The 1994 Wooden Boat Festival Poster art was donated by Seattle artist, Jim Stevenson. The Original drawing will be an item of our Auction on July 4. Jim has sketched many of Puget Sound's historic marine vessels and formally nominated the 1909 Seattle Fireboat, Duwamish as an historic landmark. He is a member of the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters (and that's not house painters) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Program of Events Saturday, July 2 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. A L L D A Y T o y Boat B u i l d i n g - West Side o f A r m o r y F o l k M u s i c - West Tent (noon to 6:00) Framing and Sewing skin on 23' Aleut Baidarka Kayak. O l d Gas & Steam Engines W a w o n a Courtyard demonstrations at the sail loft, rigging shop, forge, and foundry. Ship Timber m i l l i n g and sawing demonstration. Indian A l d e r w o o d Salmon, espresso W a w o n a restoration tours and M u s i c P u l l i n g & Sailing excursions on the 18th century replica boat Frame Lamination Demonstration - NW Corner of A r m o r y F o o d Booths - Entrance to N a v a l Reserve Base F o l d i n g K a y a k demonstration - West side of A r m o r y "Ship wrecks of Puget Sound" a photo and artifact exhibit - A r m o r y Water T a x i Tours - C W B Boathouse and North Quay Ballots for People's Choice Awards - C W B Store west side of A r m o r y Boat D r a w i n g Entries - C W B Store west side of Armory R i c h K o l i n - C a m a Beach S k i f f building C W B Boatshop Seattle Public Library, Boat Files - A r m o r y R E D Silent A u c t i o n (noon - 4:00) - A r m o r y
continued on page 3
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Shavings July 1994
The Center for Wooden Boats 1010 Valley Street Seattle, WA 98109 (206) 382-2628
How To Fix Up An Old Wooden Boat
7
Ron Render
President:
Carter Kerr
Director:
Dick Wagner
Boatwrights:
Carl Lind Paul Henry
The Great Maritime Challenge
8
Colleen Wagner
All Aboard—A Program For Youth
9
Dick Wagner
What It Takes To Restore A Classic
10
George Galpin
Another Book To Dream Over
...13
Chas Dowd
Well-Remembered Boats
14
Bill Durham
The Longboat
16
Stewart Hoagland
"White Star" And The Pound Of Butter John Frazier Henry
18
Livery Manager:
Horace Ingram
Sailing Coordinator:
Vern Velez
Information Manager:
Roger Coulter
Volunteer Coordinator:
Leslie Oldham
Board of Trustees Celeste Archambault, Duncan Bayne, Will Blethen, Caren Crandell, Steve Excell, Bill Keasler, Carter Kerr, Blake Lewis, Mike Milburn, K i m Nolan, Bob Pickett, Scott Rohrer, Ron Snyder, Bob Tapp, Bill Van Vlack, Vernon Velez.
Shavings This special 18th Annual Wooden Boat Festival issue of Shavings was published by Richard Hazelton, production by Karen Higginson, ad sales by Marilyn Hazelton, with special thanks to 48° North Sailing Magazine. Reproduction of materials contained herein without permission of The Center for Wooden Boats is expressly prohibited. The Center for Wooden Boats is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Printed in Canada
shavings July 1994
Program of Events
Page 3
Festival Event Listings
continued from front page Saturday, July 2 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. NOON 12:30
Q u i c k and Daring Boat b u i l d i n g - North Tent Steve P h i l i p p - M a r i t i m e S k i l l s of the Puget Sound Native Americans Armory
1:00
L e e Ehrheart - C a u l k i n g demonstration - North side of A r m o r y
1:30
Clancy Race - North Quay
2:30
G i g Race
3:30
Clancy Race - North Quay
3:00
Navy Band
- North Quay
4:30
G i g Race
- North Quay
- North Quay
Sunday, July 3, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. ALL DAY
T o y Boat B u i l d i n g - West Side o f A r m o r y F o l k M u s i c - West Tent (noon to 6:00) Framing and Sewing skin on 23' A l e u t Baidarka K a y a k .
18th Annual Live Auction - We've limited seating for this one so buy tickets first then read the following! This year the Auction will be one of Seattle's best. In addition to all the Auction excitement, we will be serving a Steelhead BBQ Dinner, Live swing band, and ringside seats to Seattle's Lake Union Fireworks show! $25 for adults, $5 for children under 13. Caulking with Lee Ehrheart - Master Shipwright Lee Ehrheart will show you how to do it right, including hands on instruction. 1 p.m. Daily Caulking for Kids - Master Shipwright Lee Ehrheart enlists the aid of young "apprentices" to show that caulking can be done by anyone. 1 p.m. Sunday Cedar Culture - The Maritime skills of Puget Sound Native Americans. Steve and Dorothy Philipp describe how the native peoples of the region utilized their natural resources. Ongoing exhibit of canoe models, tools, artifacts, - even a model longhouse. Special presentation at 12:30 Daily. Clancy Racing - World Championship Clancy racing - The Clancy is a new 10' training dinghy designed by CWB's Rich Kolin. Bob Pickett, who has built several, will be on hand to answer questions. If you would like to race, check in at Flounder Bay Lumber Booth on the north side of the Armory.
O l d Gas & Steam Engines
Wawona
Courtyard demonstrations at the sail loft, rigging shop,
forge, and foundry. Ship T i m b e r m i l l i n g and sawing demonstration. Indian A l d e r w o o d Salmon, espresso Wawona restoration tours and M u s i c P u l l i n g & Sailing excursions on the 18th century replica boat Frame Lamination Demonstration - N W Corner o f A r m o r y
Ed Clark Classic Yacht Race - The Northwest's finest classic wooden boat race here on Lake Union for everyone to see. This is an official Wooden Yacht Racing Association Event. Begins at 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Folk Music - A lively offering of songs and merriment for land and sea, featuring the talents of: Gloria Frolich, Clear Rain, Second String, Jim Nason, Jeff Knoch, Chuck Northcutt, Carolyn Currie, Kevin Ireland, Big Picture (Dave Christiansen), Larry Lee, Tina Kunz, Chris Bingham, Ted Stickney, Mark Spittal, Earl Orptheus, Carl Crant, James Waters, Paul Saruda, Caryn Simmons, Billy Bob, Marcia Guderain, James Healy, Jennifer Rose, Andy Koch, John Shutt.
F o o d Booths - Entrance to N a v a l Reserve Base F o l d i n g K a y a k demonstration - West side of A r m o r y "Ship wrecks of Puget S o u n d " a photo and artifact exhibit - A r m o r y Water T a x i Tours - C W B Boathouse and North Quay Ballots for People's C h o i c e A w a r d s - C W B Store west side of A r m o r y Boat D r a w i n g Entries - C W B Store west side of A r m o r y R i c h K o l i n - C a m a Beach S k i f f building - C W B Boatshop Seattle P u b l i c Library, Boat F i l e s - A r m o r y
Gondola - Sheila and Norm Warsinske will display their 36' Venetian Gondola, one of only 600 in existence. How to Buy a Wooden Boat - A panel discussion with an expert marine surveyor, a banker, and an insurance agent. Learn what to look for, how to finance and what to do about insurance. 2:30 Sunday, Armory Laminating Demonstration - Art Thomas will show us how to make big pieces of wood out of little ones.
W H I T E Silent A u c t i o n (noon - 4:00)- A r m o r y 11:00
Care and Feeding of a B r i t i s h Seagull Engine with M i k e Oswald - Armory
NOON
Q u i c k and Daring Boat building - North Tent
12:30
Steve P h i l i p p - M a r i t i m e S k i l l s of the Puget Sound Native Americans - A r m o r y
1:00
Lee Ehrheart - C a u l k i n g for kids - North side of A r m o r y
2:30
" H o w to B u y a W o o d e n B o a t " - Panel Discussion - A r m o r y
3:45
Ed C l a r k Classic Y a c h t Race - North Quay
6:00
Festival Closes for E v e n i n g .
Monday, July 4, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. ALLDAY
Toy Boat B u i l d i n g - West Side o f A r m o r y F o l k M u s i c - West Tent (noon to 6:00) Framing and Sewing skin on 23' A l e u t Baidarka K a y a k . O l d Gas & Steam Engines W a w o n a Courtyard demonstrations at the sail loft, rigging shop, forge, and foundry. Ship Timber m i l l i n g and sawing demonstration. Indian A l d e r w o o d Salmon, espresso Wawona restoration tours and M u s i c P u l l i n g & Sailing excursions on the 18th century replica boat Frame Lamination Demonstration - N W Corner o f A r m o r y F o o d Booths - Entrance to N a v a l Reserve Base F o l d i n g K a y a k demonstration - West side of A r m o r y "Ship wrecks of Puget S o u n d " a photo and artifact exhibit - A r m o r y Water T a x i Tours - C W B Boathouse and North Quay Ballots for People's C h o i c e Awards - C W B Store west side of A r m o r y Boat D r a w i n g Entries - C W B Store west side of A r m o r y R i c h K o l i n - C a m a Beach S k i f f building - C W B Boatshop Seattle Public Library, Boat Files - A r m o r y
Name Board Carving - Nathan Slater will demonstrate and teach traditional name board carving. Old Gas and Steam Engines - There will be a working display, and a variety of classic gas and steam engines. People's Choice Award - Visitors are encouraged to find their favorite sail, power and Quick and Daring boats and submit their votes for the People's choice award. Pick up your ballot at the CWB store on the west side of the Armory Building. Pulling and Sailing Excursions - The Hewitt R. Jackson, a replica of an 18th Century Ships' boat will provide hands-on 18th century boat experience. Quick and Daring Boat Building Contest - Two person teams race to see who can build a fast seaworthy boat in a shortest amount of time. Then they race them on (and sometimes under) the water. Building begins at high noon Saturday and Sunday in the Big Tent. Racing begins Monday at 3:30 p.m. RED W H I T E & B L U E Silent Auctions - Three separate silent auctions, one each day. High bidders will take their booty home with them. Each auction will have a variety of items big and small. Don't miss bidding on the tour of the Fireworks Barge Saturday and Sunday! The Silent auction is a wonderful opportunity to show your support for the Center for Wooden boats. Every Dollar of your purchase helps pay for our outreach programs. Seraffyn - The engineless cutter that Lin and Larry Purdy built and sailed around and around and around the world. "Shipwrecks of Puget Sound" - Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society will show some of their 70,000 historic photographs, artifacts, and records. There will be kids activities, models, and model making demonstrations. SLO-mo Shun V - A classic unlimited hydroplane from the classic age of the Unlimited racing. Winner of the 1951,1954, Gold Cup and 1953 President's Cup Toy Boat Building - Come build a toy boat! We supply the wood, glue, nails, tools, masts, sails, and everything you need. This is one of the favorite events of the Festival so don't miss out. Traditional Boatbuilding Seminar - With 25 years of experience, Rick Kolin knows how it's done. Watch Rich and students complete a classic flatiron skiff at CWB Boatshop.
B L U E Silent A u c t i o n (noon - 4:00)- A r m o r y 8:00 11:00
Breakfast!!! Fruit R o l l s , eggs, meat, coffee - a l l for $5 - B i g Tent Care and Feeding of a B r i t i s h Seagull Engine with
Water Taxis - Take a ride in a 1906 Steam Launch, a 28' Monterey Clipper, a Poulsbo boat, a variety of classic wooden row boats, & a plethora of sail boats to try. Board at CWB or the North Pier of the Naval Reserve Center.
M i k e Oswald - Armory 12:30
Steve P h i l i p p - M a r i t i m e S k i l l s of the Puget Sound Native Americans - A r m o r y
1:00
L e e Ehrheart - C a u l k i n g demonstration - North side of A r m o r y
3:30
Q u i c k and D a r i n g Boatbuilding L a k e U n i o n Challenge C u p Race
165' 1897 Schooner Wawona - Welcome aboard the Last floating Lumber Schooner from the Pacific Northwest. Win a Boat - Stop by the CWB store on the west side of the Armory and enter the drawing to win a lovely classic wooden boat.
North Quay 5:30
A w a r d Presentation - W e s t tent.
6:00
Boat D r a w i n g - West tent.
6:00
L i v e A u c t i o n , Steelhead B B Q Dinner, L i v e Entertainment, & Fire works. L i m i t e d seating
Wooden Boats - The whole reason for the Festival! Expect to see over 100 wooden boats of all sizes in addition to our own fleet of nearly 100 small wooden boats. All the big ships will be in port as well; Adventuress, Zodiac, Red Jacket, Krestine, and of course the Wawona!
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Summer In The City This summer the Center for Wooden Boats w i l l offer sailing instruction for middle-school aged kids in a week long course that w i l l also include rowing, canoeing, kayaking and marline spike seamanship. The week long sessions w i l l be offered July 24-29, August 8-12, and August 22-26 from 9:00 am to 4:00 P . M . . at a cost of $100 per student(Scholarships available). U p o n successful completion of the program students w i l l be qualified to rent boats from the C W B fleet. K i d s w h o volunteer at the Center can earn free boat time. What a great way to spend the summer! The youth
summer sailing program is headed up by long time C W B sailing instructor Dave Soracco. He and a crew of very experienced instructors w i l l share their know ledge, skills and enthusiasm for sailing and seamanship. We k n o w from working with at-risk kids that learning to sail is more than just learning a new sport. Self-esteem, team skills and patience figure in as w e l l . It is a great opportunity for some lucky kids to spend a summer on the docks and in the boats; it w i l l be a summer they'll never forget. F o r more information, or to sign up c a l l Roger or Leslie at C W B (206) 382-2628.
Center For Wooden Boats Cook Book Project A h o y all y o u gourmands and folks who just l i k e to eat good food. A group of volunteers, headed by Judy Zegke are putting together a cookbook which w i l l help fund our at-risk youth program. We would like you, yes you, to submit a favorite recipe or two to help with the project. A n y recipe is fine, but w e ' d like a little extra information. Here are the guidelines: 1. Please type or print clearly 2. Please, please check the ingredients, the measurements and the instructions for clarity and accuracy. 3. Please include a history or anecdote about the recipe. W h y you like it, that it was your Norwegian grandfather's favorite late night drink and/or advice about when and where to serve it. 4. We are also interested in humorous recipes or stories to go along with the recipe. 5. Include your name address and phone.
We w i l l print your name unless y o u tell us not to. 6. Please credit any one whose recipe you are using, including another cook book. We intend to print the cook books 10 at a time to keep the cost down. Volunteers w i l l collate the pages and tie fancy nautical knots to bind the books. Y e s we need you for that too. The cover w i l l probably be an illustration of the w o n derful hand carved Boathouse sign on the front of the building. We need a name for the book, if y o u ' v e got an idea send it along. Finally w e ' l l need some test kitchens. E a c h recipe should be tested by someone to ensure accuracy. Let us k n o w if y o u w o u l d be able help out with this. If you have any questions or ideas, or are w i l l i n g to help with the project please call L e s l i e at (206) 382-2628.
Columbia River Maritime Museum It's fitting-out time again, and time to mark your calendars with the dates of boat show and on the water events. Plan now to attend the 1994 L o w e r C o l u m b i a R o w In for a l l human powered craft, scheduled for Sunday, August 28,1994. As you know, we plan the R o w - i n around the tides and hope the weather w i l l take care of itself. This year, registration and boat launching are from 8 to 10 a.m. We encourage pre registration! Boats w i l l be classed for competition after the registration on the morning of the event, and we w i l l have an unlimited class this year. R o w in events w i l l include a slalom course, run against time; a children's event; and opportunities for everyone to compete in various l o n g and short
courses. There w i l l also be a picket race, in which boaters predict their time between checkpoints. F i n a l l y , a few logistical notes. In response to some participants' concerns, we have planned a new three-cornered race course layout to work better with the strong C o l u m b i a R i v e r currents. Rules of the road w i l l be furnished to all participants, as w i l l copies of the day's events. D o c k m a s t e r w i l l be stationed on the floating dock and 17th street pier as w e l l as the " B i g - B o a t " launch at the East E n d M o o r i n g B a s i n , to answer course questions, regulate traffic, and keep events flowing smoothly. It should be a terrific day for family boating fun, and w e ' l l do all we can to make it safe and enjoyable for one and
HavĂ˜rn Marine Survey And Shipwright School The school was created by L e e H. Ehrheart as away to teach and share information about wooden boat inspection, repair and maintenance. It also is designed as a forum for passing on the traditions and our maritime history. L e e believes we are a l l students and teachers to one another and that everyone has experience to share, young and old. The school is committed to the teaching and sharing of knowledge from the marine trades, through instruction and hands on experience and, to share the depth of our expertise and wisdom. The school feels a professional obligation to teach the skills needed in today's world of maritime activities and professions. Classes and seminars are designed for those
wanting to become marine surveyors, shipwrights and boat maintenance people. A l l levels of relevant study are provided. L e e ' s experience spans over 25 years of working in boatyards in Norway, N e w Zealand, California and Seattle. He comes from a "hands o n " shipwright background whose love and enthusiasm for wooden boats has been felt in a l l corners of the Pacific Northwest. He has been teaching to many organizations for eight years and has been an active and supporting member of the Center for Wooden Boats and our 4th of July boat show. H i s ex Norwegian fishing vessel, Havorn, is open to the public at the show.
M o r e restoration work is happening on our postage stamp site than is theoretically possible. But at the Center for Wooden Boats' shoreline, theory ends, improbability begins and the shop lights have been burning into the wee hours. Since January, a 12' Whitehall and 13' Chamberlain D o r y S k i f f have been restored and added to our livery fleet. In restoration process now we have a 16' Peapod, 18' M a i n e Guide Canoe, 20' Blanchard Jr. Knockabout, 31' Y a n kee-One-Design sloop, 13' N o v a Scotia dinghy, 10'Bangkok Sampan, 19'Lightning sloop, 28' Monterey Clipper and 28' Columbia R i v e r O n e - D e s i g n . The work is being done by dozens of skilled volunteers, supervised by C a r l L i n d , Center for Wooden Boats' boatwright. Carl conducted a restoration workshop in M a r c h in order to have a group follow the whole procedure of examining a sick boat, analyzing its problems, planning its restoration and implementing the plan. The patient was an 18' Concordia Sloop Boat. It now has new frames, floor timbers, centerboard trunk, transom and coaming. The work is 90% finished. A crew, led by Center for Wooden Boat Trustee, Blake L e w i s , has redone the standing rigging of the 25' Friendship Sloop Amie. H a l Hanson donated this fine vessel to us, in the hopes that he was also getting rid of its' maintenance headaches. However, H a l voluntarily joined the rigging crew, and in addition took the bowsprit home for a winter session of scraping, sanding and varnishing. Amie is just about ready to sail again. D a v i d Erskine and N i c k Carey have been redoing the wiring of our W i l l i a m Garden designed Blanchard 33' Sloop, and L . F . Herreshoff 28' Ketch (H-28). They also rebuilt the H-28 engine. The later vessel is a new donation from Warren & Barbara W i l s o n . It was one of the first H-28's, built in 1946. Both the B - 3 3 and H-28 are be part of our A d vanced Sailing programs, when not on exhibit. Restoration of the 35' N e w Haven Sharpie is an on going project of Fred Stark, and L e i f Karlsen is restoring the 19' Faroe Island boat. N e w l y added to the livery fleet are C W B workshop built boats. They i n clude the skiff Heidi built in a class lead by R i c h K o l i n and two 15' L a k e Oswego Boats and a 15' A c m e skiff, done in workshops taught by E r i c Hvalsoe. A 13' Peapod, built by an E r i c D o w class has also been recently added. A Hvalsoe workshop recently launched two 10'LawIey Tenders. There were two foreign students in the class: H i s a s h i N a g i h i r o f r o m Japan a n d V l a d i m i r Martus from Russia. They
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Resource Institute founder Jonathan were asked to chose the names. One is Fujiama and the other is St. Peter. Guess White reads from his book Talking on the Water which was just released by who chose w h i c h . Restoration work at the Center for Sierra C l u b B o o k s . Jonathan spent ten W o o d e n Boats has become one of our years skippering his 65-foot schooner most popular exhibits. Y o u can come to Crusader through Puget Sound and watch, but we w i l l be happy to accept S o u t h e a s t A l a s k a w i t h R e s o u r c e your time and skills, and even cash do- Institute's Seminars Afloat. In his book nations, to keep the boats in good condi- he interviews many of the seminar leaders who traveled with h i m . Poets Gary tion and able to be used.
Snyder and Robert B l y , writer Gretchen E h r l i c h , psychologist, James H i l l m a n and whale biologist Roger Payne, among others, explore the connections between humans, nature and creativity. Join R e source Institute at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle on the solstice, June 21st at 7 P . M . . Cost is $5. W e ' l l have copies of Talking on the Water available for purchase
- Dick Wagner
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Shavings July 1994
our clients. In our time together, we reflected on the events we had shared together on various outings and field trips. It was at this time I learned that this client had never been out in a boat on the water until he came along for a sail at the Center. He further explained that going out on the water actually helped him feel very relaxed and distracted from the details of his life. As he Dear Dick, Leslie and all members of began to slip away from this world, his face took on a very peaceful, tranquil the Center for Wooden Boats: look. I asked him where he was because H i s a s h i N a g a h i r o (above), o f believing. Many tricks of magic were I thought he was dreaming. His reply Yokosuka, Japan, a long time member revealed by Eric Hvalsoe i.e. spiling, I would like to take this opportunity was that he was sailing. Shortly there-of C W B , came to Seattle in order to rabbet on stem, rebate on the end of to express our most sincere appreciaafter, he passed from this world. I relate participate in a lapstrake workshop A p r i l plank, steamed frame setting etc. tion for the continued support from the this story to demonstrate just how im2-10, 1994. The class built a 10' - 6" staff and membership of your organizaAll six students of us should have tion. Activity programming is such a portant activities such as trips to the L a w l e y Tender. What follows is his acquired the confidence of lapstrake Center for Wooden Boats are to our letter to us, after returning home. great challenge here at Bailey-Boushay building. Some of us may build lapclients. since my goal is to share the city with strake boat in future. our clients who fight against the disHuman being is able to access to The gift of your time, experience Dear Dick, abling effects of isolation. The relation-and patience has truly added to the lives one's confidence when one accomSeven years have passed in an ship that we have cultivated with the of out clients. Thank you again for yourinstant since I called on the Center in plished one's task by experiences of Center for Wooden Boats has greatly continued support. Here's to a bright 1987. So long years I've waited for this difficulties. We did it and will do! improved the variety of activities and future together! "HAIKU" time to learn how to build a lapstrake calming power of a day spent out on the Warm April afternoon building. water. Buds sprouting in Seattle gray, Sincerely, Three books reading was very Violet bundle swinging on stem, difficult for me to understand, but actuRecently, I was privileged to share Christopher Backous A tender launched. ally seeing at the class was the real in the last few hours in the life of one ofRecreation Coordinator Bailey-Boushay House is a nursing residence and day health center operated by V i r g i n i a M a s o n M e d i c a l Center for people living with A I D S . BaileyBoushay brings a group to visit C W B every other Thursday. Weather permitting, they are given sailing instruction. The following is a letter recently received from Bailey-Boushay House:
Shavings July 1994
ing pieces, sanded and prime varnished sheer strakes.
A letter recently arrived from C W B member, R o n Render, in San Diego. What follows is his cover note and a brief lesson on the anatomy of his cherished Herreshoff 12 +' Sloop. It probably took the Herreshoff shop about 2 weeks to build this boat. A n y o n e planning to restore a classic boat to its original c o n d i t i o n should read R o n ' s chronicle and believe it. If time is a factor in considering whether to restore, then don't!
Installed new S I B R Z chain plates. Fitted and installed cockpit sole beams, margin and floorboards. Fitted aft bulkhead and reinstalled original deck planking. Fitted foredeck beams, added a letin white oak king plank from breasthook to bulkhead for increased foredeck/mast partner strength and laid new northern white cedar deck planks. Caulked foredeck planks. L a i d new canvas on fore and after decks. (Note: The watertight integrity of the foredeck and forward bulkhead was restored. A watertight closure plate is installed in the forward bulkhead access cutout when underway. This provides some degree of bow compartment flotation while allowing the forward bulkhead access to be opened for ventilation/ maintenance.)
Dear Dick, Just a quick note to let you know that I have finally completed the restoration of the Herreshoff 12 + and I am sending along a narrative and photographs, just in case anyone doubts that it is really completed. There are a few things that probably could use a little more attention, but I am the only one who knows what they are and you're not here to inspect. As you already know, the boat sails beautifully and attracts a lot of attention, even here in San Diego. Few know what it is though.
Refinished mast and spars. G o t out, clamped and fitted ... clamped and fitted... clamped and fitted ... new cockpit coamings. (Note: H a l f green or air dried white oak was not available in lengths required for the coamings in the San D i ego area. The best I could do was to scarf KD vertical grain white oak. I prebent the stock by steaming and clamping over a trap to achieve some bend and twist but not much. Getting the correct angle and bevel along with length to fit these coaming was easily the toughest part of the whole project.)
Significant items accomplished in the restoration of the Herreshoff 12-1/2 "Loafer" (Herreshoff M f g . C o . # 843) Removed garboards, pulled floors down to keel as much as possible using clamps and by tightening fasteners. Removed trim, cockpit coaming and sole, seat knees, etc. S c r e w e d t e m p o r a r y sisters to cracked/deteriorated frames. (Note: It was not possible to brace boat to overhead structure to maintain shape due to work location, so internal bracing along with exterior chocking was used). Removed foredeck. Removed stem. Removed broken fasteners from the stem and filled holes with whittled pegs set in epoxy. Faired stem rabbet. F i l l e d fastener holes in hood ends of planking and reinstalled stem. (Note: A mixture of West System epoxy, micro-balloons and micro-fibers mixed to achieve the approximate density of northern white cedar was used to f i l l fastener holes i n the planking.) Removed after deck. Split out every other frame, removed associated floors and filled fastener holes
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in planking at frame stations (up to eight in one plank at one frame station). Smoothed up top of keel, F i t new air dried white oak floors temporarily fastened to keel using lag screws. Steamed and bent in new frames using green white oak. Refastened planks to new frames with #8 x 1" S I B R Z X F H W S (Sq. Drive). Repeated for remaining frame stations. Lifted boat off lead keel, fastened floors to keel, refilled voids with approximately 50 lbs. of new lead and faired top of keel to mate with w o o d keel. Cleaned up deadwood, replaced rudder post, lowered boat onto lead keel/ deadwood and refastened with S I B R Z rod threaded for doubled S I B R Z nuts (heavy).
B u i l t up and faired keel rabbet. F a i r e d floors in way of garboards. Painted a l l fraying surfaces with red lead. Spiled, got out and hung new northern white cedar garboards. Spiled and fitted forward bulkheads. (1/2" Brunzeel marine plywood was used for strength. This is the only instance where original materials was knowingly not used. Bulkhead was canvas covered for appearance.) F i l l e d plank fastener heads. Crisped up planking seam edges and caulked with 1/3 to 2/3 strands of twisted cotton using a caulking wheel. Sealed seams with Interlux underwater seam c o m pound. Primed planking with red lead below the waterline. Plugged fastener holes, fitted grav-
Faired hull planking, sanded, primed and painted hull. Fitted, varnished and installed toe rails, cockpit trim, etc. Fitted redesigned side seat center knees to eliminate the stress points where the knees attach to the frames. W i r e brushed available original hardware. Obtained replica replacements for missing hardware from Bristol Bronze (Roger Winiarski). Installed hardware, set up rigging, reeved running rigging, etc. M o s t of the work was accomplished at Koehlers Boatyard on Shelter Island where I set up a canvas cover over an outdoor workspace. The project spanned over three years and required about 1,000 hours of actual work plus about an equal number of hours messing around.
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The charts are on the table and the voyage is being planned! Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society ( P S M H S ) has accepted the challenge! The Puget Sound Maritime M u s e u m w i l l be created at the South L a k e U n i o n Maritime Heritage Center. The museum along with the Center for Wooden Boats and Northwest Seaport w i l l tell the story of our maritime past. This rich and colorful history began with the beautifully crafted cedar dugout canoes of the native people. Sailing ships brought the early explorers in late 1900's and early 1800's. They put the NW on the map with their excellent charting work and gave us hundreds of important names like C o l u m b i a R i v e r , Puget Sound, M o u n t Rainier, and Mount Baker. The first steam vessel, Beaver arrived in 1836 and early settlers also started arriving in every area of the Northwest. They needed transportation - steamboats answered the c a l l and eventually became so numerous they were fondly called the "Mosquito Fleet."
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Colleen Wagner The shipping trade flourished as d i d the fishing industry and boat building. Thousands of great ships and small boats were built. Ships came for cargo from around the world. A way of life, in fact, life itself, and the growth of our towns and cities were dependent upon and influenced by our great maritime past. P S M H S first raised sail in 1948 as a non-profit organization and dropped anchor since 1953 at the M u s e u m of History and Industry (also exhibiting in a storefront at Chandler's C o v e , South Lake Union), members have worked hard to preserve, exhibit, research, publish a quarterly, maritime journal, present an educational program monthly and assemble a resource library. Our knowledgeable members represent every area of the maritime w o r l d and w o u l d love to pass it on to others. The Puget Sound Maritime M u s e u m
w i l l create d y n a m i c e n v i r o n m e n t through sights, and sounds and stories, that w i l l encourage visitors to return to explore and participate in the different faces of our shared maritime heritage. Classes w i l l be offered in sailor's arts like model ship building, singing sea chanties, scrimshaw, putting a ship in a bottle, knot tying, and making ditty bags and sails. A small theater w i l l present one act plays, lectures, and demonstrations. A library w i l l make volumes of information on maritime culture, books, charts, ship's lines and photos available to our community. A n d with the small craft of the Center for W o o d e n boats, the large vessels of Northwest Seaport, and our archival resources we w i l l be able to offer our community the most inclusive maritime heritage encounter on the West Coast. The Puget Sound Maritime M u s e u m w i l l present history in creative formats.
Imagine a full time actor bringing people back in time to 1836 aboard the Beaver as she steamed into Elliott Bay for the first time. The Puget Sound Maritime M u s e u m w i l l also be an inspirational tool for teachers covering the history and the environment of small craft and large vessels in the Northwest. We truly have a heritage to be proud of. Anyone who would like to sign on as part of the crew and help make this challenging voyage a success w i l l be most welcome aboard. It w i l l take many hands! F o r more i n f o r m a t i o n contact: P.S.M.H.S.,P.O.Box9731,Seattle,WA 98109, (206) 624-3028
Colleen Wagner is a trustee of Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, working hard to plan the future Puget Sound Maritime Museum. Colleen was a founder of the Center for Wooden Boats, Managing Director of the Museum of Sea and Ships, and Director of Education at Northwest Seaport.
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T h e m i s s i o n of the Center for Wooden Boats is to preserve and interpret our maritime small craft heritage. We encourage our visitors to use a good portion of our collection of historic boats. That is what these boats were built for, and direct experience is the most challenging and long lasting means of learning. T h e Center for W o o d e n B o a t s ( C W B ) is committed to being a resource, serving the whole rainbow of our community. In order to do that we have initiated programs to encourage those people who w o u l d not normally be involved with small craft to come down and participate in a heritage we all share. O n e program i s c a l l e d " A l l Aboard." It provides instruction in sailing our classic wooden boats to the youth of our area experiencing difficult life conditions. Interspersed in this report are unedited comments from the journals o f the " A l l A b o a r d " summer school students of June-August 1993. I learned about some different kinds of boats today. We went out sailing for an hour and learned to go in circles. Boats are interesting. C W B provides an environment free of a l l the negative factors associated with failure. It is on the water. There are no streets, alleys, garbage cans, cars or telephone; no police sirens, shouts in the dark, or shots in the dark. Today I steered a boat and learned how to set up a jibe successfully. I also learned how to screw in screws really tightly and how to use new tools. I especially enjoyed woodworking today. The floats are tippy. The boats are even tippier. The w i n d is cold, the water is cold. These are the challenges at C W B , that one must be prepared for. Questions are encouraged. T e s t i n g oneself with the oars and sheets are encouraged. Students figure how to deal with wind and waves, cold and fatigue. It is a trial and error process. The environment is a perfect medium for self-growth and rejuvenation. Today we had Okay day. We learned more than we did the other day. I learned about sailing and about how to make ropes. We had to make up a design how to make these ropes. So we drew picture of little machines. The students are learning the hard skills of sailing and rowing, knotwork and woodwork. They are also learning the values of teamwork and the responsibilities of leadership as they rotate at the helm of the rowing g i g or sloop. We went in a row boat about 5 of us. We learned new commands and rowed
real far. Then we went sailing. It was fun A voyage on a four oared g i g or a 30' sloop involves using an encyclopedia of stored knowledge. It includes applied physics, algebra, geometry and trigonometry. It expands their language skills. They gain an appreciation of our small craft heritage and how a hands-on his-
toric museum works. Today we finished the rope maker and it worked c o o l then we went sailing it was great w i n d and I loved it. U s i n g the boats is a problem solving exercise that aims at education's highest goals: the successful analysis of complex variables. W h e n the students master this, they have gained things they
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never dreamed of. They have the confidence that w i l l let them try and strive for experiences far beyond their horizons. They have learned how to learn. Today was open house I took out 4 different groups of people sailing without a brake. W o w what a day. I ' m going to have a c i g .
Dick Wagner
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Y o u want to o w n an old W o o d e n Classic? But, y o u ' v e never owned an old wooden boat before? A few thoughts from one owner three years and about halfway along the restoration trail. First, choose something worthy of the effort — for example, a good design by a great designer or a boat with a special place in the history of yachting. Better both. M a k e sure you really love the boat and have no trouble seeing it magnificently restored in your mind's eye. Y o u w i l l need this vision to sustain your efforts. Second, find someone who has already done what you want to do, the way you plan to do it. By this I mean if you have the money and want to watch someone else do the work, find somebody who has enjoyed watching and has paid the bills through to the end. O r , if y o u have lots of time and are good with tools, find someone who is still smiling who had done the work. Or some c o m bination of the above. This person w i l l be a good sounding board to check your thinking and w i l l have an owner's perspective — something that is very useful when it comes to translating a surveyor's report or a shipwright's opinion. These people assume a lot of k n o w l -
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edge the rest of us don't always have, and it is pretty easy to miss the economic import of what appears to be a casual one-liner. T h i r d , think as clearly as you can about just exactly what it is that y o u are trying to do and why you want to do it. What standard are you going to work to? Is this to be a restoration or an upgrade? H o w w i l l you use the boat, and how do you really feel about a l l that old hardware? W i l l it bother you knowing some of the frames and floors are rotten or broken and the fastening are 40% gone? C a n you paint over many broken layers of old paint, or w i l l you want to remove it a l l and start over? There is a huge list of questions like these, and your answers w i l l have an enormous impact on time, and money required, the more so the larger the boat. W i t h Caribbee I knew I would never be happy l y i n g in a bunk looking up at a paint job showing uneven broken layers of old paint. So I spent six months of weekends removing the old paint from the underside of the deck and deck beams. S i x absolutely awful months.
One small decision, a huge amount of time. I finished — but never again! A l s o , very early on I discovered most of the screws holding the interior together were history. Since I didn't like all of the original layout a n y w a y — I get seasick easily enough without trying to induce it by working in a galley forward of the mast— the inevitable result was the removal of the interior. Then I found a few small areas of rot in the cabin tops where mast partner braces and various fittings had been. So the cabin tops went, and shortly thereafter the entire cockpit was ripped out because it just looked so dilapidated once the old ugly beast of an engine was removed. A n d so it went. N o t surprisingly, many people who came by and stopped to look and went away shaking their heads in dismay. At this point, there wasn't much boat left! It's hard to believe now, but I never saw it that way. My mind was much too busy putting it all back together to notice the enormity of the destruction. The surveyor had not, of course, put setting off a bomb in the interior on his
"to do" list. What happened was simply the logical extension of a thought process that had at its core the desire to "make it right". "Right" so I could feel comfortable about the boat in a storm at sea; "right" because I wanted the boat to last the rest of my life and then some more; "right" simply because that's the way it ought to be done and the only way I would ever really be satisfied. M u c h of this is a personal thing but w e l l worth thinking clearly about before you buy a boat. M a n y old wooden boats are not worth this kind of effort and should, frankly, be burned. A fourth thought concerns surveyors and shipwrights — the professionals of the wooden boat business. Understand and accept that quite often these people don't agree about what to do or how to do it. There are lots of points of view and certainly many subjects that don't have definitive answers. There w i l l always be somebody coming along to tell you what you just did was wrong and, now and then, that person w i l l prove to be right. Some jobs on Caribbee have, alas, been done more than once. Furthermore, don't expect the i m possible from these people. They don't have ex-ray vision; they can's see the
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hidden parts of the boat any better than you can. Y o u are paying for what essentially amounts to an educated guess when you ask for an opinion. The real answers won't be k n o w n until the work starts. Once or twice a week when I would be making my daily appearance done at the dock to see how R o y Dunbar was progressing on Caribbee's structural problems, I would be cheerfully greeted with, " W e l l , what do you want first today— the good news or the bad news?" I heard that question a lot. It doesn't need an explanation. F i n a l l y , the bottom line of the restoration business is that there are, after a l l , o l d wooden boats. Caribbee was designed by P h i l Rhodes and build by
Nevins in 1937. She was basically in very good shape for her age but, even with reasonable care along the way, there were a lot of things that needed attention after the passage of more than half a century. A n d , many of these could not be seen without taking the boat down to its skeleton. O n l y then d i d I really find out what had to be done. I suspect this is true of most classics. If you want to o w n one be prepared to do this or pay up for one that has just had it done. Be very skeptical of a boat's alleged condition. M o s t o l d classics would probably best be advertised and thought of as "ready to restore". So why, after all of this, would you ever want to o w n one of these boats? Simple. The answer is "passion". Y o u see... it all starts one day you are walking down dock and there's this..and,as you are looking at her your pulse rate starts to rise, and y o u just can't believe how beautiful she i s — right out of the golden age of yachting with lines that start a fire burning in the back of your brain. A n d pretty soon the fire is out of control and this crazy notion about owning starts to set i n . O w n i n g not just the usual squeeze-it-and-it-pops-back hunk of Tupperware, but an honest-to-God,
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Shavings July 1994 l i v i n g piece of history made of wood. A work of art. But, not just art you look at— art you can actually use! My G o d — what an awesome thought! A n d so....passion is born. A n d from that point on it becomes a matter, as Joseph Campbell might have put it, of "following your bliss." Caribbee still awaits an interior, probably another three years or so of work. B u t the time doesn't matter. F o r me, passion has a way of turning the work into meditation, a meditation that helps bring balance to the rest of life. A n d for those moments when passion is hard-pressed during a particularly brutal task, I have the solution. A l l that's needed is the feel of Caribbee's helm in a rail down breeze, a look forward at the graceful curves of wood and sails, and the sound of distant rolling thunder coming from the bow. Simple, wonderfully simple.
George Galpin knows a boat worth restoring when he sees it. Prior to his Great Crusade to save "Caribbee", he rebuilt the Herreshoff 12+ "Sara " which he then donated to CWB. Both "Caribbee " and "Sara " will be on view at our 1994 Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival, July 2, 3, & 4, 1994.
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P a g e 13
Another Book To Dream Over In late February and early M a r c h , my wife has had just about all the gray and drizzle she can stand. She starts proposing that we sell everything and move to a place where the sun shines if not a l l the time, at least some of the time. I have absolutely no desire to move to the G u l f Coast, partly because of the brutal summer humidity and partly because the southern accent falls unpleasantly on my ear. Other possibilities — Arizona, N e w M e x i c o , U t a h — h a v e n o boating water. (True boating water must have been used for something other than recreation. Reservoirs behind dams don't comprise true boating water since they have no working history.) To forestall coming home one night to find a For Sale sign on the house, we f i l l the dismal time between the last row of last year and the first row of this one by planning our vacation. A n d just in time for this year's planning, I found an essential planning t o o l , by James P. Delgado and J. Candace Clifford, published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It's a guide to more than 225 historic ships preserved in ones and twos throughout the U . S . Normally, I don't need a guide to find boats. I find boats as easily as I find bookstores. In addition to purposeful trips to k n o w n maritime museums there was the rowing station in Bath, England, with a rental fleet dating from the 1850s, discovered when we visited that intriguing town to see the 18th century archi-
by Chas Dowd tecture. There was a nifty barge museum in Wales. At a Ranger Station on the south rim of the Grand Canyon in the heart of the Great American Desert, I found a small display of boats used by the early explorers of the Colorado River, neglected and dusty in a little courtyard. A n d I swear I didn't k n o w about the three replica ships at the Jamestown museum when we chose that as one of the destinations in our tour of V i r g i n i a . However, this 280- page tome may prove to be an exception.
ners of M a i n e . But there are wonders at the Calvert M a r i t i m e M u s e u m and in the Great Lakes that I never dreamed of. I was delighted to discover that Moshulu still lives and is moored in
some in their working heyday, and a few showing what they looked like before the restorers refurbished them. The photos are a l l sharp and provide a wealth of detail, but with few exceptions—mostly tugboats and schooners—the boats are moored and the photos are equally static. Scanning the listings I discovered that the most common types of historical vessels currently preserved are warships, riverboats, and lightships. In addition to the listings, there are
Philadelphia. She and Falls of Clyde essays on maritime America, preserv-
(Preserved in Hawaii) feature in a famous Seattle photo, being towed out to L a k e U n i o n before they closed the A u rora Bridge. If you want to k n o w what the v i e w from her topmast head is like, just walk out to the middle of the bridge and look down. A n d if you think nobody had to c l i m b that high, read E r i c The boats in the guide are at least 50 N e w b y ' s Last Grain Race, an account years old, longer than 40 feet, and disof her passage from L i v e r p o o l to the place more than 20 tons, so they're all Great Bight of Australia and back again substantial vessels. To give you an idea carrying wheat in the 1930s. The news of what this means, Washington State is that Pekin, another o f the great fourrepresented by Adventuress, the Zodiac, the Virginia V, the Arthur Foss, the masted steel barques, is moored at South Street Seaport may be the final impetus Relief, the Duwamish, the W. T. Preston, the Wawona, Fireboat #7, and the hull that gets me to brave the urban jungle of New York.
ing ships, and a grim little epilogue titled "Lost Ships and L o s i n g Battles" that talks about the problems and pitfalls of marine preservation. F o r the researcher, there's a terrific bibliography and a list of vessels in the National Registry. There's even a list of information sources, so The Center for Wooden Boats finally gets its mention on page 298.
L o v r i c ' s breakwater in Anacortes. A lot more of them are o l d friends: Balcutha and her associates at the H y d e Park Pier i n San Francisco, the Charles W. Morgan and associates i n M y s t i c , Star of India in San Diego, and Victory Chimes and the rest of the downeast dude schoo-
Chas Dowd is to essays as a Gothic Arch is to buildings. His observations are of clinical precision. His words are crafted for maximum strength with elegant graceful style. Besides that, he and Deb have the world's sharpest Piscataqua River Wherry, the Lady Deb'.
At $20, this isn't a book a boat lover can afford to miss.
of the La Merced, now part of Tony
The guide lists the boats by region, a handy feature for vacation planning, and each one has an extensive biography and an explanation of why she is important in our country's maritime history. M o s t of them have accompanying photographs, some as they are now,
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by Bill Durham H a l f a lifetime ago half of the world had traditional boats in profusion. They were dying off with great rapidity, because of cheap petroleum. It was my misfortune to sail widely a moment before their deaths, to see them all.. I can not think of them without sadness, so I prefer not to think of them at a l l . My response to "replicas" and preservation" and "Marine archaeology" are tepid and uneasy. I saw them alive, and their loss is irretrievable. — B u t for years I've been aware that a few dozen of the boats I saw have left me only cheerful or instructive memories. Some of these have surfaced in my memory a thousand times, without exciting any feelings of regret or loss. W h e n the Seminole came from the West Indies we lay in a Tampa backwater for a week or two, waiting for the N a v y to take her out for a transport. Just astern of the ship a nickel ferry shuttled back and forth across the narrow basin. She was a b i g flat-bottomed skiff, maybe 20 feet long, with athwartship benches with backs to accommodate eight or ten passengers. The ferryman at the oars and most of the passengers were black. The atmosphere was one entirely of ease and friendliness, with soft chatter and laughter, no haste or tension. I came to associate the Tampa ferry in my memory w i t h a Somerset M a u g h a m short story in w h i c h a very rich man gave a small sum of money to a poor Adriatic fisherman, so that he
might buy a boat and earn a l i v i n g . M a n y years later the rich man became destitute and returned to the scene of his generosity — and of course became a happy rowboat fisherman himself. Since 1942 I've often thought that if I "lost everything" — home, wife, job, etc. — I w o u l d at least have an excuse to find a place in a w a r m climate where a rowboat ferry was needed, and live happily ever after. L i v i n g in Puerto R i c o for a while I had the habit of hanging around the waterfront or l o o k i n g out to sea. The five - or ten -ton trading sloops seemed to me the epitome of romance and salty color. Years later I realized how hard a life it was to spend a week beating 200 miles to w i n d w a r d against A t l a n t i c swells to earn a few dollars on the cost differential between produce in D o m i n i can R e p u b l i c and in the A m e r i c a n colony. In a N e w Y o r k seamen's club I mentioned my old "romance of the sea" notion to a West Indian steamship seaman who used to sail across the w i n d , across the Caribbean. " Y o u crazy, mon!" When we docked at Ciudad Trujillo, D o m i n i c a n Republic, overnight in 1941 I knew about the Christopher Columbus connection, and something about local politics. What sticks in my mind 53 years later is the vision of a brightfinished sailing canoe (North A m e r i can, not native) dashing back and forth across the Ozama, unbelievably quick and graceful and daring.
W h e n we came down from the gray North to Oran in December, 1942, the light changed; the small boats more so. W h i l e we lay out a day or two somebody pilfered enough lifeboat gasoline so that a local boatman could fire up the engine in his little boat to take us ashore. W h e n teutonophiles talk up the virtues of northern lapstrake, " V i k i n g " qualities in boat design as often occurs in Seattle — I think inwardly: " Y o u hairy barbarians, you parvenu ruffians; look south to the old civilizations for beautiful boats!" W h i l e the Exiria was loading a chrome ore in Biera, Mozambique, in 1943,1 walked over to the native port and for the first time saw a real Indian Ocean watercraft —nondescript little lateen-riggers. I felt that I had at last arrived on the scene of A l a n V i l l e r s ' Sons of Sinbad, a book that had gripped me as a teenager a few years earlier. I had yet to see south A s i a and east A s i a , where most of the world's beautiful ships worked. We took 600 mules to Calcutta in the Nevadan, then moored out in the river four months while our 35 year old boilers were re-tubed. The Hooghly dingis were a constant in our lives, employed several times a day to take us to the embankment, and always something to watch when there was nothing else to do. (Perhaps a linguist in the crowd can tell us how the ancient Sanskrit word for "boat" became a staple in the E n g l i s h language.)
I remember with embarrassment that I felt some annoyance that the dingis were not more beautiful, more "boatl i k e " (They were spoon shaped). I had been under the spell of Chapelle and his i l k since 1936, and had a narrow A t l a n tic vision of what a small boat should be. L o n g afterward, I realized that the wonderful-full winter in Calcutta was the only time in my life when I was surrounded by, and participated in, a wholly authentic boat culture. Pilot launches are ordinarily deep, heavy, decked boats that can lie outside seaports in almost any weather. W h e n we arrived off Bremerhaven in January, 1946, the pilot came out through a nasty chop in a small lapstrake skiff with an outboard motor. I remember the boat because it seemed so just that the great German nation was reduced to this. (We also enjoyed the fact that our captain was named Reuben Rabinowitz). The little boat and motor, and the boatman, were sturdy and w e l l maintained, and appeared capable of advancement. In 1972 I took the train out to Henley to look for interesting boats, and at first saw only excessively ugly and ill-designed fiberglass skiffs. I rented one of these and rowed it a mile or two, then walked along the riverside path. ( W h y can't A m e r i c a provide public walking paths across valuable private real estate?). As the sun burst through a shower I came on a perfect Thames skiff pulled up on shore..
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I went to Santa Marta, C o l u m b i a in early 1991, prompted by cheap air fares to re-visit the port where I arrived on the banana boat Cartago on the morning of December 9 , 1 9 4 1 . I wanted to see the high snow peaks behind the town that I had somehow overlooked at 18. The town was touristy, the waterfront d u l l after 50 years, so I walked a few miles out to a quiet suburb on a small cove. There were a few big, ungainly-looking dugout canoes on the beach, nearly four feet wide and much patched and painted. In a museum in town, I learned that these were identical with the boats used by the locals when the Spaniards planted their first city on the American mainland here, in 1510. If I think of the M a l d i v i baggalas, Jaffna brigs, Foochow pole junks, shortseas coasters—the evolved, beautiful, soon-dead artifacts of fast-changing c i v i lizations, I want to cry. I shed no tears for the hollowed logs that have held on for five centuries at Santa Marta. I don't want anyone to think I ' m a boat activist, busily building and sailing boats. M o s t l y I think about them, or read, or watch them from the shore or a ship's deck or on T V . I became addicted to the sea and books while an infant in Utah. I don't know why this infection occurs so far inland. Perhaps Harry Pigeon (of Iowa) could explain it.
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"In a museum in town, I learned that these were identical with the boats used by the locals when the Spaniards planted their first city on the American mainland here, in 1510."
Bill Durham is one of the keel timbers of maritime heritage preservation, whether he wants to or not. Bill literally "wrote the book" on the renaissance of pleasure steam boats when he published and edited the magazine Steamboat and Modern Steam Launches in the early 60's. Bill has also written numerous pithy and pungent articles in National Fisherman, WoodenBoat, the Mariners Catalog, and others.
In ancient times when man first began to build vessels too large to land on the beach without difficulty it became common practice to tow a small boat. This small boat served every purpose that was impractical for the mother ship to do, just as today's "dinghy" still does. E v e n t o d a y ' s landships, the motor homes, tow a dinghy of sorts in the form of a smaller vehicle to provide much the same service. Once the motor home is anchored securely, leveled, and all hookups attached it would be a pain in the neck to undo all that just to run d o w n to the corner store for some groceries. So it was in the case of seagoing vessels. As time passed ships continued to get larger and so consequently did the boats they used. Inevitably the boats themselves became so large that ships began to be equipped with more than one boat of varying sizes, and quite naturally, the boats relative size was the easiest handle to identify one from the other. Thus enters the "Longboat" In earlier English texts the long boat was actually called the "greteboat", the word 'great' meaning ' b i g ' . Sometime around 1600 the term "longboat placed the older term but the boats themselves remained the same. L i t erally speaking the longboat was the longest boat the ship had in her inventory. In 1618 the English ship Prince had a longboat 52 feet, very nearly half the length of the ships keel! It is not difficult to see why towing the long boat was still the general practice as opposed to hoisting her aboard. However, towing the longboat had definite drawbacks, the most important being the effect on the speed of the mother vessel. In
1697 V i c e - A d m i r a l Neville with a squadron of nine ships towing their longboats in the West Indies sighted a French squadron and in order to come up the with the French all but two of the E n g l i s h ships cut adrift their longboats. Later, when the longboats were needed to water ship they were sorely missed. Because of this problem the longboats began to decrease in size during the seventeenth century in order to make hoisting them aboard more practical. In fact, they shrank to the point that they were no longer the longest boat in the ship, being made shorter than the A d m i r a l ' s Barge and then even shorter than the pinnace, (the barge and the pinnace were lighter, narrower boats intended mainly for the transport of officers.) E v e n
SAIL
PLAN
though now shorter than the other boats the longboat had established such an identity of type and purpose that she continued to be called the "longboat". The longboat was the work horse of a l l the ship's boats. She would have been the most heavily built and most seaworthy in form. The work she had to do w o u l d have to be done regardless of weather. In 1614 Sir Henry Mainwaring said that;" A good longboat w i l l live in any grown sea, if the water be sometimes freed, (bailed) unless the sea break vary much." In the earlier days when the longboat was so large it was intended that the entire crew could fit into her in the event of abandoning ship. Later when ships had become so large and carried a greater number of boats the
or
COLUMBIAN
LONGBOAT
B Y
longboat was allowed to become smaller because it was no longer expected that she w o u l d carry the entire crew. It was still expected that she would perform the heavy work that was necessary. W h e n D r . Diego Garcia de Palacio published the first marine dictionary in 1587 he stated; A n y ship has need of a longboat for its service: whether for setting an anchor, or for recovering it; for loading and unloading cargo; for towing, for entering or leaving any port, bay, or channel, or in calm; and because being near another ship, or some shoal, the longboat could be employed to protect (one's ship) from such." The term longboat was changing from a description of appearance to a job description so when the length of the longboat was exceeded by the barge the longboat retained her name. In order to withstand the arduous tasks that were her duty the longboat was very heavily built boat, her construction details more closely matched those of her mother ship than that of the steambent frame construction of a modn wooden skiff. The frames were spaced on one foot centers consisting of a floor and two futtocks, one to a side, sawn from grown crooks. This frame construction tapered being deepest where it crossed the keel and narrower at the head of the frame, just like the ship's frames. The keel also was of massive dimensions by today's standards for open boats. Once again, the keel, chocking between frames, and the keelson very much resembling the construction of ships rather than boats.
STEWART T HOAGLAND
Shavings July 1994
The planking was always carvel, being better able to withstand the rough service and easier to repair. Cutters were the only ships boats ordinarily built lapstrake, and even they were built carvel for foreign going ships once the Admiralty had had enough of the problems associated with their maintenance. In the age of steam, cutters were once again only built lapstrake, but all this is another story. One detail peculiar to the longboat was that the thwarts were removable in order to facilitate the loading of outsize cargo such as large casks and cannon. It was also easier to nest smaller boats inside with the thwarts removed. B e cause of this there were no thwart knees in longboats. The strength necessary to hold the boats shape without thwarts in place was accomplished with a very heavy seat riser sawn to shape and a l l out of proportion to anything that would be used to form a seat riser in a normal boat. The footlings (floorboards) in the boat rested directly on the frames allowing the cargo to rest as l o w in the boat as possible for reasons of stability. R e m o v a b l e H o r i z o n t a l boards c a l l e d stretchers were fitted across the boat for the rowers to brace their feet against. The sailing rig for longboats varied considerably. The really large longboats used by large ships of war were usually cutter rigged single mast complete with standing rigging. These boats sometimes even had partial decks in them through this was the exception rather than the rule. It was far more common to see longboats rigged as two and three masted luggers with highly portable, freestanding masts that could fit inside the boat and which allowed versatility to accommodate the cargo that may be taking up the greater part of the boat and the ability to adjust the rig to match whatever weather conditions that may be encountered. I n the s m a l l e r
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allowed the boat to gain displacement rapidly as the bow was depressed by the great weight of the anchor. No other hull form w o u l d have been able to accomplish this. It was not until the age of steam that the bows of the longboats (and the launches w h i c h replaced them for naval use) were fined up because they no longer were commonly used for that purpose. Longboats were used in the merchant service right up t i l l the end of the sailing age. They were essential in an age where docks and wharves were found only in the largest ports. In the N a v y longboats were replaced by launches during the last half of the eighteenth century. Launches were skeg-built, flatfloored boats able to carry a greater load for a given draft. Though this made them less seaworthy than a longboat the ability to carry a greater number of men made them more suitable for the cutting out expeditions and troops landing that were so frequent in that era. As time went on the launches regained many of the features of a longboat making them virtually indistinguishable from a longboat though they continued to be called launches up until the time they became motor-launches.
unballasted longboats the giant cutter rig would have been hazardous indeed. In hull form the longboats look strange to our eyes because of their excessive fullness making them look very bluff and full. This h u l l form came down to us from the days of the middle ages when this bluffness predominates in most a l l watercraft. An examination of the boats i n Chapman's " A r c h i t e c t u r a Navalis"
Stewart Hoagland is an instructor at the Seattle Community College Boatbuilding School. Stewart, using computer modeling and Hewitt Jackson, using his historic research, recreated the design the longboat that the w i l l show that even the barges and pin- "Columbia" carried when she discovnaces had this fullness above the water- ered the Columbia River in 1792. Two line though they were quite sleek below copies of this design were built by the the waterline. This fullness gradually Gray's Harbor Historical Seaport, for fell by the wayside in the late eighteenth educational programs. The first built is and nineteenth century's except in the named the "Hewitt R.Jackson", and it longboats for one very good reason. In will be giving rides at our Lake Union carrying out anchors the anchor was Wooden Boat Festival. The construcusually suspended form the bow or stern tion was done by Carl Brownstein. of the boat, and that fullness of the bow
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My wife Jean and I were on the third day of our beach-camping cruise in our seventeen foot W i l l i t s cedar canoe White Star, having launched at M a p l e B a y to explore the G u l f Islands on the east side of Vancouver Island. The year was 1936. We were bound for (what we imagined) were the fearsome dangers of D o d d Narrows, w h i c h permits passage from Georgia Strait to the waters of Nanaimo Harbor. We had prepared ourselves for the impending ordeal by reviewing the description of the Narrows in our well-worn copy of the B r i t ish C o l u m b i a Pilot, w h i c h states in part "to short steam vessels of moderate length, that answer the h e l m q u i c k l y , this narrow pass offers no danger at or near slack water, or when going with the stream... the strength of the tidal stream at its greatest rush from 8 to lO knots..."
Shavings July 1994
by
John Frazier Henry farmhouse appeared Jean w o u l d be irresistibly drawn to landing and trying to buy fresh produce and eggs. A n d in this case, freshly churned butter. The provender obtained could be stored in the provision box in the middle of the canoe, with the exception of the butter. She ordered that it must be placed in the coolest space, w h i c h she argued with irrefutable logic was abaft the stern seat in the very end, which drew more water because I weighed more than Jean. Reassured by the benign appearance of the Narrows' surface, covered with riffles from a southerly breeze, we
Jean pointed out that while White
launched White Star. Entering the pas-
Star was reasonably shot at seventeen
sage, we found that we had miscalculated, and the slack period was already over. Soon the "strength of the tidal stream" would be adding to our speed, and interfere with our timid approach to whatever dangers were ahead.
feet, we were most certainly not propelled by steam, and therefore ineligible to enter the passage. I responded by stating that we could "answer the h e l m q u i c k l y " if she, Jean, performed adequately when required at the important station of bow paddler. This exchange quelled the pending controversy, and we amicably agreed that we w o u l d debark from W h i t e Star at the south end of the Narrows, observing its demeanor, and wait for slack before actually entering the Narrows. At this point I must digress, to provide a background to better understand the event yet to be described. As we skirted the eastern shore of Vancouver Island, whenever a friendly l o o k i n g
Anticipating whirlpools and cross currents requiring rapid response, we had both removed our shoes and braced our bare knees on the bottom of the canoe. This position not only lowered the center of gravity, but enabled a more powerful stroke with our paddles. A s White Star bounced through a surge of current, I extended my right leg backwards for better leverage. As I d i d , I felt a soft object fall on my foot. M o mentarily removing my right hand from the paddle shaft, I groped behind intend-
ing to push the squishy object from its offensive position. U p o n contact, to my horror I realized that it was Jean's freshly churned butter w h i c h had escaped its lashings and covering of wax paper, and was in the process of lubricating my pedal extremity. My instinctive reaction was to push the amorphous mass back where it belonged. This was a serious mistake. My bare foot, now lavishly covered with farm butter, had lost its grip on the varnished inside surface of the canoe, and no longer furnished reliable support. In addition, my right hand was w e l l buttered from my fumbling attempt to remove the slippery material. A l s o , l a c k i n g a powerful stroke from my paddle, the canoe was beginning to swing across the current. Jean turned her had and demanded "What in the w o r l d are you doing!" I had always prided myself on my quick reaction time in an emergency. To correct our course immediately, I quickly grasped the lower shaft of my paddle with my right hand. This w o u l d have been the correct procedure, enabling me to get way on our craft and bring her back on the proper bearing. My brilliantly conceived and lightning fast movement to seize the shaft of the paddle, was successful in thickly coating the paddle shaft with my butter coated right hand. There was now an
almost complete loss of power form the powerful right arm of the stern paddler. W a s White Star and her experienced crew headed for disaster? By this time both Jean and I were convulsed with laughter. In the meantime the tidal current had swept us through the passage without further i n cident. The two Indians who had been trolling in their dugout canoes, and h a d observed the senseless maneuvers of the two laughing idiots in a white man's canoe, kept a discreet distance. A careful Indian always tries to avoid the white crazies, who are unpredictable, especially when running D o d d Narrows. P.S. Jack Henry, the author and his wife Jean eventually solved their stowage and team work problems. They
paddled White Star, built about 1924 by the W i l l i t s Brothers o f Tacoma, W A through about 1000 miles of twisting and treacherous straits, passes and open water to A l a s k a . The author included this note in his cover letter to the story: in reference to the part of the story beginning, "...Jean turned her head and demanded, " What in the world are you doing?" The incident described is true, with one exception. The statement made by my wife is actually incomplete, because that is not all she said!
Besides long distance canoe camping,
John Henry is the author of Early Mari-
time Artists Of The Pacific Northwest..
Shavings July 1994
Classifieds The Classified A d s are available, free of charge to C W B members. Please contact Roger at C W B if you would l i k e an ad to appear in Shavings or Sawdust.
Shop tools: 3+" slick $70, K u n z hollow face spokeshave $20, Stanley Round face spokeshave $20, Stanley flat face spokeshave $20, A l l Steel bevel $15, Stanley#78 Rabbet Plane $65, Stanley Bullnose plane $30, B a i l e y #5+ $45, Bailey #4 Corrugated sole $55, Sergeant - M a r k e d #407 2"x8" sole 1 5/8" iron $75. Tony Brent 7813 First A v e NW, Seattle, WA 98117. (206)783-0228.
26' Sierra Class Sloop M a k a i Builder: Monson in 1958, Designer: B e n Seaborn, H u l l : Red Cedar/Bent Oak. S a i l away price at $9995. C a l l Ed 764-5032
3 hp Seagull short shaft. Zero hours after complete refurbishing by dealer $300. Robert C o x , 1206 Concannon B l v d . , L i v e r m o r e , C A 94550-6002 (510) 606 5611
1955 14' Norseman Runabout, Oak deck, seats floor, mahogany gunwale, 50 hp mere (rebuilt) Trailer (206) 862-8077
Rushton 15' Indian Princess Canoe, Pre 1908, Restored, Owner (216) 397-1061
Retired US A r m y Picket Boat, 1953 Tacoma W A , Honduras Mahogany, 6 4 feet. Has not been converted-still m i l i tary style. $49,999 B o b Burns 259-1870
Beautiful Classic cedar strip and fiberglass 17'canoe.Contact D o n Baker 8832312. M a k e offer. B u i l t by B o b Ruchy B l a c k Diamond.
Classic O l d T o w n Sport Boat, approximately 35 years old. Length 11 feet 9 inches. Boat kept under cover. Interior ribs and planking in good condition. Transom cracked; repairable. $1500 obo. P h i l i p K o h l , (206) 385-7467
Boat Covers to protect out boats from the elements and prevent costly maintenance of our boats, We w i l l also accept donations toward the cost of buying materials. C W B 382-2628
Weather station for C a m a Beach: w i n d direction, velocity, gust indicator; barometer, wet/dry bulb thermometer. Barograph preferred to barometer. C W B 382-2628
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I n f o r m a t i o n about B r i s t o l B a y Gillnetters. Practical info on repowering, rig conversions and sound hulls for sale. Please contact: C h r i s t o p h e r Pompel, Giant Circle, Waldron, W A 98297
O l d wooden boat with cuddy cabin 20' or less to be used dry as a "play boat" for kids. Condition not important. C a l l Jack at (206) 322-5391
M o d e l sailing boats sloop or ketch style- old or new. 2 feet to 8 feet long with sails. A l s o would tike to commission someone to b u i l d me three, seven or eight foot sail boats models. PhoneM a r y Jasper (808) 822-1703 or write to 2752 N o k e k u l a C r . L i h u e , HI 96766
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