The Consolation of Boat Building

Back at work in the boatshop!

2011-08-14T10:22:00.002-04:00

OK... the layoff only lasted a few months, and I am gainfully employed again and the boat work has resumed! So far, I have successfully fit the shear stringers and am beginning to wotk on the chines. Pictures will follow!

work stoppage

2011-04-09T09:24:00.001-04:00

due to a lay off I am unable to continue work with the boat. i will update the blog as soon as work continues.

The Sheer Stringer, continued

2010-10-12T08:09:00.002-04:00

Still working on sheer stringers... going a little slow but pleased in how its looking. Yesterday I worked on the joint where the port stringer attaches to the stem. When I got the stringer attached, the sheer line looked a little droopy so I had to do some carving with my chisel and reposition the attachment point a little higher than planned. It just brings to mind the importance of fairing your lines on the lofting floor. Small mistakes are becoming evident as construction continues.

It seems that a major mistake I made on the lofting floor was not making the stem high enough above the sheer. What this means is that I will have to extend the sheer about an inch above the top of the stem and install a "recessed" bowsprit. No worries... the first boat, I suppose, is a learning experience!

But, the idea of using 3/8 plywood for the stringer, and laminating several layers seems to be sound. It sure makes it easy to bend the wood around the curve of the boat.

Sheer Stringer Problems, and Solution

2010-07-03T08:12:00.007-04:00

I have been having some trouble with the fabrication and installation of the sheer stringer and chine, and have come across a solution. The 1 x 3 that I was using was resisting me successfully, since it must be bent in 3 dimensions as it is installed. I talked with another Pogo builder who reported the same thing happening to him, and he fixed it by soaking the wood and building patterns first. However, after breaking several 1 x 3's, I have decided to laminate the stringers, and possibly the chine too. I will be using 3/8 plywwod, the same stock I used to fabricate the frame gussets, and will stack one on top of the other, following George's method in the book.

The first photo shows how they will be installed (this is a dry fit). The first layer will be screwed into the frame (and epoxied as well) and the second layer will be epoxied and screwed to the top of the first. Then, after the epoxy dries, the screw will be removed and the screw hole filled.

Boats to Build

2010-04-16T17:08:00.004-04:00

As I sat at writing at my desk today, I had the radio on, and a song by Guy Clark (Jimmy Buffett has also done this piece) came on that made me stop and think for awhile. I began to drift off in my thoughts. Here they are, I think you will understand...

It's time for a change
I'm tired of that same ol same
The same ol words the same ol lines
The same ol tricks and the same ol rhymes

Days precious days
Roll in and out like waves
I got boards to bend I got planks to nail
I got charts to make I got seas to sail

I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It'll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
Cause I've got boats to build

Sails are just like wings
The wind can make em sing
Songs of life songs of hope
Songs to keep your dreams afloat

Shores distant shores
There's where I'm headed for
Got the stars to guide my way
Sail into the light of day

March and April, 2010

2010-04-15T17:09:00.008-04:00

The SV Margaret Simone is in the boatshed now, and as it is getting warmer, I can start to work with epoxy. After I get the stringers run, the plywood hull goes on next.

This is the cradle I built out of 4 x 4's, according to George's design. I plan to put some lawnmover wheels on it when I am ready to move the boat out of the shed. You'll notice that I still have not found a welding machine so I can finish the steel ballast box, which is noticably missing in this picture. I am going to have fun rigging a steel box filled with concrete onto the bottom of the keel! What would I do without a challenge?

Button is a wonderful friend who likes to distract me from whatever I am doing. She is certainly queen of the place.

Here is a view of the old garage that I turned into a boatshed. A little stuffy, but dry (I put a new roof on it in 2009) and rewired it in March 2010. The flourescent lights give it plenty of light so I can spend more time working.

The bevels on the frames were cut with a sawzall, and then planed smooth with a hand plane. A jig saw would work well too, but mine does not have a locking table so the angle always got screwed up when I tried the jigsaw. So I went with a sawzall freehand. The hand plane made great work of finishing the bevel out. I used a staight edge to make sure the bevel was accurate.

All-Thread for Keel Bolts Revisited

2010-03-11T12:36:00.002-05:00

I recently received an email from another Pogo builder who reminds me that George recommends only using smooth bolts through the keel as all-thread will leak. He cut 3/8” round stock to length, threaded the ends and then galvanized them. Then he soaked the holes for the keel bolts with Jasco preservative, hammered the bolts through, set up forms and poured concrete. It is true the all-thread can allow water to leak by and cause rot inside the keel, which would be pretty bad thing to happen to a boat, to say the least. I agree that this is a concern, and will likely use his method since he has reminded me of the detriment of using all thread. However, I did plan on coating every surface with epoxy, to form a barrier against water entry, so it may not have mattered. If anyone else has experience with this please chime in...

A Question on Steel Ballast Boxes

2010-03-08T07:26:00.002-05:00

In a recent comment to this blog I was asked to explain my choice of using a steel ballast box as opposed to an exposed concrete ballast, and if this choice had any implications on lofting. I chose to construct a steel ballast box because I am a shipfitter by trade, and am much more familiar with steel work than building concrete forms, however easy the latter may seem to be to construct. I know of other Pogo builders who have successfully utilized an exposed concrete ballast, and have reinforced them with rebar. When I began to plan the materials for the ballast box, I estimated the weight of the rebar I would use should I choose an exposed keel, and compared it to the weight of a ballast box, and it came out pretty close... the weight of my ballast box, with out filler metal from welding, is about 70 pounds, more or less. I chose to use 1/8 plate with internal bulkheads for support, spaced regularly throughout the length of the box.

The basic idea of using 1/8 inch plate is that it serves primarily as a perminant form for the concrete, and does not significantly add any more weight than would rebar. Then, if I need more ballast, I can add weight under the floor boards along the keelson... pretty simple.

As for lofting, I did not have to do anything special. The only thing I did to the dimensions of the box was to widen the width of the steel box by twice the thickness of the plate, so as to allow the box to "overlap" the keel one inch, to facilitate the lateral placement of lag bolts through the plate and into the sides of the keel. George describes this in his book, and includes some explanatory diagrams as well.

When I had the keel lines drawn, I made patterns for all the keel pieces, and took measurements for the ballast box at the same time. The box will be through-bolted to the keel with 3/8 inch all-thread, just as I secured each keel piece together. Prior to bolting the box to the keel, I plan to coat the entire top of the concrete-filled ballast box with epoxy. Then, after installing the box, I will put a fillet of epoxy at the junction of the box and keel with System 3 T-88 structural epoxy.

Thanks for your comments, and please keep them coming. I hope to write more as the weather warms up, making it much easier to work with epoxy.

A Midwinter Nites Dream

2010-02-23T08:19:00.002-05:00

The winter in Pennsylvania has slowed progess on Margaret Simone, because I have reached the stage where I need to use epoxy to attach the plywood hull to the frames. Too cold for epoxy right now. So I dream...

Each night when I go to bed I have the same thoughts...intended to gather and center myself for the nightly journey. Sometimes the scene changes, but I am always in my self-made sailboat, pulling hard on the mainsheet as a burst of wind abrubtly heals her over.. we recover, and swing around to the opposite tack... then do it again. In tow is a 7 foot nutshell pram that I use to row to the beach, after I have safely anchored the sailing ship Margaret Simone past the low water mark. I have done this hundreds of times, in Maine, in Laguna Madre of south Texas, in the Florida Keys, but mostly in Puget Sound. My journey there usually starts in Gig Harbor, takes me out past Commencement Bay, past Vashon, skirting Seattle, then up to Whidbey Island, over to Port Townsend, then back up to the San Juans.

Being landlocked means that I cannot feel the pulse of the tide. My dreams have made up for my loss of time at the waters edge; it won't do for much longer. Rivers, ponds, and lakes are fine, beautiful, and even at times inspirational; but they don't do it for me... no tide.. they do not breathe, they are stagnant.

Work Continues

2009-12-21T07:59:00.004-05:00

Well the weather is turning colder and there is snow on the ground, and I am spending time in the shop carving the rabbet with a hand chisel. The rabbet, you might remember from past posts, is the joint where the hull meets up with the keel. Later today I will receive the metal plate for building the ballast box. I had a local fab shop cut the plate with a shear, and I will then weld them together, fill the resulting box with concrete, and bolt it tothe bottom of the keel.

The Margaret Simone

2009-09-29T17:03:00.003-04:00

The Margaret Simone is currently in frame, and awaits a better and more appropriate building space to complete the project. The old garage, a 10 X 20 shed out back of the house, is being converted into a neat little boat shop. It's been re-roofed and awaits a new plywood deck, and a set of wide doors on the front.

This boat plan is the perfect project for someone with basic woodworking skills and tools familiarity. Once the lofting is done, everything just flows, and before you know it it looks like a ship! I really like the full, deep keel on this boat, and the ballast, which will be contructed into a box from steel plate and filled with concrete, will extend from the after deadwood to just under the forefoot. You can see the vacant space in the picture below where the ballast will be bolted on.

Photos from the Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport this July

2009-08-13T09:10:00.020-04:00

Dead eyes on the shrouds. I got lots of ideas for rigging my boat from the boats I saw at the Boat Show. I think I will secure the shrouds of my boat with dead eyes like this. Very traditional and looks real good. These dead eyes are for tightening the shrouds, which support the mast.

Nice ornamental rope work around this block.

Bowsprit

Ideas on rigging the jib. I like the attachment to the forestay turnbuckle.

Got some ideas from this pic on stepping the mast and running the jib sail halyard.

Small centerboard sailer, excellant for camp cruising.

Dead eye securing the main shrouds.

Fair skies...

Maggie, Catherine, Mary, and Tristan hauling on the mainsheet.

Belaying pins around the main mast.

I took the opportunity to get lots of photos of rigging to give me some ideas.

Maggie and Catherine

A beautiful day on the waterfront, and lots of fantastic boats, big and small, to lust over...

2009-08-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

Frame construction complete

2009-08-13T08:05:00.006-04:00

Well the frame construction is about done, all thats left is to disassemble them and epoxy them together before fixing them permanently to the keel.

A Reflection

2009-08-06T16:42:00.003-04:00

On a brisk Saturday morning in October 2008, I traverse the boardwalk steps down the hill from the house to the mailbox at the edge of the property. I have been waiting anxiously for the arrival of a cylindrical parcel I know to contain the impetus for a new chapter in my life. For the past several years I have lived far from the sight and sound of the sea; a land-locked soul with only a ghost image of maritime phantoms wafting through my days. I have never been a seaman, much less a sailor, only a coastal crab whose natural habitat intermingles in the interstices of waves and shore. But that has been enough to inhabit my imagination with boats, bells, buoys, and all things maritime. It’s not a fancy that easily ebbs, but rather an attitude, like barnacles encrusting the hull of an old workboat.

Back in my shop, I open the awaited parcel with an expectation that brings both my memories and expectations to bear. Seven large blue pages emerge from the tube, and as I eagerly spread them on the workbench, I know I have arrived at a new beginning; one that I hope will reconnect me with my love of the sea and set my course on a new heading. My adventure takes the form of a sixteen-foot sloop boat, as depicted by the fine blue markings that define her lines and encompass her form. Seven pages of figures, lines, details, and tables renew my vision and at once I am awash in spray, my hand on her carved tiller and the other pulling hard on her mainsheet as she takes the wind smoothly, healing over and gaining on the breeze. The smell of salt and the bite of the wind enliven my soul, and existence is bounded by the shear of my boat; nothing else exists, only wind, water, and wood.

Boat plans hold the future; they are potential of what can be. At this moment the boat is already alive in my mind, like an expectant parent I anticipate the joy of parturition, but revel in gestation. Over the course of the next two years I will, with saw, plane, and chisel, turn form into function.

The lines of a boat, the conceptual musings of her designer, are a thing of beauty, and I chose this one because of how her lines flowed gracefully from her upright bow to her slightly after-raked stern transom. Sixteen feet overall, with a thick keel and stem; a single mast reaching twenty feet into the sky to support a triangular jib sail on the front and a large gaff, a four-sided main sail, to catch the wind. But before I can harness the wind, this plan must go through all the permutations of construction, from lofting, to framing up; from planking to fitting out. Building her is the first step on my new journey.

I also chose this design because of the philosophy of her designer, George Buehler. A seasoned builder and designer, George’s boats take on the functional aspects of reliable workboats; nothing fancy, but mere functional and rugged beauty. I wanted a boat that was well designed, well built, of common materials; stout, hardy, and weatherly. This is a boat I can take on coastal camping cruises, meandering among coastal islands, seeking fortune in hidden coves with pearl beaches. Outfitting a vessel to sail effectively and inexpensively is my purpose, for I would much rather be sailing than merely dreaming of sailing.

July Update

2009-07-27T07:26:00.003-04:00

The frames have all been constructed and temporarily fit onto the keel. The next step is to disassemble the frames one by one and epoxy them together before bolting them permanantly. While the frames cure, I will lay out the rabbet (where the hull meets the keel) and use a chisel to cut a groove the length of the keel on both sides to seat the edge of the hull plywood into the keel, making a tight watertight fit. At this point the whole project is ready to be moved out of the basement and into the boatshop, which is an old wood garage, about 10' by 20'. When the keel is secure on its stand in the boatshop and the waterline leveled, the frames will be bolted and epoxied in place, and the stringers will be fit and installed. The stringers run fore to aft along the shear (the top edge of the boat), the chine (where the hull makes its turn from keel to shear, making a v-type hull), and along the bilge. The stringers give structural support to the boat and provide a surface to attach the hull plywood to the frame.

Catherine, my youngest daughter, helped construct the last frame last night and says its beginning to look like a boat! More pictures to follow...

Framing Up

2009-06-22T18:21:00.004-04:00

This is a preliminary dry-fit. There are six frames in all, which will be connected by stringers in the bilge, chine, and shear, as well as one stringer running between the shear and chine. Two sheets of 3/8 plywood will then be laminated over to complete the hull.

June Update

2009-06-12T07:40:00.003-04:00

Well its coming along pretty well. I have pretty much completed the keel, the pieces have been epoxied and bolted together. I have chosen to use System 3 General Epoxy which is a 2:1 mixture, and I am using the part B for the hardener, which gives me a tack free time of about 30 minutes. There are six stations on which the frames will be installed, and I am currently working on fabrication of the individual pieces that will make up the frames. The frames are 2x4 spruce with 1/2 inch plywood for the gussets. They will be bolted together with 1/4 inch bolts and nylocks, and epoxied together like the keel with System 3 General Epoxy. I am using System 3 T-88 structural epoxy for any gaps in the fit up, which is a little thicker and comes in a caulking tube.

Soon the frames will be done and all the pieces will be moved out of the basement and into the boatshop (a converted 10x20 garage/shed) for assembly.

Keel Assembly

2009-04-27T08:02:00.003-04:00

Bow Section of the Keel

2009-04-25T10:31:00.006-04:00

After some fitting and fairing, this section, which includes the stem, stem knee, and forefoot, is ready for assembly.

2009-04-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

Recap: Overview of the Boatbuilding Process So Far...

2009-03-31T14:21:00.005-04:00

I think a little back-tracking is in order, if only to clarify what I have done thus far and elucidate techniques and steps involved in building a boat from scratch. Certainly this is not the only way to do it, one can build a boat from a kit, and many good models and kits are available, just do an internet search. But nothing approaches the feeling of doing everything yourself, starting from nothing but a blueprint. Here is a short description of the steps I have taken and how I have arrived at my current stage of construction.

First find a set of plans. There are some good plans available through Woodenboat Magazine. I got mine from George Buehler, and I like his designs cuz they are predicated on traditional, functional, seaworthy workboats. Decide on if you want a sailboat, a row boat, or a power cruiser, and then think about how big it should be. Ask yourself such questions as what will I do with it? Lake sailing? Coastal cruising? Also, how big is your shop, or if you are like me, your basement? Where will I construct it? These questions will help you choose an appropriate length of boat. I chose a 16 foot boat because it is big enough to take several of my family out sailing, and it is small enough for the space I have. Also, I can trailer it to the lake or coast.

Don’t get caught up on tools. Basic tools such as saws, a square, rulers and tapes, pencils, and what-not are all you need to begin with. Get the other tools you’ll need as you go, such as a circular saw, a reciprocating saw (good for cutting thick timbers), a hand plane for smoothing and squaring pieces, and a set of wood chisels. You should also have some large c-claps on hand, and a wood vise is really nice, although I don’t have one yet.

The first thing to do once your plans arrive is to set up a good place to do the lofting. Lofting is nothing more than drawing the boat out full size so you can take measurements and make patterns for the various pieces that make up the boat, such as the keel, stem, frames, and what-not. My lofting floor is a framed deck laid with ¾ inch plywood, 20 feet by 8 feet; 5 sheets of plywood. Get some paper to cover the deck with and make the lofting drawings on. I used red rosin, which is a builder’s paper. It is stout and if it gets wet, it dries well.

Now you draw a baseline across the paper from one end to the other along the bottom. This is what you will take all other measurements from. Draw perpendiculars and square them at each side, and as parallel line along the top. Now you are ready to loft, and this is where it gets fun.

Plans come with a table of offsets, which tell you where to mark the lines of the boat in respect to the frames. The keel, chine (point of turn in the hull proceeding up from the keel, if it is a chine boat), and the sheer (the topmost edge of the boat) are marked at each point where the frames go, and then you use a lattice to connect the dots. Next thing you know, you have a full-size drawing of your boat.

Then the keel pieces are drawn. I used 4 x 6 timbers, so I drew the pieces to reflect this dimension of wood. Then I knew how much wood to get to build the keel. After this, I used lattice to build patterns for each of the keel pieces, fitting them on the lofting as I built them. When the timbers arrived, I placed the patterns on the timbers, drew out the pieces, and cut them with a reciprocating saw. A hand plane comes in real handy here to square and smooth the pieces to make a nice fit.

This is the pint where I am right now. All the pieces for the keel have been fabricated and my next step is to build a steel ballast box that will be filled with concrete and bolted to the bottom of the keel. After the box is built, the next step will be to check the fit of all the keel pieces to ensure a good fit, match them up with the lofting by placing them on the drawing to check for accuracy of fit, then drill holes for 3/8 inch bolts to bolt the keel all together. In addition to bolts, all pieces will be joined with marine epoxy to make it strong.

When this is done, it is time to start framing up. I have drawn all the frames on red rosin paper, with dimensions taken off my lofting. The frames will be constructed from regular ole 2x4’s. When they are all built, everything will be removed from the basement to the shed, where the keel will be placed on a stand and adjusted so the waterline (again, taken from the lofting) is level. Then the frames will be secured to the keel with floor timbers connecting them together. At this point is will start to look like a boat.

After framing up, the tasks that follow include:

1. carving the rabbet on the keel with a chisel (the rabbet is where the hull meets the keel and stem)
2. notching the frames and installing the chine, bilge, and sheer stringers
3. building a transom (the aftermost bulkhead)
4. laying on two sheets of 3/8 inch plywood for the hull
5. fitting out the topsides with two pieces of plywood decking and a combing around the cockpit
6. fitting out the interior with benches, etc
7. fabricating and installing a rudder and tiller
8. fabricating a bow sprit
9. rigging and stepping the mast
10. covering the hull with fiberglass
11. painting and preservation in and out
12. deck fittings
13. get sails from sail loft and rig to mast

The Keel, view from aft, laying on its side on the lofting deck, minus the stem, knee, sternpost, and ballast box

2009-03-14T21:33:00.005-04:00

Keel Construction Continues

2009-03-14T21:21:00.002-04:00

The douglas fir timbers are 3.5 inches by 6 inches, and one is 3.5 inches by 8 inches. I cut the stem, forefoot, and a small keel bottom peice that sits just aft of the ballast box from the 3.5 x 8, and the rest is from 3.5 x 6. I used a sawz-all with a 6 inch blade for the cuts, and trimmed everything up square with a hand plane and a sanding disk on my drill. When the last few pieces are cut it will be time to make finishing touches on the joints and then get some 3/8 bolts and drift pins to fasten everything together. I will drill holes all the way through for the bolts and slather the mating surfaces with epoxy and suck them up tight together with the bolts.

The ballast box will be 7 inches tall, 3.5 inches wide to match the keel, and about 106 inches in length, sloping up to meat the forefoot. The materials are 1/8 or 3/16 carbon steel plate, whichever I can get, and will be filled with concrete. 3/8 inch bolts or all-thread will be welded to the bottom plate on the inside of the box, and will extend up through the keel to hold everything together. When this is complete, I will begin to build the frames for each station, then move everything out to my woodshed for assemly.

Stem Fabrication

2009-03-14T16:20:00.006-04:00

Planing and sanding the stem piece.

Laying of the Keel

2009-02-26T17:02:00.006-05:00

The first keel piece was cut today to the pattern I made last week. I have 7 more pieces to cut, and have laid the patterns out on the timbers in preparation. This piece with the curve runs from the stem knee to the sternpost, and is the topmost keel piece; it will be seen from the inside of the completed boat (if the floor boards are removed) and will sit right on top of the ballast.

Keel Patterns

2009-02-15T16:16:00.013-05:00

The patterns are made from 1/4 x 1 1/8 lattice, stapled together with 1/2 inch staples. They are made in several pieces, and will be used to trace the shapes of the keel pieces onto the douglas fir timbers. Then I will cut them out with a sawz-all, epoxy them together and bolt them fast with 3/8 inch bolts, all the way through. The stern post and stem will also be drift-pinned together. The void running most of the way along the bottom of the keel is where the steel ballast box will be bolted, after its filled with concrete. It took about 3 hours to build the patterns. I am almost done, but ran out of lattice. I need to build two more patterns for the aft section just forward of the stern post.

Timber Delivery

2009-02-13T16:23:00.004-05:00

The materials for building the keel arrived this week. I have two 16 foot douglas fir 4x6s and one 10 foot 4x8. Next week I will begin tracing patterns onto the timbers in preparation for cutting them into keel pieces. The pieces will be epoxied and bolted together into the shape of the keel, and the dream will be born! Any time after the keel is built, I will be deciding on a name for the boat.

Tristan and I have been talking about what we are going to do when it's finished, which I have planned for summer of 2010. After a maiden voyage in a nearby lake, we will plan a trip to Maine, where we will take a week to sail up the coast, camping and visiting harbors, coffee shops, etc. It will be the summer before Tristan's senior year, so he'll have something big to share at school. Tristan also wants to get a Jolly Roger flag, hole up in a Maine coastal island, and make pirating runs into the boating lanes to disturb weekend boaters. While it would make a great movie (and is kinda fun to think about) we'll probably mind our own business. But the flag, ah we'll get the flag, and hang it from the gaff!

Frame Layout

2008-12-27T19:53:00.008-05:00

I am awaiting delivery of the timbers for keel construction, which I have decided will be made from Douglas fir instead of white oak. The only white oak I could source was in 2 inch thicknesses and since it doesn't laminate well, I am going with solid Douglas fir. Until they get here, I am laying out the frames. Here I am taking measurements from the profile and half-width drawings on the lofting deck to layout the frame widths and heights. I have included some pics of the rabbet, keel, and chine gussets too.

This part is going pretty quick, and I am ready to put steel to wood and make a boat now.

More Blueprint Info

2008-12-09T14:00:00.000-05:00

A recent comment to the Blueprint post asked about the nature of the plans I bought, as well as any tips or references for helping you along the building process. The plans are a complete set including a table of offsets, profiles, rigging, and sails diagrams. The plans also include a diagram for the sloop version and one for the two-masted cutter version. George Buehler also sent a copy of his book Backyard Boat Building, which has proved very helpful. I have a very good knowledge of layout from my shipfitting days, and the chapter on lofting helped to fill in the gaps in my knowledge, and I was able to loft the boat pretty well. Also, the BackyardBoatBuilders2 listserve on Yahoo has proved indespensible for getting advice from seasoned builders. I was also asked in the comment about what kind of lumber I will use for the frames, given I am building the keel from expensive white oak. I am using white oak for the keel primarily because of the strength factor, and I want a good solid backbone. I will likely use regular lumberyard 2x4's for everything else, as the hull will be coated in fiberglass and painted throughout. Thanks for your comments. And good luck with your project.

The Vessel 2

2008-12-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

This photo gives a good picture of how the vessel will look, although mine will have a single mast, jib, and mainsail. Photo courtesy of George Buehler.

The Blueprint

2008-11-29T13:53:00.000-05:00

My wife Mary is an excellent photographer, and took all the photos that appear on this site. This is a picture she took of a blueprint of the vessel that hangs in my basement shop for inspiration. My son says that, when she is done, we should run a jolly roger up the mast and overtake recreational boaters on the lake with pirate hails of "argh, stand to and prepare to be boarded, argh!" Sounds like fun...

The Basement Shop and Lofting Deck

2008-11-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

The lofting deck is constructed with 2 x 4's and 3/4 inch plywood, and measures 8' x 20', just long enough to draw out the boat lines. I have used red rosin for the paper, and the lines are all drawn now. I am awaiting keel timbers and will start keel pattern construction next. The basement shop is a nice place to work this winter, as it stays dry and relatively warm. The boat pieces will be moved out to a newly renovated boat shop next spring for assembly. Notice the small windows, which is the easiest way for me to fish the completed keel out after assembly.

The Vessel

2008-11-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

A little about the boat I am building. I bought my plans from George Buehler of Freeland, Washington (see my Websites of Interest on the left). It is a 16 foot sloop called by George "Pogo," but I haven't decided on a name yet. The boat is built on a 4 x 6 white oak keel, forefoot, and stem. It is a single-chine construction with 2 layers of 3/8 inch plywood for the hull, over 2 x 4 frames. The vessel has a single mast with a gaff-rigged mainsail and a jib. It also has a bowsprit that makes it really sexy. I haven't decided on a color yest, that will come as the name comes.

As of this post, I am almost done with the lofting, where I draw the boats lines full scale. It will be from these lines that I will begin to construct the keel and frames and begin to turn what's conceptual into what's actual. I have sourced some white oak timbers for the keel at a local sawmill and my next task is to construct some keel patterns from 1/4 inch plywood. I will then lay the patterns on the timber and cut away all that is not keel. Pretty simple.

What's interesting is that this evolution is taking place in my basement shop. I have constructed an 8 x 20 foot deck in the basement that I use for a lofting floor. I can build the keel and all the frames down there, and move them out next spring when I have my shop fixed up to continue with assembly (as of now, the boat shop is currently being used as a woodshed).

As soon as I get a photo of the lofting floor and drawings, I'll upload it.

Day 1: The Christening of my Blog site

2008-11-27T18:47:00.000-05:00

I am 45 and I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. This is pretty significant because I have never been the kind of person who thought he was destined for any one thing. We've all known the types, since grade school, who said they wanted to be a pilot, or a firefighter, or an accountant. These conversations would make me a little nervous, and I thought I was missing something because I didn't have a vocational passion. Perhaps that is why I have done so many things in life; so many almost conradictory things. My work history has taken me from the seat of a tractor, to the deck of a Navy warship. From an aircraft assembly plant to several metal fabrication shops. Other stops included college classrooms from Washington State to Texas, and several shipyards throughout Western Washington and Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I've taught underclassmen as a graduate assistant. I've managed a cattle ranch. I have been a 4-H leader and a university extension educator. And now, in addition to serving in the Navy Reserve as a Hull Technician, I manage a regional office for a non-profit that assists farmers in producing crops sustainably. My current vocation is by far my most stable and enjoyable, and provides me with numerous creative outlets and opportunities to interact with people all over the country every day.

This being said, I have finally, at 45, found out what I want to BE. This blog, the Consolation of Boatbuilding, will document my ontological awakening as I become a wooden boat builder.

Becoming a boat builder is easy in that all you have to do is build a boat to be one, but it is very complicated in that building a boat is not at all easy, and nothing to be undertaken lightly. It consists in more than merely having the right tools and a blueprint. I think, in addition to mechanical accumen and technical skill in the use of diverse tools, building a boat requires something akin to "soul," or "spirit;" it needs something that will be born into the vessel as the hull takes form and and embues it with life.

And so this blog will document the existential art and craft of boat building from the perspective of a newly awakened craftsman. I will upload pictures of the vessel as she is constructed. Of course, as it's my blog, I'll likely go off-task at times, rambling and chasing rabbits, and generally making my point from my own pulpit. You, reader, are welcome to follow along, or join me in the journey, and comment is welcome pro or con, although I as administrator reserve the right to shitcan whatever worthless tripe I find offensive.