# Shipyard Memories



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*

*To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)

To start the show I will go through some of the photos of "Smaug" the 34' Pinky Ketch I built in 1978 in my shop in Coal Harbour B.C.. I say 1978 because she was laid out and the hull built that year. She was completed on the owners' timetable
over the next couple of years.

The first requirement is of course to gather together the required materials. This required a trip to the sawmill in Telegraph Cove. The mill is no longer there but in 1978 it was in full operation and was located a very short distance from a dry sorting yard where I was able to pick out a couple of good looking yellow cedar logs and have them floated over to the mill. Then one fine sunny morning I went to the mill and stood beside the sawyer and watched as each slab was taken off. Depending on the quality, I would choose the size for the next cut and the sawyer would run the piece. If the log was clear where we were cutting, I would ask for 1 3/4" for planking and beam stock. If it had a few knots we would cut thicker stock for timbers and so on. This place smelled like heaven but was noisy as hell. Here are the earliest photos of what would become "Smaug"

*One log section is in the headrig as another awaits it's turn.*










*This piece would have been clear enough to render planking.*










*This is about 1/2 of what I got from two logs. The larger timbers were for a troller that a local fisherman wanted me to build. He backed out and I still have one of the 10×10s.
*









I'll try to get back to this tomorrow and go through the backbone timbers and framing.

Feedback is encouraged. Criticism is always welcome also, I'm new to blogging.

Can anyone suggest what tags to put on this?... Thanks.

'Till next time

Paul


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


I envy you Paul as an ex seaman I've always had a love of boats & I've owned many & I've even renovated but I've never built one. I really admire your skills I'd love to do it one day but at 58 I suppose it will always remain just a dream for me, but thanks so much for sharing your memories
Trevor


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## alba (Jul 31, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Wonderful that you have kept a record.
It is great to see what can be done pre H&S days.
I've a plan sitting that I doubt that I will ever build, but it is still in the dream that lets me let my mind wander while sanding some repetitive production item.

Thanks
for Sharing
Jamie


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Navigating through manipulating the images to get them into this format is a real chore for me as an over 60 guy. I had to have my young son help me do it and I took notes. It is as much interesting to me, your descriptions of the sensory aspects of the real hard work I know goes into building something on that scale and I love the tone of joy that it brings to you to recall it. Working with the sawyer to cut the material to your specifications is such a pleasant experience. I've been able to do that several times with special logs, to take advantage of every part of the tree. I love the smell of cedar in the morning…..... Looking forward to seeing more.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Having spent many years on or near the water, you have done what I always wanted to do. I will be waiting to see the rest. Thank you

David


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


I am really looking forward to this! Thanks for taking the time to share your story.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Thanks for the encouraging comments. The age thing does catch up to us all doesn't it. I was 29 when these photos were taken and 56 when I built my last, Friendship. I sincerely hope you enjoy this process as much as I will.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


The alternative to the age catching up is really not good.


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## Splinterman (Mar 13, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Hey Paul,
Bring it on Sir.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Well..I turned 40…had never gone sailing…and decided to build my first--mid-life crisis??? I dont know…

Since I started I have completed a sailing course and began cutting wood this past summer, but as a teacher have slown down with the coming of school…as a beginner I am trying to soak it all up…just finished a book called: "In the year of the boat" about a writer who builds a little boat using glue and stitch method…

In the mean time I am going to enjoy every blog…it sounds like you will enjoy going down memory lane too!!! Blogging will come naturally…

Tags…really help!!! When I started here I used to really encorage everyone to use them so that when someone is researching ideas all the projects would pop up…

Tags: sailing; sail boat; sailboat; boat; boat building

I will think of some more…

THANKS FOR DOING THIS…will drool over each one…


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Thanks Napaman I've done A LOT of stitch and glue. I might make that the next in the series if I don't bore everyone to sleep with this one. ...and I will add those tags thanks


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


shipwright -I really don't think you are boring anyone. As for me, I am fascinated. I am eagerly waiting for the next in the series.


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


I just started looking at this, even though episode 7 is already up. Should be interesting, and I'm doing the Ralph Cramden "hummana hummana hummana" over those enormous timbers. I'm a high-altitude desert rat, so this is completely foreign to me (my brother still teases me about the seasickness incident from our trip to Corpus Christi in 2004).


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## MikeMc (Jan 28, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Great to see someone sharing what we all hope isn't a lost art. I am a former Bangor, WA submariner who likely saw some of your work sailing through the Straights of Juan de Fuca, and I always enjoyed watching the classic wooden boats as we transited the lanes on our way out to see, or better yet, back to port.

Thanks for putting the time and care into this series - great stuff!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Hi Paul. I guess you posted this series while I was away from LJ for awhile and I missed it then. Very glad that I found it via a link from your comments to a current boat building blog. I buy Wooden Boat every month just to enjoy the build, sailing stories, history and culture of wooden vessels.

I will be reading through this blog series a little each day just to stretch out the enjoyment factor. Thanks for taking the time and effort to post all of this. It is always very interesting to see true craftsmen go about their business creating beautiful things, including wooden boats.

I found the submariner's comment above about the Juan de Fuca Straights amusing. I was at the helm of our Navy freighter through there once on our way to Seattle. we had to use right standard rudder just to keep the ship on a straight course!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, A Trip to the Sawmill*
> 
> *To those of you who have requested* more photos and explanations of my boatbuilding days, thank you for sending me into my stacks of old photos and allowing me the enjoyment of remembering a youth spent doing what I loved and creating just really cool stuff. My days building wooden boats, from age 22 to 55, are all magical memories to me from the aromatic smell of yellow cedar coming out of the planer to the amazing geometrical shapes of bent frames to the sheer mass of some of the timbers we shaped with chainsaws, adzes, planes and chisels. (I may enjoy this reminiscence more than you, the reader.)
> 
> ...


Glad you found them Mike.
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*

*Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.

*In the first photo* the stem has been assembled and mounted on the forward end of the keelson. The stem was cut from 6" thick gumwood. These pieces are too big and heavy to cut on the bandsaw so they are roughed out with a chainsaw and fitted with chisels, power planes and final fitted by repeatedly running a handsaw through the joint until it fits perfectly. The fit is checked by chalking one side and fitting them together and then checking for chalk transfer. At the waterline this assembly is about 18" through….. very strong. The pieces are bolted together with 1/2" galvanized steel rod bolts.










*The next photo* shows the sternpost assembly with the top part of the propeller aperture ellipse. The sternpost itself is douglas fir and the deadwood is yellow cedar. There are some interesting locking joints here. This photo also shows the bit of actual keel that will fill in behind the lead and the after end of the keelson with the pockets chopped in anticipation of the ribs. These parts are douglas fir.










*The next* shows most of the building stations erected on the keelson. The gap for the lead keel is easily seen here. This is the first real chance to see her in three dimensions and excitement is running high. There aren't enough hours in the day. If you look closely you may notice that the bottom ends of the station frames have a big jog in them making the bottom foot or so much bigger than the rest of the frame. This will be easier to explain later, but it's interesting.










*Now the stations* are all up and the permanent stringers are being fitted. Normally the stringers go in after the ribbing is done but for the same reason as the jogs mentioned above we had to do it this way. I will explain when we get there. The stringers are clear 2" x 3 1/2" douglas fir.










*This was from the start* and still is one of the nicest angles from which to view this hull. Her sweet lines are the work of yacht designer and personal friend Jay R Benford. During this setup period constant checks are being made to assure that everything is plumb, level and square. A small mistake here can cause a lot of grief later. As I remember the sternpost was 6" x 6" and at this point has been rough shaped as has the stem.










*The permanent stringers* alone don't give enough support or shape to bend the ribs over so "ribbands" are added to fill in the spaces and the sheer clamp and beam shelf (deck edge members) are fitted to strengthen the frame for the stresses of bending 1 1/2" oak. Again you will notice that the ribbands at the bottom fit over the stem while those above fit against the side of the stem.










*In the last picture* the deck framing has been added because with the ribbing method we are going to use, the stronger we can make the frame the better. Bending all those ribs puts a tremendous strain on the whole structure. The deck framing is all yellow cedar and for the most part it is sided 1 1/2" with strong beams larger.










Tomorrow we'll fire up the steam box and bend some ribs. See you there!

As usual all feedback and questions are welcome.

Paul


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Wow! Incredible!! There is simply nothing more beautiful that wood boat. I really appreciate seeing this series of photos.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Having built a strip kayak, this looks familiar, but WAY MORE cool! I can just imagine seeing the finished ship with a friend and saying "Yeah, I built that". This is so much fun to see - thanks again for sharing.


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Very interesting. Thank you!

God Bless
tom


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Paul, as boat builder, you built what I dreamt of. As a young man, I was already a huge fan of Benford's work. Studied his designs, read the books. I worked as boat builder for many years but South Africa is the wrong place to be if one wants to build wooden boats. It was mostly repair work, refits, laying new decks, one very nice restoration and some small wooden boats. Wanting to build complete yachts, I ended up building a few steel yachts with traditional lines and gaff rigs. At least the rigs, deck work and interior was timber!

I envy you (in a nice way…) and enjoy the blogs! It puts me on my own trip down memory lane and might just inspire me to post some more boats….need to have my old photos scanned….

I look forward to the next installment!


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## alba (Jul 31, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Paul,
I'm following this wonderful time capsule and sharing it with my Faither.
He built timber and canvas canoes & aircraft.
He also thanks you for sharing what must be many folks dream.

Jamie


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Thanks again all of you for the encouragement. I don't think this is a subject that a lot of people here are very interested in but it is worth doing for the ones who are. 
Sras, yes it is very cool to see a boat that I have built, restored or even worked on and think to myself "I did that". 
Div, Thanks and I'm glad you are enjoying this. I met Jay in about 1971 and have built about 500' of his boats. We have referred each other business several times. A good symbiosis. I'm actually mentioned in several of his books.


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


As a guy from Chicago, this is like looking in to another world for me Paul.
And it is fascinating seeing it come to life.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this.
It's very cool.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Wow, what a show of craftsmanship! I would have loved to have worked with you on this but I probably wouldn't have passed muster! ;-{ I enjoyed following your blog and appreciated you doing so. Thanks.

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


Amazing work. I don't understand any of it, but if I had another life I think I'd want to be a shipwright. Really enjoying the blog!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Backbone and Framing*
> 
> *Besides the yellow cedar *which will be used for planking, deck framing and various timbers and knees, an assortment of other woods and materials have been gathered together from their various sources and the actual building can now begin. The traditional "laying of the keel" was not however, the first step. In this case the main body of the keel will be the lead ballast casting which we will come to much later so for now the backbone setup will consist of the erection of the stem, sternpost, keelson and the stubby bits of the keel that will fit in front of and behind the lead keel.
> 
> ...


I was trying to find a woodworking analogy to wooden boat building, but I am having a hard time finding one. My first thought was 'artistic housebuilding', but that certainly does not do justice to the art, science/knowledge and level of craftsmanship that goes into boat building. I guess there is no real analogy to find in the woodworking world that can compare to it. This boat is a good example of that thought.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*

*OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.

*The first photo* jumps ahead to show this bronze strap and you can see that it could not be installed with ribbands outside the ribs.










*In the second photo*, we are bending one of the 1 1/2" x 2 1/4" oak ribs. Hot from the steam box the rib is pre-bent at the bottom and then inserted between the ribbands at the jog so that when the rib sockets into it's pocket in the keelson, it can be bent outward against the inside of the lower ribbands and then back inward over the outsides of the upper ribbbands and stringers. It should be becoming clearer now. Sorry for the intrigue but it was a complex process and required a lot of planning at the time.










*In photo #3* I've moved up to the deck to finish the bend while my helper (on deck with me) and the owner stand by with clamps to secure the piece. Once clamped carriage bolts are used to fasten the rib to each stringer and the sheer clamp. Two screws go in at the pocket.










*In this one* the bending is finished and the lower ribbands have been removed to allow the bronze to be inset into the ribs. It is screwed into each rib and after planking, back screwed into the planks. You can see the heads of the carriage bolts holding the ribs to the stringers. I just love the patterns made by these pieces. They just look good from any angle.










*Here you can see* the bronze strap let into the ribs and the stem.










In this photo the hull is completely framed, the ribs trimmed off at the sheer and she's almost ready for her skin.










*This photo shows* the "floors" that are bolted to each rib pair and drifted into the keelson to form a rigid and very strong unit. The beginnings of the engine beds are in the background.










*Before planking can begin* the rabbets must be chopped in the stem, sternpost and deadwood with a mallet and chisel and the deadwood must be faired. There's no tool made that does this job like an adze.










Thanks for watching and as always comments , critiques, and questions are encouraged.

Tomorrow we plank!

Paul


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Very interesting. Have enjoyed seeing how this is done. Thanks for sharing.

God Bless
tom


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Very cool…

One question--what is the time line from beginning to this point--is this a months work? More?

Looks like an amazing amount of work!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


This is quite the story - enjoying every post!


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Amazing photos and story. Thanks for sharing.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Thanks again, I'm enjoying this as much as you are, maybe even more. 
Napaman, It was a long time ago but I'd say less than a month to here. I was working with one helper and occasional help from the owner. This stuff goes pretty fast when you're young. I think we were planked after two months.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


You say you welcomed critiques however I hardly think that anyone on this LJ site is qualified to give one and if there is one I would say he would only have complimentary things to say! I have greatly enjoyed reading and following along. I would like to see close up pictures of various joints if you have any available? Many thanks.

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


love the beards and the toques, true west coast style!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Thanks Erwin, I was mostly, although not entirely, referring to criticism of the blogging itself to which I am very new. ie: too wordy, too technical, etc. as for the close ups, that's something I do on a regular basis now but back then, I think the overall look of the job at the end of the day was the main thing that I was preserving (for some occasion like this I guess) and I don't remember seeing a lot of real detail shots in my box of photos. We took good fits for granted I guess. I will have a look and see if I can find some.


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Picture 3 looks like it could have come from the 1977 JC Penney's Mens' Winter Catalog. ;o)


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## MikeMc (Jan 28, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Paul, your blogging techniques should be emulated, not critiqued. Nice job, and thanks for sharing your craft!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Bending the Ribs*
> 
> *OK, the time has come* to explain the reasons for the jogged frames and the inside and outside ribbands. (I hope I'm not just confusing you) The usual way to set up for ribbing is to make the station frames to fit the inside of the planking. Then the ribbands go outside the frames and the ribs bend entirely inside the boat against the inside of the ribbands, That puts the outer faces of the ribs where they should be, at the inside of the planking. Then stringers are bent inside the ribs. In this method the ribbands remain in place to brace the ribs as the planking begins. They are only removed as the approaching planking demands. The plans for this hull however required that a 5" x 1/8" bronze strap be installed in an "M" pattern over the ribs and under the planking to stiffen the ship against the strains of the square rigging she was to get. In order to install this strip we needed to be able to access the outside of the ribs over the whole hull before any planking was on.
> 
> ...


Beautiful shape with the ribs installed.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*

*Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.

*The first photo* shows a batten that has been tacked to the ribs about mid girth. This batten represents the most important line in the planking scheme. It is the dividing line between the topside planking and the bottom planking and getting it in the right place before you start to cut any boards is crucial. All planks above this line will be the same width at any station on the hull. This not only gives a handsome appearance but makes it much easier to mark out, cut and fit the planks. Below this line there is a great deal more area to be covered aft than forward so it is not possible to have the repeatable pattern used in the topsides. It's an acquired "eye" that lets you fiddle this batten into the "just right" position.










*Once the dividing* line is defined, a pattern is drawn up for the topside planking and the bottom is planned out "a row at a time". Here the topside planking has been started and the keelson is being prepared for the garboard, the first plank above the keel.










*In this one* three rows of planks have been fastened on the bottom and the fourth is clamped in position. This is a good shot of the bronze straps from the inside and the 3" sided yellow cedar floor timbers.










*I put this photo in* to show the extent of the stationary tools I had at the time, a 36" Crescent band saw, a 6"x 20" Park planer and a General 10" cabinet saw (souped up with a 5 horse three phase motor). I think there was a small drill press around somewhere too.










*Here the planking* is progressing nicely, probably about four or five days in. If you look carefully at the picture above and the two below, you can see how much space had to be "caught up" aft on the bottom. This is often done as was here by using "stealers", where one forward plank buts against two aft allowing one strake of planking to go from say 6" at the stem to maybe 14" at the stern post.










*The planking is finished here*. Two things to note. The topside planking is usually narrower than bottom planking because 1) It is more likely to dry out and the resulting shrinkage will be less trouble spread out over more seams, 2) It looks better and 3) The bottom has the large area differential forward to aft discussed above. Second interesting thing here is that one plank is quite a bit darker than the others. It got left in the steam box too long and became discolored on the surface. It wasn't in long enough to damage it and the color sanded off easily. It is worth saying that all planks are steamed, even if they are easy bends. As steaming drys the wood out, this insures that all planks are dried equally. 









*As I said last time*, I just love the stern view of this boat, It makes me think of a big mandolin. This is freshly planked and rough. It will now be faired and sanded and it will look much sweeter.










I apologize for not having more detail photos or more shots of work being done but back then I didn't know I'd be doing this now. I have to work with the photos I have.

Thanks for checking in. As always questions and critiques are encouraged.

Next up is decking and lead keel.

'til next time
Paul


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


This blog just gets better and better…

You have nothing to worry about in terms of the photos--I am amazed they look so good and you took so many all those years ago…

I guess its like when you have your first child--tons of picts…maybe your future boats will have fewer photos, lol…

I am enjoying the technical details and explanations…

Matt


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


I was just thinking that you are fortunate to have this many photos! As always an interesting chapter in this story.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


I wished I could have watched the build and I would have enjoyed it too and been fascinated! Thanks very much for posting and reviving almost every man's dream of building a boat! I believe there are plenty of us who dreamed about this.

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I've always taken quite a lot of photos, in fact I have some even older ones from my first boat in about 1971 … remember ferro-cement? I just wish I had taken more of the details. But yes I'm glad to have those that I do have. Matt, actually I have more of the more recent boats, not less. Glad you're enjoying.


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## Rob200 (Sep 21, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


I wish I was there to help I want to build a boat and I will when I can come up with the money for the project


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Interesting and informative blog Paul. The photos are great. Not many things more beautiful then a wooden ship. These particular shots are especially exciting and beautiful IMHO. Thanks for doing this.


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## JimDaddyO (Dec 20, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Facinating blog. I am not familiar with all the terminology. But I can see the craftsmanship involved. Thanks for sharing!


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Looking more impressive in every blog. Thanks for sharing.

God Bless
tom


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Looks great, but somewhat confusing to a landlocked mountain codger. You mentioned seams, did you caulk
the seams with anything as you put the boat together, or after you were finished? I can see the need for 
the "eye" and the bandsaw for the smooth tapered lines. It is done well, and yes I think everyone on this
site that looks at it will notice that rightness, anyone who has worked with wood knows how hard it is to
get a straight joint smooth and even. When you add the curve and the angle, it becomes impossible at first,
and then finally it makes sense. A good boat is beautiful and fun, the closest I came was crew on a Moore 24
one summer, and I can only imagine what this one would be like with nice wind pushing her along.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Paul this is really neat to see the stages involved. A wood strip kayak is a long ways from a boat like this but having built one, I can appreciate the boats you built all the more


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Thanks all. Gus, the seams are caulked with a strand of caulking cotton, sorry I don't have a photo but if you searched you would likely find one, driven into the seam with caulking irons and a special mallet after all planking is finished. Then the seams are filled with one form or another of putty, in this case Thiokol. The caulking not only keeps the water out, but it tightens and strengthens the whole construction. Caulking is an art in itself and most builders in the day would bring in a caulker to do this job. You could always tell a caulker … huge right arm and smashed left fingers….. just kidding….sort of.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Having spent a few years in Cape Cod and around the water, this is one beautiful piece of craftsmanship. This is a project that I would have enjoyed to help. Thank you so much.


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Brilliant job are they butted up to each other I bet there's a lot more skill involved fitting that kind of planking than clinker. Looks beautiful
Trevor


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Trevor, In carvel construction like this the planks fit tightly on the inside and are about 5 degrees open on the outside to allow for caulking. This means of course that as the shape of the hull changes the bevel on the edge of the plank changes too. Yes, it has it's skill set but so does clinker. just different.


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## MichaelA (Jun 29, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Shipwright (Paul) This is so interesting and so much knowledge to posses. I really believe I should never walk into a ship building shop such as this because I would never leave. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!!!!


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## Chadster (May 20, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


Incredible. A timeless art that I'm unfamiliar with, but can appreciate the same. Do you do these as custom orders?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Planking*
> 
> *Probably the most anticipated part* of building a wooden boat is the planking. The old boat builder I learned from used to call it "boardin' 'er up". It represents the transformation from a building project to something an owner can start thinking of as "My Boat". There are many tricks and nuances to planking that I will not try to explain here; suffice to say that it's not as easy as it looks - until you've done it a few times anyway. If done well the boat looks "right"and it won't really be noticed, but if done poorly it really shows and will most definitely be noticed. On this job it was made a bit more critical because the owner wanted to finish bright, no paint. The planking here is 1 1/2" yellow cedar, fastened with silicon bronze screws.
> 
> ...


I used to, yes. 
I'm retired now.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*

One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.

*The first photo* shows the fore deck from the inside of the boat. What you see is a 3/8" layer of red cedar strips that have been chamfered to simulate T & G. The opening will be the forward cabin skylight.










*The next shot* shows the second layer, 1/2" marine plywood and the third layer, 5/8" fir strips. Each fir strip has a rabbet of about 1/8" x 1/8" for Thiokol seam compound and the fir is bedded in Fibergum (bituminous roofing compound). The 4×4's are gumwood sampson posts that go below decks and fasten to the stem. They will anchor the bowsprit and serve as forward mooring bits. The pieces sticking up through the covering board are called stanchions and they will support the bulwarks to be added soon.










*Here you see* the completed fore deck. All that shows is a traditional looking fir deck, sprung and fitted to a king plank in the center. In the foreground you can see the cabin has been started. Also more stanchions have been fitted, although they haven't been fastened yet and some have slid down inside a bit.










*This shot shows* the completed after deck with cutouts for the cockpit and the cockpit lockers. The hole at the after end of the deck is actually beyond the end of the hull. The rudder head will come up through this hole. This rather different type of after deck is known as a "pinky" or "pinked stern" and owes it's heritage to fishing boats on the East coast in the early 1900's.










*This is what* the pinky stern looks from the outside. Yes, the plywood will be covered up.









*Some time has passed*.The cabin is started and the bulwarks are going on. The rubbing strakes (or guards) are in place and the heavy "channels" are installed in way of the chain plates that will support the rig. (Will be clearer later.) This job is now a back burner affair. The other boat you can see is a salmon troller that we are replacing the wheel house on.










*Here you can see* the mold for the 9,500 pounds of lead that will be cast for the keel. This was my first one and I had been told that you could use an old bathtub to melt the lead. Well, maybe you can but it better be cast iron because this one cracked on us before we even got started. I built another one from an old hydraulic fluid tank and it worked for several keels including this one eventually. The mold is made of planks, heavily re-enforced against the weight of the molten lead and coated liberally on the inside with water-glass to reduce charring. A mold like this for a keel that must fit in an already existing space is layed out 1/8" in a foot oversize to account for shrinkage upon cooling. It worked very well.










*In this last photo* the keel is installed. An interesting story I often tell about the installation recalls a moment when we were raising this massive bar of lead up into position with three 5 ton hydraulic jacks. A thought crossed my mind that if this thing were to roll off the jacks and land on my leg, it wouldn't likely stop until it reached the concrete floor. That wouldn't have left a lot of room for my leg. The thought passed and we got it in position without any trouble at all… but I do remember the thought. (Notice the troller is gone and a 19' catboat is started.)










*Well, that's it for now*. After this point the photos are mostly of the finished boat so I'll get some together and you can see how she came out next time….or two

Thanks!

Questions / critiques welcome.

Paul


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the story and photos. I can't wait to see some photos under sail!


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


great stuff…the installation of the keel sounds scary! Amazing how you were working on so many boats at once…I guess that is a really good thing!!!


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Really something to see Paul. I was wondering about the keel and it's weight. Very interesting and thanks for the posts.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Thank you Paul for posting this.


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## cwdance1 (Jun 23, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Very nice looking work, you are very talented.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


OK Hal, One just for you.


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Great photo! I also found the pictures in your projects. Is she rigged for small triangular sails above the mains to help upwind performance? It looks like a well balanced sail plan. If you need crew for a voyage, give me a call!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Actually, she has a square course and topsail and unfortunately she's not mine. She was built on contract.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Decking and Casting the Keel*
> 
> One of the more common complaints against wooden boats is leaking decks. With a traditional caulked deck this can certainly be a challenge. Decks are exposed to the sun and if they dry out too much leaks are almost inevitable. We wanted to have a traditional looking deck on Smaug but wanted to make use of "modern" technology to see if we couldn't eliminate the problem. The deck we designed for her was built in three layers.
> 
> ...


Didn't want to clutter up every post with kudos, but thanks for posting this! I really enjoy following along the series and watching the boat take shape.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*

*Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.










*The finish is on*, the bottom is painted with anti fouling and the bowsprit is in place, Just about ready to go.










*Smaug sees the sun* for the first time. My shop was in an old second world war era hanger that once housed the Stranraers, PBY's and Cansos that patrolled the west coast looking for Japanese submarines.










*Launching day at my shop* was always a big party. We supplied food and usually had a dinghy full of ice and beer and the whole town came out to watch. Fortunately Coal Harbour was a very small town. This shot is my choice for "best launching photo ever". What's so cool about it is that up in the air, about 20' above the owner's head (right where he's looking) the original photo shows a tiny spec. That spec is the cork that he just popped off the champagne bottle in his hands as the keel hit salt water. Sadly the scanner, try as it would, was unable to pick it up.










*The launching ramp here* was originally built for large seaplanes, not boats. It isn't quite steep enough for boats. In this photo the truck can't go any further and the boat is not quite afloat. We got her off by the boat mover lifting on the front of the trailer while I did tugboat duty with my 19' catboat.










*She nestled into the water* just like a duck and seemed very happy to be there. In this shot you get the best look I have of the forward cabin skylight. It is a tricky little construction. It has more than one challenge but the most interesting is that to be right a hatch or skylight like this should have plumb ends, not square to the deck which is rising forward… and it has dovetailed corners. Not that hard, but it gets you thinking. Another feature in this shot is the "catheads", the 4×4 gumwood spars angling out from the sampson posts to act as bowsprit shroud spreaders. Traditionally these were used to "cat up the anchor" keeping it away from the hull. They frequently had cast bronze cat faces on the ends.










*And here's that stern view* that I like so much again. You get a good look here at the rudder head coming up through the pinky stern and the little sternpost at the end of the bulwarks.










*This last photo *I included because I love the little jewel of sunlight sitting on the rail cap. It was a perfect day and that just seems to have been a blessing bestowed upon her on her big day. The other interesting feature in this angle is that you can see the yellow cedar inlays in the mahogany hatch covers.









Thanks for checking in again . Please feel free to ask questions. I'm having a great time with this.

Next time I'll show some interior details and then we'll finish up (just for Hal) with some sailing photos.

Thanks again

Paul


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Simply beautiful, all the way around Paul.
Thanks for showing us.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Paul, This is in my humble estimation breathtakingly beautiful. The sense of accomplishment must be tremendous. This wold be a lifetime achievement/dream for most of us. I could only hope that you would know how much I for one appreciate your posting this "project".

Thanks for sharing this wonderful boat with us.


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Beautiful! How long from laying the keel to launching?


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thank you for posting this series, I am certainly enjoying reading and looking! I am amazed at the skill in your hands and the beauty of the product you've created.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Ditto Ditto Ditto to all the comments so far…Just truly amazing…this is a great blog too…I know you were "nervous" and wanted feed back on your blogging…I think you are doing a great job of blending in the story with the technical details…I am learning a lot…

One suggestion--since you posted Smaug as a project--go back and edit it to add a link to this blog…those who find the project in the future would certainly love this series!!!

You mentioned the boat is still around…how many times did it change hands? Have you ever been asked to over haul her?

I bet that would be fun to get a chance to work on her again--well maybe not "FUN"...

thanks so much…


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Absolutely exquisite!

Here's to smooth seas and fair winds!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thanks again for the comments. 
Hal, She was a couple of years in the shop although there was probably less than a full year's work in her. It would take me twice that now. Maybe three times. Once the hull was done we moved on to some other jobs while the owners restored their capital so to speak, returning to work on her in spurts.

Matt, I think she's on her second owner. I hope I don't notice next time she comes up for sale or I may be her third. She's never needed an " overhaul" to the best of my knowledge. She is only 30 years old after all. Many well built wooden boats last over 100 years.


----------



## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting a very informative and interesting blog. I truly enjoyed it!

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the excellent blog Paul. A great read.


----------



## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


How long did it take to step the masts and get them tensioned. I remember having a storm sail, that felt more
like light sheet metal, we kept praying we would get enough wind to use it instead of setting in the middle
of the lake waiting for the wind to come up again. We got the wind when we did not have the boat in the
water. Had to watch two guys playing with their cat, broke one 25 ft mast and we helped the set up their
spare before we headed home green with envy.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thanks all. 
Gus, there are pictures coming up of the stepping of the masts. Tuning a traditional rig like this isn't a one shot deal. When you use deadeyes and lanyards instead of turnbuckles, it is a process that takes place over time. the best time to tighten lanyards is when you have lots of wind on the other side of the boat. Then the lee rigging will be quite slack and easy to snug up…..but you can get a little wet.


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## sawblade1 (Feb 11, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Your shop looks like a old boat company Kinda blends in anyway LOL  Beautiful rig I Love boat building , although I never been able to build one or see one being built personally 
Thanks for the great post


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Paul, What sweet lines! Jay Benford sure had an eye. I can understand why you would want to be the third owner. I wouldn't mind myself!
Really like this boat. And catheads, don't see them too often. I had some on my own last boat and even used them for a 175lb Fisherman( apart from 65lb CQR's).

Where could I get a lines drawing? Would love to do a half model!


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thanks Div. Jay's still alive, well and designing. You can find him here: http://www.benford.us/ Tell him "Hi" from me.


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link Paul, I'm going to check it out right now…..


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


What a wonderful creation Paul, you must be very proud. She looks beautiful


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## owatrol (Jan 11, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Dear Paul,

My name is Kjersti and I work in the company Owatrol.

We came across your blog here on Lumberjocks and really liked the pictures. You say you have used Deks olje D1 and D2 and we were wondering if there is any way you would consider letting us use the pictures and story as a case story?

We would love to hear from you, so if you are interested, please drop us a mail to [email protected]

Kind regards,

Kjersti


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, The Big Day: Launching*
> 
> *Now we are nearing *the big day, launching. The hull has been faired and sanded and is ready for it's finish. The chosen product was Deks Olje, a two stage system where you first apply several coats of an oil (Deks Olje #1) followed by a couple of gloss coats (Deks Olje #2). Very much the way I use Cetol Marine / Cetol Marine Gloss now. The seams above the waterline are filled with a thiokol product and below the waterline with cement.
> 
> ...


Very beautiful boat and what appears to me as flawless craftsmanship.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*

*The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.

*The first photo* is taken from amidships looking aft to starboard, at the galley area. The companionway ladder and the gimbaled stove can be seen.









*The next one* is taken from about the same place but looking to port at the chart table area. There is a built in place ice box with a refrigeration unit under the chart table as well as a stowage cubby next to the hull..










*This is a shot* from the galley looking forward to port. You can see the main beam with the official number and registered tonnage carved in it. The cabin sides are composite like the deck with 1/2" plywood for stiffness sandwiched between vertical mahogany on the exterior and red cedar on the interior. With all the dark wood you can see the value of the lighter colored ash here. The table is teak and both sides are drop leaves. As well the whole table can be easily removed and stowed. The arched doorway leads to the forward cabin. You can see the main mast just inside it.










*Next up is one* taken from forward looking back on the starboard side. The little wood burner has a coil that can heat domestic water. Notice the double copper sheet heat barrier. The door you can see aft on the port side leads to the head and the door behind the ladder leads to the engine room / tanks..










*This is the forward cabin* showing the yellow cedar sparring and the recessed storage forward.










*I just added* this one because I like the grain in the mahogany skylight.










*So the boat *is in the water and ready to rig. Here we are transporting the main mast from my shop to the government wharf. I'm the tall guy at the far end…. It's not always good to be tall.









*Here we are *at the dock slinging the mast to the crane we'll use to step it. The mast is a "grown stick" that is to say a tree pared down to size as opposed to a lamination of boards. It is sitka spruce and came from less than five miles away, by water.









*Lowering gently*.










*This is the owner* (remember the ribbing photo where he looked a little like a garden gnome?) guiding a very large mast coming from a fixed structure,the dock, into a floating structure, the boat. This is a much better photo of him. He really doesn't look like a gnome at all. ... and that is a tricky bit of work he's doing.










That's all for today.

Next up some sailing photos and some shots of the square rigging being set up.

Thanks again. questions are encouraged.

Paul


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


Wow, this is a beautiful boat. Thanks for showing it to us.

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


It gets better with every photo. Thanks for sharing this Paul. It is a beautiful thing to see come together.I am humbled and in awe of the entire idea of accomplishing this.


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


All I can say is 'Thanks for allowing us to experience of the 'birthing' of such a classic boat'
Ira


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


I agree with Ken… it gets better and better with every pic. Thanks Paul.


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## Splinterman (Mar 13, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul,
Really appreciated…great job.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


i keep going back to the last entry so I can look at the entire boat from the outside…just amazed out how much you can fit inside…such great work…


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


Excellent blog, thanks for posting this! Amazing worksmanship and a beautiful boat!


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing your memories She is a very fine craft


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


Looks like a comfortable place to live. The idea of fire on a wooden boat isn't very comforting… I lived on my 28' sailboat for four years and I loved it! It was like living in a doll house. Life at a yacht club isn't roughing it. LOL My house was 100 miles away from my office. Not close enough to commute and not far enough away to sell it and buy another one. Plus I worked in other cities all the time and was only at the office for a few days every so often. Living on my sailboat was so much better than living out of hotels.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


The fire thing is, of course, a matter of personal preference Hal, but for me a wood stove is the best heat to have on a boat. I've had them on three of mine and loved them.

Here's my case:

Propane is heavier than air and explodes. It's OK for something like a motorhome that leaks in the bottom and when it's doors open but boats aren't supposed to do that, so no propane for me.
Diesel stoves have caused many fires because they are left on when no one is there and can "run away" and become red hot.
Alcohol creates more moisture than heat and burns with a flame you can't see(until it starts something else on fire).
Furnaces (Espar, Webasto etc)require electricity and you don't always have that handy.

Wood, around here anyway, can be picked up on the beach, produces a friendly dry heat , doesn't explode and will burn down and go out when you leave the boat.
That said I know that it's not for everyone.

About the doll house, I spend a week at at time out on Friendship, and she's a small 21 footer so I know what you mean.
Thanks for the comments.


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Interior and Stepping the Mast*
> 
> *The interior of the boat *was completed before launching, unfortunately without any progress photos so I'll just show some finished shots here. Interior woods are Red cedar deckhead, teak cabin sole and salon table, yellow cedar beams, knees and sparring (ceiling) on the hull and largely Honduras mahogany trim. The bulkheads are 3/4" marine fir plywood. In the salon and galley areas they are sheeted with 1/8" ash and in the forward cabin the bulkheads are veneered with red oak.
> 
> ...


Beautiful interior Paul. Wood is so much warmer and cozier then fiberglass. Seems more like a home. Thanks for sharing this great journey with us.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*

*The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.

*In order to be chronologically correct *I will show the pre-square rig photos first. These two pics are Smaug under fore and aft sails plying the waters of Quatsino sound just off our dock in Coal Harbour. In the first she's just ghosting along and in the second there's a bit of breeze. What is immediately obvious when you sail on her is that she is a big strong heavy boat. She doesn't ride up and down the waves, she plows right through them like a tank.

















*Here she's tied *up at the fishermans' dock in Coal Harbour getting her squares bent on. Neil, the owner used to say that while most sailors these days want to be able to control all the lines from the cockpit, he was happy if he could handle most of them from the deck. You only had to go aloft to secure or shake out the topsail.









*This one is about 15 years later* as Smaug arrives in Victoria to participate in the annual "Classic Boat Festival". She was still owned by the original owner.










*In the last photo for this blog*, I get a turn at the helm in the "Schooner Classic" race for gaff riggers at the Classic Boat Festival. This late summer event is often, as shown, a rather windless affair but it was fun to see her again.









Well folks, that about wraps up the "How to build a carvel planked sailboat" class. If any of you are still interested, I could go on to cold molded, classic plywood, or stitch and glue construction. I do have a lot of old photos.

Thanks for bearing with me and my sometimes over-technical rantings and thanks for enjoying the show. If you had as much fun with it as I did then my job is done.

Until next time

Paul


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## terrilynne (Jun 24, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


She's a real beauty. At what point does a boat become a ship? I mean there are rowboats, flat bottom boats….etc. How big does a boat have to be to be considered a ship?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Good question Terri. The general answer is " It is a ship when it is big enough to carry a boat"


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Great series. I'd love to see the other boats you've built.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for doing this series, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! I'd be interested in further series too if you feel like and have time for it! The Smaug is a beautiful boat.

Erwin, Jacksonville, Fl


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Great series of blogs. Very informative and intereseting. You did a beautiful job on her. Do you still sail and have a sail boat? Thank you!

God Bless
tom


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Paul,
I have read this series of blogs and I have to say you really build a beautiful boat. Looking at the connections and joints especially in the cabin area. I know nothing about boats or boating but this was a great trip. From start to finish….all I can say is WOW!
Thank you for sharing these past builds and I would enjoy seeing more of your boat builds.


----------



## dlmckirdy (Oct 27, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


I loved this series. I'm not really into boats (strange, since I grew up in San Diego) but building a wooden boat is the epitome of woodworking. Keep up the boat building series, and I, for one, will watch every episode!

By the way, Smaug is a beautiful craft.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


very nice series…such a great job on explaining!

I know blogging takes LOTS of time…so pace yourself…but if you enjoyed doing this--there is no question so are we…

I am reading/skimming through…"Gougeon Brothers on Boat Contruction" (1979)...and they describe cold molded "stringer" framed construction--just barely read about it…and I think that is the style of the boat I am building--Stevenson Project Weekender…using plywood, stringers and bulkheads…

So…would love to see a boat done that way at some point…also read a book called "In the Year of the Boat" and he built a Sam Devlin boat--as a total novice which was interesting…so the stitch and glue would be fun to see from an expert pt of view…the one bad part of the book was that there were so few pictures…

so "seeing" the boat building would be fun for me…

Again…no rush…do it as long as you enjoy it…


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Thanks everyone! I will do another one.

Tom, I still have a sailboat that I built myself when I retired in 2004. I actually built it in the winter of 05-06.
See "Friendship" in my projects.
Thanks again.


----------



## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


A very enjoyable blog - I also would very much enjoy seeing another story.


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this series I love boats As a young man I was at sea for about 7 years & always had an interest in anything to do with the sea I''ve owned quite a few boats all but one were made out of those fibreglass trees you were talking about (mainly for time,cost & maintenance issues) however I love traditional boats nothing sits or works on the water like a good wooden boat & I really admire the skill of the boat builder using tools & techniques that have remained unchanged for centuries
Thanks again


----------



## Splinterman (Mar 13, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul,
Any additional blogs on the numerious kinds of builds would be real sweet.
Been a great treat so far….bring them on.


----------



## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this blog, Paul. You certainly can be very proud of what you have done. My son would say boatbuilders rock!!


----------



## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Beautiful, absolutely beautiful - not much more that I can say


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## mickyd (Oct 23, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Great series Paul. I enjoyed every word and photo of it. Thanks for taking the time to share your past.


----------



## Rob200 (Sep 21, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


loved the series I want to build a kayak and now I am ready thanks for the boost I need seeing your boat is all it took


----------



## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Interesting rig, Paul. First photo: looking at the masts, she's a ketch. Looking at the boomed sails, they seem to be the same size. So is it main and mizzen as in ketch, or fore and main as in schooner?
I guess it would be the first.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


She's a ketch, Div. There are two established methods of distinguishing rigs on small sailing vessels that I know of and they can cause some interesting arguments. One is sails and the other is mast placement. Without getting into the arguement, since the sails here are interchangeable, mast placement makes her a "square tops'l ketch". 
A quick explanation of the controversy:
Cutter or Sloop: The "sails" side says one headsail = sloop, jib and staysail = cutter. The "mast" side would say mast well forward regardless of # of headsails = sloop, mast back toward midships, regardless of headsails = cutter. "Friendship sloops" like my boat often have two or even three headsails but if you look my mast is well forward.
Ketch or Schooner: Bigger sail aft = schooner, forward = ketch. OR after mast near midships = schooner, fwd mast nearer midships - ketch. 
You get the idea. There's an arguement about yawls too but I won't bore you.


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Yip, ketch according to masts, but an unusual one with main and mizzen the same size. 
The definition of yawls I have is that mizzen mast must be aft of rudder post. Maybe this definition thing would depend on whether you look with American or British glasses.;^)


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


I believe that is the difference. Of course some would say that if the mizzen is so small as to be considered a "steering sail" then you've got yourself a yawl. Consider a double ender with an outboard rudder with an identical rig to yawl with a counter stern. Is it a ketch? Personally I don't care but it's fun to ponder the various origins of the ideas. Obviously both have merit.


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Nice to see her under sail. How satisfying that must be for you. This has been an interesting and wonderful blog. Thanks a lot Paul.


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## turnips (Feb 16, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...












I took this during the Victoria Classic Boat Show, 1980


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Nice photo but it's not Smaug. That is a photo of Sunrise, the only sistership of which I am aware. At that time she would have been owned and sailed by her designer, Jay Benford. She is Red Cedar, not Yellow Cedar, carries a slightly different rig and is a few years older than Smaug. In 1980 we were in the process of building Smaug. As I remember, she launched in 1981.

I still like the photo. I'd really like to see one of them together.

Thanks for posting it.

Incidentally, I was in that sailpast as well in Catspaw, one of the two Benford catboats in this blog. At the dock, we were moored right in front of Sunrise.


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


Interesting read, i think it would be amazing to be part of building something like this


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


A wonderful build and a great looking boat.


----------



## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

shipwright said:


> *The Smaug Blog: Wood Boatbuilding 101, Under Sail*
> 
> *The only sailing photos* I have were taken before the square rigging arrived, too bad. I say arrived because we didn't build the yards and their rigging as we did the rest. The designer, Jay Benford, at the time owned a (the only as far as I know) sistership "Sunrise" and was in the process of changing to a "great pyramid rig" that made his yards and square sails surplus, so we were able to buy them as a package and they were fitted a few months after the rest.
> 
> ...


A lovely blog about a lovely boat. Enjoyed the read a lot!
Remembering my own days as a boat owner. Especialy the feeling of sitting under it for the first time only standing on those feeble looking supports and thinking "if this thing came down over me".. Luckily there was a skilled boatbuilder around to help and give technical as well as moral support.

Looking forward to read about more of your boatbuilding adventures


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*

*Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.

*The two boats covered here* are quite different sisters from the same plan. The first, "Catspaw" was built on spec in 1981 specifically to enter in a floating boat show in Vancouver and give me a venue to market my business of custom yacht construction. I used it as a sales office to show photos of other boats and to sit and talk to potential customers. I had a great time but didn't sell anything (Anybody remember the economy in 1981?) so Catspaw became my boat for several years. I didn't mind that a bit.

The second, "Sylvester" was built on contract for a customer who loved my boat but wanted many aesthetic and practical upgrades. These made what had been a very economical build (Catspaw) into a quite pricey but lovely little yacht.

*This photo shows* just about everything that you need to build a 19' Catboat, from portholes and plywood to glue and oil lamps.









*Here the bottom* (3/4" fir ply) is being scarfed up. If you stack your pieces in a staggered pile at a 1:8 ratio, ie: 6" setback for 3/4" thickness, and then plane the slope, you can glue them together and achieve the same strength as if the plywood had been made up full length. In this photo the end scarf is being cut and the side scarf has already been done. This will render a single piece of 3/4" plywood that is 16' long and 8'wide (minus scarf width). Another small bit scarfed on at the front end and the whole bottom will be done. The trick here is to keep an eye on the gluelines in the plywood as they will guide you to an even plane if you keep them straight.










*In this one* the bottom and one side have been rough shaped and epoxy sealed on the inside prior to fitting on the jig frame just visible on the left. Yes, that's Smaug, of course, on the right.










*Now the sides* have been fitted and fastened to the transom. (I don't have any photos of it but it's just a boring flat piece of 3/4" plywood) The stem has yet to be fitted. The line down the length of the plywood is just a veneer joint in the sheets as they came from the factory, but the faint vertical line you can see is a scarf.










*This is a scarf*, seen from the edge on one of the bent sides (1/2" ply). It's a perfectly fair curve and maintains full plywood strength. It's a little hard to see but it travels back left from the seam you can see on the face of the plywood. The notches you can see here in the jig will have the permanent chine pieces fitted before the sides are finally fastened at the stem.










*Last photo for now*. Here the sides, chines and stem are fastened and glued and the bottom awaits. Notice that the sides have been planed down fair and ready for the bottom.
(We replaced 52 ribs and several other parts in the big powerboat in the background left. That was fun!)










*Next time *we'll get her off the jig and have a look at the keel, centerboard case and cabin features.

As always Thanks for watching.

All comments, questions, and critiques are welcome.

Napaman, this one's for you.

Paul


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Thanks Paul. Terrific as always.


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## sedcokid (Jul 19, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Paul that is amazing!

Thanks for sharing


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the details on constructing your yachts. Combining sailing and woodworking is the best of both disciplines. Here's the most beautiful yacht I've ever seen that was constructed from wood. The owner's bill to the yacht yard was over $40,000 a year for maintenance. I took these photos at Fried Dion's yacht yard in Marblehead, MA.

http://www.first285.com/atlantic/1-395-373/t19.jpg

http://www.first285.com/atlantic/071101/t17.jpg

Here's a few more wood crafted sailboats I photographed at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. We sailed from Marblehead, MA to Halifax, NS in 2001 as the first leg of our voyage to move a friends yacht from the US to Europe.

This boat was built in 1912 and has to be sailed from the dock because no engine was ever installed.

http://www.first285.com/atlantic/6-146-090/t12.jpg

This was another wood yacht that I thought was impressive enough to rate a photograph. I'd love to sail on a wood sailboat, but… I sure wouldn't like to refinish all the brightwork.

http://www.first285.com/atlantic/6-146-090/t1.jpg

More photos and the story of the voyage can be found at:

http://www.first285.com/atlantic

I'm stuck on inland lakes for now… But my Beneteau First 285 is docked at Watts Bar Lake on the Tennessee River and it's just a few days down the river to the Gulf of Mexico. Every dam below Knoxville, TN has locks and they open for everyone. Just pull up in any thing that floats and the lock keepers will open the gates and move you up or down the river.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


I enjoy your work.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Having built a plywood kayak and a cedar strip one, these stories are very interesting. Already looking forward to the next chapter! Thanks for sharing.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Thank you all. 
As with the "Smaug" post, I'm having a lot of fun here too. It's pretty cool to look back and see what you could do when you were "just a kid".
Hal, I never built, nor wanted to build one of those really high finish boats. I took pride in building strong seaworthy vessels that could be afforded by "regular folks". That's not to say I don't admire their work I just had different priorities. You will see as we go through here that maintenance on a well built wooden boat needn't be any more than on any other kind.


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## Splinterman (Mar 13, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul,
Cool ride so far…pics are great.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


its really amazing how you cant (or barely) see the scarf line…

For plywood--it looks like there was not jig? for scarfing? Do you just make sure the angle is equal? by hand?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


Matt,Just set the pieces up with the appropriate setback, mark a line the same distance back on the top sheet, and plane from that line to the feather edge on the bottom. Use a solid 3/4" sheet on the bottom to back up the feather edge. Keep an eye on the glue lines. They will guide you. I use a power plane to rough and a sander to finish. You'll get the hang of it.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Scarfing and Setup*
> 
> *Plywood construction* probably presents the easiest method for an amateur to build a good boat, but it is also a useful construction for a professional shop wanting to satisfy a customer who doesn't have a large budget. It is a straightforward process and the plans tend to be easy to follow but there are a few tricks of the trade which I will try to cover.
> 
> ...


ok…sounds good…I thought it would be much more complicated…thanks!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*

*Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.










*In this shot* you see the substantial keel about to be assembled from two parts. It is made in two pieces to facilitate proper preparation of the centerboard slot. The centerboard swings down through the keel in the recessed area shown here freshly coated with epoxy and 6 oz. 'glass cloth.









*This is the centerboard trunk* that sits above the slot in the keel and houses the centerboard when in the "up" position. It extends to well above the waterline and with it's cover off you could look right down into the water. We used to talk about fishing through it but a problem would have arisen if we had caught anything more than 2" thick.









*These boats have minimal* framing and are really supported by their bulkheads, so when the hull is initially turned over, it is quite floppy and must be jigged back into shape and be held that way until the bulkheads are installed. Here the main bulkhead is being fitted. This is where Catspaw and Sylvester first start to differ. Catspaw, the economical, is all marine fir plywood while Sylvester, the POSH, as shown here has Brynzeel (African Mahogany) plywood for all the interior and cabinside areas.









*Now the accomodation bulkheads* and bunk framing have been installed. In a small boat it is a good idea to get as much painting and finishing as possible done before you get it all closed up. Also installed here are the foredeck beams and the chain locker bulkhead. You can see the forward half of the centerboard trunk also.









*Once the cabinsides* are in place they, along with the hull sides, get sheathed with 6 oz. 'glass and epoxy and re-coated / sanded until glass smooth and transparent. This is probably after the first re-coat and before sanding. The bottom was sheathed when the boat was still upside down.









*Here's an interior* shot from forward. Visible are the teak flooring and countertop, the centerboard case, half in and half outside the cabin, preliminary seating construction and roughed in hanging locker. Yes Hal, this is the biggest 19 footer ever! The tile for the wood stove is being laid out as well.









*Same time frame* but from the cockpit looking back in. The cockpit sole will be at the level of the top of the centerboard case so that the cockpit scupper is the case slot itself….cool! This photo also shows the massive forward vee berth. With no mast to contend with ( it's forward in the chainlocker) and the beamy hull this is a comfortable berth for two and you can sleep with your heads together (sort of). Sylvester had a drop-in filler between the berths that made a very large berth indeed for a 19 footer. 









*Here's a picture *of the plywood deck about the same time. It was 'glassed in Catspaw and non skid painted but here, in Sylvester it is not because it will be covered in 3/16" x about 2" teak strips with black epoxy seams.









*This is the last* picture for today. The hull is pretty well finished and the interior is complete as well. The teak decking has been laid and the seams filled with black epoxy although not all sanded yet. Next up will be the cabin top and cockpit.









Tomorrow we'll get to the fitting out.

Thanks for checking in.

Please ask questions, comment or critique. I'm having a ball with all these old memories and am more than happy to discuss your thoughts.
Thanks again

Paul


----------



## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul, I am enjoying the posts. 
Tremendous work. Fun to watch the progress pictures.

Do you ever epoxy ply or wood for anything else now days? It always intrigued by its strength, for things liike shop built tools or jigs. I built lap strake ply canoe once, it was a fantastic journey, but nothing like this.

Still watching,
Steve


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## sedcokid (Jul 19, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Paul, this is really a fasinating post. Fun to watch all that happens, the only water going vessel I ever had was a 18' aluminum fishing boat. So I enjoy this!!

Thanks for sharing


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


I have done all kinds of things with epoxy Steve, but There isn't much around the shop that requires the strength or justifies the cost. I am toying with the idea of some cold molded furniture and that would have to be epoxy but nothing right now. 
Thanks Chuck, glad you're enjoying it. I know I am.


----------



## dlmckirdy (Oct 27, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


These blogs are great! I helpe3d my uncle build a 21' cabin cruise from a kit when I was in high school. I learned a lot about woodworking and fiberglassing on that build (so did he).


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Looks like a very effective cabin layout. Another fun story to follow!


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Very interesting and informative. Thank you for sharing. Where did you learn your craft?

God Bless
tom


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Tom, I got the bug when I was in university and started building "one of those ferro cement sailboats", a 35 footer in my early 20's. Unlike many that were started in those days, I finished mine. The trouble was, after getting a job in a boat building yard to learn how to finish the thing, I realized that building was more appealing to me than setting off across oceans so I sold it and started my own yard when I was 27. That's about where these blogs pick it up as I started "Smaug" about then. I've never regretted a day of it.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


I did some work on a ferro cement boat, welding steel reinforcement for a friend back in the mid 70s. He sailed off and never heard from him again. I had a few small boats after that be didn't have the tools or space to fix them up. Still don't have the space. Some day.


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Paul, you must stop posting pictures like this! You are getting me all revved up to build a boat again! :^)


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## russ960 (Dec 22, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Cool boat. Great work on this.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


I will probably never build a boat but I really enjoy reading about it. Having owned 6 different boats I can appreciate your blog. I still have the last 3, 2 kayaks and a folding boat! Thanks for posting!

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Backbone and Structural Components*
> 
> *Before going on* to the backbone and structural components of the cats, I found a photo today that belongs in yesterday's entry. This is what the jig looked like that both were built on. None of what you see here is part of the boat except for the chine pieces at the joining area between the bottom and the sides. My Skill 100 (best powerplane ever made) is sitting on the chine.
> 
> ...


Love this post…it is so nice to see the layout of the cabin…great details…

The building process has so many similarities--yet some differences to from my boat…

I think the cockpit is wider but not as long--and there is more room taken up between the lazerette and transom on your boats…

I am excited to get building again seeing all these great picts!!! Will try to put my boat bottom onto my keel this weekend!!! Started cutting out the notch on the keel for the boat bottom to slide into…mine is different from the plans so I am really nervous but oh well…it will be my own boat!

Thanks for all…matt


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*

*Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.

*The first photo today* is one of Catspaw at Coal Harbour on the north end of Vancouver Island, where I had my shop. I have inserted it here to show the placement of the motor. Again Catspaw is the economy model of these two and you can see that she sports an outboard motor on a custom mount on the rudder. This was plenty of power and could be tipped up out of the water for no drag when sailing but it did have an interesting effect on rudder balance.










*This is the high end model *with an inboard saildrive version of pretty much the same motor. It was a beautiful, quiet power plant but the fact that it was inboard and gasoline powered meant that I had a thick stack of "safety regulations" that had to be satisfied. That added a lot of work.










*This is the centerboard* in glue-up. It was designed to pivot at the lower forward corner and incorporated about 20 pounds of lead to help it drop. It was eventually shaped to a foil for the part that extended below the keel and was then skinned, like everything else, with 'glass cloth and epoxy. With the board up these boats draw only 16" but when the board is down it increases the draft to 4' 8".









*When this photo* was taken the hull had been moved into the "heated shop" and painted with "Midnight Green" Endura. Here the rudder has been shaped and awaits painting and installation. I know that this was about Christmas time because I remember taking this rudder home and using it as an extra coffee table for a party we were throwing. It was a big hit. My first "art furniture" perhaps. 









*Next up* is the fresh water tank. It's often hard to get a tank to fit well in the odd shaped spaces afforded by small boats and I've found it frustrating and expensive working with welders to get complex shapes just right. Consequently a lot of my tanks, both water and fuel were made out of plywood and epoxy. This one will fit forward under the vee berth and yes it does get a top  . The filler is at the back and the drain is at the front. The box shape at the back fits over the end of the mast step.









*This is the transom* with the rudder gudgeons and pintles being fitted. They are cast aluminium bronze and were made from patterns that I designed and made specifically for this boat. You can also see the position of the saildrive leg here.










*This last shot* is a custom anchor / rode box that I designed for Catspaw. It served to keep the anchor secure, the wet rode outside the cabin, and it stiffened the foredeck sufficiently to allow me to take a pass on the deck beams. That made for more room and a cleaner appearance inside.










These are obviously only a few of the many bits and pieces involved in outfitting these two but they are included here because, well, they're the things I have pictures of.

For info about any of the other fittings, just ask and I'll fill you in as best I can.

Thanks for checking in.

Tomorrow finished shots and some under sail.

Thanks again

Paul


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## sedcokid (Jul 19, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


What a joy it is watch your transformation of these materials into a beautiful hull. The photos are Great!

Thanks for sharing


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Oops! Sorry about the repeat photos…. fixed now.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Wow Paul, this is a real treat. Great insight into boat building. Thanks for posting this.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


more great picts…I really like the anchor box…makes a lot of sense in terms of deck stiffness…and the added benefit of more room underneath…not to mention it looks nice…

You mentioned glassing the centerboard…what about the outside of the keel? On my boat I have heard builders debate both ways…some say it is a bad idea because you risk water penetration if you beach the boat and hit some tough rocks--and may not realize it trapping water inside the keel where it could rot out and you would not know until too late…

some suggest just glassing the sides…and then putting a metal "shoe" on the bottom of the keel…

Great blog…cant wait for the sailing shots!!!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


If you're in the ocean, I wouldn't worry about rot from sea water… ain't gonna happen. With epoxy there should be no problem, even in fresh water but many, many boats were done with polyester resin. The only thing it sticks to is other polyester resin ie: fiberglass boat construction. It never has and never will stick well to wood and could easily be the source of the horror stories.


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Really enjoying this you make great boats
Seasons greetings 
Trevor


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## Splinterman (Mar 13, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul,
Now that is good information….nice one.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul…what did you mean by this statement right above:

"It never has and never will stick well to wood and could easily be the source of the horror stories."

Are you talking about a metal strip/shoe as the source of horror--or glassing the keel? or something elese…?? lol


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Glassing the keel. If you do it with epoxy no worries, if you do it with polyester you're wasting your time or worse.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


ok…yes…epoxy all the way…thanks…


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Paul
I am curious about the fuel tanks that you made. How well do they flex and did you put baffles to reduce the "sloshing" back and forth. Is this permited any more?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Fitting Out*
> 
> *Completion of the hull* is a milestone in any boat building project, but while many think of it as half way, those who have done much of it will be hard to convince that it's a full third. In a sailboat I think of the parts as Hull, Fittings,and Rig.
> 
> ...


Good questions. As for the permission, At that time non explosive fuels like diesel weren't paid much attention as opposed to gasoline which came with all kinds of rules and regulations. I don't know if that would still be true but would be worth checking. The tanks I built were for the second Cape Scott 36 we built which was for an American customer and passed all US regs to be exported. They were 3/4" marine fir plywood assembled with the corners filleted with epoxy and re-enforced with a tri-axial cloth in epoxy, then skinned inside and out with 6 oz. cloth again with epoxy. They were rigid and when well chocked in place were very solid. We did add baffles as I remember. It would take a fair long time for an engine room fire to burn through 3/4" of plywood so they're as safe that way as anything else.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*

*Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".

*This is the only* interior shot I have of Catspaw after all the time I owned her. She's every bit as comfortable and useful as Sylvester, but nowhere near as pretty. The interior layout of these boats is almost exactly the same as "Friendship" http://lumberjocks.com/projects/37786 , the exception being that although two feet shorter, the catboats are much bigger inside.









*These are some* interior photos of Sylvester. Notable details are the mahogany and yellow cedar louvered doors, book shelves, wood burning stove and heavy bronze portlights. The Brynzeel plywood cabin sides were more than eight feet long so they too had to be scarfed. You can just see the scarf behind the port above the seat in the last photo. These had to be done on the table saw with a rather large jig to make a stepped scarf that would show as little as possible and as a thin line both inside and out. The scarf was of course arranged to land on the porthole area.




































*This is an old* black and white of Catspaw when she was sailing in Hardy Bay, Port Hardy B.C. With her very shallow draft forward you could actually pull her up on the beach and step off on dry land. The ship's dog is my best friend of the day "Freda".









*Sailing shots* of Sylvester, Catspaw and the somewhat rare photo these days of two catboats sailing together.



























*And last but not least* the boat builder's favorite photo of a custom build: From the stern leaving the yard to start her new life.









*That's it for this one folks.* If you're still interested I could do a couple of cold molded "Cape Scott 36's" That I built in the 80's and I still have one secret group of boats to post one day…. Several of you have probably actually been on a boat that I built.

Just a tease, I'll get around to them.

Comments, questions critiques are always welcome.

Bye for now

Paul


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


well done paul

i worked the boats 
for 10 years in ft. lauderdale
mostly stinkpots
as sailors prefer to do the work themselves

did help lot's of friends though
on sailers

brings lot's of memories

thanks


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Thank you David. I am pleased that you approve.


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Really beautiful craft, it's amazing it really didn't look that big on the photo's of the hull construction, I would really love to do that one day.
Thanks for sharing it Paul
Best 
Trevor


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Like I said before… That's the most usable space I've ever seen in a 19' boat! My 21' sailboat has enough room for day sailing and sleeping on the seats outside with a tarp over the boom. In case of storms, there are two side bunks with about 2' of headroom under the seats. The tiny v-bunk isn't big enough to sleep on. I have two mains, 3 jibs and two spinnakers. Rolled up they fill all the available space down below.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


so nice…great shots! I really do love the sailing shots…lets me dream a little…

I hope it is okay to ask--how much did each of these cost to build/buy when you made them? And how about in today's dollars?

I am excpecting mine to come in around $4-5000 when all is said and done…of course mine wont be nearly as nice!!!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Long time ago but seems to me Sylvester went for around 30K. Friendship cost me that much to build! You may be a little optimistic if you are counting sails, anchor, etc. etc. etc. It adds up quick.


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Great journey you let us take with you. It would be wonderful to create something like this. It must feel so rewarding. Maybe someday…


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Paul,

Again, thanks for the boatbuilder's view of his work. This has been a joy for me to see. I have gained greater respect for the shipwright's skills.


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## sedcokid (Jul 19, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Thanks Paul!! This has sure been fun!!

Thanks for Sharing…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


Both great looking boats Paul. I think a catboat would be a good choice for someone with a restricted budget. I did want to take up sailing earlier on, but my wife doesn't like being on the water. When she was a student nurse in Haugesund, Norway, she was able to get home via fishing vessels to Stavanger. Her and the other students made only about $12 a month, so the fishermen were kind enough to take them over on their smallish wooden boats for free. The price was right, but there was often some pretty bad weather and really rough rides. I can remember taking the ferry over there one night from a business trip to Haugesund and it was so rough I really thought there was a chance we wouldn't make it! So I can't blame my wife for not having a love for the sea. I still get a lot of enjoyment reading about it though.

In 2001 we had some friends from the U.S. visiting and we toured about the whole southern part of Norway. We were lucky to see the Tall Ships Race participants while they were in port in Ålesund and we had a tour on a couple of them. There were also quite a few sailing yachts also in port at the same time, so we got to see a lot of very beautiful ships and boats all within short walking distance of each other. We also visited the Viking boat museum, The Kon-Tiki museum and my favorite, the Fram museum which houses Amundsen's polar exploration wooden ship. Fram was built by Colin Archer. It is a fantastic vessel and once onboard I found it hard to leave. If you haven't seen it already, I hope you will. Please let me know if you ever want to visit Norway, there are a lot of interesting things to see here.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Catboats: Framed Plywood Construction, Finished Photos and Sailing.*
> 
> *Well, the construction *part of this blog is over such as it was, so it's time for a few shots of the finished boats. Again the differences will be evident between the economical build and the "luxury suite".
> 
> ...


B


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*

*This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.

*There are several* methods by which a cold molded hull can be built. There can be several very thin layers or fewer thicker ones. There can be opposing diagonals over a form of temporary molds, bulkheads and permanent battens, or the hull can be laid up over a solid re-usable mold and removed as a shell, or it can be built with an initial layer of strip planking covered over with two or more thin diagonal layers. There are also combinations and modifications to all of the above. The important thing is that they are all glued up monocoque hulls that exhibit very high strength to weight ratios.

*Olfara* and *Stevador* (see my projects) were built with three layers (1/4") of diagonal planking over temporary molds, bulkheads and permanent battens. Olfara's planking is all Honduras Mahogany while Stevador has two layers of Sitka Spruce (to reduce weight and give a light color to the interior) and one Mahogany on the outside for durability.

*The first photo* shows the oak plywood bulkheads and behind them, the temporary molds, ready to be assembled on the strongback timbers that will form the rigid foundation required to keep everything in line. The Oak plywood has had two coats of epoxy sealer to protect the thin surface veneer during construction.










*Here the bulkheads* and molds are being set up on the strongback timbers, trued up to be plumb, level and square. As you can see these hulls will be built upside down. The messy looking pile over by the wall is 6000 lbs of lead sheathings stripped from old electrical cable. I'll never use cable sheathings again. We'll come to that later.









*Now the stern timber* is being laminated up out of sixteen layers of 1/4" H. Mahogany. This was done in stages and required MANY more clamps than you see here. We often took most of the clamps off after several hours, when the epoxy was almost fully cured but left enough to avoid stressing the joint until full cure was obtained. The heavy blocking is just a form and was removed as soon as the stern timber was cured up.










*The stem was a much easier* lamination and was made up of 3/4" layers. Again there were many more clamps than seen here. I think this picture is actually a dry fitting.










*Here the permanent *battens are being fitted (Yellow Cedar) and the stem is being faired and shaped to match their changing angles. The bulkheads have been notched to accept the battens and the battens will be glued into them, making them rigid structural members. The temporary molds are smaller and the battens rest on top of them.










*This is basically* the same thing as the last photo but at the stern. It was a truly challenging stern to build. The rough shaping you see here was done with a power plane. Once all the battens are in place the final fairing is done with a disc sander.










*Final shot for today*. This one belongs somewhere between the last few but shows the whole boat. The backbone (stem, keelson and stern timber) is in place but not yet faired in to accept the skin, the sheer clamps have been added and the battens are being installed.










*Next time* , Planking cold molding style.

*Thanks for dropping by. hope you're having fun. I still am.*

Comments, questions and critiques are always welcome.

Thanks again.

Paul


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## Ecocandle (Jan 2, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


That is exceptionally cool.


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


The construction details are great! Thanks for sharing your photos and construction techniques.


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## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


Very interesting! I always wondered how some of this was done. Thx for sharing.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


It is going to be another great story Paul - looking forward to it!! It's fortunate for us that you have these pictures saved. Adding your excellent descriptions males this another very informative series.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


You are, my good friend, a true craftsman. I really enjoyed this post.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


another good blog from you as always a pleassure to read 
thank´s for taking us on another jurney with you

take care
Dennis


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Two Cape Scott 36's: Cold Molded Construction*
> 
> *This is the third* in a series of blogs on the different types of wooden boat construction I've done. The first two covered traditional carvel planking and framed plywood construction. This one will concentrate on a method called "cold molding". Cold molding refers to the fashioning of a hull form by gluing up layers of thin planking in different orientations much like a sheet of plywood is made, but in this case it takes the shape of a boat.
> 
> ...


I'm really enjoying these reminiscences Paul you're a fine craftsman. 
Best
Trevor


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Cold Molded Planking *

*I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.

*The first layer* in this style of cold molding is applied on a diagonal as shown below. The exact angle is found by making several trial bends in different parts of the hull. The one that allows the easiest bends in the greatest number of places is the one to choose, if that makes any sense. This layer is epoxy glued to the stringers and bulkhead edges but care is taken not to glue the edges of adjoining planks together. This is because at only 1/4" thickness they will bend slightly differently and will not align exactly with each other. If this hull looks different to you,that's because it is. This is Stevador, with it's higher sides aft. I didn't have any early photos of planking Olfara.










*This is actually* the third layer but for a moment, think of it as the second. The second layer is epoxied to the first and edge glued to it's neighbors and as the layers are drawn together with sheet metal screws, any high and low plank edges in the first layer are brought into line. As the planks are snugged up together, excess glue fills the joints between the planks in the first layer and everything levels out nicely. The sheet metal screws are removed and re-used and as you can see in this photo the holes left behind are filled in the third layer. In the first and second layers this is not necessary as glue will be forced into them when the next layer is squeezed down on top of them. The piece nearest us in the photo is being temporarily held in place by loosely fitting cleats so that it's far edge can be scribed to perfectly match the plank behind it, already glued down. That scribe line will be cut on the band saw and will then fit snugly against the previous plank. The other side will remain straight and the next piece will be fitted to it and so on down the hull.










*This picture was* probably taken at the same time as the last one but from further back. It shows a good view of the hull with two layers finished and the third started. These are the easy parts. It gets a little trickier around that stern.










*The view from the bow* after planking is complete. The stem and keel areas have been planed down ready to accept further laminations to finish off the shape.










*This is the same* thing except from the stern. Here the centerline has not yet been planed off. In the stern where the shape is extreme, the difference in planking is the amount that gets trimmed off from the scribing. Some of these pieces will be quite wide in the middle and quite narrow on the ends. They may also need to be narrower pieces to start with than in the forward and central areas.

!









*I'm going to toss in* a few photos here from planking my own boat "Friendship" http://lumberjocks.com/projects/37786 just to show another method of cold molding. This one is my own modification of the "strip plank " method where a layer of thicker strips is first laid up over temporary molds and is then covered by thinner diagonals. My modification was to shape my planks in the first layer more like carvel planks instead of using many many, more narrower strips as is usual in this method. I used a bead and cove edge to keep them aligned and escape the very labor intensive edge fastening used in strip planking.










*Here she is* with the first longitudinal layer complete.










*The first layer here* was 5/16" followed by two opposing diagonal layers of 1/8" each. Now that's a tough stern to plank! It doesn't look too tough here but think about the first layer.










*This method produces *a hull that is completely clean on the inside and can be sanded smooth. This is really a good thing on a small boat like Friendship. The battens would have robbed her of a lot of very precious space.










There, I'm sure we've all had enough for tonight. Next time we'll roll them over and pour some lead keels.

Thanks for dropping in.

Comments and questions welcome.

Paul


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## RonPeters (Jul 7, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


A picture is worth 1000 words!

Very interesting. I've never seen a boat being built from scratch. Much like a fiddle I'm sure?


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Alot of interresting and tiedious work with excellent results!


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Paul it's nothing short of art, a thing of beauty thanks for sharing. By the way can you answer a couple of questions please? 
1) Do you use three layers for the same reason that plywood & veneering is minimum three layers to give balance & stability to the construction? 
2) On the last cladding layer presumably the planks are screwed & epoxied down, do you leave the screws in, remove them & fill the holes or replace them with brass screws?
By the way what do they call that type of stern? I used to be a trawlerman & where I live used to be one of the biggest fishing ports in the UK . Along side the big sidewinders & stern trawlers was a fleet of small (about 60 ft) wooden herring boats, we called them "Snibbys" which had that same stern design I think they were of Scandinavian origin
Best regards
Trevor


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Trevor, thanks for the kind words. I'll try to answer your questions.

1) I'm not really sure if balance and stability are a factor. These details are part of the yacht designer's realm more than mine. A boat this size and weight and given the amount of framing used needs about 3/4" thick skin. We used three x 1/4". Some others, notably the Gougeon brothers, (the WEST System people) use more thinner pieces and may have chosen six x 1/8".
2) The screws come out and the holes are filled with epoxy. Again in thinner skin styles the fastenings are either metal staples (removed) or plastic staples. On Friendship, with 1/8" outer layers, I used plastic staples and left them in. The top bars weren't forced into the wood so they just sanded off when the hull was faired. Saved a ton of work.
3) Not sure. I've heard it called a reverse stern. I just call it a challenging stern.

If I guessed Whitby would I be close?


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## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


wonderful work, Paul.
Had you to fit the planks by planing the edges? or sometimes is it possible to glue the rectangular planks without fitting them? and - more important to me - have you ever suffered from allergy? epoxy and naval varnish caused me allergic reactions some years ago, because I was so stupid to use them in a closed room, without ventilation - but I guess you too didn't make use of protections… 
--
I was wondering: is it a way to check the thickness of the hull after the final planing and sanding? (I'm thinking of the way the lute-makers build their violins, checking the thickness of the board) - maybe this question is nonsense


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## Maveric777 (Dec 23, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Fascinating stuff Paul…. In my neck of the woods folks simply don't get to see stuff like this. It is mind blowing how these beauties are put together…. Thanks for sharing!


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


thank´s for sharing 
those hulls have beautyfull lines

take care
Dennis


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Wonderful tutorial on beautiful boats, I have always loved looking at wooden boats, but never realized
how much craftsmanship went into making them look so good and move easily through the water. Almost
makes me wish I was younger and lived closer to a large body of water. Thank you for sharing.


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## Broglea (Dec 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Paul - How much, if any, of that 5/8" planking cracked or split? Seems like it would take a little muscle to cold bend them into place. Great blog by the way. Very interesting.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


*Antonio*, 
1) Because the glue being used is epoxy, an accurately band-sawn edge is just fine. You wouldn't want gaps bigger than the odd 1/16" but the gap filling qualities of epoxies make it a perfect choice for this work.
2) Edge gluing near-square pieces without fitting them is the usual way of "strip planking" It is very labor intensive in that it requires many small fastenings to hold adjacent strips in line and it takes, even at 3/4" thickness, sixteen strips to cover a foot ! The reason it is used is that you don't have to know how to shape planks so amateurs can get good results.
3) I admit I haven't taken all the precautions that I should have but I knew about epoxy allergy very early on and had two firm rules: "Don't get any on you" and "Don't get any on the handles of your tools." You'll notice in the photo that I'm wearing vinyl gloves. I've been lucky as it's a cumulative allergy and I worked with it for many years.
4) If you do it well there is very little wood taken off when sanding to fair the hull, so about 1/16" less than you put on should be about average. You get to check this every time you make a hole for a fitting.

*Broglea*, Very little. I'm sure you're referring to what seem to be impossible bends at the stern but if you look closely at that area in the photo, you can just see that I made the pieces sort of rotate to vertical at the stern, actually past vertical. That was the only way it was about to happen. I'll look for another photo to show this.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


This is about the best I could find to show the stern planking from the inside. I hope you can see it well enough.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Paul, You obviously had a great passion for boat/ship building and the quality of your work shows. It may be tedious for many of us but not for those with an inherent love of building these things. It is about what rocks your boat and what may be gravy for one person is vomit to another. There are some things I do that may seem tedious to others but I enjoy doing it and get satisfaction from it! I do derive satisfaction from reading about your builds knowing that this may be the closest I will ever get to building my "dream boat" and by reading your post, I have also come to the realization that had I ever started on my boat, it would have most likely been abandoned at some point as being too much to chew! Thanks for posting and allowing us "dreamers" to wallow in our dreams!

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


incredible…


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Cold Molded Planking *
> 
> *I have to apologize* for my lack of a lot of photos of this stage. I guess it just seemed to boring to take a lot of photos at the time. Anyway there are enough to give you the general idea.
> 
> ...


Paul, This is simply incredible. You are far too modest. It's been said before that wooden boat building is the height of woodworking as an art. Having admired these magnificent vessels since I was a small boy, but since building a simple by comparison strip kayak, I have an even deeper admiration for your accomplishments. I also think it's incredible that there are people out there that appreciate this enough to pay for building these boats. These are wonderful photographs and give insight to different methods of construction I appreciate what you have done here very much and I look forward to further installments.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*

*Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.

*Here the skin* is on but the spray-on fairing primer has not yet been applied. The white patches are epoxy filler applied between the wood and the 'glass with a batten screed to fill the more pronounced low spots.










*In this photo* the last primer is on and we're ready to roll her over. The rolling jigs are in place, bolted through the keelson and the sheer strakes in places that won't show later.










*The first job* is to lift on one side until the hull rests on the first flat side of the rolling jig. This is a fairly tense time as there a lot of balls in the air so to speak. Stops to check balance and move shim blocking are frequent.










*Once the hull rests* on the first flat, the forklift moves to the other side and lowers it down onto the second flat. Then the scary part is over and it's just a matter of tipping her upright. This photo shows her about half way down to the second flat , an interesting view and the first time we get to see the inside from any distance.










*Once upright*, she's set up in a temporary cradle to await the keel.










*Olfara had a foil *shaped keel so a plug of the same shape (but 1/8" per foot larger to account for shrinkage) was built first according to offsets provided by the designer. This is a plug of the lead only. The area above the diagonal surface will be filled by the wooden part of the keel. As you can see the lead is concentrated in the forward part of this keel.









*Next a strongly *reinforced plywood box is built . The plug is placed in it and concrete is poured around the plug which is then removed leaving a mold space for the lead. We placed 3/4" copper pipes in the mold, wired in place exactly where the keel bolts would go. This is way easier than trying to drill two feet of lead with extreme accuracy.










*In the last segment* I mentioned that we'd get to the issue of the lead cable sheathings later. Well this is later. Apparently these cables were wrapped up in lead and lubricated / protected / insulated / whatever with oily PCB kind of nasty stuff. That's what that smoke I'm standing in is made of. I'm skimming the floating slag off the top of the molten lead here. The melting pot is an old hydraulic oil tank salvaged from a commercial fish boat reno welded to a 1/2" steel plate and surrounded by fire bricks for insulation. There is a valve on the front at the bottom and heat is supplied by two tiger torches running on propane.










*This is a great photo*, to me anyway. It shows pure liquid lead flowing freely into the mold. This is really a fun moment (PCB's aside). If you add the lead at the correct rate, pour at the correct rate and have the right amount of heat you can, and we did, pour 6000 pounds of lead in a single uninterrupted stream










*Here's the new* keel being lifted out of the mold. No release problems with lead as it shrinks when it cools. Bloody considerate of it don't you think?

.









Enough for now. I'm being called away.

Comments and questions welcome.

Later

Paul


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


I see there are more aspects to boat building than I had assumed! This would be out my league.

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


truly amazing, Your shop is a little small for me I dont think I could find a place to set my toolbox. lol


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


I have always loved being on a sailboat when the wind and the waves were up and hanging on the upwind
side to coax just a little more speed without too much lean, finding out how much weight was in the keel
makes my efforts seem a little puny now. Thank you once again for sharing your skills and knowledge to help
us better understand boats and realize how much skill goes into building a good ship.


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


I'm not really looking at the photos, too scared of that itch….!


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## Pawky (Sep 22, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


I'm really enjoying reading this series to see what it is you do. Thank you for continuing to share


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


great stuff…with all that we know now…do you think you would want…or be required by law to wear more respiratory protection?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


Matt, we knew it all then. It was only an hour or two, I was wearing activated charcoal filters and the thing had to be done. Since then I've always used lead that someone else had already made into ingots. You live and learn.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


I have been away for a while and come back to read these wonderful blogs. Truly fascinating, I just love it.

BTW, we were just spending time in St. Martin, and I thought about you a lot. The boats there are incredible.

Keep it up,
Steve


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


Nice one Paul I love the way craftsmen have developed & discovered techniques & skills over the centuries & these boatbuilding blogs are a great example I hope they are never lost. Todays technological society seem to discard old knowledge as not being relevant & yet it still underpins even the latest computer
Thanks for sharing it Paul
Trevor


----------



## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Rolling Hulls Over and Pouring Lead Keels*
> 
> *Once the hull is planked*, it is skinned with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and faired using several tinted coats of a high build epoxy primer and quite a lot of sandpaper. The last coat is grey and only sanded enough to knock off the dust nibs.
> 
> ...


This series is an amazing read. Thank you.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Boring Bars and Custom Castings*

*One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.

*The boring bar *being used here is 1" dia. stainless steel about eight feet long. After hacking a rough hole big enough to pass the bar through, bearings are set up inside and out as close to the eventual shaft line as the rough hole will allow. A few passes with the fly cutter will allow the bearings to be moved closer and soon they can be set up exactly on the shaft line with a string stretched from the center of the engine output to the center of the propeller position. These bearings are usually just holes in blocks of wood but they serve just fine.
Once the bearings are in final position inside and out the bar is re-inserted and the cutter is advanced slowly in fine cuts until the desired diameter is reached. The photo below shows the the bar and the inside bearing position in Olfara. You can even see the string that was used to set up the bearings.










*This is the outside* position. It's a very simple setup but would be difficult to do any other way.










*Once the hole *is cut the shaft tube(stern tube) is glued in place with epoxy and the shaft and it's water sealing gland are fitted. In this case the tube was ABS pipe and had no bearing in it. The outer bearing was in a cast bronze strut and the inner bearing was on the bronze casting you can see here. 









*Another way* this can be done is with a bronze tube with the stern bearing installed in it's outer end and the gland mounted directly on the inner end. This photo is of the inside shaft tube in Friendship.










*When building custom* yachts , you can't always find all the hardware you'd like to use. I used to make patterns and send them to a foundry in Vancouver and get castings done in aluminium bronze. This is a toe rail chock that I designed for Olfara. It's advantages are that it is closed so that your line won't slip out of it if you're rafted next to a higher vessel or dock, but the hole is big enough to pass your hand through with a line. Sailors will understand the advantage. There are mortises in the ends to accept the toe rail tenon ends and fit the toe rail flush and fair.










*This one is *a double headstay + anchor roller casting for Olfara. Two headstays can be an advantage at sea, particularly for running with twin headsails, but even just for redundancy.










*This one is* a backstay tensioning lever. For the non-sailors an over center type tightener sort of like the chain tighteners truckers use except for sailing. I managed to get my company name on this one.









*The last one* I have a photo of is this custom stanchion base for the lifelines , again on Olfara. It's not easy to find something off the shelf that fits the angles and style of a custom boat and if you make do with the store bought parts and make adjustments to account for them it always shows. 









*I guess that's it* for tonight. Next time I'll show some finished shots and the few sailimg photos I have of these boats.

Thanks for following and keep the questions coming. I'm happy to answer them.

Paul


----------



## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Boring Bars and Custom Castings*
> 
> *One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.
> 
> ...


Very interesting details. Thanks for sharing, now for the sailing photos.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Boring Bars and Custom Castings*
> 
> *One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.
> 
> ...


Fascinating. Just fascinating.
There is so much talent and knowledge here. I can tell you are only scratching the surface with us, but dang, you gotta know a lot about a lot to pull this off.

Steve


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## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Boring Bars and Custom Castings*
> 
> *One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.
> 
> ...


yes, interesting and fascinating. I never read of this method (I mean, the bar with the fly cutter). 
...
Are you thinking (I hope ) to show us how to drill the keel and install the bars that fasten the lead ballast?


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Boring Bars and Custom Castings*
> 
> *One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.
> 
> ...


Thanks all.

*Hal*, don't get your hopes up to high. The only sailing photos I have of these aren't much.

*Antonio*, The drilling is so critical, ( two 3/4" bolts with washers have to hit an area only slightly larger than the two washers at the front end of this keel and then hit a very specific spot on the inside of the boat) that drilling would be REALLY difficult so we cast 3/4" copper pipes in exact positions in the lead. You can see them in the last blog entry. The holes are drilled in the wood guided by these pipe holes but the lead is not drilled. the bolts simply slide into the pipes.

I have better photos of this with Friendship. Maybe I'll do an extra blog entry to show it better.


----------



## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Boring Bars and Custom Castings*
> 
> *One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.
> 
> ...


aha, I haven't noticed it! I didn't read of this one either. But that way, the heads of the bolts stay under the ballast, don't they? (in some details, in some books I have bought, there is a recess in the ballast for the nut). 
I like your method, thank you.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Boring Bars and Custom Castings*
> 
> *One of the interesting* tools that find a regular use in building boats is the boring bar. After the hull is finished and the time comes to install the engine and associated equipment one of the first jobs is to install the stern tube, the passage through which the shaft will penetrate the hull. It must be perfectly aligned with the output shaft of the engine but often must be drilled at an oblique angle to the skin of the hull. This challenge is overcome with a boring bar. It is simply a piece of bar of sufficient diameter to maintain stiffness over the required length but still be narrow enough to be significantly smaller than the required hole. A hole is drilled transversely through the bar near it's center and an adjustable fly cutter is installed and locked in place by a grub screw. One end is then turned down to fit in a drill chuck.
> 
> ...


I've posted another blog entry to clear this up, thanks for asking about it.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Keel Bolts*

*To answer some* of the questions asked about the keel bolts after my last entry, here are some photos from Friendship that show the process a little better.

*This is the lead *keel for Friendship (900lbs) freshly poured and cooled. you can see the copper pipes, 1/2" in this case, sticking out. You can also see the effect of the molten lead on the pieces of plywood that were used to keep the pipes in position.









*This is the lead* with the concrete mold broken off of it.









*In this photo* the lead has been laid on it's side and the wood keel has been clamped on and drilled through the pipes. Then it was bolted together and righted. Then, with the two bolted firmly together, the wood keel was planed and sanded to perfectly match the lead.









*The next step *is to fix the wood keel to the hull permanently and drill through keelson using the holes in the wood keel as a guide. Now you have holes on the inside of the boat very close to their planned positions and the necessary strengthening pieces can be installed directly onto them.









*Prior to mounting* the boat onto the lead keel, the keel is counterbored to recess the nuts on the bottom ends of the bronze keel bolts. Even on this small keel you can see how little room there is for error in placing these holes.










*Now a thick* layer of epoxy is troweled onto the top of the keel….










*and the boat* is lowered into position. One person on the inside of the boat drops the bolts in, the bottom nuts are installed and then the top ones are tightened. 









*The excess epoxy* is cleaned up and it's time to relax.










Sorry I wasn't clear the first time. This should clear up the foggy spots.

Thanks for the questions. They definitely make for a better experience for everyone.

Paul


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Keel Bolts*
> 
> *To answer some* of the questions asked about the keel bolts after my last entry, here are some photos from Friendship that show the process a little better.
> 
> ...


That's impressive. I'm surprised you don't have a series on the Discovery channel or History channel about boat building…


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Keel Bolts*
> 
> *To answer some* of the questions asked about the keel bolts after my last entry, here are some photos from Friendship that show the process a little better.
> 
> ...


amazing how much work there is in such a little thing like the keel 
evn though I know the keel is importen its still amaze me to see it every time

thank´s for sharing 
Dennis


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## PetVet (Nov 7, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Keel Bolts*
> 
> *To answer some* of the questions asked about the keel bolts after my last entry, here are some photos from Friendship that show the process a little better.
> 
> ...


Hey Paul, thanks for posting this. As a sailor, we worry constantly about dissimilar metals and electrolysis. Are the bronze keel bolts and the copper tubes close enough on the galvanic scale to not have to worry about this?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Keel Bolts*
> 
> *To answer some* of the questions asked about the keel bolts after my last entry, here are some photos from Friendship that show the process a little better.
> 
> ...


Yes Rich, The better bronzes are fine. Silicon bronze is over 95% copper with just a little (1-3%) silicon and about 1% other alloying agents so it's as close to pure copper as s**t it to swearing. Just to be sure though the nuts are filled over with epoxy so they never really see sea water.


----------



## Pete_Jud (Feb 15, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Keel Bolts*
> 
> *To answer some* of the questions asked about the keel bolts after my last entry, here are some photos from Friendship that show the process a little better.
> 
> ...


i had some bad keel boats of a boat that I owned years ago. To prior owner had let the bilge pump wires mix with salt water in the the bilge. The first one I pulled out was shaped like a carrot. I dropped the keel in the yard, in other words, build a cradle to hold the keel, and have the travel-lift lift the boat off from the keel. I then had to rebed the area between the keel and the pylon with 3M 5200, and have the boat set back down on the keel. I then drilled new holes through the pylon, and into the lead of the keel. Long and very costly drill bit. I then with a rattle gun, 6 stainless 5/8 24-36 inch long lag bolts into the keel. The keel on this boat only weighed around 5000 lbs. On my present boat in comes in at over 12,500 lbs.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Finished, Launched and Sailing*

*Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.

*On with the show*. The first one is of the cockpit of Olfara. It's all teak and was all made up in the shop, even the wheel. The little bronze plate on the steering pedestal was my builder's plaque.










*Midships looking aft*, starboard side, Olfara. (Strangely I have no inside photos of Stevador) Nav station on the left, galley on the right and the aft stateroom door right center. The interior is oak and teak.










*Looking forward* from the galley toward the starboard side. Notice the chainplate doublers on the cabinside. This allowed very close sheeting of the genoa.









*Forward port side* looking aft. The engine was amidships in the box under the table. That left a huge space in the stern under the cockpit for storage.










*From the bottom* of the companionway looking forward. This one shows the teak and white epoxy sole, galley cabinetry, overhead hatch and the serious roof camber.










*This is what* "custom building" means. If the customer wants a bath tub on his sailboat, he gets one. This one is made of plywood, epoxy, 'glass cloth and linear polyurethane paint. It was quite large too. We called it the sail locker. It's under a forward berth.










*Olfara gets launched*. Notice the fin keel with skeg hung rudder. The owners always got to ride the boats into the water.










*Stevador gets launched*. She had the longer keel with the rudder on the aft end. That's the owner in the blue shirt. The other in the red is J.P., one of my crew.










*I have no good shots* inside Stevador but you can imagine the great aft cabin inside this stern. We set her up so that almost all sail could be handled from a hatch in the wheelhouse roof. One point of interest in this photo is that you can see the chock castings from Olfara's toerails (see last entry) doing double duty here as fairleads for jib sheets leading from tracks on the afterdeck up to the control station on the house top. Sorry about all the terms but the sailors will understand.










*Here we have* the trial run for the innovative control position. We were a bit concerned that it wouldn't work as well as we hoped but it was for nothing. It worked very well indeed. In the last photo you could see the chocks / fairleads. In this one you can see how they worked. J. P. is sheeting the genoa here with a big self tailing winch in easy reach of the hatch position.










*I only got one* chance to photograph Olfara sailing and it was snowing! You may also notice there was no wind…. Oh Well.









*My shipyard was* in Coal Harbour on the north end of Vancouver Island and our outlet to the Pacific was on the west coast. That made the maiden voyage for my boats (the ones that weren't trailered anyway) a trip around the notorious Cape Scott, the northern tip of the island. We called this model the "Cape Scott 36"and this is a photo I took from a friend's Cessna of Stevador on her way around. It was a good shakedown. It got quite a bit rougher down there than it looks in this photo.










*Well, that's a wrap on this one*.

Thanks for enduring my reminiscences and posting your kind words. I've enjoyed doing the blogs and hope that you've enjoyed reading them. There's one more style I haven't touched on yet and I may do one on it if there's enough interest. It's stitch and glue plywood construction and I've built a total of sixteen small ferries in the style for three different companies, one of them my own. In fact I'd bet that more than a few lumberjocks have actually ridden on one of them.

Questions, comments and whatever … always welcome.

Paul


----------



## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Yes, I'd love to see your stitch and glue boats too. The interiors of your boats are beautiful.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


What great memories and fabulous maritime woodworking experience you've had. Great work and thanks for taking the time to gather and share this story Well done Sailor.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Wow. I click through and read your entries when I see 'em. I know a few folks with wooden boats, occasionally I'll see one in the wild, but mostly I hear the stories of how much work they are. Through your pictures I also see why people love them so. Gorgeous.


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## BigTiny (Jun 29, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


*Stitch and glue! Stitch and glue!*

I imagine from the looks of your work that your maker's plaque will be standing proud against storm long after all here are dust. The pride that fact must give you, most of us can but imagine.

Although not a sailor, my father had a great love of the Pacific and his chosen retiement home in Campbell River, Vancouver Island. I never got past Hardy in my own explorations of that lovely island, but fell in love with it every bit as much as dad did.

He used to say "God made Heaven for practice, then He made Vancouver Island!"

I think he was right…


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


A bathtub Paul?? Now that's what I call gracious living. Love the interior shots these boats are finished beautifully thanks for the trip shipmate, looking forward to signing on again
Best
Trevor


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Go for it Paul. I just love these postings. I just hope there is some of this building still going on, somewhere.

Steve


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


very nice! Love it…or them…great boats…

So how many people did you work with in your crew? was there a stable work force or did it change from job to job?


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Another great story Paul. I really enjoy seeing how these came to life. I'll also cast a vote for continuing the series!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Matt 
I usually had one or two "helpers". They learned as they worked and yes, they came and went.


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing Paul! It brings back many memories. I never had the opportunity to build carvel (fixed quite a few though) but I built some cold molded boats. Many stitch & glue as well. Please show those as well!


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


thank´s for sharing with us 
and I wuold allso like to see one about stitchand glue 
since I know the only way I can afford a small boat 
to fish from is making it myself and it seems to me stitch and glue
is the easyest , cheapest and fastest way to do it

take care
Dennis


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments. I will do a blog on the stitch and glue method but it'll have to wait until I return to B.C. as that's where the photos are. I'm in Arizona until sometime in April.

Thanks again


----------



## rodneyh (Feb 8, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Finished, Launched and Sailing*
> 
> *Time to wind up* the Cold Molded Construction edition of this little trip through my old shipyard, my old photos and my old memories. The following are about all the finished shots I have of these boats. Apparently I was more interested in the building than the product. ... Interesting.
> 
> ...


I'm new to LJ and just stumbled across this. What a find. I'm the proud current owner of Olfara (my apologies, but we nameded her Terrapin). We've had her for about 8 or 9 years now. What an amazing vessel. We're in the Salem, OR area, she's taken us to Mexico and Hawaii, an she's currently moored in Newport, OR. Chomping at the bit to head south again, probably in about a year. Falling asleep now, but I'll get ahold of you in the next couple days. Wow, this is sooo cool!!!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*

This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/44378

What a wonderful feeling to find that she's still sailing and bringing pleasure and adventure to another owner and his family.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


Wow…that is COOL…maybe he will post some recent pictures on LJ's and tell us a little history of the boat since you built her!

Very cool…


----------



## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


That is cool. Would be almost like visiting a new friend and noticing that the coffee table was one you built and sold a number of years ago. Definitely an awesome testimony to the quality of your craft. Glad you had that magic moment.

David


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


Pretty neat situation to occur. To be honest, I like your original color scheme much better. The dark blue and wood tones say "very elegant" to me.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


That is so cool Paul. What a small world.
And what a wonderful surprise I am sure.

Steve


----------



## BarbS (Mar 20, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


That is Neat. I saw the posting, and I sure like the original paint job better, with all the wood showing. Must have been quite a surprise for you!


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


*Barb*, Paint is only skin deep. In her heart she's still young and beautiful.

Sadly I don't look as good as I did in 1986 either.


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


I did see his comment on another blog of yours earlyer 
and thought wauw this most be a happy Shipwright getting news about his baby still going strong 

take care
Dennis


----------



## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


Paul,

Thanks for sharing the good news. It has to be exciting for you to see Olfara again!

L/W


----------



## rodneyh (Feb 8, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...
















































Here's a few more pics of Terrapin. 1st is in Barkley Sound with the hull color as I bought her. 2nd is Turtle Bay on Baja. 3rd is Hilo, HI. Last 2 are the lower Columbia River. Yeah, we have a bit of fun with her. Can't seem to find any good interior pics right now. I'll put some up when I do. Just realized those pics show up in reverse order.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the Photos. It's great to see her again. It's even better to know that she's still being used to her full potential.


----------



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


how wonderful
great "boat"; great story


----------



## BigTiny (Jun 29, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Something Really Cool Just Happened to Me on LJ's*
> 
> This morning when I checked the "pulse" section here on LJ's, I had a very cool surprise waiting for me. The current owner of one of my featured constructions here, "Olfara" is a new LJ and stumbled upon my blog while cruising the site last night. She's about twenty five years old now (the boat) and has a new paint job and a new name "Terrapin" but the photo he posted leaves little doubt. It's post #24 in this project post:
> 
> ...


True pride comes from the enjoyment we bring to others.


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.

This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.

I wasn't as into photographing the progress then as I am now, in fact if I hadn't decided to build two boats in the winter of 1994, in anticipation of the Commonwealth Games coming to Victoria that summer, I would not have hired help that year and likely wouldn't have any photos at all. Many of the photos will feature Jim Kennedy who helped me that winter building Harbour Six and Harbour Seven.

I also apologize for not having photos of a few key components (like the stitching) but I will try to explain well enough to give you a clear picture of how it's done.

*There are several *ways to approach stitch and glue but most start with the various components of the hull being cut from patterns either supplied by the designer or created from a full size lofting from the plans. These components are then assembled by stitching the adjoining edges together whereupon the hull takes on three dimensions as the curved edges are brought together.

These boats are a little large for that so I built a jig from the lines plan and took the patterns from the jig. We'll get to all that soon enough but for now let's start at the beginning. The first order of business in building a twenty foot boat in this style is to acquire twenty four foot plywood.

*I always scarf* my plywood with an 8:1 scarf and cold cure epoxy. There is no need to back this joint with anything because it is as strong as the rest of the plywood. The first thing you need to do is set up a scarfing station that will support a stack of plywood and has at one end a solid, flat wood surface. Then you stack as many sheets as you will be scarfing in a staggered pile with the offset equal to 8x the plywood thickness. In our case with 3/8" plywood the offsets are 3". The sheets can be tacked together with a pin tacker staying away from areas that will be planed off.










*Next is simply *to plane off a flat surface in a plane from the lower edge of the bottom piece to a line 3" back from the upper edge of the top piece. Keeping the glue lines in the plywood straight will ensure an even cut and when you are finished you will have 3" scarfs with knife edges. As we were scarfing three pieces to get 24' some of the pieces were flipped end for end and done again to give scarfs on both ends of the center pieces. By the way, that's a Skil 100 power plane, the best power plane ever made IMHO. I guess you could use a hand plane if you were a purist, but it takes about ten minutes with the 100.










*Once the contact *faces are cut the pieces are set up on your custom designed 4' by 32' scarfing bench and glued up. In this shot Jim is spreading epoxy on both sides of a joint. Under the joint is a strip of polyethylene which conveniently does not stick to epoxy (or vice versa).










*Once the glue is spread*, one sheet is flipped over and the scarfs are aligned. A couple of tacks away from the joint will assure that nothing moves. Then more poly is placed over the joint followed by a strip of 1/4" plywood 3" wide exactly over the scarf. In this photo Jim is pressing down with the air stapler until he sees glue squeezed out of the joint (under the poly) before firing a pattern of staples to clamp the joint. When both scarfs are stapled up the next set of three sheets is laid up in the same manner on top of the first one. This is repeated until all the pieces are done. When the glue sets up the plywood strips are pried off and if you're living right, most of the staples come with them.










*This shop was 40' x 60'* and was built on our property specifically to build and do annual maintenance on these boats, so the scarfing bench was a high priority.The last photo shows the shop set up I used for scarfing. The plywood rack was at one end of the bench (see first photo) so pieces could easily be pulled out by one person and there were two 4' infrared heaters located 8' apart that could be lowered right down to a couple of feet above the scarfs to cure them overnight. (note the snow outside).









*That's it for tonight*, next time I'll cover the jig, patterns and hull assembly.

Hope you're enjoying this as much as I am.

*Comments, critiques and especially questions are encouraged.*

Paul


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo….........say it aint sooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! The last blog??? Just had to say that…lol…now I can go back and read…

KEEP EM Comming buddy!!!!!!


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


ok…that is a nice entry…really good…I guess I can forgive you ending the series--this way you can focus on your boat building books and videos for dumb first time builders…

With 1/4" sides--I will be joining to pieces about 8' in length by 2' wide…will this mean my scarf area will be 1.5 inches? seems like the "overlap" should be longer…?


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## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


Great blog Paul keep it coming I love it.
Thanks for showing us


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


*Matt*, Here in Canada anyway, eight times 1/4= 2" 
If you can get the surfaces planed nicely so that the contact is good, then yes, 2" is as strong as the rest. You should be using something in a five ply although three will do in a pinch.


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul,

I know I'm enjoying it. I had no idea you could join plywood like that, and the idea that it's as strong as the rest of the sheet is pretty amazing.

That was quite a shop you built.

Lee


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


as usual
learning these things from you

is always worth knowing

something we can count on 
when we need them

thank you


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


Why not include in the class series… Maybe this is more than a class.. I have to begin compiling these because I am losing trace for those words used. Only shipbuilding knows… or sailors.. like "scarf" then stitch.. just like a tailor … LOL. I really love this blogs where there are so much to learn. 
Thanks and keep it going.


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


I have seen scarf joints used on boards, and laminated beams, but this is the first time on plywood. If you
are as good and precise as you obviously are, they would be OK, with someone like me, I would have to 
practice on quite a few joints before I attempted the critical one. Thank you for sharing.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


lol…2" south of the border too…i missed the 8x part when I wrote that…thanks!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


*Lee*, The shop was 32' by 60' free span with a 12' ceiling and an 8' roof extension on one side. ( I got a deal on 32' trusses) The inside end of the trusses was supported by a beam and a few posts. 
The bench shown was across the 40' end opposite the doors (12'w x 12' h) with the plywood rack in the 8' extension. It was a great shop.

*Bert*, hard to make one of these blogs into a class. You'd have to build a whole boat.

*Gus*, I've used these joints for many years and they have been subjected to huge abuse (see dockings above) and I've never seen one fail.


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## stratman (Sep 1, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


I am new to this site and am excited to see your informative blog. great!! I am a yacht restorer in San Rafael, Ca. I've never built a boat from scratch, but, rebuilt plenty of wooden boats. I had an old 30' motor sailor back in the 80s'. Glass over ply. It had the same technique but was made with two laminated 3'4' marine ply. after 39 yrs. the ply was still sturdy and sound. Glass over ply turned out to be a very, very good way to make hulls indeed. never leaks and if you punch it with a rock or something. it is easy to repair and be on your way. After I sold it in 1990, it was neglected to distraction. It was finally cut up and hauled off to the scrap heap. The hull was still in great condition. unbelievable. I presently own a 1928 Lake Union Dreamboat by Carl Rathfon. Great boat. 
Fir and Mahogany. No rot in hull or decks. After dis-assembling an re-assembling whole areas of boats. Chinese puzzles are easy. I also owned a Newporter 40' and sailed it to Isla Bella in Brazil. It is at the Yacht club on the island. The Brazillians still make a schooner called "Saveirro". they are still popular among the wealthy. big and beautiful they are.
please remember a little prayer for the victims and heroes of 9/11 and for ourselves in this most trying of times. Bless you all.


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## itsmic (Nov 11, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


No questions Paul, Just a big "Thank You" for all Your geneous contributions, I probably will never build a boat, but, this information is invaluable and inhances the old knowledge bass, having a bonified expert giving free advise and info is like hitting the lotery, thanks Paul


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## LittlePaw (Dec 21, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


It's getting more and more interesting by the post! I'm not planning to build a boat, but the knowledge I gained from your posts will come in handy in the things I'll be making. Thanx, Paul.


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## cootcraig (Jan 31, 2015)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


I hope it is okay to post on this old thread. I plan to scarf joint plywood for a boat. I took note of the Skill 100 power planer recommendation and have seen Skill 100 and Skill 96 planers for sale. This is a new tool and technique for me. Where would I find blades for these 2 power planers?


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure about the 96 but I know the 100 is out of production. You would have to look on ebay and / or do some other searches. I'm sure there are still blades out there but I can't help much more than that. They also have a cog belt that can break. If you find a source you might pick up one of those too.
As far as the blades go, if you find a plane with relatively new blades they will last a long tome.
Sorry I can't be of more help.


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## cootcraig (Jan 31, 2015)

shipwright said:


> *The Harbour Ferries: Stitch and Glue Construction.*
> 
> *This is the fourth* and last blog on the different styles of construction that I have used in wooden boat building. Preceding blogs have covered Carvel Plank construction, Framed Plywood construction, and Cold Molded Construction. This one will cover what has become known as "Stitch and Glue" style. It is generally associated with but not exclusive to use with plywood.
> 
> ...


After reading this blog I found both the 95 and 100 on ebay. I will research both of these.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*

*As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.

*This photo was taken* when the jig was first built at my old yard in Coal Harbour B.C. It was disassembled and reassembled many times after that. The supports are the opposite of construction frames that you would build a hull outside of , taken from the boat's lofting. Against the wall in the background you can see some long sheets of scarfed plywood and the pattern for 1/2 of the bottom leaning against them. (if your eyes are good)










*In the next photo* you can see the jig in the background. It's over ten years old now and has had ten boats built in it. In the foreground one of the sides is being laid out with the side pattern. Both sides will come out of a single 4' x 24' sheet.










*Here the two pieces* of the bottom have been forced into place and clamped to the jig. The bend in the bow is extreme, although it may not appear so, and the pieces have been kerfed to facilitate the bend. To answer the question I know will be asked, no, the strength is not compromised appreciably because the kerfs will be filled with epoxy and the hull configuration there is very strong because of the angles and the glass chines.
What doesn't show here is the pieces of tie wire used to pull the pieces tightly together along their length before application of the epoxy fillet. These are the "stitches" in the stitch and glue.










*Now the bottom is in place* and has been glassed together by first applying a smooth fillet of thickened epoxy followed, while the fillet is still wet, by a layer of 24 oz. triaxial fiberglass cloth and more epoxy. Doing it this way uses less epoxy and saves a lot of sanding of the fillets. The bow area has had the kerfs filled and the sides of the jig have been set up in anticipation of fitting the side panels.
On the right, you can see the two side pieces are being 'glassed prior to assembly. It's just easier that way.

*A note about triaxial cloth.*
This is a fiberglass material that consists of a layer of parallel strands of glass equal to 1/2 the thickness (12 oz), overlaid with two layers of parallel fibers laid at opposing 45 degree angles to the first layer. The layers are then sewn together.This material has a huge advantage over standard woven cloth or roving where the strands are at 90 degrees to each other because if you cut it into strips (we used 4" to 6" wide) across the heavy strands, the strip will when laid on a joint have all of it's fibers crossing the joint. If you lay standard cloth or roving along a joint it will have 1/2 of it's fibers running parallel to the joint and adding no strength. You can cut standard roving diagonally but it will become completely unstable and will likely fall apart.
Suffice to say that three layers of 18 oz. roving with half of it's strands serving no purpose will give you 27 0z. of glass crossing the joint. The joint, because of the woven nature of the roving and the number of layers, will be 1/2" thick or better. That's a lot of very expensive epoxy. A joint made with 24oz. triaxial cloth will have 24oz of glass crossing the joint and will be about 1/8" thick. It will be just as strong, way cheaper and more resiliant than the roving joint. Sorry to go on about that but it is a very important point.










*The next one shows* the sides cut out and scarfed for the joint to the round stern piece. They are quite narrow at the bow because there is a third piece that facilitates the steep bend as the bottom transitions to the stem.









*The last one for this segment* is a shot of the way the sides are attached to the bottom. After being placed into the jig, coaxed into their curvature and clamped into position, the adjacent edges are again stitched with tie wire through small drilled holes every foot or so as required to make a nice fair chine line. It's worth saying here that the fits don't have to be good. As long as you get a nice fair curve the odd 1/4" gap means exactly nothing. We used to call them "drywall boats" because close was good enough. I mean it, really. If you spend a lot of time making the joints fit perfectly the only thing you will accomplish is to take more time.
Once the joints are wired A fillet of thickened epoxy is applied as before and the triaxial cloth is laid on the fillet and more epoxy is massaged into it with a bondo spreader. That's actually me this time. I guess Jim got hold of the camera.









*I've had enough for now* and I'm sure you have too so we'll call it a day and next time we'll finish up the hull with that round stern and roll it over.

Thanks for watching.
*Comments critiques and questions…. all good.*

Paul


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Amazing.
Did you use Okoume ply or some other special marine type ply. It seems that you must have.

And how the heck did you come up with the original pattern? It is like a dress maker who just wraps and pins fabric around a make believe form? Using kraft paper or such?

Steve


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


*Thanks Steve*. 
We used marine Fir plywood, usually five ply but if three was all there was we used it too.
The second question would require a whole blog of it's own. When people used to ask me questions like that I used to just say "magic". Way easier than trying to explain it. Do a search on "lofting" or "lofting hull lines" and you should get the short answer the long answer involves experience and maybe a little "feel".


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Paul,

I don't think I'll ever make a boat, but I always enjoy learning. This is extremely informative. Thanks for sharing.

L/W


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## TheHarr (Sep 16, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Shipwright, very interesting article, I'm looking forward to the following issue. Please complete your story, it's worth the effort.


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul,

This is really interesting to see how this is done. I too, was curious to see what type of plywood you were using, but Paul took care of that.

You obviously are a master!

Very well written.

Lee


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


This is my favorite blog series! Having built S&G and strip kayaks, it is really fun to see the process on a larger scale.


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Paul,
Thanks for revealing all those secrets in you shipbuilding life. Hope I can catch up. You are so fast as a boat.
Just wondering… These methods and materials in it, are they still being done and available in stores?


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Very interesting and informative, makes me think I should build one for my daughter and her kids up at the
lake, but I do not think it would work as a ski boat, which is about all the kids are interested in. Thank you
for sharing.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Thanks again to all.
*Bert*, Yes as far as I know it's all still available. 
The last time I tried to get triaxial cloth, my supplier didn't cary it anymore so I substituted a biaxial cloth which is the same but only has one diagonal layer. It works just as well as long as you get the correct weight.


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


Thanks Paul,
That's a good news because most of the methods used now are epoxy bonds (Most use is Marine Epoxy) to plywood and it seems that cracking is always a problem. The cloth helps a lot on the flexibility and cracking problems. I ask you this because I am planning to make my own speaker housing (baffles) to make it a high density board plus the flexibility I want for the vibration. Thanks again,


----------



## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *The Jig, Patterns, and Hull Glue Up*
> 
> *As these boats* are a little larger than the usual stitch and glue hull and because some of the bends are difficult, I chose to make a female jig in which to assemble the hulls.
> 
> ...


One of my relatives built a small boat and it seems to me that he used this methodology. Difference was that he would "shape" the wood first by wetting it, bending it, using ropes to keep the shape, and let it sit till it dried. Took him years to make a small sail boat.

This makes a whole lot more sense.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Closing Up the Hull*

*Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.

Here we have carefully clamped the stern piece exactly in place and Jim is scribing the line where it meets the bottom. Note that this piece, in order to let it bend, is scarfed side to side rather than end to end. The 'glassing of the outside of this piece is also facilitating the rather extreme bend. This is Harbour Six. You can see the bow of Harbour Seven in the background.










*Now he is scribing* the exact position of the side panel's scarf, which was planed before assembly, on the outside of the stern panel. As this is the last piece and has to be scarfed at both ends, both the location and the angle of these scarfs are critical.










*In the last photo,* just forward of the vertical jig member you can actually see one of the elusive "stitches" of tie wire. I didn't think I had any photos that showed one. Here's a closer look.










*Now the bottom* line has been cut off and the scarf is carefully cut at the same 8:1 ratio as the side panel. When re-installed it will be clamped by sandwiching the scarf between two 3" strips of 3/4" plywood (protected from the glue by strips of poly) and then squeezed by running a pattern of screws through the whole works. Sorry, no picture.










*Once the shell* of the hull is complete, it is rolled over to have the bottom 'glassed and the keel fitted before progressing with the interior. The wire ties are heated with a torch and pulled out, the joints are sanded to smooth rounded lines and any cracks or remaining gaps are filled with thickened epoxy. Then a skin of 6 oz. 'glass cloth is applied with epoxy. All work was supervised by a trained professional shop dog. Her name was Katie and she was "the best dog".

This point is usually about one week into the build process. The hull is always the fastest part of any boat construction.










*This photo actually* belongs before the last one but I wanted to show the inverted hull first for better context. Here I am using a boring bar to cut the preliminary shaft hole through the hull before gluing and bolting the keel on. The stub of deadwood is attached temporarily and will be removed to 'glass the bottom, which is already done in the previous photo.










*Here's a close up* of the business end of the boring bar. This one is just a 1/2" bar with a small fly cutter welded on the side and a 1/2" drill bit welded on the end. I'm just making a hole big enough to pass the bigger one will be used after the keel is on to bore out the shaft hole to final dimension and alignment.









*That's it for this segment*. Next time will pretty much get us to the end of my available photos so yes, this will come to an end.

Thanks for looking in

*Questions, comments and critiques are always welcome.*

Paul


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


Interesting work that is.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


Amazing.
Thank you for sharing all this with us,
Mads


----------



## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


That is so cool, I wish I could watch the process in action and be part of it.


----------



## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


Skill, patience, step by step, and the quality of men (competent) collectively make the Harbor ships float. A lot to learn but the time and effort to build such is the key. In a normal process in making boats, the keel is first laid but in this method, I learned that it could also be done after the hull. Thanks Paul.


----------



## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


Realy great blog, Paul.

Thank you.

Lee


----------



## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


I really enjoy following your blog. Great pics and thanks for walking us through the build process.


----------



## missingname (Feb 15, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


awesome blog, enjoyed reading it


----------



## LittlePaw (Dec 21, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


Watching your boat building process step by step is most interesting and reminiscent of when I went to S2 factory in Holland, MI to watch my boat being built. Great pictures, Paul. You are a master.


----------



## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Closing Up the Hull*
> 
> *Time for the trickiest part* of this round stern hull, fitting the stern panel.
> 
> ...


I really enjoy your trips down memory lane. Thanks Paul


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Finishing The Build*

*I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.

*This photo shows* the keel halves ready for gluing. Making the 3" thick keel out of two pieces makes it much easier to fit it to the hull as the joint line to the hull on each half can be cut on the appropriate angle(s) on the bandsaw. When assembled the two will make a vee that fits the hull perfectly. You will also notice that the pieces are cut off in line with where the shaft line will be. This allows us to cut a 45 degree angle on each of the four pieces that surround the shaft. When assembled we will have a diamond shaped hole on the approximate line of the shaft.










*Here the halves* are glued up. The forward end will be made up wilh smaller fitted blocks to fair into the hull. The stack of sticks on the left that look a little like pool cues are the cabin side / window posts. They are scarfed to be teak above the seat backs where they are seen and fir below the seat backs where they are hidden. Gotta watch those pennies.









*The next two* photos show the setup for final boring the hole for the shaft tube. This is done by first running a string from a spot exactly where the center of the engine coupling will be to the center of the diamond shaped hole in the back end of the keel. Second, a bearing block is set up on the keelson (inside keel) with a 1" hole in it for the boring bar. It is set up so that the string is centered in the hole and the hole lines up with the angle of the shaft. Then a second bearing piece (plywood this time) is set up just outside of the back of the keel, also lined up with the string.










*When the boring bar* is inserted into both bearings it may or may not be centered in the rough hole but successive cuts with it's fly cutter will expand the hole to the size of the shaft tube while correcting any misalignment in the smaller rough hole. Once bored the hole is cleared of any chips and the shaft tube is epoxied in. The shaft then slides into the tube and will align perfectly with the engine coupling.










*Here the cabin sole* and the seat shelves are in place. You can see the cut out for the engine box and the engine beds installed. The sole has been 'glassed and the facing on the seat shelf is glued in on the near end. The pieces for the far end facing are there ready to be installed. The seat shelves are solidly glued to the hull and perform a major stiffening function at an area where the hull takes lots of abuse. They also serve to keep the life jackets, stored under the seats, up off the floor which is washed daily.










*We've jumped ahead* a bit here. The decks, cabin sides and posts are in. Probably the most difficult thing in building these boats and getting them to look right is the alignment of these posts. They have to look right, that is converging from bottom to top and each post has to be parallel with it's opposite number on the other side and in the other end.They all have to be right from every angle as you walk around the boat. It can be a frustrating task because every time you make a little adjustment to make it look better in one place, it affects three or four other views. Together with the cabin sides they have to form a sort of flattened, elongated section of a cone.









*The window tops* / roof aprons are installed and the seat bases can be seen mounted on the seat shelf and secured to the posts. If you have good eyes you'll notice those half teak - half fir posts. Most of the joints from here on are unframed and held only by fillets of thickened epoxy. For example the cabin sides that you see here are filleted to the deck inside and out but there are no fastenings. They are epoxied to the posts and fastened with a few staples.









*The last construction photo I have* shows the roof being held to shape with a camber pattern and clamped to the apron piece. The only fastening that will be used to hold them together will be a fillet of epoxy inside and out. Both parts are 1/4" plywood. The camber pattern will stay there until the wheelhouse windows and top roof are in place. At that point the camber will be locked in and the area of the lower roof, inside the wheelhouse windows can be cut away. We painted the roofs before putting them up but left the area for the fillets unpainted. 









*Here are a few* finished photos the will help you understand some of the last bit.




























That's it for Stitch and Glue construction, and my shipyard memories. I hope that you have enjoyed these blogs as much as I have.

*I have spent many years* "happily messing about with boats" and wouldn't consider any of it to have been "work". I have enjoyed immensely sharing some of my good old days with those of you who have been interested in following my meanderings and I have been humbled and flattered by your interest and your kind comments.

*Thanks for dropping in. ... Really*

Paul


----------



## HorstPeter (Aug 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


I've got to drop a huge thanks for posting these shipyard memories. Even though I don't exactly have an affinity for large bodies of water, I found these entries more than interesting and they make me feel like getting up and build a boat right away.


----------



## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul,

Speaking for myself, I'm thrilled you went to the trouble to post this. I really enjoyed it, and learned alot about this.

Thanks.

Lee


----------



## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting all the boat building pictures. I'm sure you have at least one more boat to build. Next time take lots of pictures.


----------



## LittlePaw (Dec 21, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


I thoroughly enjoyed your posts on your boat building, Paul. I learned a lot on building boats - not that i'll be doing so any time soon. I did have and still do want to build a canoe someday - and I'm sure what I learned here would be helpful. Thanx, Paul.


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Very interesting and definitely enjoyable to see.


----------



## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


very cool Paul, I love the the whole thing.


----------



## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Thank you thank you thank you! The whole series! I wish it would never end…but I will go back and re-read each entry like a good book…awesome stuff!


----------



## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Very educational Paul and a treasure to keep. It is right on the scene. Thank you very much for this. 
Hoping the best for your incoming endeavor. Take care.


----------



## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


These are interesting enough to make me want to build a boat, but I know I can't right now. I've enjoyed the blog a lot. The captain's wheel & chair look like they tilt forward to reveal the guts or something underneath.


----------



## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Excellent blog as always Paul. Thanks.


----------



## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Your memories are inspiring. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I really enjoyed all your posts.


----------



## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


This has been so much fun.
Oh, to love one's work so much ….. Good for you!

Steve


----------



## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


You're a very accomplished man Paul & your work is impeccable thanks for sharing your memories. By the way my 6 year old grandson is interested in woodwork & he said he's going to build a boat I'll let you see the results
Best regards
Trevor


----------



## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Thank you all very much. 
Your appreciation is what makes the effort worth while.
I am happy to have been able to give you a little insight into the not so common industry that I so enjoyed being a part of.


----------



## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


I always dreamed of building a boat but I know I never will so I watched you having all the fun. I bet you really enjoyed building it. Thanks for the great blog.


----------



## woodtickgreg (Nov 11, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


I have plans for two boats that I plan to build, nothing of the scale that you have done! wow how cool to have done something you love so much for a living. Thank you so much for shareing some of your journey, your vessels are truely beautifull. I like wood boats finished bright, I call them floating furniture!


----------



## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Finishing The Build*
> 
> *I'm afraid that* the photos are a little scarce from here on but I'll do what I can with what there are.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing. What a wonderful project to do. I am sure they are a big hit everywhere they are seen


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*

*I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.

*First a nod* to the man who started me off on my life as a shipwright and introduced me to these tools. His name was Frank Honour and he owned North Arm Boat Works. Although he never finished high school he was one of the most intelligent men I have ever met or will ever meet. I wanted to learn and he needed help. The combination put me into an intensive training that the apprenticeship program could not touch. He taught me as much as I could learn as fast as I could learn it. Frank died many years ago but I will never forget him and will always give him most of the credit for my woodworking abilities, such as they are.

*Now for the bevels*. I know that most people would call them bevel gauges but around the yards where I started out they were simply "bevels" so that's what I'll be calling them. I have one of the commercially available sliding models with the wing nut but I've never been able to find a use for it that one of these didn't do better, hence it has seen little use and certainly doesn't have the patina that these do. "Patina" here means a combination of linseed oil, cuprinol, sweat, oxidation and years.

*The first two* are what were known as the big bevel and the little bevel. Everyone had their own and you never used anyone else's hand tools. These were accurate but quickly made and plain to a fault. I guess I'd describe them as "friction bevels" because they were made to flip open with a rap on a solid surface but were stiff enough to stay where they were set long enough to transfer the bevel to a timber, board, pattern or saw setup. They could be used with one hand while the other one was occupied. The big one would be used, for example, for measuring and marking the compound angle to be cut on the end of a deck beam. or other large-ish timber.










*The small one*, along with the last one in this blog lived in my pockets every day. The only other things that I always had on me were my tape measure on my belt, a pencil behind my ear, and a bunch of 1 1/2" nails in my back pocket. This little guy would be in my shirt pocket and the other one in my other (left) back pocket. It was used in much the same way as the big one but was used far more often because it was always right there and it was so versatile. I can't begin to list the places where this little tool was used and in most of them nothing else would work as well if at all. A fine old friend indeed. It's made with a hacksaw blade and a piece of scrap bending oak.










*While I've seen* lots of bevels like those above in other yards and in others' hands, Frank is the only one that I ever saw with one of these. It's a special purpose planking bevel and he had me make mine soon after he started to teach me to plank. Again it can be used one handed and it is made to be used left handed because of its specific and only job. When a plank is being made for a carvel style hull, the angle between the edge of the adjacent, already fastened plank and the ribs to which it will be fastened must be measured every foot or so as it is a changing bevel and must be reproduced on the new plank in order to fit properly.

*This little bevel* is marked off in degrees (0 to 15) both "under" and "standing" so that when it is set on the edge of the fastened plank and rotated with the fingers against the rib it reads off the number of degrees above or below 90 and that number can be written on the pattern or spiling stick or whatever you are marking on with the other hand. That's why it reads properly only when used with the left hand.










*Roman numerals *are easier to etch into copper with an awl than our usual numbers. (Arabic?) It is fastened at the pivot point by a copper nail and a rove, riveted over. If it gets too loose a couple of light taps with a ball peen hammer will tighten it right back up.










*Looks like my *table saw fence is pretty square.










*That's it,* just a little nostalgia for me and perhaps a look into something different for you.
This was fun, maybe I'll post a few more when they turn up.

*Thanks for looking in.*

Paul


----------



## peteg (Sep 2, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Your posts are always of great interest to us all Paul, These are obviously treasured pieces & bring back great memories of the happy years spent learning & applying your trade skills.
Like you I still have some of my first tools form serving my apprentership as an Electrician whick I started in 1959, back then we got a tool allowance which had to be spent on tools.
Great days, 
Thanks for the great memories :))
Pete


----------



## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


I wish I had developed the proper discipline that you have, my apprenticeship mostly revolved around doing the work that the elite crewmembers would not stoop to doing themselves. I've had to build my own collection of heritage tools, but they first graced somebody else's toolbelt or apron pocket. The well-worn patina on my old tools was put there by the hands of earlier craftsmen, I have no direct bloodline to woodworkers of an earlier age. You are truly blessed, sir!


----------



## Boatman53 (May 21, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Very nice Paul, thanks for taking the time to post this. I like the fan shaped one with the degrees on it. I'm going to make one of those very soon.
I have a little one that I made for planking, the blade is tapered to first pick up the bevel then automatically give the relief angle for the caulking. I learned about that one about thirty years ago out in your neck of the woods.
Jim


----------



## kiefer (Feb 5, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Love the look of these old tools .
Nothing fancy but to be used every day and will do the job without being worried about getting scratched .
Real tools not once that live on a shelf only to be admired .
I have nothing like that but still yearn for all the moulding planes and wooden tools and benches etc. my uncle had in his shop but at the time I didn't care to own some ( too young I guess ) .
Thanks for this Paul .


----------



## Buckethead (Apr 14, 2013)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


I bought a few measuring devices today at my local woodworking store. They are beautiful, and more costly than I imagined, but they pale in comparison to yours in both beauty and value. These are priceless.


----------



## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking the time to share these tols


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


that 'planking bevel' is a new one for me too
what a great idea

i've made some quick bevels over the years too
but the one i use most now
has one leg about 48" long
and the other about 28" 
just 1/8" masonite with some stick on sandpaper in between
and a bolt and wing nut
i use it to trim new doors to old settled jambs
both top and bottom
works much better than guessing
or trial and error

thanks for the post


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Those are tools that have such a good history and memories to go with them. Can't put a price on them. Very nice…!


----------



## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Neat old tools and they will still work today!


----------



## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Thank you for introducing us to some of your old friends and their stories… Very nice!

Inspirational..

Thank you.


----------



## Vintagetoni (Jan 10, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Most of my woodworking shop is made up of tools I have found used & learned about in the process of moving, cleaning them up, adjusting, etc. This process taught me more than i would have learned buying new tools. It occurred to me early during this process that I could feel a difference in the tools themselves & the way they performed if the prior owner loved using them, cared for them & used them productively building useful & beautiful things. Call me crazy, but they seemed like 'happy' tools. These tools seemed to embody the attitude of their prior owner in a way that never seemed possible for inanimate objects. I became even more selective picking tools with this realization! Your love for your tools & their processes shines brightly in your writings & it is clear you touch hearts here in addition to sharing your substantial skills clearly & concisely. Thank you for your mentorship to many….& I am certain your tools possess that certain extra quality from years of creative use!


----------



## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing Paul. It is always good to look back.


----------



## apprentice (Jun 27, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


You are a creator of order, of beautiful shapes and systems, an organizer of chaos. The old values and tools are worth their weight in gold, sometimes worth a lot more, which we might need again one day.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


It's strange how inanimate objects can carry so many fond memories Paul. You were very fortunate to have had such a remarkable mentor, although I think he was probably just as fortunate to have such a remarkable apprentice. I like those simple, but effective bevels. it's always good to see tools that have done some real work and proven their worth.


----------



## cathyb (Jul 8, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


I agree with Stefang. What good is a tool to a person that has no vision or compulsion to use it? You continue to inspire us Paul on so many levels. Thanks for this thoughtful post and for your reverence to the glorious thrill of working with wood…......


----------



## Sodabowski (Aug 23, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Amen.


----------



## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Great post and tribute to your mentor


----------



## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Very kool Paul. Thnx for the memories


----------



## MontanaBob (Jan 19, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the lesson….


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Some Old Tools of the Trade - Bevels*
> 
> *I was doing* a shop cleanup today and ran into some old friends that I thought some of you might like to meet. These are shop made tools that I used when I was building wooden boats and date back to the early seventies when I was working at North Arm Boat Works and Sather Boat Works, both on the North arm of the Fraser river in New Westminster, B.C.
> 
> ...


Whether you know it or not, in addition to shipwright and woodworker, you are also a poet and author. Wonderful post.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*

*I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.




  












Thanks for looking in

Paul


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Very impressive Paul


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## Dutchy (Jun 18, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Very nice video to see!

When the boats where dancing I definitely saw marquetry paterns in the water.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Awesome show! Did you build all the boats Paul or have they added more? Those looks like nice tight maneuvers. Did they ever have any "bumps"?


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## peteg (Sep 2, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Mam o Man Paul that was pretty impressive I have to say, everything working together, the boats , the weather, the backdrop the routine, must have almost bought a tear to the eye, Tip of the hat to these guys 
cheers mate
pete


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


how cool for you to see your business is still going strong, the performance was really great, i enjoyed seeing the design of the waves the boats left, to bad there isnt a way to have different colors coming from the back side of the boats..i enjoyed it alot.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Wow Paul, some truly awesome piloting there! I think your creativity knows no bounds. Who else would think of a boat ballet and pull it off so convincingly? As an afterthought, I would feel very safe using one of those ferries.


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## English (May 10, 2014)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Wonderful performance!! How may boats are in the fleet? Did you build all of them?


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## JR45 (Jan 26, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Awesome! You are some choreographer.
Jim


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## Woodbridge (Oct 12, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Marquetry in motion: seamlessly fitting together so many little and intricate pieces of movement to create a lovely moving picture! I've been to beautiful Victoria a number of time, and of course have taken the little ferries around the harbour. The water ballet is wonderful. I'm sure it adds even more charm to one of the nicest cities I've visited in anywhere.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Wow! Paul, you are the renaissance man!

It was a fine vision to create that business - and the ballet really is a work of genius. Who'da thunk of something like that?

-Paul


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## MrFid (Mar 9, 2013)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting the video Paul. I hadn't seen the previous entries in this series, so I was just treated to an hour or two of fine reading thanks to you. I appreciate you posting all this. I really enjoyed reading about your work.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


That was really neat, Paul. Those little ferries are sure maneuverable!!


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## PERLarryC (Feb 14, 2014)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


How could you not love the talent and skill involved. Thanks Paul.


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Great Paul. How big are they, looks like 25' ? And what did you use for an Engine?

Madts.


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## kiefer (Feb 5, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Must be a good feeling see a part of history that you created survive and prosper and hopefully have a great future for a long time .
I enjoyed the video very much and it got me thinking of the *SNOWBIRDS *our Canadian aerobatic airplane team










Klaus


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


What a treat Paul! The drone view has to be a first class seat!

The fact that your company has continued on successfully is a great tribute to what you created. The ballet shows that your imagination has no bounds. I suspect there is a bit of communication required to pull off so precise formations. Very entertaining!


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


That is so cool. What a treat. It brought a smile and giggle to both Karen and me.

Have the ever rectum?

Steve


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Paul, that is a great accolade for your creation. Seeing this for the first time must have brought some tears to your eyes. BTW, the pilots for those ferries have to be very good. Thanks for the fun video. Bravo, bravo, and bravo.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Paul , that is Super Cool . The Skill required of those boat pilots to get as close as they do is fantastic. And the Little Ferries are so Neat , much more fun to ride on I would think than their Big Brothers with all the cars.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Thanks everyone.

*Bob and John*, I built most of them. There were eleven when we sold but they have added a few fibreglass ones and the big one out front.

*madts*, they are 20' and have two cylinder diesels. More info here.


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## CharlieK (Jan 6, 2008)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul,

That is super impressive and you have a lot to be proud of. Ran a successful business that is still flourishing today based on your work and your ideas. And YOU built all those boats! Building one is a great accomplishment, but you built eleven WHILE running the business! My hat's off to you, man.

Charlie


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Paul, my wife and I took a tour on one of these last August while spending time in Vancouver and the island, before heading on a cruise up to Alaska. It was just beautiful. We took plenty of pictures.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Cute little Ferrys…

Cool water ferry ballet!

I thought it was very interesting on how you built all of those ferrys (11 of the small ones)...
... how many did you make at the same time?

COOL!

Thank you.


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## matt1970 (Mar 28, 2007)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Fun stuff…what a legacy…We were in Victoria in 2004?


> 2005


? We never jumped on one but I do remember watching all the activity in this end of the harbor. Amazing place with all the activity on the water…someday we will go back….and definitely jump on a water taxi!!!!


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## MontanaBob (Jan 19, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Outstanding. Will be in that area next month. Look forward to seeing that.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...





> Thanks everyone.
> 
> *Bob and John*, I built most of them. There were eleven when we sold but *they have added a few fibreglass ones *and the big one out front.
> 
> ...


Where did they find the* Fiberglass Trees* to make them.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


*Richard*, I understand they grow upside down under ground in Alberta and Texas.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...





> *Richard*, I understand they grow upside down under ground in Alberta and Texas.
> 
> - shipwright


Aha , so you don't Cut them down you Dig them up.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


That is my understanding.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


You are the man Paul! Super impressive.


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## justoneofme (Aug 11, 2011)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


A man of many talents you are Paul! Even choreography!! Hope all's well with you. Give me a jingle, and just maybe we can get in a visit while I'm home!!!


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


Wauuu that's nothing less than wonderful.
I love it, a water dance.
Looks like they have plenty of hp, they can move really freely and fast.
How wonderful it must be for you to watch this with boats you build, you are an amazing man Paul.
Deep respect and a giant smile, thanks.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## changeoffocus (Dec 21, 2013)

shipwright said:


> *Harbour Ferries .... 25 Year Anniversary*
> 
> *I sold the Victoria Harbour Ferries* in 2004 after fourteen years. (See blog segments 20 - 23) This year the "new" owners celebrated twenty-five years, 1990 to 2015. I was sent the following video of their celebration on the harbour. It features the ballet that I dreamed up back in 1993 with very few changes. It has become a regular feature on Sunday mornings all summer long in Victoria. It's nice to see the business still flourishing.
> 
> ...


A solid business with well built equipment and trained staff can survive and prosper. You did a great job Paul I'm sure it feels good to see your creation prosper, it's nice that they included you in the celebration.


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