur and professional boatbuilders. CNC Routing & Design, Camden, ME, 207–542–4753 or . Please visit our website: .

PLANS & KITS

ATKIN ILLUSTRATED CATALOG— newly expanded, illustrated, 135-page, with more than 300 Atkin designs. Famed Atkin double-enders, rowing/sailing dinghies, houseboats, and more. $15 U.S. and Canada ($22 US for overseas orders). Payment: U.S. dollars payable through a U.S. bank. ATKIN BOAT PLANS, P.O. Box 3005WB, Noroton, CT 06820. , . CATALOG OF 40 SIMPLE PLYWOOD boats, $4. JIM MICHALAK, 118 E. Randle, Lebanon, IL 62254. .

134 • WoodenBoat 204

BUILD THE TANGO SKIFF

www.tangoskiff.com

VISIT . Monfort Associates. 25 designs. Plans, partial kits, VHS or DVD. ME, 207–882–5504. 28 DESIGNS IN OUR $12 brochure— row, sail, power, 8'–26'. Free driftboat PAUL GARTSIDE, LTD. Boat plans plans. 503–982–5062, . wooden boats $10 US or CND. MasterCard/Visa. PO Box 20059, Sidney, 13 PROVEN TAPED-SEAM designs BC V8L 5C9, Canada. 250–656–2048. for oar, power and sail. 10'–26'. Free . catalog. TRACY O’BRIEN MARINE DESIGN, 360–748–4089 or .

BUILD N.G. HERRESHOFF’S COQUINA, 16' 8" sailing & rowing boat. Under license from MIT’s Hart Nautical Collection, Maynard Bray and Doug Hylan have produced a builder’s package designed for both amateur and professional builders. Plans—11 sheets of detailed drawings for both cedar and glued plywood lapstrake construction. Includes Herreshoff’s original construction drawing. $200 + $10 S&H. CD—550 photos and text describing all aspects of construction, $50 + $5 S&H. Study plans—4 pages of small-scale drawings & photos, $10 + $2 S&H. Send check or money order to: Coquina, 53 Benjamin River Dr., Brooklin, ME 04616.

FOUR SIZES. Information, $6 US. BERKELEY ENGINEERING, 827 Paso Dr., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406, , 928–453–8840.

HANKINSON DESIGNS—Barrelbacks, tugs, cruisers. Available exclusively from Glen-L Marine. Free online catalog at .

ORCA BOATS—Strip/epoxy canoes and kayaks, plans, materials, courses, repairs, and restorations. . PIROGUE KIT $59.50, includes plans, BC, 604–312–4784. precut cypress stems and ribs. Price includes shipping; Louisiana residents add 4% sales tax. Sailing skiff and jon boat plans. Boats designed for the novice builder. UNCLE JOHN’S, 5229 Choupique Rd., Sulphur, LA 70665. Visa/MC, 337–527–9696. Visit our site .

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION plans from the National Watercraft Collection, H.I. Chapelle drawings, Historic American Merchant Marine Survey, etc. Send $20 check to SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION for 250-page catalog to: Smithsonian Ship Plans, P.O. Box 37012, NMAH-5004/MRC 628, Washington, DC 20013-7012. .

GRACE’S TENDER is a great introduction to boatbuilding, sailing, and rowing. 8 ft, 55 lbs. Plans, DVD, kits available. Arch Davis Designs. 207–930–9873. .

BOAT KITS—PLANS—PATTERNS. World’s best selection of 200+ designs. Catalog $5. Boatbuilding supplies— easy-to-use 50/50 epoxy resins/glues, fasteners, and much more. Free catalog. CLARKCRAFT, 16-42 Aqualane, BUILD A BOAT AND CREATE Tonawanda, NY 14150. 716–873–2640, MEMORIES to last a lifetime. Proven . plans, full-sized patterns and kits make it simple to build your dream boat. Send $9.95 today for NEW catalog CD, . Glen-L, 9152 Rosecrans Ave./WB, Bellflower, CA 90706. 888–700–5007.

CLASSIFIED

POSITIONS

SAILS

SERVICES

DOUGLAS FOWLER SAILMAKER. Highest-quality, full-seam curve sails since 1977. Traditional sails a specialty. White, colors, and Egyptian Dacron in stock. 1182 East Shore Dr., Ithaca, NY 14850. 607–277–0041.

HAVE TOOLS WILL TRAVEL. Wooden boat builder will build, rebuild, or repair your project on site or in my shop. $20/hour. MA, 413–586–2007; VT, 802–365–7823. MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM has the following available. Shipwrights—Fulltime positions, must be able to work flexible hours/weekends (rotating), possess driver’s and CT Safe Boating licenses, knowledge of carpentry with experience in boat maintenance, ability to communicate well with volunteers/visitors and the ability to work unsuper vised. Job requires bending/lifting/climbing in all weather. Shipwright Apprentice—Full-time, temporary (one-year) position for individual interested in hands-on woodworking, boatbuilding, and historic watercraft preservation. Must be willing to work flexible hours and weekends on rotating basis, have knowledge of application coatings, possess valid driver’s license, have or willing to achieve CT Safe Boating Certificate. Must be able to communicate well with volunteers and visitors. Successful candidate will receive Certificate of Completion. For information or an application, visit our website or call Human Resources, 860–572–5346. We are an AA/EOE.

PUBLICATIONS

WOODENBOAT issues: 43, 96, 105, 108, 110, 127–167, 170–202. $200, plus ship ping. . LIVING ABOARD magazine, dedicated to enjoying your time aboard—weekend, month, lifetime! $18/year (6 issues). Free sample issue. 800–927–6905, . JASPER & BAILEY SAILMAKERS. Established 1972. Offshore, one-design, and traditional sails. Sail repairs, recuts, conversions, washing and storage. Usedsail brokers. 64 Halsey St., P.O. Box 852, Newport, RI 02840; 401–847–8796. .

REAL ESTATE

CAROLINA WATERFRONT. Great sailing! Great fishing! Great people! Near Pamlico Sound on ICW. Spectacular views! Homes, lots, acreage, on protected deepwater. Affordable prices, low taxes! Call for free information. CENTURY 21 Sail Loft Realty, Oriental, NC. 800–327–4189, . MAINE OCEANFRONT, 7.42 acres, near Bar Harbor, owner financing. MUST SELL. $168,000. Electric, perked, asphalt. MA, 978–897–2516, . DAWSON CREEK, NORTH CAROLINA. New, exclusive gated waterfront community on pristine Dawson Creek. Private community center with marinas. Homesites starting at $59,900. Financing available. Coastal Marketing, New Bern, NC.1–800–566–5263, . MAINE OCEANFRONT—Blue Hill and Downeast area waterfront homes, land, and residential properties. Enthusiastic professional service for buyers and sellers. View listings at . COMPASS POINT REAL ESTATE. 207–374–5300.

CLASSIC BOATING MAGAZINE—The most popular and complete publication on antique and classic boats. Subscription $28, Canada $36 USD, overseas $78. Samples $6, Canada $7.50, overseas $12.50. CLASSIC BOATING, 280-D Lac La Belle Drive, Oconomowoc, WI 53066. 262–567–4800.

FREE CATALOG of sailmaking and canvas fabric, hardware, and supplies. SAILMAKER’S SUPPLY, toll free, 877–374–SAIL. .

HAGERTY CLASSIC MARINE INSURANCE Agency, Inc. The largest provider of classic and collector boat insurance in the United States and Canada. Agreed value policies, flexible navigation and transportation, restoration coverage, no required lay-up. Hagerty Classic Marine Insurance Agency, Inc., P.O. Box 87, Traverse City, MI 49685. , e-mail , 1–800–762–2628.

NEW AND USED SURPLUS SAILS— custom sails. Furling packages. Discount Sunbrella. Unbeatable guarantee! Cash for sails. Sarasota, FL, or 1–800–507–0119.

SPARS

SMALL CRAFT SAILS: Aerodynamic designs in white, cream, tanbark, and Oceanus. Bermudan, gaff, gunter, lug, sprit, etc. Stuart K. Hopkins, Box 235, Wicomico Church, VA 22579. Ph/fax 804–580–8723. . FINELY CRAFTED wooden spars; hollow or solid. Any type of construction. ELK SPARS, 577 Norway Drive, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, 207–288–9045. TRADITIONAL WOODEN MASTS and spars, solid or hollow. All shapes and construction. Custom oars handcrafted in Sitka spruce or fir. BC, 250–743–3837, .

September/October 2008 • 135

CLASSIFIED TARRED HEMP MARLINE. Several styles; hanks, balls, spools. American Rope & Tar, 1–877–965–1800 or .

SHAW & TENNEY, Orono, Maine— Traditionally handcrafted spruce masts and spars since 1858. 1–800–240–4867, .

TRADITIONAL BOAT SUPPLIES for traditional boatbuilding tools. Take a look at .

NEW ONLINE STORE West Coast’s wooden boat resource for

CANOE HARDWARE: 1⁄2", 11⁄16", 7⁄8" canoe tacks; 3⁄8" oval brass stembands; clenching irons; 3⁄16" bronze carriage bolts; canoe plans; clear white cedar. Catalog $1. NORTHWOODS CANOE CO., 336 Range Rd., Atkinson, ME 04426. Order, phone 888–564–2710, fax 207–564–3667.

• Bronze Hardware • Traditional Line • Tools & Knives • Fasteners & Bits • Books & Gifts

NO ODORS! NO THRU HULLS! NO HOLDING TANKS! , , 740–392–3642, P.O. Box 5, Mt. Vernon, OH 43050.

WOODEN BOAT CHANDLERY PORT TOWNSEND

SUPPLIES

www.woodenboat.org [email protected] (360) 385–3628 ext. 101 Port Townsend, Washington

HERRESHOFF AND HAVEN 12 1⁄2 and others. High-quality bronze blocks with ball bearings, cleats, fairleads, and more. Carefully machined and finished by hand. See our display ad elsewhere in the issue. J.M. Reineck & Son, MA, 781–925–3312.

Beautiful Varnish Naturally Easy

American Rope & Tar www.tarsmell.com toll free: 1-877-965-1800 COPPER FASTENERS and riveting tools, Nor wegian and English boat nails, roves/rivets, rose and flathead, clench, threaded, decoration, and more. 50-plus sizes and types, 3⁄8" to 6'. Your leading source since 1987. FAERING DESIGN, Dept. W, P.O. Box 322, East Middlebury, VT 05740, 1–800– 505–8692, , .

GENUINELY MARINE LED LIGHTS, made by Bebi Electronics. , . US Agent–R. Ford, 727–289–4992, . BRONZE WINGTIP NAVIGATION lights with glass globes. Top and side mount, stern, and steaming. For fullline catalog of this and our other products, contact: J.M. Reineck & Son, 9 Willow St., Hull, MA 02045, Ph. STOCKHOLM TAR. Genuine kiln781–925–3312, fax 781–925–8984, burnt pine tar. It’s the Real Stuff. STARS AND STRIPES PENNANTS. . American Rope & Tar, 1–877–965–1800 Authentic historical design exquisitely handcrafted in the most durable fabor . rics. 4', 6', 8' and 12' sizes in stock— CLASSICBOATCONNECTION.COM— other sizes and designs by custom order. Your one stop source for all your clas- Custom design and fabrication is our sic boat restoration needs. Call specialty. Also in stock, all sizes U.S., state, SILICON BRONZE—Corrosion resis507–344–8024, or e-mail for free catalog. rative flags, banners, pennants, and frames, ribs, and chainplates. Plate, accessories. 77 Forest St., New Bedford, rod, bar. ATLAS METAL, Denver, CO, MA 02740. 508–996–6006, . MODERN MANILA. New Leoflex-X. The latest rope technology. Looks great, works hard. American Rope & Tar, 1–877–965–1800 or . CANVAS FOR DECKS and canoes. Natural, untreated. No. 10, 15 oz., 96", $17.50/yard; 84", 14.50/yard, 72", $12/ yard; 60", $9.50/yard. Minimum 12/24V CABIN FANS—Teak, cherry, five yards, prepaid only. FABRIC WORKS, or mahogany with brass/stainless brack- 148 Pine St., Waltham, MA 02453, ets. . 781–642–8558.

136 • WoodenBoat 204

TOOLS SOFT COTTON FENDERS and classic knotwork. For catalog, send SASE to: THE KNOTTED LINE, 9908 168th Ave. N.E., Redmond, WA 98052-3122, call 425–885–2457. .

CAULKING IRONS. Traditional, hammer-forged irons of any size or pattern. GENUINE FORGERY, 1126 Broadway, Hanover, MA 02339. Phone/ fax: 781–826–8931.

CLASSIFIED TEAK LUMBER AND DECKING. Large selection to fit your budget. Excellent pricing on 3⁄8" x 11⁄2" decking. New World Teak. CA, 805–901–5333, . ATLANTIC AND NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR, flitch-sawn, boat planking, special orders. Long lengths, wide boards, premium quality, fair prices. CT, 203–245–1781. .

UNSCREW-UMS, BROKEN-SCREW EXTRACTORS. Remove damaged fastenings. Minimal damage to wood. Hollow tool uses stub as guide. Sizes to remove screws from No. 2 to No. 24, lags, nails, and drifts. T & L TOOLS, . CT, phone 860–464–9485, , fax 860–464–9709.

WANTED

PLANER-SCARFER ATTACHMENT. Convert your Makita 1900B, 1912B to easy-to-use 8:1 scarfer in minutes. Cut 3⁄8" plywood with 3 1⁄4" planer; 1⁄2" with 4 3⁄8" planer. Complete units available. JOHN HENRY, INC., P.O. Box 7473-WB, Spanish Fort, AL 36577. 251–626–2288. , .

WANTED: MAHOGANY INBOARD runabouts 16–28’, any condition. Paying fair prices. Will transport. Mitch LaPointe, 3824 Sunset Dr., Spring Park, MN 55384. 952–471–3300.

FeatherBow FeatherBow $29.95

WANTED: CARVINGS OF WHALES and half-hull models. NH, 603–964– 4738.

R

R

• Bow with 10 to 35 lb Gauge • Traditional Featherboard • Single Feather for Light Work

R

TEAK, MAHOGANY, PADAUK, purpleheart, white oak, teak decking. Complete molding millwork facilities. Marine plywood. Custom swim platforms. SOUTH JERSEY LUMBERMAN’S INC., 6268 Holly St., Mays Landing, NJ 08330. 609–965–1411. .

WOOD

Fits Standard 3/4” Miter Slot Includes 5 Push Sticks

FeatherBow Jr. $17.95 • 2 Bows to Hold Work Down

BURMESE TEAK VENEER. Very large selection, .060 thick, various widths, 100" lengths in 16-piece flitch bundles. Bandsawn in Germany, 1975. WI, 920–559–9585.

Patented & Made in USA

FeatherBow.com • (860) 209-5786 Build your own Strip Built Boat

VACATION

BOAT-GRADE HEART CYPRESS, Atlantic white cedar, live oak, heart pine, Douglas fir, and Sitka spruce. 6,000 board feet thoroughly air-dried heart Southern black cherry. Random lengths, widths, and thicknesses available. BARBER LUMBER SALES, FL, 386–462–3772, cell 352–870–1614, fax 386–462–7037, .

BOAT-QUALITY FLITCH-SAWN, 4⁄4, 5⁄4, and 6⁄4 Vermont white cedar. Peter Kitonis, Box 5, Elmore, VT 05657, 802–888–4807. FLORIDA, 50+ SPECIES, domestics, exotics. Retail, great sizes, selection. Quality inventory. ALVA HARDWOODS, FL, 239–728–2484, 1–888–894–6229. BOULTER PLYWOOD—marine plywood 4'  8' to 16', 5'  10' to 20' —1⁄8" to 1" okoume, sapele, meranti, teak, ash, khaya, teak and holly, teak and rubber. Lumber—Sitka spruce, teak, mahogany, green oak, ash, cypress, fir, Spanish and red cedar, teak decking— lengths up to 20'. Milling ser vices. Nationwide deliver y. , 888–4BOULTER.

MISCELLANEOUS

THE BROOKLIN INN, year-round lodging and fine dining. Town center. Organic menu, local ingredients. Deep wine list. Winter getaway specials. . ME, 207– 359–2777.

PREMIUM SITKA SPRUCE aircraft, mast, and spar grade. Old growth Douglas fir, yellow cedar (cypress pine), and red cedar. Custom milling to order. Cold-molded veneer, strip-plank beadand-cove. Classic Yacht Ser vices, 250–743–3837, fax 250–733–2046, GUEST SUITE IN BROOKLIN, MAINE. e-mail . NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR covePrivate entry, deck, and bath. Continental and-bead strips. Also whole boards to kitchen. Six miles from WoodenBoat SLOW-GROWING, OLD-GROWTH mill on your own. E-mail: . boat, 1990, optional gunter tanbark sail, carvel cypress on oak, coaming, bright deck, three bench seats. Wineglass transom, leeboard, bronze rudder. Excellent condition. $5,000. NYC, 718–816–8752. , . 16' SAILING WHITEHALL, John Gardner design, built 2006, Atlantic Challenge. 5' 2" beam, 250-lbs. Lapstrake, cedar, oak, mahogany, bronze fastened. Sprit-rig with jib. Oceanus sails. $9,500 with trailer or best offer. E-mail .

1937, 32' RICHARDSON CRUISABOUT, Chrysler Crown engine, hull #3277, completely refinished interior and exterior 2008, new canvas on decks, all systems new or rebuilt, immaculate condition. Located Ottawa County, OH. $64,000. Dwight Davis, 419–684– 9804. 11' DINGHY designed by L. Francis Herreshoff as dinghy for Marco Polo schooner. With sailing rig. RI, 401–245–3137.

1947 WILBER KETCHAM PICNIC launch, 30'. Beam: 8' 10", draft: 23". Built in Amityville, NY. “Claribel,” originally designed in 1928. The keel laid in 1941, but due to lack of available wood during the war, completion was delayed until after WWII. The hull is cedar on oak frames. She is powered by the original 1947 Buda 6-cyl, 85-hp engine, in excellent, rebuilt condition. She was totally and professionally rebuilt from stem to stern and relaunched in 2005. The cockpit comfortably seats 14 with built-in benches and cushions. The cabin contains legal head, galley, berth, and storage. A custom canvas enclosure was made to keep occupants dry in inclement weather. Located in Milwaukee, WI. Call Mark, 262–389– 0535, or e-mail .

RARE 1946 CHRIS-CRAFT Sportsman 25'. Older bottom restoration. In 2007, revarnished with 12 coats and all new upholstery, 300-hp, 350 Chevy with Paragon hydraulic transmission. Top end of motor rebuilt in 2005. Matching custom waterline cover. Includes roadworthy trailer. Located in Milwaukee, WI. Call Mark, 262–389–0535, or email .

BLANCHARD 33 NUMBER 2. Boat is in the water, much restoration done. Located Seattle, WA, 425–260–3509. 22' CHRIS-CRAFT CUTLASS. Needs work. Sitting outside for five years. Located in Woolwich, ME, 207–442– 8885. RANGELEY BOAT 1930s. Barrett-built 17' double-ender. Very rough shape. Photos available. Call Steve at 413–648– 21' GAFF-RIGGED SLOOP, 1985. 9545 or e-mail . Handcrafted, fiberglassed, marine plywood. Totally refurbished, brand-new 1950, 20' HIGHLANDER CLASS SLOOP 8-hp Mercury outboard. Includes trailer. #128. Includes main, jib, and all rigFull sail and canvas complement. Recent ging. As is, with trailer. Needs new mast, survey, lovely daysailer. $15,000. CA. some hull repair, refinishing. Located Call 949–495–3264 or . or call Dave at 612–332–1979. LIGHTNING #6884. Cedar and mahogany hull, rudder, and steel centerboard. Stripped and stored indoors, ready for complete restoration. Located in central New Jersey. Pictures available , 732–382–8844. 1936, 36' ALDEN YAWL rebuilt, Perkins diesel. Ready to paint and commission. Includes 51' spruce mast and rigging, 1957, 22' McDONNELL BASS BOAT, full set of sails, plus heavy and lightcedar planked, 150-hp Palmer freshair genoas. Free to a good home. Boat water-cooled, in water, excellent conin Boothbay, Barters Island, ME, dition. $15,000. CT, 860–917–3722. 207–633–2647. 1958 DRAGON, built by Borresen’s, Denmark. Mahogany hull, teak decks, on tandem trailer. Cleveland, OH. Needs restoration, primarily frame and planking repair. Call 216–513–7315 or e-mail for pictures. 23' WOODEN GARVEY WORKBOAT. Hull sound. 4-cyl Chevy truck engine. 1992, 23' FANTAIL LAUNCH “Rose- Trailer. Located Gloucester, MA. . bud.” Teak cockpit, deck, cabinetry, seats, cushions new 2007. Anchor lights, 1946, 32' LOA, 5' draft, about 9' beam. running lights, lighted compass, bilge Unique. One of two sisters, built in La pump, horn, bell, all working. Anchor, Rochelle, France. Copper-riveted iroko rode and line, eight life vests, swim planking on oak frames. Laid teak deck. platform, cockpit and full boat covers, Oak keel, iron ballast. Needs work and 1 highway trailer. Westerbeke 12 ⁄2-hp love. You take away. 207–326–9046. engine, burns 1 quart/hour. MI, . $28,000. Ted Lanham, 231–228–6205, .

September/October 2008 • 141

CLASSIFIED

Order Form for CLASSIFIED ADS Please circle the issue(s) in which this ad is to appear Ads received after the deadline will be placed in the following issue.

Issue Deadline

Mar/Apr

May/June

July/Aug

Sep/Oct

Nov/Dec

Jan/Feb

Jan. 7, ’08

Mar 5, ’08

May 5, ’08

Jul 7, ’08

Sept 5, ’08

Nov 5, ’08

Please print clearly—WoodenBoat is not responsible for errors due to illegible copy. Phone number = one word; all else: a word is a word. Each word in an email or web address is one word excluding @ and .com. WoodenBoat does not use abbreviations such as OBO, FWC, etc. Please spell out words for maximum clarity. Please use proper punctuation, it is free.

 Boats advertised for sale must have wooden hulls.

Suggested ad category ______________________________________________________



All Ads Must be Prepaid LINE ADS (Line ads are unbordered paragraphs. Please call for bordered display classified advertising information.) Total words _________ x $2.50 = (Minimum 15 words or $37.50)

“BOATS FOR FREE” ads are FREE!

METHOD OF PAYMENT 

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Payment must be in U.S. funds payable on a U.S. bank. Card No:_______________________________________________________________

LINE ADS WITH PHOTO OR ILLUSTRATION: Total words _________ x $2.50 =

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Plus $80.00 per photo or illustration =

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_________________

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WOODENBOAT CLASSIFIEDS 41 WoodenBoat Lane • P.O. Box 78 • Brooklin, Maine 04616 Phone: 207–359–4651 Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 4 pm Fax: 207–359–8920 Email: [email protected] Place your ad online at www.woodenboat.com Rates expire November 5, 2008

142 • WoodenBoat 204

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS ADHESIVES & COATINGS Brava srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rylard.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 C Tech Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bristolfinish.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Epifanes North America . . . . . . . . . . .www.epifanes.com . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover II Interlux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.yachtpaint.com . . . . . . . . .Cover IV Star 10, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.starten.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 System Three Resins, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .www.systemthree.com . . . . .Cover III, 37 West System, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.westsystem.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

BOATBUILDERS Adirondack Guide Boat . . . . . . . . . . . .www.adirondack-guide-boat.com . . . . .122 Annapolis Classic Watercraft . . . . . . . .www.uncommonboats.com . . . . . . . . .124 Arey’s Pond Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.areyspondboatyard.com . . . . . . . .125 Beetle, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.beetlecat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Billings Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116 Boothbay Harbor Shipyard . . . . . . . . .www.bbhshipyard.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Cayuga Wooden Boatworks . . . . . . . . .www.cwbw.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Choptank Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.choptankboatworks.com . . . . . . .123 Crocker’s Boat Yard, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .www.crockersboatyard.com . . . . . . . . .120 Cutts & Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cuttsandcase.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Damian McLaughlin, Jr. Corp. . . . . . . .www.dmcboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Downeast Peapods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.downeastpeapods.com . . . . . . . . .121 Dutch Wharf Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dutchwharf.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Edgecomb Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 French & Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.frenchwebb.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Gage Marine Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gageboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Gannon & Benjamin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gannonandbenjamin.com . . . . . .120 Great Lakes Boat Building Co. . . . . . . .www.greatwoodboats.com . . . . . . . . . .124 Guillemot Kayaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.kayakplans.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Hall’s Boat Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hallsmarina.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Haven Boatworks, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .www.havenboatworks.com . . . . . . . . . .124 Laughing Loon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.laughingloon.com . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Moores Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatrepair.com . . . . . . . .120 MP&G, L.L.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124 Nichols Boatbuilder, LLC . . . . . . . . . .www.westpointskiff.com . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Pease Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.peaseboatworks.com . . . . . . . . . .116 Pendleton Yacht Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pendletonyachtyard.com . . . . . . .125 Portage Boat Works LLC . . . . . . . . . . .www.portageboatworks.com . . . . . . . . .125 Ralph W. Stanley, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ralphstanleyboats.com . . . . . . . . .125 Richard S. Pulsifer, Boatbuilder . . . . . .www.pulsiferhampton.com . . . . . . . . .125 Rockport Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rockportmarine.com . . . . . . . . . .123 Ron Rantilla Rowing Systems . . . . . . . .www.frontrower.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Rumery’s Boat Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rumerys.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Samoset Boatworks, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .www.samosetboatworks.com . . . . . . . .122 Sea Island Boat Builders LLC . . . . . . . .www.seaislandboatworks.com . . . . . . . .118 Seal Cove Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sealcoveboatyard.com . . . . . . . . .125 Shearwater Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.shearwater-boats.com . . . . . . . . . .122 Six River Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sixrivermarine.com . . . . . . . . . . .121 Tennessee River/ Phil Mitchell Boatbuilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125 Traditional Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . .www.traditionalboatworks.net1 . . . . . .120 Tribute Performance Boats . . . . . . . . .www.tributeboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Van Dam Wood Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.vandamboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Ventura Historic Ships . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wood-boat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Wooden Boat Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatshopinc.com . . . . . . .124 Zimmerman Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.zimmermanmarine.com . . . . . . .119

BROKERS Antique Boat Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.antiqueboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Brooklin Boat Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.brooklinboatyard.com . . . . . . . . .112 Cannell, Payne & Page Yacht Brokers .www.cppyacht.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Concordia Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.concordiaboats.com . . . . . . . . . . .114 David Jones Yacht Broker . . . . . . . . . . .www.davidjonesclassics.com . . . . . . . . .114 Dodson Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dodsonboatyard.com . . . . . . . . . .114 Kingman Yacht Center . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.kingmanyachtcenter.com . . . . . . .115 Metinic Yacht Brokers . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.yachtworld.com/metinic . . . . . . .115 S/V Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.coralbaystjohn.com/liberty.htm .115 Sandeman Yacht Company . . . . . . . . .www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk . .114 Sierra Boat Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sierraboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Watch Hill Yacht Services . . . . . . . . . . .www.watchhillyachts.com . . . . . . . . . . .114 Wooden Boats For Sale Online . . . . . .www.woodenboats4sale.com . . . . . . . . .39

EVENTS Family Boatbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.familyboatbuilding.com . . . . . . . . .38 14th Annual Maine Windjammer Weekend . . . . . . . . . . .www.windjammerweekend.com . . . . . .104 National Boatbuilding Challenge . . . .www.nationalboatbuilding.com . . . . . . .39 Newport International Boat Show . . . .www.newportboatshow.com . . . . . . . . . . .9 United States Yacht Shows, Inc. . . . . . .ww w.usboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 32nd Wooden Boat Festival . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 WoodenBoat Design Contest . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 WoodenBoat Regatta Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 WoodenBoat Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11

HARDWARE & ACCESSORIES Atlas Metal Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.atlasmetal.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Barkley Sound Oar & Paddle Ltd. . . . .www.barkleysoundoar.com . . . . . . . . . . .37 ccfasteners.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ccfasteners.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 Hamilton Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hamiltonmarine.com . . . . . . . . . . .26 Harken Yacht Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.harken.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 J.M. Reineck & Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bronzeblocks.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Jamestown Distributors . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jamestowndistributors.com . . . . . .36 R&W Traditional Rigging & Outfitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rwrope.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Shaw & Tenney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.shawandtenney.com . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Trident Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tridentmarine.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

KITS & PLANS Arch Davis Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.archdavisdesigns.com . . . . . . . . . .131 Benford Design Group . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.benford.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127 Biscontini Boatworks, Inc./ James Craft Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jamescraftboats.com . . . . . . . . . . .129 Chesapeake Light Craft, LLC . . . . . . . .www.clcboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126 Clark Craft Boat Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.clarkcraft.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128 Dudley Dix Yacht Design . . . . . . . . . . .www.dixdesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Glen-L-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.glen-l.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131 Jordan Wood Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jordanwoodboats.com . . . . . . . . .128 The Newfound Woodworks Inc. . . . . .www.newfound.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Noah’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.noahsmarine.com . . . . . . . . . . . .131 Nutshell Pram/WoodenBoat Store . . .www.woodenboatstore.com . . . . . . . . .130 Parker Marine Enterprises . . . . . . . . . .www.parker-marine.com . . . . . . . . . . .128 Pygmy Kayak Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pygmyboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 Redfish Custom Kayak & Canoe Co. . .www.redfishkayak.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Waters Dancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.watersdancing.com . . . . . . . . . . .130 Wayland Marine, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.merrywherry.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

LUMBER Hardwood To Go, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hardwoodtogo.com . . . . . . . . . . . .34

MUSEUMS Penobscot Marine Museum . . . . . . . . .www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org . . .104

PRINTS & PUBLICATIONS Calendar of Wooden Boats . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatstore.com . . . . . . . . . .20 Getting Started In Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Tiller Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tillerbooks.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127 Wood, Wind & Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.annetconverse.com . . . . . . . . . . . .35 WoodenBoat E-Newsletter . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 WoodenBoat Subscription . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

SAILS Doyle Sailmakers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.doylesails.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 E.S. Bohndell & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 Gambell & Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gambellandhunter.net . . . . . . . . .107 Nathaniel S. Wilson, Sailmaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 North Sails Cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.northsails.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Sailrite Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sailrite.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

SCHOOLS & ASSOCIATIONS American Schooner Association . . . . .www.amschooner.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Antique & Classic Boat Society . . . . . . .www.acbs.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Atlantic Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.atlanticchallenge.com . . . . . . . . . . .8 Bates Technical College . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bates.ctc.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Center for Wooden Boats . . . . . . . . . . .www.cwb.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Great Lakes Boat Building School . . . .www.greatlakesboatbuilding.org . . . . .106 HCC METC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .honolulu.hawaii.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 International Yacht Restoration School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.iyrs.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 The Landing School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.landingschool.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Maine Island Trail Association . . . . . . .www.mita.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nwboatschool.org . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 Sail & Life Training Society . . . . . . . . .www.saltsociety.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Traditional Small Craft Assn. . . . . . . . .www.tsca.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.westlawn.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 WoodenBoat School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

MISCELLANEOUS Downeast Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.downeastproperties.com . . . . . . . .23 Hagerty Marine Insurance . . . . . . . . . .www.hagertymarine.com . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Half-Hull Classics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.halfhull.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Heritage Marine Insurance . . . . . . . . .www.heritagemarineinsurance.com . . .105 Maine Built Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.mainebuiltboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Pusser’s West Indies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pussers.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 WoodenBoat Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatstore.com . . . . . . . .96-98

September/October 2008

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SAVE A CLASSIC

GREY DAWN

Particulars LOA 38' 0" LWL 27' 6" Beam 10' 3" Draft 4' 0" Sail Area 676 sq ft Displacement 18,000 lbs Power 22-hp Yanmar diesel Official No. 514326 Designed by Arthur C. Robb Built by R & W Clark, Isle of Wight, England

SHARON THONER (LEFT)/MAY NARD BRAY (RIGHT)

A Robb-designed keel-centerboarder

GREY DAWN

GREY DAWN is a CCA-era yawl designed by Arthur Robb and built by R & W Clark of England. She's been out of the water for several years, and seeks a new owner who'll put her back in commission.

by Maynard Bray

T

he handicap measurement rule devised by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) reigned far and wide during the 1950s and ’60s and influenced what combination racing/ cruising sailboats looked like. Yawls of that era were favored over sloops, and after FINISTERRE demonstrated a keelcenterboarder’s advantage by winning the Bermuda Race three times in a row, those shallow-draft buxom ladies became the boats to have if you wanted to win. Keel-centerboard yawls were sensible designs besides being competitive in their day and have for that reason endured despite dramatic changes in rating rules and styles. GREY DAWN, although English, not American, in origin, clearly shows CCA influence. Cruising in the thin waters of the Bahamas and Chesapeake Bay gives this craft a distinct advantage because, with the board up, she draws only four feet. She’s wide, but not excessively so. You get decent performance, yet an ample interior. A yawl I think is the best rig for a boat of this size and type since you have more control and more sail-shortening options than in a sloop. As for seagoing ability, GREY DAWN has pretty much proven her prowess with three Atlantic crossings, along with extensive cruising in the Mediterranean and the Bahamas to her credit. Her present structural condition I can’t vouch for except

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to say that she hasn’t been pulled apart, so could be launched and used without a great deal of work. A cursory 2002 survey pronounced her “average.” Equipment abounds, although none of it is brand new. Sails are usable (with rollerfurling jib and roller-reefing main), rig is fine, spars are good, engine looks good, there’s an autopilot, electric capstan, propane cooking stove with oven, a propane cabin heater, radar, GPS, etc. The aft end of her teak cockpit sole has collapsed, but this looks to me like a local problem. Her fiberglass-over-plywood deck looks strong and tight. From what I could see inside her dark storage shed and from what I remember when she was last in commission a couple of years ago, GREY DAWN could use an overall cosmetic upgrade, outside especially. Inside, she’s good enough to move aboard and live in comfort. For more information or to inspect GREY DAWN, which is located in Sedgwick, Maine, contact owner Steve Thoner at The Granite Shop (also in Sedgwick): phone 207–359–8595 or by e-mail . Maynard Bray is WoodenBoat’s technical editor. Send candidates for “Save a Classic” to Maynard Bray, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616.

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