Vol. 26, No. 2 - Traditional Small Craft Association

Ash Breeze
The
Journal of the Traditional Small Craft Association, Inc.
Vol. 26 No. 2
Summer 2005 - $4.00
In This Issue:
Canoe Paddle • North Shore TSCA
Marine Mentoring Program News
Wooden Boats Down Under • A Mast for Marion
Rowing on San Francisco Bay • Small Craft Events
The Ash Breeze
The Ash Breeze (ISSN 1554-5016) is the
quarterly journal of the Traditional Small
Craft Association, Inc. It is published at
1557 Cattle Point Road, Friday Harbor,
WA 98250.
Communications concerning membership
or mailings should be addressed to:
P.O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.
www.tsca.net
Volume 26 Number 2
Editor
Dan Drath
[email protected]
Contributing Editor
John Stratton
Copy Editors
Hobey DeStaebler
Charles Judson
Jim Lawson
Editors Emeriti
Richard S. Kolin
Sam & Marty King
David & Katherine Cockey
Ralph Notaristefano
Ken Steinmetz
John Stratton
Layout with the assistance of
The Messing About Foundation
The Traditional Small Craft Association,
Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational
organization which works to preserve and
continue the living traditions, skills, lore,
and legends surrounding working and
pleasure watercraft whose origins predate
the marine gasoline engine. It encourages
the design, construction, and use of these
boats, and it embraces contemporary variants and adaptations of traditional designs.
TSCA is an enjoyable yet practical link
among users, designers, builders, restorers, historians, government, and maritime
institutions.
Copyright 2005 by The Traditional Small
Craft Association, Inc.
Editor’s Column
I spent a little time looking at our mailing list the other day, and thought you
might be interested in the analysis of
where our members are located.
Sorting by zip code and then counting
reveals that 50% of our members live in
CT, NY, CA, FL, and WA. Each of these
states has about 10% of our members.
MA, MD, MI , NJ and ME are the next
centers of our activities, each having from
7 to 4%, descending respectively. PA, VA,
and TX each have 3 to 2% of our members.
The rest of the 120 domestic members
are scattered across 26 states and territories. Twenty of our members live outside
the US. Thirteen live in Canada, the balance stretch from Spain, England, Japan
and to Australia making us an international organization.
I hope these are not mind numbing statistics. In any case, read on, there is some
very good material in this issue.
My best to you all,
Dan Drath
Vote in the June Council Election
Show your support!
36th Annual John Gardner
SmallCraft
Workshop
It’s time to mess about.
June 4-5, 2005
For more information:
860.572.0711 x 5019
[email protected]
www.mysticseaport.org
MYSTIC SEAPORT
THE MUSEUM OF AMERICA
AND THE SEA
Front Cover
Sail, oar, and paddle-powered boats vie for space with radio-controlled “pond
yachts” in the Constitution Dock basin at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, Hobart,
Tasmania in February of 2005 (summer time!). Dinghies were moored and launched
from the floating dock at center left, plus two other docks. At lower left is a small
dinghy crewed by a 7-year-old (or so) redheaded girl who was so fast that it was near
impossible
.
to catch her on camera! John Weiss photo.
2 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
Gardner Grants
“To preserve, continue, and expand the achievements, vision and goals of John Gardner by enriching and disseminating our traditional small craft heritage.” In 1999, TSCA created the John Gardner Grant program to support projects for
which sufficient funding would otherwise be unavailable. Eligible projects are those which research, document, preserve,
and replicate traditional small craft, associated skills, and those who built and used them. Youth involvement is encouraged.
Grants proposals are reviewed semiannually, typically in May and October.
Proposals for projects ranging from $200 to $2000 are invited for consideration. The John Gardner Grants are competitive and reviewed semiannually by the John Gardner Memorial Fund Committee of TSCA. The source of funding is the
John Gardner Memorial Endowment Fund, and funding available for projects will be determined annually.
Eligible applicants include anyone who can demonstrate serious interest in, and knowledge of, traditional small craft.
Affiliation with a museum or academic organization is not required. Projects must have tangible, enduring results which
are published, exhibited, or otherwise made available to the interested public. Projects must be reported in the Ash Breeze.
For program details, applications and additional information visit TSCA on the web at www.tsca.net
Benefactor
Samuel E. Johnson
Life Member
Sidney S. Whelan, Jr.
Jean Gardner
Bob Hicks
Generous Patrons
Lee Caldwell
Michael S. Olson
...and Individual Sponsor/Members
Ben Fuller
Mr. & Mrs. Rodney W. Agar
Richard and Susan Geiger
Doug Aikins
John M. Gerty
Roger Allen
Gerald W. Gibbs
Rob Barker
Geoffrey J. Grosguth
Bruce Beglin
Mr. & Mrs. R. Bruce Hammatt, Jr.
Charles Benedict
John A. Hawkinson
Howard Benedict
Peter Healey
Willard A. Bradley
Robert C. Briscoe
Colin O. Hermans
Edward G. Brownlee
Gary F. Herold
Charles Canniff
Stuart K. Hopkins
Dick & Jean Anne Christie
Townsend Hornor
James & Lloyd Crocket
John M. Karbott
Thad Danielson
Carl B. & Ruth W. Kaufmann
Stanley R.Dickstein
Thomas E. King
Dan & Eileen Drath
Richard S. Kolin
Frank C. Durham
Arthur B. Lawrence
Albert Eatock
Chelcie Liu
Tuck Elfman
Jon Lovell
James D. & Julie Maxwell
John D. England
Dean Meledones
Tom Etherington
Charles H. Meyer, Jr.
Howard Mittleman
King Mud & Queen Tule
David J. Pape
Rex and Kathie Payne
Ronald Pilling
Michael Porter
Tom & Susanne Regan
Ronald W. Render
Don Rich
Nelius N. Ronning
Bill & Karen Rutherford
Philip T. Schiro
Karl Schmid
Richard Schubert
Paul A. Schwartz
Michael O. Severance
Gary L. Shirley
Walter J. Simmons
Leslie Smith
Stephen Smith
Robert W. Sparks
Randall Spurr
Zach Stewart
Tom & Bonnie Stone
John P. Stratton, III
Jackson P. Sumner
George Surgent
Benjamin B. Swan
Gary Thompson
Sigrid H.Trumpy
Ray E. Tucker
Peter T. Vermilya
John L. Way
Richard B. Weir
John & Ellen Weiss
Stephen M. Weld
Larry Westlake
Michael D. Wick
Andrew Wolfe
Robert & Judith Yorke
J. Myron Young
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 3
“Only if our children are introduced to boats at an early age and grow
up using them on the water will what we are doing today have any
relevance for the future.”
– John Gardner (former counselor, Pine Island Camp)
Founded in 1902, Pine Island remains true to the simple, island life-style established by
the current director’s grandfather and committed to providing an adventurous, safe summer. No electricity, an absence of competitive sports and the island setting make Pine
Island unique. Ten in-camp activities offered daily, include rowing, canoeing, sailing,
kayaking, swimming, workshop, archery, riflery, and tennis. Over thirty camping trips
each summer, include backpacking, canoeing, kayaking and trips to the camp’s 90-acre
salt water island. Campfire every night. Write or call the director for more information.
Ben Swan, P.O. Box 242, Brunswick, Maine 04011
Win a TSCA T-shirt
Members whose articles are published
in the Ash Breeze are awarded a
TSCA T-shirt. An article is a complete piece of writing that informs
and educates. Anecdotes, Chapter
news and reports, etc., do not
qualify, although a T-shirt will be
awarded to regular contributors of
Chapter reports at the Editor’s
discretion. How about writing that
article for Ash Breeze?
TSCA Chapters
Join or start a chapter to enjoy the fellowship and skills which can be gained around traditional small craft
Adirondack Chapter TSCA
Mary Brown, 100 Cornelia St., Apt. 205,
Plattsburgh, NY 12901, 518-561-1667
Annapolis Chapter TSCA
Sigrid Trumpy, 12 German St., Annapolis,
MD 21401, [email protected]
Barnegat Bay TSCA
Patricia H. Burke, Director,Toms River
Seaport Society,PO Box 1111, Toms River,
NJ 08754, 732-349-9209,
www.tomsriverseaport.com
Connecticut River
Oar and Paddle Club
Jon Persson, 17 Industrial Park Road Suite
5, Centerbrook, CT 06409, 860-767-3303,
[email protected]
Delaware River TSCA
Tom Shephard, 482 Almond Rd, Pittsgrove,
NJ 08318, [email protected]
Down East Chapter
John Silverio, 105 Proctor Rd, Lincolnville,
ME 04849, work 207-763-3885, home
207-763-4652, camp: 207-763-4671,
[email protected]
Floating the Apple
Mike Davis, 400 West 43rd St., 32R, New
York, NY 10036, 212-564-5412,
[email protected]
Florida Gulf Coast TSCA
Roger B. Allen, Florida Gulf Coast
Maritime Museum, PO Box 100, 4415
119th St W, Cortez, FL 34215, 941-7084935 or Cell 941-704-8598
Friends of the North Carolina
Maritime Museum TSCA
John Gardner Chapter
Russ Smith, Univ of Connecticut, Avery
Point Campus, 1084 Shennecossett Road,
Groton, CT 06340, 860-536-1113,
[email protected]
Sacramento TSCA
Daphne Lagios, 172 Angelita Avenue,
Pacifica, CA 94044, 650-557-0113,
[email protected], www.tsca.net/
Sacramento
Lone Star Chapter
Scajaquada TSCA
Howard Gmelch, The Scow Scooner Project,
POBox 1509, Anahuac, TX 77514, 409-2674402, [email protected]
Charles H. Meyer, 5405 East River, Grand
Island, NY 14072, 716-773-2515,
[email protected]
Long Island TSCA
Myron Young, PO Box 635, Laurel, NY
11948, 631-298-4512
Lost Coast Chapter - Mendocino
Dusty Dillon, PO Box 1028, Willits, CA
95490, 707-459-1735, [email protected]
North Shore TSCA
Dave Morrow, 63 Lynnfield Str, Lynn, MA
01904, 781-598-6163
Oregon TSCA
Sam Johnson, 1449 Southwest Davenport,
Portland, OR 97201, 503-223-4772,
[email protected]
Patuxent Small Craft Guild
William Lake, 11740 Asbury Circle, Apt
1301, Solomons, MD 20688 410-394-3382,
[email protected]
Pine Lake Small Craft Assoc.
Sandy Bryson, Sec., 333 Whitehills Dr, East
Lansing, MI 48823, 517-351-5976,
[email protected]
Puget Sound TSCA
Al Gunther, President, 34718 Pilot Point
Road NE Kingston, WA 98346, 360-6381088, [email protected]
SE Michigan
John Van Slembrouck, Stoney Creek
Wooden Boat Shop, 1058 East Tienken
Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48306
[email protected]
South Jersey TSCA
George Loos, 53 Beaver Dam Rd, Cape
May Courthouse, NJ 08210, 609-8610018, [email protected]
South Street Seaport Museum
John B. Putnam, 207 Front Street, New
York, NY 10038, 212-748-8600, Ext. 663
days, www.southstseaport.org
TSCA of Wisconsin
James R. Kowall, c/o Door County
Maritime Musem, 120 N Madison Ave,
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 920-743-4631
Organizing
Dallas/Forth Worth Area
Mark “Stik” Stikkel, 621 Madeline Ct,
Azle, TX 76020, 817-444-3082,
[email protected]
Inactive Chapters
Maury River Chapter
Upper Chesapeake TSCA
William Prentice, 315 Front Street,
Beaufort, NC 28516, 252-728-7317,
[email protected]
4 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
President’s Message
As outgoing president, I’d like to thank
all those who have volunteered for the
organization. It is those people, whether
for the national association or as a local
chapter member that keeps our organization alive and well.
It always amazes me how many new
maritime museums and related organizations keep forming throughout the United
States. My wife thinks I’ve dragged her
to every one of them. Little does she know
how many are left on my list to visit.
These organizations are all potential
sources of new members that we need to
reach out to. As members and chapters,
please locate these organizations and tap
into their resources and advertise our organization.
Belonging to the TSCA or any similar
organization is a great way to meet people
with similar interests and builds camaraderie. The many years I have belonged to
this organization has allowed me to meet
lots of new friends and has increased my
knowledge of small craft. Let’s all join
in and sign up a new member. As always,
I look forward to the Mystic Small Craft
Meet and our annual meeting on June 4
and 5 of 2005. I hope to see many old
and new friends there.
Fair Winds,
Tom Shephard
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As of February 1, 2005, the Ash Breeze
has been assigned ISSN 1544-5016.
Gardner Grant
Letters
Editor:
Peapod DVD News Dear
It was with great pleasure to read Mr.
Submitted by Ben Fuller
We are some testing and some tweaking
and are about two weeks away from having the peapod DVD finished. Costs permitting, I have complied a list of readily
available pod plans with descriptions like
I did for 87 Boat Designs, which will come
along as a DVD booklet. It has been a slog
but I think that you will like it. As you
recall it got started with a Gardner Grant,
then Maine Humanities Council added
some matching funds. When we decided
to go the DVD route, working through
Penobscot Marine Museum where copies
of the raw footage are now housed, I raised
another $4,000 or so, and Juliet Bennett
(the creator) will still be under-compensated. The real production investment is
probably about $10,000.
She may be able to earn some of it back.
Plan now is to produce a 100 or so for distribution to TSCA ( I thought to the chapter heads), to the participants, to Maine
Humanities Council, and to some possible
reviewers. She will wholesale the DVD
for $10, retail at $20. Penobscot Marine
Museum's gift shop can handle retail. If
this goes gangbusters, the Museum may
get involved in production, but right now
it has to earn its production costs as cash
flow is tight.
Gardner Grant Finances
4th Quarter Report
Submitted by Ben Fuller
Balance as of December 31, 2004 is
$53,478.99. Contributions posted
amounted to $2,700. Distributions were
made in the amount of $1,700.
Carried over from last FY is $1,860 and
the grant budget for this year was $2,240,
for a total of $4,100.
Five applications have been received as
of mid April and we have received one note
of inquiry to support a private boat building project, the result of which would be
lent to a nearby maritime museum from
time to time.
Bill Armitage’s article, “Youth, Wood
Shavings & Dories: A formula with a Future” in the Winter 2004 Ash Breeze.
Mr Armitage’s article was indeed an
accurate version of what took place in his
classroom at Clark Lane Middle School.
As Principal here, I would often stop in to
see how the project was coming along.
Students with diverse backgrounds were
working alongside each other, each with
a passion that was evident each time I
witnessed their progress.
We appreciate your including Mr.
Armitage’s article in your magazine.
Sincerely,
Bruce L. Thorndike
Principal, Clark Lane Middle School
Waterford, CT
Dear Editor:
The Spring 2005 issue was wonderful.
The description of the messabout to Sucia
was particularly nice for me. Been There,
Done That! (several times) but many years
ago now I hate to say (I’m 80!). All this
has inspired me to renew my TSCA membership after all. Incidentally I was one of
the two cofounders of RiversWest Small
Craft Center, Inc. in Portland.
(www.riverswest.org) 13 years ago. Going
strong with 120 members and money in
the bank. Now I am the old guy that comes
around and tells people, “Need another
clamp about there” — then walk away, of
course. Longtime member of TSCA and
of the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle
years ago. Built a few boats in my time.
Currently own a Mirror Dinghy (#52023)
but it lives at my son-in-law's house (he’s
a sailor!).
Regards,
Bob Young, Tigard, OR
SmallCraft
Workshop
June 4-5, 2005
Mystic, CT
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 5
This article appeared first
in the August 2004 issue
of Popular Woodworking.
It is reprinted with the
permission of the author.
Canoe Paddle
A single length of framing lumber
will help you hone your skills with
a spokeshave, a drawknife and a
block plane.
By John Wilson
It was a bright summer’s day in 1993 at
historic Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth,
NH. My wife, Sally, and I were unexpectedly in town and noticed a craft show and
demonstrations on the green. The area is
famous for such crafts as coopering and
building Windsor chairs and wooden boats.
I’ve always been fascinated to watch skilled
demonstrators, and this demonstration by
boatbuilder Geoff Burke would not be a
disappointment.
Burke captivated onlookers while he
made a canoe paddle. Here was a familiar
object being made with a few hand tools.
The material was a straight-grained 2x6
plank of spruce commonly used for residential framing. The time it took him to
carve the paddle: less than one hour.
Everyone appreciated the efficiency with
which the job was accomplished (not that
reducing the blade thickness with a
drawknife is easy—it is not). But the key
is choosing the right tool for each step of
the project, knowing how to put the right
tool to use and having an eye for proportion to guide it.
Home Shop Classes
To learn more about paddles and
the tools shown here, check out John
Wilson’s classes at the Home Shop.
It is located at 406 E. Broadway,
Charlotte, MI 48813. Call 517-5435325 (8:30 AM to 5 PM EST).
The next Paddle Making class is
scheduled for March 18, 2006 and
the Spokeshave class for February
11, 2006. For more information visit
www.ShakerOvalBox.com.
But you should be forewarned. A paddle is sculpture
in a traditional form and requires a practiced eye for proportion. This is something
we’re all born with to a degree, and we can develop it
with practice. The exact ratio of “birth-given” and
“practice-acquired” is a mystery. I have observed a wide
range of accomplishment
among my boatbuilding students when assigned this task.
Most of my students made a
functional paddle; few were
able to make a graceful one
their first time.
Today, paddle blanks stand
in a corner of my shop, some
cut out, some waiting as a
piece of spruce framing. There
are a few that are shaped,
ready to be sanded and varnished. And there is Burke’s
demonstration paddle, signed
and dated to remind me of that
summer day when I was blown Layout involves transferring the dimensions from the
away by the accomplishment plans. The centerline with cross lines indicate the major
of tools in the hand of a crafts- points. Connect the straight lines, then sketch in the
man with an eye to make curved transitions.
something of utility and grace.
Spruce is bedeviled by small knots, and
an occasional pin knot will not signifiChoosing the Right Wood
cantly affect the paddle. I use a drop of
The best wood for paddles will be stiff, cyanoacrylate glue (such as Hot Stuff ) to
strong and lightweight. Maple or ash are seal small imperfections.
fine for structure, but they are a bit heavy
While you need only a 2x6 plank that is
for long use on the water. Spruce is lighter 6' long, you are unlikely to find the best
and easier to shape. Sitka spruce is ac- lumber in small sizes of framing stock.
claimed, and rightly so, for being strong The longer (16' to 24') and the wider (10"
and light. But the effort required to se- or 12") the stick, the better luck you will
cure that species is quite unnecessary.
have getting your clear paddle blank. I
There is a classification of construction believe this is because the mills use the
framing called SPF, which stands for better grade of logs for the longest lengths,
spruce-pine-fir (in this case “hem fir” or resulting in some portion of a long joist
“western hemlock”). All three species des- (in a house) being clear. Buy the long
ignated for this class will work in paddle length, cut your paddle blanks from the
making. Black spruce is most prevalent, best portion and use the rest of the wood
and perhaps the best of the three. Pine for some future project.
has more flex, while hemlock is a little
more difficult to work with hand tools.
Ten Steps to Making a Paddle
The wide availability of residential
Briefly, here is how the process works:
framing stock at a reasonable price is one Plane the plank to 1-1/4" thickness. Trace
of the attractive aspects of this project. and cut the silhouette. Block plane and
What is essential is straightness of grain, spokeshave all the sides smooth.
followed by clear lengths free of knots.
6 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
After planing the plank to 1-1/4" thick, band saw the
paddle blank to shape.
Draw lines around the edges to define the center of the paddle and
its thicknesses. Thin the paddle’s blade using a drawknife and a plane.
Shape the handle using a hand saw, drawknife, chisel and plane.
Round the shaft by first making it an octagon. Transition the shaft
to the blade and handle with a spokeshave. Smooth the paddle, with a
wood rasp and sandpaper. And finally, varnish the paddle leaving the
grip unfinished.
Creating a Paddle Blank
Plane your plank to 1-1/4" thick. Then draw the silhouette of your
paddle. It’s easiest to trace around an existing paddle, making adjustments in shaft length to fit intended paddler’s height. Paddle length
is a personal matter—generally, the paddle should be about chin height.
To follow the plans given right, start by making a center line the
length of the plank. Next mark off both ends of the paddle. Mark
where the blade and shaft meet, the start of the handle, and the saw
kerf on the grip. Now mark half-widths (use the width given on the
drawing divided in half) on either side of the centerline for the blade
at its narrower and wider parts, the shaft and the grip. Then connect
your marks to outline the paddle. Use a straightedge for the main
lines and sketch in the curved parts.
Cut out the paddle blank on the band saw as shown above. Use a
block plane to smooth and fair the edges. Check your work by holding the paddle at arm’s length to see if you have a fair outline.
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 7
Spokeshave-friendly Project
You will need a spokeshave to smooth the hollows. There will
be several places where this traditional tool comes in handy, mostly
at transitions from one shape to another. These transitions can
be troublesome. You could use a variety of rasps and sanders,
but the traditional spokeshave is the tool of choice.
According to some historical accounts, the spokeshave got its
name from its use in transitioning wheel spokes from the square
hub end to the round section. You will find this tool indispensable for making the transition from the handle to the shaft and
from the shaft to the blade.
It is worth your time to buy an effective spokeshave (see “Three
Traditional Hand Tools Plus One Hand Skill” on page 11). Because of the absence of wooden wheels these days, a good spokeshave is hard to find. Therefore, they’ve fallen into disuse—many
craftsmen have become frustrated having used bad ones.
You will need a spokeshave with a slight curve to the sole, not
a flat one. Some of the best ones are the traditional woodhandled
types with a blade flat to the sole, sometimes called razor-type
spokeshaves. Another useful spokeshave has a concave sole,
which makes it ideal for rounding the shaft of the paddle.
Smooth all the paddle’s edges with a block plane. If any lines
don’t look fair to you, planing can make them so.
Using your pencil held as shown, trace a centerline on all
edges.
Use a drawknife to rough the blade to thickness. Bevel
the edges first as shown, then take down the center. It
may be tough using this tool, so try to hold it the way
the photo shows. This should ease the struggle a bit.
8 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
Defining the Paddle’s Shape
It is important that the shaft be rounded last because as
long as it remains square, you can capture it in the bench
vise as you shape both ends of your paddle.
When the silhouette is fair and smooth, trace a centerline
on the edge of the blank all around your paddle. Next, trace
lines on the edge to show the 3/8" blade thickness, the octagonal edges of the shaft and the location and depth of the
cut for the saw kerf at the grip. The profile view on page 7
gives you these lines.
The photo on page 8 shows me tracing a centerline using
woodworker’s method—a pencil held effectively between fingers. If you haven’t done this before, give it some practice.
It is great timesaving tip that shows off your skill as a craftsman. Page 12 for more details.
Thin the blade to 3/8" using the drawknife to rough it out,
and plane it smooth. Burke leaves the tip of the blade about
5/8" thick, which is something that I like. This strengthens
the end, which is vulnerable to being cracked.
Shape the handle by first sawing a kerf across the paddle.
Make the cut 1-1/2" from the end to a depth that leaves 3/8"
in the center. Then drawknife away the wood for 5" along
Chisel a hollow approaching the saw kerf. Beware that two
cut lines like this can be difficult to blend smoothly. Before
cutting too far, expect to clean it up with a rasp and sandpaper.
A block plane will round over a comfortable end. The profile
shows well here.
The shaft is planed into an octagon following guidelines.
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 9
Use the bench plane to smooth the blade to its final
3/8" thickness. The pencil lines on the edge should
give you guidance in this step.
the shaft to meet your cut line. Chisel the handle to meet the cut
line. I like to chisel a hollowed cut for a good finger grip.
Round the end with a block plane and use a wood rasp (a
toothed file) for finishing touches as shown in the drawing on
page 9).
Saw down to a point on the handle,
leaving 3/8" for the grip.
The point of the blade is left thicker (5/8") to
reinforce the point where splits are possible.
The shaft is made slightly oval using a bench plane to first
reduce it to an octagon. This will keep it uniform when planing
the smaller edges smooth with a block plane and a curved spokeshave.
The drawknife removes waste as you approach the saw kerf at the
handle.
10 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
The spokeshave
(I’m using a
wooden one here)
is used to smooth
the
transition
between blade,
shaft and handle. It
works pulling or
pushing to follow
the direction of the
grain.
A spokeshave
with a concave
sole, such as this
one from Veritas,
excels at rounding
the shaft of the
paddle.
The block plane will quickly smooth all the
edges into a 1-1/16" x 1-1/4" oval, as I’m doing
here.
Use the spokeshave to shape the transition from the shaft to the blade. This versatile tool works equally well pulling or
pushing so you can follow the change in
grain direction.
Sanding and varnishing completes the
paddle. Traditionally, a canoe paddle’s
handle is left unfinished to give you a better grip on the wood.
I have spent many enjoyable days paddling a canoe with a traditional paddle
such as this. Making paddles for your
children appropriate to their height is especially meaningful for a parent introducing offspring to the water.
About the Author
John first canoed in upstate New York
as a Boy Scout. He has taught woodworking and boat building at Lansing Community College in Michigan and the
WoodenBoat School in Maine. Currently
he operates the Home Shop in Charlotte,
MI, where he teaches woodworking classes
and sells Shaker box supplies.
Three Traditional Hand Tools Plus One Hand Skill
Tools solve problems in wood. Hand tools bought just to collect do not serve
you well. But tools bought when you need them will serve many projects to come.
Don’t hesitate to buy a good hand tool suitable to the task. The tools mentioned
here actually stand a chance of being useful in the hands of some future woodworker a century from now.
Drawknife
I owned a drawknife for years without ever putting it to use. There were only
two instances when I observed it being used in the hands of a professional. One
was in a boat shop where planks along the sheer (the top of the sides where it
meets the deck) were being finished off in the gentle curve that makes the profile
of the hull. The other was watching Geoff Burke make a paddle that fine summer
day. I have since learned that there are
several styles and blade treatments for
this tool.
Drawknives are made in a variety of
sizes for a variety of tasks. The largest
drawknife is used for peeling bark from
logs. Carvers’ drawknives are small.
The one shown in this article is referred
to as a carpenter’s drawknife, and is 12
inches long with a 7 inch wide blade.
continued on page 12
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 11
As is so often true, the critical point
of this tool is the sharpness and angle
of the blade. Hogging off rough chunks
of wood is not light work. Check the
angle of sharpening before use. The
tools often are made with an angle of
25° to 30° which is steeper than necessary and will make heavy going of
your work. A finer pitch of 15° to 20°
will serve well in the straight-grained
softwood of a paddle.
Drawknives are used bevel up for
straight cuts. Turned over they will follow contours for shaping. Leonard Lee,
in his book The Complete Guide to
Sharpening (Taunton Press), points to
an alternative:
“If you put a 15° basic bevel on a
drawknife and dub (a slight bevel on
the flat side) from 2° to 5° off the face
of the knife, you will find that it is much
more maneuverable.” (See the drawing of a modified drawknife on page
11.)
Old drawknives of good quality can
still be found at a considerable savings,
and they can give you great satisfaction for having rescued a very useful
tool.
For a new drawknife contact Ray
Larsen, author of Tool Making for
Woodworkers (Cambium Press). He
has been forging quality tools for more
than 30 years. Call 781-826- 8931 or
operations. The flat position of the razor-type blade makes it easy to work
with.
The traditional wood-bodied shaves
have a 6° to 8° bevel in the sole ahead
of the cutting edge. This allows for
making hollows, while the blade slices
into the wood at no angle at all. (Check
out the “Tool Reviews” link at
popwood.com or see the April 2004 issue of Popular Woodworking for a review of metal-bodied spokeshaves, and
the November 2003 issue for information about traditional wood-bodied razor-type spokeshaves.)
Following are sources for spokeshaves:
• Dave Wachnicki (603-356-8712 or
www.ncworkshops.com) has been making shaves for chairmakers in the traditional design.
• Glen Livingstone (508-669-5245 or
www.woodjoytools.com) makes small,
medium and large shaves. The largest
is especially favored by boatbuilders.
• Leonard Lee of Lee Valley Tools not
only wrote a great book on sharpening, he has pioneered a new generation of spokeshaves under the Veritas
label, including metal-bodied shaves
with flat, curved and concave soles.
• High-quality metal shaves also are
available from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Block Plane
For years, a block plane was a familiar tool tucked into my nail apron
as a trim carpenter. It was used for al-
visit windsorchairresources.com.
Spokeshave
This is a short-soled plane used for
smoothing hollows that typically appear
when transitioning from one shape to another.
Modern versions of the spokeshave
have a metal body holding the blade at an
angle to the sole similar to a plane. They
come with a flat sole like a conventional
plane for flat work or outside curves, with
a convex curved sole for shaving inside
curves, or with a concave sole. Two highquality versions of this concave soled tool
should be available from Veritas (Lee Valley Tools, 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com)
and
Lie-Nielsen
Toolworks (800-3272520 or www.lienielsen.com).
The
traditional
spokeshave had a wood
body and the blade lying flat to the sole.
They are sometimes
called
razor-type
shaves, identifying the
shape of the blade,
which looks like a traditional straight razor.
The change in blade
angle makes the mod- While your forefinger and thumb grasp the pencil, your
ern version less effec- middle or ring finger acts as an edge stop to define the
tive for many cutting width of the space.
12 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
most any planing job, not just the
smoothing of end grain that tradition
has made its appointed task. To this
day, I will reach for a block plane more
often than a bench plane to smooth
wood.
Fortunately, a good version of this
plane, the Stanley No. 60-1/2, is
readily available. You will find this
version in most tool catalogs and may
even find it in the hardware section
of a home supply store.
Be aware
that there are two versions of the block
plane—a regular and a low-angle.
The low-angle Stanley No. 60-1/2 is
1/4" narrower than the standard version. It is this low-angle, narrower
block plane that fits my hand best.
In all these tools, their effectiveness
depends on being sharp. That should
be job one before beginning your
paddle.
Finger Marking Gauge
To the list of these tools—
drawknife, spokeshave and block
plane—I have added a fourth ‘tool:’
the finger marking gauge. This is simply a pencil in your hand.
I learned this skill from my father
so early in my woodworking career
that I thought everyone knew how to
do it. That is, until I started teaching
woodworking. I would use this technique for gauging a line along a board
and find that my students would do a
double-take to see where the straight
line came from.
The photo at the left shows this better than a description could. The
middle or ring finger serves as a stop
to determine the width of the space to
be drawn. To find the center of a
board, as in the paddle blank, simply
gauge a line from both sides approximately half the board’s width. Seeing now how closely they meet in the
center gives you an eye for the exact
center to set the final holding position for your finger marking gauge.
In applications where the space to the
gauge line widens, you need to hold
the pencil higher, using your ring finger instead of your middle finger as a
stop.
North Shore TSCA
Submitted by Paul A. Schwartz
The way we are organized is that we
are not. We have neither officers nor bylaws. This has been working fine for quite
a few vears. For volunteers we have Henry
introducing the program Dave collecting
dues and paying bills. Jeff mailing postcards about meeting dates and content, and
me arranging for speakers with suggestions from different members.
The following is a sampling of meeting attendees: Phil Bolger with his wife
and partner Susanne Altenburger who are
prominent and innovative marine architects, noted multi-hull designer Dick
Newick, renowned historian and modelmaker Erik Ronnberg, Kurt Hasselbalch
curator of Hart Nautical collection at MIT,
Lyle Forbes and Bob Monk from the
Peabody Museum who have given us behind the scenes tours of the small boat
collections, Tom Goux spoke about the
schooner Ernestina, Marty Krugman did
the same for the schooner Adventure, Jim
Withim and Dave Brown talked about the
Essex Shipbuilding Museum, Englishman
Derek Hutchenson spoke about North Sea
kayaking, filmmaker Rob Perkins talked
about some unique canoe trips, Tom
Mailhot described his transatlantic rowing race, prominent designer and builder
Harold Burnham talked about his schooners, Matt Billey from Starleaf Boatworks
brought a sailing peapod, furniture maker
John Cameron brought an exquisite
Whitehall, I spoke about finishing a
Fenwick Williams’ Annie as a
sloop,boatbuilder Rob Stevens talked about
building a Viking ship replica, Dave
Corcoran from Bullhouse Boatworks
builds mostly Herreshoff designs the way
Herreshoff built them, John Harkness
brought his beautiful Chaisson designed
sailing dory and an especially lovely canoe that he built. Bruce Dyson talked
about building his cold molded 8 meter,
Mike Brown came down from Lowel’s
Boatshop which is the oldest in the country, Roger Crawford from Crawford
boatbuilding brought along one of his
beautifully done melonseeds, and Quinn
Vaillancourt described building his very
lovely Herreshoff Rosinante.
That is enough. For the most part, we
just have anyone we can get to talk. We
have been at it for years. So that’s what
we have been up to.
Marine Mentoring
Program
The Marine Mentoring Program at Atlantic Challenge, now in its fourth year,
is grateful for the generous support of the
MBNA Foundation, the Sunshine Lady
Foundation and an anonymous donor for
their support of the program this year. The
after-school Marine Mentoring Program
allows area youth, with mentors, to explore
and develop ties to Maine’s marine heritage.
Students lift one of the 7' skiffs off of its
mold, preparing to flip it over. Instructor
Will West of Whitefield supervises.
The program is designed to connect
younger students with trained community
volunteers, retired boatbuilders and the
Apprenticeshop staff. Together they build
not just boats but confidence, competence
and greater self-esteem. Students hone
their problem solving, critical thinking
and practical math skills while learning
to work together as a team and developing positive relationships with adults. The
program hopes to fosters participants’ intellectual and personal growth, and to connect them to the rich local maritime
community.
Trisha Badger
Rockland, Maine 04841
www.atlanticchallenge.com
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 13
Wooden Boats
Down Under
Cup thoroughbred horse
race tops off the weekend.
We flew from Melbourne
to Hobart on the first afternoon of the festival. Hobart
Story and photos by John Weiss
straddles the Derwent River,
For those looking for a treatise on bilges which widens into the 20
and bottom paint, this isn’t it. In this case km long Blackmans Bay
“Down Under” means “Dunnunda,” “Oz,” just below the city. At South
or Australia. More specifically, I recently Arm, Blackmans Bay widspent some time in Tasmania (or “Tassie” ens into the much larger
to the locals).
Storm Bay, which opens
In February 2005 Ellen and I had the into the Southern Ocean
opportunity to take a long-planned vaca- about 30 km further south.
tion to Australia. We structured the vaca- Hobart has a rich nautical
tion around the Australian Wooden Boat history that includes whalFestival, which is held in Hobart, Tasma- ing, fishing, lumbering, and
nia, every two years. This is the premier recreation; it probably has
wooden boat event in Australia, and at- the largest concentration of
Piccolo sailing and rowing dory (designer and builder
tracted over 450 registered boats and al- wooden boat enthusiasts in
unidentified).
most 40,000 participants this year – in a the country.
city with a population less than 200,000!
The Wooden Boat Festival completely the Bass Strait and now an active club racThe festival is held to coincide with the takes over Constitution Dock and Kings ing class. At the Tasmanian Museum and
three day Regatta Day weekend, a public Pier Marina, immediately adjacent to Art Gallery immediately across the street
holiday in Tasmania. The Royal Hobart Hobart’s CBD, including the basin en- from the docks, one wing was dedicated
Regatta, held at the Regatta Grounds just closed by Constitution Dock. Dinghies to the “Dinghies & Quilts” exhibit. Boat
a short walk across the central business and other static displays, the “Quick ’n’ builder Bill Foster and the Maritime Mudistrict (CBD), was originally a rowing Dirty” construction area, roving chanty seum Tasmania assembled the dinghy exregatta, but has evolved into a huge wa- groups, and boat builders’ and exhibitors’ hibit. Many Tasmanians consider Bill to
terside festival including rowing and sail- tents occupy the docks. Boats on display be the “father of Australian dinghies.” The
ing races as well as other events for ranged from a variety of rowing dinghies; Channel Quilters presented the “Quilters
participants and observers. The Hobart to Cadet, Enterprise, Jubilee, Moth, NS14, on Board” exhibit that also highlighted
Sabre, and Tanner class sail- maritime culture and themes.
We initially wandered the docks, takboats (one-design sailboat
ing
pictures of the boats and talking with
racing is VERY popular in
the
exhibitors. We soon found Festival
Tasmania, and home-built
HQ,
where a helpful staff told us where to
wooden boats are very comfind
Robert
Wallis, the lone TSCA mempetitive); to the 55-foot steam
ber
in
Tasmania.
Rob had sailed up the
launch Prena (built in 1896;
river
from
his
home
mooring for the weekrestoration almost complete),
end
on
his
24-foot
clinker
sloop, with his
the 66-foot trading ketch
children
Will
and
Hattie.
Over dinner a
May-Queen (built in 1867;
few
nights
later
at
their
house
overlookretired in 1973), and the 197ing
the
Derwent,
we
discovered
that Rob
foot barque James Craig
grew
up
in
a
boating
family
in
Melbourne,
(built in 1874; restored 19932001). The basin teemed and his wife, Penny, is the daughter of a
with a variety of rowing, sail- well-respected rowing coach in England.
ing, and radio-controlled They joined TSCA during a visit to Mysboats. The marina was dedi- tic Seaport several years ago, when Penny
cated to all those who sailed was doing a medical internship in Halifax.
Sunday we met Peter Higgs, President
in for the festival, as well as
of
the Wooden Boat Guild of Tasmania
displays of larger, moored
(WBG);
Millard Ziegler, Secretary of the
boats such as the 24-26 foot
WBG;
and
Andy Gamlin, past President
197-foot barque James Craig, built in 1874. Fully Victorian Couta class sailof
the
WBG
and one of the prime orgarestored 1973-2001, she is now available for public boats, originally designed in
th
nizers
of
the
Festival
from its beginnings
the 19 Century for fishing in
and private tours and and cruises.
14 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
Billy, and site in 1994, and since 2000 operated by a
Celery Top nonprofit community foundation called
pines; and Southern Training, Employment and
Blue Gum Placement Solutions (STEPS). It is the
( c o m - only diploma-granting school of wooden
m o n l y boat building in the southern hemisphere.
used for A class of 12 students starts an immersive
keels) – “lofting to launch” course every 18
Huon pine months.
Each student starts by building his own
is the wood
most cov- tool chest in an exercise designed to aseted by sess and hone his basic woodworking and
Tasmanian artistic skills. He then builds 2 or 3 small
Roving sea chanty group doing their thing outside festival HQ
boat build- boats, typically a hard chine skiff in stitch
about 10 years ago. WBG is one of sev- ers because it is light, durable, tight- and glue or carvel planked construction
eral regional groups that make up a loose grained, easy to work, and resistant to rot and a clinker dinghy such as the Foster
consortium called the Wooden Boat Asso- because of its high oil content. Huon pine 10 or a Piner’s Punt. Interspersed with
ciation (WBA). WBG has about 70 mem- logging is now severely restricted by For- these individual projects, the class collecbers, about 30 of whom are considered estry Tasmania because of overlogging, so tively completes a major restoration and
builds a cruising yacht. Recent classes
“active.” Peter says WBG is the largest it has become very rare.
and most active of the groups in the WBA,
Another festival feature was a working have each built 32-foot Lyle Hess designed
because the history of wooden boats is exhibit by the Viking Ship Museum at gaff cutters.
The current yacht project is the Cloudy
much more deeply rooted in Tasmania Roskilde, Denmark. Besides continuous
than in other parts of Australia. WBG wood carving and rope making demon- Bay 30 sloop newly designed by shipmembers recently completed a 14-foot strations, the museum shipped several rep- wright and WBC instructor Terry Lean.
Piner’s Punt designed by Adrian Dean, a lica boats to Hobart for the festival, WBC has a working agreement with Forwell-known local boat builder and instruc- including a 5.7 meter rowing boat, a 7.7 estry Tasmania for a continuing supply of
tor at the Wooden Boat Centre. WBG’s meter sailing/rowing boat on static display, rare lumber, which is harvested from
current major project is the restoration of and a 10-meter sailing/rowing boat that flooded forests behind hydroelectric dams.
A few days later we visited the Low Head
a 28-foot double-ended centerboard yacht was very active on the water; the two larger
, which was built in Hobart c. 1880. They boats are authentic replicas of 12th Cen- Pilot Station and Museum. Established
have received one grant from the Austra- tury boats. I was invited to row the 5.7 in 1805, the Pilot Station serves the northlian National Maritime Museum for the meter rowing boat, which served as escort ern Tasmanian city of Launceston, whose
project, and are seeking additional fund- for
the
ing.
large boat.
At the “Dinghies & Quilts” exhibit,
Monday
Adrian Dean gave a daily oral history ses- we drove
sion on Tasmanian dinghies, highlighting down to
local builders Bill Foster and Reg Franklin to
Fazackerley (who built boats until age 82, visit the
and died in 1983 at age 86). According to W o o d e n
Adrian, a particular style of Aborigine Boat Cendugout canoe and the Piner’s Punt are the tre - Tasonly boats truly indigenous to Tasmania. m a n i a
Loggers of the Huon pine in southern Tas- (WBC) on
manian forests used the Piner’s Punt (any- the shore of
where from 12-20 feet long, but generally the Huon
14-18 feet) to supply logging camps and R i v e r .
help move logs downriver to mills and WBC was
building sites. The squared-off bow of the founded in
punt allowed the boat to be brought in close 1992 by
to rough, rocky landing areas, and pro- John and
vided buoyancy in the bow for a logger R u t h
attempting to dislodge log jams on the Y o u n g ,
Henley, a 16’ carvel dinghy built in Melbourne c. 1880 by Edwards
river from the boat. Of the four major na- moved to and Son, was occasionally used as a tender for the 55’ steam launch
tive boat building woods – Huon, King the present Preana.
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 15
as 100 of
the boats
w e r e
shipped to
Low Head
for the pilots’ use
over their
a c t i v e
years, but
only a few
original
boats are
known to
remain,
and none
are seaworthy at this
Victorian Couta boats lined up at Kings Pier Marina. Couta boats time. The
were originally designed in the late 1800s as fast, seaworthy, fishing s t a t i o n
boats for the wild waters of the Bass Strait; they range in length from manager at
18-30', but are most commonly 24' or 26'. There are over 100 Couta Low Head
is working
boats currently sailing, and several under construction.
to get one
port is about 55 km up the Tamar River. of them into the boat shop (soon to beLow Head was home to the harbor pilots come an active shipwright service) at the
of the Tamar (the restored pilots’ houses Pilot Station, but does not know if it can
are now used as tourist accommodations), be restored to seaworthy condition, or if
and continues as the base for the current any effort will be made to build replicas.
pilot boats. The museum has a scale model He is also working on initial plans to sponof one of the old pilot gigs, which origi- sor a small boat festival (similar in connally were whaling boats built between cept to the John Gardner weekend at
1830 and 1877 by convicts in the Port Mystic Seaport) at Low Head in the years
Arthur prison (near Hobart), and used alternating with the festival at Hobart. The
there for shore-based whaling. As many venue is outstanding, and if his plans come
to fruition it
should be a
worthy destination.
Ellen and
I started our
planning for
this
trip
back in July
2004. With
the increasing popularity of the
Australian
Wo o d e n
Boat Festival and the
overwhelming Tassie
Transom of the Terry Lean design Cloudy Bay 30 sloop currently hospitality,
it may be
under construction at the Wooden Boat Centre - Tasmania.
worth your while to start planning NOW
for the 2007 festival! Though Tasmania
is roughly a triangle with sides of only 250
miles, we easily drove over 1300 miles
(2000 km) on our 10-day excursion there
(the longest straight stretch of road we
could find was only 2.5 km long, and was
“in the middle of nowhere”!). State and
national parks and forests cover almost
half the island, and gravel logging roads
provide the only access to some of the most
interesting places. There are a lot of things
to see and do, a lot of history to learn, and
a lot of local wineries to visit!
Contacts:
Wooden Boat Guild Tasmania:
www.maritimetas.org/
taswoodenboatguild
Peter Higgs [email protected]
PO Box 28, Battery Point
Tas 7004, Australia
Tel: 61 3 62491695
John Weiss [email protected]
Andy Gamlin:
[email protected]
Wooden Boat Association:
www.woodenboat.org.au
Maritime Museum Tasmania:
www.maritimetas.org
Wooden Boat Centre - Tasmania:
www.woodenboatcentre.com
Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde,
Denmark: www.mac-roskilde.dk
Travel agent: Jon Darby,
TasVacations: www.tasvacations.com
The Antique Boat
Museum
40th Annual Boat Show
and Auction
July 17-18
Clayton, NY
www.abm.org
16 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
Lapstrake dinghy designed and built by Bill Foster, the
“father of Australian dinghies.” Bill serves as an adviser
and consultant to the Wooden Boat Centre - Tasmania.
Native Hobart boat builder and designer Adrian Dean talks
about Piner’s Punts at one of his oral history sessions at the
“Dinghies & Quilts” exhibit. In the 1990s Adrian researched and
revived the design of the West Coast Piner’s Punts; he is also a
current instructor at the Wooden Boat Centre - Tasmania.
14' Piner’s Punt built by the Wooden Boat Guild Tasmania.
Quick ’ n’ Dirty competitors take shape on Sunday for Monday’s race.
This 5.7-meter Viking rowing boat is an authentic
replica built to standard—including the use of authentic
tools—by the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde, Denmark,
from 12th Century wrecks raised from the Roskilde Fjord
in 1956.
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 17
Over a two-month period, Delaware River
Chapter members met
weekly on Wednesday
nights at the Philadelphia
Wooden Boat Factory, to
help build hollow spars for
Marion Brewington. This
is their story.
A Mast for Marion
By Tom Shephard
The Marion Brewington is a 15-foot
Delaware River Tuckup built of traditional
construction lapstrake by John Brady at
the Philadelphia Maritime Museum in
1988.
Acquired by members
of the Delaware River
TSCA several years ago,
she has been sailed and
maintained by the group.
From a historical perspective this is exactly how the
originals were used.
There were owned and
raced by syndicates of
working class people in
the Philadelphia area.
Due to the large sail area
used on the racing rig,
they sometimes used up to
five crew in a fresh breeze.
For more information see
WoodenBoat Issue number 148 by Ben Fuller.
Having possession of
this boat has only fueled
Dan Noble applies an epoxy coating to the inside of
the mast. It is then set aside to dry.
A worm’s eye view into the end of the dry clamped Bird’s Mouth spar.
Each piece has a vee groove on one side in which the adjacent square
cut piece fits. All photos are thanks to Al Moss.
our desire to race against other Tuckups. Unfortunately,
most of these built by the Philadelpha Maritime Museum
and Mystic Seaport aren’t being used anymore. However, John England and his Blackberry Seeds is still sailed
and for now it is our only competition. A desire to race
against other Tuckups has only been fueled more since
we’ve acquired the Silver Tuckup Cup of 1872. But that
is a whole other story.
We raced Blackberry Seeds at St. Michael’s in 2003
and won the cup. The next year of 2004 went by without
a race, but only increased the anticipation of the next
match.
Much discussion was had on improving our sailing to
keep the trophy. It soon became apparent we had our
own version of the America’s Cup.
We finally decided to try making a hollow mast to have
an edge over the competition. The masts are 18 feet long
and solid. They carry between 160–180 square feet of
sail area. For a relatively narrow hull, that’s a lot of
weight aloft. It wasn’t uncommon for them to tip over
and swamp at the dock if not attended to. We also know
this from personal experience. So we set upon a winter
project of building a hollow mast. The America’s Cup
may have their secret wing keels, but we’d go for the
hollow mast advantage.
18 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
since we purchased the
lumber two
years previously. I had
purchased
two, 2 x 8 x
20 spruce
boards, not
wanting to
have to splice
up shorter
strips.
The mast
was to be 8
stave, tapered
3-½
Dan Noble, Dave Robbie, Paul Skalka, and Tom Shephard coat from
inches to 2-½
the notches prior to clamp up.
inches. This
Interested members were signed up, the meant figuring a way to taper about 16
Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory was feet of each stave.
Not wanting to try to handle any unlined up as a building site, hollow mast
reprint articles were dug out and we be- wieldy taper jig through a table saw, it
gan. This article could just as well be was decided to made a 20 feet long table
called “Two Years A-Makin’ A Mast” out of 3/4-inch plywood using all the factory edges lined
up for a “straight”
edge.
We would then
offset the stave
and use a router
bit with guide
bearings to taper
Final assembly begins with clamps placed every few feet. The
final alignment is checked at this stage.
our staves. Lining up the staves on the jig
with guide blocks, we would mark off the
amount to be cut, rough cut the bulk of
the wood on the bandsaw, and rout the final taper on the jig.
Routing the groove was easy with a new
carbide bit from Lehigh Tools. Using a
router table, this bit allowed us to keep
the wide flat side down on the table. The
bit cut clean enough to do the groove in
one pass.
Assembly waited until we had plenty of
hands and about 80 hose clamps. Everyone got a cup of epoxy to mix which kept
the epoxy from overheating. Holding all
eight staves clamped together with the Vgroove up made it easy to spread the glue
with a brush. We had made about six halfround jigs to aid in resting the staves as
we assembled them. Using lots of people
and surgical gloves, the assembly was relatively easy. Birdsmouth joints self-align
and are the whole secret to our success.
Using about 80 hose clamps we started
clamping from the middle out toward both
ends so as not to bind the staves causing
twist. Using a drill with a 5/16 nut driver
made the job easy, although we tightened
each one by hand so as not to over squeeze
the glue joints. Once assembled sighting
down the mast was relatively easy to assure straightness.
After all the clamps are in place and before final tightening,
a filler plug is placed in each end for added strength.
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 19
the Potomac. Wish us luck!
Stoney Creek Boat Shop
(www.stoneycreekboatshop.com)
in Michigan is currently
building a glued-lap Tuckup.
We look forward to sailing
with her some day. Excellent
pictures are available at their
web site.
We would like to extend a
gentlemanly challenge to any
other Tuckups out there to
come race for The Silver Cup
currently in possession of The
Marion Brewington team.
Special thanks to Geoff
After all the hose clamps have been placed, the final McConly and the Philadeltightening is done with an electric drill fitted with a phia Boat Factory for their
5/16 nut driver. The adjustable clutch assures uniform support during our mast
project.
clamping pressure.
Once cured, hand planing the mast
round went quickly. We decided to build
a spar lathe to do the final sanding. Using
information from a WoodenBoat article
and Boat Building Magazine we soon had
a lathe spinning an 18 foot spar about 180
rpm. It enables three to four people to
sand at once. The basic design allows you
to turn a spar as long as your space allows. We now claim to have the largest
spar lathe in the Delaware Valley. We’d
like to actually try turning the spar down
using the lathe, maybe next time.
Meanwhile, the spar awaits fitting out
as I write this article. We will be trying
the mast out on June 18 as we battle Blackberry Seeds at St. Mary’s in Maryland on
Winning the Tuckups cup in 2003.
About the Author
Tom is a long time small boat user and
builder from South Jersey and is heavily
involved in Delaware River Chapter
TSCA. He is a member of the TSCA Council and has been National TSCA president
for the last two years.
Rowing on San
Francisco Bay
By Fran Sutherland
It’s 5AM. The morning’s soft, quiet. In
another 20 minutes we will be well into
the Bay and the pink and gold of the dawn
will begin to creep over the Oakland Hills.
It is very still, only the sounds of birds
and of oars moving rhythmically through
the water. No one wants to speak. We
watch as a tanker glides out of the morning fog, under the Golden Gate Bridge and
into the shipping lane. She will pass
Alcatraz and make a sharp left that will
take her up bay to the Richmond oil refinery. As she passes us, we feel the vibration of her engines and we catch and ride
her bow wave. A bit much for the faint of
heart, but somehow we stay afloat.
We turn our attention to our morning’s
plan and might let the oars slip into their
oarlocks somewhere between Alcatraz and
Angel Island and dig into whatever feast
we might have brought along. We know
that these few quiet hours are very precious because by 11 o’clock the wind and
very often the fog will be streaming
through the Gate and the luxury of floating on beautifully flat and flat and reflective water will have gone. By that time we
will have reached our destination, whether
it be Angel Island, Tiburon, Mill Valley,
perhaps the Brothers, maybe down Bay
towards San Mateo, or even East Bay.
At first glance, it may seem we are just
out for a little morning row and exercise.
But these rows are never casual. They are
studied and precise excursions into a natural world that has no interest in our presence. Our challenge is to understand the
dynamics of winds, tides and currents, and
what must be done in the face of nature’s
capricious whimsies and little treacheries.
Coming home is always hard. We pick
our tides and currents, but are pretty much
at the mercy of the wind or fog or rough
water. Sometimes we think we trick
Mother Nature by knowing where there
are offsets and reverse currents; and then
sometimes we outsmart ourselves and end
up beating our way home through wind,
fog and white water. Although it’s rarely
mentioned, on occasion we have been
known to pull into safe water somewhere
and wait out the tide and wind.
Mostly though, we pull into our dock at
the Dolphin Club some time around noon
and while all the late risers are heading
out to their sailboats and motor boats, we
are happily ensconced at the Buena Vista
Cafe, enjoying our Irish coffee and discussing the morning row.
A Working Waterfront Revival
The Clearwater 2005
Festival
Croton Point Park
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
June 18 & 19, 2005.
Contact:
[email protected]
20 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
Small Craft Events
Center for Wooden Boats
29th Annual Wooden Boat
Festival
July 2 - 4 (Saturday - Monday)
South Lake Union Park
This year’s festival promises to be
bigger and better than ever because the
17th Annual Classic Speed Boat Show
is also being held the same weekend.
Together, we will create a critical and
beautiful mass of wood, glistening varnish and shiny brass. Our event thrives
on displays of accessible boats, exhibits and demonstrations. This is a touchand-talk-and-share-experiences-and-skills
event where the visitor can get expert
advice and hands-on opportunities in
the world of wooden boats. Through
offering the widest diversity of boats,
exhibits and skills, our visitors can reawaken fond memories, share long-remembered experiences or widen their
horizons to capture the richness and
depth of our water connections. Contact us for application forms for boats
in the water, boats on the shore, exhibits, demonstrations and vendors soon
to join in the festivities.
1010 Valley Street
Seattle, WA 98109-4468
206-382-2628
E-mail: [email protected]
www.cwb.org
JGTSCA Chapter
A few members of the club continue
to row each Sunday morning. This is
an informal activity. Plan for a two
hour row with a stop for coffee. Bring
a boat and have some fun!
Meetings at the Boathouse at Avery
Point will be Sundays at 1:30 PM:
June 5, July 10, August 7, September 4, October 2, November 6, and
December 4.
Puget Sound Chapter
Sacramento Chapter
June TBA: Hope Island (South Sound)
— RSVP to Paul deRoos, 206-5265361.
July 2-4, 10 AM - 6 PM daily: Center
for Wooden Boats — 28th Annual
Wooden Boat Festival.
Contact Al Gunther at
[email protected] or 360-638-1088
if you are interested in participating on
one or more days this year.
July 8-11: Sucia Island — Organized by
Mess abouters of West Oregon. See
www.members.shaw.ca/jamie.orr/ or
contact Gary Powell, 206-550-4087, for
more information.
July 17, 10:30 AM: Strawberry Point,
Lake Whatcom, Bellingham — RSVP
to Larry Feeney, 360-733-4461.
June 11-12: Sacramento River Row,
Bob Ratcliff
June 19-25: S.F. Maritime Museum
Gunkhole, Bill Doll
July 9-10: Mendocino Row and
Campout, Sheryl Speck and Don
Rich
July 29-31: Loon Lake Campout,
Charles Judson
August 27-28: China Camp Row and
Campout, John Muir
September 10-11: Marshall Beach
Campout, Annual Meeting, Sheryl
Speck and Don Rich
Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Aeolian Yacht Club
Wooden Boat Cruise-In, Barbara
Ohler
October 9: Tomales Bay
Quadathalon, Pete Evans
October 15-16: Collinsville CruiseIn, Bill Doll
October 29: Delta Meadows Row,
Lynn DeLapp
November 26: Wet Turkey Row,
Tomales Bay, Jim Lawson
Connecticut River Oar and
Paddle Club
July: Groton Maritime Academy support
August—Open-Water Outing and Beach
Party I
September 16-18: Boats, Books and
Brushes, a literary, art and maritime
festival. New London.
October—Beach Party II
November—Informal outing, winter
vessel maintenance and storage.
December 3 or 10: Christmas Party at
Maritime Education Network, potluck
and BYOB.
January 1, 2006: Annual New Year’s
Row
Delaware River Chapter
June: Pond boats; John Gardner
Weekend at Mystic.
July: Picnic and shanty sing; Barnegat
Bay sail.
September: Presentation on small
boating in the UK, Ned Asplundh:
Messabout date to be determined.
October: Scrimshaw: MASCF at St.
Michael’s.
For additional information:
[email protected]
www.tsca.net/Sacramento
New Haven Schooner
Harborfest
Schooner Inc. is planning to have a
30th Anniversary Harborfest celebration including events on shore at Veterans Memorial Park at Long Wharf
Pier, New Haven on Saturday June 11
from 2:00PM to 8:00PM. Plans include
small boat sailing/rowing/paddling
races, visiting tall ships, musical entertainment on shore, food vendors,
sporting equipment vendors, boating/
equipment building and demonstrations, dinner fund-raiser, and auction.
For more information contact:
Rick Wies,
[email protected]
The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 21
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drathmarine
http://drathmarine.com
1557 Cattle Point Road
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Mole got it right...
ALBERT’S WOODEN BOATS INC.
• Double ended lapstrake
• Marine ply potted in Epoxy
• Rowboats – 15' & fast 17'
• Electric Launches – 15' & 18'
A. Eatock, RR #2, 211 Bonnell Rd.
Bracebridge, ONT. CANADA PIL 1W9
705 645 7494 [email protected]
Samuel
Johnson
BOATBUILDER
1449 S.W. Davenport Street
Portland, Oregon 97201
(503) 223-4772
E-mail: [email protected]
Museum Quality
Wherries, Canoes and Cabin Cruisers
54442 Pinetree Lane, North Fork, CA 93643
559-877-8879 [email protected]
Richard Kolin
Custom wooden traditional small craft
designed and built
Boatbuilding and maritime skills instruction
Oars and marine carving
360-659-5591
[email protected]
4107-77th Place NW
Marysville, WA 98271
We thank our Sponsor/Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
Fine Traditional Rowing
& Sailing Craft
NORTH
RIVER
BOATWORKS
RESTORATIONS
741 Hampton Ave.
Schenectady, NY 12309
518-377-9882
ROB BARKER
Wooden Boat Building
and Repair
615 MOYERS LANE
EASTON, PA 18042
BOATS PLANS BOOKS TOOLS
Specializing in traditional small craft since 1970.
This space is available
for a Sponsor level
member.
Duck Trap Woodworking
www.duck-trap.com
We thank our Sponsor/Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
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Redd’s Pond Boatworks
1 Norman Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
Thad Danielson
(781) 631-3443
R. K. Payne Boats
http://homepage.mac.com/
rkpayneboats
JAN NIELSEN 361-8547C
656-0848/1-800-667-2275 P
250-656-9663 F
Rex & Kathie Payne
3494 SR 135 North
Nashville, IN
47448
Ph 812-988-0427
P.O.Box 2250, Sidney
BC Canada V8L 3S8
[email protected]
We thank our Sponsor/Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
This innovative 17'6"
adventure
craft
designed by Chuck
Paine is lightweight,
seaworthy, beautiful,
affordable...
the stuff legends are
made of!
A v alon
House/
NorseBoat
tel: 902-659-2790
fax: 902-659-2419
[email protected]
www
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www.nor
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The Mathis/Trumpy Skiff
a 12' flat bottom skiff
designed by John Trumpy, c. 1930
find the official builder of the Mathis/Trumpy Skiff at
www.traditionalboatworks.com
*see the skiff in the Collection of the Annapolis Maritime Museum*
full set of numbered plans available for $40
Sigrid Trumpy, POBox 2054
Annapolis, MD 21404
410-267-0318 or [email protected]
We thank our Sponsor/Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
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Seaworthy Small Ships
Dept A, POBox 2863
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
800-533-9030
Catalog Available $1.00
www.seaworthysmallships.com
Damaged Journal?
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pages or gets beaten up in the mail,
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Support TSCA
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26 _______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005
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Flat Hammock Press
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860-572-2722
[email protected]
T-shirts
100% cotton, light gray with the TSCA
logo. $15.00 postpaid for sizes M, L, and
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The Ash Breeze - Summer 2005_______________________________________________________ 27
Artists at work on Quick 'n' Dirty sails at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania, February 2005. Kids
of all ages worked through the weekend on the Quick 'n' Dirty competition boats. These monochrome pictures can't do
justice to the color of the event! John Weiss photo.
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