Oars and Rowing

Yesterday was a fine day on the water for a quick row in the bateau Huckleberry. As you may already know, this is a new boat, in fact, this was the second time on the water. The first time out was at the Depoe Bay Boat Show in April and I used a new set of seven foot oars that I'd made specifically for Huckleberry. The bateau is a narrow boat (three feet extreme beam), but the seven foot oars seemed short. I'm accustomed to longer oars -- my favorites are a set of "Culler style" that run 8 1/2 feet -- so I took a longer set this time.
(A man can never have enough oars! I love to make them and nothing feels more natural in the hand than a loom carved in your own shop!)


This trial was with an eight foot set, and it was a mistake! At first all seemed well and the light bateau skimmed along, even against the tide. In a few minutes I found myself crossing my hands. Not a bad technique, but a sure sign that the oars are not balanced in the oarlock. After a half hour of shifting weight, my back hurt and I was done, time to head home.

The blades I used are light and worked well on the boat they were designed for, which was a foot wider. A small difference, but.....

I suppose the answer is to make another set of oars. Just the excuse I need! The best description of making a set of oars is found in Jim Michalak's work. Jim is a fan of the Culler style oar and has adapted the master's design to modern methods. His oars are laminated from one inch stock, which obviates the need for high quality wood.








I prefer the more old fashioned one piece stock, but adequate raw wood for a strong, light set of oars is fast diminishing (I'm not telling anyone where I keep mine!)

My oars are finished with two coats of clear epoxy and six coats of spar varnish.

Note the different lacing patterns used on the leathers. The lacings on the lower set of oars in the picture were done by my proud apprentice.
Each of the oar sets shown have a different handle pattern, as well. It's good to experiment and find the style that works best for you.
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Cape Ann Dory

The Cape Ann Dory, a traditional type of fishing boat, is a variant of the beach dory.
Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula located in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The headland forms the northern exteme of Massachusetts Bay.
The Cape Ann fishing dories were often fitted with a small spirit rig sail, a short retractable centerboard and washboards (a coming to keep the spray out when heeled). The descendants of the Cape Ann Dory are still raced as the Town Class. Due to their hard chined hulls, dories, especially those that are more slab-sided than rounded, have a tendency to heel sharply at first, but are stable and very seaworthy with the chine acting as a keel.
In 1876, Danish immigrant and fisherman Alfred Johnson sailed a customized twenty foot Cape Ann Dory from Gloucester, Massachusetts to Liverpool in 66 days, proving the design built for fishing the rough Atlantic Ocean could handle nearly any weather.
Johnson's dory, the "Centennial" was outfitted with a square sail and two jibs instead of the simple sprit rig usually found on traditional Cape Ann Dories.


In the Tasman Sea, Trevor Davidson is commodore of the local yacht club in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. The members of the yacht club there decided to build the 22 foot version of the Cape Ann by Howard Chappelle, as outlined in “American Small Sailing Craft”. The purpose was to encourage young people in the area to get involved with boating, sailing and boat building - as Trevor says - “all the good things in life”.
They recruited the help of a local shipwright, Ossie Whittley , “a boat builder from way back”.

(His nephews now run the international Whittley Marine.)


Trevor tells me:

“Ossie has an encyclopedic knowledge of boat building - timber planked, ply construction and fiberglass. He helped pick out the Cape Anne Dory as an ideal project, so we started by laying out the lines full size in our club's storage shed. The drawing is in the background in some of the photos.”




“First we set up a simple jig, dynabolted to the concrete floor. You will notice that the frame side members have been cut over length proportionately and are attached to the jig. This is a great setup and puts the hull at ideal working height and is very simple to do. From there on every thing is very straight forward and I think the photos tell all. Interesting to see the hull turned upright with extended side frames, which of course are quickly trimmed to size.”




“The frames are what we call Oregon, but to you is Douglas Fir. All the longitudinals are Philippine Mahogany/Meranti. The plywood is a very good grade of exterior ply, called Fijian Cedar, made in Fiji (if this is the same Fijian plywood I’m familiar with, it is a meranti mahogany - doryman). The side planks are quarter inch and the bottom is half inch thick. The boat is built very heavily and I don't regret this, as it is reasonably stable at rest and when she gathers momentum goes into a tack stately but surely.”










“In the pics the distinguished looking gent fairing the bottom after glassing is Ossie Whittley, the bloke in the blue shirt is me.”




Thank you, Trevor for sending in these pictures. Those guys in Oz sure know how to build a boat! What a beauty!

Trevor has promised more pictures of the Cape Ann, as a finished project. Hopefully we will see her under sail soon…
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Lapstrake Design

Cleaning out my files recently, I found this old drawing of a clinker built boat. A few winters ago, while dreaming of gunkholing, this is what I turned out. These sketches are all there is of the design at present, but I still think it's worthy of consideration. If I remember correctly, this boat is about twenty feet long with a four foot beam. The sail plan is most tentative.
Any input?

Farewell Phil

Phil Bolger favored simplicity. Many of his hulls are made from plywood and are hard-chined, boats that are intended to be built by amateurs, of commonly available materials. Bolger was also an expert in the design of the sharpie sailboat type and advocated the use of traditional sailing rigs and leeboards.

Pictured above, Phil Bolger and Susanne Altenburger, designed boats as Phil Bolger & Friends. Most recently, they worked on the design of fuel efficient boats for the fishing industry. They also participated in a military commission to design more effective landing craft.

He was a prolific writer, his last book, Boats with an Open Mind, and many magazine articles explore his unique take on small craft design.
My personal favorite is 100 Small Boat Rigs, which demonstrates not only Phil's expansive knowledge of sailing history and sail design, but a keen sense of humor.

In July I will be participating in a RAID as crew on a Bolger designed Chebacco. As fitting a commemoration to the man as I can think of.

We will remember Phil Bolger.
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Wood Strip Classic Moth

Bill B, George A, and Rod M build a wood strip Classic Moth to the Tweezer D design.

("Wave" by Mike Auldridge from "Dobro Sessions")



Classic Moth Midwinters 2009 at Gulfport YC, St. Petersburg FL.

("Double Trouble" by Sly and Robbie from "Best of Ska Vol 10")






For more fun, please visit Earwigoagin!
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Building a Planked Skiff

The members of the John Gardner chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association are a very supportive group. You will find them building boats for each other and sharing old skills with new members. It's always a pleasure to visit their website and see what project is in the works.

What to see how a traditionally designed boat is built today?

John Gardner TSCA chapter member John Hacunda is working on his first boat, a 12' flat bottomed, clinker built skiff. The design is from Traditional Boat Building Made Easy (published by WoodenBoat). It's a community effort, with chapter members sharing expertise and labor.

Here they are to share the experience with us. Building a 12 foot lapstrake skiff.

Sanpierotta Build

Some photos of a sanpierotta under construction. Please note the graceful sweep of the foredeck!
Oh, my!








Built upright, dory fashion -- not easy, but simple.



A good strong shoulder with plenty of efficient stability in the aft sections...







Where did they get larch boards that wide?!! (find the answer in the comments below)

I wouldn't want to offend anyone with this suggestion, but I could see a lapstrake version of this boat built with locally available marine grade mahogany plywood.

Hmmmmmmm.....

Study plans below.


The Master Shipwright in the above photo is Matteo Tamassia, originally from Tuscany who now teaches at the Nautical Institute Giorgio in Venice where he also builds these masterpieces.
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Sanpierotta Design

This is exciting. Study plans for the Sanpierotta just came across Doryman's drawing board. Some quick studies will recognize this boat as Doryman's beloved Paku. No discredit to Mr. Culler is intended when I say he might have known of this boat when he designed his famous Good Little Skiff.

There is an obvious evolution there, no matter how it occurred, and centuries of history of Venetian boat design places the sanpierotta and it's cousins as the extant design for this type of skiff no matter where it occurs today in the world.

The Venetians adopted these boat designs from the Chinese and in the height of their empire were a culture which incorporated and disseminated the most practical innovations from every corner of the Mediterranean and beyond.



If you love a simple, elegant design as I do, you will be impressed by the lines depicted here.






The sanpierotta is a pure flat bottomed boat. No skeg, no extended keel. A hard angle of heel induces a keel in the sharp chine.

This boat is most efficient on the wind at the dramatic angle at which the chine forms a "V", steadying course and driving the boat slightly to windward. With the center of effort from the sail(s) slightly fo'ard of the center of resistance from the hull, the boat will track at a reliable 45 degrees on the wind when handled by experienced crew.

The historical crew of this fishing vessel, hampered by just a few inches of draft, could navigate in any water, including easy beaching on an inviting shore.






The boat develops additional lateral resistance with a large rudder, the reason for the extreme aft location of the main mast. Expect weather helm from this craft and active and attentive sheets!

The crew needs to be athletic and expect to jump to the lee rail at the slightest indication of a puff.



Of course a boat ballasted with a good catch of fish would be an asset!




Giacomo would like to mention:
"The larch used in these boats has been harvested from the Dolomites for centuries. Is the principal tree (with the white and red pine) of the Alps.
From the foresta di Panaveggio e di Tarvisio, the larch has also been used to build violins since Stradivari. A different instrument but a marvelous sound too."

My fealty to the esteemed Gilberto Penzo for his documentation of all vessels Venetian, and eternal thanks to my friend Giacomo de Stefano and his passion for the traditional boats of his home!

Extreme 40 a Venezia

This is an incredible event. Thanks to Stefano Leon Rodriguez for this production. For more sailing videos from Stefano, master navigator, see link on the side bar to the left.

Extreme 40 a Venezia from Stefano Leon Rodriguez on Vimeo.

Sanpierotta

This is why Venice and its lagoon continues to be magical for those who live there:

The Friends of Sanpierotta are proposing a way of life, with traditional wooden boats, that is respectful of the lagoon and the city. To perpetuate the habits of their ancestors in Venice, a city of water, this humble fishing and working boat is recognized as one of the most secure and safe vessels for canals and lagoon.

The history of this traditional boat is contained in the everyday life story of lagoon fishing practiced by the fishermen of San Pietro in Volta, a town on the island of Pellestrina, the source of its name. Similar to the "sandolo”, San Piero is lanceolata in shape with straight sides. It measures about seven meters and is built in larch or oak. While other types of boats from the lagoon have long been extinct, the sanpierotta is going through a period of recovery. Robust, safe and spacious, it can be equipped with one, two or three sails. It is unsuitable for a single rower, but lends itself to the popular "a Valaisan", with two oars.

Prior to the use of engines in small fishing boats, the sanpierotta was equipped with oars and a mast with a single sail for favorable wind conditions. Among the older fishermen of Pellestrina there was a picturesque tradition of dyeing the sails with vibrant colors using natural dyes. This treatment protected the sail, which was a very expensive accessory for fishermen who lived in poverty. Special designs with distinctive symbols and color combinations represented each family, which allowed people on the island to identify any boat from shore.





Life aboard the small flat-bottomed boats was not easy for these fishermen. They fished anytime conditions were favorable, dependent on weather, tide and season, for the duration of a particular fishery. In the summer, when the lagoon was full of fish, extended trips in a small boat required ingenuity to make men as comfortable as possible. For shelter from rain and burning summer sun, the boats mounted what fishermen called pellestrinotti tiom, a typical shelter of reed mats supporting a canvas soaked in linseed oil to make it waterproof.

Course meals were prepared and consumed in the boat. The Pellestrina fishermen, preferring good food, trusted the preparation of meals to the oldest member of the crew, who was the most experienced and talented cook. Eating was not confined to a schedule, but indulged when work was slack. To be able to cook on board a wood boat, without running the risk of triggering a fire, the fughèra, a wooden box of about half a meter wide, lined with tin and filled partially with sand, contained a fire of wood. The embers of this fire improvised a grill on which fish, taken from the catch, simmered. A typical meal consumed in the fishing boat would include fish, polenta, and some fresh vegetables. Then there was wine, in which fishermen could take comfort during long vigils in the boat, on cold and stormy nights.

These are precious memories from elderly islander fishermen, of a world of weariness, fear and danger, but also of joy and love. The profound transformations of modernity and a rapidly changing society have not spared the small islands of the lagoon or Venice and have led to the abandonment of traditions, condemning them to oblivion.





This was the stimulus for a search for the living voice of the oldest fishermen's traditional culture of Pellestrina by:
Rita Vianello, Pellestrina fishermen, the fishing culture of the island
veneziana, Cierre Edizioni / Canova, 2004.






(translation by Doryman)

Rowing the Essex River

Essex, Massachusetts, is a New England town on the Essex River, which empties into the Atlantic. The annual Essex River Race starts and finishes in town, circumnavigating Cross Island in Essex Bay, a six mile run out the estuary to the ocean and back.



Rowing for pleasure, a blog by Chris Partridge documents the 2009 event with photos by David Jones.



























Looks like a lot of fun to me. Maybe I'll have to take Paku, the three station rowing skiff, out east next year for the festivities!
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Gondola

A short video clip about the gondola is the latest from Giacomo de Stefano.

Tourism keeps an ancient craft alive.

Gondolas are hand made using eight different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime).
The oars are made of beech wood.

The port side of the gondola is made longer than the starboard. This asymmetry causes the gondola to resist the tendency to turn toward port on the forward stroke.

The Venician boat builder/historian Gilberto Penzo says this of the traditional boats of his home province:

"For the vast majority of tourists who spend just a few hours in Venice, all the boats in the canals are gondolas. In actual fact there are at least a hundred types of boat each of which were developed to respond to a specific need."

"The salient characteristics of these boats are: the flat bottom that enables the boat to reach the furthest recesses of the lagoon, the rowing style 'alla veneta' where the oarsman faces forwards and uses the characteristic rowlocks (forcole); the large rudder that also functions as a keel fin and which can be adjusted to adapt to the depth of water available, and the lugsails and rigging. Another characteristic shared by all types of Venetian boats, even those used for the humblest task, is their extraordinary elegance."

It is this elegance that draws me to these historical boats. Every one is a unique work of art, even though design parameters are faithfully reproduced. Function, utility, science, philosophy and art meet on the canals and in the lagoon of the ancient society of Venice.

There's more! Much more....
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Old Town Canoe Revisited

A few months back, I showed you some pictures of a 20 foot Old Town canoe I acquired in a trade. (Can't seem to resist a good trade!). My intention was to work on it over the winter, but I'm just getting back to it now.

This Old Town is an older model #172538/20 which, near as I can tell, is around 1960. There are extensive records on these canoes, so the actual build is available (I'll find it when I get time!) The Old Town Canoe Company Build Record Archive Project indicates that 2% of all Old Town Canoes are 20 footers.

The story is that the 20 foot freight canoe may have been used in the Vietnam War for reconnaissance in river deltas. This is a lively story, but I doubt this canoe has seen such rough treatment.





You can see that it's a stout boat, with half ribs in the bottom that are so close, it's almost filled in solid between the full ribs. There are two cracked ribs, which I plan to ignore, since there seems to be little loss of structural strength. The original canvas skin was replaced a long time ago with a polyester fiberglass coating. I considered stripping the 'glass off, but decided against it when I found it adhered so well the wood stripping was damaged trying to remove it. The 'glass had been applied carelessly and not fared out, so I sanded and sanded and sanded. Then recoating with epoxy restored the hull to very acceptable condition.

Now the canoe is right side up and the real challenge has begun. It was originally varnished inside, which is good since several subsequent coats of paint scrape off the old varnish easier than if the paint had soaked into the wood. Some of the wood hull strips have softened, especially where water was allowed to sit in the bottom of the boat.




Spruce is a very soft wood and deteriorates rapidly when exposed to weather. I'll probably coat the inside of the canoe with penetrating epoxy before varnishing, to restore some structural strength to the wood fibers and seal against further weathering.

The shear guard was a black plastic composite material which turned to shards when removed. Believe me, the boat looks better with no guard at all! I have some very pretty Oboto mahogany that will look just super as a shear guard.
I intend to cane the seats. I re-caned some antique chairs years ago, it wasn't too difficult, it looks good and will be authentic to the original.

This is a big canoe, nearly three feet, extreme beam! It takes three people to carry it, and no doubt it would hold an expedition worth of gear with no effort. As my readers know, pulling boats are more my style, so hopefully someone will come along who really loves this boat and offer me a good trade!




Sorry, I will not be replacing the hand painted decals on the bow (a duck in flight, on the port and a bear fishing, on the starboard)!

Some good stuff

The internet is a huge place, but it's amazing sometimes how information overlaps. Like the way molecules produce heat when agitated.

I was looking around some favorite haunts and found some fun in the boat shed. That's Gavin Atkin's site. A very interesting stop. Recently he wrote about the pending sale of a sailing canoe in Britain.

It turns out that this decked canoe is a modern version of George Holmes’ racing canoe Ethel. If you remember, that was the inspiration for John Weiss' Nord Vinden (see previous Doryman posts). The two boats are very alike as you might imagine, though this boat is rigged as a sloop.

The plot thickens. Gavin's post was a link to the Albert Strange Association and it's ASA technical secretary Rick Powell who has reluctantly decided to sell his 15 foot sailing canoe Sara, due to poor health. I have a lot of empathy for Rick. He's rarely sailed his creation. Hopefully he will find that one person who truly deserves such a great boat.


Dick Wynne, the editor of the ASA website has also written recently about the 50 foot Albert Strange yacht, Betty once left for scrap in a boatyard in Brookings, Oregon (just south of here). Locals have wondered what might happen to this winner of the 1927 Fastnet Race and thanks to these guys in London, now we know.

These two sites are exceptional resources and I recommend them heartily.
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Mistral Mainsail

We may be jumping the gun here. Mistral's old "hand-me-down" mainsail is being replaced with a brand new, hand built, custom sail. Over the years that this boat has evolved, there have been many bench marks, not all of them in a positive direction.

But I am excited about the development of this phase. So, despite the fact that I will be spending many weeks hand sewing finish details, I want to share with you some intermediate pictures of the sail layout in the loft.








Lynne Fabricant of the Sailmaker's Art has afforded me the opportunity to work with her step by step in developing what is the first sail design off my drawing board. Lynne has been patient, attentive and thorough. She is a true professional artist, with a quick eye.




















This sail design is based on the old fishing dory rigs and will have hand sewn details in the cringles, clew and tack rings, and reef points. The seams are highlighted with dark thread on white material. It'll be a beauty!

This is exacting work. Note the spotless floor. If I'd tried this at home, there would be dog hair in every seam! Lynne's loft is limited to one sail layout at a time and the experience of her years in the trade enable her to efficiently complete details, such as reef point reinforcement, in advance of the actual lay-out.

Thankful that I didn't embark on this journey alone, I want to express my gratitude to Lynne for her diligent work.
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Howard Chapelle Sharpie

Doryman recieved a very good recommendation from Thomas Armstrong yesterday. He has a worthy design for consideration.
As he suspects, this Howard Chapelle Dory/Sharpie would indeed find a welcome home here.















I think I heard him say he'd come by and help set up frame stations. But in the interim, visit him at 70.8%.

29 Foot Bristol Bay Salmon Schooner

It came to my attention today that this little schooner is for sale, just north of here in the Puget Sound.

The double ended hull (looks carvel-built to me) is by Arnold Lindstrom of Astoria, Oregon in 1931 for the Bristol Bay (Alaska) salmon fishery and the original owner was the McNeil & Libby Cannery.


It is an open boat as originally built. The schooner rig replaces an original cat rig. Constructed of Port Orford Cedar on White Oak frames, it is a Pacific Northwest classic. The owner claims the sails are serviceable and it's auxiliary power is a Volvo MD-6A 10hp diesel.
(seen here motoring past a ferry in it's slip).

The length on deck is 29 feet and the overall length, with bowsprit, is 34 feet.

Is this a boat for Doryman?! Oh, yes!!

Sanpierotta

I am fascinated with an ancient fishing vessel, the Sanpierotta. It's a beautiful design from the days of working sailboats.
Research has produced little, however. But I thought I'd share a site I found, called Arzana. The site is still under construction, but what there is, you may find interesting.
In addition to the Sanpierota, there is a work boat named Sandolo. These boats were originally powered by sail and apparently built dory fashion.

The oarlocks (Forcole or "crutch") for these boats are a work of art, made for a standing rower who faces forward. There are also some very unique oars, each different from the other.

Hopefully, I will find more about these traditional fishing boats from Venice.

Adventure Ecology

David de Rothschild, a rich scion of a vast family name has apparently taken on the ecological battle. His current mission is to build a boat of recyclable material precisely, plastic bottles and sail it from California to Australia.

Never mind that it's nearly impossible to build a boat of Coke bottles. The intention is to create a media adventure to highlight the degradation of the ocean by plastic debris. The entire project is Green from start to end, the best that money can buy.

David is in apparent competition with Marcus Eriksen at Charles Moore's Algaltia Marine Research Foundation. Marcus has already built rafts made of bottles, Thor Heyerdahl fashion to demonstrate what exactly?

Charles Moore is the guy who discovered the Eastern Garbage Patch. This vortex of floating plastic trash in the North Pacific is twice the size of the state of Texas. Birds and marine animals feed there, it's a doldrum where marine food accumulates because of the confluence of wind, tide and current. But now they feed on plastic and die. This is a huge problem. Something needs to be done about it.

But people like de Rothschild are counterproductive to this issue.
Plastic bottles!! If he wants a 100% recyclable material (the driving issue) for building his boat, what better material than (recycled) wood? The saga of the development of the bottle boat Plastiki is mostly about money. For the capital spent, thousands of small efficient wooden vessels, made from wood debris bound for the landfill, could make the same voyage and involve so many concerned citizens that the media would be compelled to pay attention. Corporate (green foundation) financing would not be the driving motivation, and the impact would strike close to the heart of people everywhere.

The disposal of non-biodegradable products is a crisis, no doubt. The durability of plastic is one of the defining disposal issues of this century. But recycled disposable bottles can be made into useful products for a long time, even if no more plastic were manufactured from this day forward.

The quest to create a boat of the one material least likely to prove successful - as an exercise in the promotion of the environmental cause - points up the ludicrousity of big money riding a populist ideal.

A less quixotic enterprise would be to collect the entire Eastern Garbage Patch and recycle it.
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Spring in the Italian Alps

It's been a wet, chilly winter here on the Oregon coast and signs of spring are imminent and welcome. Nine time zones to the east.....







...with more photos from Giacomo, about a recent trip up into the Alps from the Venice lagoon, evidence a very different story!
























The first views are of the Alps in the near distance, over the lagoon, and then from a more intimate perspective.

Brrrrr!!

Many thanks to Giacomo for his fine photos!
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