Chebacco, ALUNA

As promised, here is an update on Aluna, the lapstrake Chebacco, 12years old, made new.

In northern Columbia the Kogi, as the custodians ('Big Brother') of Earth, have been looking down from their mountain at the activities of ‘Younger Brother’ (their name for the rest of humanity) and become frightened about how the world is changing. They believe there is a mind inside nature, that they call ‘Aluna’.

The Chebacco is a Phil Bolger design in a minimalist shallow water cruiser.

Aluna had sadly been left for  decade on a trailer under a tarp. This photo shows the cockpit sole removed. Fortunately the evil wood rot had not reached it's tentacles into the hull beneath.

Today, I'm happy to report, the offending microbe has been banished, repairs complete, and Aluna floats. My good friend, Doug and I shared the repair and he took on the task of refinishing the entire vessel. And what a gorgeous job. The rigging is roughed out, so sea trials could commence any day.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

(that object just off the bow is the lid on a tractor)

As the sun sets Aluna rests in her slip, waiting for rigging to be complete, to try her wings.

Sam Crocker Revisited

The fiberglass Stone Horse one-design produced by Edey and Duff is our standard impression of that boat and few know there were several options available in the original carvel-planked hulls. True to an age when one-off boats were hand-built everywhere, by everyman, options to a design revealed the builder's personality and character. Some of us keep that tradition alive today, despite a culture of mediocrity. It is to those of you I speak.

Joe Evens, on the Oregon coast has a true historic treasure in his barn and is looking for someone to give her the love and attention she deserves. I will be visiting Joe soon, to get the measure of this project. When I do, I'll take you along. Perhaps that perfect person will emerge. Who will take this on? As you will see from the photos, this is an original Stone Horse in very good condition. But she stands to be delegated to the burn pile.



Recently Joe wrote to me and this is what he said:

"She was launched in1948, and first lived on the Columbia, later sailing north to the Puget Sound where she served until a few years ago. She's hauled out now and it's time for major maintenance."


"The boat has a carvel-planked hull, Red Cedar on White Oak. The pictures clearly show a few planks the surveyor marked for replacement.. At some point, the propshaft was removed from the keel and mounted out the port side. This caused some structural problems. It needs to go back, or better, replaced with an outboard. The frames are all good, though the boat needs to be re-fastened. The original galvanized fasteners are beginning to give up. There is a small area of rot on the hatch cover."

"The surveyor indicated that the teak deck was getting thin and should be replaced. Personally, I think that it is serviceable. The deck is beautifully built and is very solid. I am confidant that diligent maintenance would delay that job till the next quarter century maintenance. The builder was obviously a master craftsman. Quality shows everywhere. The mast, boom and the spinnaker pole are truly beautiful, old growth spruce. The rigging includes the original wood blocks and the sails are serviceable."

"Unlike the fiberglass knockoffs, This Crocker Stone Horse is a standard sloop rig, The mast is round and stayed to the bow, no bowsprit. It shows a lot of sail, and uses a wishbone boom to carry it."

"The interior is beautiful and virtually perfect."




"I think that there were only 40 or so of the carvel Stone Horses finished and I suspect that today they could be counted on your fingers."



"It would take a man with no soul to burn it. Or it would be gone with the embers."


Couldn't have said it better, Joe.

Mast Raising

The Cub Sloop was designed by William Nightingale and built by Olympic Boat Co.in the Ballard area of Seattle, WA in the mid-20th century.









This Cub gets a new mast at Rick Johnson’s shop in Toledo, Oregon - 2008. Based on the popular Star one-design, the Cub is a responsive and fast knockabout.









 With a 40 foot mast on a 23 foot boat, what might you expect? Here we see the shipwright himself, with crew, fitting new standing rigging to the gorgeous, clear spruce, hollow box mast constructed by Rick.