Shavings Volume 6 Number 4 (June-July 1984)

What we have in Puget Sound is a gold mine of maritime history, and it has calloused hands and spits snoose. Today, Puget Sound is still deep in fresh sawdust and shavings. Someday the waterfront will be gentrified boutiques and restaurants. By then, the CWB will be a full-service museum with archives of photos, drawings, books, magazines, and oralhistory tapes related to our small-craft heritage.

But one thing that will never change is our solid base of public-participation activities. We will always reflect the honest, work-earned Puget Sound style, where people can lay their hands on history.

-Dick Wagner

2/Shavings/June-July

1984

Inside 5 The livery boats

8th Annual Wooden Boat Show Naval Reserve Center Lake Union, Seattle June 29 - July 1, 1984 10 am to 6 pm

The most popular form of recreation at the turn of the century was not huddling in domed stadiums to watch multi-millionaires kick each other, but paddling, rowing o r - l a t e r - c r u i s i n g in rented boats. Some liveries imported their fleets from well-known E a s t Coast manufacturers. Here are five designs unique to the Pacific Northwest.

Program of Events

12 The Fred Holmes Ernest K. G a n n , Center member and author of Song of the Sirens, The Magistrate, and other books, writes about a classic troller and some of the lessons he learned fishing.

16 Open boat cruises

Friday, June 29 one-person rowing race two-person rowing race sailing race slide show in auditorium judging of toy boatbuilding

A popular feature of our Shavings newsletter is Dave Cox's accounts of expeditions to far-off lands - which are really nearby places. H i s specialty is going to places largely inaccessible to motor and sail boats. Here's a collection of his favorite salt and fresh-water destinations.

11:30 12:30 3:30 4:00 5:00

18 The builder's tools

Saturday, June 30 11:30 one-person rowing race 12:30 two-person rowing race 1:00 . . . meeting of Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association in auditorium 1:30 auction in the drill hall 3:30 sailing race 4:00 slide show in auditorium 5:00 judging of toy boatbuilding

Simon Watts returned to his native Wales to talk with a long-time boatbuilder about the tools of his craft. Illustrated by Kelly Mulford.

22 The Center's fleet Chas. D o w d discusses the fifteen boats the Center for Wooden Boats has in its rental fleet. He also talks with director Dick Wagner about other projects/dreams.

26 Our flag ship The Bristol B a y sailing gillnetter was the salmon fishing boat in the Northwest until the 1950s. Dick Wagner describes it. A n d two veterans talk about how the boat handled and life on Alaskan waters.

28 The boater's bookshelf Chas. Dowd tells of the ones he thinks are big enough that they don't have to be thrown back.

Sunday, July 1 11:30 one-person rowing race* 12:30 two-person rowing race* 1:30 auction in the drill hall 3:30 sailing race* 4:30 .. CWB-Sikaflex Challenge Cup Race 5:00 judging of toy boatbuilding 5:30 . . . . announcement of winner of boat

To our readers *For winners of Friday and Saturday races In the last issue of Shavings we talked about a need for increased advertising to support the publication, and possible changes in format.

W h a t you are reading today is not a new Shavings format, although it obviously has a lot more advertising than the normal edition. T h i s is a special Wooden Boat Show edition assembled by Fremont Press, and it replaces the customary J u l y A u g u s t edition of Shavings.

The old format - hopefully buttressed with a bit more advertising than normal - will return with the next issue. - M a r t y Loken, E d i t o r .

Center for Wooden B o a t s D i r e c t o r D i c k Wagner Editor Henry Gordon Design Jennifer G o r d o n Staff W r i t e r s Chas. D o w d . M a r t y L o k e n , D a v e C o x . D i c k Wagner Illustrator Kelly Mulford Photographer M a r t y L o k e n / A p e r t u r e Photobank A d v e r t i s i n g Inquiries 282-8116 or 382-2628 T h i s special issue of S h a v i n g s was published for the 8 t h annual wooden boat festival. J u n e 2 9 - J u l y 1.

The festival brings scores of t r a d i t i o n a l wooden boats to L a k e U n i o n ' s south shore for three days of demonstrations, contests a n d play. S h a v i n g s is a p a r t of the public education a r m of the Center for Wooden B o a t s and was published w i t h the editorial assistance of Fremont Press. T h e Center for Wooden B o a t s is located at 1010 V a l l e y S t . ; 3 8 2 - B O A T . F r e m o n t Press i s a t 740 N . 35th, Seattle. W A 98103; 633-3472.

10 things to see at the show 1. Daily demonstrations on riveting, oar making, carving, knot tying, forging and other boatbuilding skills.

2. A dazzling collection of traditional wooden rowing and sailing boats used on Puget Sound for pleasure and work.

3. Beautiful old wooden tugs.

4. The newly planted stand of striped bark maples at the entrance to the Center.

5. 10 delicious food booths with fares ranging from shish kabob to espresso to Mexican food.

6. Someone asking Dick Wagner, the Center's director, why there are no fiberglass boats on display.

7. The Center Store, featuring a boat builder's directory, boat plans, monographs, Center T-shirts and hats, posters, membership applications and more.

8. A varied collection photography and models.

of

marine

art

and

9. A taxi service to take you out onto the water or next door to the Center's livery and office.

10. The C W B Sikaflex Challenge. T h i s event takes six prechosen teams and sees who can build a seaworthy boat the fastest. The boats then race, and to assure sturdiness, the builder's tools must accompany each team in the regatta. (Hammers sink quickly.)

June-July 1984/Shavings/3

COAST SALISH CANOES

The Coast Salish canoes ranged from 16' to 28'. They were work boats, and have not been as widely collected as the H a i d a ceremonial canoes.

A canoe carved out of a lifetime

by Dick Wagner and Leslie Lincoln No one knows how long the Northwest canoe culture has existed, but Richard Daugherty and R u t h K i r k , in their book Exploring Washington Archaeology recount that near P r i n c e Rupert, B C "Archaeologists working in deposits that date to 9000 BP (before the present) found remains of sea otters, sea lions, and porpoises, mammals that can only be taken at sea. Their presence indicates seamanship as well as the existence of boats."

The main types of canoes are the Haida, ranging from the northeastern end of V a n couver Island to the Gulf of Alaska, the Westcoast or Nootka along the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island and W a s h i n g t o n and the Salish along the shores of Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia.

There are few Salish canoes in museum collections. They are probably not considered trophy types because they were generally small working craft in the 16' to 28' range.

Museums tend to acquire the spectacular 50 to 60 foot Haida ceremonial canoes.

The Salish canoes were as finely developed i n h u l l design and building technique as the Haida or the Westcoast types. They were used as regular transportation and fishing boats well into the 20th century. The Center owns a 16' Salish canoe that was found adrift in the Tacoma Narrows in 1912. It's still in good shape.

The Salish people developed an open water boat suited to the sometimes choppy passages across the Sound and Strait. They also built a river punt. The open water boats were naturally more complex in hull shape and construction. They have flat bottoms keeping them upright on the beaches. There is a tight turn to the bilge and flaring topsides. There is flam - concavity - at the ends to reduce spray and add buoyancy in a pitching sea.

There is a carved out wale at you cut down a tree, you have the sheer providing a chafing to make peace with that guard, an additional spray spirit. Y o u have to promise and a shadow line emphasiz- you will make that tree into ing the graceful sweep of the something that will be lasting profile. and beautiful."

The water lines have a long hollow entrance and exit and Anthropologist Franz Boas a long flat run. The greatest recorded a prayer of tree fellbeam is just forward mid- ing in the late 19th century. ships. There is a slight lift to " D o not fall heavily, else you, the bottom at each end. The great supernatural one, might Salish boats were a bit break on the g r o u n d . " cranky, but the generous flare Winter was the felling time. hardened up the heeling just Canoe building had to be comshort of capsizing. T h i s was a pleted before summer, or the design feature. Halibut was hot sun might cause uneven fished from these canoes. The drying, resulting in twists only way a 100 pound halibut and splits. The side with the could be landed was to let the least limbs was the bottom, boat heel until the gunwale as it would have less knots. was about to dip under, then T h e logs were roughly let the halibut float aboard. shaped and hollowed where The forefoot and stern had razor sharp skegs. In the Yakutat B a y area of A l a s k a , at the northern limit of the Haida canoe type, the forefoot actually protruded forward just below the waterline. These fine ends gave good tracking ability.

There was a long stern overhang. These boats were generally beached stern first.

The overhang allowed a dry shod boat-to-shore landing.

Stern to beach also meant a fast getaway if necessary.

Selection of the canoe tree was made by the master builder. The most promising trees were already owned by a noble or clan. Holes were chiseled in the candidate trees to check the soundness of the wood. When one was chosen, the tree was felled by ax or controlled burning. Since only a half-circle of the tree trunk was needed, one method of felling was to cut halfway through to the heart - top and bottom - of the standing tree.

Wedges were inserted in the upper cut and a prypole worked the cut to start a vertical split down the heart of the tree. The tree was left standing. The next big wind storm would spring the canoe length slab out of the living tree.

The technical aspect of getting the cedar log was only part of the process.

Steve B r o w n , a M a k a h builder has stated that " w h e n

they lay, then moved to the water and towed to the village for completion. The butt end was always the bow. It has a higher specific gravity, and thus keeps the bow down if there is only one paddler in the stern.

The canoe was carved with adze and splitting wedges.

Fires dammed with wet clay were also used. The thickness of the bottom - three fingers - and the sides - two fingers - was controlled by drilling holes after the outside was properly fixed. Dowels of maple were driven in from the outside, and the inside was adzed down to the dowel.

At this point the boat was ready for spreading to gain the necessary flare and beam.

Imagine the geometric changes in the shape when the sides are spread: the sheer and bottom ends spring up.

T r y folding a piece of paper lengthwise - pinch the ends and push them towards each other to get a canoe shape.

The builders clearly visualized all this, and carved the canoe with a hogged sheer and bottom, in order to attain the final shape when the spreading was done.

Steaming and spreading the canoe was a special moment. No women were allowed to witness this process.

T h e men had to p u r i f y themselves before the spreading by abstaining from continued on page 4

4/Shavings/June-July 1984 Paddles were as masterfully designed as the canoes.

E a c h family had their personal paddle. Materials were maple, yew or yellow cedar. A crutch handle was typical.

The blades were long, thin and leaf shaped w i t h a pointed tip. The tip remained in the water on the return stroke. This was so there would be no sound of blade slap or drip. T h e y could make a quiet approach to a sleeping sea lion, sea otter or enemy village.

tration. U s i n g a canoe for if not, someone's blanket pose of righting her and visits or moving from camp to serves instead, and down they throwing the sail up into the camp was a social time. sit in the bottom of the canoe wind. They are exceedingly James Swan, writing in his and eat dry fish and tell expert in their canoes, and journal of 1857 on his stay in stories. If the wind is very very seldom meet with acciWillapa Bay on t h e fresh and squally, they sit to dent . . . " Washington coast wrote: windward and whenever a As these fine canoes and " W h e n in the canoe, all hands puff strikes the sail strong t h e i r c r e a t o r s were inwill paddle vehemently and enough to threaten a capsize, separable in life, so they coexone would suppose the they all dip their paddles deep isted in death. When a Salish journey would be speedily ac- into the water, bringing the man died, he was placed in his complished, the canoe seem- broad side of the paddle blade canoe which was set on a post ing almost to fly. This speed toward the bottom of the and beam scafolding to sail will be kept up for 100 rods canoe which serves the pur- together, forever. • when they cease paddling and all will begin talking. Perhaps Nominations requested for C W B trustees A split in the canoe was one has spied something After the spreading was A search is underway for candidates to serve on your completed, any unfairness repaired by drilling a pair of which he has to describe while was adzed out. The inside was holes about one-quarter of an the rest listen; or another 1984-86 Center for Wooden Boats B o a r d of Trustees. The then rubbed with red hot inch in diameter on each side thinks of some funny anec- board of trustees is that elected governing body which stones, which gave a polished, of the split about twelve inch- dote or occurrence that has establishes the goals and objectives of the Center for Woodencharred finish. The thwarts es apart. Nettle fiber cord transpired among the Indians Boats, sets the operating policies and provides short and long were laced in. The bow and was looped through the ad- they have been visiting that term direction for the organization. stem pieces were secured to joining holes with a hardwood has a legend attached to it, To fulfill such duties, prospective candidates should have the main hull. The rising ends toggle inserted in the loop. and which the old folks can organizational experience, long term vision, problem solving toggle was t u r n e d , never pass without relating to abilities and the commitment to devote substantial time and added spray protection, The reserve buoyancy and were twisting the loop and gradual- the young, who all give the effort towards the growth and development of C W B . possibly for defense. The ly clamping the split closed. most respectful attention.

Due to the rapid growth occurring with our organization, the upswept ends could have been T h e n smaller holes were drill- When the tale is over the B o a r d has a critical need for trustees with skill areas in fundcarved out of the whole log, ed along the split and sewn steersman gives the word raising, accounting, finance, law, construction management, but they would then be too with cedar bark twine. The 'Que-muk, que-muk, whid- systems design, community government experience, public were tuck' - meaning now, now, relations, advertising and promotion. vulnerable to splitting off, as " S p a n i s h w i n d l e s s " the grain would not be run- then removed, the holes plug- hurry - when all paddle away These are a few of the many skills and capabilities which are ning with the curved ends. ged and seam, plugs and with a desperate energy for a needed for the continued development of the C W B .

The ends were connected with twine were payed with spruce few minutes and then the If you know of an interested member (in good standing) who same scene is again enacted. a mortise and tenon joint, gum. would like to be considered as a candidate, nominees may be B u t if the wind happens to be then doweled together. To get The bottom was vulnerable fair, then they are happy; the proposed in one of two ways: a perfect connection, joints to chafing from beach stones.

1. Proposal in writing to the nominating committee. The were checked for a water tight Periodically the canoe was sail is set if they have one, or nominee will be evaluated for placement on the ballot. fit by coating one of the overturned and the bottom 2. Proposal in writing signed by ten members in good stanmating surfaces with a com- was smoothed either by adzding. The nominee will go directly to the ballot. pound of grease and soot. A ing or polishing with hot The tree was left Nomination proposals should also include a brief description test fit was made and then the stones. The canoe was sealed of the candidate's experience, skills and capabilities. standing.

The next parts were separated and with oil from dog fish liver inProspective candidates should contact the chairman of the chiseled where needed until a side and out. The oiled bot- big windstorm would nominating committee by phone at once and follow with the perfect joint was made. After tom was a real slippery finish. written proposal. The deadline for submission of proposals is spring the canoe the final fit, the joint was U s i n g a canoe for hunting length slab out of the three weeks after the mailing of this notice. lashed together with cedar Contact M r . Pat F o r d , Chairman of the Nominating Comwhales, sea otter or sea lion bark twine and set in grooves mittee, Center for Wooden Boats, 1010 Valley Street, Seattle, was a serious business involv- tree. to prevent chafing.

WA 98109. • ing utter silence and concen-

continued from page 3 sex. The canoe was partially filled with a mixture that was two-thirds water and onethird urine. Fires on both sides heated the canoes. H o t stones were placed inside with green wood tongs until the liquid boiled. W o v e n cedar bark mats were placed over the canoe to contain the steam. Increasing lengths of shores were added to gradually spread the gunwales. If spreading was done too fast, the boat would split.

June-July 1984/Shavings/5

LIVERY BOATS Brothers' work

by Dick Wagner The boys from Iowa had lots of calm rivers to fool around in. T h a t ' s why F l o y d and E a r l Willits both built canoes in their Des Moines, Iowa high school shop class.

Their teacher showed them a technique that produced a strong but light canoe - double planked. The Willits brothers canoes were so good, they found cash customers for them.

The Willits family left Des Moines in 1906 for the wild, untamed Northwest. T h e y settled in Tacoma. E a r l and F l o y d finished high school there, and built canoes after school. The brothers saw more protected water in Puget Sound than in all of the rivers in Iowa.

The Willits brothers had found a paradise for small boats -a m i l d climate, endless winding fiords, hidden coves and small islands.

Most of this was still untouched wilderness and all of the beaches were set aside as public land.

Tacoma was just emerging from its homestead cocoon.

The pioneer period of hardscrabble stump farms was transforming into a developing city. W i t h that came wages, the luxury of a 6 day work week, and both time and pocket money for recreational pleasures.

This was still Puget Sound country, with a strong frontier flavor. Transportation was mainly by water. Small, fast steamers dashed from landing to landing. They were the s t r e e t c a r s of Puget Sound. The forests and lush barbed wire underbrush were impenetrable, except along old Indian trails. M o s t trail traffic was by foot or horseback. Cars came late to Puget Sound. In the early 20s the Seattle Fire Trucks were still all horse-drawn.

The center of recreational boating in Tacoma was the Tacoma Narrows. The Foss family had a livery at Salmon Beach since 1889, and there was one at Pt. Defiance at the north end of the narrows. The Pt. Defiance skiff, a slim, lapstrake, wineglass transom, 12' pulling boat, was developed for that rental operation.

The Willits boys, in their spare time, built canoes. They built them in the high school shop manner. The inner layer of 5/32" steam-bent cedar was laid edge to edge, bent around a solid mold. The outer planks, same thickness, were laid longitudinally. This was fastened together with copper clench nails. A layer of canvas, bedded in airplane cement was in between.

About the time the brothers had become settled, World War I began. They joined the A r m y . When the dust settled

after the A r m i s t i c e , the brothers combined their discharge pay and A r m y savings and bought a piece of waterfront on D a y Island, along the Tacoma Narrows.

D a y Island was 5 miles from town, so D a y Island waterfront in 1918 was pretty cheap. The island was occupied mainly by Indian fishermen and squatters. The beaches had driftwood piles of cedar, fir and spruce logs.

The Willits brothers quickly built a simple home and substantial, 2-story shop.

They then set up for a production canoe. That first year of canoe building, 1919, produced a 17' model with 3 0 " beam at the gunwale. The winter of 1919-20 the brothers decided their boat wasn't just right for the Sound - often a choppy, current laced washboard.

They made a major decision to increase the beam - 1".

They also added a wide H o n duran mahogany guard that overhangs the topsides I 1/2" - providing an effective spray shield. That was the last design change ever made on their stock 17' canoe for the remainder of their 40 year building career.

The Willits canoe has steam bent white oak stem pieces, H o n d u r a n mahogany keel, guard, decks, coaming and thwarts, ash kingplanks and Sitka spruce seats. There is a high sweep to the ends and fairly h i g h freeboard. A generous tumblehome midships gives a beam of 33-5/8" at the turn of bilge. The ends have enough fullness to prevent hobby-horsing in a swell.

The stems gracefully tumble back. There are 2' decks fore and aft. T h i s is a canoe that can take a n y t h i n g Puget Sound can dish out, anytime of year. F o r such a hunk of boat, the weight is only 75 pounds - exactly the same as a 17' canvas over cedar O l d Town canoe.

The canoes were built in a carefully coordinated way.

The construction process was as gracefully choreographed as a Broadway musical. The brothers knew who did what best, and never trampled on the other's territory. F l o y d was the jolly one, and E a r l the detail man, the record keeper. The two-story shop made sense. Upstairs was F l o y d ' s territory, downstairs was E a r l ' s domain. B u t when

The construction process was as gracefully choreographed as a Broadway musical.

two were needed, they worked t o g e t h e r as a w e l l - o i l e d machine.

T h e i r carefully planned assembly process involved jigs, precutting and preassembly when possible.

They were even coordinated with the calendar. In fall they scouted the mill ponds in Commencement B a y to pick out the one perfect cedar log.

A l l summer long the loggers were cutting and making up rafts. F a l l brought the maximum number of logs down to the mills, in vast acres of monster sized logs.

money to restore it. A n y sponsors?

The canoes were assembled (upstairs) on a solid wood mold, covered with sheet metal. The copper clench nails came down a chute from a nail bin in the rafters, into a trough on each side of the mold. A pull on a cord activated a cam that held the bin door open just long enough to spit out the exact number of nails for each boat (over 8000).

Liveries and summer camps were their main market. T h e y built two boats a month.

To get their choice log, Tacoma grew up around D a y F l o y d and E a r l designed and Island. When the roads finalbuilt a 22' inboard motor ly arrived the island became a neighborhood.

The launch. They built it just like p o s h a canoe - and all varnished in- economic barometer rose and side and out. The Center has fell, as the tides of Puget this boat, waiting for the Sound. Other canoes were be-

Family fleet

by Henry Gordon Another family operation was the Losvars. The Losvars ran the boathouse in Mukilteo, and built the boat that brought the town fame.

There was a lumber mill, and a few hotels. B u t who can remember them now? B u t the 16', then 18' carvel-hulled fishing boat with the high, Norwegian style bow? That was the source of legends.

Paul L o s v a r came to Mukilteo in 1906 from A l t a , Norway via Michigan. He was a carpenter who had heard there was work in Mukilteo. He came and found a job in the mill there, but rather quickly opened the boathouse. He built tugs for the mill while he built his fleet, and would repair spars or whatever on the sailing ships that loaded lumber at the mills.

The Losvars built Mukilteo boats into the 1950s and ran the livery until 1970. The boat changed constantly. In 1906 it was a 12 foot lapstrake. Two 14 footers were added in 1910. B u t the big change came in 1913 with

the a r r i v a l o f o u t b o a r d motors.

The boat was lengthened to 16 feet and changed to a carvel hull. As motors got bigger and more popular, the transom was made flat and square to keep the heavier motors from lifting the bow too far out of the water.

They were narrow boats.

The 16 footer was 5 feet wide and 20 inches deep at the stern, rising to 30 inches at the bow. A very round chine not only made the boat very seaworthy, but easily turned and handled as well.

The early boats were not for sale. Paul Losvar didn't want to make matters easy for his competition, and so built only enough boats for the livery.

By the early 1930s when he died, there were 40 kicker boats - motor boats - and six rowboats. When a boat was taken out of service (the round transomed lapstrakes, for instance) he would drag it down to the beach and burn it. B u t George did sell boats when he took over the business.

They were handsome boats, with very fluid lines. In the

ing sold around the Sound.

O l d T o w n had a dealer in Seattle since 1909, who bought a boxcar load every year.

Peterborough and Elsinore canoes were also competing. B u t the Willits canoe was recognized as the dominant one on the market.

T h e y cost more, but they had the seaworthiness, craftsmanship and a certain indefinable quality of class which put them on top of the heap.

The world changed a lot from 1919 to 1959 but the standards of excellence of the W i l l i t s brothers remained steadfast.

In 1959 Floyd Willits died. E a r l continued to repair their canoes, but never built another. It took only two men, but they were two special men. E a r l died in 1969. •

30s, more flare was added in the front and for the first time tumblehome was added in the stern. No two boats were ever the same, George's son and later partner, A r t , said. T h i s wasn't because George was constantly improvising with the d e s i g n ; rather, if a mistake were made, he would simply improvise from there. " D a d wasn't too p i c k y , " he said. " H e was not a perfectionist to the point of a fine carpenter. B u t he was better than most wood butchers."

So the spacing on the ribs was sometimes not uniform and the boats would come off of the mold with a few inches variation.

The 18 footer, the most popular fishing boat, was developed in the late 1920s. It rented for $1.50 a day during the week and $2 on Sundays.

Rowboats at that time went for $1 a day or $0.25 an hour.

The clientele was not local, A r t Losvar said. The depression hit the mill town hard, putting even those seemingly low rates out of most m i l l h a n d ' s reach. B u t a steady flow of Seattle fisherfolk kept the business flourishing. A 1931 Pacific Motor Boat article has a piccontinued on page 6

6/Shavings/June-July 1984

The Mukilteo Boat continued from page 5 ture of M r s . Eddie Bauer standing behind a string of 22 f i s h . B u t cops, b a n k e r s , anyone with steady work also came. Someone explained to the article's author: " T h e y go out there to get away from the noise and bustle of the city. There ain't no telephones out there. Or any traffic signals, or auto horns or n o t h i n g like t h a t . . . i t ' s about the only place you're

The business flourished. In fact, in 1935 George Losvar paid $865 cash for a new Chevrolet, and never drove a used car again.

In 1935, the first 20 footer was built on commission for Harold Stimson. It was a basic Mukilteo boat, drafted by the well-known Seattle naval architect Leigh Coolidge. He built more for sale, the cycle being boat building in the winter and the steady livery business in the

daughter. They were both born on December 13.

But history beckoned and the boat continued to change.

Plank on frame went out of style. Plywood was in. The hull was transformed into a semi-V, cutting down the cost of materials and the time necessary to build a boat. It was, in appearance, very similar to the Reinell boat made in Marysville.

B u t as the 50s stretched into the 60s, boat liveries hit

The Grandy dinghy

by Dick Wagner

free these d a y s . " T r y to imagine the lure these paragraphs must have had in a world where the economy was crumbling and war lurked: " A l l you need for a guarantee of some of the finest and fastest sport fishing in the world is to let out your line in nearby waters and leave it to the fish to do the r e s t . . . " O r : " T h e boats are there and all the equipment. The fish are waiting for you in any direction you choose to t u r n , and the nonstop light is always green as far as the season is concerned. A l l you need is the inclination, and most of us already have that, so that really leaves n o t h i n g to desire."

summer.

The boathouse was between the l i g h t h o u s e s t i l l a t Mukilteo beach and the ferry terminal. The shop was divided into three sections: a storage shed for the boats in the slow season, though they were open year around; a boat building shop; and a storage area for the few who owned boats then.

If the family story need any more romance, George married the lighthouse keeper's

upon hard times as boat sales skyrocketed. To make the livery go, a restaurant would be needed to draw people. B u t that was more headache and complication than the family wanted.

In 1970 the land was leased for 65 years to a condominium developer. The old boathouse is now a whaleshaped swimming pool. The family home is a lounge and pool table.

•

'All you need for the finest sport fishing in the world is to let out your line.'

M a r t y Monson could finish a boat in five days—complete with paint, varnish, oars and leathers.

Marty built lapstrake or clinker boats for the G r a n d y Boatworks from 1924 to 1933. He built just about every one that had the G r a n d y nameplate—close to 500.

Two brothers B i l l and E a r l G r a n d y started the boatshop in 1924. They were located at 2540 Westlake N. The Grandy-s' mother lived nearby, and her houseboat neighbors—the Monsons—had a 14-year-old son who perpetually fooled around with boats.

M r s . Grandy recommended him for a job as sweeper of the shop after school. They hired him, and two weeks later E a r l G r a n d y showed M a r t y how to build a lapstrake rowing boat.

M a r t y did all the rest himself until he quit in 1937.

The G r a n d y boat shop had stock sizes from 7' to 18'.

Most orders were in the 10' to 12' range. Often they were for i n d i v i d u a l s to use as a dinghy. They also received large orders from the Seattle Parks Department for lifeguard boats and from the West Seattle Boathouse for rental boats.

Clear, tight vertical grain red cedar was used for planking. The keel, stem, and frames were white oak. The fastenings were copper clench nails. The planking was full length for boats up to 16'.

The leading lapstrake boat builder in Puget Sound in the 1920s and 1930s was A d a m s and Reinell in Marysville.

They built only lapstrake boats. The G r a n d y shop was typical of L a k e Union and Puget Sound boat shops.

They were set up to build cruisers and commercial boats, but had some stock boats to keep the crew busy between major jobs. In addition to row boats, they also built flat bottomed skiffs—about 200 a year in the 1920s.

Monson was paid $2 a day

June-July 1984/Shavings/7

when he was 16 and gradually worked his way up to the top scale of $3.25 a day by the late 1920s. A 12' clinker complete sold for $95. If there were a big order, M a r t y would set up four sets of molds in the shop and with an assistant could complete three boats and hang the garboard on the fourth in one day.

The planks came out of the

steam box blistering hot and had to be clamped in place in steam-bath conditions. The toughest part of planking these boats was getting a tight, smooth fit at the transom. The planking has to be pre-beveled p r o p e r l y a n d clamped to the transom with cupped blocks. If all isn't perfect, the planks will split when fastened home to the

transom.

In 1933 after M a r t y left the G r a n d y shop—it was because of the pay—he built his own floating boat shop next to the family boat house at 1200 Westlake N. M a r t y remembers it as the " y e a r the twins were b o r n . " He had saved for a year to buy the five monster cedar float logs. They cost $25 total.

Monson bought some land

on Fairview to moor his shop.

He built hundreds of fine boats there until he retired and sold the property in 1975.

Possibly the most famous and beautiful boats built in the floating shop were the 40' knockabout schooner Rainbird designed by William G a r d e n and the s e i n e r Debonair.

After the property was sold, the boat shop was towed

a few miles up the Duwamish River where it now sits empty, vandalized and forlorn, especially when it grounds and tilts at low tide.

The G r a n d y Brothers Boat Shop continued to be busy and operated by the founding brothers until it burned to the water in 1966. Their marine railway survived and is now restored and in commercial use. •

8/Shavings/June-July 1984

King of the tumblehome

by M a r t y Loken T e n years ago I found myself momentarily boatless and searching for something different. I had owned a variety of small boats and had built kayaks, hydros and wooden outboards. At one point I had enjoyed the speed and comfort of a 17-foot fiberglass hardtop that resembled a '65 F o r d Galaxie—at least I enjoyed it until the doubled bottom splintered apart in a blow near Jefferson Head. Ten years ago, as I contemplated the next craft, I knew it had to be wood, though—traditional and seaworthy.

E n o u g h of speed for the sake of speed. To heck with plastic things that only needed work when the bottom peeled away

from the top. Ten years ago I was in my early 30s and wanted something from the 1930s—a boat I could love for its pure beauty, and work on, and enjoy for many years.

B u t what would it be?

Wandering through mental lists, I returned often to one of the first boats I could remember—a handsome, nononsense inboard fishing boat my dad had built in the dirtf l o o r e d basement of our Beacon H i l l home in 1945.

The design had come from one of those How to Build 49 Boats in Your Dirt-Floored Basement books, and the craft had only two purposes in life: to be seaworthy and to catch salmon.

By the time I was old enough to appreciate the boat we had moved to Ballard, on

the edge of a bluff overlook- drifted among the fishermen but it always seemed—no ing what would later become in his red and white barge, matter how many layers of the Shilshole marina. Below selling hot coffee, hot dogs rust—to start and run withour place, across the tracks, a n d c o l d c a n d y t o the out complaint. (Later, as a was the old Tregoning Boat throngs. ruthless teenager, I converted Works. Next to Tregoning B u t back to the boat. The the inboard to a go-fast outwere four boathouses where thing I remembered most board and used the Briggs in fishermen kept their own fondly about the boat was ac- a homebuilt go-cart. It refusskiffs or rented boats from tually the rusty little Briggs ed to die, no matter what we the livery fleets: B a l l a r d & Stratton that Pop had did to it.)

Boathouse, Ray's, Reed's and bought new at Sears for about The Briggs did not have a Canal Boathouse. There were $60. By the time I was paying gearbox, so Pop had rigged others farther up the channel attention to such things the the world's simplest clutch, toward the Locks, but our in- engine was 10 or 12 years old, consisting of a lever that terest was downstream, would lift one end of the closer to the salmon-trolling hinge-mounted engine about grounds. an inch, engaging a fanbelt "There was no Pop kept the inboard at connected to a shaft pulley Canal Boathouse, pulled up prolonged negotiabelow.

He actually had on a half-sunken float. We'd tion. I was drooling e n g i n e e r e d a t w o - s p e e d often head for the water when transmission: two pulleys on helplessly. Howard he came home from work, the engine shaft and two on putt-putting out to mingle the driveshaft that provided a named a figure. I with a sizable fleet of small variety of gear ratios—a 2:6 wrote a check . . . " fishing boats.

Sometimes engine-driveshaft ratio when we'd stop at the live bait float he wanted to troll slowly for to pick up herring, and fishing salmon, and a 3:4 ratio for expeditions were occasionally running to and from the interrupted by a vendor who fishing grounds.

June-July 1984/Shavings/9 terested in boats than cars and by 1935 was a full-time boatbuilder. In 1939 he set up a full-scale boatshop in the basement of the garage, where he continued to turn out Poulsbo Boats until 1965.

Before quitting, he cranked out some 900 Poulsbo boats (most folks then called them simply Young-built boats) for individual buyers and fishing camps around Puget Sound and along the Straits. A b o u t 750 of the boats resembled Shine, although many were outboards.

The whole r i g was functional, cheap and appealing. I fondly remembered the lulling beat of the Briggs as we idled forth and back across Shilshole B a y , and suddenly found myself looking for a similar recipe.

What I found exceeded all expectations: a 15 1/2-foot Poulsbo boat in the garage of Howard Swanson, a tinkering

printer who had lovingly restored several Poulsbos and seemed, at the moment, to have too many projects going. There was no prolonged negotiation. I was drooling hopelessly. Howard named a figure. I wrote a check and s u d d e n l y owned a l i t t l e dreamboat . . . even if it still needed three months of restoration work.

Gloria and I named the boat Shine, after a special beach the far side of Hood Canal, and I spent the next several weeks finishing H o w a r d ' s project. It was a wonderful time, but slow going . . . s o many hours were lost just looking at those lines and wondering how Ronald Y o u n g , the designer-builder, had conceived such a perfect little boat working only from a whittled half-model. My infatuation was hopeless and, in fact, has grown stronger as I've learned more about Y o u n g and the boats he put together in the clammy basement of a Poulsbo service station.

Ronald Young, I later learned, was born in Poulsbo in the late 1800s, and built his first boats around 1914. (One of the first ones was traded for a piano.) After World W a r I he launched the service stationgarage business with his cousin and continued to build boats in a back room. He apparently became more in-

The common thread among Young-built boats was the tremendously springy sheerline, nearly plumb stem, exaggerated tumblehome and a sweet little mahogany transom that bobbed clear of the water as the lines swept up through the aft sections. It is a jaunty, seaworthy design with mysterious origins—called by some " t h e best small boat ever b u i l t . " I wouldn't go that far, but I'm not sure what I'd nominate in its place. Young's mission was to design a boat that would be safe, appealing to the eye, seaworthy, simple to operate, reliable and strong enough to endure the rigors of use in a rental fleet. It's hard to imagine a finer solution than his basic Poulsbo boat model.

A lot of new information trickled out during the FirstE v e r Poulsbo Boat Rendezvous we organized last July (It was held in Poulsbo, about 150 feet from Young's original shop.) The rendezvous was a wonderful oppor-

tunity to compare notes and see, for the first time, the range of design changes made

by Y o u n g and others who emulated his basic concept.

No two boats at the rendezvous were quite alike, despite the fact that Y o u n g was theoretically building a " p r o d u c t i o n " boat.

Ronald Y o u n g was not around to share first-hand inf o r m a t i o n —he died in 1968—but his son, Gordon, came to the rendezvous to answer questions and enjoy the sight of our growing fleet.

Gordon, of Vancouver, W A , is about to retire as a school administrator. He started working for his father at age 10, cutting out pieces from patterns and helping with the assembly. The two of them would build two boats at once, usually finishing each set in 10 or 12 days. Gordon earned $50 for each boat completed—more than he'll be paid for the new Poulsbo boat he'll build immediately upon retirement this summer.

As we contempleted the amazing variety of hull shapes before us in Poulsbo, Gordon explained that his dad might make a number of nearly identical boats for a fishing resort, but individual customers had i n d i v i d u a l needs and many of the finished boats varied—especially in beam. Ronald Y o u n g did not hesitate to push the molds out if a customer wanted a beamier boat with increased load-carrying capacity. He would just as willingly bring the molds back in if someone continued on page 10

10/Shavings/June-July 1984 continued from page 9 wanted a sleek, more convent i o n a l model for cruises around the inner harbor.

E v e n more startling than the mix of hull shapes were the different engine-gearboxpropellor configurations. Out of 21 boats at the rendezvous, there were no two p o w e r p l a n t / d r i v e t r a i n rigs alike. Most skippers still had the simple little gas engines installed by Y o u n g and other builders (Wisconsins and Briggs, mainly), but there the similarities ended. There were direct-drive units, factory gearboxes, custom-made marine transmissions, homebuilt "slow-er-down-andthrow-it-in-gear" couplings an even one or two controllable-pitch rigs scrounged from old sailboats.

There were engines with water cooling. There was one air-cooled engine w i t h a water-cooled exhaust. There was an 18-footer with steam propulsion—the only quiet Poulsbo boat on the water.

Altogether, last year's rendezvous was an inspiration to the inventor lurking in each of us, and many owners are lashing together even more unusual outfits this season. I am among the guilty, having discarded my conventional Wisconsin for an old engine built by the defunct US Motors Corporation of Oshkosh. The thing is an acoustic improvement over the Wisconsin but it lacks a gearbox so I'm fashioning a clutch with parts snitched from a golf-course mower.

A n d that's the wonderful

thing about tinkering with an old Poulsbo boat—there are few ground rules.

The Poulsbo Boat Rendezvous also was an opportunity to become acquainted with some other bygone builders who put together boats resembling Young's 14- to 18-footers.

While Y o u n g was easily the most prolific builder in the Poulsbo area, some fine inboards came from the shops of A x e l E n q u i s t of nearby Virginia Point, Halvor Veggen of P o u l s b o , Ernest M c D o n a l d of Bangor, Bob E v e n s o n of V i n l a n d and others. (A fellow named Dave Anderson reportedly built a few Poulsbo Boats in Port Gamble, and someone named Koski may have put a few together in Silverdale. There also was a Moe boat from Bremerton that looked like Young's basic model, and of course there were other builders around the Sound who had their own ideas of what a small carvel-planked fishing boat should look like . . . the Mukilteo Boat, Tregoning Boat and many others.)

Most of the Y o u n g lookalikes appear quite different when compared side-by-side.

The most notable contrasts are in transom design (few are quite like Young's distinctive heart-shape), in a lack of extreme tumblehome aft (Young out-tumbled all of them), and in a sheerline that is not quite as saucy as Young's. A l l of the boats are attractive, all are well-built and seaworthy.

It's just that they're different.

Poulsbo B o a t Rendezvous will be held Saturday and Sunday, J u l y 28-29, on the waterfront in Poulsbo. Come join in the fun—take a free ride in a Poulsbo boat. See two or three dozen Northwest classics and share our potluck feast. B u y some junk you don't need during our fundraising sale of old marine gear.

A cautionary note, We have located about 100, however; once you see one of Poulsbo boats from Oregon to these boats you'll want to Southeast A l a s k a . M a n y of the northern boats are running groceries, kids and dogs from places like E l f i n Cove to even more remote beach cabins. Most of the existing boats are in Puget Sound, still helping their owners catch fish . . . or island beach camp . . . o r simply cruise for a n afternoon with the family.

Our current estimate is that there are about 200 useful or restorable Poulsbo boats left, but it's a shame that so many are rotting in blackberries, sheds and pastures of the Northwest.

We're trying to promote the restoration of as many boats as we can, mainly through the Center and a separate informal club of Poulsbo boat owners. Our Second A n n u a l

M a n y readers are already familiar with the story of Ronald Young. The Center for WoodenBoats detailed Young's career a few years ago in " T h e Poulsbo B o a t , " a nice monograph that is available from the C W B for a paltry $4.50 postpaid.

climb aboard, and soon you'll be cranking up the little puttputt and sinking into the stern seat for a turn around Liberty B a y . If you happen to be boatless at the time, you may discover it is a temporary condition. We have the cure for y o u !

• (Editor's note: For details on the Poulsbo Boat Rendezvous, contact the Center or Marty Loken at 9521 25th NW, Seattle, WA 98117.)

H . A . Long boat

by Dick Wagner The time was the mid1930s—the heart of the Great Depression. Jobs were few and wages were low. Competition for the hard earned consumer dollar was cutthroat.

L i v i n g on Puget Sound, with water all around, folks had a strong primal urge to get down to the water and shove off in a boat to see the other side. Maybe bring the old fishing pole and snag salmon or cod.

Few could afford a new boat, or even a beached wreck, so the boat liveries were the place to go with the family and play yachting for a day. There you could rent a wood rowing boat, canoe or motor launch for a pittance.

It was escape from the drudgery of mill, factory or retail shop—it was relaxation, romance or maybe a fat salmon.

This was the medium that

June-July 1984/Shavings/ll the old homestead rental operation was still going strong. Andrew saw an increased demand then for good rowing boats. He commissioned L o n g to build an easy pulling, seaworthy skiff for one to three adults, that could navigate the sometimes considerable current and chop of the T a c o m a Narrows, off Salmon Beach. He needed 25 of them.

nurtured a whole series of good boats in Puget Sound—the Poulsbo boat, Mukilteo boat, Reinell boats and more, including the 12' H . A . L o n g boat.

Henry A. L o n g , Sr. built his first boat in 1906—a 20' gas fueled stern wheeler. He was 15. After working around the Sound at various boat yards, L o n g founded his own shop in Olympia in 1921. There he built a range of boats including tugs, seiners, yachts, dinghies, skiffs and even a small ferry. H i s sons D o n and Henry grew up helping out in the shop.

had the real stuff. H . A . L o n g developed a stock series of inboard and outboard b o a t s — r o u n d b o t t o m and It was an exciting time for V-bottom. H i s 15' lapstrake small boat builders. The out- inboard w i t h a 2 1/4 h.p. board motor was getting Lauson engine was $250 in quite reliable. The inboard 1930 ($265 with reverse gear). engine manufacturers were outdoing each other to make T h e y entered their runlighter, smaller units. Native abouts in races. H a n k , J r . was wood was everywhere. W i t h the chosen driver, as he was all these elements a builder the lightest. In one race from had to hustle to keep ahead of O l y m p i a to Seattle (65 miles) the competition. He had to young L o n g remembers two design and build boats on things. He flew north in a speculation, to prove his cloud of spray at 30 knots, recipe of hull, engine and prop and the newly built boat had

twisted, pounded and stretched so much, the copper clench nailed frame-plank fastenings had straightened out and pulled loose. After that all H . A .

L o n g boats were riveted through the frames.

T h a t winter L o n g and his sons built the fleet of 12' lapstrake boats. They had 3/8" red cedar planking (copper clench nailed) on eastern white oak steam bent frames (copper riveted), white oak stem, keel and transom. V a r nished inside and out.

In the winter of 1934-35, Andrew Foss visited L o n g , Sr. Andrew's wife Thea had begun the Foss Launch and T u g dynasty in 1889 by renting a second hand ($5) flat bottom skiff at their Salmon Beach, Tacoma, home. The Foss fleet had grown by 1934 to a considerable convoy of tugs and crew launches, but

Today, H a n k Long, J r . is still building these same 12' boats, and has also expanded the model to 15'. H a n k only builds them when he can find top grade vertical grain red cedar. If the wood isn't good, he w o n ' t b u i l d .

It's an elegant, quality boat, born for a shoestring, hard scrabble era.

•

12/Shavings/June-July 1984

FICTION BY ERNIE GANN

Fishing on the Fred Holmes

by Ernest K. G a n n 1.

It was not because of the money that I named our first fishing boat the Fred Holmes. I loved the man. D u r i n g his last year, when his body was wracked with myeloma, we at least brought him some joyful distraction with radio calls to his hospital bed from the vessel of his name. We lied sometimes about the amount of fish we had on board and he knew we were l y i n g and even so it was said he laughed in spite of his excruciating pain—which was enough to make the whole project worthwhile.

LaFrenier and I went to Seattle, where we climbed over half a hundred boats for sale. Finally we chose a brand-new troller built by a Swede who was reputed to be the best builder of all. I discovered that he was also a miser, so dedicated to pennies that he had leaned the carburetor mixture on his car until the engine stopped every time he paused at an intersection. He revealed himself one day when we were picking up final supplies just before sailing. " Y a h , " he explained as he pressed the starter button on his immaculate prewar Chevrolet. " G a s costs lots of money. No sense to use it ven you vait for traffic."

I could not convince him that he actually used more fuel by restarting his engine each time.

In spite of his penury the Swede had built this little vessel well. She was 40 feet in length and her frames were of oak with planking of Port Orford cedar. So she smelled marvelous

below. The bow was bold, the stem bulkhead, an autopilot, and an enunusually straight and determined closed head, a luxury enjoyed by fishing craft.

Below the for-this era, and she had a pleasant few sheer which extended sweetly all the pilothouse was the engine, a B u d a way aft. Her stern was not beautiful, gasoline, brand-new. It was in the the transom being absolutely vertical open, sharing the available space with above the water, and at first I was whatever men occupied the two concerned lest she present too much bunks on either side. Next to the flat surface to a following sea. There engine was a kerosene stove and opwas a deep trolling pit aft, which was posite a fold-down table large enough comfortable although the reach over for serving two persons. her counter was a bit long for our The whole vessel was comely, effiarms. There were two sets of salmon cient, and strangely appealing, like a gurdies on either side aft, which we well-scrubbed Scandinavian girl of later discovered were worse than modest beauty. So even though the useless.

Swede refused to reduce his price a She could carry 8 tons of iced fish, penny, we bought her. which was considerable for a boat of The Swede knew pigeons as well as her length, and this capacity was fish. pointed out to us as a great attribute.

The snow was still on the surroundUnfortunately, no one ever explained i n g mountains when we sailed from how we might catch 8 tons of fish on a Puget Sound bound for San Fransingle voyage. cisco. It was M a r c h , which is a tricky The pilothouse was small though month for all mariners, but the seas neatly done, and all the interior wood- were smooth, and since the exhaust of engine passed work was varnished. There was a fold- the Fred Holmes's down chart table on the starboard through a stack inside the pilothouse.

Suddenly a l l fourteen l i n e s were s t r a i n i n g with f i s h , and a t once we put the Fred Holmes i n a t i g h t c i r c l e . For over an hour we hauled, heaved, and threw back our l i n e s . Our arms ached and the l i n e s cut through our wet canvas gloves u n t i l the blood of our hands mixed with the b r i g h t red albacore blood.

we were always warm. E v e n Cape Flattery, which is at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula and can be quite as brutish as Finisterre or Hatteras, was kind to us, and for a day and a night the Fred Holmes proceeded smoothly southward. This was the best of luck because the northwestern coast is desolate, devoid of decent shelter, and the winds can be as vicious as anywhere in the world.

Thus we were in tremendous spirits and exalted at the prospect of making our living in a new and exciting fashion. A n d the Fred Holmes had already taken our hearts. The B u d a engine worked with a minimum of noise and on checking our fuel consumption we were amazed at its economy. The autopilot worked. The bunks were comfortable and we dreamed the hold was full of fish instead of a mere 2 tons of ice which we had taken as ballast' 2.

On the eleventh day in the vicinity of Cedros Island we were obliged to turn for port because our fuel was running short. A n d on the eleventh day we caught one albacore. He weighed about 20 pounds and was very beautiful. He was also one of the world's most expensive fish, representing the cost of 6 tons of ice, 400 gallons of fuel, plus groceries and sundries for two men for fifteen days, which would be the total before we actually delivered him to a buyer in San Diego. We could not bring ourselves to allocate his share of boat cost and gear.

Before we iced him down in the hold LaFrenier petted our prize and spoke to him sweetly. " P l e a s e , " he murmured, "introduce us to your f a m i l y . "

June-July

1984/Shavings/13

ing from 6 to 18 feet, and finally 6 feet of wire leader. At its end is a double barbless hook concealed and presumably made tempting by various colorful jigs. The number of opinions on just what these lures should be and how they should follow the leader is exactly equal to the population of fishermen.

Our one fish brought us a special reward when we arrived in San Diego.

Our treasure was indeed the first the fish buyer had seen, so we had officially opened his season. Delirious with the prospect of a new year's easy profit, he momentarily betrayed his calling. He not only bought our single fish at the going price without haggling or prophecies of his own financial doom, he gave us a bottle of cheap whisky.

Boldness was our chief weapon in the war we had now joined. In the little Fred Holmes we ranged thousands of miles over the waters where albacore were to be found. A n d gradually, by good fortune, imitation of our betters, and a certain stubborn persistence, we began to catch a few fish.

When we returned to San Diego at the end of our second trip (never called a voyage in the fishing fleet), we had iced down a ton and a half of albacore. In our opinion this was

something more like the way things should be and we were variously influenced by our accomplishment.

LaFrenier developed a certain mannerism of speech, which combined a rather pleasant melody with studied carelessness. _ T h e majority of his sentences were preceded by "I d u n n o ' s , " which did not really signify that he was in true ignorance of the subject at hand, but marked him as a genuine fisherman.

length. These are set on port and starboard cap-rails j u s t abaft the pilothouse. When the boat-is under way, they are normally hauled inboard and secured in a near-vertical position against spreaders which extend from each side of the mast.

When the boat is actually fishing or prospecting, the poles are carried at an angle of about 45 degrees to the deck and five fishing lines trail aft from each pole. Because of their difMy affectation was a swagger bet- ferent lengths the lines can be hauled ter suited to Captain A h a b and a way inboard one over the other, normally of sticking my thumbs behind my without entanglement. belt and standing with my feet spread In addition to the ten outer pole wide that suggested Bully Hayes. lines, three or four short lines are In addition to our enthusiasm and streamed directly aft over the transeamanship we had a good boat, som, and a single long line from the which was more than many fishermen truck of the mast. Very often it picks had. T h u s we might have stood a up the first fish of a school. good chance for the season if only A l l of the lines are in four sections, because the technique of fishing the rubber which absorbs the initial albacore is uncomplicated. A troller shock of the fish hitting the bait, the such as the Fred Holmes carries two line itself, which is normally heavy heavy outrigger poles about 30 feet in cod line, then a length of nylon vary-

Yet we were honestly learning. Our long workdays had always been rewarding even when fish were few and far between. There was always the hunt. Where? There, maybe . . .

A hundred miles to the south? Fifty miles to the west? A n d we had, by sheer chance, stumbled into a school when no other vessel was in the vicinity to interfere. Suddenly all fourteen lines were straining with fish, and at once we put the Fred Holmes in a tight circle. F o r over an hour we hauled, heaved, and threw back our lines. Our arms ached and the lines cut through our wet canvas gloves until the blood of our hands mixed with the bright red albacore blood. We took sixty-one fish from the school before they sounded and we were covered with slime, blood, and pride. We did not realize that good fishermen, working faster and much more skillfully, would probably have taken at least twice sixty-one, for when a school of albacore decides to commit mass suicide, their frenzy is awesome. They will take your finger if you are so foolish as to dangle it overside. A school so maddened will deliberately follow a boat around and around in a circle, roiling the water just beneath the stern, voracious, fighting, it seems, for the first chance to be caught. T h e n , as suddenly and mysteriously as the attack begins, everything is over. Some finned continued on page 14

14/Shavings/June-July 1984

Ernest K. Gann continued from page 13 policeman halts the panic and the entire school plunges for the depths.

Y o u may fish the identical area for the rest of the day and not have a single strike. To prolong the fray, wise fishermen constantly " c h u m " the circle even as they haul. They carry a stock of salted bait in a stinking barrel and toss tidbits into the wake of their vessel, which works wonders.

We made three trips before we knew about such refinements. Yet little by little we had absorbed a great many things. Seek water of the right temperature. Fifty-eight degrees is ideal. " J a p H e a d s " are by far the most reliable lure although it is well to carry a few " b o n e s " on the longest lines for invitation. W a s h the blood from the albacore's mouth with the deck hose because bloody fish are more likely to spoil and the buyers are just waiting for any excuse to cut their price. Beware of boats from the squarehead fleet. They are seldom looking where they are going, and they are bigger and may run you down, especially if they've been hitting the aquavit. Clear your lines constantly, because fish are not as dumb as you think and they know dragging seaweed when they see it. Work in any kind of weather. The fish don't give a damn how hard it's blowing. Be sure you're ready to start the day's fishing long before dawn, since the

" m o r n i n g b i t e " is often the most productive of all and you may spend the rest of the day trolling hopelessly across a liquid desert. Keep fishing until you can't see what you're doing or observe the lines. The " e v e n i n g b i t e " may save your day. Install refrigeration as soon as you can afford it and meanwhile conserve your ice. It is almost a certainty that the day your ice is nearly gone, which will force you to make port, there will be the greatest run of albacore in history. Distrust 99 percent of the fish buyers no matter how friendly their smiles. Look at their soft hands, then at your own, and admit they are smarter. So stand by the scale and watch them as you would a cobra.

Be certain they consider you a congenital idiot for doing what you're doing. Don't prove them right. D o n ' t start the season too soon and don't work it too late. The honor of catchi n g the first albacore won't pay your fuel bill, and autumn storms can slay you. Know that when there are few fish the price will be high, and when there are many fish to be caught by any fool the price will be low. H a v e your emotional apparatus tuned to accept this law or your weeping glands will soon run dry. •

These two excerpts have been taken from Song of the Sirens with the permission of Ernest K. Gann, a member of the Center and author of dozens of our favorite books.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Friday, June 15 C W B M O N T H L Y MEETING 8-10 p.m., Waterway 4 T o m Beard will offer an illustrated talk on the history of Columbia River gillnetters from 1905 through 1915. This period covers the transition from oar and sail to gas engines. This is the story of how those bow pickers with exquisite curves came to be. Tom is a maritime historian/naval architect who researched, wrote and handled line drawings for the C W B monograph on Poulsbo Boats.

June 29 30, July 1 S E A T T L E W O O D E N B O A T SHOW 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Lake Union The C W B ' s big annual event—the West Coast's top wooden boat show—featuring boats, demonstrations, special exhibits, films, music and much talk of wooden boats... not to mention rowing and sailing races, speakers, boat raffle, marine-gear auction, food and other attractions.

W e l l repeat the popular Quick & Daring Boatbuilding Contest (see details in insert sheet, this issue). Details, 382 B O A T .

Saturday, July 14 T H E LUTEFISK P U L L (Bainbridge to Poulsbo) Rowers will gather for a noon departure from Fay Bainbridge State Park, Bainbridge Island, heading for the "Little Norway" town of Poulsbo, on Liberty Bay. For details, 842-4202, Bainbridge Island.

Saturday, July 14 W O O D S E L E C T I O N IN BOATBUILDING 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Port Townsend $18 workshop, N.W. School of Wooden Boatbuilding. Details, 385-4948.

Friday, July 20 CWB M O N T H L Y MEETING 8-10 p.m., Waterway 4 Herb Yates will give a talk on the history of small boats in Willapa Bay. This bay, the first north of the Columbia River mouth, had long been settled by loggers and oystermen. The men of Oysterville and Bruceport fought bloody battles to deliver oysters to the San Franciscobound schooners. Herb is a historian of the Northwest, living in Portland.

Saturday-Sunday, July 21-22 SQUAX1N ISLAND R E G A T T A Annual informal gathering of traditional small craft; rowing events, food, boat talk, overnight camping. Details, (206) 943-9025.

Saturday-Sunday, July 28-29 POULSBO BOAT RENDEZVOUS Noon-dark daily, Poulsbo waterfront Another relaxed get-together of Poulsbo Boat owners and aficionados, to include a sharing of information, free boat rides, parade around Liberty Bay, slide show, sale of marine-related gear and visits with local residents who share their knowledge of the salty craft. Details, Marty Loken, 282-8116 days.

Saturday, August 4 P U L L & BE D A M N E D R E G A T T A Bowman Bay, Deception Pass Rowing event involving a wide variety of hand launched craft—lots of fun. For details, call Bob and Erica Pickett, 293-2369, Anacortes.

August 6-10 APPLIED L O F T I N G SEMINAR 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, Pt. Townsend Five day, $125 workshop at the N . W . School of Wooden Boatbuilding. Details, 385-4948.

Saturday-Sunday, August 11-12 STEAMBOAT RENDEZVOUS Poulsbo Waterfront Annual get-together of Northwest Steam Society boats; public invited to inspect the fleet.

Details, N W S S , Box 9727, Seattle WA 98109.

Center needs weekend hosts Remember that Ferlinghetti poem where he says that the world is a wonderful place " i f you don't mind a few dead faces/in a few high places"?

Well, the Center is a wonderful place without qualifiers. A n d part of what that means is that on weekends we have far more visitors than our meager staff of two can accommodate. Some want to rent boats.

Some want to chat. Some want to buy things.

We need you to help greet them.

Y o u ' l l get our earnest thanks for doing so, and credit towards free time in one of our boats. It's fun—call Caren at 3 8 2 - B O A T to sign up to be a weekend host or hostess.

•

June-July

1984/Shavings/15

16/Shavings/June-July

1984

20 years ago this was an uncontrollable stream full of snags, gravel bars and twisty turns. I never managed to run up it without hitting something . . .

by Dave Cox

sites, sanitary facilities and, again, no water.

This is a delightful spot. There is a wide variety of sea life uncovered each time the tide exits from the extensive beach. Several trails take you to viewpoints 800 feet above the water, providing a commanding view of surrounding waters. A n d while we were there, a plethora of wood had washed up, providing fuel for all the fires we wanted. (Take a modest saw.)

A nice alternative approach might be to head northwest from the launching ramp, up Rosario Strait, passing around the north end of Cypress Island. After a night (or more) on Cypress, finish your circumnavigation by heading south down Bellingham Channel.

Have you ever had a harbor seal follow your boat for more than a mile, coming closer and closer until he as If you haven't cruised the San only 35 feet away? Or watched Juans before, take note: the currents another seal pup swim past your must be taken into account when campsite in the early morning? H o w planning your trip. For instance, the about interrupting your dinner to current running south down Bellwatch a killer whale swim by 100 ingham Channel can exceed two yards away? A n d have you ever knots on an ebb tide—not a raging undergone the scrutiny of a deer as river, but enough to make a big difyou rowed past, perhaps 75 feet ference when you're rowing. The curaway? A recent trip to Cypress Island rent setting west through Guemes contained these delights . . . and Channel is at least as strong, and the much more. two combine between Cypress Island Cypress is a lightly populated and Fidalgo Head, heading west at member of the San J u a n Islands, not quite a rate. far to the north and west of Anacortes. M u c h of the island is publicly owned and the State Department of N a t u r a l Resources has developed two small campgrounds for boaters, one at Cypress Head on the east side of the island, the other at Pelican Beach, also on the east side, near the north end of the island.

The best jumping off spot for a trip to Cypress is Washington Park, at Fidalgo Head, west of Anacortes.

Follow the signs to the state ferry dock, then continue past it to the park. Take a roll of quarters: 13 are required to use the ramp for launching, then 13 more to retrieve. There is a dollar-bill changer, but be prepared! The ramp seemed usable even during a minus tide.

Once in the water, head north (and slightly east) up Bellingham Channel, between Cypress and Guemes Islands. Cypress Head is about four nautical miles from the launching ramp. This may be a quick trip, or longer than you planned, depending on the currents.

Cypress Head is a small island itself, joined to Cypress by a low, narrow spit of beach. It contains perhaps a dozen campsites and sanitary facilities, but no water. There are several mooring buoys for larger boats and a float. Small boats should beach if possible, or use their clothesline-reel anchoring system.

J u s t off the Head, several currents meet, making a lovely noise. They also make a good piece of water for small boats to avoid, so stay a quarter-mile or so to the east while rounding the Head. It was at Cypress Head that we saw the seal and pup and watched the killer whale as it repeatedly appeared, then submerged.

Cypress Head is also where we spent an unplanned extra night to wait out the unexpected storm.

Remember, small-boat types can't plan on fighting through regardless!

Make contingency plans and carry extra food and water to allow yourself the option of retreating gracefully. In our case, we were not about to battle a 35-knot headwind in a pulling boat, and besides, look what we'd have missed!

Pelican Beach is 1 1/2 or 2 nautical miles to the north. It contains three mooring buoys (one of which I managed to use instead of an anchor for my clothesline-reel system), six camp-

A useful bit of " l o c a l knowledge" is the existence of a back eddy running most of the length of the east side of Cypress Island. This helps you progress against the prevailing tide by staying close to shore. (But you still have to get past Cypress Head—no back eddy there!)

Our next trip is to southern Puget Sound.

Hartstene Island On a hot Sunday one August, seven C W B members loaded up three pulling boats and headed for M c M i c k e n Island, a small marine state park nesting close to the east shore of Hartstene Island—about halfway up.

M c M i c k e n is an island only at high tide. At low tide a causeway reaches across to the larger island, permitting pedestrian access. Despite this, the large meadow available for camping appears to get light use, compared to better-known destinations.

Our launching point was Zittels Marina at Johnson Point, which is north and east of Olympia. We handlaunched the boats, saving the $5.00 (round trip) charge for using the marina ramp. Comment is invited on this: ramps are too few and perhaps we should patronize those which are b e h i n d , M c M i c k e n can be conprivately maintained, encouraging templated while resting up for the their continued existence. last push.

The beach at M c M i c k e n is largely An alternative beginning point is the Robert F. Kennedy Recreation composed of sharp rocks, discouragArea on Taylor B a y , which is on the ing beaching. We passed our lunches mainland east of Johnson Point. The ashore and anchored the boats in two put-in points are approximately shallow water, moving anchors as the tide came in. Such a situation calls for equidistant from M c M i c k e n .

Rowing north from Johnson Point, a clothesline-reel anchor system. (See our little fleet soon passed through elsewhere in this section for a descripthe armada of sport fishermen an- tion.) chored off the point and proceeded up the flat waters of Case Inlet.

Such a journey is a delight. Staying close together, all seven voyagers could share conversation, despite being spread across three boats. Occasionally one boat would drop back while the crew went for a swim, but rowing together was the norm.

O u r destination was approximately six statute miles away, but we had cleverly omitted a perusal of the tide tables from our planning. As a result, we bucked the tide both going and returning, which added two or three miles to the total over-water distance.

(Read your tide tables and you might do this trip in 10 miles of rowing instead of 14!)

A pleasant break can be had by stopping at Hartstene Island's Fudge Point. W i t h most of your journey

Be warned: There may be no water on M c M i c k e n Island. Carry your own.

(The collapsible 2 1/2-gallon containers sold at outdoor-supply stores work well in small boats, especially since they have no sharp edges.)

After several hours of eating, drinking, napping and roaming the island, we reloaded the boats and headed south again—against the tide, of course!

Two-and-a-half hours later we were back at the marina, loading the boats onto their trailers.

It was, we unanimously agreed, a perfect trip.

To the west of Hartstene Island, is a desolate, beautiful destination for a small boat cruise.

Squaxin Nearly four miles long, most of Squaxin belongs to the tribe from

during low water on an October jaunt, the river afforded a few minor-league thrills. Our party was also under scrutiny by a mature bald eagle for quite a spell. A rowboat successfully negotiated the swift and twisty spots by turning its bow upriver and floating down on the current.

which the island takes its name. The tained by the F i s h and Game DepartIndians (whose original name was ment and is fine for trailer launches.

Skwakslnamish, meaning "alone peoThe river between Fall City and ple") do not live on the island for most D u v a l l is somewhat narrow and .of the year, maintaining a few becomes shallow in the summer. It shoreside structures for use during would be fine for a pulling boat, if it the fishing season. can be wrestled down the bank at F a l l The 31-acre marine state park is at City. There is much to see on this the southwest tip of the island, facing stretch including livestock galore, Hartstene Island. A pleasant gravel deer and great blue herons. beach slopes from the meadow conDuvall (named for an 1875 taining the campsites, with a float homesteader) is the beginning of a and mooring buoys at the north end, trip down the lower Snoqualmie. This in Coon Cove. This layout isolates the stretch, while still twisty in places, is noisy radios and booze parties from suitable for any shallow-draft boat the campsites during the busy sum- not needing wind. The river passes mer months. N o t your isolated through farms and also through stretdestination, Squaxin is still a lovely ches of woodland more extensive than place. those higher up. After a few hours, There is no water available at the the mouth of the Skykomish river is state park. Since the rest of the island reached, at which point it and the is strictly off limits to the public, this Snoqualmie merge and become the Snohomish. means you must bring your own.

The easiest jumping off spot is a The junction is the scene of several public ramp adjacent to the Boston large gravel bars and a couple of Harbor marina, due north of O l y m - wooded islands. H a n d launched boats pia. Unlike the one it replaces, the could be retrieved here, or a trip could newly built ramp is usable at most commence from this point. The tides. There is limited parking in the Bothell-Monroe highway runs quite lot across the street. close by and there are often people L e a v i n g the marina, proceed north fishing from the sandbars. This would and slightly east and your destination also be a possible overnight stop, (that's it to the north!) is only two something I hope to try next spring. nautical miles away. J u s t about the time y o u are settling into the trip—you're there. It's an easy trip The Snohomish and a great one to start with.

Another way to reach this junction Should you possess a surplus of of three rivers is via the Skykomish, energy, once camp is set up, a row or from Monroe. South of town is a launsail around the island is about 8 1/2 ching ramp, again maintained by the nautical miles. D u r i n g such a jaunt Fish & Game Department. The ramp last year, a couple of Center members can launch fair-size boats but the were treated to the spectacle of a river is pretty thin in places. whale surfacing and blowing about 50 There are minor rapids between yards from their .boat!

Monroe and the river mouth. E v e n

River trips In the wintertime I head for the rivers.

The Skykomish, Snoqualmie and Snohomish rivers join near Monroe and provide a number of possibilities for small boat travel.

Short trips, long days, overnights, flat water, rapids . . . your choice.

Go in the fall and see the great runs of spawning salmon. Go in the winter and dodge fishing lines. Go in the warm sun of late spring. Go in the rain and fog. B u t go!

The Snoqualmie T h e first possibility is to launch into the Snoqualmie at F a l l City. H a n d launch down the steep bank across the street from downtown and you are off, winding down the Snoqualmie Valley. The river twists frantically from one side of the valley to the other through farms and woods. The on-river distance from Fall City to D u v a l l is 26 miles.

Just downriver from Duvall is a boat-launch ramp. The ramp is main-

B u t here you are, the first night out and you realize: 1. The boat is too heavy to carry past the high tide mark (canoes and baidarkas excepted), 2. There is a tide, and 3.

Y o u would rather sleep than stay up fending the boat off the rocks.

There must be a better way.

Forget towing a dinghy. Never mind the nuisance of an inflatable raft. Anchor your boat on a clothesline reel.

The accompanying sketch shows the setup better than words alone.

There are several methods—we show only one. The equipment is

These ramps, useful only for hand launching or retrieval, are the only decent takeout spots I know of at Everett. They are just south of a large dry-storage marina called Dagmer's L a n d i n g , which is visible from I-5.

The Snohomish is both larger and more placid than the rivers it rises from. It is also quite shallow just past the Monroe highway bridge. E v e n The total distance from D u v a l l to canoes may touch bottom when the Everett is about 35 river miles. F r o m water is low. The only treacherous Fall C i t y to Everett must be around spot comes a mile or two down where 60 miles. W i t h i n that stretch are a number of snags appear just after many possible trips, all worth taking. rounding a sharp bend. At high water Another possible jaunt would be to these are hard to spot and nasty to launch at Everett and explore the exhit. tensive network of sloughs and chanSeveral hours of travel and you nels in the estuary area. There isn't reach the town of Snohomish. J u s t much current during the flood tide upriver of downtown is a launching and the only problem (aside from the ramp, on the north side of the river. aroma) might be getting lost in the When the current is running, one maze of channels! must be prepared, hugging the shore after passing under the railroad bridge. F r o m the shoreside, the ramp is down a side street just east of downtown. The street is not signed as leading to the ramp, necessitating the hunt-and-peck method.

The city of Snohomish maintains a public float during the warmer half of the year, located right downtown, making a good re-provisioning point.

The float disappears as the weather cools and there are no good stopping points after the launching ramp.

The river is tidal from this point and the current is increasingly affected. The tidal surge happens after the turn of the tide, but I have no idea how to estimate the delay. (Ask locals.) It can definitely make a difference in your downriver trip, though.

F r o m Snohomish to Everett, a trip of several hours, the river is deep and wide. Snohomish used to be a steamboat stop and one has little trouble imagining fairly large vessels using the river.

As E v e r e t t is approached, a number of interesting sights appear.

Well before the town are traces of industrial activity long gone—pilings and bulkheads left to rot, and to intrigue the curious. T h e n there appears a sizeable hobo town on the west bank, seemingly well-populated.

As Everett proper is reached, a working waterfront looms, reminding one of other harbors in other places.

J u s t past the center of town the river appears to fork. Stay with the left channel, which bends around a large

Controlling your cache flow The idea of camp-cruising in a small boat is an appealing one.

M i n i m a l gear and expense, the ability to reach distant cruising grounds at 55 m p h (on the trailer), and utilization of anchorages inaccessible to the average cruiser—all of these add to the joy.

June-July 1984/Shavings/17 sawmill. J u s t after passing under the I-5 highway bridge, hug the righthand shore and watch for one of two launching ramps.

A n d finally, we'll go down the Sammamish, the Green and the Mercer Slough.

E a c h has been completely made over through human enterprise, to the point where they would be unrecognized by a time traveler from only a few decades ago. Though tamed and controlled, they still offer opportunities to those with a modicum of adventurous spirit.

The Sammamish The Sammamish was my favorite in younger days. Twenty years ago this was an uncontrolled stream full of snags, gravel bars and twisty turns. I never managed a run up in my outboard boat without hitting something, but his just added spice.

Today, the Corps of Engineers has e v e r y t h i n g under control. T h e y dredged its bottom, straightened and shored up its banks and otherwise converted the Sammamish into a placid slough. Gone are the days of floating over pastures during the flood season.

Y o u can no longer float the length of the Sammamish. A control dam near its L a k e Sammamish origin stops that. Best to begin at a muddy parking lot just south of the entrance to Marymoor Park near Redmond.

River access is by sliding the boat down an often-muddy bank—this spot being of interest only to owners of lighter boats.

No surprises are likely once on the river. The current is moderate and continued on page 21 • The " b u o y " is just a fender float, with the eye forming the "pulley".

sized for a 16' to 20' boat; vary sizes as needed. Some things to note:

• 10 feet of 3/8" chain on the anchor will greatly increase holding power, but could be omitted.

• B r a i d e d n y l o n works well.

Never use polypropylene (it kinks and has other nasty habits as well).

300' seems to be a good minimum length. Pass the line through the eye in the fender float and make the ends fast to the bow eye of the boat. Coil the unused line in a plastic tub.

• Never pull the boat closer than 3 or 4 feet from the buoy. (If a tangle results, you may have to swim out to clear it.)

• D o n ' t forget to make shoreside end of the line fast.

the

T h i s arrangement should work well for any beachable boat. Y o u will undoubtedly add nuances of your own.—Dave Cox.

18/Shavings/June-July 1984

BOATBUILDING ed is hanging in the museum. One of its chief uses was " d u b b i n g off" the frames. That is bevelling the outside edge so the planking would be fair.

Adzes were also used for roughing out spars—then a drawknife and finally a plane. " T h e y always used to say that you weren't a shipwright until you cut yourself with an adze," B i l l said. " E a s y done, when you was standing one foot on a plank whacking away at it."

The builder's tools

by Simon W a t t s B u i l d i n g a boat is a very different affair from making furniture—dry woodworking as I call it. Instead of verticals, horizontals and near-rightangle joints, there is a tangle of curved lines and odd angles. Planks are shaped, twisted and bent into place using a variety of metal fastenings: copper rivets, bronze screws, iron nails, bolts and, until quite recently, wooden pegs called trenails.

Boatbuilding lumber is never ovendry, but is usually air-dry or even quite green. In this state it is much more amenable to being worked with hand tools than when it is dry. When green, large quantities of wood can be removed with precision using axes, drawknives, adzes and large chisels.

M a n y woodworking tools are used universally by wood workers. Others, a trenail mill, for example, are so specialized that the other trades have not even heard of them. Shipwright's tools have a special fascination for collectors and command such high prices that anyone wishing merely to use them is out of luck.

When my old friend B i l l Lindsey retired from boatbuilding, he decided to donate his tools to a museum.

Some he gave to the Greenwich Maritime Museum, but the majority he used as the nucleus for a new museum in his home port of Padstow, N o r t h Cornwall.

On a recent trip, I went to see him and recorded an interview in the museum about his tools and how they are used. M a n y of them were hand

made. B i l l explained that when he was an apprentice in the early 1900s, boatbuilders would make many of their tools. " W e used to make our own bevels, our own mallets, and then, in the last year, we'd make a jackplane. Sometimes we'd make a special plane—for an ogee molding or something—even if it was only used once. Sometimes i t ' d take longer to make the tool than to do the j o b . " One tool hanging in the museum, that B i l l seldom used, was a pit saw. "A b i g one might be a foot wide at the top and could cut an inch with every stroke," he said. " E v e r y y a r d had their top and bottom sawyer and they'd saw out whatever you wanted—didn't have no planer in them d a y s . "

The caulkers too would make their mallets. "I made one in greenheart.

We drilled holes through them—never in quite the same place—so they all had a different note. When you had six or seven of them together you'd hear this different ring in every mallet. We put brass or iron rings over the ends and t h e y ' d last forever."

Vessels were caulked several times during their lifespan and an old vessel would have seams considerably wider than a new one. " S o m e old craft might have seams a half-inch wide or more she'd have been caulked so many times. Y o u ' d take the old caulking out with a jerry iron and then use a single, double or triple making iron for pounding in the o a k u m . " The only adze B i l l Lindsey ever us-

In skilled hands, an adze is a precision tool. I've seen a plank floor in a huge house in Nova Scotia that has been adzed smooth instead of planed.

Only when you look closely can you see the tool marks.

B i l l went on to point out other of his tools—some familiar and some not. We stopped at a two-handled wooden device with a blade reminiscent of a giant pencil sharpener. " T h a t ' s a trenail m i l l , " said B i l l . He went on to explain that trenails—pronounced 'trunnels'—are wood pegs, inch or so in diameter which were driven through tight holes, wedged at either end and then sawn off flush.

Some had heads like a nail and were wedged only at the other end. The trenail mill was operated like a thread cutter, the handles giving enough leverage to shave the stick down to its finished diameter.

D r i v i n g these nails through twoinch planking and an oak frame was heavy work. The work was done with a trenail maul—a sledgehammer with two large faces. " T h e y ' d stand back and whack those trenails in. The bigger faced one had less chance of missi n g . " Spikes were driven in with a pin maul and then set with a rod puncher.

B i l l went on to show me his collection of spokeshaves and planes—several of which he made

himself. Iron planes are not especially favored by boatbuilders. They are heavy and tend to stain the wood badly—especially particularly green oak. They also rust and crack—or sink when dropped.

S h i p w r i g h t ' s c h i s e l s — s l i c e s or slicks as they are called—look im-

possibly large. B i l l had some two feet long and explained that they are used for trimming out the mortises for deck stanchions. In green wood, large chisels can be used to shave surfaces down and behave somewhere between a drawknife and a spokeshave.

F o r measurement B i l l always car-

ries a two foot wooden folding rule and a canvas tape—"used to stretch quite a b i t " — f o r longer distances. It often happens that a curved line has to be laid out and that there is no substitute for a tick stick. T h i s is simply a batten thin enough to be wrapped around the boat so a se-

June-July 1984/Shavings/19 quence of dimensions can be accurately transferred from one side to another without tapes or rules.

The larger scale of a vessel is reflected in the building tools—they tend to be larger and heavier, too. For small boats tools are smaller and finer continued on page 20

20/Shavings/June-July 1984

amateurs. There is no reason at all the merits of Japanese water stones, I sideways.

The most common fastening for a why anyone with common sense think of old J i m Smith touching up his plane irons with a file—and his small wood boat is copper nails and shouldn't be able to build an elegant, rivets. Nails are driven—holes must practical and durable wooden boat. boats were none the worse for it.

Personally I find the block plane, be predrilled—and then a washer slip- Preserving wonderful old tools is imfive or six inches long, one of the most ped over its point and driven down portant. B u t it is not enough. We versatile tools. I like the way it fits with a roving punch. The pointed end must also keep alive the skills to use • comfortably in the hand and has a of the nail is then clipped off short t h e m .

Simon Watts will be conducting a built-in straight edge—the lower and the cut end peened over. A slightedges. It is ideal for adjusting the ly different method involves bending boatbuilding workshop this fall A bevel on a lapstrake plank. Since the the nail over so it re-enters the wood. &day class will build a 10' lapstrake Boatbuilders need large quantities pram and an 11-day class will make a F o r lapstrake boats a few special body of the plane is so short, it will plane inside curves down to a radius of clamps according to the size and 15' lapstrake sailboat complete with tools are required. One is a lap plane type of boat. Heavy, quick action spars, centerboard, rudder and sails. which puts a standard bevel on the of about two feet. upper side of each plank. The mating At the other end of the scale, long C-clamps are the most versatile, but Details are available at the Center: bevel on the next plank—which of jointing planes are of no use. I find a for lapwork a special clamp like a 382-BOAT. course varies throughout i t s 16 inch plane about right for planing large, old-fashioned clothes pin has length—is cut with a regular rabbet plank edges. I usually skew the iron evolved. These are especially valuable plane with an adjustable fence. This so it takes a heavier cut on one side when working alone as they can be is an expensive—over $50—and than the other so I can change the positioned with one hand. Lines often fragile tool and I can't do without depth of the cut by slipping the plane have to be scribed parallel to a curving edge, producing marking gauges one.

The Center is being adopted by of many different types and sizes. Casa L u p i t a for the evening of M o n In N o v a Scotia, boatbuilders use Bevel gauges too have wide applica- day, June 25th. Fifty percent of the their wooden rules as a fence holding "Every yard had their top tions for picking up and transferring proceeds at the Casa that evening will it on the plank with one hand and usbevels. be donated to the Center. ing an ordinary rabbet plane with the and bottom sawyer.

Casa L u p i t a is a fine Mexican other. It is easy to get trapped into Didn't have no planer in I can't see large vessel construction thinking that there is only one tool ever coming back: the vast quantities restaurants located in a Mexicanthem days."

1823 and one method for doing a particular of timber consumed is sufficient colonial style b u i l d i n g at job. There may be, in fact, a half reason. B u t small boats—eight feet to Eastlake A v e . E . , just about onedozen.

25 feet in length—do have a bright quarter mile north of the Center. future, particularly those built by See you there. • When I hear earnest discussions on

continued from page 19 because of the greater precision required. I am always glad to have a professional carpenter or two in the lapstrake workshops. They have a get-it-done attitude to woodwork I appreciate. B u t I always warn them to leave their 20 ounce waffle-faced hammer at home because they are out of scale with the project.

Fundraising dinner at Casa Lupita

Open boat cruises continued from page 17 steady, with few tight turns. Drift or work at it, as you wish. The most interesting feature for a number of miles is the pedestrian path on the right bank, which often provides a fascinating glimpse into the human condition. (Equally often you will be the subject of shorebound examination, so be cheerful and tell your inquisitors about the Center for Wooden Boats.)

The Green River Not long ago the Green River was an unruly stretch of water. Year after year it would flood the K e n t Valley, driving residents and livestock to higher ground, leaving an awful mess.

B u t the H o w a r d H a n s o n D a m and considerable dredging have tamed the Green. Now flatwater from A u b u r n on down, the river is safe if approached with respect. (Don't get on it when it's running high. In addition to the "normal flood-water hazards, the Green offers a special dilemma: a bridge near Southcenter with only a foot or two of clearance at high water.)

A b o u t 6 miles downstream the Ste. Michelle Winery appears on the left. I There are no launching ramps on use the term " a p p e a r s " loosely, as I have never spotted it from the the Green. Slithering your boat down b o a t . . . but I know it's there. (If you banks is the order of the day. F i n d i n g plan to stop at the winery for a picnic, put-in and take-out points may reyou'll have to scout the location in ad- quire some scouting.

I haven't yet traversed the 5 miles vance, or climb the bank often in the between A u b u r n and Kent, but am area.)

Seven miles from the start you told that it's flatwater all the way. reach Woodinville. If refreshments F r o m K e n t to saltwater is definitely are running low, there is a tavern near free of riffles and rapids.

The Kent-Des Moines highway the bridge. L e a v i n g town, the Incrosses the river A 1/2 miles downriver terstate 405 interchange is soon reached. Then it's a short run to from Kent. Southcenter is another Bothell, which is a stop worth mak- 8 1/2 miles. There is a nice little park on the river east of Southcenter, which ing.

The city of Bothell (10 miles from makes a pleasant stop. Shortly after Interstate 405, and the start) has created a waterfront this comes park with a large float to tie to, a pic- downriver from here the Green heads nic area and an attractive wooden east, then loops back west, passing suspension bridge spanning the river. under a bridge which provides access Other attractions include historic to a city of T u k w i l a park, where it's buildings and not-so-historic rest- possible to take-out.

isn't even the original slough—it's an irrigation canal.

Before 1916, the slough was probably wider and ventured farther inland. E n t e r i n g L a k e Washington at about the same spot (now right below Interstate 90) it ran north to the site of the Wilburton logging camp, near the present Bellevue library and city hall. Wilburton was a steamboat stop and on Saturday nights loggers and settlers would row boats from as far away as Meydenbauer B a y to enjoy dances.

In 1916 the level of Lake Washington was lowered 7 to 9 feet (nobody is sure exactly how far) and Mercer Slough largely ceased to exist.

A r e a farmers dredged an irrigation canal in its course and this is about what we see today.

June-July 1984/Shavings/21 birds, both aquatic and land-based.

Or for a chance to see the small deer which live near the slough. Or for an opportunity to see large carp. Do it for the strange sensation of floating peacefully along while knowing a large city is just over the banks. A n d do it often!

•

A few tips for river travelers • Plan your logistics ahead of time.

Since most trips are one-way downstream, make sure you leave enough boat-carrying cars at the out spot.

• C a r r y a " d r y b a g " full of extra clothes, just in case. A thermos of hot tea or coffee is a good addition, too.

There is a launching ramp on the slough near I-90. Take the Bellevue W a y exit from I-90 and turn right at the first possible place (there is no sign or marker). The ramp is rather poor, but it's usable. No power boats are allowed north of the ramp.

• Pick up a copy o f ' 'Canoeing,'' by the American Red Cross, and read the sections of safety and river travel.

This is worthwhile, no matter what kind of boat you're taking. Note particularly the section on hypothermia.

F r o m the ramp you can turn right and reach Lake Washington in a few hundred yards, or swing left and head from downtown Bellevue. Heading north—assuming you went left—you will pass farms and an undeveloped marsh (except for a few trails) belonging to the city of Bellevue. The whole area is a deep peat bog, discouraging "improvement."

• It's safer to travel in company with other boats, and also more enjoyable.

• Remember the current when estimating travel time. It's amazing how much assistance you'll receive from a 3-knot current. (Also remember that you may run out of current in tidal estuaries . . . maki n g the last leg of your trip much longer than planned.

• An excellent source on river routes is " T h e Complete Handbook on Washington Steelheading" by the Osprey Press of Snohomish. Look for it where fishing gear is sold or at canoe shops-I found mine at Pacific Water Sports. The book contains maps of Western Washington rivers including access points, launching ramps, parking and mileage markers on the rivers. It doesn't describe the kind of water you'll find, but it is invaluable.

•

rooms.

The last three miles are the best.

Houses built right down to the w a t e r . . . a small marina tucked behind the right b a n k . . . a golf course—there's plenty to see. The green hills rising above the river more than compensate for highway noise.

Six miles from 405 the Duwamish industrial area is reached. Another 6 1/2 miles and you're on E l l i o t t B a y .

(Remember, you must take tides into consideration for the last 10 or 12 miles.)

Mercer Slough

The slough runs straight for half a mile or so, then a channel appears on the left. T h i s spot has become quite shallow in recent years and may be difficult when the lake is low.

Regardless of your choice of courses here, you will circumnavigate the Bellefield Office park. T h e n you can decide to circumnavigate again or head back toward the lake.

A launching ramp at Kenmore, just short of the river mouth, is a logical take-out spot.

Mercer Slough is wholly different from any place I've visited. It's one of Bellevue's best-kept secrets .. . and it

It's only a few miles at best—so why bother taking this trip? Do it for the chance to see quite a variety of

22/Shavings/June-July 1984

THE CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS

by Chas. Dowd The Center's 15-boat rental fleet gives you a unique chance to experience firsthand the joys of wood on water. Whether you're a " r a r e old rip of a racing s k i p p e r " or the veriest landsman looking for a quiet row on a calm day, the variations of character between the six sailboats, eight rowboats and a canoe can provide just what you need. If you're thinking of building or buying a wooden boat, the rental fleet can let you compare types and styles until you find your dream boat.

There's a very lucky man named Roger C. Taylor who has made a career out of sailing classic boats, comparing them and writing books about them. Here's your chance.

The Whitebear Skiffs These are probably the most elegant lake rowing boats in the United States. W i t h their straight stems, classy wineglass transoms and long easy lines, they're refined versions in miniature of the rowing boats favored by nine out of ten 19th century navies. Sixteen feet long with a full-length keel, they track like they're on rails, maintaining their direction flawlessly between strokes.

Ideal for two adult rowers, they can also carry kidlets fore and aft. Cruise the borders of the Lake, looking at houseboats, yachts, ducks, sailboards, shipyards, restaurants, seaplanes, fishing boats and the constant bustle of lakeside life. V i s i t the Arboretum (the Montlake C u t gets wake-rough sometimes, but two adults can handle it with no trouble).

T o u r Salmon B a y . The whitebears have another attractive feature: with an hour's practice a novice can look

would be a good boat just about anywhere on the Sound, able to handle its short, steep chop and sudden tide rips.

The boat is a Lake U n i o n native, built in the loft of the G r a n d y brothers' boatyard on the northwest shore. Monson went to work for the Grandys, sweeping up, when he was 14. He built one small lapstrake boat with help from the brothers, then went on to be their small boat builder until he left nine years later to open his own shop.

The Bedell Wherry The happiest boat in the fleet is Newport, Oregon builder D a v e Bedell's ultimate refinement of a Swampscott dory. It is the one sporting the carved roses on transom and passenger seat. A n d look at that sheer stripe! It's not just painted on, it's carved in.

T h i s is a good example of what a builder can do with a traditional design, altering it to make it his own.

Bedell stretched and refined a roundsided dory type called a Swampscott, favored by Maine lobstermen before the a d v e n t of the i n e x p e n s i v e gasoline engine. Seaworthy, stable and durable, they were the pattern for such lovely boats as the A l p h a Beachcomber dory and the Indianclass sailboats.

T h o u g h she has two rowing positions, the wherry has only one set of custom-made rowlocks. She balances best with the rower in the bow position and the passenger in the sternsheets. Solo rowers should sit amidships. B u t it's a shame to row such a cheerful boat alone.

The Navy Dinghy The 16' N a v y D i n g h y is the only gen-

Yankee Tender This is the newest boat in the collection, built just this year by the students of the Center's first complete boatbuilding seminar. Before we got our workshop set up, Center seminars dealt with the building process piecemeal. One seminar would explain lofting, another foundry work and casting, still another wood technology. This year for the first time, students under builder Paul Schweiss' tutelage started from plans and raw lumber and built a whole boat.

The design came from Wooden Boat Magazine, their variant of an A s a Thompson skiff. W i t h her flat bottom, unencumbered by interior frames, she's stable as a church.

Y o u ' d think she would be slow, but the kicked up stern keeps her from dragging water. When y o u row her, pay good attention to the workman-

ship. H a r d to tell she was a class project, isn't it?

The Lowell Skiff Well, we've seen the newest boat, now here's the one from the oldest boat shop, the famous Lowell D o r y Shop in Amesburg, M a s s . In operation since 1793, the Lowell is the U n i t e d States' oldest continuous business firm. Makers of Banks Dories, surf dories, gunning dories, sailing dories; all small seaworthy craft; the shop put the same honest, f u n c t i o n a l m a r k on t h i s , their smallest stock boat. She's even dory planked, the boards of her flat, slightly rockered bottom running fore and aft.

The Concordia Sloop Boat There's a lot of variation among the rowboats of the fleet, but when you get into the sailboats, there's even more. Undisputed flagship of the fleet is the long, lean Sloop Boat. Waldo Howland, founder of the Concordia Company boatyard in South Dartmouth, Mass., had the sloop boat designed by Pete Culler in 1962 as a daysailer "appealing to a knowledgeable sailor who really enjoys sailing small craft. Such a boat

The Center's rental fleet uine workboat in the active rental fleet. B u i l t at the Puget Sound Navy Y a r d , Bremerton in December 1939 as hull number 443, it's a standard version of the Office of Construction and Repair plan number 37442. A full-bodied version of the classic Whitehall and built of Port Orford cedar on oak with a mahogany transom and sheer strake, she weighs about 450 pounds and is designed to be rowed by a healthy crew of bluejackets. Weight and beam keep her from being fast but she coasts forever once moving. The N a v y rated her m a x i m u m capacity as ten men, assuming " a l l passengers in cockpit and seated as far as possible." Obviously no racer. Once the shoreboat of a Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel, the dinghy was acquired by Dean now builds one or two 'bears a Leiter Hockett, a well-known northyear out of an almost religious convic- west salvage diver, to teach sailing tion that it's his duty to preserve the to his grandchildren. She has been breed. They're the best: white cedar, owned by at least two Center copper fastened to oak keel, stem and members, refastened by a third and was given to the Center in 1979. ribs.

like he or she has been rowing all his or her life.

The Center's whitebears came from The Old Boathouse, a previous Lake Union boat livery. They were built about 16 years ago by Dean Haynes using molds originated by the A m u n d s o n family in 1870. When A d o l p h A m u n d s o n was retiring in 1968, someone convinced him to advertise his remaining boats in National Fisherman to see if people were still interested in these classics.

Dick and Colleen Wagner were starting their rental business, saw the ad and ordered two. Joy in White Bear Lake, Wisconsin! Readying himself for a spate of orders, A d o l p h hired Haynes, a church furniture maker, to help production. Whoops, no more orders.

The Grandy Skiff Probably the oldest boat in the collection, the stout and seaworthy G r a n d y Skiff was probably built by C e n t e r member Marty Monson sometime in the nine years preceding 1933. T h o u g h she looks more matronly than the whitebears, she rows well and doesn't drag her transom even with three adults aboard. W i t h high freeboard and generous lines, she

This is an ideal boat for a family with small children because of her roomy interior and stability. She's the committee boat for the spring and fall regattas, setting and retrieving marker buoys and their anchors.

The dinghy and the sloop boat are the only ones in the collection with names, " S p r i n g S e a , " from the Basho haiku, " T h e spring sea rises/And softly falls/All the whole day l o n g . " Someday we'll get it painted on .. .

would have to sail well and be handy and able," Howland explained in a Wooden Boat article. " S h e would have to be attractive and shipshape in appearance. She would have to be well built, with special attention to d e t a i l . " Based on these criteria and following the general characteristics of the Connecticut River Shad Boats, the Scituate Lobster Boat, and the Bahamian Dinghies, Howland's craft has a straight stem, a strong keel and skeg and a heart-shaped transom. She has a gaff-headed main and a jib "set flying," that is without a forestay to hank onto. Though the rig is dacron, it's the traditional tanbark color of the original cotton sails.

Seventeen feet long, round-bottomed with a lovely long run, the hull is fast.

Her long keel and uncompromising forefoot make her hold course well—so well, in fact, that while tacking it's wise to backwind the jib, holding it on the weather side until the bow is well around. She's a lively boat and sails well with four agile people. Her gaff-headed r i g is big and powerful and like most traditional boats she sails best when kept as upright as possible. Pointing too high when working to windward is to be avoided. Left to run off a bit, she foots faster, stays up and makes less leeway.

T h i s is another boat from the O l d Boathouse fleet and is actually the last one built, number 25. Howland had her built for his retirement when

June-July 1984/Shavings/23 he sold the boatyard. The foredeck is of yellow pine, salvaged from an old barn. Beautifully seasoned, hard with age, finished checking years ago, and having survived rot and weather for years. O l d B a r n Wood is the rural counterpart of that most wonderful of boat-building materials, Old Municipal Building Wood. The wonderful irony of the " K i n , " (for that is her name) is that Howland sold her to the Wagners after only a season. After five years of production, five boats a year, he only had one season's use of a boat he'd designed for himself. L i k e Alice's M a d Hatter, who had no hat of his own because he made them to sell, boatbuilders generally are boatless folk.

The Beetle Cats "Beetle C a t " is a durn funny name of a sailboat, at least until you learn that it has no reference to either insects or felines. Beetle is the name of the designer, Carl N. Beetle. Cat is a type of boat originally used for lobstering. Beamy, shallow draft, with a large main on a mast in the eyes of the boat and a large rudder to balance it, catboats are a unique American type. One of our friends says that, " I f G o d wanted or needed a sailboat, H e ' d choose a Beetle C a t . "

Looked at statistically, the Beetles maybe three inches with the centerare inexplicable. They're 12 feet long board up. Their mast seems set too and six feet wide, with the transom far forward and it carries an only inches narrower than the max- astonishing 100 square feet of gaffimum beam. F r o m above they look headed sail. To understand the charm like the little boats in Coast G u a r d of these little boats, you must sail right-of-way diagrams. They draw one.

Setting out on a nice beat, you brace your feet against one side of the hull and lean back against the shiny oak c o a m i n g .

C o m f y , i s n ' t it?

Somehow, the cockpit that looked so odd is just the right width for human continued on page 24

Opening day at the Center

by H e n r y Gordon I never miss historic events if possible, and the day the Center opened its livery was certainly one of them. I arrived a little before noon, expecting to see crowds, banners, politicians, champagne, kids with balloons and huge lines of people waiting on the deck of the Center's boathouse and spilling down the float which juts north into Lake Union to hug, kiss, congratulate Dick and Colleen Wagner who, after seven years of persistence, had finally caught their fish.

I expected a celebration—food! speeches .'laughing!— but I wasn't so naive as to expect customers. A l l the available energy had gone into the 7th annual wooden boat show which had come and gone the previous weekend.

It's unfair, I suppose, to say no publicity had been done, but it is close enough to the truth that I'll intimate it.

No one was there. I remember remembering that I thought Carter would win in 1980, too. But where were all those people who had anted up

thousands of dollars and hours to make all this happen? How could anybody stay away, much less everybody?

Let me explain quickly for those who don't know how the Center came into existence.

The Center for Wooden Boats is a nice example of what can happen when a group of fanatics decides something has to happen. Dick Wagner gets credit often—because he deserves it—for spearheading the group, but it has really been the work of dozens who created the museum we all see.

It started in a boat livery Dick and Colleen Wagner ran out of their houseboat on Westlake. The operation was small, but it quickly grew into a hang out for boat builders and enthusiasts interested in talking about half-forgotten boat designs and shop techniques. The kitchen faced the fleet, a coffee pot graced the kitchen, the Wagners love to talk. The result was that the "freeloaders" (Dick's word) became so omnipresent that in order to get any work done on his fleet or conduct any sailing lessons, Dick called

a meeting for the third F r i d a y in February 1976. Twenty of the regulars were invited. F o r t y came.

The Wagners were in heaven. They told those gathered of their dream of a small craft museum and found that it was shared. Elaborate plans were discussed that night, details of which are still materializing.

may have been the most familiar face at City Hall, but the Center's final triumph really belonged to dozens of people.

Who weren't there when it opened.

But Dick was. A n d Colleen was. A n d so was one volunteer, who was working on the finish of one of the navy dinghies.

Maybe it really was no big deal, just another benchmark in seven years of work. It was a sunny day, so perhaps everyone was out on the water. At any rate, Colleen was leaving, and Dick wasn't speculating. He was admiring the beauty of Lake U n i o n when seen from the south end. It looked so upside down, and so vast because of the narrow arm from which is opens.

They held seminars and gathered resources. When their guru, John Gardner, from M y s t i c Seaport in Connecticut, told them a year later that the world was ready for their plan, they knew they were too.

So as a group they drew plans, wrote monographs, made posters, produced boat shows and in the process built an organization. A legal foxtrot filed against them after they applied for their permit to use waterway 4 kept them dancing for three years, but this is a house organ and that was an unhappy moment, so let's forget about it for now.

He had the dazed look Center regulars have right before and right after the 4th of July show. Colleen interrupted him to say goodbye, then pointed to one of the sloop boats.

"Better get to work on that mast," she said.

The point is that at every step there were volunteers ready to advance the Center one more square. Dick Wagner

" N o , " Dick replied. "I've worked too long for this day. I'm just going to sit here and savor i t . "

24/Shavings/June-July 1984 continued from page 23 beings. The sheet, running from a cleat in the centerboard case comes naturally to one hand. A n d look at that clipper-ship-sized spread of sail, sweeping up in a Brancusi curve to the gaff which sags off slightly to leeward. Check those salty little mast hoops. Pretty, isn't it? Wow, feel that big rudder, that terrific weather helm.

A n d feel the speed! The rudder sounds like a rapid and the transom gurgles and purls like a trout stream around boulders. M a y b e the fact that your ear's only a foot above the water is what makes it so impressive. B u t look on the lee deck—spray's coming up over it. In a paltry 10 knots of wind, this little boat has a bone in its teeth as big as a Sasquatch shin. R u n ning downwind, sitting dead aft on the side opposite the boom, the whole boat gets set as it bounds along getting you closer to the water than in any other kind of craft.

To get the most out of a Beetle, sail it like the K i n . D o n ' t try to pinch too high on a beat. Keep the boom just over the lee corner of the transom.

Keep your weight to windward. Cats sail best when they're upright. G i v e her some extra sheet when you're

reaching to ease the helm. A b o v e all, when going downwind avoid the uncontrolled gybe. In fact, some prudent cat-lovers wear instead of gybing when the wind freshens.

T w o final Beetle bits: they represent the oldest unchanged racing class in the US since 1921, and they cost $300 complete then, and they're still in stock production!

Sharpie The sharpie is to oystering what the catboat is to lobstering: an American native, bred to the specific needs of the trade. Fast, so the oystermen could get to increasingly distant banks as the nearby ones became depleted. Simple to handle, because oyster tonging is a one- or two-man

job. Simple, and hence cheap, to build, since " n o t much money is picked from inside oyster shells."

The Center's sharpie was built by Skip Wolfe from designs by Center member Peter Lentini who watched over her construction. She's cedar over sawn frames, nicely decked in yellow cedar.

Ur-simplicity of her rig, she handles as responsively and directly as any catboat. There's one important difference. The sharpie has a balanced rudder, that is a portion of the rudder is forward of the rudder post, reducing the pressure of her weather helm.

It's a ghostly feeling rudder and one that takes a little getting used to.

Some people prefer her higher boom, finding it easier just ducking during a tack rather than heading for the storm cellar every time the boom comes across. H e r max load is four.

Stiff and forgiving, she has excellent initial stability. Her 120 square feet of sail gives her a good turn of speed in a brisk breeze and though she's flat-bottomed, her stern kicks up gracefully, avoiding a dragging transom. (A little like the Yankee Falcon 17 Tender's. Notice how one boat comWe're out of the traditional boats pares with another, how similar now and into the racing rigs. Built by characteristics yield similar results.) the South Coast Boat Shop in the 20s W i t h her mast well forward and the and 30s, Falcons embodied a lot of ad-

vanced ideas. J u s t compare her with a Beetle, born in the same era. The Falcon's sail feeds up a slot in the mast, making it a more efficient airfoil. The rudder is adequate but no more, reducing wetted surface. She's Marconi-rigged with a jib with 150 square feet of sail. Wide decks add immeasurably to the comfort of hiking out. It's an experienced-sailor rig which can be single-handed but she's best with an active, savvy crew of two. She'll carry four. One outstanding feature is her beautiful cast bronze hardware, her gooseneck, blocks and cleats, all cast in the South Coast shop. In fact, the South Coast a good candidate for the Lake's Tuesfolks gained such a reputation for day night Tenas Chuck Duck Dodge their hardware that today it's all they races. make. Pity.

Rowing boats rent for $5 per hour, with a $1 discount to members of the Windmill Center. Sail boats rent for $6 or $7.

Designed by Clark Mills of Florida, The Center is open from noon to dusk the Windmill class was intended for on weekdays and from 10 a.m. until the backyard builder. This is definite- dusk on weekends and holidays. ly a racer, very competitive, very fast, We have a Blanchard Jr. light on her feet and responsive with knockabout in active restoration and incredible acceleration. In a good might have a gaff-headed Rana boat wind you really have to stay on top of available by the festival. An A d i r o n things. She calls for a crew of two ex- dack guide boat is being completed. perienced sailors and will very sucConsider yourself invited to come. cessfully keep away the dull times. As A n d don't worry if you've never sailthe summer nights get longer and the ed. Instruction is available, and our Boathouse stays open later, she'd be experience is that people learn fast. •

June-July 1984/Shavings/25 center. T h i s will house our office, library and photo archives. It will also serve as a meeting hall for lectures, concerts, film and slide shows and other Center gatherings. It will also turn more space in our boatbuilding shop over to its intended use—the teaching of skills used in building wooden boats.

In the cards The Victorian-style boathouse and the fleet of traditional wood boats is the beginning of an elaborate vision.

More floats will extend east from our ship/office to moor more boats. We want to have a guest dock in at the end of our pier. Our upland site will have picnic tables, a public view stand and grass both to serve as a resting point for joggers and curiosity seekers who stop and to better replicate the leisurely atmosphere of a turn-of-the-century boathouse.

At the end of the pier we will have our second structure—an educational

We want to expand our boatbuilding curriculum. We have the faculty—skilled crafts persons. A n d we want to send them out into the community to teach their trades.

The Bristol B a y sailing gillnetter, looking much happier now with a coat of gray paint, needs to be restored.

A n d we have many small boats to add to our fleet.

We plan a summer camp for kids at which seamanship and small boat handling will be taught. A recent newspaper article said y o u should never try and teach children under 12 to sail. Nonsense. K i d s are natural sailors.

A n d there are other plans. A r o u n d the lake are dozens of unused street ends and waterways just like ours which are not being used. It would be wonderful to have outposts dotting the lake, to really provide this urban lake the window it deserves.

It is an elaborate program, we agree. B u t it has been the work of hundreds who have taken us this far.

We want you to join us to take us that much further.

•

26/Shavings/ June- J u l y 1984

SAILING GILLNETTER

by H e n r y Gordon W i t h 500 fish for ballast the Bristol B a y sailing gillnetter handled perfectly. Its large centerboard reduced leeway in the strong current and the sprit holding the peak of the sail would bend in heavy winds to make the boats more controllable.

Perhaps it is because of the sleekness of its double-ender design or perhaps because of the airy look given by the set of the butterfly sail, but they seem so small in photos. It is difficult to think of them as the fishing boat on Bristol B a y until power boats were first allowed in the spring of 1952. B u t that is what they were.

The boats varied according to the desires of the various canneries. If they were separated slightly by quirks of design, they were easily differentiated on the various bays and inlets that make up Bristol B a y by their color schemes.

In 1912, when Captain Ole Svehaug first fished there, Northwest Packing Company's boats were a deep reddish color, Combined Packing was gray with a white stripe, Red Packing was red, and A l a s k a Packers was green.

Warren Packing Company operated a cannery at Dillingham at the mouth of the Nushagak River. Their boats were white with red lettering. It was for them that Svehaug worked, and here is what he said about it: " W e sailed to A l a s k a in windjammers, and worked while traveling on the rigging and this and that. We received $50 for the work. ' R u n money' they called it. I was 18 at the time.

unloaded them with pughs—broom handles, actually, with single tines at the end of them. " T h e r e were no wardens in 1912.

B u t by 1919 they were checking your catch. If you went over your limit they didn't fine you. Y o u were simply towed in and would lose two days fishing."

A lot changed between 1919 when Capt. Svehaug left and 1936 when D a n Dygert started his 16 season stint on Bristol B a y . Y o u worked five days a week—there was a closure in

just continue on by. " B u t what you really had to watch out for was overshooting the boat. If that happened, the centerboard would hold against the current and swamp the boat, leaving you with two dead fishermen and an awful tangle of nets. " S o it was really quite an art to landing the scows, and at the peak of the run, a good or bad approach could make or break a season. T h a t ' s why most old Bristol B a y boats have smashed stems. The fishermen would just smash them right into the tally

Working a sailing gillnetter on Bristol Bay

midweek and on Sunday. A n d the scows. It wasn't that they weren't price of reds had skyrocketed to good fishermen—many of them would 12 1/2 cents. By 1946 the price was 22 1/2 cents,, work hard and had good stamina—it and 20 pound kings were 99 cents. is just that some men will never be " T h e y paid us 3 1/2 cents per fish for red " T h e price was evenly divided be- dancers either."

D a n worked for the Libbyville Cansalmon, 20 cents each for king salmon tween the skipper and the puller, so over 20 pounds and 10 cents a piece for the fisherman still couldn't afford to nery on the Kvichak River. The smaller ones. D o g salmon were 2 cents buy them after they were in the c a n , " fishermen still went to A l a s k a by boat, though no longer by sail. It each, and hump backs which we Dygert said. caught at the end of the season were a " T h e y were fine handling boats, wasn't until World W a r II that penny. their efficiency limited only by the airstrips were built and the crews "A boat could hold 2,500 fish, and fact they were sail. If the fish or the on an average day you would catch tally scow were upwind, you had to T h e y d i d have monkey that much in 12 hours. We let out t a c k . floating nets about 60 fathoms (six boats—gas or naptha powered launfeet to a fathom), but if the fishing ches—which they would use to tow The first model of the sailing were slack we would let them out 90 you to a tally scow. B u t if you were gillnetter was built by J . J . Griffin in known as a trouble maker, the can- San Francisco in 1868. It was used on fathoms. " T h e tide, the weather and the fish nery superintendents would instruct the Sacramento River for salmon determined everything you did. We the monkey boat operators to avoid gillnetting. U n t i l then, gillnetting worked two to a boat, seven days a you unless you had an oilskin raised was done for subsistence fishing only. week from June 1 until the season on your halyard, meaning there was B u t by the late 1860s, an efficient closed on A u g u s t 1st. When the fish an emergency. So, if you missed the can-making process was developed. were really running we'd work day tally scow you would have to tack (This is a euphemism for "cheap and night. B u t if it were slow, the bow which could take half a day. Would labor.") In fact, the highly motivated was built up and a triangular tent y o u fall below the season average Chinese immigrant work force had stretched over it made a shelter for because of that lost time? Y o u could. just come on the market, with the A n d if y o u did, that was a reason for completion of the trans-continental one man to sleep. " T h e fishing was done in the stern. the canneries not to rehire y o u the railroad. T h u s , to harvest the abunThere were bulkheads and penboards next season. T h a t happened to me dant salmon runs, canneries sprang several times. up. T h e y needed greater capacity aft the centerboard so that in a swell "A tally station was comprised of boats than the rowing skiffs previousthe fish couldn't slide back and forth two scows. One was a bunk house ly used for gillnetting. and capsize the b o a t . " Soon, the prime Sacramento r u n of Captain Svehaug left after eight scow, the other the receiving scow.

They were tied together and anchored salmon was fished out, and in the seasons, partly because the seasonal to float down current.

At high water, 1870s the Columbia River began to be work was not secure enough, but also the cannery tugs would bring an emp- exploited by the canneries. T h e y took because Bristol B a y was dangerous. " T h e tide is much stronger than in ty scow out and pull the full one into the Griffin boat up to the Columbia and found it more suitable than other Puget S o u n d , " he said. " W h e n the the plant. " T h e tide is the effect of the water types, and the double-ender soon tide went out, we sometimes would fish 30 miles from the cannery. The rising and falling. The current is its became the prevalent type on the trick was to watch the tide and know lateral movement. A n d the current in river. , The demand of Columbia canneries at what point it was going to change. Bristol B a y is very fast. It controlled Y o u had to know how to benefit from everything that was done in Bristol was insatiable. Hundreds of sailing gillnetters were built each year by the tides, or else you would r u n B a y , and still does." aground on one of the many sandbars. " I f you approached the tally scow shops in San Francisco and A s t o r i a .

Our flag ship

" T h e centerboards were important ,or preventing drift, but they also served as a warning when you were entering shallow water. " T h e fish were delivered to lighters.

T h e y were like barges and served as receiving stations for the fish. We

too slowly, you would either have to tack again or drop anchor and hope a monkey boat would come soon. " T h e current i s actually fast enough that even if y o u glide right alongside the tally scow, if there is no one there to catch your rope y o u will

began to be flown in.

The government established the season. The fish had their own ecological time clocks. A n d the traveling time from Seattle—10 days—was also fixed. So in negotiations with the company, the union could make demands — and there were strikes—but people didn't want to m i s s the entire season over a few cents per fish.

That changed some with the advent of flying. So, while the price of kings rose from 40 cents to 67 1/2 cents in the 23 years between 1918 and 1941, in the next 10 years the price nearly tripled to two dollars each. " T h e tally scows were anchored at four set spots in the B a y , " D a n said. " I t was common for them to cheat on the count. They would say you went over the limit or that their numbers differed from yours. If you went over, credit for the fish would be given to charity. There were two principle groups of fishermen, the L a t i n E u r o peans—Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, Slavs—and the Scandinavians. The L a t i n Europeans usually wanted the fish given to the church as a tithe.

B u t you could have your fish transferred to another boat if you trusted that River boat proved most useful for the shallow Bristol B a y waters and became the main boat type there, from the late 1890s to 1952, when engine-powered fishing boats were finally allowed. Between 500 and 1000 boats sailed Bristol B a y every season.

W h a t were these boats called?

Depends on where you are. In San F r a n c i s c o — " C o l u m b i a River Salmon B o a t . " In A s t o r i a — " C o l u m b i a River Gillnetter." In S e a t t l e — " B r i s t o l B a y Gillnetter."

The hulls were not all alike. E a c h shop milt to the specifications of its cannery patrons. B u t the common denominators are: easy bilges, flare above the waterline, lovely springy sheer, straight keel, plumb (or almost) stem and stern posts, large centerboard, short fore and aft decks, narrow side decks, oval coaming and spritsail cat rig.

The dimensions varied from 27 feet by 8 feet to 30 feet by 9 feet 6 inches.

The planking was Port Orford cedar on oak frames. Sterns and keel were oak.

The sail was long on the foot and short on the hoist. It was the most sail you could get on an unstayed mast. The reefing technique—unship the sprit and tie the peak to the tack, W i t h i n 10 years, the Columbia run giving a low aspect leg-of-mutton prowas severely depleted from over- file. There were mast hoops. The fishing. M a n y canneries then built boom and sprit were secured with fishing stations in Puget Sound, the snotters. The boat was powerful.

Fraser River and in A l a s k a , especially W i t h the sail set well, she trucks Bristol B a y . T h e y shipped their along at a good clip with light helm faithful boats north. The Columbia and little or no wake.

June-July 1984/Shavings/27

blow came while the tide was rising, you couldn't get your centerboard the bookkeeping system would get ging the beach when the tide fell, you could use the sail and wind to pull it down fast enough and you'd swamp. them there. " T h e r e was no such thing as a nor- off. If it were an off shore wind, you The A l a s k a Fisherman's U n i o n gave mal day. I suppose if you awoke in the didn't have too much trouble. B u t if it a reward if you recovered the body of boat it would be normal that the first were an on shore wind, you had to a dead fisherman, but the idea was for thing you did was relieve yourself. tack and get as far off shore as possi- that not to happen.

B u t what was the tide doing? Where ble, then drop anchor. " S o what you would do is tie the the nets out? How much net? What " I f the net itself were on the beach, mast athwartship if you got beached. was the wind like? Those were the you couldn't do anything. Y o u had to The mast is unstayed, so it is easy questions you were constantly ask- wait for the tide to come in. The tide enough to take down. A n d since the ing. rises very quickly in Bristol B a y . Y o u mast is 26 feet long and the boat only " I f the lead line was caught drag- can't walk the beach during it. So if a 9'6" on the widest boats, tying it that

way served as an effective balancing arm."

B u t the weather wasn't always squally and the tides weren't forever conspiring against you. "Sometimes, the runs would be so heavy that if you hit a school and hauled them all in, you'd sink the b o a t , " D a n said. " I f it were a calm day, you'd fill the boat right up to the coaming, then stuff the belaying and thole pin holes with gloves, keep pumping out water, and hope a monkey boat came s o o n . " •

28/Shavings/ June-July 1984

BOATERS BOOKSHELF 6/10ths of the Dowd collection

by Chas. Dowd If you have a boat in the Pacific Northwest, especially a small boat, and particularly a small open boat, weather is going to keep you on the beach every now and then. M a y b e even more than that. The following book list offers a choice of anodynes for such occasions. It doesn't pretend to be anything like a comprehensive or authoritative bibliography, but only a selection from one person's boating library—books that have stood the test of many re-readings.

Historical Accounts of famous voyages as well formal histories Dampier, William—A New Voyage Around the World.

Dampier, one of those fascinating 17th century generalists, was an equally successful naturalist and pirate. His book was an inspiration to Defoe and Lemuel Gulliver claimed to be Dampier's cousin. But settling the final seal of approval on it was none other than the godlike Nelson who recommended it to several of his captains.

the Chesapeake from Captain John Smith to the worried waterman parents of Tangier Island who want to preserve their way of life but just can't blame their children for wanting to get "out of the water." He tries every form of crabbing: potting, dredging and trotlining, and talks to the watermen who make their living year in and year out, trying to understand the confusing crustaceans. Like all fisheries, the crabbing of Chesapeake Bay is a damn hard dollar.

A good ecologist, Warner details the squabbles between Maryland and Virginia over the rights to the resource and depicts the watermen as responsible, sensible folk who are willing to support stringent short-term restrictions and policies for the long-term goal of preservation. Sadly, he also points out that the most carefully managed fishery can't survive the changes ashore, the growing plume of industrial and residential pollution or other factors beyond the control of the fisherman.

If this all sounds a bit grim, don't worry. Warner has a knack for catching personalities and speech rhythms; the relationships between crab and crabber, that makes the prose flow as smoothly as the creeks that are the birthplace of this subject.

Dana, Richard—Two Years Before the Mast. Dana was a college lad who went to sea for his health—as crew, not as passenger. His description of the sailor's work and living conditions sparked the country's first serious nautical reforms.

Esquemeling, John—Buccaneers of America. Another book about and by a pirate, this one features Henry Morgan's sack of Porto-Bello (he missed the solid gold altar in the Church of the Holy Ghost because the clever Spaniards whitewashed it). This is another 17th century book with Elizabethian spellings and all nouns capitalized.

Heaps. Leo V.—The Log of the Centurion. Extracts from Captain Phillip Saumarez's log as commander of Admiral Auson's flagship during the 1740-44 voyage around the world. Don't try to read it from cover to cover . . . read a bit here, another there as they interest you. You'll end up reading it all, eventually. There's also a tarted-up version of Anson's voyage by F. VanWyk Mason called Manila Galleon.

Garland, Joseph E . — Down to the Sea: The Fishing Schooners of Gloucester. If the text was no good, the photos would be worth the price of admission. However, the text is excellent. All I can say is that life must have been pretty grim ashore if going to sea in this fishery was a viable alternative.

Howarth, David—The Voyage of the Armada. The victors always write the history books. Without diminishing the scale of the English victory, Howarth dispels many of the myths that have grown around this crucial sea b a t t l e . . . including the one of Captain Medina Sidona's incompetence.

Leavitt, John—The Wake of the Coasters. What the sailing was like when Maine's "dude schooners" were the workboats hauling granite, hay, lumber and boxboards.

Like most sail, the coasters were incredibly hard work.

Leavitt's illustrations may sometimes lack artistry but never accuracy.

Morison, Samuel E.—The Great Explorers. Sometimes S E M ' s a bit dry, but here he's at his best. You can try him in smaller bites in Sailor Historian.

Parry, J.H.—The Discovery of the Sea. It took a long time for mankind to discover that a boat in salt water can go to any port on salt water, anywhere in the world.

Then there was the compass, map making, etc., etc.

Villiers, Alan—Captain James Cook. A very readable biography.

Warner, William—Beautiful Swimmers. Subtitled "Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay," this Pulitzer Prize winner talks eloquently about all three.

Almost all the boats you see at the celebration are pleasure craft, almost all of the Center's members are pleasure boaters. Sometimes a book like this one is needed to remind us all that people originally went down to the sea to work, not for recreation. Warner is quite a naturalist and he's chosen a good subject.

Callinectessapidus, the Atlantic blue crab has a life cycle that takes the author up and down the Chesapeake, into the eelgrass of the Eastern Shore and to the muddy deeps at the Bay's mouth where the junmies and sooks (males and females) winter over, buried in the alluvial silt. As he follows the crab he discusses the history of

Technical How to do it Ashley, Clifford—The Ashley Book of Knots. This is the ultimate encyclopedia of knots. A nice piece of string and this book can keep you occupied for hours on a dark winter night.

Bray, Maynard—Mystic Seaport Museum Watercraft.

The most beautiful "catalog" we've seen. If you can't read the lines in Chapelle's drawings, here are excellent hotographs of America's indigenous small boats. (Our oat is on page 111. Plans cost $12.)

P

Chapelle, Howard—Boatbuilding.

Gardner, John—Building Classic Small Craft.

Gardner, John—The Dory Book. This is probably the most seductive book on boatbuilding ever written because Gardner and artist Sam Manning take you so easily through the process of building a dory that it almost makes you think that anyone can build a boat.

Step by step, he shows how to understand the lines in a nautical architect's drawings, how to lay the lines out on

June-July a mold loft floor, what to do with them once they're there and how to translate them into wood. Difficult concepts like lifting bevels from the plan and expanding the transom are clearly and simply explained. Other sections of the book deal with the history of dories, the relationship between sawmill technology and the emergence of dories and finishes up with 135 pages of dory plans and construction information, many of them reprinted from Gardner's popular columns in National Fisherman. In those dark days when it looked like fiberglass was going to take over the world, these articles were sustenance to wooden boaters and it's great to have them in book form.

The dory is a great boat to use for teaching boatbuilding. Brutally practical, it is the essence of a boat.

There are no hidden refinements, no tricks. Designed to carry two men and a seat-deep cargo of cod in some of the world's most dangerous water, it could not be improved upon. Compared to the more graceful Whitehall she's a bit of an ugly duckling, but the longer she's looked at, the more her sprightly sheer and her honest tombstone transom proclaim a fundamental sturdiness that should appeal to anyone who values the homely virtues.

A true Roman of a boat found in Gardner just the right panegyrist.

Kemp, Peter— The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. A truly great sea-going dictionary with four basic types of information: word definitions, maritime history, maritime biographies and explanations of maritime concepts. If a subject used in an entry is itself defined elsewhere, it's flagged with an asterisk.

Leather, John—Gaff Rig. Excellent text, good technical drawings.

McPhee, John—The Survival of the Birch Bark Canoe.

1984/Shavings/29

What else? Good boats lovingly and well described. A wonderful wishbook.

Why do we all love Long John Silver? Carrie Nation put her finger on it when she said "the devil has all the good tunes."

Wilson, Jon— Wooden Boat: An Appreciation of the Craft. Articles from WoodenBoat magazine, bible of the amateur builder.

Past Ansel, Willets—The Whaleboat. Good photos, good drawings, good plans and a real explanation of how whaling was done when the whale still had an even chance.

Originally published in "The New Yorker," this book was a gift from a salesman friend. It sat unregarded on the shelf until a bout of flu made new reading material essential. We've never been so happily surprised. A gem.

Payson, Harold "Dynamite"—A Classic In Plywood: How to Build the Gloucester Light Dory. Modern technology meets a traditional design idea. Result: an interesting step-by-step guide to building an excellent oneperson rowing boat.

Rabl, Sam—Boatbuilding In Your Own Back Yard.

More than anyone else, Rabl understands the anguish of the amateur builder. This was written long before groups like the Center appeared with their ready help and counsel.

Smith, Hervey—Arts of the Sailor. The best guide around to simple knots, splices, blockmaking and canvas work.

Taylor. Roger C.—Good Boats, More Good Boats, Still More Good Boats and The Fourth Book of Good Boats.

Chapelle, Howard—There's no equivalent to Chapelle's work on the development of indigenous North American workboats. Some titles are American Small Sailing Craft, American Sailing Craft, the American Fishing Schooners and The History of American Sailing Ships.

The first one's our favorite.

Estep, H. Cole—How Wooden Ships Are Built.

Everything you need to know to set up a shipyard and build a 4,000 ton wooden steamship except where to find the wood. The technical explanations are not for the beginner, but the photos alone are worth the price.

Lever, Darcy—The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor.

"Young Officers sometimes feel a difficence in soliciting information; either from fear of exposing their ignorance or from an idea that such a request may be treated with ridicule. A reference, like a work of this nature which can be consulted with privacy, will obviate the difficulty . . . " A "Cliff's Notes" of the sea which instructs in the handling of a full-rigged ship. Originally continued on page 30

30/Shavings/June-July 1984 continued from page 29 published in 1815.

Villiers, Alan—The Way of a Ship. More accessible to modern readers than Lever, this book also talks about handling a full-rigged ship. Buy them both, read them together.

Narrative Non-fiction but not technical Culler, Captain Pete—The Spray. The best thing he's written and a worthy companion to Slocum's book which is saying a lot.

Gann, Ernest K.—Song of the Sirens. The best thing he's written. See page 12 for an excerpt.

London, Jack—Tales of the Fish Patrol. The early Jack London could give Hemingway lessons in brevity and conciseness. A vastly underrated book, but then London is a vastly underrated writer.

Newby, Eric—Windjammer. One of our favorite travel writers, Newby sailed on the last grain racers carrying wheat from the Great Bight of Australia to Liverpool as an apprentice and took a camera along. One photo of the watch taking in sail is blood-chilling.

Slocum, Joshua—Sailing Alone Around the World. " T o face the elements is, to be sure, no light matter when the sea is in its grandest mood. You must then know the sea, and know that you know it, and not forget that it was made to be sailed over." Somehow Slocum seems to en-

joy his circumnavigation more than his later followers.

He worked his way around, giving lectures, visiting friends and making new ones, all at a leisurely pace . .. the only way to go.

Fiction Childers, Erskine—The Riddle of the Sands. This early English spy novel uncovers Boche skullduggery in the East Frisian islands. It had such impact that it led to the creation of England's North Sea Fleet in Scapa Flow. A few years ago, the Seattle Film Festival showed a movie version starring Michael York, but it's never been put into general release. We can't think why.

Clemens, Samuel—Huckleberry Finn. Maybe not strictly a "boat book" it's still the best voyage in American literature. You might also consider Life on the Mississippi which tells of SLC's education as a river pilot and contains the "Raftsman's Passage" which he cut from Huck. Glad he saved it somewhere.

All I can say is that life must have been pretty grim ashore if going to sea in this fishery was a viable alternative.

Conrad, Joseph—Recommending Conrad is like recommending regular exercise, green vegetables, chocolate truffles or any other naturally good thing. A seaman, a captain in fact, before he was a writer, his sea stories all have an authentic tang of salt air. Though his novels Outcast of the Islands, Victory and the truly magnificent Lord Jim are all of interest to sailors, we suggest starting our with a short story, Typhoon. It is such an accurate description that the United States Navy attached it to their WWII publication on cyclonic tropical storms.

Conrad's writing stretched from the close of the Victorian Era, through the flickering gaslight of the Edwardian, a time when the English formal prose style was at its peak. He never uses two words when one will do and though his writing is rich, it escapes being florid through careful balance. Conrad builds a story like a boat: sturdy and watertight, relying on the appropriateness of its structural members, all left exposed, to lend it a beauty beyond mere adornment.

Consider: he's just taken Captain MacWhirr into the eye of the typhoon. Wind has roared, the sea has come aboard, the stars have disappeared, all the superlatives have wrenched at the fabric of the Nan-Shan, MacWhirr's ship. More storm description would be overdone. So to explain it in a whole new set of terms, Conrad takes us into the forward hold where 200 Chinese coolies, in total darkness and with no knowledge of what's going on topside are being shaken about like dice in a box; terrified, disoriented and helpless. They bring the storm's terror down to human scale.

The Greeks said character is fate. In the first chapter, Conrad describes the imperturbable, stolid, almost stupid MacWhirr in image after image, never slowing the flow of the story, but building the Captain like a brick wall, brick by brick. He ends with "Captain Mac-

June-July Whirr had sailed over the surface of the oceans as some men go skimming over the years of existence to sink gently into a placid grave, ignorant of life to the last, without ever having been made to see all it may contain of perfidy, of violence, and of terror. There are on sea and land such men thus fortunate—or thus disdained by destiny or by the sea." Homer couldn't say it better.

Doig, Ivan—The Sea Runners. Four Scandanavian indentured servants escape from Russian America in an Indian canoe. One of the best evocations of Southeast Alaska we've read.

Forester, Cecil—When he wrote Beat to Quarters, Forester was doing his bit for the War Effort. He was also exploring the phenomena of what he calls "the man alone," someone with great responsibility, cut off from any counsel or support, thrown back on his own capabilities and his own moral courage. The theme fascinated him. Hornblower fascinated his readers, more concerned with the character than the philosophy. The public demanded more and he ended up writing eleven Hornblowers: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower*, Lt. Hornblower*, Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower and the Atropos, Beat to Quarters*, Ship of the Line, Flying Colors (the last three often bound in a single volume), Commodore Hornblower*, Lord Hornblower, Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, and Hornblower in the Crisis. Asterisks mark our favorites. We remember reading Atropos serialized in the Saturday Evening Post. Old Ben Franklin's a shrewd judge of a good tale.

Graves, Robert—Hercules, My Shipmate. A glorious retelling of the Golden Fleece legend. Jason's argonauts are the original special operatives, an early "A Team" each with his (or her) own particular skill. Jason can make any woman fall in love with him, Hercules is strong (but not too bright), Medea is a witch, Atlanta a sacred huntress, etc. There's even a honey expert who ends up getting everyone in trouble.

Homer—The Odyssey. The original sailor's tale, full of monsters, shipwrecks, lovely women (who just can't resist a jolly jack tar) and strange lands.

Jerome, Jerome K.—Three Men In A Boat. Three Englishmen and Montmorency the dog row down the Thames., English humor at its best in the pre-Monty Python days.

Melville, Herman—Moby-Dick or The Whale. We suggest the new authoritative and beautifully illustrated Arion Press version published by U Cal/Berkeley, probably one of the most beautiful books around. Don't get discouraged by the long catalogue of whales. Ignore it and stick to the story, which is great, and the imagery, which is sublime. We hate to be jingoes, but we're sure proud Clemens and Melville were Americans! Billy Budd, Foretopman and White-Jacket are two more excellent Melvilles. Fayaway, the island maiden in Typee, was fuel for many an adolescent fantasy.

Stevenson, Robert—Treasure Island. There are lots of good, upright role models in this book. . . Squire Trelawny, Dr. Livesvey, etc. Why do we all love Long John Silver? Carrie Nation put her finger on it when she said, "The Devil has all the good tunes."

•

1984/Shavings/31

32/Shavings/June-July 1984

by Chas. Dowd There are a number of reasons to build boats out of wood. T h e y are beautiful, though there are some warthog ugly wooden boats around.

They harmonize with nature—to the precise extent that the crew does. It is practical. Its very properties make it suited to boatbuilding. It takes an even bend when shaped around a set of individual points, making possible the flowing lines you need in a hull. It can be worked with simple, understandable tools with a history of perfectability as long as boats themselves. (Even today's powered wood-working tools / work the same way and do the same job as yesterday's tools, just faster.)

Wood's characteristics are known.

There's a species for every need: yew and locust crooks for stems; Douglas fir, cedar and spruce for planks; oak, iroko, and pitchpine for keels; teak and holly for cabin soles; . . . the list is endless. A n d the copper fastenings, spar varnish, oil paint, pine tar, and linseed oil that go with the wood are pretty well-known quantities, too.

Wood accepts maintenance, repair and modification.

B u t there is a more compelling reason. Wooden boats are as individual as fingerprints. In a world increasingly s t a n d a r d i z e d , wooden boats are impossible to standardize.

Dean Haynes builds Whitebear skiffs using molds built in the 1870s. H e ' s been building them since 1968 and he's never built two exactly alike.

H e ' l l add a different rub strake on one, put an additional plank on another, leave a stemhead high on a third, trim it flush on a fourth. E v e n if he were to try to build two duplicates, the character of the wood would defeat him, the very grain would conspire against him.

When we went to our builder we had a design in mind, a traditional one. However, we wanted it lighter for easier rowing. The builder suggested more length which he stretched into a sharper entry and a longer run. E v e n easier rowing. We wanted removable floorboards. He changed the seat braces to accommodate that.

Our rowing positions were determin-

ed by our weight to keep the boat in perfect balance.

Custom-made is a phrase often debased in its current usage. We buy "custom s u i t s " off the r a c k , " c u s t o m i z e " our cars with a wide selection of accessories, pick one of three " c u s t o m " designs for our checkbook. The only truly custommade object we own is our boat.

When he got done, the builder put the molds he'd used in storage, in case someone else wanted a boat like ours.

He saves molds from each of the boats he builds but he's rarely re-used a set. People who buy. wooden boats don't want a boat like someone else's, they want one of their own, tailored exactly to their needs. They don't want to pick the best choice from several standard models, they want one that is just right. Some don't even want to have a builder interpret their needs. They want to do it themselves. Wood lets them.

T a k e something as simple as color.

A l l it takes to change the color of a wooden boat is sandpaper, some time and a can of paint. Our boat came with a bright finish and everyboday admired the wood's grain, its color, the bright rows of copper rivet heads.

After a year we painted the outside a pale grey. Immediately everybody saw its elegant shape, previously overlooked when the woodgrain was so striking. The inside is still bright.

W h a t will it look like painted someday? E v e r y b o d y ' s painting their hull pale grey. Should we change to lemon yellow? Green? D a r k blue? We're free to choose with wood, but try to change the colors of a cast boat.

A n d there's another reason, tied up in the romanticism all wooden boat, owners have somewhere in their being. A wood boat has a lifespan. Well maintained, ships like the Cutty Sark, the Constitution and the Victory can last forever, but most boats gradually fade into desuetude, lose their shape and rot away. The term for a good boat is about seventy years, the same as the threescore and ten allotted mankind. We like to think that when we end up at Fidder's Green at last, we'll have just enough time to look the place over and gam with some new folks before our boat arrives. •