Are you scared of wood?
- Thread starter CharlieCobra
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Charlie's Next Boat
Charlie,
I took this picture just for you. When you finish Oh Joy there's another one waiting...
Charlie,
I took this picture just for you. When you finish Oh Joy there's another one waiting...
Nice, what is she? With that narrow wineglass transom she looks a lot like a Concordia except she's a sloop or is she? Too bad the decks are open to rain. No telling what the framing looks like cause I'd bet she leaks like a sieve. I'd walk around and tap her with the plastic hammer....
The Garboard plank is toast...
Actually, the next one I want is a 50'-70' schooner. There's a few around for little money...
The Garboard plank is toast...
Actually, the next one I want is a 50'-70' schooner. There's a few around for little money...
I was launched in '38 and my boat in '68 I started work on her in '90 laaunched her in '99 so I guess that made me about 61 when I finished. Then I built a little plywood dink and last year was hired to clean up this place.
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It's also a matter of "enjoying the the process" and commitment that I think is what causes so many uncompleted projects. So many people start something and then when it starts to drag on and becomes a "job" the "fun" is gone and they lose interest. A project of love that goes on too long can become a monster.
I have much respect for anyone who can do what you're doing and see it through. Sure it's just a matter of a thousand little jobs, but a thousand little jobs is still a thousand jobs. Time, resources and facilities are just part of the equation.
After immersing myself for years in books and magazines on design, construction and anything I could find on boats I had the itch to build a one. I chose a 12 ft John Gardner designed lapstrake semi-dory 15 years ago. It took me several summers using my dad's garage a thirty minute drive away. I know a little about process and commitment. It went well. I was able to use some of the knowledge I had acquired. Best of all was the quality time I spent with my dad working on the boat. It was his first boat also. But I was glad when it was it was over.
And I got it out of my system.
I really enjoy following your post.
Rich
I have much respect for anyone who can do what you're doing and see it through. Sure it's just a matter of a thousand little jobs, but a thousand little jobs is still a thousand jobs. Time, resources and facilities are just part of the equation.
After immersing myself for years in books and magazines on design, construction and anything I could find on boats I had the itch to build a one. I chose a 12 ft John Gardner designed lapstrake semi-dory 15 years ago. It took me several summers using my dad's garage a thirty minute drive away. I know a little about process and commitment. It went well. I was able to use some of the knowledge I had acquired. Best of all was the quality time I spent with my dad working on the boat. It was his first boat also. But I was glad when it was it was over.
And I got it out of my system.
I really enjoy following your post.
Rich
Never been scared of tackling any sort of project, especially when it comes to wood and I love seeing the old wooden classics like the one in Maine's post above. They have a wooden power boat in water show in our area each year and those boats are just beautiful.
Unfortunately, I have enough projects on the go right now and don't have the time to start something new and the time to learn something entirely new like a boat. I bought the boat for down time on the water not a ton of more work on shore.
Unfortunately, I have enough projects on the go right now and don't have the time to start something new and the time to learn something entirely new like a boat. I bought the boat for down time on the water not a ton of more work on shore.
We're about your age Charlie, and as much as we admire your dedication and love for your wooden boat... like Scott and many others, we needed the simplicity of a FG boat. We bought a FG beater that had suffered some neglect, but for all that she was sailable from the get-go, which gave us the luxury of sailing right away while gradually tackling her deficiencies.
In my teens I helped an older friend replace some hull boards on a wooden boat (steaming planks and all that) and frankly, it made me nervous.
We do love wood and one of the criteria for selecting our boat was that her wood trim was intact and in relatively good condition. We replaced the hatch slides and companionway trim with new teak, and refinished everything else, and I touch up every year. (we use Cetol)
Until I win the lottery, though, I expect I'll never have the interest, time and dollars for a wooden boat.
In my teens I helped an older friend replace some hull boards on a wooden boat (steaming planks and all that) and frankly, it made me nervous.
We do love wood and one of the criteria for selecting our boat was that her wood trim was intact and in relatively good condition. We replaced the hatch slides and companionway trim with new teak, and refinished everything else, and I touch up every year. (we use Cetol)
Until I win the lottery, though, I expect I'll never have the interest, time and dollars for a wooden boat.
Maine Sail, while that bright boat is gorgeous, there's no way I'd do a boat bright. Restoring one of these things is a process and you are right, if it goes too long, the human component loses faith and motivation. There have been a couple of weeks where I just couldn't drag myself up to Bellingham to work on her. It usually only last a day or two before I'm ready to jump back in.
Charlie, I had the benefit of having Bietzpadlin right beside the house and yet there were many days when I would come home from a long day repairing a house and I would just look at the "damn boat" and go in the house. Farmers have projects and chores. Chores are the everyday jobs that must be done and projects are the once a year jobs that pay the bills and keep the buildings weather tight. A boat is a project until we can say it is ready to sail ,then there are many chores that must be done to just keep it squared away.
Re: Are you scared of wood MY 2 cents
I know a guy in my area that built 2 wooden boats from scratch. It took years. As soon as each boat was finished he sold it, never sailed either one. He`s moved away but Im sure where ever he is he`s building another boat. His interest is working with his hands, not sailing.
I have to agree with Hermit. At 72 I have neither the time or inclination to do a lot of repairs and maintenence. I do whats necessary and my circa 70`s is in tip top condition. Thats why my boat has no head, no electrical system, no water tank and very little gray teak. Im what they call a minimalist and would rather spend my time sailing than maintaining. To each his own. Am I afraid of wood no. I admire a pristine wooden boat. Im just glad I dont own one
I know a guy in my area that built 2 wooden boats from scratch. It took years. As soon as each boat was finished he sold it, never sailed either one. He`s moved away but Im sure where ever he is he`s building another boat. His interest is working with his hands, not sailing.
I have to agree with Hermit. At 72 I have neither the time or inclination to do a lot of repairs and maintenence. I do whats necessary and my circa 70`s is in tip top condition. Thats why my boat has no head, no electrical system, no water tank and very little gray teak. Im what they call a minimalist and would rather spend my time sailing than maintaining. To each his own. Am I afraid of wood no. I admire a pristine wooden boat. Im just glad I dont own one
Keep the faith Charlie
I watched a 60 foot schooner get completely replanked at pilots point marina for a couple years. Gorgeous boat but man what it must have cost to have a yard do all the work..big $$$$.
Wood is great, so easy to fix if you make a mistake. My problem was all the little pieces you have left over after you cut out the part you want. I'd always save them in case I needed them. Pretty soon my entire garage was completely filled with little pieces. Now I pretty much just throw them out. My project was an 11 foot Sand Dollar sailing dinghy. I built it in 2000 and am still sailing it. It also makes a great rowboat (flat bottom) and fishing boat for when the spots are running. I had a blast and used it for therapy. I also found that maybe two hours a day after work kept me from sitting around in the winter eating. I lost at least ten pounds building the dinghy and was back to my fighting weight. After building the dinghy I found I couldn't get it out of the basement as it was bigger than the door :>) (just kidding, can you imagine doing that?). I now build adirondac chairs when I get a craving for doing woodwork. I give them away to friends and relatives and built four of them for the marina as a place to sit and read, relax in the shade of the palm trees and watch the boats go by. I end up with enough of those little pieces I mentioned to build a little table to put between each two chairs and the slats for the foot rests. Each two chairs cost about 65 bucks for materials, people sell these for over 200 a piece. The screws, bolts, etc. are as much as the wood. I use deck screws for all the slats and back pieces but they are pretty pricey.
I watched a 60 foot schooner get completely replanked at pilots point marina for a couple years. Gorgeous boat but man what it must have cost to have a yard do all the work..big $$$$.
Wood is great, so easy to fix if you make a mistake. My problem was all the little pieces you have left over after you cut out the part you want. I'd always save them in case I needed them. Pretty soon my entire garage was completely filled with little pieces. Now I pretty much just throw them out. My project was an 11 foot Sand Dollar sailing dinghy. I built it in 2000 and am still sailing it. It also makes a great rowboat (flat bottom) and fishing boat for when the spots are running. I had a blast and used it for therapy. I also found that maybe two hours a day after work kept me from sitting around in the winter eating. I lost at least ten pounds building the dinghy and was back to my fighting weight. After building the dinghy I found I couldn't get it out of the basement as it was bigger than the door :>) (just kidding, can you imagine doing that?). I now build adirondac chairs when I get a craving for doing woodwork. I give them away to friends and relatives and built four of them for the marina as a place to sit and read, relax in the shade of the palm trees and watch the boats go by. I end up with enough of those little pieces I mentioned to build a little table to put between each two chairs and the slats for the foot rests. Each two chairs cost about 65 bucks for materials, people sell these for over 200 a piece. The screws, bolts, etc. are as much as the wood. I use deck screws for all the slats and back pieces but they are pretty pricey.
Great idea Ross Thank You
The mid Atlantic states are teaming with birds, so birdhouses is a great use of scrap lumber. Thanks for the suggestion. We had a family of Carolina wrens living in a birdhouse on our deck for two consecutive seasons. Beautiful song and really fun to watch them feeding the babies. I've seen many bald eagles, lots of hawks, woodpeckers, etc. The birds change by the season but there are always birds.
As for using the scraps in the wood stove, is it hazardous to burn pressure treated in a wood stove? How about plywood, seems like that would be like buring plastic. I've been using pressure treated for the adirondac chairs as my original chairs rotted out, so I used the pieces of the rotted out ones as patterns for the new ones. I painted them with stain and they seem to be holding up well. I did find in my backyard that the squirrels are eating the chairs, I think they use them to sharpen their teeth, will the pressure treated kill the squirrels if they chew on it?
The mid Atlantic states are teaming with birds, so birdhouses is a great use of scrap lumber. Thanks for the suggestion. We had a family of Carolina wrens living in a birdhouse on our deck for two consecutive seasons. Beautiful song and really fun to watch them feeding the babies. I've seen many bald eagles, lots of hawks, woodpeckers, etc. The birds change by the season but there are always birds.
As for using the scraps in the wood stove, is it hazardous to burn pressure treated in a wood stove? How about plywood, seems like that would be like buring plastic. I've been using pressure treated for the adirondac chairs as my original chairs rotted out, so I used the pieces of the rotted out ones as patterns for the new ones. I painted them with stain and they seem to be holding up well. I did find in my backyard that the squirrels are eating the chairs, I think they use them to sharpen their teeth, will the pressure treated kill the squirrels if they chew on it?
Re: Great idea Ross Thank You
Burning PT wood concentrates the preservatives in the ash but as to the quality of the fire there is no problem. The adhesives used in plywood probably break down into inert byproducts with the heat.
So far as the squirrels are concerned I doubt that it harms them as they just gnaw the wood and don't eat it. The last PT wood I used was only .20 pounds per cu.ft. preservative content. That works out to .2 ounces per finished board foot. I expect they might be harmed if they made a steady diet of PT wood but it has taken them years to chew up the roof of a bird house I have on the shed.
Burning PT wood concentrates the preservatives in the ash but as to the quality of the fire there is no problem. The adhesives used in plywood probably break down into inert byproducts with the heat.
So far as the squirrels are concerned I doubt that it harms them as they just gnaw the wood and don't eat it. The last PT wood I used was only .20 pounds per cu.ft. preservative content. That works out to .2 ounces per finished board foot. I expect they might be harmed if they made a steady diet of PT wood but it has taken them years to chew up the roof of a bird house I have on the shed.
There is a real advantage to working with wood. My son wants to build a boat this spring. We found the right kit for him at Chesapeake Light Craft - www.clcboats.com.
He wanted to learn how to build a boat. One way was through the "surfboard" method and just making a larger one... For his time, though, the better choice was a 11'7" take apart wood/glass dinghy. www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/wooden-...emaker-take-apart-dinghy-wooden-boat-kit.html
It's thin plywood with fiberglass sheathing - and pretty light to move about. There is a lot he can learn about building, sailing, epoxy, and fiberglass. It takes some space to do, but so do they all.
Apparently, wood boats have done pretty well this past year... Kayaks are light, relatively straightforward to build, and you lean a lot as well.
My son is 16 - and he'll likely drag his brother (26) into it...
--jerry
there are a number of great books and plan makers out there.. We just looked for one that was basic to start with - and could use this spring... Something that he could learn a lot with - before tackling something "neater"... Guess we will see how it goes...
He wanted to learn how to build a boat. One way was through the "surfboard" method and just making a larger one... For his time, though, the better choice was a 11'7" take apart wood/glass dinghy. www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/wooden-...emaker-take-apart-dinghy-wooden-boat-kit.html
It's thin plywood with fiberglass sheathing - and pretty light to move about. There is a lot he can learn about building, sailing, epoxy, and fiberglass. It takes some space to do, but so do they all.
Apparently, wood boats have done pretty well this past year... Kayaks are light, relatively straightforward to build, and you lean a lot as well.
My son is 16 - and he'll likely drag his brother (26) into it...
--jerry
there are a number of great books and plan makers out there.. We just looked for one that was basic to start with - and could use this spring... Something that he could learn a lot with - before tackling something "neater"... Guess we will see how it goes...
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