WoodenBoat 238 MayJune 2014

238

Build a Booby Hatch • Ohio river • Three Modern Runabouts

THE MAGAZINE FOR WOODEN BOAT OWNERS, BUILDERS, AND DESIGNERS

MADDY SUE

Bernard Cadoret
Ohio River
BRADNA ROSE

Schooner NIÑA
May/JUNE 2014

MADDY SUE and the Roots of the Picnic Boat

An Alden Schooner in Texas
The Fastest Couple on Water

www.woodenboat.com

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MAY/JUNE 2014
Number 238
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58 Going Steady, Going Fast
The powerboat racing team of
Harold and Lorna Wilson John Summers
Page 88

Page 52

FEATURES
26 Life on the River
Steamers and shantyboats of Ohio
and Mississippi
Randall Peffer

33 All in the Details
Multiple joinery lessons in a classic
booby hatch
Michael Podmaniczky

42 MADDY SUE
Restoration of an iconic Maine
picnic boat
Douglas Brooks

68 Chasing the Tide
The relentless imperative of
Bernard Cadoret

Peter Neill

52 A Schooner for East Texas
The 20-year construction
of BRADNA ROSE
Jonathan Weinstein

Page 33

78 Remembering the Schooner NIÑA
Part 2—Her latter years
Richard “Deke” Ulian

88 How to Build Phoenix III, Part 3
Page 68

A versatile, easy-to-build 15-footer
Ross Lillistone

2 • WoodenBoat 238

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Number 238
May/June 2014

READER SERVICES
111 How to Reach Us
113 Vintage Boats and Services
Page 58

115 Boatbrokers
122 Boatbuilders

DEPARTMENTS

129 Kits and Plans

5 Editor’s Page

132 Raftings

Greater Than the Sum

132 Classified

6 Letters

143 Index to Advertisers

8 Fo’c’s’le
Sailing Down
My Golden River

13 Currents

David Kasanof
edited by Tom Jackson

24 Wood Technology

Pages 16/17

Getting Started in Boats
Cordage

Alien Hitchhikers
on Wooden Boats

Jan Adkins

Richard Jagels

83 Designs
Three Contemporary Runabouts:
Results of Design Challenge IV
Robert W. Stephens

98 Launchings…
and Relaunchings

TEAR-OUT SUPPLEMENT

Robin Jettinghoff

105 The WoodenBoat Review
• Wonder: The Lives of
Anna and Harlan Hubbard Randall Peffer
• As Long as It’s Fun
Bruce Halabisky
• Lodestar Books
Tom Pamperin
• Books Received

144 Save a Classic
Three Classics—An Atkin Ketch,
a Joel White Double-Ender, and
a Core Sounder
Maynard Bray

Cover: In 1932, Chester
Clement of Mount Desert
Island, Maine, built this
shapely boat for winter
lobstering and summer
chartering. MADDY SUE
(ex-TRAILAWAY), which
has been recently restored,
proved highly influential
in the development of
picnic boats.
Page 42
Photograph by
Benjamin Mendlowitz
WoodenBoat (ISSN 0095–067X) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September,
and November in Brooklin, Maine, by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc., Jonathan A. Wilson,
Chairman. Subscription offices are at P.O. Box 16958, North Hollywood, CA 91615–6958;
1–800–877–5284 for U.S. and Canada. Overseas: 1–818–487–2084.
Subscription rate is $32.00 for one year (6 issues) in the U.S. and its possessions. Canadian
subscription rate is $37.00, U.S. funds. Surface rate overseas is $45.00, U.S. funds per year.
Periodical postage paid at Brooklin, ME 04616 and additional mailing offices. In Canada,
periodical postage paid at Toronto, Ontario (Canadian periodical Agreement No. 40612608,
GST Registration No. R127081008).
U.S. Postmaster: Please send Change of Address (form 3579) to P.O. Box 16958, North
Hollywood, CA 91615–6958
Canada Postmaster: Imex Global Solutions, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2, Canada.

May/June 2014 • 3

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The 4th Annual

Annapolis to St. Michaels
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Start: 9 am, Eastport Yacht Club
Finish: 2-4 pm, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

J

oin classic and traditional yachts as we re-create a race
from the 1880’s. Register your yacht or come watch
this event to benefit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime
Museum and the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild.
EVENT
NT SPONSORS:
Visit www.cyrg.org for more details, sign up information and updates.
Interested yacht owners or sponsors may contact Rick Carrion at the
Classic Yacht Restoration Guild, email [email protected]

4 • WoodenBoat 238

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41 WoodenBoat Lane • P.O. Box 78
Brooklin, ME 04616–0078
tel. 207–359–4651 • fax 207–359–8920
email: [email protected]
website: www.woodenboat.com
PUBLISHER Carl Cramer
EditorIAL
Editor Matthew P. Murphy
Senior Editor Tom Jackson
Assistant Editor Robin Jettinghoff
Technical Editor Maynard Bray
Boat Design Editor Mike O’Brien
Contributing Editors Jenny Bennett,
Harry Bryan, Greg Rössel
Copy Editor Jane Crosen
Art & PRODUCTION
Art Director Olga Lange
Advertising Art Director Blythe Heepe
Associate Art Director Phil Schirmer
Circulation
Director Richard Wasowicz
Associates Lorna Grant, Pat Hutchinson
Advertising
Director Todd Richardson
Manager Laura Sherman
Sales Administrator Whitney Thurston
Classified Wendy E. Sewall
Sales Associates

E ast Coast & M idwest:
Ray Clark, 401–247–4922; [email protected]
New England: John K. Hanson, Jr.,


207–594–8622; [email protected]

Southeast United States & International:
Tripp Estabrook, 207–359–7792;
[email protected]

West Coast and Western Canada:
Ted Pike, 360–385–2309; [email protected]
International: 2 07–359–4651;

[email protected]

WoodenBoat M arketplace:

Tina Dunne, [email protected]
Research
Director Patricia J. Lown
Associate Rosemary Poole
Business
Office Manager Tina Stephens
Staff Accountant Jackie Fuller
Associate Roxanne Sherman
Reception Heidi Gommo
THE WOODENBOAT STORE
www.woodenboatstore.com
1–800–273–SHIP (7447); fax 207–359–2058
Catalog Manager Ann Neuhauser
Associates Jody Allen, Elaine Hutchinson,
Chet Staples
WOODENBOAT BOOKS
www.woodenboatbooks.com
Book Publisher Scot Bell
WoodenBoat School
Director Rich Hilsinger
Business Manager Kim Patten
website
Manager Greg Summers
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief  Jonathan A. Wilson
President and General Manager  James E. Miller
Copyright 2014 by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reprinted without written permission from the publisher.
Contributions: Address all editorial communica­
tions to Editor, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin,
ME 04616–0078. WoodenBoat is a largely reader-written
magazine. Care is taken with unsolicited contributions,
but we are not responsible for damage or loss.
Printed in U.S.A.

Greater Than the Sum
Sometimes, as we’re putting the finishing touches on an issue of
this magazine, some subtle, unintended theme—some common
thread through several articles—emerges in the flurry of
proofreading. Such was the case when copy editor Jane Crosen
noted no fewer than three renowned married couples in this
issue.
Consider first the profile of the powerboat racers Harold and
Lorna Wilson (page 58). In the 1930s and ’40s, this husbandand-wife Canadian team made international headlines with their
racing exploits and record-setting attempts. Harold drove their
numerous boats, and Lorna played the critical role of riding
mechanic. She was accomplished at the trade in an age when
this was not common; I’ve heard at least one anecdote of how she
tore down and rebuilt one of their powerful engines in the hours
before a race.
On page 26, Randall Peffer recalls the traditions of the Ohio
River, from its shantyboats to its great paddle-wheel steamers (the
latter of which are steel hulled—a construction material that’s
rare on these pages, but whose omission from this story would
have been glaring). In so doing, he pays homage to Harlan and
Anna Hubbard, whose simple life aboard a shantyboat built of
found wood inspired Harlan’s classic tome, Shantyboat, as well as
many woodcuts and paintings. (Peffer also reviews, on page 105,
the new film Wonder about the Hubbards’ life together.) Author
Wendell Berry was a friend of the Hubbards, and his own book on
their lives, Harlan Hubbard: Life and Work, eloquently describes the
synergistic effect their marriage had on each of them—how, with
Anna’s encouragement, Harlan found a certain validity in his
countercultural ways, and how Anna in turn found a previously
unimagined joy in an unconventional life.
Likewise, Lin and Larry Pardey have not led conventional
lives. This world-roaming couple began a pioneering cruising
life together when they met in 1965 while Larry was building a
boat. Together, they turned their combined sailing passion into
a successful career of sailing, writing, and boat work. They have
published numerous books based on their life on the water, often
projecting an idyllic picture of it in the process. Bruce Halabisky
reviews Herb McCormick’s new biography of Lin and Larry on
page 106, and notes that with this book we get a rare glimpse
of challenges, frustrations, and near marital breakdown. But
through it all emerges a life together, well lived.
Harold and Lorna; Lin and Larry; Harlan and Anna: three
couples whose lives and temperaments were and are very different
from each other. One pair was determined to go faster and
faster; another was determined to go farther and farther; and the
third was content to gently flow with the river. Yet they all had in
common the simple desire to be afloat in a wooden boat. And
each couple, it seems, achieved a life together greater than the
sum of its parts.

May/June 2014 • 5

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When Is a Schooner
Not a Schooner?
To the Editor,
I am a longtime, avid (avid, I tell
you) reader (have every issue) and
occasionally I write in to comment
about this or that, usually a bone
to pick on a technical issue (my letter taking WoodenBoat to task about
the confusing depiction of yawl vs.
ketch rig in your “Getting Started
in Boats” series may jog your memory). And so, true to form, I must
comment about what I see as a confusing attribution in your article
detailing “Thumper’s World” in WB
No. 237.
You continually refer to the MAGGIE S. MYERS as a schooner. She is
not. She is rigged as a sloop (single
masted but not a catboat), even
though she may have entered this
world as a schooner. A schooner
is not a type of boat; it is a specific
rig, and many boats alter their rigs
throughout their lives—schooner
to yawl to cutter, and such. It may
be that this particular rig serves
Thumper better than a schooner
rig might since he has mechanical
power and not a great need for more
sail. But I believe it would more accurate to say the MAGGIE S. MYERS
was originally a schooner currently
rigged as a sloop.
By the way—the two articles about
the schooners NIÑA and DEFIANCE
are absolutely wonderful. Many
thanks.
William Benson
via email
Thank you, Mr. Benson, for this
thoughtful correction. As you might
have guessed, this very issue came
up during the editing of the article
in question, and we deferred to
the vernacular usage of the word
“schooner” regarding a certain class
of vessel on Delaware Bay. We were
inspired to do so by the so-called
halibut schooners of the Pacific
Northwest. These were originally
schooner-rigged, and later carried
all manner of vestigial mast configurations—ketch, sloop, schooner.
Locally, the label “schooner” has
stuck to these boats throughout this

evolution. So it is with the Delaware
Bay schooners. It is confounding
at times to judge when to override
parochial usage with commonly accepted phrasing; in this case we deferred to the vernacular, and left it
to the reader to discern the poetic
license.
—MPM

Herreshoff’s Human Legacy
Dear WoodenBoat, I received your
first issue while working at a yard
in southern Maine and have been a
reader ever since. Thank you for the
knowledge imparted, good stories,
and beautiful pictures.
It was nice to read Currents in
WB No. 237 and see the picture of
my grandfather, Charles A Sylvester. He worked at Herreshoff Mfg.
Co. from 1912 to 1940, working his
way up to a leader of the small-boat
shop. Some of his work (and that
of his uncle) is on display at the
Herreshoff Marine Museum. He
had good records and recollection
and was key in writing Building the
Herreshoff Dinghy by Barry Thomas
(1977). My father, Gordon, built
a similar dinghy to exacting standards and we enjoy it as time allows. I only wish I had more time to
commit to preserving the heritage.
Thanks again for doing your part to
inspire others.
Paul Sylvester
Milton, New Hampshire

Paper Chase
Capt. Richard J. McNamara takes
Tom Jackson to task for lamenting
the demise of paper charts (Letters,
WB No. 237). “Don’t need those
‘...expensive, generally outdated,
and incredibly bulky’ paper charts
anymore,” says Capt. McNamara;
“electronics are ready for prime
time.” I’d be interested to read Capt.
McNamara’s further views on the
subject after he’s fished that “cheap
laptop” out of F/V CHERYL M’s bilge
while trying to run an unfamiliar inlet, or found its prime-time electronics fried off some lee shore on a dark
and stormy night. ’Nuff said.
Dick Worth
Churchton, Maryland

Dear Mr. Murphy,
There’s a comment in the March/
April letters that overlooks the
needs of small-boat owners. Writer
McNamara apparently has a boat
large enough for electronic navigation, but for boats between, say,
17' and 27', many of which have no
electronics, paper charts are still the
answer.
In the Great Lakes, there are hundreds—no, thousands—of these
boats that navigate with just a compass. I had a Bruce Farr Quarter
Tonner on Lake Erie for 15 years
and used a 2' × 3' piece of Masonite
with a folded chart, acetate sheeting,
a china marker, parallel rules, and a
divider. I had two bulkhead-mounted
Suunto compasses and never got lost.
What about those 17' Lymans
or Santa Cruz 27s that, likewise,
carry no electronics? You see them
cruising the south shore of the lake
and the Ohio islands too. As for me,
I stocked up on traditional charts as
soon as I got the news.
Capt. Carl R. Goodwin
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Days of Sail
Regarding D.M. Street’s letter in
WB No. 237 (“Pointless”): When, exactly, were “the days of sail” to which
Mr. Street refers? Did Christopher
Columbus’s “second mate muster
the crew forward”? Did Sir Francis
Drake’s? Did Capt. James Cook’s
and Capt. Josiah Creesy’s (of FLYING
CLOUD) and Capt. John Willis’s (of
CUTTY SARK)?
Most accounts of ship sailings in
the 19th and early 20th centuries
discuss the crew being mustered aft
at the start of the voyage; see, for
instance, Richard Henry Dana (Two
Years Before the Mast), Elton W. Hall
(Sperm Whaling from New Bedford),
Capt. J.G. Bisset (“My First Voyage” in Square Rigger Days), and Albert Cook Church (Whale Ships and
Whaling).
Generalizations are rarely accurate
and unsubstantiated statements
do not belong in the pages of
WoodenBoat.
Michael R. Adams
via email

6 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/20/14 10:11 AM

On Towing and Safety
Nice article on towing in Getting
Started in Boats (WB No. 236) It
contained lots of good advice, except for one glaring and dangerous
omission: the hazard to the towing
vessel and crew of the possibility of
a cleat or fitting pulling loose under a heavy strain. A nylon line or
hawser under heavy load becomes
a slingshot with a weapon on the
end.
We can all find ourselves in the
Good Samaritan position of towing
a disabled vessel or pulling someone off a sandbar. Take the advice of
an old coastie with years of experience on everything from the USCG
light icebreaker STORIS, to 180'
buoy tenders, to many small boats:
Keep the after area of the vessel
clear of personnel when towing.
Slow and easy wins the race.
J. Bruce Lehman
Cedar, Michigan

Correcting a
Shortsighted Correction
To the editor and the librarian:
Whatever the reason for Fenwick
Williams’s vision problems, Mr. Bauer
has correctly described him as nearsighted. If due to the refractive condition of high myopia, he would
have needed corrective lenses to
see clearly in the distance. Without
glasses, he would be most comfortable holding whatever he was examining very close to his eyes since his
“far point” would indeed be near the
end of his nose. Without going into
an explanation of the optical principles involved—which are beyond
the scope of this note—Mr. Bauer’s
assessment is correct.
Alan C. Brown, MD
Ophthalmologist
Yonkers, New York

The French Correction

Mr. Grayson makes a rather egregious

error in his otherwise excellent
article, “The Ghosts in the Rossie
Mill” (WB No. 237) which should
be corrected in a future issue. On
page 73, last paragraph, Frederick 
Marryat  is identified as a “French
naval commander.” Marryat was, in
fact, a distinguished British naval
officer, and later one of the most
successful novelists of his time.
His many maritime novels, most
notably the semi-autobiographical
Mr. Midshipman Easy, based on his
own experiences in the Napoleonic
Wars, are classics of naval fiction
and clearly inspired C.S. Forester’s
Hornblower series and, later, Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin
books.
Anyone interested in boats and
the sea should know about Capt. 
Marryat!
Richard C. Slagle
Bessemer, Alabama

May/June 2014 • 7

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Sailing Down My Golden River
by David Kasanof
here’s a saying among oceancrossing sailors that “if you
can see it and it isn’t your destination, you’re too damn close.”
That saying was brought sharply
to mind many decades ago when
I was part of the volunteer crew
aboard the Hudson River (once
known as the North River) sloop
CLEARWATER .
To my surprise and dismay, I
observed that the Hudson was long
and narrow, that it got narrower
as one sailed north, and often
made turns in directions that were
inconvenient. To make matters
worse, one could usually see both
shores, which were only sometimes
our destination. Although I was
not an ocean cruiser, I was used
to having more water around me, and
my gut was usually telling me that we
were too damn close to something—
often to everything.
CLEARWATER was at that time the
largest boat I had ever crewed on. I
was glad to be aboard her, but missed
the Gulf Stream where I had sea-room
enough to make mistakes without
running into something expensive
or finding myself Waist Deep in the Big
Muddy. The sloop, which began as an
idea of the late and great folksinger
Pete Seeger, was intended to remind
people of what the Hudson once was
and could be again if cleaned up. I was
all in favor of that, but I must confess
that my motive for joining the cause
was selfish. I simply wanted to sail in
a famous boat. Besides, I love black
caviar and was happy to support any
action that would benefit the sturgeon,
once plentiful in the Hudson.
Caviar was the last thing on my
mind, however, on my first day aboard.
My main concern was to avoid any
lubberly mistakes, for I had represented myself as an old salt before
coming aboard. That may not have
been a big exaggeration (well, maybe
not a great one), but I found I did
have a few things to learn about river
sailing.
For one thing, rivers decide to
bend this way and that with no concern for wind direction. So you must
be ready to trim sails when the river,
not the wind, tells you to Turn, Turn,

PETE GORSKI

T

He explained that the faster
we turned, the better off we’d
be when the boom came over.
I was to find out why in a few
seconds.
As we turned, the gaff was
first to lurch over, creating the
so-called “scandalized main.”
Then the leech of the main
pulled up the massive boom
slightly—just enough to cause
it to come hurtling over to
starboard with great rattling
of blocks and a hissing sound
as part of the slack mainsheet
that had fallen into the water
came flying through the air,
while the boom continued
across. Of course, I had been
lying flat when all this was
going on and would have
gotten even lower if only my
shirt buttons hadn’t been in the way.
Indeed, If I Had a Hammer, I’d have
broken a hole through the deck and
dropped to safety. The boom took up
the slack in the mainsheet with a jolt
that shook the boat, and it came to
a thumping rest just inches from the
starboard shrouds. All was quiet for
a moment, and then the crew gave a
hearty cheer. All except me, because
my throat was too dry and all I could
do was croak.
Then I understood why the skipper
had wanted the boat to “get around”
as fast as possible. If CLEARWATER
had been just a bit more nimble, we
might have been heading closer to
the wind by the time the mainsail
had completed its rapid swing to
starboard, and this would have softened the impact of the jibe. In fact, I
learned later that the original North
River sloops had waterline lengths
that were significantly shorter than
their overall length, allowing them to
jibe more quickly than the modern
replica.
Nevertheless, CLEARWATER was
easy to sail because of her directional
stability. She was easy to steer and had
no tendency to play tricks on the person at the helm. I would gladly have
another go at Sailing Down That Golden
River, especially now that I’m an old
hand at the North River Jibe. This
time, despite my increased confidence, I would wear a shirt with no
buttons.

Turn. That assumes that the wind
doesn’t change direction when the
river does, and that is not always the
case. Are you confused yet? So was I,
back then. The difficulty is that the
wind sometimes, but not always, tends
to follow the course of the river. If you
were close-hauled, say, and the river
took a 90-degree turn, you might
be able to merely steer the boat and
never touch a sheet. You’d be on the
same tack with the same relative wind
even after making such a big course
change.
Now suppose you were running
with CLEARWATER’s enormous boom
out to port and the river took a bend
to the left. If the wind followed the
course of the river, you could turn
the boat to port and you’d still be on
a run after making your turn. If the
wind did not turn with the course of
the river, you would execute a flying
jibe with that huge boom, gaff, and
mainsail. My recommendation would
be to get off and take a bus. But that
was before I was introduced to the
spectacular maneuver known as the
North River Jibe.
We had been running north
before a fresh breeze with our boom
out to port, and we were approaching
a turn to the west. To my consternation, there was no bus in sight when
the skipper said that we were going
to execute a North River Jibe. Then
he told everyone to hit the deck and
came aft to help with the huge tiller.

8 • WoodenBoat 238

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WOODENBOAT SCHOOL
2014 Schedule at a Glance
MAY

JUNE

ALUMNI WORK WEEK

ALUMNI WORK WEEK

18–24 / 25–31

JULY

1–7

15 – 21

8 – 14

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Greg Rössel

22 – 28

29 – 5

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Wade Smith

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Greg Rössel

Making Friends with
Your Marine Diesel
Engine with Jon Bardo

Fine Strip-Planked
Boat Construction
with Nick Schade

Build Your Own
Annapolis Wherry
with Geoff Kerr

Build Your Own
Greenland-Style Kayak
with Mark Kaufman

Glued-Lapstrake
Plywood Construction
with John Brooks

Introduction to
Boatbuilding
with Bill Thomas

Boatbuilder’s
Hand Tools
with Harry Bryan

Build Your Own Plank
Traditional and Modern
Building a Nordic Pram
Constructed Pond Yachts
Oarmaking
with F. Jay Smith
with Thom McLaughlin
with Clint Chase

Blacksmithing for
Boatbuilders
with Doug Wilson

Lofting
with Greg Rössel

Coastwise Navigation
with Jane Ahlfeld

Elements of Sailing with
Jane Ahlfeld &
Annie Nixon

Traditional Wood-andCanvas Canoe Construction
with Rollin Thurlow

Vintage Pond Yachts
Part II
with Thom McLaughlin

tes
Gift certifica
all
r
fo
e
bl
availa
urses!
co
t
oa
B
en
Wood

20 – 26

13 – 19

6 – 12

Fundamentals of
with

Sparmaking
with Jeremy Gage

Building the Caledonia Yawl
with Geoff Kerr

Build Your Own
Stitch-and-Glue Kayak
with Eric Schade
Building the
with

Building Half Models
with Mark Sutherland

Seascape/Landscape
in Watercolor
with Paul Trowbridge

Carving Waterfowl
with Jerry Cumbo

Elements of
Boat Design
with John Brooks

Elements of Sailing
with Jane Ahlfeld &
Annie Nixon

Elements of Sailing for
Women with
Jane Ahlfeld & Sue LaVoie

Elements of Sailing
with Martin Gardner &
Sue LaVoie

Skills of
Coastal Seamanship
with Andy Oldman

Craft of Sail on MISTY
with Queene Foster

Sailing Traditional Daysailers
& Beach Cruisers with
Al Fletcher & Mike O’Brien

Elements of
Coastal Kayaking
with Bill Thomas

Craft of Sail on
TAMMY NORIE
with Joel Rowland
Coastal Cruising
Seamanship on ABIGAIL
with Hans Vierthaler

Can’t make it to Brooklin, Maine?
Try our courses at Chesapeake Light Craft Shop in Annapolis, Maryland:
We’re very excited to be working
with John Harris and the good folks
at CHESAPEAKE LIGHT CRAFT in
Annapolis, Maryland, and, once
again, to be able to offer courses
at their excellent facility.

WBSchool237.indd 10

MARCH 24-29 BUILD YOUR OWN ANNAPOLIS WHERRY
With Geoff Kerr
APRIL 7-12

BUILD YOUR OWN NORTHEASTER DORY
With David Fawley

APRIL 14-19

BUILD YOUR OWN SASSAFRAS CANOE
With Bill Cave

MAY 5-10

BUILD YOUR OWN STITCH-AND-GLUE KAYAK
With Eric Schade

3/19/14 4:10 PM

ACC E S S TO E X P E R I E N C E
The finest instructors available and a beautiful location on the coast of Maine make
WoodenBoat School an exciting learning experience for amateurs and professionals alike.
This season, our 34th, we are offering over 90 one- and two-week courses in
various facets of boatbuilding, as well as, seamanship and related crafts.

SEPTEMBER

AUGUST
17 – 23

24 – 30

31 – 6

7 – 13

14 – 20

3–9

10 – 16

FAMILY WEEK

Building a Sharpie Skiff
with Thad Danielson

Build Your Own Fox
Canoe with Bill Thomas

Build Your Own
Jimmy Skiff
with David Fawley

Introduction to ColdMolded Construction
with Mike Moros

Stitch-and-Glue
Boatbuilding
with John Harris

Fine Strip-Planked
Boat Construction
with Nick Schade

Build Your Own
Northeaster Dory
with David Fawley

Penobscot 13
Arch Davis

Build Your Own
DragonFlyer
with John Brooks

Build Your Own
Mastermyr Tool Chest
with Don Weber

Introduction to
Boatbuilding
with John Karbott

Woodcarving
with Reed Hayden

Introduction to
Boatbuilding
with Bill Thomas

Building the
16’ Gardner Semi-Dory
with Walt Ansel

Finishing Out
Small Boats
with John Brooks

Metalworking for the Boatbuilder & Woodworker
with Erica Moody

Build Your Own
Chuckanut Kayak
with Dave Gentry

Painting the
Downeast Coast in Oils
with Jerry Rose

The Art of Woodcuts
with Gene Shaw

Lofting
with Greg Rössel

Coastal Maine
in Watercolor
with Amy Hosa

Marine Photography
with Jon Strout &
Jane Peterson

Introduction to
Canvas Work
with Ann Brayton

Rigging
with
Myles Thurlow

Learn to Sail
with Jane Ahlfeld &
Gretchen Snyder

Introduction to Small
Boat Racing with
Dave Gentry and Milo Stanley

Bronze Casting for
Boatbuilders
with Michael Saari

Elements of Sailing II
with Martin Gardner &
David Bill

Craft of Sail on
BELFORD GRAY
with David Bill

The Catboat with
Martin Gardner

Elements of Sailing
with Martin Gardner &
Robin Lincoln

Elements of Sailing II
with Jane Ahlfeld &
Eric Blake

Open Boat Cruising
with Geoff Kerr

Sailing Downeast
with Andy Oldman

Craft of Sail on MISTY
with Queene Foster

Craft of Sail on ABIGAIL
with Hans Vierthaler

Craft of Sail on MISTY
with Queene Foster

Sea Sense Under Sail
with Havilah Hawkins

Tallship Sailing and
Seamanship with Capt.
Barry King & Jane Ahlfeld

Coastal Touring &
Camping
with Bill Thomas

Elements of Coastal
Kayaking (over 40)
with Mike O’Brien

27 – 2
Boatbuilding
Warren Barker

Traditional Lapstrake Construction
with Geoff Burke

Advanced Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Greg Rössel

Cruising through the
Watches on ABIGAIL
with Hans Vierthaler

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Wade Smith

Runabout Repair & Restoration
with Gary Lowell

Wooden Boat Restoration Methods
with Walt Ansel

21 – 27

Making Friends with
Your Marine Diesel
Engine with Jon Bardo
Building Half Models
with Eric Dow

Sea Sense Under Sail
with Havilah Hawkins

Coastal Cruising
Seamanship on ABIGAIL
with Hans Vierthaler
Advanced Coastal
Kayaking
with Stan Wass

For additional information
SEPT. 15-20

BUILD YOUR OWN ANNAPOLIS WHERRY
With Geoff Kerr

SEPT. 22-27

BUILD YOUR OWN SKERRY DAYSAILER
With David Fawley

OCT. 13-18

BUILD YOUR OWN PETREL/PETREL PLAY
With Nick Schade

OCT. 20-25

BUILD YOUR OWN NORTHEASTER DORY
With David Fawley

WBSchool237.indd 11

Check our website for our entire 2014 program:

www.woodenboat.com

or call Kim or Rich at 207–359–4651
To order a complete course catalog, call toll-free

1-800-273-SHIP (7447)
WOODENBOAT SCHOOL

P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, Maine 04616-0078

3/19/14 4:11 PM

•
WO O D E N B OAT ’ S M A R I T I M E T O U R S &
D OW N EAST M AGA Z I N E PR E S E N T

•

WoodenBoat and Down East have teamed
up to create a very special week of food and
sailing. Join the crew of the 1871 coasting
schooner STEPHEN TABER for an
unforgettable cruise of Penobscot Bay.
Along the way, enjoy the TABER’s famous
onboard cuisine and sample the
region’s finest locally produced food.

Image courtesy of Captain Brenda Thomas

The

PENOBSCOT BAY
FOOD CRUISE

July 20-25, 2014
Upon arrival, enjoy an on-deck social hour and dinner with
Down East magazine editor in chief Kathleen Fleury.
Rendezvous with an oyster boat in the Fox Island
Thorofare — and enjoy a subsequent feast in a serene
Vinalhaven anchorage.
Stop at Black Dinah Chocolatiers for a chocolate-making
workshop with one of the Top Ten Chocolatiers in North America
as named by Dessert Professional magazine.
Enjoy a guided tour of the WoodenBoat Publications
campus and school with editor Matt Murphy — followed by a
shorefront lobsterbake.

The price for the cruise is $1,650 per person.
For a detailed itinerary, please visit
woodenboat.com or downeast.com
For booking, contact the
schooner STEPHEN TABER at 207-594-4723;
[email protected]

PenBayFoodTourCruise237.indd 12

Join Down East magazine columnist and food historian
Sandy Oliver in her legendary vegetable garden for an exclusive
lunch and tour.

The Magazine of Maine

. 

3/19/14 3:58 PM

CURRENTS

Edited by Tom Jackson

Above—LONGA KNOTS was purpose-built for the Bermuda Seagull race with a 27’-long wave-piercing hull of 1⁄4” plywood. In a
class for boats using Seagull Sport outboards, she circumnavigated Bermuda in 2 hours 21 minutes, averaging 15.5 knots—and
skipper Stephen Roberts missed first place only because of a seaweed-fouled prop. Inset—The 14’ SEVEN WELLS averaged
4.8 knots for a 7-hour, 34-minute finish to win its class for traditional dinghies in 2013 under skipper Chris Kulmala, with crew
Justin Madeiros.
NEIL STEMPEL (BOTH)

Around Bermuda,
by Seagull power
by Danny Greene

I

n 1968 or 1969, two fishermen in Devonshire Bay, on the south shore of
Bermuda, wanted to establish who had
the fastest boat. They had typical Bermuda dinghies, about 16' long, planked
in the endemic Bermuda cedar, a strong
and rot-resistant wood that encouraged
the construction of light and shapely
boats. They each had a British Seagull
outboard motor, and they raced about
40 miles around Bermuda. Their
course was half on the south shore,
which is exposed to the ocean waves
and swells, and the other half inside
the reef line, where calm seas or short
inshore waves predominate. The date,
the names of the men, and the results
were not recorded. But the seed for the
Bermuda Round the Island Seagull
Race was planted.
Races continued, but not every year.
Bermuda dinghies, which evolved here
over more than 300 years, provided one
of the primary modes of transportation
throughout these islands, along with
horses and bicycles. Motor vehicles were
not introduced until after World War II.
By the mid-1970s, men started building

boats specifically for the race. In 1976,
Dr. R.E. Nash designed and built STICKERALL , named for the local slang for
the dagger-like Spanish bayonet plant.
She had a radical V-bottom and was a
slender boat, 17' long with a beam of 4',
constructed of 1⁄4" exterior fir plywood
stitch-and-taped together with epoxy.
With a stock Silver Century Seagull, she
achieved speeds of about 8 knots, and
marked a turning point in the direction
of the race.
By the mid-1980s, the race had
attracted more widespread interest
and enthusiasm. The starting point
was moved to Long Island, in the Great
Sound, and became a social event in
addition to the hotly contested racing,
which was then a mixture of cedar dinghies and dedicated Seagull raceboats.
From the beginning, entrants tinkered
with the Seagull engines, polishing
ports, balancing props, adjusting timing, and switching parts to achieve
higher compression. Even with this
great variety of boats and engines,
both competitiveness and camaraderie
remained strong. Speed potentials were
estimated before the race, and start
times set to attempt a common finish.
Winners were recognized in numerous
classes of boat size and type as well as
engine (stock and modified).
STICKERALL , now sold to John
Edmunds and renamed SCREAMIN’

FLEA , continued to race and impress.
Edmunds added a 3' skirt to the transom that not only increased stability but
also allowed the boat to plane, reaching
about 13 knots with modified engines
and the later Seagull Sport. She was so
admired and copied that a fiberglass
mold was made and numerous clones
constructed. She has competed in every
race since her launching and usually
beats her identical sisters, and she still
looks modern at nearly 40 years of age.
Since 1986, the race has become a
more organized, annual event, with
the starting point moved amongst the
various boat clubs around Bermuda
and now alternating between the Spanish Point and Sandy’s clubs. This year’s
race, June 14, will start at Spanish Point.
The number of entrants and variety of
boats has also increased, with the most
radical new wave-piercing hulls over
30' long and achieving speeds of 20
knots. Almost all of these new boats are
stitch-and-glue plywood, except for one
molded carbon-fiber craft, and a few
SCREAMIN’ FLEA clones.
Traditional Bermuda dinghies still
compete in gradually increasing numbers, with 10 last year in a fleet of 71
boats, up from 4 in 2008. As no cedar
dinghy has been built in more than 20
years, it takes dedication and enthusiasm to maintain boats for the race.
Some have talked of building new
May/June 2014 • 13

Currents238-Final.indd 13

3/18/14 4:02 PM

40

SAVE THE DATE!
WoodenBoat Magazine’s

40TH ANNIVERSARY
August 14 –16, 2014
in Brooklin, Maine
Visit our website for further details:

www.woodenboat.com

boats, but the skill and wood required
are getting scarce.
There are also a number of molded
fiberglass replicas of traditional dinghies that race, plus a variety of converted and modified 505s, Wayfarers,
Lasers, and Finns. Some are outfitted
with biminis or umbrellas, large flags,
and fishing poles. Heineken is the title
sponsor. Others strive to keep weight
and windage to a minimum, crouching
low and sending the crew under the
foredeck. Second-generation participants
are now taking part.
All vintages of Seagulls are represented, from the very first Marston
model through the various Silver Century, Kingfisher, and 5R to the more
modern Sport. None are now in production, so all are lovingly maintained.
Some racers search the Internet for
“freshwater” engines around the world
and import them in quantity.
There are other Seagull races
around the world, particularly in England and New Zealand, but of significantly different character. Participants
from these have come to Bermuda to
race, and vice versa.
I believe that this race epitomizes
and highlights the skills and attitudes
that made Bermuda unique, successful,
and prosperous. In this recreational
form, it re-creates the resourcefulness
and inventiveness that allowed Bermuda of the 18th and 19th centuries to
become a maritime power whose influence was felt worldwide. It continues
to foster an appreciation for both the
traditions and the skills of those earlier
Bermudians. The boats, old and new,
are examples of vessels created in isolation, meeting very specific local needs
and using the materials available.
The race also gives people a rare
opportunity to view the islands from
a perspective that many never experience, particularly the south shore inside
the boiler reefs.
Danny Greene, a 1971 graduate of the Webb
Institute of Naval Architecture, spent 20
years as a cruising sailor in boats of his own
design before settling in Bermuda.

A close examination
of tools from VASA
by Evelyn Ansel

I

first encountered the story of the
Swedish warship VASA of 1628 in an
article sent to me by my grandfather
when I was 10 years old. I distinctly
remember reading about the recovery
and imagining myself on site when she

14 • WoodenBoat 238

Currents238-Final-r4-wADs.indd 14

3/19/14 2:32 PM

It is remarkable how familiar most of
these tools would appear to the modern
shipwright. For example, a wood-bodied
plane is still immediately recognizable
even though its decorative elements and
the particulars of its design may vary
slightly from types common today. Two
caulking mallets found in the VASA chest
differ little from those I used during my
stint as a caulker for the CHARLES W.
MORGAN restoration. Other tool types
include adzes, hammers, chisels, awls,
saws, and knives. There are also a few
unique finds, such as a combined bench
hook and miter box and two carpenter’s benches. Generally, objects found
on the ship reflect what is commonly
accepted about 17th-century woodworking in Northern Europe. The view that
edge tools were much more common
than saws at the time is supported by
the inventory, which included 25 identified axe or adze handles but pieces of
only five saws. Almost half of the tools
found throughout the ship have been
identified as awls, suggesting that like
knives they were considered essential
personal tools.
My training is in art conservation
and maritime heritage, not in nautical
archaeology, so some peculiarities of
the tool collection have surprised me.
The most disorienting of these is what
is missing. After 333 years underwater,
all ferrous metal has completely corroded away. So, when the database lists
24 axes, 9 planes, and 13 hammers, we are
actually talking about 24 axe handles, 9
plane bodies, and 13 hammer handles.
“Ghosts” of blades, heads, and rings or
wrapped wire are often still visible, and it
is usually possible to determine whether
a ring was driven on, from which direction a head was set, and whether a tool
had been used extensively. Copper alloys

Above—A caulking mallet recovered from a carpenter’s chest from the wrecked 1628 Swedish warship
VASA is little different from tools still in use today.
Right—Braces, a square, and axe handles are among
the tools being analyzed by Evelyn Ansel, who is in
Stockholm on a Fulbright Fellowship.

EVELYN ANSEL (both)

was brought to the surface in 1961, happily up to my elbows in mud. The ship
itself remains the undeniable centerpiece of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm,
but some 40,000 objects recovered with
the hull—including a trove of shipwright’s tools—add much to the understanding of the ship and her times.
It was the tools that captured my
attention and brought me to Stockholm. Dr. Fred Hocker, the Vasa Museum’s Director of Research, visited the
CHARLES W. MORGAN project at Mystic
Seaport, Connecticut, while I was working as an apprentice during the ship’s
restoration, and we fell into conversation about the tool collections. Hocker,
who had himself apprenticed at Mystic,
suggested an internship to study them.
Before I knew it, a casual plan for a sixweek cataloging project evolved into a
full-blown, yearlong research expedition
funded by a Fulbright Fellowship.
Since the fall of 2013, I have analyzed some 250 tools found aboard
VASA . Some of these must have been
lost during construction, for example
rulers found between the ceiling and
hull planking. Others appear to be
personal possessions, such as knives
and awls. Forty objects, however, were
discovered in a single chest in a closed
compartment on the confined orlop
deck. This chest likely belonged to the
ship’s carpenter.
The carpenter—or carpenters—
historically would have been responsible for maintenance and repair at sea.
VASA’s chest contained a ruler, a bevel
gauge, a carpenter’s square, a matching
set of four braces, a Dutch-style plane,
several axe handles, two caulking mallets, and a grease box. A few personal
items, including a cap and a single coin,
were also discovered inside.

May/June 2014 • 15

Currents238-Final-r2-wADs.indd 15

3/19/14 11:34 AM

COURTESY OF JEFFERY RUTHERFORD (BOTH)

Above left—Eric Thesen installs original lodging knees into the schooner yacht CORONET’s deck structure. The 1885 yacht, 133’
LOD, is under restoration in Newport, Rhode Island. Above right—The yacht’s owner, Robert McNeil, has been rebuilding CORONET’s elegant stairway. The treads will be marble. The original doors and partitions are original, restored and awaiting varnish and
installation.

and lead fared better than iron; for
example, a bevel gauge still holds its
1mm-thick bronze blade, though its
iron pivot pin is gone. The work requires
close observation, careful thinking, and
a good working knowledge of tool types
from the period.
The chest is an unusual glimpse
into the mind of a 17th-century ship’s
carpenter. As he was embarking on
a long voyage, what did he choose to
take? It is a question even boat owners
of today must consider when setting
out and facing the prospect of making
repairs at sea. Before I left for Stockholm, I sent my grandfather a note
asking what he takes along while cruising in his 26' double-ender. He sent an
impressive list several pages long, but
with a cramped footnote at the bottom
of the last page: “Of course, in reality, I
never have even a tenth of this with me.
But, you know, you make do.”
Evelyn Ansel, now living in Stockholm, represents the third generation of her family,
after her grandfather, Willits Ansel, and her
father, Walter Ansel, to have worked at Mystic Seaport’s duPont Preservation Shipyard.
For more information, see her blog at www.
vasamuseet.set/sv/Skeppet/Skeppsbloggen/
Evelyn-Ansel.

Around the yards
n “The schooner-yacht CORONET ’s
rebirth is approximately 60 percent
complete,” reports Capt. Bob Cerullo
of Deltaville, Virginia. “She is being
restored in Newport, Rhode Island, by
Coronet Restoration Partners at the
campus of the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS).
“CORONET, 133' LOD with a beam of
27', was built at the C&R Poillon yard
in Brooklyn, New York, in 1885 (see WB

No. 32). IYRS extensively documented,
photographed, and researched the
schooner before beginning her restoration in a specially constructed building. Recognizing the project’s daunting
scale, the school put it on hold in 2005,
and a year later the schooner was
acquired by Coronet Restoration Partners. Robert McNeil and Jeffery Rutherford, who are the organization’s lead
partners, are both experienced sailors
and classic boat restoration specialists. Rutherford previously restored
McNeil’s
Nathanael
Herreshoff–
designed P-class sloop JOYANT (see WB
No. 169) and his 1901 steam-powered
126’ steel yacht CANGARDA.
“I recently spoke to Rutherford during one of his monthly trips to Newport from his boatshop in Richmond,
California. ‘Back in 1986, I went to a
seminar in Newport and bought a print
of the CORONET for $100,’ he told me.
‘It has been hanging in my house for
all these years, then suddenly I got
the job to rebuild her.’ The print was
from a painting by maritime artist John
Mecray, a co-founder of IYRS. ‘The
construction details were learned from
what was left,’ Rutherford said, and her
shape has been reestablished by computer modeling, using measurements
from a half model in the New York
Yacht Club’s collections and lines taken
off the hull decades earlier.
“As of late February, the white oak
hull framing was complete and planking, also of white oak, had begun,”
Cerullo writes. “The oak comes by special permission from royal forests of
Denmark, which date back to the 17th
century. Locust treenails matching the
originals are being used as fastenings.
Rutherford explained that the decking
will likely be teak laid over two layers
of ply wood for watertightness and

torsional strength. However, installation of the deck will wait until the last
possible moment to allow best access
for finishing the interior.
“McNeil is not only an owner able
to afford the cost of the restoration
(estimated at $15 million), he is also a
skilled woodworker. In Rutherford’s
shop, he is re-creating the last of the
schooner’s seven replacement skylights.
The heating stove and all surviving fixtures of her opulent Victorian era, with
the possible exception of the cookstove, will be reinstalled. The piano
will be fully restored and reinstalled
in the lavishly decorated saloon. Modern
navigation systems will be discreetly
hidden where possible to maintain the
character of the interior. At least one
generator will provide electricity for
refrigeration and other conveniences,
but, true to the original, the schooner
will have no engine.
“There is still much work to be done.
Once the deck is complete, new masts
will be constructed to replace the originals, which were rotted and ravaged by
time. The mainmast will be 95' long and
the foremast 89', each with a 45' topmast. Once CORONET is ready for sea,
McNeil, Rutherford, and their crew plan
to replicate one of her voyages around
Cape Horn and on to Japan, with a stop
in Hono­lulu. Rutherford said CORONET’s
mission would be to travel to maritime
museums and events around the world,
providing people a glimpse of the pinnacle of Victorian-era yachting.” Coronet Resto­
­ration Partners, www.coronet-restorations.
com. Rutherford’s Boatshop, 900 Hoffman
Blvd., Richmond, CA 94804; 510–205–3789;
www.rutherfordboats.com.
n Seth Richardson of Mid-Coast Mobile
Marine is substantially rebuilding a
1936 sloop at his shop in Bowdoinham,

16 • WoodenBoat 238

Currents238-Final-r2-wADs.indd 16

3/19/14 11:38 AM

GETTING STARTED IN BOATS
from the Editors of

Volume 46

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL.indd 1

Magazine

Cordage

3/17/14 10:54 AM

— Cordage —
Text and Illustrations by Jan Adkins

C

ordage—rope—was one of the first and
most necessary tools. Its use is among
the first lessons of “wilderness survival”
courses, as cord made from found fibers may
be used for fishing lines or snares; it can lash
shelter structures or be used to string a bow.
Cordage functions only under tension:
Unless you count the pounding a thump-mat
gets around a flopping block, it has no
compression role. But this single attribute
has made cordage inseparable from the
progress of civilization. Rope is made from
simple twisted fibers, yet it’s not so simple.
There’s a subtle virtue in its twist, allowing it
to flex to accommodate loading so that each
fiber takes generally the same strain. A cord
made of straight fibers clumped together
would be pitifully weak: The weakest fiber would
break and increase the load on other fibers;
more breakage would occur, and failure would
ensue.
The simple twisting of either natural or
synthetic fibers can create enormous tensile
strength. Left-twisted gatherings of fiber are
right-twisted into cords or yarns. These can be
left-twisted into composite strands. The strands
can then be right-twisted into a rope. Right twists
are “locked” by left twists. This inter-supporting
structure is called laid rope. It flexes to balance
strains.
Look at a piece of laid rope carefully: Notice
that the individual fibers that compose the
rope are very nearly parallel to the rope’s long
axis (see cover). It’s an elegant structure, with
strength and flexibility far greater than the sum
of all the yarns within it. Understanding the
harmony in a length of laid line compels us to
acknowledge that our hunter-gatherer ancestors
may have been hairier than us but were no less
analytical and inventive.

Above—Cordage is critical to
the operation of every boat, and
serves a variety of roles onboard.
It also was—and remains—
critical to human surivival.
Right—This thump mat is
more than decorative: It
protects both the deck and
the block from inevitable
knocks.

WOODENBOAT PUBLICATIONS, INC.
P.O. Box 78 (41 WoodenBoat Ln.), Brooklin, ME 04616 • Tel. 207–359–4651
www.GettingStartedinBoats.com • www.WoodenBoat.com
1–800–273–7447 (U.S. and Canada)

Subscribe to WoodenBoat Magazine: 1–800–877–5284
2 • Cordage

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL-r2.indd 2

3/20/14 12:16 PM

Fiber Types

T

housands of fibers have been pressed into
service for useful cordage. Every habitable
ecosystem offers dozens of workable
choices. Line has been made from the inner bark
of trees, the parallel fibers within yucca leaves,
hundreds of field and forest weeds, sisal, several
species of hemp, papyrus reeds, grasses, the tendons of animal legs, and even fibers from the cocoon woven by the silkworm. For sailors, however,
only a few traditional fibers are significant.
These natural fibers have a solid place in history. But natural cordage can rot when it gets
wet, and it supports mold and can even be a
meal for nibbling critters. Synthetic fibers are
so superior in strength, durability, cost, and versatility that there is simply no viable market for
natural fibers. Save for small-scale artisanal production for the most authentic of replica vessels,
natural cordage has virtually disappeared. Here
are a few of the most popular of natural fibers:
Hemp—Woven from several species of the cannabis plant, hemp cordage stretches less than
other natural fibers. Consequently, miles of
hemp rope made up the standing rigging of
ships during the Age of Sail. It was not particularly rot-resistant, however, so hempen shrouds
and stays were usually preserved with tar.
Manila—Woven from fibers of the abacá, a relative of the banana tree, manila was the traditional favorite for running rigging and industrial rope because of its high tensile strength and
durability. It was a fiber of choice for centuries.

Cotton—Cotton fibers recommend themselves
for their softness rather than their tensile
strength. Cotton cordage was used where a soft
“hand” (feel) was desired, as in hand-ropes,
bell-pulls, and hammock netting.
The scarcity of natural fibers isn’t a disaster.
We’re fortunate to have a variety of synthetic
fibers with special characteristics for specific
uses.
Nylon—First produced in 1935 and introduced
at the pivotal 1939 New York World’s Fair, nylon
was one of the first synthetic fibers. It was first
used as a substitute for silk in women’s stockings. Nylon is wonderful stuff: It’s nearly impervious to UV (ultraviolet) degradation by sunlight and is resistant to most chemicals. It has a
soft “hand” and high tensile strength (it’s used
at high tensions for musical instrument strings).
Its natural stretching property makes it an ideal
choice for anchor and dock lines; it smooths out
sharp pulling shocks. The same quality makes
nylon a poor choice for sheets and halyards that
need a constant tension. Nylon stretches.
Polyester, aka Dacron—Commercially known as
Dacron or Terylene, polyester is highly UV and
chemical resistant and even stronger than nylon, but it has much less “give.” This latter quality names it as the choice for all but critically
high-performance sheets and halyards. Polyester is the most agreeable fiber for yacht cordage
available, in its myriad lays, weaves, and blends.
Polypropylene—Polypropylene is one of the
most-used plastics in the world because of
its elasticity, ease of molding, and resistance
to most chemicals. As a yacht cordage fiber it
presents virtues and dangers. It will not absorb
water and can be stowed wet, and is less dense
than water, so it floats. This recommends it as
a dinghy painter that will refuse to be sucked
into your propeller. The cautions: This is a relatively low-strength fiber and easily degrades in
sunlight, so its safe working life is indeterminate; its low melting point can be approached
by simple friction, and the curve of its tensile
strength falls off rapidly as the temperature
rises. As a seldom-used, light-protected heaving
line or lifeline, “polypro” makes sense, but it is
not trustworthy over time.
Cordage

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL.indd 3

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

•

3

3/17/14 10:49 AM

Rope Structure: Braid vs. Laid
Defining Rope

Cordage is available in two basic configurations:
laid (left) and braided (right).

C

ordage was once available in a surprising variety—two, three, and four strands,
hawser-laid (counterclockwise or “Z”
twist) and cable-laid (clockwise or “S” twist).
Today S-laid line is seldom seen, probably because using it might be disastrous: under strain
an S-laid and a Z-laid line knotted or spliced
together would unwind each other, creating
sudden “hockles” (strand bunching) that would
concentrate strain and decimate the strength of
both lines.
While twisted fibers in laid rope are a wonder, the mathematical precision of cross-­plaited
fibers in continuously woven braid is close to a
miracle. Admiral Nelson would have given his
eyeteeth for a few miles of this stuff. Braid was
made possible by the control of fiber thicknesses that couldn’t be duplicated in natural materials. Contemporary yacht braids are usually twopart sheath-and-core structures. The twist that
generalizes the fiber tension within laid line is
paralleled by the flex between outer and inner
braiding. The geometry of laid rope admits a
few flaws: An injury to any one strand compromises laid line disproportionally. Variations in
weave and material allow braided rope to carry
out specific tasks. One example: The sheath of
most braided line is woven for abrasion resistance and should have a longer service life than
laid line.
4 • Cordage

You won’t find rope in most nautical dictionaries, except as a part of another concept,
such as “rope-yarn” or “ropes-end” or “boltrope.” The word rope isn’t an accurate noun
aboard a ship.
A new car changes miraculously from
“new” to “pre-owned” the moment you drive
it off the dealer’s lot. Rope changes from its
precise nautical definition—“cordage purchased on a drum, reel or in seized coils”—
to “line” as it comes aboard. It changes thereafter to the purpose it serves—perhaps as a
“sheet,” “halyard,” or “nettle.” Rope retains
its original name only as a collective noun,
as in “learning the ropes” (distinguishing the hundreds of sheets, halyards, guys,
and stays, that controlled and supported a
square rig). “Hey there, pull on that rope” is
lubberly language.

Wire Rope
Engineers who built suspension bridges in
the 1800s began using iron, then steel, twisted
into flexible cables as their tension members.
The tensions possible from wire rope were
enormous by 19th-century standards. The
clipper ships, arguably the high-water mark
of American maritime commerce, began to
use wire-rope standing rigging in their hightension rigging. The downside was that when
a shroud or stay parted (continuous quality
control within the wire was poor), the recoiling line often cut several deckhands asunder. Our legacy from this era is stainlesssteel standing rigging and wire-rope halyards
(often spliced to hand-friendly polyester ends
for the winch drums). Wire rope is admirably strong and stable but, by and by, it will
begin to rupture from metal fatigue and
produce the painfully damaging stray broken
ends aptly called “needles.” Wire running
rigging is quickly being supplanted by lowstretch, high-strength synthetic alternatives
(see facing page).

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL-r1.indd 4

3/18/14 9:49 AM

High-Performance Cordage

For many decades, wire rope spliced to
a soft tail made an effective low-stretch
halyard that was easy on the hands. In
recent years, ultra-low-stretch polyester
line has replaced wire in this application,
reducing weight aloft and eliminating
wire marks on spars. A variety of color
options allows this high-performance
line to look appropriate on even classic
yachts.

B

y chemically and electrically creating highmolecular-density polyesters (HMDPEs)
and using braid technology to optimize
the virtues of these new fibers, science has given
us a range of high-performance super-lines.
Their molecular theory is best left to boffins,
but the general theory is not forbidding: Cook
up a very long-chain polymer with especially
hardy chemical bonds and process it within an
environment that physically lines up the molecules lengthwise, so every bit of tensile strength
is brought to bear. Coincidentally, this reduces
elasticity (enemy of the carefully set sheet or halyard). The result is line stronger, more stable
and abrasion resistant, and much more flexible
than steel rope. Some of these special polymers
are vulnerable to UV damage; the solution is to
use them as a core braid surrounded by a protective conventional polyester sheath.
Early examples of these Star Wars lines were
the aramids—Kevlar, Twaron, and Technora.
They were great in bulletproof vests but had
flaws as cordage fibers. Knotting them and running them through blocks ruptured fibers, so
they had a dismaying tendency to break unexpectedly. The new generation of HMDPEs, Spectra and Dyneema, are hardier, twice as strong
as polyester, and only half as elastic. Vectran,

an even more specialized fiber, is even less elastic and has less tendency to “creep” (lengthen
slightly over long tension). These are the caviar
of high-tech line, and priced accordingly. If you
paint your own bottom, you can’t afford them.

Even More Gee-Whiz
Cordage is an ancient tool, but we’re about to see
a technological revolution in our own time. The
first hint of this is replacing wire-rope standing
rigging with high-performance cordage, which
is lighter and (astonishingly) stronger and easier
to handle.
The second sign of revolution is personalized
cordage. Computer-driven looms can run up
sheets, halyards, or standing rigging to order
for your boat. Consider a halyard that tapers
into an efficient diameter (the new braid is so
strong that “thick” line is largely for kindness
to sailors’ hands) and is color-coded along its
length, so when it is winched down to the sail’s
optimum height and tension, the new color is
just touching the winch drum.
Cordage

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL.indd 5

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

•

5

3/17/14 10:49 AM

Care of Your Line

I

t’s important to keep your line healthy: Your
boat—and your life—could depend on it.
Modern line is resistant to most of the elements, but it is still a flexing, porous structure. Do your best to store it dry. The sea
is a primordial soup, and a sopping-wet
line will propagate god-knows-what in the
dark. Flake out your line on a sunny day
to dry it. Arrange ventilation for your line
locker.
Keep it clean, too. You may not want
to hear this, but your sheets need to be
laundered. A porous, flexing fiber draws
grit into itself, and salt water drying
within the line forms crystals. Grit
and crystals abrade the microscopic
integrity of your line and can significantly degrade its strength. This caution is even more important for highperformance line.
When you lay up your boat for
the winter, your line can and should
be coiled, bound loosely with small
stuff (cord), and dropped into a
mesh bag. Then it can be laundered
in a conventional washer with mild
detergent. Some line-freaks suggest
adding fabric softener, but we recoil
at this pink-lace suggestion.

Keeping It Straight
You can be an observant steward of your
line locker, but kinks and hockles will
appear in all your cordage by and by.
Perhaps we can write this off to entropy.
There’s an old, useful trick for “easing”
line, relaxing tensions built up in it: On
a long reach, trail line at full length behind your boat. You’re essentially creating a neutral, low-friction environment
that will allow the line to shrug off its
tensions. We should be so lucky.

6 • Cordage

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL-r1.indd 6

3/18/14 9:46 AM

— A Pair of Benches
for Handsawing —
Coils

Ashley Coil

While coiling appears to be a simple concept, learning to do it
correctly will prolong the life of your line. Above all else, remember
this: A line should never be coiled around a forearm. Electrical cords
require alternating loops for the cord to lie properly.

T

he prime culprit of line-kinking is
bad coiling. First and most important,
make it a flogging offense aboard your
boat for any upstart lubber to coil anything
around an elbow. This imposes multiple kinks
in your line.
Set some standards for your boat: Line is to
be coiled in a specific way and no other, so that
any crew member will know how to “unlock” a
coil and use it. Common laid line (Z-laid) can
be coiled clockwise. Laid line or braid can be
flaked out in a figure-eight on the deck.
High-performance line, indeed most braid,

Flaked
Line

should be coiled using the alternating overunder method favored by roadies coiling sound
cables. This is also the coil of choice for shipto-shore power cords, hose, coaxial cable, and
eight-plait anchor braid.
A good choice for securing a coil in laid or
braided polyester or nylon is the sea gasket.
If your crew expects lines to be coiled in a sea
gasket, they can release the coil by feel on a dark
night.
Power cords, hose, and co-axial cable should
not be secured with a sea gasket but stoppered
with cord or Velcro bands attached to one end.

Sea Gasket
Left—This line is flaked out in a figure-eight pattern and
ready to run. Above—The sea gasket is a secure way of
finishing a coil, although the Ashley coil (top of page)
is a common alternative. Whatever your method, be
consistent on your boat so lines will be available quickly.
Cordage

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL.indd 7

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

•

7

3/17/14 11:00 AM

The Ditty Bag

A

n essential possession for any sailor, the
ditty bag gathers the tools and materials
necessary to care for line. The origin
of the name is lost, though it may be a linguistic variation on the British naval phrase “commodity bag.” These were intensely personal
items. Sailors personalized their ditty bags with
complex macramé drawstrings, delicate canvasedge tatting, and embroidery. Go thou and do
likewise.
The skills of linework are a lifetime learning
project, beyond our scope. But suggesting many
of the common tools a useful ditty bag might con­
tain will be helpful to your cordage education:
• Waxed sailmaker’s twine
• Sail needles of various sizes—a screw-top
pill bottle, retaining the desiccant capsule,
is a wise needle holder in the salt-air
environment
• Upholsterer’s and cushionmaker’s curved
needles

• Beeswax (for stiffening thread ends)
• Sailmaker’s palm
• Small needle-nose pliers with side-cutter
• Spools of small stuff—tarred marline, hardlaid braided cord, etc.
• Butane lighter for fusing synthetic line ends
• Thread snips for delicate trimming
• Small scissors
• Seam ripper
• Marlinespike
• Variety of braided-line splicing fids
• Variety of shackles and fittings
• Double-sided Velcro tape
• A few pieces of tanned leather
• A pair of hemostats (locking medical clamps
useful for working through strands and
firming up decorative knots)

Getting Started in Boats is dedicated to those who are new to boats and boatbuilding.
Please tear out and pass along your copy to someone you know who will be interested.
Earlier volumes of Getting Started are available in past issues of WoodenBoat, and as PDF (electronic) files,
from The WoodenBoat Store, www.woodenboatstore.com

8 • Cordage

GS-Vol46-Rope-FINAL.indd 8

(Supplement to WoodenBoat No. 238)

3/17/14 10:49 AM

The Goal — Bring new people to wooden boats!

The Solution —
GETTING STARTED

IN

BOATS,

a removable supplement included in
every issue of WoodenBoat.

This publication is produced for the
absolute beginner; for your family,
friends, and neighbors, members of local
community groups, colleagues at work—
the people you know who should be
inspired into boats and boating.
Share your passion!
To download previous issues of Getting Started that you might
have missed, please visit www.woodenboatstore.com.

WoodenBoat Publications
41 WoodenBoat Lane, Brooklin, ME 04616
207–359–4651 • www.woodenboat.com

May/June 2014 • 17

Currents238-Final-r2-wADs.indd 17

3/19/14 11:33 AM

Maine, which he shares with boatbuilder David Stimson, who is collaborating on the project. Earlier rounds of
work on NARNIA carried out by Joel
White in the 1970s involved a new maststep and sister frames forward. Carroll
Lowell in the 1990s replaced her sternpost and transom. The current project
has entailed a complete reframing with
steam-bent white oak. Four new white oak
floor timbers have been installed, and all
keelbolts have been replaced through
her 3,200-lb cast-iron ballast keel. The
hull has been completely replanked,
with Atlantic white cedar for all but the

COURTESY of SETH RICHARDSON

A 1936 sloop, designed and built by
N. Blaisdell & Son
boatyard in Woolwich, Maine, is being
rebuilt under
the hand of Seth
Richardson of MidCoast Mobile Marine
at his shop in
Bowdoinham, Maine.

sheerstrakes, which are of sipo, as are
the new covering boards. Plank fastenings are stainless-steel screws. Her original deck will remain in place, sheathed
in Dynel. Her 6-hp Palmer gasoline
engine is being replaced by a 14-hp twocylinder Beta Marine diesel. The boat,
22' 8' LOA with a beam of 7' 3" and
draft of 3' 11", was designed and built at
the N. Blaisdell & Son boatyard in
Woolwich, Maine, and launched in 1936.
A June 2014 relaunching is anticipated.
Mid-Coast Mobile Marine, P.O. Box 860,
Brunswick, ME 04011; 207–504–2878;
www.midcoastmobilemarine.com.

n “The French navy’s sail-training
topsail schooner ÉTOILE (107' LOA ,
with a beam of 24' , and displacing
275 tons), built in Fécamp, France,
in 1932, has enjoyed a complete deck
replacement from December 2013
to April 2014,” Lionnel Parant writes
from France. “That important operation, carried out about every 40 years,
is the second for ÉTOILE . The first was
in 1972. The current project has been
managed by Le Chantier du Guip shipyard in Brest, with 12 experienced ship
carpenters performing the task. The
schooner spends almost 200 days at sea
per year. The initial thickness of the
deck in 1972 was 3.35"; today, 40 years
later, it was only 2.75" thick in places,
insufficient for maintaining watertightness. Yann Mauffret, director of Le
Chantier du Guip, ordered Douglas-fir
from Canada for the new deck planks,
some of which are 26' long. The complete deck replacement was included
in a major maintenance project carried
out at a naval drydock in Brest. It was
also an opportunity to replace some
deteriorated wood dating to the original construction in 1932, such as some
deckbeams forward. These beams, originally made from Hungarian oak, have

18 • WoodenBoat 238

Currents238-Final-r4-wADs.indd 18

3/19/14 2:33 PM

LIONNEL PARENT

At Le Chantier du Guip
in Brest, France, the
navy sail-training topsail
schooner ÉTOILE is
undergoing an extensive
refit, involving a complete
deck replacement using
laid Douglas-fir planking.
The yard works extensively with wooden
construction and has
facilities in Brest, Lorient,
and Île-aux-Moines.

in getting compass timbers long
enough to make replacement frames in
one piece from keel to gunwale, matching the original ones. Actually, all
pieces of the athwartships structure
were made from compass timber, with
the exception of only a very few f loor
timbers made up in laminations. The
choice of sycamore maple for interior
joinery renders the interior of RUNA VI
particularly light.”Le Chantier du Guip,
Quai du Commandant Malbert, 29200
Brest, France; +33 (0)2–98–43–27–07;
uk.chantier duguip.com.

Offcuts
been replaced with French oak.
“Another recent project carried out
by Le Chantier du Guip in Brest (the
company also has facilities in Lorient
and Île-aux-Moines) is worthy of mention: the complete restoration of the
1927 gaff cutter RUNA VI (36' LOA ,
with a beam of 8', and displacing 4.5
tons). This classic yacht, designed by
Gerhard Rønne and built in Skovshoved,
Denmark, was entirely restored from

2012 to 2013. The main challenge was
to carry out the restoration while
remaining faithful to the original. Little
was known of the yacht’s history, but the
project has been achieved successfully
thanks to meticulous research into
historical records, conscientious choice
of materials, passion, and thousands of
diligent work hours. Everything has
been replaced except for the deckhouse. Le Chantier du Guip succeeded

G

iovanni Panella writes from Italy
with news of the completed restoration of a historically important boat:
“An important peota reale, called a
barca sublima, or sublime boat, is once
again on exhibit near Turin, after being
restored to her original glory. The peota
is a rare state barge almost 300 years
old. It is unusually intact but is also the
oldest example of its type. Once common in the canals of Venice, such boats
played a key role in the transport system
of the city and the surrounding lagoon.

Fairing compounds
Laminating compounds

Tri-Tex

co inc.

1-800-363-2660
www.tritex.com

May/June 2014 • 19

Currents238-Final-r4-wADs.indd 19

3/19/14 2:33 PM

GIOVANNI PANELLA

Elaborately decorated with gilt carvings,
a Venetian-built royal barge, called a barca sublima, has been carefully restored
and returned to exhibit at the Venaria
Reale palace in Turin, Italy. The boat, built
in 1731, was used by the royal family for
ceremonial occasions, including numerous weddings. The oldest example of its
type and recognized early as historically
important, it was donated to the city of
Turin in 1873.

Low to the water and capacious, peotas
were rowed with eight long oars working through rowlocks called forcole, still
used today by modern Venetian rowing
craft. She also had a mast 10 meters
tall [about 33'] that carried a single lug
sail. The peota reale, which was probably built in a boatyard on Burano, one
of the many islands near Venice, measures nearly 16 meters [52'6" ] long with
a beam of 2.7 meters [about 9'].
“Its barge-like hull is luxuriously
decorated, as is its covered pavilion,
called a tiemo, and the forcole themselves. The carver was Matteo Calderoni,
who used gilded carvings, paintings,
and precious fabrics to cover nearly
every surface of the hull. The topsides
are decorated with friezes of Nereids
and Tritons. The bow is dominated by
three large figures, representing Narcissus with two elders who symbolize
the Po and Adige rivers. The stern is
decorated with sculpted cherubs and
seahorses. The pavilion has ten doubleglazed windows, side benches, decorated wood panels, ceiling paintings,
and ends with the royal coat of arms of
Savoy.
“The peota’s delivery up the River Po
to its royal patron in Turin began August
2, 1731, and took a month. Intended
for ceremonial use, the boat was used
for important royal weddings in 1776,
1842, and 1867. King Vittorio Emanuele II, recognizing the boat’s historical
importance even in 1873, donated her
to the city of Turin. The boat remained
housed in the Palazzo Madama, seat of
the first Senate of the kingdom of Italy,
until 2000, when it was transferred to a
laboratory in Aramengo for complete
restoration. Today, it is back on exhibit,
complete with a multimedia presentation and background music by Antonio
Vivaldi, as part of the permanent collections of the magnificent Venaria Reale
palace.” La Venaria Reale, www.lavenaria.
it./web/.

S

peaking of extraordinary carvings:
ship modeler Lloyd McCaffery,
known for his work in extreme miniature, often at a scale of 64' to 1", is in
the midst of an extensive project to
re-create U.S. Navy ship figureheads—
with a projected total of 60 of them. As
of this writing, he had completed 35, all
at the same scale of 1⁄4" to 1'. Each piece
requires extensive research, sometimes
simply by measuring surviving carvings
but more often by scouring historical
records, renderings, and descriptions.
The ships involved extend from the U.S.
Navy’s colonial roots until figureheads
faded from fashion in the late 19th
century. The finished pieces, earlier
exhibited among the important ship
20 • WoodenBoat 238

Currents238-Final-r4-wADs.indd 20

3/19/14 2:33 PM

COURTESY OF LLOYD MCCAFFERY

her to it, perhaps? That’s kind of what
had happened to an 18' larch skiff built
by Thomas Orr of Greenock in the late
1890s for the MacDonald family for racing in the Skye Highland Games in Portree. The boat was last used in 1913. A
local lady had missed her steam ferry,
and Col. Jock MacDonald of Viewfield
House, Portree, quickly commandeered
a crew from the Fisherfield crofters to
catch up to the ferry under oars. The
idea was to row directly to Stromeferry

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Ship modeler Lloyd McCaffery, working at what for him is an unusually
gargantuan scale—1⁄4” to 1’—has
been focusing on re-creating 60 U.S.
Navy figureheads in miniature.

model galleries at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland,
are on display through June at the Erie
Maritime Museum in Pennsylvania.
Lloyd McCaffery, [email protected].
Erie Maritime Museum, 150 E. Front St.,
Erie, PA 16507; www.flagshipniagara.org.

A

shley Perks writes from Scotland
with word of an inspiring project
involving an aging wooden boat: “What
would you do with a boat more than
a century of age, a bit creaky, and in
need of considerable restorative surgery? Stick her in the rafters and leave

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In Scotland, a skiff that hasn’t been
used since 1913 has been restored
for a 100-mile row recreating a locally
famous heroic effort to help a woman
catch up with a ferry she’d missed.

to head off the steamer, which had one
stop elsewhere, in time to deposit the
distressed damsel safely aboard. Mission
accomplished, the skiff was returned to
the MacDonalds’ boathouse and quietly
forgotten about. Until now.
“In the summer of 2012, descendant
Hugh MacDonald was having a tour
aboard the Portree Lifeboat during
a Royal National Lifeboat Institution
(RNLI) open house. His guide was crewman Donnie Nicolson, who, knowing

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May/June 2014 • 21

Currents238-Final-r4-wADs.indd 21

3/20/14 3:00 PM

the family’s history with boats, asked
what they had in their boat shed these
days. ‘A couple of wooden boats,’ Hugh
replied casually. ‘The boat up in the
rafters has been there a very long
time. I would love to see somebody do
something with her.’
“The ‘somebody’ turned out to be
Donnie, and the ‘something’ involved
fully restoring the historic boat—
work now under way by Iain MacLean
in Broadbent—and then rowing it the
100 miles from St. Kilda in the North

Atlantic to Portree, raising funds for
the RNLI and Skye and Lochalsh Young
Carers. As of this writing, a new keel,
transom, and frames had been fitted, though more work was expected
to involve replacing the sternpost and
knees and fashioning fixed seats, floorboards, and a rudder. She was expected
to be seaworthy by the beginning of
April, allowing time for crew training before the anticipated row itself,
planned (weather permitting) for the
beginning of May.

If You’d Like to

Build Your Own Boat
Please join us for

Family BoatBuilding

at the WoodenBoat Show, June 27-29; Mystic Seaport, CT.
Thanks to the generosity of the
following kit producers, we are
once again offering a selection
of boat kits for you to build
during Family BoatBuilding at
The WoodenBoat Show.
You need no previous
experience. Our kit producers
will be on hand to provide all the instructions you need. By the end of the third day, your
boat will be finished, and you can launch her for a test row/sail. And then load her on
your car and drive home. (In the case of the T37, you can stow her in your back seat.)
You should order your kit directly from the different producers. Please see additional kits
available and full information at: www.thewoodenboatshow.com/familybb.php

Gentry Boats is offering your choice of solo or tandem kayaks, the Chuckanut 12,
C12S, and the C15. Prices are $850 for the 12s and $945 for the C15.
Tippecanoe Boats is

offering your choice of the
Standard or Racing models
of their 37” T37 radiocontrolled sailboat. The costs
are $314.50 and $405.50,
respectively. This is a great way
to learn to build and sail.
Produced by

PO Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616-0078

carl @ woodenboat.com

“Two teams of four oarsmen will row
in turns to ensure nonstop progress for
what could be up to 48 hours on the
water. Three women coxswains will
call the strokes for a steady speed of
about 3 knots, as well as bailing.” For
more information, see www.row-stkilda.co.uk.

Across the bar
n Gordon H. “Swifty” Swift, 89, February 26, 2014, Kensington, New Hampshire. Mr. Swift started off pursuing a
career in agriculture, and at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, he
served as head livestock herdsman. He
returned to his hometown to work at
Shaw’s Hill Farm, and within a few years
started his own small farm with his wife,
Doris, whom he had met and married in
college. At college, he had also taken
his first taste of sailing, and he soon
found himself captivated by wooden
boat construction. He left farming to
learn boatbuilding by working for 13
years with Bud McIntosh, a friend of his
who lived in nearby Dover. Mr. Swift
became operations manager at Great
Bay Marina in Newington, but in 1976
he established his own yard, Swift Custom Boats, specializing in woodenhulled pleasure craft. Many of his
boats were built to designs by McIntosh
and by Joel White of Brooklin, Maine.
In the meantime, Mr. Swift became a
widely admired boatbuilding teacher,
succeeding McIntosh at WoodenBoat
School in Brooklin. BELFORD GR AY, a
28' 6" Friendship sloop that is considered
the flagship of the school’s waterfront
program, was built over six consecutive
seasons under his tutelage, launching
in 1992. The Swifts sailed the coast
of Maine together regularly in the
26' sloop MADRIGAL , launced in 1965,
that Mr. Swift built to McIntosh
design. (For a profile of Mr. Swift, see
WB No. 169.)
n Paul Valen Coble, 91, February 12,
2014, Jamestown, Rhode Island. Mr.
Coble, who late in his career passed on
his experience and skills by teaching
marine surveying courses, worked for
a who’s-who of wooden boat designers
and builders of the mid-20th century.
He taught wood and fiberglass surveying at WoodenBoat School in Brooklin,
Maine, from 1983 to 2000, and also at
the International Yacht Restoration
School in Newport, Rhode Island.
A native of Newark, New Jersey, he
attended Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken and went on to attend
the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in
Kings Point, New York. After serving
aboard ships as a cadet during World
War II, and impatient to return to sea,

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he ultimately left the academy to serve
as an able seaman. After the war’s end,
he pursued his interest in boatbuilding first at Cape Cod Shipbuilding in
Massachusetts and later with Derecktor
Shipyards, New York; Luders Marine
Construction Co., Connecticut; yacht
designer Phil Rhodes, New York; New
England Shipyard, Rhode Island; and
Sparkman & Stephens, New York. His
projects ranged from Korean War–era
minesweepers to the AMERICA’s Cup
contenders COLUMBIA , CONSTELLATION, and INTREPID, all 12-Meters.
He led the construction of the S&S–
designed INTREPID, which won the Cup
in 1967 and was the last wooden-hulled
yacht to do so. He was a draftsman and
also turned to yacht design, mainly
involving sailboats for fiberglass production. His involvement with wooden
boats continued, however, especially
after he started his own yacht surveying company, SURVEYACHT/Coble
Associates, in Jamestown in 1966. (For
a profile of Mr. Coble, see Professional
BoatBuilder No. 88.)

Mr. Blandford published 113 books on
a wide range of craft subjects. A native
of Bristol, he was trained in architecture but turned to teaching and then
writing. During World War II, he wrote
technical manuals on subjects ranging
from making camouflage netting to
maintaining Lancaster bombers. After
the war, he focused on a range of interests, from blacksmithing to knot tying,
with an emphasis on one in particular—small boats for amateur construction. He built his first wood-and-canvas

kayak in the late 1940s and immediately
published plans and an instructional
manual for home builders. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 1948
Olympics in canoe racing but became
an official timekeeper and later served
as a BBC commentator on rowing and
canoeing events. His designs, which
included some 30 different canoes and
kayaks, a hollow wooden surfboard,
and sailboats and powerboats never longer than 24', have sold in the hundreds
of thousands.

n Pete Seeger, 94, January 27, 2014,
New York City, New York. A folk music
scholar and gifted songwriter, Mr.
Seeger devoted his life to the pursuit
of music as a means of telling America
the story of itself. Among his causes
were labor, civil rights, and social justice, and his lyrics became household
words. During the 1960s, he also took
aim at pollution, most notably by leading the effort to construct the replica
Hudson River sloop CLEARWATER ,
which reflected the respect that Seeger
and his wife, Toshi, held for combining craftsmanship and history in the
interest of environmental advocacy.
The traditionally constructed sloop,
75' on deck, was launched at Maine’s
Harvey Gamage Shipyard in 1969 (see
WB No. 172). The centerpiece of an
influential environmental education
program, she has since had more than
half a million people across her decks,
and she became a symbol of a public
outcry for restoring polluted waterways
like the Hudson. Seeger sailed with her
to Washington, D.C., in 1972 to advocate on behalf of the Clean Water Act,
which passed Congress that year and
became a milestone in environmental
protection. As always, Mr. Seeger used
his music—most notably at the annual
Great Hudson River Revival near his
home in the appropriately named Beacon, New York—to support the sloop
and its cause.
n Percy Blandford, 101, January 10,
2014, Warkshire, England. An inveterate
do-it-yourself advocate with a lifetime
commitment to Scouting programs,
May/June 2014 • 23

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Alien Hitchhikers on Wooden Boats

A

ssistant Editor Robin Jettinghoff
recently passed on a letter she
re­ceived from reader Mike Mayer
of Portland, Oregon, who wrote: “I’m
a big fan of Dr. Jagels’s column in
your magazine. I own a wooden runabout restoration shop where I do
full restorations as well as care for many
of the local boats. We have a small, private lake (Lake Oswego) in our area
and I am the ‘approved’ cleaning station for the local wooden runabouts
that enter the lake. Due to the invasive
species concerns popping up, all boats
must be cleaned and inspected before
launching. The approved process in the
past was a simple hull and bilge wash
with diluted bleach along with running
the engine ‘up to temperature.’ It has
been determined that diluted bleach is
virtually ineffective in this application,
and I’m now told that a hull and bilge
wash with 140° water [60°C] will kill the
invasive species. I don’t recall seeing
any columns on this subject and was
wondering if Dr. Jagels has, in fact,
studied it and was wondering what his
findings were. I imagine that this will
continue to be of concern and may be
of interest to other readers as well. I am
also curious if this hot-water bath will
have ill effects on the boats’ paint or
varnish.”
While I certainly appreciate Mike’s
vote of confidence in me, my comfort
zone was challenged a bit by this topic.
But, as I dug into it, I was relieved to
learn that “experts” in the area of
aquatic invasive species are, themselves, on a learning curve and often
recommend conflicting remedies. The
following dialog focuses on fresh­water
invasive species, but the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service extends its “management protocols” to include marine and
estuarine ecosystems in the Pacific
Northwest.
It might be argued that early Asians
crossing the land bridge to North
America or Polynesians sailing across
the Pacific Ocean were the first vectors for biological dispersion. But the
real onslaught began with European
exploration and accelerated with
waves of human immigrations. Now,
it is reaching monumental levels with
rapid transport exchange throughout
the globe. Invasive plants, animals, and
microorganisms are generally classified
as any alien species that grow outside
their natural range and are adaptable, aggressively competitive, and
highly reproductive. As such, they pose

threats to the balance of ecosystems
and can lead to loss or considerable disruption of desirable native species. In
aquatic systems, invasive plants can not
only outcompete natives but may also
degrade water quality by increasing
temperature, changing water chemistry, and encouraging the growth of
unwanted algae or undesirable microorganisms.
The list of organisms that can attach
themselves to boats is large and still
growing. Once on a boat, motor, or
trailer, these organisms can be transported to new waterways. But, you
might ask, how did invasive species
such as fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana),
Brazilian elodea (Egeria densa), or water
milfoil species (Myriophyllum spp.) make
their way from Central and South
America to places like New England?
All three of these are among the commonly available aquarium plants. From
a pet store to a home aquarium to a
local storm sewer are small steps on the
way to colonizing a pond or lake.
Quagga and zebra mussels and New
Zealand mud snails have been spread
in the ballast of tanker ships, although
initial introduction of the mud snail
may have been in water containing live
fish or fish eggs. They can attach to almost
any surface, including boat bottoms.
The diatom Didymosphenia geminata (also
known as didymo or rock snot) is found
primarily in flowing cold-water streams
and can be spread by a single drop of
water from one watershed to another.
While didymo is often spread on fishermen’s wading boots, boats, including
canoes and kayaks, can also transport
this invasive diatom.
The parasite that causes whirling
disease (Myxobolus cerebralis), which
damages skeletal and neurological
systems in salmonids and causes them
to swim in a characteristic corkscrewlike pattern, is a serious threat to
trout and char species. Introduced
from Eurasia several decades ago, it
is now found in 22 U.S. states. Mud,
debris, or water can contain minute spores that can be transported
by boats. These are just a few of the
invasive species damaging ecosystems
throughout North America as well as
other countries around the world.

Control Measures
Because of the heterogeneous bio­
logical mix of invasive species,
uniform control methods have been
difficult to establish. However, some basic

by Richard Jagels

principles have been determined.
Before leaving a waterway, boats
should be thoroughly drained. This
includes evacuation of bilges, live wells,
ballast tanks, and transom wells. Water
in boat motors should be pumped
out if a fresh, uncontaminated water
source is available. Contaminated water
should not be transported away from its
source. Small boats, canoes, and kayaks
should also be drained thoroughly.
Any debris, visible plant parts, or mud
should be mechanically removed. More
thorough cleaning can be achieved at
home with a hose or pressure washer
or at a commercial car wash. One caution: do not use a car wash that drains to
storm sewers that connect to waterways.
Draining and cleaning are universally accepted as minimal ways of
reducing the spread of invasive species
by boats, but these procedures, while
helpful, are generally not sufficient—
especially for the many species that can
reproduce by minute spores.
Disinfection methods vary widely.
Departments of environmental protection in individual states have published
procedures and, in some cases, state
legislatures are contemplating fines for
infractions. Federal agencies and committees of concerned citizens have also
published warnings and protocols on a
host of Internet sites.
Disinfection procedures fall into
three general categories: desiccation
drying, thermal treatment, and chemical
disinfection.

Desiccation Drying
This procedure is the easiest to
accomplish but probably the least
effective for resistant organisms. The
boat must be dried for at least five
days, though some suggest seven days,
in warm, sunny weather on days with
humidity of 70% or less. In cool, moist
weather, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOA A)
recommends drying for 30 days. This
is “Step 3” in NOA A’s “Clean, Drain,
and Dry” method for preventing the
spread of aquatic invasive species.
Some researchers have found that
at least 21 days of dry exposure is
needed to kill mussels. Desiccation
drying has the disadvantage of limiting the number of trips that can be
taken to different waters during the
boating season. For wooden boats, it
has further disadvantages: First, the
boat may not dry sufficiently to eliminate the organisms, especially in the

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seams; and, second, drying the boat
sufficiently to eliminate the threat
will cause the seams to open, causing
leaks upon relaunching.

Thermal Treatment
As an alternative to desiccation drying, NOAA and others suggest heat as
a method of sanitation. The generally
agreed temperature is 140°F (60°C).
Methods include hot air, steam, or
hot water. The surface to be sanitized
must reach and hold 140°F for 30 seconds. NOAA recommends the use of
a handheld infrared thermometer to
verify surface temperature. Hot-water
car washes, although recommended by
some, generally do not have water above
120°F (49°C). Similarly, home hot-water
systems are generally set below 120°F,
as a safety precaution. Thirty seconds
of wet or dry heat of 140°F should not
be detrimental to the wood in a boat.
But it might be injurious to some paints
and varnishes, so paint and varnish
manufacturers should be consulted.
During commercial drying, wood tolerates kiln temperatures of 180°F (82°C)
or higher for up to several hours. The
only concern in a boat would be wood

shrinkage, but exposure for 30 seconds
or even a few minutes at 140°F should
not be enough to open seams.

Chemical Disinfection
For some organisms, such as didymo,
thorough scrubbing with a hot 5%
solution of dishwashing detergent, or
a 30-minute soak, may be sufficient.
But other organisms will require stronger chemicals. Suggestions have been
full-strength vinegar, a 1% solution of
potassium permanganate, hydrogen
peroxide, and formaldehyde solutions,
none of which would be practical for
boats.
Diluted household bleach is the
most commonly recommended disinfectant. A one-minute soak or spray of
a 2% solution, or 3 oz bleach per gallon of water, can kill many plant species. A 10% solution, or 13 oz bleach
per gallon, may be needed for other
organisms, particularly pathogens and
diseases. The disadvantage of chlorinebased bleach is its corrosive nature,
which especially affects metals and
electrical connections, and for wooden
boats it has the additional disadvantage
of the potential to change the color of

uncoated wood.
Less-corrosive alternatives to bleach
are quaternary ammonium compounds. These can be especially effective against pathogens and viruses.
Examples of commercial products in
this category include veterinary cleaning products, such as Parvasol and
Kennelsol, and household cleaners and
disinfectants, such as Formula 409 and
Fantastic. These products would be useful for disinfecting localized areas in a
boat or motor, but would be very costly
if used for treating an entire boat.
Absolute prevention or control
of invasive species is, in my view, an
unrealistic goal. However, reduction
of spread is achievable, and we should
all do what we can to limit the further
spread of current and new alien
species. Without concerted action,
our waterways will lose the wonderful
attributes we cherish as boaters.
Dr. Richard Jagels is an emeritus professor
of forest biology at the University of Maine,
Orono. Please send correspondence to Dr. Jagels
by mail to the care of WoodenBoat, or via
e-mail to Assistant Editor Robin Jettinghoff,
[email protected].

Natural beauty.
Use WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin®
and 207 Special Clear Hardener™ for
a natural wood finish.
westsystem.com

May/June 2014 • 25

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CLAUDE W. CADDELL

Life on the River
Steamers and shantyboats of
Ohio and Mississippi
by Randall Peffer

T

he cigarette glows, then flares with a hissing
sound, breaking the perfect darkness of the
Ohio River night.
“This is how it always has been,” says the voice
behind the cigarette. “Men gathering in the pilothouse
telling stories...about river people, about boats, about
the water. And let’s face it. There is generally bourbon
involved. Somebody always knows someone who has a
still.”
In the darkness, a man swallows from a coffee mug
filled with stronger stuff, hums to himself.

The voice, the smoker, is Jeff Spear, president of an
organization of river folk he calls the “S-and-D,” the
Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, and tonight
he’s here with me and two other brethren in the pilothouse of the 175', stern-wheel steamer W.P. SNYDER, JR.
She’s tied at her permanent berth at the Ohio River
Museum in the river port of Marietta, Ohio.
On this June night a coolness, more a hope than a
breeze, drifts through the open forward windows of the
immense pilothouse, wafts over the 11'-diameter steering wheel, engine bell chains, the whistle cord. A misty

Above—There were once thousands of steamboats on America’s rivers—and thousands more people living on shantyboats.
The woodcut above is by legendary shantyboat dweller Harlan Hubbard.

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COURTESY OF LYNDA AND GEORGE BARTNICK

Harlan and Anna Hubbard made their lives on a shantyboat
and wrote about their experiences in the classic book
Shantyboat.

rain taps out a bluesy rhythm on the pine overhead.
The four of us are sleeping aboard, but even though it’s
nearing midnight, no one wants to turn in. The souls
of our ancestors seem all around us. We all grew up on
the edge of this river or her sisters.
“Once there were 20,000 boats like this on these
rivers,” says Taylor Abbott. He’s a young legal apprentice in nearby Clarington, Ohio. River lore all but
consumes his soul. “Eight thousand people were living
on shantyboats.”
“Raise your mugs, men,” says Bill Reynolds, the historian of the Ohio River Museum. He is reclining on
the “lazy bench,” a berth at the after starboard corner
of the pilothouse behind the potbelly stove. He wants
us to toast Capt. Fred Way, founder of the S-and-D and

Capt. Charles Ritts, who was in charge of river operations for the Crucible Steel Corporation. The SNYDER
worked as a towboat for Crucible Steel. Way saved her
from the ship breakers and brought her to the museum
in 1955.
“And to Harlan Hubbard,” someone chimes. Artist
and writer Hubbard was a folk hero on the Ohio and
Mississippi. Living like Thoreau with his wife Anna
aboard a shantyboat of his own design and construction, Hubbard wrote a river classic called Shantyboat.
The book and his paintings chronicle river life during the late 1940s as the Hubbards witnessed it, drifting from Cincinnati to New Orleans in the last days
of steam, stern-wheelers, and shantyboats. Wonder, a
recently released film, lyrically documents their life
(see Review, page 105). In his book Harlan Hubbard: Life
and Work, Wendell Berry wrote that Hubbard “wanted
to drift on the river not so much to see where it went as
to be one with it, to go with it as virtually a part of it.”
As the toasts continue, it’s clear to me that tonight
is a ritual of sorts. Reynolds, Abbott, and Spear have
asked me to join them in paying homage to the river
gods and all that they have engendered. Spear tells the
story of his multiple trips on the famous packet steamer
DELTA QUEEN (see sidebar “Saving the DELTA QUEEN,”
on page 30) where he heard stories of the boat’s ghost.
“Capt. Mary B. Greene.” Spear’s voice is low, slow,

OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The stern-wheeler W.P. SNYDER spent her career pushing coal barges on the Ohio River. She’s preserved today in Marietta,
Ohio (see sidebar, page 28).

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david r. barker

Marietta, Ohio

T

he laid-back river town of Marietta, Ohio,
with a number of attractions, is a mecca for
riverboat enthusiasts.
The first attraction is the Ohio River Museum
(www.campusmartiusmuseum.org/river), exhibiting
the extensive collection of the Sons & Daughters of
Pioneer Rivermen. In three buildings, the museum
chronicles the origins and natural history of the Ohio
River, the history of the steamboat on the river, and
traditions of boatbuilding there. There is also a video
on steamboats and an amazing model collection.
Museum grounds include the pilothouse from the
steamboat TELL CITY, a full-scale reproduction of a
flatboat from Ohio’s early settlement period, an 1800
dugout canoe used as a ferry between Fort Harmer
and Marietta, johnboats, and the newly restored
1920s-era shantyboat. The biggest attraction is the
National Historic Landmark vessel, W.P. SNYDER, JR ,
which is permanently moored on the  Muskingum
River at the museum and is open for tours.
If you are wondering about the most exciting
time to visit Marietta, your best bet would be the
weekend following Labor Day when the Ohio River
Sternwheel Festival (www.ohioriversternwheel
festival.org) comes to the waterfront with bluegrass
music, fireworks, vendor stalls, and paddlewheel
races that attract a large collection of privately
owned and home-built stern-wheelers. For a more
historically minded weekend, come to the annual
meeting of the Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen (www.s-and-d.org), also in September. —RP
reverential. “She married Capt. Gordon Greene, who
started the Greene Line in the 1890s. She holds the honor
of being the first woman to pilot a Cincinnati-to-Louisville
packet.”
As the story goes, Capt. Mary took over operation
of the Greene Line packets after her husband died in
the 1920s. In her later years she spent much of her time
riding on her riverboats. Her son Capt. Tom built a
special stateroom for her on the DELTA QUEEN, cabin
109, where she died at the age of 80 in 1949. Since
then there have been a number of strange occurrences
aboard the QUEEN.

One story tells how the QUEEN’s captain Mike Williams was asleep in his berth when he heard someone
whisper in his ear. The whispering persisted until he
roused himself, but he found no one in his cabin. He felt
a sudden need to do a boat check. During his inspection,
he discovered water flowing through a hole that could
have sunk the boat had he not found it. He was sure that
the whisperer must have been Mary B. Greene.
Another story has its roots in Greene’s allegiance
to the Temperance movement. She forbade the sale
of liquor on the QUEEN. But after her death in 1949,
the boat received a bar. Soon after the bar opened, a
tow rammed the QUEEN right in the bar area. The towboat’s name was the MARY B.
“Is there a ghost on the SNYDER?” I ask.
“Just me,” says Reynolds. He says that in the early
days of his working for the museum 30 years ago, he
lived aboard the stern-wheeler with a Siamese cat and
spooked more than a few schoolkids taking tours of the
boat. I get the feeling that the boat is more than a little lucky to have Reynolds looking out for her. Moving
about the steamer, he is always adjusting and repairing
things like engineroom signal bells, doorknobs, and
valve handles damaged by the constant flow of visitors.

L

aunched in 1918, the SNYDER is one of the first
American river steamers to be built with composite construction methods, which became
standard for towboats and packets during the steamboat era of the 20th century. She has a steel hull and
superstructure on the main deck, but from the boiler
deck up is built of pine and fiberboard panels to reduce
weight and draft. All of her cabins (for a crew of about
22, including maids), her saloon, galley, and water closets are wooden.
She’s a steam-driven, stern-wheeled towboat that spent
her life on the Ohio River and its tributaries pushing coal
barges to and from mines and steel factories in the vicinity of Pittsburgh. Built at the end of WWI as the Carnegie
Steel Company  towboat W.H. CLINGERMAN, she went
through a series of name changes until being laid up
in 1953 and donated to the Ohio Historical Society for
exhibit at the Ohio River Museum (see sidebar at left).
At 175' LOA, 32' 4" beam, and 342 tons displacement,
she is a classic example of a “pool boat,” a low-slung towboat built to operate beneath the bridges of the Monongahela River east of Pittsburgh. To allow her to clear bridges,
she had hinged flagstaffs and tilting smoke stacks.
According to the museum, the SNYDER is “the only
intact, steam-driven stern-wheel towboat still on the
nation’s river system.” Because of plate deterioration
she was in danger of sinking until a campaign to save
the boat rallied enough money to tow her to  South
Point, Ohio, for a total hull replacement in 2009. Additional funds have been raised to address problems with
her steel and wooden superstructure, and the vessel is
bound for a shipyard again.
Maintaining this wooden portion of a 95-year-old
steamer, even a dockside attraction like the SNYDER,
could consume shipkeeper Reynolds. But he’s a man
of broad interests and big dreams, and tonight his
mind is stretching to his latest infatuation, a 1920s-era

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david r. barker (both)

Left—The W.P. SNYDER’s massive steering wheel was typical
of steam-driven stern-wheelers in the early 1900s, but today
it’s a rarity, as she’s the last of her type. Above—Tilting
stacks allowed the SNYDER to clear low bridges.

shantyboat that he and Spear have rescued. They are just
finishing rebuilding it near the entrance to the museum.
“It has to be one of the last, and certainly the most
authentic, examples from the heyday of shantyboats.”
He says that his shantyboat has cambered decks, a
crowned roof, and a graceful sheer that matches that
of the SNYDER . “She has more curves than a Memphis
stripper. Somebody who knew steamboats built her.”
On one of their regular drives into the backwaters
of Ohio, Reynolds and Spear spotted the shantyboat
moldering on a riverbank. It had been stranded in the
historic flood of 1936 and converted to a cabin. The
place looked unused, so Spear headed for the local registry of deeds to find out who owned the old boat and
whether it might be saved.
“They were river people that owned her,” says Reynolds. “Man told me he was about to burn her, but we
could have her for the S-and-D, if we promised to throw a
fish fry when we dedicate the restored boat. Done deal.”
Hundreds of work-hours later, the 33' 10" × 10' 4"
shantyboat smells of fresh paint as she awaits her
restored coal stove, bed, furnishings, and curtains—
and her big day as the centerpiece of a fish fry.
“Shantyboat folks got a bad rep in Marietta,” says
Spear. “People ashore used to think of them as gypsies,
trailer trash. Eventually, they were outlawed here.” But

he and Reynolds point out that shantyboaters played
an important economic role on these rivers. Many were
tradesmen, such as photographers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and tool sharpeners, who found work by drifting with the current from town to town, guiding their
engineless craft with a johnboat and long sweeps.
Often they would stop for the spring and summer in
a cove and plant a garden before moving south in the
fall. They lived off the river, fishing, trapping, hunting.
Harlan Hubbard kept a hive of bees that traveled with
him. Some shantyboaters were merchants who loaded
up with items such as kitchen crockery, pots and pans,
or flatware from factories around Pittsburgh. They sold
their wares as they rode the currents downstream, eventually hitching a ride back north by tying alongside a
willing towboat.
At one point in our celebration of river gods and
ghosts, Reynolds shepherds us off the SNYDER to the
shantyboat. “You want to see something cool?”

T

here’s a spirited lilt to Reynolds’s voice as he
grabs a recessed handle for a hatch set in the
cabin sole and lifts. We peer into the depths of
the barge-like, cross-planked hull. “Down in there they

david white (both)

Below and right—This shanyboat, now on display at the Ohio
River Museum, is a classic example of the type—and a rare
survivor.

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3/18/14 11:45 AM

could keep things cool like their home-canned fruits
and vegetables.”
“And Mason jars of Everclear,” says Spear.
“Ummm,” says Reynolds.
Taylor Abbott starts talking about what might be the
last extant wooden-hulled towboat from these rivers in
existence, a vessel called the J.A. CRESAP. He found it
on the hard in Iowa, and he hears that it’s undergoing a slow restoration. What a great project. Like this
shantyboat.
“Ummm,” says Reynolds again.
I get the feeling he’s only half listening to Abbott.
He’s a serious Civil War re-enactor, a “freakin’ thread
counter,” and maybe his mind is drifting to a bivouac
at Gettysburg this summer. But, then again, that purring coming from his throat may well be a sign he’s
pondering a shantyboat voyage of his own.
“Think of it,” he says. “Life on the river. No phone.
No mail. No bills. No power tools.”
A little bit of Huck Finn. A little bit of Jimmy Buffett.
Barefoot and drifting. I can definitely picture it.
Later, as I curl up for the night under a blanket on
the lazy bench in the SNYDER’s pilothouse, a shower
blows through. It sounds like the rhythmic swish of
the stern-wheel beating us forward into the waiting
shadows.
Randall Peffer is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat.

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Saving the
DELTA QUEEN

T

he iconic stern-wheeler DELTA QUEEN is the last
historic steamboat for overnight cruises  on the
Ohio/Mississippi River system and a vessel whose
right to operate has been persistently challenged for
the past 47 years.
The  QUEEN  is a massive riverboat at 285' LOA , 58'
beam, 11' 6" draft, and 1,650  tons  displacement. Her
cross-compounded steam engines generate 2,000 hp,
and she can carry nearly 200 passengers and crew.
Built between 1924 and 1927 in Scotland, the DELTA
QUEEN and her twin the DELTA KING were then
shipped to Stockton, California, for assembly and use
in the San Joaquin River Delta. Like many commercial vessels in America during WWII, the QUEEN was
appropriated for use by the U.S. Navy. She served as
an emergency hospital transport and yard ferry until
1946 when Greene Line Steamers of Cincinnati, Ohio,
bought the vessel and towed it through the Panama
Canal and on to the Midwest for excursion use on the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
As with most American riverboats of the 20th

Creating The Ship’s Half Model ...

Since 1790 the
half-hull has
been used to
study hull design.
Today it has become
a possession to be
cherished a lifetime.
For further details
please visit our
web site.

W hen the artistry

becomes the mastery
of form.

9214 15th NW
Seattle, WA 98117
(206) 789-3713
www.halfhull.com

30 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/18/14 4:52 PM

COURTESY OF JEFF SPEAR

century, the DELTA QUEEN is constructed of both steel
and wood. She has a steel hull protected by a series of
watertight bulkheads and a reinforcing truss system to
support her boilers and engines. Her superstructure is
wooden.
The QUEEN is completely compliant with all safety
regulations for inspected passenger vessels, including
an extensive sprinkler system in case of fire. But according to authors Winkler & Neumeier at www.steamboats.
org, the rules of the 1966 treaty, International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea Law (SOLAS) has

“nearly ended the DELTA QUEEN´s career...
because of her wooden structure.” Since 1966,
enthusiasts have been waging a Save the DELTA
QUEEN campaign to win congressional exemptions from SOLAS, permitting the QUEEN to
continue operation.
But political wrangling in 2007 prevented the
vessel from receiving a renewal of her exemption. She ceased operation in 2008, and has
been biding her time as a floating hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, ever since. Nevertheless,
volunteers have worked to keep her shipshape
and ready to sail at short notice while continuing to urge lawmakers to renew the QUEEN’s
exemption.
In May 2013, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced legislation that
would allow the DELTA QUEEN to carry passengers
on overnight trips on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Companion legislation was passed in the U.S. House of
Representatives in September of that year.
If adopted by the House and Senate, the bill will
grant the DELTA QUEEN exemption from the fire-retardant materials construction requirement of SOLAS for
at least another 15 years, and possibly longer.
—RP

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May/June 2014 • 31

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3/18/14 4:52 PM

THE MAGAZINE FOR WOODEN BOAT OWNERS, BUILDERS, AND DESIGNERS

You can enjoy
on the GO!

Add digital access to your print subscription for $10 more
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www.woodenboat.com

WBCirc-238.indd 32

3/19/14 2:39 PM

ALL IN THE DETAILS

MULTIPLE JOINERY LESSONS IN
A CLASSIC BOOBY HATCH
Text and photos by Michael Podmaniczky

T

his booby hatch originates with Murray Peterson,
who designed one of this type for the foredeck
of his 1960 schooner DEFIANCE (see WB No.
237). His son Bill, a naval architect in his own right, was
involved in a 1980s refit, during which I built a replacement to Bill’s updated specifications. My early boatbuilding mentor, Seth Persson of Old Saybrook, Connecticut,
would have appreciated this structure as an exercise in
joinery that has it all: curved edges and surfaces, dovetail joints, tongue-and-groove joints, a gutter for water
drainage, closely fitted deadlights, and more.
This design’s beauty is in its details. For instance,
the custom-cast 6"-diameter bronze deadlights that Bill
specified have a delicate lip that stands just proud of the
exterior for an elegant and understated effect, but one
that requires a very close fit. The edge of the threshold
piece extends just slightly beyond the sides, neatly tying

the pieces together visually but requiring a complex
joint. To my eye, the resulting proportions are just right.
Such hatches traditionally allowed crew access to the
fo’c’s’le while shielding the ladderway from the elements.
Removing the companionway drop slides provides ventilation, too. The hatch shown here, as it happens, was
not built for a particular yacht—although it may well be
used for one eventually. Instead, I’ve built it with extra
material along the bottom edges and dovetail joints
that are carefully planned to permit trimming and rabbeting the bottom edges later, just as boatyard joinery
shops used to do. As shown in the original plan (page
34), the aft face of the hatch stands perpendicular to
the waterline, so the bottom edges must be shaped to fit
the sheer, and also the camber, of either the deck itself
or a type of sill called a grub. Reinforcing inner cornerposts would be fitted after installation.
PHOTO: RICK ECHELMEYER

Above— The author’s work shows careful attention to detail, with tightly fitting joints, top sections made from narrow planks
cut from a single piece for a seamless appearance, bungs cut from offcuts for perfect grain match, closely fitted portlights,
and more, all accentuating a design that was elegant to begin with.

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PETERSON ASSOCIATES, INC.

Work From an Accurate Lofting

Murray Peterson’s detail drawing of DEFIANCE’s foredeck
showed how the booby hatch, with its vertical aft face
and side deadlights, remained in consonance with the
schooner’s traditional detailing.

T

o achieve a thorough understanding of the
joints, plans for such a structure must be lofted,
or drawn out full-sized. First, decide the final
dimensions: This particular hatch has inside measurements of 28 1⁄2" in length and 24" in width. The radius
of the top is 40". The side and end panels finish to a
thickness of 1 1⁄4" and the top 1 1⁄8". The aft cornerposts
are finished 1 7⁄8" square before grooves are cut in them.
The most accurate joinery always results from measuring pieces directly from the lofting. I always work
from the inside faces of the sides and ends to scribe
lines that correspond to the shoulders of dovetails, pins,
and tongues of the various joints. I was able to make
most of this hatch from a single mahogany board—
about 1 1⁄2" × 24" × 5'—that I had been saving for more
than 15 years. If you must use narrower pieces edgeglued together to make up the needed widths, look for
straight-grained pieces of similar coloring to avoid obvious glue lines that will show up under the varnish—
you’ll regret them for the rest of your days.
Everything is dependent on the sides, so make those
first (photo 1). Pieces as wide as these sides won’t fit
through most stationary planers, so sharpen up the old
jack plane and get to work. With one side nice and flat,
I like to deeply scribe the edges with a marking gauge,
in this case set for the 1 1⁄4" thickness. When planing the
second side, the line appears along the edges, helping
to guide the plane strokes for a very even result.
With the bottom edge straight and square, establish cut lines for the length—taking into account the
tongues, dovetails, and pins—but cut the panels a bit
long so that the ends of the dovetails can be trimmed to

1
final length after assembly, which is the best way to get
a perfect joint.
To scribe the curve of the top, place each side piece
in turn on the lofting to precisely correspond with the
bottom edge and ends. Then, use trammel points on
a beam compass to scribe the curve, working from
the same 40" center point used to establish the radius
during lofting. The offcuts from the sides will serve as
cleats to support the top, described below.
The deadlights fit from the inside, and the fit between
the bronze and the wood, especially at the outside face,
must be perfect (or that, too, will haunt you). Note in
the photograph that the 6"-diameter hole bored for the
deadlight is stepped—it’s a very tight fit on the exterior
face, but toward the inside face the bore is slightly larger
to simplify fitting; the inside face has a bronze flange
that will cover any gap there. I bored these holes using a
fly-cutting bit on a monster drill press, but a good alternative would be to rough out the hole and finish it with
a router’s flush-cutting pattern bit (see WB No. 207) to
carefully indexed shop-made circular patterns.
After completing the sides this far, resist the temptation to immediately start cutting dovetails or rabbets,
because any chip off a corner will show forever under
the varnish.

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The Aft Cornerpost Joints

2

T

he joinery of the side panels to the aft cornerposts, especially where they meet the aft panel
and threshold piece, is a bit of a Chinese puzzle.
Study the photographs carefully, and think it through
while drawing up plans and during lofting. It’s worth
some meditation, and maybe even a mock-up, to get it
straight in your mind.
These cornerposts, finished 1 7⁄8" square in crosssection and left a little long, fit to the side pieces with
simple 3⁄8" wide and 1⁄4" deep tongue-and-groove joints
(photo 2). But instead of extending full-length, this
groove stops approximately 3⁄4" short of the top. When
the hatch is open, not only will the tongue-and-groove
joint not show but it will also be less prone to water intrusion. Cut the groove to length with a router, and use
chisels to finish off its top end square. Then, cut the corresponding tongues at the aft ends of the side panels (visible
in photo 2) on a table saw, and use a chisel to carefully
cut away the top 3⁄4" of each side’s tongue so that it will
fit snugly to its corresponding cornerpost groove.

3
The groove on the inside face of each cornerpost is
simply cut full-length, 7⁄8" wide and 5⁄8" deep.
The key thing to understand about these cornerposts is that above the level of the threshold piece,
the inside groove will receive the companionway
drop slides, but from the top of the threshold piece
down, a 5⁄8" thick portion of the heel of the cornerpost will be cut away (as shown in photo 3), in effect
converting the groove in that area into a 7⁄8" rabbet.
A portion of this rabbet receives the aft panel with a
half-lap joint. The fit of the threshold piece, which is
more complicated, has to wait until the aft panel is
fi nished.
When cutting the heel of each cornerpost back to
the configuration shown in photo 3, make the cut so
that it will be just a bit higher than the aft panel’s
height. This will allow the aft panel to be clamped
into place for an exact fi nal fitting; the last bit of the
cornerpost heel will be trimmed when exactly fitting
the threshold piece.
May/June 2014 • 35

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Fitting the Aft Panel and Threshold

4

O

nce again, the lofting is your friend. After the first
cornerpost trimming is done and planed smooth,
clamp the side-and-cornerpost assemblies together
and stand them up to exactly match their outlines on the
lofting. Place the aft panel on edge so it bears against the
now-trimmed aft faces of the cornerposts, and clamp it
in place. Use a square to mark the panel’s length where it
bears against the cornerpost grooves and the depth and
width of its rabbets. Cut it off straight and square at each
end, shape the rabbets, and check the final fit.
Next, final-finish the teak threshold piece to its crosssectional shape, which has a substantial lip and a pronounced bevel to shed water. Cut the piece exactly to its
final overall length, extending slightly beyond the hatch
sides at each end. The piece has a full-length 1 1⁄4" bottom
groove to fit snugly over the aft panel, positioned so that
the threshold’s lip fits flush with the inner shoulder of
the cornerpost groove (as visible in photo 4).
Fit the threshold to the cornerposts one end at a
time. This complicated fit is at the heart of this project,
a detail that makes all the difference in fit and appearance. Where the threshold extends past the sides of the
hatch, it will look best if the bottom of the cornerpost
overhang is squared off, which means flattening, or
squaring off, a portion of the top surface of the threshold. But on the companionway side, the joint will look
best, and shed water most effectively, if the cornerpost
is cut to a bevel matching that of the threshold. This
means that the bottom of the cornerpost overhang is
shaped with two cuts, one matching the threshold bevel
to the depth of the drop-slide groove, and the other
square for the rest of the width of the cornerpost. To
correspond, only a portion of the threshold—the part
outboard of the bottom of the drop-slide groove—is
flattened for the width of the overhang, as clearly visible in photo 4. The final fit is shown in photo 5.
The best way to proceed is to stand up one side assembly and clamp the finished aft panel in place. Put the
threshold in place on the panel and slide it across until

5
it butts against the cornerpost. Carefully trace the bevel
along the inside face of the cornerpost’s aft shoulder.
(Later, square this line across the aft face and around
to the outside face.) Also mark where the overhanging
piece of the cornerpost will intersect the top surface
of the threshold, to show how much of the threshold’s
width needs to be flattened.
Where the threshold’s lip butts against the forward
shoulder of the groove, mark its top and bottom. The piece
between these two lines will be cut away square and flush
with the bottom of the groove, as shown in photos 3 and 4.
With that piece of inner shoulder cut away, there will
be clearance for a saw to cut the aft shoulder of the
groove to the scribed bevel, continuing until its depth
matches the depth of the groove. Use a sharp chisel to
make the cut-away beveled area flush with the bottom
of the groove. This completes the beveled section. The
rest of the cornerpost overhang is cut off square, and
chiseled flush with the lower face, which is in turn flush
with the aft panel. Use the same technique for shaping
the other cornerpost.
After the cornerposts are done, carefully measure
the threshold for cuts, starting with notches to fit the
cornerposts. At each end, the forward corner is cut
away, as shown in photo 4, allowing the aft portion to fit
into the cutaway portion of the cornerpost and beyond
the hatch sides.
The last task involves shaping the top surface of the
threshold piece, which is left unvarnished. A portion
of it—beyond where it is flush with the bottom of the
groove, as mentioned above—will have to be flattened
(photo 4). Final shaping of the threshold includes
extending the rain-shedding bevel around the corner
to the outside projection.
Clamp the two sides, aft panel, and threshold
together to make sure that everything fits properly.
When you are happy with your work, dismantle it all
and set the pieces aside until final assembly. It’s time to
address the dovetails on the forward end.

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Dovetailing the Forward Corners

7
6

T

he most accurate way to dovetail-join the sides to
the forward panel (photo 6) is to finish the tails
in the side panels first. On one side panel at a
time, work from the inside face to plan the tail layout.
Use a square and a bevel gauge to transfer the lines to
the end and outside face (photo 7).
Especially for dovetail joints, I prefer to line off
the inside shoulder with a marking gauge and other
lines with a sharp scribing knife, since a scribed line
is more accurate than a pencil and gives a positive
reference for a chisel. On the visible outside face,
don’t scribe the shoulder line between tails. Cut the
tails close with a good handsaw (photo 8) or a bandsaw. Use the knifed-in lines as a locating guide for
using a sharp chisel to pare off the last of the material (photo 9). Remember that the tails (and pins,
too) are left long by 1⁄32" to 1⁄16", to be trimmed after
fi nal assembly.
Use the completed tails as templates for the pin profiles on the forward panel. Ideally, the panel shoulders
would line up exactly with the inside corners of the
end panel. However, letting it creep just a trifle past
that point—say, 1⁄32" at most—will ensure a tight joint.
Clamp the pieces together. Then, use the scribing
knife to mark the outlines of the tails into the endgrain. Separate the pieces, then square the profiles
across the inside and outside faces of the piece. Repeat
the process for the opposite corner. As with the tails,
use a saw followed by a chisel, to cut the pins to their
final dimensions.
Check that all surfaces are square to the inside face
and that you have not left a little dome of waste in the

8
middle that will keep everything from going together
all the way. With a paring chisel, slightly bevel any
inside corner that will not be visible when the joint is
finished. This will simplify assembly, but don’t extend
these relief bevels all the way to the outside corners, or
you will see them after assembly. Try the fit, but don’t
drive it home or sure enough you will break something
when you pull it apart again.
Shave the mating surfaces of the last tail-to-pin set
just a trifle more than the others. This place presents
the greatest likelihood of a split during assembly; a
little relief goes a long way.
May/June 2014 • 37

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Final Assembly

9

E

poxy the pieces of the hatch structure together in
one operation for the most accurate results.
Spread unthickened epoxy first, followed by slightly
thickened epoxy, and set clamps everywhere (photo 9).
Where screws are needed, they can be added later.
Begin with the dovetails at the forward end. Set
clamps across the width of the side panels right next to
the joint (photo 10). If your end dovetails are a little too
tight, this offers some insurance against splits during
assembly. I suggest making specialized clamping blocks
loosely matching the pattern of the dovetails, taking
care not to end up gluing the blocks to the sides. Once
the joints are home, you can release the clamps with
confidence.
At the aft end, start by gluing the aft panel, threshold, and cornerposts together, then glue this assembly
to the side panels. Clamp everything well. Sometimes creative clamping is necessary. When fitting the cornerposts

10

to the sides, I devised clamping aids to take advantage
of the deadlight hole and fastened a brace where the
resulting holes would be covered by the permanent
part of the hatch cover (photo 11). I used these again in
final assembly. Clean off excess epoxy.
After the epoxy has cured, trim the dovetails and
pins flush and plane all surfaces clean. Without a doubt,
one of the most satisfying things you can do is plane off
a well-executed dovetail joint to reveal the perfection of
your handiwork. Enjoy!
A few details remain. Glue and screw a cove molding
(inset) trim to the underside of the threshold, stopping
just short of the hatch sides at each end. Also carefully
shape the part of the threshold that projects past the
sides, and round-over the corners. Bevel the upper
edge of the forward panel to be dead straight and also
tangent to the curve of the sides so that no gap will
appear inside or out when the top is installed.

11

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Making and Fitting the Hatch Cover

12

T

13

he cover consists of a short fixed section forward
and a long hinged section aft. Both are built of
narrow planks glued together. I was fortunate
to use a single, very wide piece of mahogany to make
pieces with continuous grain.
The thicker the stock, the wider the planks may be.
To determine their cross-section, go to the lofting. From
the radius center point, draw two lines intersecting the
inside curve of the cover about every 21⁄2" to 3", making
sure one of them coincides with the seam between the
hinged and fixed sections. Use a straightedge to connect the points where radius lines intersect the inside
curve. This new line represents the inboard face of a
plank. The angle between that line and the radius lines
represent the bevels, which will all be the same. Draw a
line parallel to the inside face and tangent to the outside
curve to complete the cross-section. This width between
the two straight lines shows the thickness needed for the
planks. If your stock is thinner, redo the radius lines for
narrower planks. When the thickness is right, mark the
rest of the radius lines to finalize the plank layout.
Get out enough planks, a couple of inches longer
than the final length, to make up the full sweep of the
top. Try each joint for perfect fit. Number the pieces
to keep them in order. Before gluing, the undersides
of the planks must be roughly hollowed to conform to
the curvature of the sides so that they remain stable
while clamping. I used the hatch sides themselves (even
before final assembly) as a gluing jig (photo 12), with
packing tape guarding the edges. Glue up each of the
two sections separately. More creative clamping may be
needed, as shown in the photo.
Use a barrel plane and compass plane to shape the
inside surfaces to a fair curve that perfectly fits the hatch
structure (photo 15). A whisper will inevitably need to
come off the top of the cornerposts for a perfect fit,

14
best done with a fine French chairmaker’s rasp or a patternmaker’s No. 49 or No. 50 rasp. Finish the inside surface with a cabinet scraper and 220-grit sandpaper. Flip
the top over and fair the outside with a compass plane
(photo 13), again scraping and sanding to perfection.
Finally, round-over all the edges except those where the
two sections of the cover butt to one another.
The hinged part of the hatch cover is supported by
cleats. These cleats are positioned so that they fit into
rabbets shaped outboard in the top edges of each side
panel. Before installing the cleats, I glued a 1⁄8"-thick
brass drip guard into a dado cut by router and chisels
and positioned so that it would just clear the aft edge
of the top drop board with the hatch closed. I notched
the brass into the cleats (photo 14). When the final
positions are determined and the drip guard installed,
screw the cleats into place.

15
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Final Cover Installation

B

16
16

efore finally installing the cover sections (photo 16),
first shape the rabbets that receive the cleats of the
hinged section. Also, fit the teak gutter that is placed
under the hinge to guide water away from the structure.
To make rabbets in the curved top edges, use a
router with a large, straight bit and fit a wooden guide
to the router base that corresponds to the curvature of
the hatch top (photo 17). With the router base bearing
against the side face, take a succession of shallow but fullwidth cuts until the curved guide engages firmly against
the edge and the curve of the rabbet is fair. The rabbet
ends will have to be finished with hand tools to match
the curved end profiles of the cleats (photos 16 and 18).
The rain gutter (photo 16) is installed athwartships so
that its semicircular groove, which is easily cut by router,
is centered under the hinge where the two hatch sections
meet. It is made square on both edges and notched into
the side panels, as shown in photo 16. Glue it in place,
and leave it unvarnished.
After the gutter is in place, screw the lower, fixed
part of the hatch cover to the sides of the hatch and the
forward edge of the gutter. Fit the piano hinge, which is
set into rabbets in each of the sections (photo 16). After
the hinge is fitted, a groove across the width of the top

40 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/19/14 10:37 AM

17

18

of the aft cornerpost will have to be cut (photo 18) to
receive the brass drip guard.
The screws holding the fixed cover to the sides and
the hinged cover to its cleats should be countersunk
and bunged. Use a sharp bit to make the holes, and
bung them right away with properly cut, tight bungs set
in orange shellac. A final bit of perhaps obsessiveness:
use the offcuts left from gluing up the hatch covers to
make bungs that precisely match the grain of the piece
(photo 19).

19
God, as they say, is in the details.
Mike Podmaniczky served as furniture conservator for the Wintherthur Museum of Wilmington, Delaware, for many years. Earlier, he
was foreman and vice-president of William Cannell Boatbuilding
Co., Camden, Maine. Now an independent conservator and craftsman, he lives in Delaware...and does what he pleases. For more
about his work, see www.mikepod.org.
Those wishing plans for the booby hatch shown should contact Bill
Peterson at Peterson Associates, Inc., 48 Jones Point Rd., South Bristol, ME 04568–4310; [email protected]; 207–644–8100.

May/June 2014 • 41

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3/19/14 10:37 AM

SOUTHWEST HARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY

MADDY SUE

BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

Restoration of
an iconic Maine
picnic boat

by Douglas Brooks

R

eading about the picnic boat MADDY SUE on
this magazine’s “Save a Classic” page in 2011
brought back vivid memories for Jan Rozendaal.
In his youth, he had seen such boats during family
cruises to Mount Desert Island, Maine. To him, the
boat’s appeal was untarnished by her 80 years of age or
the fact that she had been sitting in a boathouse for the
past 15 of those years. He bought her knowing that she
would need a complete restoration. He also understood
what that meant: His previous acquisition of the 1902
Buzzards Bay 30 MASHNEE, also found through “Save
a Classic,” turned into a three-year project at Darling’s
Boatworks in Charlotte, Vermont.
Rozendaal’s passion for wooden boats dates back to

days when his father, a physician for General Electric
Corp., used to drive the family to Mystic, Connecticut, for weekend sailing on Long Island Sound or to
set out for summer vacation sails to the Maine coast.
Since then, Rozendaal has had a succession of wooden
boats, which in recent years have been restored and
maintained by George Darling, proprietor of Darling’s
Boatworks. “It didn’t matter if Jan and his siblings were
seasick or wanted to do something else,” Darling says,
“Jan’s father was going to go sailing, and there were no
choices for the family other than sailing.” The motoryachts Rozendaal saw in Maine were descendants of
lobsterboats, and he was not alone in most admiring
the boats built by Raymond Bunker and Ralph Ellis

Above—After a thorough restoration at Darling’s Boatworks in Charlotte, Vermont, MADDY SUE’s home port is on Lake
Champlain, but she returned to Maine waters for a time in the summer of 2013. Built by Chester Clement on Mount Desert
Island in 1932 for lobstering and fishing, she was influential in the development of the type of pleasure boats much loved by
the island’s summer population. Inset—Under first owner Francis Spurling, MADDY SUE, then called TRAILAWAY, had a long
bow pulpit for harpooning tuna. She also had a roll-up canvas awning over the cockpit, and a stovepipe suggests a source of
cabin heat.

42 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/17/14 5:05 PM

MADDY SUE

Particulars

36' 1"
34' 7"
9' 1⁄2"
2' 7"

six-cyl Chrysler, gas
six-cyl 140-hp
Chris-Craft, gas

TODD A. CROTEAU/NPS


LOA
LWL

Beam
Draft
Engine

(original)

(replacement)


MADDY SUE’s hull lines were recorded by Todd Croteau of the National Park Service’s Historic American Engineering Record
after the boat was declared a historically significant boat type.

COURTESY OF WILLIE GRANSTON

(see WB No. 215), especially JERICHO (see photo, page 47),
a 42-footer built in 1957 for Thomas S. Gates, Jr., who
later became U.S. Secretary of Defense.
After Rozendaal bought MADDY SUE in late 2011, he
had the boat trucked from Cranberry Island Boatyard,
which is on an island lying just off the south end of
Mount Desert Island, to Darling’s. As the boat came off
the ferry at Southwest Harbor, she caught the eye of
Kathe Newman Walton, who runs the Newman Marine
brokerage there with her father, Jarvis Newman, who
was one of the first to build Friendship sloops and
lobsterboats in fiberglass. “MADDY SUE passed right
by my office,” she remembered. “Everyone knew she
was out on Great Cranberry Island and for sale, but
no one had managed to buy her.” In a subsequent

email correspondence with Rozendaal, she learned of
his admiration for Bunker & Ellis boats, and he was
delighted in turn to learn that Walton is Raymond Bunker’s granddaughter. Rozendaal may not have gotten a
Bunker & Ellis, but in MADDY SUE he arguably got the
boat that opened the way for boats like JERICHO.
Dr. Richard Lunt studied lobsterboats for his 1976
doctoral thesis in folklore at Indiana University. His
interest was personal, since his family had lived in
Maine for generations and he had grown up at the head
of Somes Sound on Mount Desert Island. Sensing that
the era of wooden lobsterboats was coming to an end,
he interviewed dozens of boatbuilders, men completely
steeped in the craft. Raymond Bunker and Ralph Ellis
were among them, and so was Ralph Stanley (see WB
No. 164), who started building boats in 1946. “Ron Rich
was still shaping the backbone of his boats with an adze

A 1951 built-down lobsterboat launched by Bunker & Ellis on
Mount Desert Island nearly 20 years after Chester Clement
built MADDY SUE clearly shows the influence Clement had
on his successors during the early years of picnic boat
development. The boat was named JERICHO, the same
name given to a later Bunker & Ellis that shows significant
modification of the type (see photo, page 47).
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Maynard Bray (both)

Left—MADDY SUE rested in the same spot at Cranberry
Island Boatyard for more than 15 years, awaiting an owner
willing to undertake a full restoration. Above—Her original
power was a modified six-cylinder Chrysler truck
engine from the 1960s, which was replaced by a rebuilt
Chris-Craft.

in 1970,” he recalled of another builder. “He just had
that kind of skill and ability, and he could do perfect
work with that adze while talking to you.”
Two distinct lobsterboat types developed in Downeast
Maine, one centered on Jonesport and the other on
Mount Desert Island. The early Jonesport boats sprang
from peapods and other local double-enders. Then, in
1912, Wilton Frost, an immigrant from Digby, Nova
Scotia, began building torpedo-sterned boats that
caught on quickly. They had flat floors and a deep skeg
bored for the propeller shaft. The earliest ones had
“washtub” transoms, referring to their vertical staving.
Frost’s boats were synonymous with speed, something that Jonesporters still prize today. With its simplified construction, the skeg-built style was light, and the
flat run of the hull aft contributed to speed. After World
War I, a new transom-style boat emerged—appropriately
known at the time as “cut-off sterns”—but their aft
tumblehome remained, a vestigial memory of their tubsterned predecessors.
In the Mount Desert region, double-ended “pumpkin­
seed” or “melonseed” hulls, along with Friendship
sloops, were the primary lobsterboat types used before
marine engines came into widespread use. In the 1920s,
boatshops on the island were established by Chester
Clement in Southwest Harbor and Cliff Rich in Bernard, and one or the other was the first to inaugurate
square-sterned lobsterboats, which became the dominant style in the area. As Lunt discovered, almost every
boatbuilder on the island got his start working for one
of these two men. Bunker came of age working for
Clement and managed the shop after his mentor died
in 1937, and later he went into partnership with Ellis.

The Mount Desert boats differed from their Jones­
port cousins primarily by having what is known as a
planked-down keel, a type of construction also known
as built-down or semi-built-down, which considerably
strengthened the keel. Mount Desert boats are more
heavily built and have greater displacement than their
Jonesport counterparts. A Jonesport builder would be
quick to point out that this made them slower, but a
Mount Desert builder would reply that Jonesport boats
were flimsier and their builder’s obsession with speed
short-sighted.
Mount Desert designs also felt the powerful influence of the island’s summer population, which didn’t
exist in Jonesport or across Moosebec Reach at Beals
Island, where builders built similar types of lobsterboats. As early as the 1890s, Mount Desert fishermen
were cleaning up their Friendship sloops during the
summer to carry passengers, beginning a trend of fishing during the winter and running charters for people “from away” during the summer. During the years
before World War II, the picnic boat slowly emerged as
a type, distinct from the working lobsterboat.
The patterns of working life changed for boatbuilders as well as fishermen. Almost all the boatbuilders
that Lunt interviewed, including Bunker, built boats
only in winter, leaving their summers free to captain
boats owned by people from away.

C

apt. Francis Spurling commissioned Chester
Clement to build him a 36' boat in 1932. Spurling
christened her TRAILAWAY, and he used her for
fishing and lobstering during the winters and chartered
her for summer use. TRAILAWAY was launched without
a deckhouse, but within a decade a mahogany cabin
was added, along with a steering shelter, replacing the
peaked canvas sprayhoods that fishermen first rigged
as cockpit shelters. A subsequent owner rechristened

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Maynard Bray

Larry Asam PHOTOGRAPHY

the boat MADDY SUE after his wife, Madelaine, and daughter, Susan. MADDY SUE
by then was used purely for pleasure,
shaping the very idea of what a picnic
boat should look like.
While researching the photograph
archives at the Southwest Harbor Public
Library, I met Willie Granston, a former
curator of the Great Harbor Maritime
Museum in Northeast Harbor, who
showed me a small color photograph of
a picnic boat (see page 43). At first I was
sure it was MADDY SUE. It had the same subtle sheer,
and the house and steering station looked the same.
It even had the pipe stanchions and canvas cockpit
awning that I had seen in old photos of MADDY SUE.
Granston smiled and corrected me. “This boat,” he said,
“was built by Raymond Bunker in 1951,” almost 20 years
after MADDY SUE’s launching. Except for the cantedforward face of the house, which I hadn’t noticed at
first, she could have been the same boat.
This says a lot about the influence that Clement’s
work exerted on his most famous apprentice. Later,
Granston wrote me, “Clement came up with the idea
of the lobster yacht, but Bunker & Ellis made it big.
Raymond Bunker and Ralph Ellis went into business in
1946 and built 58 boats between 1946 and 1978, working only in winter. These boats were the Packards of
the ocean, and were the boat to have. The earliest ones
were much like MADDY SUE. By the 1950s and ’60s,
however, they were really at their prime, turning out
boats like JERICHO [see page 47].”
The automotive reference is appropriate because the
styling of the later Bunker & Ellis cabins is perhaps
their most eye-catching feature. Bunker must have
been looking at the fine cars of the summer crowd,
imagining how he could incorporate the best qualities
of streamlined design. With the reference to Packards,
Granston slightly missed the “marque”; Stanley told me

Douglas Brooks

Right—Before restoration, rust streaks
revealed the degradation of her original
steel fastenings. Some of the screws had
rusted completely away, and a refastening
had crowded the hull with screws and nails.
Inset—The author removes fastenings;
the hull was refastened with siliconbronze screws.

that Bunker’s windscreen was inspired by the late-1930s
Lincoln Zephyr.
Above the sheer is where Bunker separated himself
from his mentor. The subtle S-curve of the after edge
of JERICHO’s windscreen fairs into a tapered coaming,
that trails the curve to the stern. It’s a segue that relieves
the horizontal lines of the cabintop and overhead, and the
angles of the forward face of the cabin and windscreen.
JERICHO’s looks flirt with motion while at rest.
Below the sheer, it’s hard to imagine improving on
Clement. MADDY SUE has strong flare forward, and her
sheer curves very gently to a point about two-thirds of
the way aft, where it begins to crown the tumblehome
at the stern. I was told that none of the other Mount
Desert builders curved their transoms as much as Clement. It’s pure style over function, which obviously didn’t
bother Clement.

I

joined MADDY SUE’s restoration in 2012, for wood
repair and fabrication, including reframing and
refastening the hull, rebuilding the cockpit sole,
and building a new transom. Later, Peter Russett, the
senior employee at Darling’s, took the lead in fiberglassing the decks and cabintop, painting, engine installation, and final assembly. Darling himself oversaw the
restoration, in consultation with Rozendaal.
At first glance, MADDY SUE looked fairly solid, but
upon closer inspection she revealed her share of problems. The hulls of these boats have hard bilges with a
sharp reverse curve near the keel (known locally as the
tuck), and to get the tight bends that the frames require,
the builders would kerf the white oak frames before
steam-bending them. The cedar planking was fastened
to the frames with galvanized clench nails. Clement’s
designs are recognizable for their very tight tuck.
MADDY SUE left Great Cranberry Island for the first time in
many years via a boat trailer bound for Darling’s Boatworks
in Charlotte, Vermont.

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Douglas Brooks (both)

Above left—With original transom planking removed, the deterioration in its framing was evident. Above right—The
replacement transom, made up of three layers of 6mm plywood and an exterior mahogany veneer, was laminated over a
curved form before installation.

Not long after I started working on the boat, I talked
to Steven Spurling, MADDY SUE’s second owner. The
son of the boat’s first owner, he was 92 at the time.
Along with Stanley, then 83, these two men are the last
of the old generation of Southwest Harbor boatbuilders. I sent photos of the restoration to Spurling in the
weeks before I met him, and his first words to me registered his disdain for replacing MADDY SUE’s planked
oak transom with laminated plywood and mahogany
veneer. He then crossed his arms and, with what might
have been a smile on his craggy face, asked, “And how
many of her frames are broken in the bilge?”
In addition to being a professional captain, Spurling
worked for several boatbuilders in Southwest Harbor.
Even today, he still builds skiffs, including a lovely lapstrake design that an ancestor, Wesley Bracy, built on
Great Cranberry Island. He was taciturn until I asked
him about Clement, and then his answers became
loud and insistent: Clement was the best. He told me
how Clement had once repaired a schooner right on
the shore of Great Cranberry Island where it had gone
aground. He had also built rumrunners, some as long
as 80'. He talked about Clement with such familiarity
that I assumed they had known each other. But Clement died in an auto accident in 1937, when Spurling
would have been a teenager. As Lunt points out, coastal
Maine was made up of isolated and tight-knit communities, so Clement’s legend would have been remembered
by many and deeply woven into the fabric of the place.
The builder may be gone, but the boats he built keep
his legend alive.
Today, MADDY SUE is, at first glance, all lustrous varnish and gleaming paint. It is easy to forget that she was
built at the height of the Great Depression and marks a
transition from workboat to pleasure yacht. Her lines
are unquestionably gorgeous, but her construction
details betray time and cost pressures. For example, to
check the level of the cockpit sole beams I was replacing, I started using the cockpit coaming as a reference
but discovered that the height in relation to the original

beams differed from one side of the boat to the other by
almost an inch. Darling suggested I check the engine
bedlogs, the companionway threshold, and any other
original athwartship timbers. They all varied slightly. I
finally used a transit to establish the waterline amidships, but with the boat leveled to her waterline the
stem was out of plumb and her sheer and coamings
were not at the same height side-to-side.
Later, I asked Ralph Stanley about this. “Remember,”
he said with a laugh, “these boats were built in a hurry!”
He told me of a 38-footer that Clement built in just 21
days for a customer named Harvard Beal. “He put just
four floor timbers under the engine and then only a
few more fore and aft. The customer took her out and
gave her a pounding, and the nails came right through
the planks.” Stanley’s father later acquired the boat and
added more floor timbers. “She would still push the
plugs off the nails in the floors,” he remembered, “so
my father nailed lath over the plugs to hold them in.”
Early in his career, Stanley himself followed the
usual seasonal pattern, building boats during winter
and captaining during the summer. “We all worked
fast. When I worked up in the shop, the ground would
heave [due to frost] and spoil the setup.” Also, Southwest Harbor builders tended to plank from garboard
to sheer, instead of first installing a pair of sheer planks
and planking to them. “You’d get out a pair of planks
per side and work to the sheer,” Stanley said. “An error
might creep in as you went, and you’d have to check
and trim the sheer.” Then he added, with a smile, “Or,
maybe you wouldn’t.”
“When I rebuilt DICTATOR , a Friendship sloop,”
Stanley continued, “I put a string down the middle, and
she was an inch and a half wider on one side. It didn’t
seem to hurt her. A fishing boat was going to be used
rough, so people didn’t care and you couldn’t tell.”
This type of construction was fast and solid, but
MADDY SUE had spent her entire life in salt water, and
her galvanized steel nails had begun to rust. When
I first saw her, she had rust streaks across her white

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Benjamin Mendlowitz
W.H. BALLARD/SOUTHWEST HARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY

Above—In this photograph from April 20, 1938, Raymond Bunker is shown at work in the Hinckley yard on the cruiser PATSY
S. Note the kerfed frames visible in the aft section of the hull. Inset—By the mid-1950s, Bunker & Ellis had further adapted the
picnic boat type for power cruisers such as JERICHO of 1957. Still in use today, she was among the boats that caught the eye
of MADDY SUE’s owner when his visited Maine as a youth.

topsides. At some point the boat had been refastened
with screws of the same material. Below the waterline,
these newer screws were actually in worse shape than
her original nails. The old boatbuilders talked about
using a type of nail with something called Swedish galvanizing, a thicker-than-usual coating that could withstand being clenched without flaking off. MADDY SUE’s
original nails looked to be in good shape and were
actually impossible to pull.
We began by doing some refastening below the waterline using bronze screws, following some recent repairwork in which her garboards had been refastened. We
paid particular attention to the stem rabbet, where
plank repair was required and a few hood ends were
coming loose. In the topsides, we removed the bungs
covering her rusting nails and screws, cleaned out the
rust with a small wire brush chucked in a drill, coated
the heads with an automotive paint, and plugged the
holes with thickened epoxy to seal the original fastenings from moisture and prevent future rusting.
The original transom’s steam-bent oak planks
were not themselves rotten, but some of the framing
was, and so was the covering board. In keeping with
the owner’s wish for a varnished mahogany transom,

a vacuum-bagged lamination of three layers of 6mm
marine plywood and a 1⁄4" mahogany veneer was
installed over new framing.
Rozendaal, who frequently visited the project, often
stood quietly on the staging gazing at MADDY SUE’s
decking of narrow cedar strips sprung to the curve of
the sheer. He loved the look, but Darling reminded him
that rainwater leaking through the deck had created
most of MADDY SUE’s problems, particularly aft, where
standing fresh water caused rot to develop in a number
of her frames. I made patterns of these frames and laminated replacements out of steam-bent layers of locust.
Making them off the boat allowed us to avoid removing
the covering boards, which would have been necessary
had they been bent in place.
How to treat the deck and cabintops became the biggest question of the restoration. In the end, MADDY SUE
was given the same type of deck that Darling’s crew had
given Rozendaal’s N.G. Herreshoff–designed MASHNEE: marine plywood sheathed with epoxy and painted
with Awlgrip and nonskid. Because MADDY SUE’s deckbeams were sound, we decided to leave her cedar deck
in place, first grinding all the paint off and refastening it
with stainless-steel ring nails. We covered the planking
May/June 2014 • 47

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3/17/14 5:06 PM

with a layer of 6mm marine plywood thoroughly bedded in thickened epoxy, followed by an overlay of two
layers of fiberglass cloth set in epoxy. Although this did
not match the traditional look Rozendaal was hoping
for, MADDY SUE now has a long-lasting and completely
leak-proof deck and cabintop.
In restoring the cabin, windshield, and steering station, every effort was made to save original material.
This meant replacing various parts with new mahogany,
which Pam Darling, George’s wife, stained with waterbased stain to blend the new and old material before
sealing and varnishing. Most of the old hardware and
instrument panel were saved and reused. Rozendaal
requested two new bronze portholes for the forward
face of the trunk cabin and a mahogany bench for the
steering station. A new aft bench for passengers, which
spans the width of the cockpit, is based on one I saw
in a model of MADDY SUE on display at the maritime
museum in Northeast Harbor.
When Rozendaal purchased MADDY SUE, she had
a 1960s six-cylinder Chrysler, essentially a marinized
truck engine. Because spare parts would be difficult to

Douglas Brooks (both)

Right—Before being steam-bent, replacement white oak
frames were kerfed, as visible in the new frames shown
in this photo, to prevent breakage. Inset—Deterioration in
existing frames called for a significant reframing.

find, Rozendaal replaced it with a rebuilt Chris-Craft
flat-head, six-cylinder engine of about 140 hp.
Peter Rosenfeld, a retired electrical engineer who
joins interesting projects at Darling’s from time to time,
rewired MADDY SUE, converting her original running
lights for LED bulbs. He also devised two laser-aligned
jigs to aid in installing the new engine bedlogs and
shaft bearings: One was a box with arms corresponding
to the engine mounts that allowed accurate positioning of two holes aligned with the engine’s output shaft,
and the other provided a final check on the engine’s
alignment before installing the drive shaft.

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48 • WoodenBoat 238

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Douglas Brooks

The original mahogany cabin sides
were restored and varnished. The
original painted decks had been
impossible to keep watertight, which
caused significant decay within the hull.
Her replacement decks are plywood
sheathed in fiberglass cloth set in epoxy.

M

ADDY SUE was relaunched on a raw and gusty

Memorial Day weekend at Point Bay Marina
on Lake Champlain. In conditions reminiscent of a Maine northeaster, a crowd of friends and
family were there to watch Mary Jane Rozendaal break
a bottle of champagne across the bow. To those present, there was much appreciation of MADDY SUE’s lines

and proportions, qualities that were
obvious to Rozendaal and Darling
when they first saw her rust-streaked
hull in the boathouse on Cranberry
Island.
“Boatbuilders have an aesthetic,”
Lunt said. “Raymond Bunker told
me the tumblehome is what made
a boat pretty. He said it had to be
there.” As for Clement, boatbuilder
Robert Rich told Lunt in 1970 that
“Chester Clement had a little something the rest of us never had around here. It was here,
it was in his eye.”
His eye and his hands. Clement, like most boatbuilders in Southwest Harbor, designed his boats by carving
half models at either either 3⁄4" or 1" to the foot. The
builders would measure their models and loft their
sections full-sized. Stanley was the sole exception,

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May/June 2014 • 49

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LARRY ASAM PHOTOGRAPHY

MADDY SUE is one of several classic yachts that Jan Rozendaal has restored. She lies to her mooring on Lake Champlain,
Vermont, close by his Concordia yawl MOONFLEET. Rozendaal has also restored the N.G. Herreshoff–designed New York
30 MASHNEE, the Ralph Winslow–designed 24’8” sloop HOTSPUR, and the 1956 Sparkman & Stephens–designed 35’2” sloop
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50 • WoodenBoat 238

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In restoring the cabin, the windshield, and steering
station, as much original material as possible was
saved, and replacement mahogany was stained to
match before varnishing.

Douglas Brooks

Charlie Langworthy, a boatbuilder at Darling’s,
told Rozendaal that he certainly had an eye for
pretty boats. Coming from a professional boatbuilder, it meant a great deal to him. “I’ve never
forgotten that,” Rozendaal told me. “As far as
I’m concerned, it’s the highest compliment
someone can give me.”

designing his boats on paper. As for the other local
builders, “They just took a block of wood and carved
away everything that didn’t look like a boat,” Stanley
said.
There are those who can imagine a fair curve and
make it a reality, starting with a half model and ending with a boat. There are those who grasp the same
lines and appreciate the beauty but also recognize the
intrinsic value in saving a boat that embodies such
talent and skill. During the MASHNEE restoration,

The author would like to thank Dr. Richard Lunt of
Potsdam, New York for the use of his thesis, “Lobsterboat
Building on the Eastern Coast of Maine: A Comparative
Study” (Indiana University, 1976) in researching this
article. Meredith Hutchins and Charlotte Morrill of the Southwest
Harbor Public Library supplied photos and information, as did Willie Granston of the Great Harbor Maritime Museum.
Douglas Brooks is a boatbuilder, writer, and researcher, specializing in traditional American and Japanese boats. See www.douglas
brooksboatbuilding.com. He lives with his wife, Catherine, in
Vergennes, Vermont.
Darling’s Boatworks, 821 Ferry Rd., P.O. Box 32, Charlotte, VT
05445; 802–425–2004; www.darlingsboatworks.com.

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A Schooner for East Texas
The 20-year construction of BRADNA ROSE
by Jonathan Weinstein

D

r. John Vardiman doesn’t hesitate in describing the experience of building a boat to John
G. Alden’s Malabar II design: “It was an almost
spiritual experience,” he says. Working mostly alone, he
spent 20 years on the construction of this 41' 6", 37,000lb schooner—the second in a series of yachts of the
same name that Alden designed for his own use (see
sidebar).
The seeds of Vardiman’s project were planted in his
childhood, deferred during a rigorous medical education, and challenged by the demands of raising a family
and running a busy practice. By his early 50s, he said,
“If I’m going to build my own boat, it’s time to get to
it.” He commenced building at age 55, and persisted,
never taking a break except for short vacations. The
boat, BRADNA ROSE, has now been in commission for
three years, and Vardiman is 79.
The job began with a quintessential New England
scenario: the dream of a schooner-yacht and the offer
of a stand of white oak trees. The location, however, was

Photographs by Peter McGowan
far from New England: The trees were growing in the
remains of The Big Thicket, a densely forested area of
southeast Texas that was once one of the great centers
of commercial lumbering in the Deep South, and legendary for its longleaf pine—the region’s prized, and
now decimated, timber.
Vardiman lives in Beaumont, Texas, a place better
known for piney woods, bayous, and coastal refineries
than for schooner-yachts. The trees that became his
schooner’s bones were standing on a colleague’s land,
and Vardiman felled them himself, loaded them onto a
trailer, and drove them to a little country sawmill. From
there he trucked the resulting lumber to the shop he’d
built beside his house.

J

ohn Vardiman, M.D., grew up in central Texas, far
from any large body of water, went to medical school
in Dallas—the largest U.S. city not on a navigable
waterway—and then moved to Beaumont to be “ just an
old country doctor” for 49 years. How did he develop

Above—Dr. John Vardiman of Beaumont, Texas, spent 20 years building the schooner BRADNA ROSE to John G. Alden’s
Malabar II design. He maintained a full-time medical practice during the construction, and worked on the boat for all of those years.

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an interest in sailing? His only answer is that perhaps
there was a sailor or sea captain hidden in his ancestry.
Although Vardiman can’t be sure he has such seafaring
forebears, he does know he comes from determined
stock that could see a big job through to completion.
His great-grandfather, while still a teenager in the
1850s, rode the Chisholm Trail, finished herding the
family’s cattle to Kansas railheads, and brought the
proceeds back to his mother after his father had died
during that cattle drive.
Vardiman’s own father died when the boy was eight,
leaving behind the tools and patternmaking wood in
his small iron foundry. John and his brother, Boyce, out
of necessity, taught themselves to make the toys they
wanted out of that wood, using those tools. Among
their projects was a slab-sided rowboat that ignited in
the young builder a passion for boats. Later, he built
a 10 ½' runabout to plans in Mechanix Illustrated and
powered the boat with a 10-hp Wizard outboard motor.
He also built a Sears kit boat, which he and his friends
crashed rather spectacularly while water-skiing; the
hull survived, though the motor did not.
When Vardiman was comfortably settled into his
professional life and the demands of raising a son and
daughter were easing, the boatbuilding bug bit again—
and hard. He says he didn’t spend much time deciding
which boat to build, perhaps all of 15 minutes. He was
looking through The WoodenBoat Store’s catalog of
plans, liked the classic look of the Malabar II offered

there—and the fact that it was big enough for the serious voyaging he dreamed of. He said to himself, “That’s
the one.”
Once he made that decision, he never had doubts
about its feasibility or his ability to finish it. He just
stayed on it, virtually every day of each year, until it was
done. He estimates that while he was working 50 hours
a week in group medical practice, he was spending 30
or more hours working on the boat, usually alone. But
he had mentors, too.
Vardiman cites Bud McIntosh’s book How to Build
a Wooden Boat as his most practical published guide.
He also called upon a few professional boatbuilders to
ease him over hurdles. They included Paul Rollins of
York, Maine, who flew down to help build the boat’s
bulwarks; Bill Holland of Biloxi, Mississippi, who

Below—BRADNA ROSE is berthed at a marina at Sabine Pass,
near the Texas–Louisiana border. This is oil-refinery country,
and a wooden schooner is a rare thing here.
Right—Vardiman sails BRADNA ROSE nearly every day.

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A

fter roughing out about 20 trees at Sonny Ragan’s
little sawmill in Vidor, Texas, Vardiman raised up
the roof of an old sheep shed behind his house,
added a 50'-long, 21'-high lean-to alongside it, and
began the lofting while his wood, about four times
what he ultimately used, seasoned in the East Texas
heat. He eventually had a neighbor boy dig a pit in his
yard, and they flooded that hole with homemade saltwater, taking inspiration from some old builders who
preserved their lumber by storing it in salt ponds. He
had sufficient stock to use grown timbers for the coach
roof and deckbeams. The keel is one piece of oak, 10"
by 12" × 27' long. The frames are of steam-bent white
oak, 2 ¼" × 1 ¾". Bill Holland helped Vardiman find and
buy Atlantic cedar in Florida for the topside planking.
A lucky break from a medical colleague brought 2,500
bd ft of Honduras mahogany for the bottom planking.
A couple of pieces of that mahogany were of pattern
grade, 1 7⁄8" thick, and these became the house sides. A
piece of local hickory became the saloon table.
Wherever possible, Vardiman wanted to do the work
himself with materials he harvested or was able to obtain
nearby. Rather than having Sitka spruce or Douglas-fir
shipped in for solid masts, he deviated from Alden’s
specifications and made the spars of local pine in an
unorthodox manner. First he built a 50' spar bench.
Then he placed half-round “bulkheads” approximately
every 2' along the bench. He planked these bulkheads
in ½"-thick strips of loblolly pine, using sandable plastic
staples to hold the strips in place. He then sanded the
pine round to form one half of the mast—sort of like
a long, skinny strip-planked canoe. After flipping over
the half-built mast, he drilled passages through the
bulkheads and routed wires for lights and instruments
through them. Then he built the other half of the mast
the same way, fastening the two halves together and
sheathing them in fiberglass, then painting them. Both
masts were built this way. Though unconventional, the
technique is not without precedent, his mentors signed
off on it, and the spars still stand after three years of
regular, and sometimes hard, sailing in the Texas sun.
The rudder is also a wood-fiberglass composite, with
an unconventional skeleton: It’s laid up over plywood
affixed to a sturdy frame of welded stainless-steel square
tubing. “They’ll wonder what the heck it was when they
unearth it a thousand years from now,” Vardiman says

Above and right—
Vardiman began the
boat’s construction
at age 55 with the
felling of a stand
of white oak trees
growing on a
colleague’s property.
This harvest yielded
more than enough
lumber for the boat’s
backbone, frames,
and other large
timbers.

John Vardiman Collection (this spread)

advised on, among other things, the sourcing of materials; and builder-author McIntosh, who consulted by
phone several times from New Hampshire before his
death in 1992.

of the rudder’s internal framework. Indeed, the boat’s
construction is influenced by her industrial surroundings, for welding is a common skill around here. A friend
of Vardiman’s calls him an “oilfield engineer”—which
is to say that he likes to overbuild things. The stainlesssteel goosenecks of the mainmast and foremast, and
the stainless swivel for the jibboom were built by local
metal fabricators, the Kieschnick brothers, who, with
their typical refinery customers, are more accustomed
to welding stainless steel than casting bronze.
After Vardiman made a few visits to Coastal Welding
Supply in Beaumont, store owner Al Mazoch surprised
him by showing up one day with a cherry picker, saying, “I think you’re going to need this—just return it
when you’re done.” Vardiman used it to lift the diesel
engine into the hull and do other tasks requiring heavy
lifting—such as moving the 6,800-lb ballast keel. Vardiman made this outside ballast from a large steel channel packed with scrap steel he welded into place. He
then welded the assembly shut and coated it with epoxy.
He is a resourceful man.
There are many other clues to Vardiman’s character that suggest his ability to start and complete such
a task as building a schooner: He persisted through
medical school; he and his wife, Bradna, moved to this
coastal country from 300 miles inland and made a life
for themselves here for 50 years; he was an instrumentrated pilot for 40 years. He obviously loved the process
of boatbuilding: the building of the shop, the acquisition of many old and useful tools, the harvesting of his
own lumber, and the necessary lofting and carpentry.
But not everything went his way.
On a bright and sunny April 16, 2010, the cradled
boat was loaded onto a flatbed trailer, trucked 20 miles
to an industrial shipyard in Port Arthur, Texas, and

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BRADNA ROSE’s construction

was guided by Bud
McIntosh’s book, How to
Build a Wooden Boat. Other
builders were brought in to
consult on various stages of
the project, but Vardiman
worked mostly alone. Left—
As the molds are erected,
the form of a Malabar II is
revealed. Far Left—Tapping
local skill and style, Vardiman
devised a welded-steel
framework for the rudder.
Left, middle—With ribbands
in place, the boat is ready
to receive her steam-bent
frames. Left, bottom—In the
spirit of keeping the project
local, and not wanting to
pour lead on his property,
Vardiman welded the ballastkeel container of steel.

John Vardiman Collection (this spread)

eased the discomfort, but the foot was beyond healing,
and had to be amputated. Vardiman was in the hospital for about two weeks. Things did not stand idle with
BRADNA ROSE during this time.
In Port Arthur, the builder’s friends took charge. Al
Vincent led others, including Bob Case, Bill Nickle, and
Robert Appelbaum, through stepping the masts and rigging the boat—getting her ready to sail. Vardiman got
a prosthetic foot, and barely missed a beat. He had
built this boat to enjoy it, and he does. He’s maintained a positive attitude about the accident, often
joking about the boat’s overall length: “Forty-two feet,
minus a foot.”

B

launched by crane to the applause of a crowd of friends.
The operation went smoothly, and at the end of the day
BRADNA ROSE rested alongside a concrete pier, with a
parade of commercial traffic proceeding in the background—and making waves. At one point, Vardiman,
exhausted from the day’s proceedings, absent-mindedly
placed his foot on the pier to fend off the boat as it
lurched into the wall. His foot got stuck between the
boat and the pier, and the resulting pain was mindnumbing.
Friends on hand for the festivities drove him to the
hospital back in Beaumont, where a fellow physician
administered an epidural block upon arrival. That

RADNA ROSE sails from a marina at Sabine Pass,
a small community near the huge refineries at
Port Arthur. These refineries are situated just
inland of the “Pass,” the dredged Sabine River that connects the inland ports of Beaumont and Port Arthur
to the Gulf of Mexico and forms the border between
Texas and Louisiana. Vardiman brings BRADNA ROSE
over to Olmstead Shipyard in Lake Charles, Louisiana,
for about two weeks each year to tend to routine bottom painting and maintenance. Otherwise, the boat is
berthed at Sabine Pass.
I arrived in Sabine Pass on a cool, sunny late November day last year, after threading my way through refineries and driving alongside floating dry-docks, jack-up
drill rigs in for repairs, and other industrial staples of
the southeastern Texas coastline. A 15-knot southeast
breeze was coming off the Gulf. The road along the
ship channel ended at a gate into the Sabine Pass Port
Authority marina. There are large steel shrimp trawlers here, along with sportfishermen and sailboats. But
there’s only one wooden schooner. On the schooner’s
deck to greet me was BRADNA ROSE’s first mate, Robert
Appelbaum.
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M

John G. Alden and MALABAR II

alabar II is the second of a series of yachts—
thirteen in all, and all but three of them
schooners—that John Alden designed for his
own use. The first, built by Charles Morse of Thomaston,
Maine, began a successful business practice for Alden:
He’d design and have a new boat built for himself nearly
every year, selling it at a handsome price and then
endeavoring to improve upon it with the next design.
The first three Malabars were built to essentially the
same lines, with variations in rig and accommodations
being the primary improvements. The later Malabars
were larger and had a string of ocean racing successes—notably in the Bermuda Race.
Of the entire series, Malabar II is a particularly
appealing design. Her hull, inspired by Gloucester fishing schooners, is firm-bilged, with relatively low freeboard aft and a sheer that rises gently to a high bow.
She’s a dry and stable boat. And her rig is simple—
meant to be handled by Alden alone, for the sails were
all sheeted to travelers, making them self-tending. In
the early 1980s, as WoodenBoat Publications was developing its first plans catalog entitled 50 Wooden Boats, the
editors chose Malabar II as a stock offering. The catalog
copy read, “...it is Malabar II that appeals to us most—
both in outward appearance, with her single, small
deckhouse [Malabar I had two deckhouses, with the
main mast stepped between them], and in accommodation, which is simple and symmetrical. The later Malabars were bigger and much more sophisticated boats
which in turn required considerably more money to

keep them going.” BRADNA ROSE is among several new
Malabar IIs to have been built since those words were
published.
The original Malabar II today hails from Martha’s
Vineyard, Massachusetts, and is impeccably kept. —Eds.

Vardiman appeared at the companionway from
below, shook my hand, and welcomed me aboard.
Seated below in the main saloon, he told me the story
of building the boat, talked a bit about his career, and
described the sailing he has been able to do since her
launching. After a while, Jim Barry, another friend and
crewmate, showed up. Vardiman sliced up some cold
cuts and cheese for the crew’s lunch while they began
getting the boat ready to sail. He hollered across the
water to the next pier over, and two additional crewmates—Shawn Vincent and Butch Spafford—appeared.
Word that there was a large wooden sailboat, sailed
by the man who built her, has gotten around. During
lunch, two Coast Guard Defender-class boats came into
the marina, one towing the other. They hailed us and
asked if they could come over and have a look. Vardiman urged them to come aboard, which they did, asking questions and registering mild amazement at the
enormity of the project.
After lunch, we cast off, backing into the turning
area of the marina and heading out into the channel.
BRADNA ROSE is powered by a 67-hp Perkins 4-236 diesel
driving a three-bladed propeller; Vardiman admits she’s
a bit overpowered, but says that extra horsepower comes
in handy when negotiating the long, narrow channel.

Appelbaum took the helm and kept us head-to-wind
while Vardiman and Barry raised the sails—Vardiman
negotiating the deck with unexpected agility. The rest
of us assisted where we could by easing topping lifts and
lazyjacks. When the mainsail, foresail, and jib were up,
we began to motorsail down the channel toward the
Gulf. Although the Pass is probably a half mile wide
here, its dredged section is significantly narrower; commercial ship traffic—pilot boats, tankers, supply boats,
and shrimpers—are all using it, so we kept the propeller
turning to clear the area quickly and safely.
Dominating the view to starboard as we headed out
the Pass was the huge yellow Versabar, meant for lifting
an entire offshore drilling platform off its legs. It towers
over the coastal lowlands like the largest Ferris wheel
you’ve ever seen. Jack-up rigs, a new LNG terminal, and
old rock jetties lined the channel as it curved westward.
As we bore off, we were soon able to hold our course
under sail alone, and Vardiman killed the engine.
This isn’t common sailing territory, especially on a
weekday in November; in fact, two days later the temperatures were down into the 40s and the wind was
howling out of the north with the first of the region’s
characteristic winter rainstorms. On the day of our
outing, the schooner pressed through the swells, rising

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As with the hull framing, much of the schooner’s
interior is built of local wood. The saloon table
came from a prized piece of hickory.

and falling slightly and standing up smartly to the 15to 20-knot breeze. While she may not have stood as
straight as the proverbial church steeple, as Alden said
his boats should, she felt nothing like a modern sloop
with its dinghy underbody in similar conditions.
I took the helm for a while. Not accustomed to the
feel of the boat’s hydraulic steering, I didn’t do an especially good job of holding our course. The boat has an
autopilot and a suite of electronics, and the hydraulic steering fits the autopilot well—especially on long
tacks. Galveston, one 60-mile tack to the southwest, is a
frequent destination for BRADNA ROSE.
When it was time to tack and head back, Vardiman
took the helm. Once settled in on a broad reach for
home, the boat came alive, holding a steady 7 knots
over the ground. As we came abeam of the Versabar,
we turned into the wind and dropped the sails—all the
while watching for traffic while keeping to the channel.
Later, after we secured BRADNA ROSE in her slip and
put on sail covers, each of us opened a beer.
As we chatted in the dimming light, Vardiman said
he may not still be contemplating the world-circling
cruise he’d envisioned when he started building the
schooner. But he sails her often. In October 2013, after
he turned 79, he entered BRADNA ROSE in the Harvest
Moon Regatta, a 200-mile race along the coast from
Galveston to Port Aransas, sponsored by the Lakewood
Yacht Club of Seabrook, Texas. This was the schooner’s first race, and although she dropped out after the
crew started the engine late in the race when the shaft
lock failed and concern arose over the transmission
bearings, Vardiman, his son, Arnold, and four others
enjoyed themselves thoroughly and weathered a bit of
a storm, the first for the boat. At the height of the blow
on a beam reach they were holding a steady 11 knots
over the ground, with the apparent wind at 34 knots.

Vardiman will be the first to tell you that he
was “lazy” in not reefing, and that the boat
went through this with all working sail—a
testament to the rig’s strength, if nothing
else.
One by one, each member of our crew
bid good-bye and headed for home. Two of
them live right here aboard sailboats at the
marina. But one drives 125 miles each way
to get in some ocean sailing in a boat rare
for this region. Texas is so big, so vast, that
one can live in the state and forget it even
has a seacoast.
Vardiman has the demeanor of a satisfied man, and
more energy than any number of 55-year-olds. When
I sailed with him, he was all over the schooner’s deck,
raising sail, patching a broken running-light lens with
duct tape, and hailing a passing tanker on the radio.
His energy is impressive. He holds no regrets about
spending a significant portion of his waking life building this boat. In fact, his view of the project is quite the
opposite of regret: “Except for marry­ing Bradna,” he
said, “and raising my two children, Arnie and Rose, this
was the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”
Jonathan  Weinstein  is hard aground much of the year in Austin,
Texas. When he’s not, he sails AFIKOMEN, Alden design No. 455, a
37' ketch built in 1930 by Harvey Gamage in South Bristol, Maine.

BRADNA ROSE sails on an outing in her home waters in early

January. Except for a two-week haulout for maintenance,
Vardiman keeps the boat in commission year-round.
Some of his crew drive for more than four hours,
round trip, to join him for the rare experience of sailing
a classic schooner yacht in southeast Texas.

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Going Steady, Going Fast

COLLECTION OF HARRY WILSON

TIM DU VERNET

The powerboat racing team
of Harold and Lorna Wilson
by John Summers

T

he wind blasted their faces. Unable to speak
above the noise of the engine, she tapped him
on the shoulder and gestured at the boats
behind them. He nodded, pushed down the accelerator pedal, and LITTLE MISS CANADA IV leaped ahead
even faster. The hull tapped out a brisk staccato beat
as it skipped across the chop, while a fine mist of water
droplets rose from the bow wave and clung to the varnished deck ahead of them. He gripped the wheel; she
braced her feet and hands against the sides of the cockpit to wedge herself into the seat as they skidded into a
turn, cutting the marker buoy close. It was September

1934, and 60,000 spectators lined the Toronto, Ontario,
waterfront to watch Harold Wilson and Lorna Reid win
Canada’s first-ever motor sport World Championship. It
was an unlikely collaboration in powerboat racing that
would make the couple famous through the 1940s.
Harold had begun his ascendancy to powerboat
royalty inauspiciously nearly a decade earlier. During
a family vacation in the summer of 1925, at age 14, he
was introduced to the Disappearing Propeller Boat
(see WB Nos. 55 and 206). The so-called Dispro is a
unique product of Ontario’s, Muskoka region, and was
known for its seaworthiness and safety—and lack of

Above—MISS CANADA IV speeds over Lake Muskoka on a trial trip after her recent restoration by a team led by owner Bobby
Genovese, a summer resident of Muskoka, Ontario. Harold and Lorna Wilson raced her for the Harmsworth Trophy in 1949.
Inset—Harold Wilson and Lorna Reid in LITTLE MISS CANADA IV following their second 225-class World Championship win, at
the 1934 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.

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Collection of Harry Wilson

LITTLE MISS CANADA IV had tandem seating
which better balanced the boat but limited
Lorna’s access to the engine as well as
communication between driver and mechanic
while racing.

speed. Larger and more powerful Muskoka-built boats,
and even for a time an elderly catboat, followed as the
Wilson family regularly began to spend its summers in
this idyllic region of lakes and cottages. It wasn’t long
before local powerboat races caught the young man’s
attention.
A few summers after that encounter with a Dispro,
he drove the family’s inboard-powered 25-hp Port Carling SeaBird to victory in the first race he entered. Soon
after, he had his first ride in a real racing boat, a 9'
hydroplane, and was captivated by the experience. Seeing his son’s passion and nascent talent, Ernie Wilson

bought Harold a Hurricane outboard racer
built by the Peterborough Canoe Company
and powered by a four-cylinder 32-hp Johnson. Ernie Wilson’s commitment to bankrolling Harold and providing the best of
boats and engines would be the foundation of Harold’s
racing success over the next 22 years.
Harold’s racing career began in earnest in 1930
when he became the owner of one of the new Greavette
Boat Company’s first offerings, an 18' bright-finished
mahogany-hulled Ensign powered by an 85-hp Chrysler. Christened LITTLE MISS CANADA , she carried him
to victory in local 100-hp-class races for two years. The
rapid advancement in hull design and engine horsepower led Wilson to believe that he wouldn’t be so successful in the third season, however. To stay competitive,
Harold and Ernie Wilson decided to go straight to the

Riding Mechanics

F

Collection of Harry Wilson

rom the earliest days of powerboat racing until the middle
of the 20th century, riding
mechanics were essential members
of the crew. Their duties were many,
varied, and occasionally hair-raising.
Early engines demanded constant
attention, and many functions that
are now automatic were then done by
hand. The riding mechanic needed
to operate a hand pump to keep the
right amount of pressure in the fuel tank. With too little
pressure, the engine would starve, but too much would
cause it to flood. On boats that weren’t equipped with
automobile-style foot accelerators, the mechanic also
operated the throttle. In the case of perennial racing
champion Gar Wood’s longtime mechanic Orlin Johnson, this meant looking after two screaming engines
simultaneously in his first MISS AMERICA and four in
MISS AMERICA II. Even that pales next to the riding
mechanic’s job in Wood’s last boat, MISS AMERICA X,
where Johnson was responsible for four supercharged
Packards that between them produced 6,400 horsepower. F.K. Burham’s Clinton Crane–designed DIXIE
IV even carried two mechanics, one for each engine,
during the 1911 racing season.
Riding mechanics monitored the instruments
and kept an eye on traffic for the driver, who had his
hands full with the wheel. They were also the onboard,
mid-race problem solvers. In the 1938 Gold Cup race,
Danny Foster literally kept things together for driver

Lorna Wilson
checks the
engine as MISS
CANADA III heads
out for a test run
in 1938.

Dan Arena aboard MISS GOLDEN GATE by spending
eight laps of the race reaching into the engine compartment to hold the throttle open with his hand after
the linkage connecting the accelerator pedal with the
carburetors broke. Sometimes they helped with more
prosaic tasks, as when novice driver John Milot became
too seasick to drive midway through the 1915 Gold Cup
race, mechanic Jack Beebe took the wheel and won.
Perhaps the most succinct summary of what riding
mechanics did was offered by George Davis in a 1971
interview with APBA Historian Fred Farley and now
posted on www.thunderboats.org. Davis was for many
years the riding mechanic for Marion Cooper, a veteran driver who first competed in the Gold Cup in
1939. Describing his role, Davis said, “I was like [Gar
Wood’s mechanic] Orlin Johnson. We riding mechanics were never given any credit. We just took the beating
and, after one race, just went to work getting ready for
the next...the main thing was to learn how to ride it and
—JS
hold on and not be thrown out.”
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COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE BOAT MUSEUM (THIS PAGE)

Women and Racing

T

he narrator of a contemporary
newsreel about outboard races at
Lake Tahoe, California, undoubtedly
meant it as a compliment, albeit with the
casual and backhanded sexism of the time,
when he observed that, “In breaking speed
records, the female is often more deadly Loretta Turnbull was a formidable competitor in outboard racing in her boats
than the male.” A writer in Motor Boating HEZY-TATE and BLUE STREAK.
assured readers that women involved in
powerboat racing hadn’t given it all up
to race, saying, “They underwrite Delphine’s and Horace’s racing activities.
may wander around Loretta Turnbull achieved considerable success as
the pits dressed in an outboard racer in
grease- covered overalls the 1920s and 1930s.
or slacks, but when The first Harmsworth
they attend the dances... Trophy race in 1903
they look as though was won by pioneerthey had spent the ing English racer
afternoon pouring tea.” Dorothy Levitt, who
Presumably the men set speed records on
cleaned up pretty well both land and water
also.
and was known by the
As a woman involved press as “The Fastest
Delphine Dodge raced alongside
in powerboat racing, Girl in the World.”
her brother Horace in the Gold Cup and one of few to comDuring the 1920s Briand President’s Cup.
pete at such a high tish heiress Marion Marion Carstairs took on powerboat
level, Lorna Wilson was Carstairs repeatedly racing legend Gar Wood as she
part of a select group. challenged Gar Wood challenged his Harmsworth Trophy
Delphine Dodge Baker, sister of powerboat racer, boat- for the Harmsworth supremacy.
builder, and sportsman Horace Dodge, competed in Trophy. Though she
the 1925 Gold Cup races, the first woman ever to do so, never won it, she was
driving her boat NUISANCE. In 1927 she won the Presi- a fierce competitor renowned for her sportsmanship
dent’s Cup, driving brother Horace’s MISS SYNDICATE . and generosity to fellow competitors, and was for
Off the water, her mother, Anna Thompson Dodge, was many years acclaimed as the fastest woman on the
also a force to be reckoned with, spending vast sums to water.
—JS

top, and contacted racing legend John L. Hacker, who
was doing some contract design work for Greavette.
Harold, a recent college graduate, was soon the
owner of his first custom-made raceboat, which he
christened LITTLE MISS CANADA II. The new boat was
built by Greavette and equipped with a 100-hp, sixcylinder Graymarine engine. Rapidly improving his
driving skills to complement the capabilities of his new
boat, Wilson was undefeated in his first season of local
races in 1930, but found the competition tougher in
1931. For the 1932 season, the Wilson racing team was
expanded by the addition of a young woman named
Lorna Reid. Harold had met her during his engineering studies at the University of Toronto, where she was a
fellow student. She had never raced powerboats, but she
had mechanical aptitude, athletic ability, and an appetite for new challenges. She joined Harold in the cockpit as his riding mechanic (see sidebar), and in 1937
they were married.
Over the course of 16 years, the couple would make
international headlines in their racing pursuits.

J

ust after the turn of the 20th century, the fastest
internal-combustion-engine-powered boat was H.J.
Leighton’s 55' ADIOS, which made 24 mph in 1902.
In 1903, she defeated the 59' STANDARD in a race at
the Brooklyn Yacht Club. In June 1904, STANDARD won
the first Gold Cup race, organized by the new American Power Boat Association. STANDARD and ADIOS
were long, lean boats, designed to wring the maximum
speed out of their relatively low-powered, heavy internalcombustion engines by slicing through the water. Normal racing attire for their crews was full oilskins and
sou’westers, as the boats’ long, thin bows threw up torrents of spray. Photos of early raceboats often show them
with a distinct heel at speed, caused by engine torque.
There was a limit to how fast these launch-style semidisplacement hulls could go. The next development
would literally be a step up: In 1908 William Henry
Fauber produced his first design for a multiple-stepped
hull. Subsequent fast powerboats would rise out of the
water and skip across its surface. So significant was this
new development, and so quickly did it render the old

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Collection of Harry Wilson

Left—Harold Wilson and Miss Canada III’s other riding mechanic Charlie Volker in the pit area waiting for the boat to be
hoisted from the water. Right—Harold Wilson shows off Miss Canada III’s Rolls-Royce power plant.

hulls obsolete, that designer George F. Crouch said in
1913 that “the racing results of the season of the past
year have shown clearly that the hydroplane type of
boat has come to stay.... A displacement boat seems
dead after one has become accustomed to the hydro.”
With a hull that rode on top of the water more than
in it, what was needed next in the quest for more speed
was an engine light and powerful enough to fulfill the
potential of these hulls. The answer was found in the
wartime skies. The engines designed for aircraft had
power-to-weight ratios that matched the capabilities of
the new hydroplane hulls. Developed through intense
research to win wars, they also proved suitable for winning races afterward. In the peace that followed both
World Wars, surplus high-performance aircraft engines
were available by the boxcar-load. Speed-hungry racers
were quick to put them into boats. The trend was started

by Gar Wood, who purchased hundreds of World War I
Liberty engines and marinized them for use in his own
and others’ boats. Engines bearing the names Napier,
Hispano-Suiza, Curtiss, and Packard were soon seen
under the hatches of racing powerboats. After World
War II, Rolls-Royce, Packard, and Allison were the
engines that made the transition from sky to water.
Lorna had a sophisticated understanding of these
engines, and was key to the team’s success. She served
in many roles, from riding mechanic to shoreside support. Her most alarming job would surely be the starting routine for the Rolls-Royce Merlin that replaced
the earlier Miller in MISS CANADA III in 1946. As
recounted by Harold Wilson in his racing autobiography Boats Unlimited, the Merlin, originally designed for
use in aircraft, required some modification to power a
boat. Wilson and mechanic Charlie Volker made the

© Mystic Seaport, Rosenfeld Collection

NOTRE DAME, driven by Dan Arena, and MISS CANADA III racing on the Potomac River during the first heat of the 1939
President’s Cup. MISS CANADA III won the Cup that year.

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Wilson Family Raceboats
SCRAM: A Peterborough outboard with a Johnson PR
32-hp engine. Top speed was 45 mph.
LITTLE MISS CANADA : Toledo Dart, 18' “Ensign”

model designed by Irving Holler, built 1929 by
Greavette, powered by an 85-hp Chrysler Crown.

LITTLE MISS CANADA II: This was the first design
that the Wilsons commissioned from John Hacker.
Greavette built her in 1930. At 18' × 5', she was built
for the Muskoka-100-hp class and powered by a
100-hp six-cylinder Graymarine. She is still on the
Muskoka Lakes today.

The following four LITTLE MISS CANADA boats belonged
to the 225-cu-in class and were about 18' long. Except for
Little Miss Canada IV, their beam was around 5' with
side-by-side seating.
LITTLE MISS CANADA III: Designed by John Hacker,
built 1934 by Greavette, powered by a 65-hp V-8 Ford.
LITTLE MISS CANADA IV: Designed by John Hacker,

built 1935 by Greavette, powered first by an 85-hp V-8
Ford and later by a six-cylinder Lycoming. She was
built with tandem seating with a 4' beam. By putting
Lorna behind Harold, Hacker claimed the boat was
better balanced, but according to Harold this seating arrangement greatly impeded communication
between the driver and mechanic during the race
and it was not repeated in their other boats.

LITTLE MISS CANADA V: Designer unknown, built

1936 by Greavette, powered by the six-cylinder Lycoming from LITTLE MISS CANADA IV. She never raced.

LITTLE MISS CANADA VI: Designed by Douglas Van

Patten, built 1936 by Greavette, powered by a sixcylinder Lycoming.

Larger Raceboats
MISS CANADA : A 28' Ditchburn Viking single-step
hydroplane with a 200-hp engine owned by Ernie
Wilson, and used for transporting family and guests.
MISS CANADA II: A stepped hydroplane designed

by John Hacker, reworked by Douglas Van Patten to
have a double-stepped hull. Greavette built her 25'
× 8' hull in 1936 and powered her with a 1,000-hp
supercharged 12-cylinder Miller.

MISS CANADA III: A “double-concave two-step-­bottom”
23' × 7' 6" hydroplane designed by Douglas Van
Patten and built in 1937–38 by Greavette. She was at
first powered by the Miller from MISS CANADA II and
later by a 1,500-hp 12-cylinder supercharged RollsRoyce Merlin. She won the President’s Cup in 1939.
MISS CANADA IV: Another “double-concave two-

step-bottom” 33' × 10' hydroplane designed by
Douglas Van Patten, built in 1948–49 by Greavette.
She carried a 2,800-hp supercharged 12-cylinder
Rolls-Royce Griffon, and raced for the Harmsworth
Trophy in 1949.

dramatically simple decision to turn the updraft carburetor upside-down in order to fit it in the boat. This
was fine when the engine was running, but made it
difficult to start without flooding. The solution to the
problem was to have Lorna stand in the engine compartment with the hatches open. At the same moment
that Harold stepped on the starter, she poured a dose
of 150-octane gasoline right into the supercharger. As
soon as the engine was running, the boat began moving fast, since MISS CANADA III was direct-drive, as
were most raceboats; her idling speed was more than
40 miles per hour. Under these conditions, Lorna had
to close and lock the hatches and get herself safely back
into the cockpit, crawling along the incredibly smooth,
heavily varnished, slippery mahogany deck.

H

aving watched Harold’s racing success in Muskoka and the way he and Lorna worked
together as a team, Ernie Wilson decided that
they were ready to compete at a higher level. In 1933 he
turned to John Hacker for a new design, this time for
racing in the 225-cu-in hydroplane class then becoming popular in the United States. Greavette again built
the new boat, christened LITTLE MISS CANADA III,
and installed a Ford V-8. Toronto’s annual summer
fair, the Canadian National Exhibition, decided to
take advantage of the growing popularity of the new
class and offered to stage the first “225” World Championship in August 1933. Harold and Lorna won the
first of the three-race series, but were slowed down
by a bent propeller and finished second in the next.
With a new propeller specially delivered from Detroit,
they won the third race and the World Championship.
They returned home in triumph. The boat and her
crew were paraded through Ingersoll, Ontario, home
of the Wilson’s family tool and machine business, on a
specially designed float that also featured the trophy.
With this win, all of the elements of their success were
now in place. The Wilson boats would all be named
LITTLE MISS CANADA or MISS CANADA , and all would
be built by Greavette. Ernie Wilson would use his managerial skills and financial resources to ensure that
Harold and Lorna had what they needed to win.
Now firmly committed to racing, the Wilsons were
also prey to the sport’s relentless cycle of technical
obsolescence. With the first spring trials of 1934, it
became apparent that LITTLE MISS CANADA III would
not be able to repeat her success of the previous year,
and so nothing would do but to have a new boat. Working once again with Hacker for the design, Harold and
Lorna were able to repeat their 225-class CNE victory
in the Ford-powered LITTLE MISS CANADA IV. They
followed this by taking first place in a regatta in Baltimore later that year. In 1935 the boat was repowered
with a Lycoming but met with only mixed results.
Inspired by the Wilsons’ potential, a local businessman offered to underwrite the construction of a new
boat for the 1936 season. Built by Greavette but not
designed by Hacker, she was quickly found to be beautiful and comfortable but too slow for racing, and LITTLE MISS CANADA V’s career was over before it began.
Now short of both time and a boat, the Wilsons turned

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Collection of Harry Wilson

MISS CANADA II under construction. In the foreground, her Miller engine awaits installation.

to Douglas Van Patten, fresh from his engineering
studies at Columbia University.
Before his university years, Van Patten had been an
enthusiastic kid hanging around the Henry B. Nevins
yard on City Island, New York. Sensing his keen interest
in boats, none other than George Crouch had offered
him a job as a draftsman and loftsman in the late 1920s
and later inspired him to study mechanical engineering at Columbia. A proponent of the streamlined, aerodynamic style of design, Van Patten was instrumental
to the Wilson Team’s success, his most significant invention being the “Double-Concave Two-Stepped Bottom”
used on several Wilson boats.

E

very sport has its marquee contests, and for
20th-century powerboat racing one of the major
events to win was the Gold Cup. Officially named
the American Power Boat Association Challenge Cup,
it was first awarded in 1904 and is still raced for today.
With the exception of the war years of 1942–45 and a
weather cancellation in 1960, it has run every year. Early
on, the race moved around the U.S., as it was hosted by
the home of the previous year’s winner; eventually it
alternated mainly between Detroit and Seattle.
During Harold and Lorna’s early racing years, Ernie
had gotten to know George Reis. With his Hackerdesigned EL LAGARTO, Reis had won the Gold Cup in
1933, 1934, and 1935. So persuasive was Reis in talking
about the Gold Cup class that Wilson not only signed
Harold and Lorna up as a team but also commissioned
a new boat and did both of these things before he told
the couple what next season’s racing would bring. Once
again wanting only the best, he commissioned a custom 7-liter, 1,000-hp engine from Harry Miller. Miller’s
name was synonymous with early automobile racing. A
true innovator, he pioneered many aspects of racing
engines and is reputed to have aided Ole Evinrude in
the creation of his first outboard motor. His automobile
engines dominated the early years of the Indianapolis

500. Like so many of those who are technically gifted,
however, he was a better engineer than a businessman,
and his company went bankrupt in 1933. Fortunately
for racers everywhere, his erstwhile foreman Fred
Offenhauser purchased the business and continued to
develop Miller’s engine designs.
For their first tilt at the Gold Cup, the Wilsons commissioned a new boat from John Hacker. Doing away
with the diminutive, they’d christen this, the first of their
“big boats,” MISS CANADA II—the first MISS CANADA
having been Ernie’s Ditchburn launch. Teething troubles with the new engine meant that the boat was on her
way to Lake George for the 1936 Gold Cup before it had
ever run. After a near-disaster while trailer­ing the boat
through the steep hills and winding roads of the Adirondacks, they arrived at Lake George and made frantic
efforts to get the boat underway. Their first test run was
also their last, however, as exhaust manifold troubles
kept them from even getting to the starting line.
This was a stern introduction to Gold Cup racing,
but with the bigger rewards of racing at the top levels
of the sport came bigger challenges, as they would find
out in the coming years. As George W. Sutton Jr. noted
in a 1937 article about the future of the Gold Cup race,
“...the Gold Cup is not a race of spectacular finishes, it is
a race of endurance.” Making a point that Ernie Wilson
would undoubtedly have agreed with, he went on to say
“…the men who invest...in building these boats...and
racing them three or four times a season are the most
determined, optimistic and long-suffering group in the
motor boat world.”
The troubles with MISS CANADA II’s Miller engine
were centered around the exhaust manifold. With a new
custom casting designed and built by Charlie Volker, it
finally began to perform as Harry Miller had originally
promised, but then a new problem arose. The increased
power caused the hull to porpoise, and the faster they
went the worse it got. Such behavior was not unknown
in raceboats—George Reis’s EL LAGARTO was known
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Preserving MISS CANADA IV

I

n 1951 MISS CANADA III, MISS CANADA IV, and all
of the Wilsons’ racing equipment and engines were
sold to the Thompson family who were starting a
Canadian racing stable as part of their Supertest Petroleum Company. MISS CANADA IV served as a trial horse
until they began to design and build their own boats.
MISS CANADA III was later acquired by Bill Morgan of
Silver Bay, New York, who restored and campaigned
her at vintage boat shows before donating her to the
Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York, in 1991. At
the same time that he restored the Wilsons’ boat, Morgan was preparing for a run at the Gold Cup in his own
Van Patten–designed raceboat SOMETHING ELSE. Also
powered by a Rolls-Royce, in this case a Merlin, she featured the same bottom configuration as MISS CANADA
III but was never a serious contender. She too is now in
the collection of the Antique Boat Museum.
After being sold by the Thompsons, MISS CANADA
IV had almost as perilous a career in retirement as
in racing, being damaged in a boatyard fire, stored
The rebuilt Rolls-Royce Griffon engine is trial-fitted in MISS
CANADA IV during restoration.

Collection of Harry Wilson ((This Page)

MISS CANADA IV ’s underbody after restoration. Van Patten’s
unique“double-concave two-step bottom” combines
transverse hydroplane steps with a semi-V keel.

outside for a number of years, and used as the roof of a
chicken coop. Eventually, she was found and purchased
by Harold Mistele of Detroit, who put her back into running order. She went on the antique boat show circuit
alongside Gar Wood’s MISS AMERICA IX, which Mistele
had also rebuilt. After more than a decade of operation
as a showpiece, she was in need of major repairs and
was again retired from use. In 1991 she was returned

as “The Leaping Lizard of Lake George”—but Ernie
Wilson was so concerned for Harold and Lorna’s safety
that he ordered the boat taken out of the water.
Watching the team’s struggles with MISS CANADA
II, Douglas Van Patten approached Ernie Wilson and
asked for a chance to improve her handling. He added
a second step, and according to Harold it made a world
of difference. It was too late for the hull, however.
Strained by the demands of high-speed, high-powered
racing, MISS CANADA II was retired and Van Patten
was put to work on a new hull. By then, expecting the
couple’s first child, Lorna stepped out of the cockpit for
a while and Charlie Volker replaced her as the team’s
riding mechanic. She served as mechanic on and off
for several more years including being aboard for the
1939 President’s Cup victory and some of the races after

World War II.
The new MISS CANADA III, using the Miller from
MISS CANADA II, led for several laps in the first heat of
the 1938 Gold Cup but was knocked out by a faulty oil
pump and did not finish the race. This race was notable
for the appearance of MISS GOLDEN GATE, one of the
first of a new type of hull called a “three-point” hydroplane that would eventually push stepped hulls like
MISS CANADA’s to the sidelines. The next year’s contest would be convincingly won by one of the new hulls:
the Ventnor-designed MY SIN. Once again, hobbled by
minor engine problems, MISS CANADA III did not finish
the 1939 Gold Cup, although an observer remarked that
she cornered very tightly, and that until supercharger
trouble forced her out of the race she was “turning as
beautifully as she ran.” In his 1990 autobiography, Boats

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Tim Du Vernet

Three members of the restoration team put MISS CANADA IV through her paces on Lake Muskoka after her relaunching in
spring 2013.

to Canada and put on display at the town museum in
Ingersoll, Ontario, home of the Wilson family business,
where she remained for 20 years.
In 2010, inspired by the story of Harold and Lorna’s
racing careers, Canadian filmmaker Bill Plumstead
contacted their son Harry to help him research the
story. Pulling together the resources to make the film
led to the involvement of businessman, investor, and
summer­time Muskoka resident Bobby Genovese, who
generously agreed to underwrite not only the restoration of MISS CANADA IV but to provide her with the
same type of engine as she had originally: a Rolls-Royce
Griffon. No stranger to the Wilson story, Genovese
already owned a replica of MISS CANADA III. On the
strength of this support for both the movie and the restoration, the Town of Ingersoll agreed to release the
boat. MISS CANADA IV was transported to the shop of
Muskoka boatbuilder Tom Adams in early July 2011.
Led by Restoration Project Coordinator Jamie Smith,
a team set to work, consisting of Adams (boatbuilder),

Peter Grieve (engine and transmission), David Williams
and Peter Orton (running gear and operation), Norm
Woods (running gear, engine installation and systems),
Harry Wilson (research), and Al Crisp (transportation).
On August 22, 2012, the film Harold & Lorna: World
Water Speed Champions premiered at the Gravenhurst
opera house. On July 6, 2013, MISS CANADA IV returned
to the waters of Muskoka for the 33rd annual Antique
& Classic Boat Show in Gravenhurst, Ontario. During
the event, she was reunited with her stablemate MISS
CANADA III, on loan from the Antique Boat Museum.
Later that summer she ran again at the Rideau Ferry
Vintage Raceboat Regatta.
To campaign MISS CANADA IV at North American vintage raceboat events, owner and restoration project under­
writer Bobby Genovese has formed the BG Vintage Racing
Team. This group will continue to work on the boat in the
months and years to come as they travel the antique race­
boat circuit around North America, starting with an
appearance at the Detroit Gold Cup in July 2014. —JS

Unlimited, Harold wrote that he paid particular attention to developing his cornering technique. This skill,
together with the bottom designed by Van Patten that
combined hydroplane steps with a semi-V keel, yielded
a winning formula if they could only keep their power
plant going.
Van Patten’s design, Wilson’s driving, and a smoothrunning engine finally led them to victory in September 1939 when MISS CANADA III won the President’s
Cup in Washington, D.C., after a hard-fought contest
with NOTRE DAME . Race commentators noted that the
Wilson team was well-prepared, and had carried out
“long and exhaustive tests in the water, a novelty among
Gold Cup entrants” and that the boat ran “sweetly and
turned exceptionally well.” The President’s Cup was the
team’s greatest success to date, and the Wilsons were

celebrated in Canada for bringing home what had been
until then an exclusively American trophy.
When racing resumed after World War II, MISS CANADA III competed again with Harold driving and Lorna
occupying the mechanic’s seat. Upon repairing the
Miller engine’s broken connecting rod, mechanic Charlie Volker realized that Harry Miller had made a measuring error when first designing the engine. Even though
new connecting rods solved the problem, Ernie Wilson
wasn’t satisfied and she was repowered with the warsurplus Rolls-Royce Merlin. Lorna once again stepped
aside, and Charlie Volker took over the mechanic’s seat
and MISS CANADA III’s unique starting routine.
Once more raising the stakes, the team decided to
set aside their Gold Cup aspirations and compete for
the Harmsworth Trophy. First contested in 1903, this
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international race was officially known as the British International Trophy for Motorboats, and was created by
newspaper magnate Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount
Northcliffe. Van Patten was commissioned to design a
new boat, this time to be equipped with a 2,800-hp
Rolls-Royce Griffon, the largest power plant then available. Van Patten stayed with his proven formula in
drawing the new boat, increasing MISS CANADA III’s
dimensions as needed to accommodate the significantly increased horsepower and speed. Christened
MISS CANADA IV, the new boat proved fast and the
team began preparing for the 1948 Harmsworth, to be
held in Detroit on Labor Day. Reflecting the Harmsworth Trophy’s origins as a contest between national
entries, Canadian newspapers highlighted the Wilson
challenge, referring to them as “Canada’s Hope.” Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent wished them
luck, and MISS CANADA IV was acclaimed a pre-race
favorite. A malfunctioning supercharger wire that limited

TIM DU VERNET

In 1986, Murray Walker (left), a good friend of Harold
(at wheel) and Lorna Wilson, ordered this replica of
MISS CANADA III to be built by Duke Marine Services in
Port Carling, Ontario. She carries a 500-hp Chrysler
Hemi instead of the original 1,650-hp Merlin. Bobby
Genovese now owns her and MISS CANADA IV.

her speed brought her in last of the three entries, however. After a long night of frantic repair work, she raced
again the next day, but only as a formality, as Harold
acknowledged that she was not running well and could
not possibly win.
Harold then turned his attention to the World Water
Speed record, but ultimate success eluded him there as
well, though he did set a new North American Speed

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66 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/19/14 2:02 PM

Record for Gold Cup class boats of 138.6 miles per hour in
1949. The 1950 season again brought disappointment in
the Harmsworth Trophy race, once more due to mechanical problems. Another promising attempt for the water
speed record ended when the transmission was destroyed
following the failure of a small bearing retainer.
Following this near-disaster, which could easily have
ended in serious injury or death, Wilson took a long,
hard look at his racing future. Mindful of his family
and business responsibilities and under pressure from
his insurance company, he decided to retire from competition. In his own words, “I had raced 11 different
boats...I had won three World Championships and set
two speed records, one North American and one a
World Record.... I had won lots of races and lost a lot
more. I had enjoyed every minute of my racing career...
but now that it was over, I was completely satisfied.” As
he said after the last Harmsworth challenge, “I have
done my best for Canada.”
Great personal courage, unstinting support from
his father and wife, good boats, powerful engines, and
fierce determination had taken Harold Wilson a very
long way from his first ventures onto the waters of the
Muskoka Lakes. Even if the ultimate prizes eluded their
grasp, Harold and Lorna’s remarkable partnership on
and off the water throughout their long racing career
stands as a singular achievement. They enjoyed boats
of all kinds for the remainder of their lives together.

Harold Wilson died in December 1995. Lorna lived five
more years until April 2000.
John Summers is a boatbuilder, small-craft historian, and watercraft
blogger. As chief curator of The Antique Boat Museum in Clayton,
New York, he designed the exhibit “Quest for Speed: The Story of
Powerboat Racing,” which features both the original MISS CANADA
III and Bill Morgan’s SOMETHING ELSE .
Special thanks to Harry Wilson for preserving and sharing his
parents’ accomplishments.

Links and Resources
Harold & Lorna: World Water Speed Champions
www.haroldandlornamovie.com
Tom Adams, Boatbuilder www.tomadamsboatbuilder.
com, restored Miss Canada IV
Timothy Du Vernet, Photographer
www.duvernetphotography.com has an
album on Miss Canada IV
Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre
www.realmuskoka.com/muskoka-boat-and-heritagecentre
The Antique Boat Museum www.abm.org
The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum
www.thunderboats.org
WoodenBoat, Nos. 154 and 155 Pushing the Limits:
The Quest for Powerboat Speed by Joseph Gribbins and
Jay Higgins

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MARY BARNES

Chasing the Tide
The relentless imperative
of Bernard Cadoret

B

ernard Cadoret is simultaneously imposing and
gentle—a man big in stature and bigger in mind.
Alternatively proud and modest, he is sometimes
assertive and occasionally domineering. These traits
are well earned, for Cadoret is internationally recognized for his relentless contributions to a broad maritime cultural renaissance that has swept, over the past
four decades, across France, Ireland, Scandinavia, The
Netherlands, the Basque country, the United States,
and elsewhere.
With his wife Michèle and a close circle of longtime friends and collaborators, Cadoret catalyzed the
contemporary revival of French and Breton maritime
heritage with the founding of a magazine called Le
Chasse-Marée, conceived to celebrate French maritime
traditions and later broadened in its geographical

scope. A chasse-marée is a type of Breton boat—a decked
lugger. But the subtleties and variations of the name
make its literal translation a difficult one; in one sense
it is a perfectly lyrical appellation for a magazine of
this mission: chasse means to go in search of, to hunt,
to chase; marée refers to an ocean tide. Through publications, festivals, and even the preserving or building
of actual boats, Bernard Cadoret has spent his professional life in relentless pursuit of a maritime cultural
renaissance. The breadth and force of his impact are
profound (see sidebar, page 74).

B

ernard Cadoret was born in 1947 in Brest, a
central port for the Atlantic commercial fishing and coastal transport industry and a major
naval base since the mid 1600s. The region was also

Above—The husband-and-wife team of Bernard and Michèle Cadoret has, over the past several decades, made a deep and
lasting contribution to the maritime cultural renaissance in Europe and beyond. In addition to the magazine they founded,
Le Chasse-Marée, they have published numerous books and inspired grand gatherings of traditional boats.

68 • WoodenBoat 238

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Nigel Pert

The replica lugger LA CANCALAISE sails past the Brest, France, waterfront during the 2012 maritime festival in that city.
Bernard Cadoret’s vision gave rise to this festival, and his challenge to coastal communities in France inspired the creation of
many traditional replicas.

an agricultural center at the heart of Brittany, a part
of France isolated by postwar recovery, and fierce in its
politics and cultural identity.
“My first memory of the sea is, I think, as a boy of five
or six years, in a small boat with one oar.” I am sitting
with Cadoret and his wife, Michèle, on the outdoor terrace of L’Insolite, the restaurant of the Hotel de France
in Douarnenez, south of Brest. The couple have lived
and worked in this region for years. It is one of those
perfect French places, simple, a few tables, smart, fresh
food, and a warm welcome to anyone wanting to pass
an afternoon in a long, animated, personal conversation about “chasing the tide.”
“We were a pack, always in skiffs and dinghies. I

could scull before I could row. I could sail, and race,
and cruise, without an engine because that was situation of the time.” Brest was large enough, and successful enough, to have a yachting community. “My father
was a yachtsman, as was my grandfather.”
“As was his mother as well, sailing her own EightMeter,” says Michèle, herself a person of confident
independence.
“I sailed with my parents; I found my grandfather’s
collection of old nautical magazines and books, dating
from 1878, in our attic, where I would read alone in the
dimness and dust. I raced in a small plywood dinghy (a
13' Vaurien, designed by Jean-Jacques Herbulot in 1951,
and presented at the Paris International Boat Show in
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The Cadorets founded Le Chasse-Marée in 1981. Although not under their ownership any longer, the magazine is still
published today, true to its original values.

1952); joined Sea Scouts and rowed and sailed in larger
shallops; and won an occasional trophy in the regional
regattas of western France.”
It was a “ jeunesse tranquile,” says Michèle.
“I can remember riding my bicycle to go very high to
the top of the bluffs overlooking the entrance of Brest
harbor. There was an old stone house there, fallen in,
abandoned since the war, covered with sage roses, where
I could be alone and with my binoculars look down at
the same hour each day when the sailing barges would
come home, loaded with fish or sand, cargoes then of
real value, and then I would jump on my velo and race
down to the quai, to be there to watch these last examples of working sail, to see the men come ashore, even
to speak to one if I could find the courage.”
This combination of yachting and working, nurture
and nature, captured young Bernard’s mind and heart.
These youthful observations gave rise to his obsessive
research and scholarship promoting the workboat tradition, but an interesting and repetitive paradox emerged
in our conversation: He has a palpable disdain for
academic maritime history—the conventional focus
on larger ships and naval warfare, which dominated
universities and maritime museums at the time. It was,
says Cadoret, “to my mind, a war.” The fight was more
than a battle of perspective and content; it was also a
manifestation of class warfare, the contradiction between
celebration of combat at sea or the social elitism of yachting and the celebration of the tools and traditions of
work on the water. The battle was over acknowledging,
indeed honoring, each with equal fervor.
One anecdote from school captures the paradox of
academe versus Cadoret’s hands-on methodology—
and points to the future. “I was good enough in school,
because I liked to read.” In that attic he had found maritime books, among them surveys of English yachts and
the 19th-century historical adventures of Capt. Robert

Surcouf, a notorious slave trader and privateer from
nearby St-Malo whose exploits captured the French
popular imagination in ways similar to the fictional
Hornblower or Jack Aubrey. “I was often dreaming
in class, drawing as I did, when bored, small designs
of boats under sail. My teacher did not like that. ‘Un
grand dessinateur des petits bateaux,’ he said. It was not a
compliment.”
“A grand designer of little boats,” scoffs Michèle.
They have been together more than 50 years, having
met while in high school, introduced by Bernard’s
brother, Gilles, in a local bistro. They sailed against
and with each other, bought a Citröen 2CV to travel
together to regattas, separated briefly during university
years, and were married in 1972. She is the ultimate
crew: lover, wife, mother to their three daughters, partner, collaborator, motivator, critic, and companion in
every aspect of their lives. “A grand designer about little
boats,” she repeats, this time as a declaration of fact.
Cadoret attended college in France, in Brest and
Rennes; Michèle in Germany. When Bernard graduated, he sought work in two places: internship applications to Sparkman & Stephens, the New York naval
architects, and to Les Éditions des Quatre Seigneurs,
a small publisher in Grenoble of mountaineering and
maritime books and, incidentally, a modest newsletter
called Le Petit Perroquet that randomly incorporated
maritime anecdote, the ethnography of the coast, and
fragments of boat information and culture. A response
from Grenoble came first, and the young couple left
Brittany in pursuit of—what? Certainly not fortune, as
the employment was meagerly paid, disorganized, and
perhaps a disappointment.
What happened there, however, was transformative:
an apprenticeship in publishing and the consolidation of thoughts on how to shape and communicate a
unique and energetic perspective on maritime material

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Ar Vag (“the Boat” in the Breton language) is a series of
painstakingly researched and beautifully produced books
dedicated to traditional boats of the Breton culture. The fifth
volume of the series was published recently, and more are
envisioned.

culture and its correspondent social history. Out of
the pieces observed at Quatre Seigneurs was devised
a plan, the keel and frames for a new vessel to be built,
an enterprise that became known as Le Chasse-Marée.
During this short period, Bernard augmented
his duties with the research that was eventually to
become the first of the Ar Vag (“The Boat,” in Breton)
series—a comprehensive, multi-volume history of the
traditional boats of Brittany completed with multiple
collaborators. This volume was to be published by his
employer, but there ensued an unsuccessful conversation about rights and royalties and so, with this first
project largely complete, the apprenticeship was done
and the Cadorets returned home to a charming house
in Douarnenez and to an enterprise that no doubt was
to become more successful than they could have ever
first imagined.
The time was right. Brittany was alive with new cultural currents and awareness. The Breton language,
in poetry and music, was enjoying a powerful revival.
The first Ar Vag volume, Voiles au Travail en Bretagne
Atlantique (Working Sail of Atlantic Brittany), was published in 1984 by Editions de l’Estran, Douarnenez,
and written by Bernard Cadoret, Dominique Duviard,
Jacques Guillet, and Henry Kérisit, in collaboration
with Michèle Cadoret, Pierre-Yves Dagault, Guillaume
Floc’h, and François Vivier. These contributors, in
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Mary Barnes

Le Chasse-Marée’s original Douarnenez offices were housed in an iconic pink building called Abri du Marin—originally a home
for transient sailors.

various combinations, would be found in many of the
ensuing titles, magazine mastheads, tables of contents, and special projects that burst forth from this
beginning.
The first volume, and those that followed, make a
formidable statement; they are large-format, copiously
illustrated, painstakingly researched, and impressively
designed. The use of traditional typeface for cover titles,
and the stark black cover, are derived from the sheer and
transom name-boards, and identification numbers, set
against the tarred and oiled hulls of the vessels therein;
they also evoke the deep darkness of the Atlantic. The
graphics are as direct, evocative, and authentic as the
content, and that design statement and underlying sensibility informed everything after: the black frame of
the standard Le Chasse-Marée cover and of the similar
cover design of a later, English-language edition called
Maritime Life & Traditions, now defunct, which was published in partnership with WoodenBoat Publications.
A dynamic approach to management characterized
the enterprise from the outset. There was, of course,
no capital with which to begin. A legal cooperative
was formed with financial contributions by the team.
One can imagine the editorial meetings between such
a vivid and determined group, in some cases friends
since childhood, many with other jobs to pay their way,

filled with the power of possibility, and not particularly
prepared for the magazine publishing business. The
opportunities were fulsome, possibly overwhelming,
but in that condition there was strength.
In Grenoble, there had been the rudiment of a plan
with many parts, each one a path of interest to follow.
What occurred in Douarnenez in those first years was
the pursuit of every path all at once. From out of this
period, and from out of the energy and imagination of
this group, came not only Ar Vag and Le Chasse Marée,
but also the passionate, driven volunteer identification
and collection of hundreds of abandoned indigenous
small craft from barns and boathouses around the
region, the founding of a maritime museum devoted to
the collection and Breton maritime folkways, a harbor
for traditional vessels, a series of restoration boatshops
(one poetically named Atelier de l’Enfer—The Workshop
of Hell), several additional apprentice programs for
training local unemployed youth in maritime skills
and trades, and a specialized marine research library and
archive.
The business model was augmented by the sale of
related cultural products: posters by Breton artists such
as Yvon Le Corre, boat and model plans, photographs,
recordings by new Breton performers, storytellers
and poets, and an aggregation of books, watch caps,

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fisher­men’s smocks, and other items about Brittany and
things maritime that were not easily found in other
places. The product mix was chaotic, but it worked.
All this transpired in and around a building on the
Douarnenez harbor, painted an unforgettable worn
pink, as if the walls, originally bright red, had been
eroded, washed, and softened by ages of wind and
rain and fog blown in from the west. Inside that modest office, along a line of wonderful café restaurants
serving mussels and fish dishes, coffee, and aperitifs to
fishermen, tourists, and journalists alike, Bernard and
Michèle provoked and refereed and brought to deadline
more than 200 editions of Le Chasse-Marée, with circulation rising to 40,000 by 1991, a progress that became
more than a magazine and more like a movement.
That may seem like hyperbole. But consider: The
magazine and all the associated enterprise was a
kind of self-propelled phenomenon that attracted
and compelled old and young to respond. For every
aspect of the disparate activity there was a constituencyin-waiting, a group of stubborn outcasts—restoring
boats, collecting forgotten songs—and they found
in Le Chasse-Marée the means by which to confront
cultural amnesia in a united, nascent community
effort that transcended Douarnenez and Brittany.
That effort spread along France’s 1,800 miles of coast
to all those small ports, coastal traditions, and susceptible revivalists just waiting for something to happen; the message went viral the old-fashioned way,

by word of mouth, common interest, volunteerism,
dirty hands, and no pay.

T

he earliest expression of the larger community
may be France’s first maritime heritage festival, conceived and managed by the staff of Le
Chasse-Marée in 1986. It was was in Douarnenez, and the
attendees included thousands of regional visitors, early
intrepid tourists, and international insider participants
who brought their own heritage boats and cultural
traditions. It was extraordinary in its wild effusion of
cultural celebration: free cider and wine, traditional
foods, constant music, sharing, boasting, fighting,
sleeping where you lay until you could rise to drink, eat,
sing, share, boast, fight, and sleep again. It went on all
day and all night for most of a week. And it proved to
be an overwhelming project for the Cadorets and their
colleagues, who decided to not take on another.
But the idea caught hold, and more festivals followed—one in Douarnenez in 1988 and, in 1992, one
in Brest sponsored by the largest regional banks and
daily newspaper. The 1992 event resulted in sold-out
hotels and overbooked restaurants, more stages, popular music, a fence, security personnel, and expensive
tickets. The crowds were greater than those seen in
Douarnenez a few years before. Tall ships were invited,
food vendors appeared, and while the maritime focus
remained, the nature of the festival shifted toward
more commercial ends, bigger numbers, and alternative

Courtesy of thedo fruithof

A fleet of traditional vessels lines the Brest waterfront for the 2012 festival.

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measures of success. Suddenly, these events fell into the
economic development category, and values shifted.
Both festivals continue, and are still well worth the
visit, but perhaps more so the ensuing events, such as
the weeklong cruise of small boats called La Semaine
du Golfe (see WB No. 225) in Morbihan, farther south
along the coast. At Morbihan, it has become a tradition
for leaders in maritime preservation to be invited to a
special cocktail event where Bernard Cadoret provides
an authoritative review of the achievements of the
“movement” over the intervening years.
In addition to the festivals, Cadoret also issued a
series of five challenges, intended to keep the energy
flowing and growing. The first was Atlantic Challenge,
conceived with Lance Lee (WB No. 209), whereby replicas of a 38' 2"-long Bantry Bay gig—a French naval boat
of the late 1700s—were constructed by young people
in various countries and then campaigned in a series
of international contests of seamanship. The first was
in New York Harbor off the Statue of Liberty in 1986,
and thereafter in France, Ireland, Denmark, Canada,
and Italy. A small armada of these gigs have now
been built, and thousands of young people have

Francois vivier

More than 100 replicas of indigenous French working
boats attended the festival at Brest in 1992—the result of
a challenge to research and replicate laid down by Bernard
Cadoret. Here we see one result of that challenge, a
Plougastel working boat from the 19th century.

shared the experience of this ongoing program.
Various other challenges followed, including Le
Défi des Bateaux des Côtes de France, an invitation for the
coastal towns and regions to research and construct
boats indigenous to their history, and display them at
the festival in Brest in 1992. The result of this challenge
was astounding: over 100 different boats were built to
be sailed. There was also Le Défi des Jeunes Marins, a
program to enlist young people in sailing and small
craft heritage; this effort resulted in 32 examples of
a sailing dinghy similar to Vaurien being constructed
for yacht programs, sailing clubs, and the nurturing of

Maritime Preservation: One Measure of Success

I

t is one thing to appreciate, intellectually, a brilliant
concept in maritime preservation. But a true measure of its success is to see its effects in the eyes of an
individual and hear it in a town-wide chorus of voices.
Such was the case when I encountered a sardine shallop
called LA BARBINASSE from Île-Tudy, France, built in
response to a bold challenge made by Bernard Cadoret
and the staff of Le Chasse-Marée.
The encounter began in 2000, when I casually met a
pair of sailors from Île-Tudy—Ronan le Bot and José le
Bescond. We were on a train bound for Brest, enroute
to that city’s enormous, every-fourth-year maritime
festival, where they would sail LA BARBINASSE. They
invited me to join them as crew for a time at the festival, and a week or so later I saw them at the smaller,
similar event in Douarnenez, held every two years (see
WB No. 158). I so enjoyed the area and the experience
that two years later my wife, Corinne, and I went to the
next Douarnenez festival, reconnecting with José and
the crew of LA BARBINASSE. I didn’t realize until that
second trip the depth of meaning the boat held for
that town.
José and his family invited us to stay at their home
after the festival, and Corinne and I dawdled as we drove
the 20 miles to Île-Tudy, a tiny, delightful town packed
into the point of a narrow peninsula. Meanwhile, a crew

sailed LA BARBINASSE home on an open-water voyage
of perhaps 50 or more miles. As her arrival neared, we
joined José at a café; leaving the voyage to others with
more time, he’d also driven home. A crowd was quickly
growing at the café.
José’s time at the festivals had been a vacation. He
worked for the mairie, or town hall, and his duties were
relentless. He abandoned his dinner to take a skiff out
to aid a boat that had lost power. In between such constant mobile phone calls, he took me to see another
traditional boat under construction and told me that
none of the shallop’s crew had sailed before the boat
was built in 1997. This was startling news, for in 2000 I
had thought LA BARBINASSE’s crew were born sailors
among a throng of them. But I now learned that the
hundreds of moorings off Île-Tudy were used primarily
by Parisian summer people.
LA BARBINASSE was of a type of boat the crew’s
grandfathers had sailed from Île-Tudy for sardine fishing. Its construction was funded largely with government support as part of the Défi des Côtes de France. The
boat had become the town’s pride and joy.
That Défi, that “challenge for the coasts of France,”
was put out by Bernard Cadoret and his collaborators at Le Chasse-Marée. The purpose was to lead the
reconnection of coastal communities to their own

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Francois vivier

POULLIGWEN, also built as a result of Cadoret’s challenge, is
a replica crabber whose design dates to the late 19th century.

“new sailors.” There was Mémoire des Ports, a challenge
to nominate and record port-related structures, places,
and oral histories. The subjects included old docks and
warehouses, fishing weirs, tidal mills, the recollections
of watermen, and over 700 projects were nominated in
a declaration of cultural pride completely outside of
any official preservation program or designation by the
French government. And there was Arc de l’Atlantique,
the calling together of like-minded leaders from marine
museums and maritime heritage programs elsewhere
in France, the U.K., The Netherlands, Galicia, the
Basque country, and the U.S. to plan an even-larger

collaborative cultural challenge that would take the
movement truly international.
Each of these ideas had its direct goal; each added
value to the projects to come; each was promoted by
the magazine; and each drew new readers and participants to the movement. It may not have been overtly
preconceived or planned, but it was, nonetheless, de
facto a brilliant example of “creating your own market”
to extend your subscription base, to attract more advertisers, to drive newsstand sales, to sell more books and
posters, to enlist new volunteers for peripheral projects
and new ones to be invented, and to assert leadership
and the shape of a vital cultural phenomenon.
One of these projects was Maritime Life & Traditions,
an ambitious new magazine conceived and owned
jointly with WoodenBoat Publications in the United
States (the parent company of WoodenBoat magazine),
that was to extend the editorial content and messaging beyond France, to be published in English, to document marine culture from all oceans, to unite readers
from all nations, and to be the ultimate expression of
international maritime heritage. The new magazine
would include it all: within a design format similar to
Le Chasse-Marée, it would contain detailed, beautifully
illustrated articles on historic working vessels from the
world over; portfolios of marine artists past and present;

Benjamin Mendlowitz

The construction of LA BARBINASSE, a replica
sardine shallop, has galvanized an awakening
of maritime cultural awareness is the town of
ÎIle-Tudy. On the rail here is José le Bescond,
tensioning a shroud.

patrimoine—their inheritance, though the word is
nuanced, combining the ideas of history, legacy, and
birthright. I had assumed that Île-Tudy had exisiting
boats of its own to replicate. They had none—only photos such as those published in Le Chasse Marée’s Ar Vag

tomes (see page 71). Only in 2002 did I learn
that the naval architect François Vivier—now
well known even in the United States for his
recreational small-craft designs—drew the
plans not only for LA BARBINASSE but for
other traditional boat replicas that often
show up in photographs from Douarnenez
and elsewhere.
As LA BARBINASSE approached the
ancient stone quay and ramp at Île-Tudy’s
harbor, the café tables emptied. Dozens of
people assembled to take gear off and cart it
away as the lug rig was properly stowed and
the boat put to bed. Participation in these
festivals was clearly a major undertaking and
a highlight of the summer for all. It seemed that anyone who wanted to sail would have a chance. There
was a lot of laughter and cheek-kissing, a scene that
must have been playing out in dozens of other towns
—Tom Jackson
along the French coast.
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Francois vivier (this page)

The “Defi” Challenge included not only open boats, but also a number of larger decked vessels. LA BELLE ANGÈLE (left), built
by the well-known French boatyard Chantier de Guip, is a lug-rigged coastal trader from south Brittany. CORENTIN (right) is a
typical mid-19th-century coastal trader from western Brittany.

profiles of indigenous boatbuilders, boat restorations,
boatyards, and boat designers; coverage and calendar
of heritage events, festivals, raids, regattas, replicas,
and revivals. It would not focus only on history, but also
on contemporary marine industry, primarily fishing,
pilotage, ferries and lifeboats, and commemorative voyages. It would bring together historical, technical, ethnographic, and social perspectives in a rich editorial

mix as varied as the sea itself. By pure editorial standards, it was a success: a glorious spectrum of international maritime culture lovingly researched, accessibly
written, brilliantly photo­graphed and illustrated.
But it was a financial failure. “I don’t want to talk
about that,” said Bernard. “Too painful.” It was a difficult time for magazines, especially a start-up—though
the problems were not exclusive to Maritime Life; in fact,

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Le Chasse-Marée also eventually found itself in financial
difficulties and was facing bankruptcy at the time Maritime Life and & Traditions was failing. “It was just too
much,” says Michèle with that sibilant exhalation of
breath and shrug by which many French express irony
and frustration. “We were overwhelmed, and Bernard
was exhausted.”
Le Chasse-Marée was sold and is still published along its
original editorial lines; it is unchanged in appearance,
and apparently successful. Not part of the French bankruptcy settlement, Maritime Life fell back onto WoodenBoat Publications, which sustained it for a short period
until it too could no longer support two magazines with
overlapping content, one without an American advertising appeal and reliant on a difficult-to-market international subscription base. The Maritime Life archives, to
be found on the WoodenBoat website (www.woodenboat
.com) remain an extraordinary resource.

T

he Cadorets retreated. They found a perfect
small stone cottage on the edge of a small island
in Croatia that has become a private place for
personal revival. The house in Douarnenez remains as
the scholar’s retreat, filled with books floor to ceiling,
waiting, like blocking in a shipyard, to support the Ar
Vag volumes still to come. Number Five, Voiles au Travail
du Canot-Misaine au Dundee, dealing with a range of
sizes of working sailing craft, was published in 2012.

When asked how many more would follow, Michèle
offered, “maybe one.”
Bernard, rolling his eyes, puffing his cheeks, implied
there would be more.
“He sees Ar Vag as a flotilla,” she said. “There will
never be too many.” 
Bernard was involved in a major new book, The
Traditional Boats of Ireland, for which he counseled,
motivated, contributed, and collaborated with a team
of Irish writers to produce an astonishingly informed
and beautiful catalog of that country’s maritime tradition. He is somewhat crippled with arthritic back and
knees, but there is no diminution of his will or stream
of ideas. He remains “a grand designer.” His questions
remain challenges: Why is there not a comprehensive
small-boat history of American watercraft? Why can’t
the maritime museums, universities, and sea experience organizations find common ground and unified
values? Why do we not find a way through new technology to aggregate and evoke our collective memories of
the sea? Why are we allowing the ocean, and its associated skills and traditions, to be poisoned and forgotten?
Why are we not all continuing to chase the tide?
Peter Neill, director of the World Ocean Observatory (www.thew2o.
net), is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. This summer he will
host a group of the magazine’s readers on a two-week tour of the
U.K.’s finest maritime attractions.

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Remembering the
Schooner NIÑA
PART 2—Her latter years

T

his is the second of two parts describing the life
of the schooner NIÑA, which is presumed to have
been lost with all hands—including her owners,
David and Rosemary Dyche and their son, David—
in the Tasman Sea last May. The following are the
words of Deke Ulian, whose efforts brought this series
to life. Deke was to have completed, last December, his
manuscript for this installment. He died in late October,
at age 87, while traveling in Israel. Reflecting on his

I

first sighted NIÑA in 1965 on Nantucket
Sound, when I was chartering the 52' Alden
schooner ADVENTURER  out of Marion, with
friends. After that first encounter, I never forgot
NIÑA—that wineglass transom, a sweet dollop on the
shapely bustle of a very composed lady. Years later,
in 1980 or so, I was driving on the New Bedford–
Fairhaven bridge and looked out at the Moby-Dick
marina basin, and moored there...could it be? It was
NIÑA , unattended. I stopped, borrowed a dinghy,
climbed aboard, and later became friends with Hans
van Nes, her then-owner, who loved her quite as much
as DeCoursey Fales had, though he was not able to
outfit her to Fales’s high standards.
When Fales died in 1966, NIÑA went to the U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York.
The Academy, in turn, sold her to two young couples
who planned a grand ’round-the-world trip—or a
trip to the Caribbean, anyway. They got as far as Hatteras, endured one good storm, and their families,
new to sailing, said “enough.” That’s when van Nes
acquired her, commencing 20-plus years of love for
the boat. He left his wife and five kids back in Yonkers during the summers to be with NIÑA in Massachusetts; they forgave him, and the family stayed
together, often renting a big house on Middle Road
on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer while he lived
aboard at Fairhaven. I chartered NIÑA during van
Nes’s ownership, staying close with Hans and his
family until he died in 1993.
David Dyche III acquired NIÑA after Hans van Nes
died. David’s father was a deepwater salvager in Ohio
who urged his son to high adventure. As a handsome
swashbuckling 17-year-old, he sailed the family 21-footer

by Richard “Deke” Ulian

copious correspondence with us, it became apparent to
us that Deke had delivered, through numerous lengthy
and descriptive e-mails, a vivid, if concise, summary of
his personal recollections of NIÑA—with which he was
very close for many decades. With the approval of his
family, we present here an article edited entirely from
our correspondence with Deke—a story that Deke was
committed to telling, in memory of his friends the Dyche
family, and of the legendary NIÑA.
—Eds.

singlehanded to the Bahamas. Later, he became an
Alaska mariner and Mississippi tugboat captain, and at
age 34 a successful suitor of NIÑA , the magical vehicle
of his Bahamas engagement to Rosemary, an attractive
divorced non-sailor who at 42 delivered them a son,
her third. The couple and their young son, also David,
became liveaboard ocean cruisers in NIÑA , with the
elder David working for two-month intervals, to meet
expenses, as captain of a Brazilian oil-rig support boat.
Their adventures included two trips to the Mediterranean, one to the Black Sea, and a record day’s run of
250 miles (or so) near the Azores. Later, he invested
much effort in refurbishing the boat for a planned
’round-the-world voyage.
After being introduced by Ginny Jones, who then
worked at the Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway in
Vineyard Haven, the Dyches and I became pen-pals,
though we didn’t meet in person until 2008 at Mystic
Seaport, when the Dyche family and NIÑA embarked
on their circumnavigation. We hit it off, as they did
with so many others, and they invited me to join them
for a leg—or did I invite myself? It was to have been
from Australia, and then onward, perhaps. At age 86
and in chancy health, I questioned whether I should go.
On Facebook, I commented on David’s remarkable
postings, and finally he asked me to edit his voyaging diaries into a manuscript, and we were working
together on that via email just before he left Brazil.  The problem was that in editing, the danger
loomed of losing his voice. I stabbed at it; he replied,
“Perfect.” That was generous, for the result wasn’t perfect, and I have come to believe that his writing is best
left as is: unique, deep, poetic, and insightful—and at
times prophetic. In chapter one, as he and his family

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Dyche Family Collection

While the Starling Burgess–designed schooner NIÑA was renowned for her breakthrough staysail-schooner rig, the shapely
interplay of curves at her stern captured the hearts of many a sailor.

were just embarking on their voyage, he wrote:

“I have a wonderful wife, son, family, friends, boat...I
hold my breath with apprehension that one and all
may disappear at any one moment.”

There is a passage, written after their serious knockdown in the San Blas archipelago of Eastern Panama,
that presages Capt. Dyche’s feelings—apprehensions,
really—about the total disaster that would (it is now
presumed) take his life and the lives of his family, crew,
and ship. It reprises earlier passages touching the same
subject:
“Every dozen or so waves came through with
heights of twenty plus feet from crest to trough. We
had a good weather berth well offshore and our plan
was to go through a wide and deep-water channel
called ‘Hollinday Channel’—a wide opening in the
far end of a extended reef; the San Blas islands span
a length of eighty miles and are protected by outlying
reefs their entire length.
“I have been a professional mariner for most of my
life. I have seen and experienced large seas in Alaska
in January and have sailed on large tugs and barge
units in many storms and have seen a lot of rough
weather, but I was about to experience something I
had never encountered before.
“The channel we were going through was a quarter of a mile wide and forty five feet deep with reefs
extending miles offshore and then seven hundred

feet of deep water and deeper yet into the Caribbean basin. It was becoming late and it was important that we got in soon, or we would not be able to
see the reefs when entering our anchorage area. I
could see waves breaking off in the distance, but
they would come and go.
“As we entered the channel you could feel things
change. At the moment it seemed strange as there
were no waves. This was the first moment I became
concerned. It was like a word missing in a sentence,
the sound of silence and what it might mean. There
was no turning back at this point.
“Then there seemed to be some waves but they felt
different. It was as though the boat was being carried
higher in the water, like we were in a spoil area of dispersed waves. Up to this point the only breaking seas
that I detected were well to starboard on the outlying
reef. I knew something didn’t feel right though. The
feeling of danger was in the air, like static electricity.
Thomas [Stackpole] and I were already tethered to
windward with our harnesses and I gave the order to
close the doghouse doors.  We were both facing forward, our attention to our direction of travel. The first
sign of danger was the substantial sound of falling
water. I looked back at a large breaking wave coming
at us. It was so high and so fast that I knew the boat
would not rise to it. It took a long moment, and then
it hit us; it hit us with such a force, so strong with so
much water that we were hopelessly washed with water
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www.aquapix.com/paul gilbert

NIÑA went missing shortly after her departure from Bay of Islands, New Zealand, last year. Here, she competes in the 2012 Bay of
Islands Race, which she won in blustery conditions.

over our heads and helplessly pulled to the ends of our
tethers.
“After it abated all I could do was shake the water
from my face and take in a deep breath of air. I looked
around in bewilderment surveying the damage. This
was obviously the largest wave that had ever hit us
while sailing on NIÑA . Both Thomas and I tried
to gain some kind of composure, for the moment.
Unfortunately and to our dismay, the sound was coming again, and I looked around and this time it [the
wave] was much larger in force and in speed.
“God gave men these moments to test their will. I
would be much happier being anywhere but where I
was. But I was not. I was there by my own making.
At a moment like this you think deep inside on who
you are and what you are made of. I knew that there
was nothing that I could do to prevent what was about
to happen. The only thing I could think of saying to

Thomas was what a British sailor once said before
a full broadside of cannons were to blast their ship:
‘Bless us for what we are about to receive.’
“It sounded like a freight train as it came. I don’t
remember much except for the force and the fierceness of water as I was pushed forward and my face
slammed into cockpit seating with the water running
past me, as I was held by my tether for what seemed to
be a long time. I felt helpless in its grasp. After it went
by I shook the water off my face in disbelief. Thomas
was still with me.
“I had gone through the wheel, and blood was running down the deck. I looked down at what was once
the wheel, only to see small stubs protruding from the
hub. The doghouse doors were smashed in and swept
below somewhere, and the boat had taken a large
quantity of water through the entrance. I could feel
that the boat was much heavier.

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NIÑA’s easy lines
were so successful
that Burgess applied
her sectional shape
to the J-class sloop
ENTERPRISE,
defender of the 1930
AMERICA’s Cup
against challenger
SHAMROCK V. Her
short ends were the
result of the thenprevailing ocean
racing rule.

The schooner’s
accommodations
were basic.
“[S]he’s laid out like
a Pullman car,” wrote
John J. McNamara in
White Sails, Black
Clouds. He also noted,
stored below was “a
bewildering assortment
of topsails and
headsails.”

uffa fox ltd.

Reuben Bigelow
built NIÑA in a small
shed on Cape Cod.
She was given a white
oak keel, frames,
and deckbeams;
her planking was of
Mexican mahogany
and her deck was of
Burma teak. In 1933, a
persistent leak in the
keel proved to
be the result of
a defect in the
timber—a loose knot.
Burgess himself dove
on the hull and fixed
the problem.

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NINA’s rig, with the triatic stay an effective extension of the

“Little David was in the passageway down below
looking at his father’s bloodied face, scared and crying. I did not want to do this to him. But it was not
over. I could hear another [wave] coming.
“There were only three waves that hit us. I could not
piece together at what stage some things happen, but I
do remember at one point seeing most of the sails and
rig below me, looking up at the windward backstay
and wondering how it could ever hold up.
“In this wave I made the best effort to keep her from
rolling by bringing her around downwind. Successfully coming around, she fell from the top of the wave
and landed in the break where she became very light
in this cascading white water and then accelerated in
speed. Later, Little David would notice that the GPS
read our fastest speed at 19.3 knots.”

No Ordinary Yacht
“Storm sails shredded last night, now under bare poles”
—last text message from Schooner NIÑA , July 2013

They were staysails that drove her across the seas
and years, a cutter’s sails on a schooner’s rig
that powered her to first place in the races
and kept her there for decades, through the dash
in 1962 to Bermuda—staysails
and gollywobblers and fishermen,
and a rig fine-tuned, played by DeCoursey Fales
like a prized Stradivarius. Absent
those sails? Her hull alone, faired thoroughbred
but unrestored (the wood was sheathed in ’glass),
could not absorb the punishment—she sank
in the Tasman Sea, west-bound, taking all hands.
Off the drawing board of Starling Burgess
in 1928 (the same year Frost
published “Acquainted with the Night,” and Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms), she was
at once a rule-beater and game-changer,
leaving huge gaff-headed schooners crewed by
professionals behind, her amateurs high.
What the stallion “Secretariat” was to
the Triple Crown, the Benz “Teardrop” to the
Grand Prix, and AMERICA to America’s Cup,
Schooner NIÑA was to ocean racing.
But greater than her record was her beauty.
Beautiful from every angle of view
like Garbo, Dietrich, Bergman, Taylor, Knightley...
she captured every sailor’s dream of sail.
As famous in her day as her namesake,
she’ll stay that way for as long as dawns prevail.
And yet she was, for all that, just a boat
daring the sea, the indifferent brutal sea.
—Richard Dey

Uffa Fox Ltd.

forestay, was described by some as a “two-masted cutter.”

Three waves struck NIÑA in that incident, and Dyche
notes that each crew member had a different memory
of the experience—which ended with the schooner
threading through reefs in darkness, and Dyche later
waking in sunlight, with the searing pain of broken
ribs. He was later haunted by the knockdown, writing:
“You make judgment calls and sometimes they are
wrong. I will continue to learn about the sea and its
unforgiving ways.”

David Dyche favored action over excessive thought.
Last May, after months of work on NIÑA , he had a schedule—the most dangerous thing to have on a sailboat, as
the apocryphal saying goes. He had spent two months
at work earning money, and now had two months to
sail with family and friends as crew. He was badly, irrevocably pinched for time when they left Opua, Bay of
Islands in northern New Zealand, bound for Australia, and would face of several gales in the Tasman Sea.
According to his last Facebook post, “we’ll no doubt be
dancing with them.”
What a genius was W. Starling Burgess to design that
foremast and forest of jibs; what a shame a subsequent
owner lengthened the foremast, taking away, to some
degree, the innovativeness of NIÑA’s rig. As some nowforgotten observer noted, there was originally a straight
line from the end of her bowsprit to the head of her
mainmast, giving an unusually long and effective leading edge to her sail plan. Wow! How she did go! And
that hull was the sweetest, handsomest ever to top a wave
and then show off her irresistible wineglass transom.
David Dyche was a man who lightly carried kindness,
and was beloved of family and friends. But was NIÑA ,
his storied schooner, too old to dance?
Deke Ulian, who died in October 2013 at age 87, was at one time
a reporter for the Minneapolis Star & Tribune. He wrote many
sailing-related articles for various magazines, and was author of the
book A Sailor’s Notebook. He was also a member of a Yale sailing
team that won three national championships in four years. He raced
and cruised Wianno Senior No. 7 for many years and was a member
of the Wianno Yacht Club—as well as a director of that organization.

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DESIGNS

Three Contemporary Runabouts
Results of Design Challenge IV

Commentary by Robert W. Stephens

I

n 2012, WoodenBoat launched a
Design Challenge—its fourth
such contest—seeking a contemporary update of the classic
wooden runabout. We sought
boats utilizing design principles,
powering options, layouts, and
construction techniques not available during Chris-Craft’s heyday.
The specific parameters were:
• Conceive a fun, multipurpose
day boat, in wood, that could be
built by a dedicated amateur.
• The length of the new boat was
to fall between 18' and 25'.
• There was no stated horsepower restriction, but common
sense was to prevail.
• There was to be a minimum
seating capacity for four people.
• Construction was to be of
wood. Plywood, strip-planking,
cold-molding, and fiberglass
sheathing were all deemed acceptable, as were newly imagined construction techniques,
as long as the specified primary
structural material was wood.
We received entries from designers around the world, and asked
yacht designer Robert W. Stephens,
a regular design reviewer for
WoodenBoat, to comment on the
winners.
—Eds.

O

f the numerous submissions
for WoodenBoat’s contest to
create a runabout for modern times, three designs rose to the
top of the stack. All are concepts
rather than complete, ready-to-build
projects; each has refinements to
be implemented and wrinkles to be
smoothed out before leaving the
drawing board for the building
shop. Of these three, two boats show
remarkable similarities in hull shape
and style, and one displays strikingly
original thinking that places it firmly
at the top of the podium.

The Winner: Spade 21

Submitted by Antoine Mainfray, of
Marseilles, France, Spade 21 wraps
the classic profile and style of a
mid-20th-century runabout in an
innovative, low-resistance hybrid
multihull form that promises excellent performance from trolling speeds
to a pace permitting water-skiing.
High-speed
power
catamarans
and trimarans have been around
for decades, and have effectively
delivered efficient operation and
impressive speed, but two problems
have kept them from being widely

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DESIGNS

While Spade 21’s profile appears
conventional, her sectional shape is
surprising: She is, technically, a tri­maran.
Contact designer Antoine Mainfray at
Architecture et Ingenierie Navales, 26
rue Chaix, Marseilles, France; www.
archinavale.carbonmade.com.

accepted (except as the ubiquitous
“barbecue on a boat” pontoon-boat
model): First, with their extremely
long and narrow hulls, they exhibit
unfamiliar handling characteristics;
and second, for classic boat lovers—
well, they just plain don’t look right.
Spade 21’s profile and plan views
show no surprises to those of us looking for a conventional monohull—a
dead-plumb stem is the only divergence from the norm, and her stern
quarters even feature the tumblehome that’s iconic to the classic runabout. However, viewing her from
beneath, it’s evident there’s more
going on here. She is technically a trimaran, I guess—there are three hulls
piercing the water’s surface at rest.
But she could also be defined as an
extreme evolution of the “cathedralhull” monohull model made famous
by early Boston Whalers—an evolution that has seen the main hull
shrink to a narrow splinter and the
outboard sponsons scale down and
slide aft.
The central hull is no longer a
V-shape as in the original cathedral
hull; rather, it has taken a form that
more closely resembles that of a
high-speed sailing cat or trimaran,
modified for ease of construction
with plywood planking. The bow
is extremely fine and knifelike to
reduce wave-making resistance to
a minimum. Moving aft from the
stem, a shallow V develops, and

the sections approach semicircular shape, providing the minimum
wetted surface for a given volume.
Approaching the stern, the bottom
becomes wider and flatter—there’s
no worry about pounding back here,
and the dynamic lift of a flat surface
will be beneficial at higher speeds.
The “valleys” between main hull
and sponsons have expanded, widening and rising until they create
tunnels above the waterline on each
side. The lines plan shows clearly the
complex shape of this “W” hull. The
chines sweep in a nice fair curve from
stem to transom, defining an element of the classic runabout look—
all the intricacy happens inside the
chines. The tunnels feature flat tops
and angled sides. Mainfray describes
Spade 21’s performance:
“In the speed range of Archimedean displacement, the boat is a trimaran, or rather a sleek stabilized
monohull, and exploits the low wetted surface and the high slenderness
of its central hull to minimize drag....
When the vessel exceeds its hull
speed, the dynamic pressure on the
central hull and strakes is combined
with that exerted by the compressed
air in the side tunnels. This ground
effect can make the hull plane while
maintaining a low wetted area.”
While hull shape alone would
have been plenty of innovation,
Mainfray has chosen to push the
idea of clean, efficient boating by

specifying a zero-emission electric
drive system. Becoming popular in
Europe due to stringent regulations
governing the use of internal combustion on her inland lakes, electric
propulsion has been well proven for
sporty boats and limited day use. A
sophisticated 60-kW (82-hp) Krautler water-cooled motor will push the
boat to a maximum speed of 26
knots—fast enough to enjoy water
sports. There’s one fly in the ointment: In this concept Mainfray calls
for a few off-the-shelf lead-acid
batteries, which by my calculations will
sustain maximum speed for a matter
of only a few minutes. However, similar boats are operating successfully
in the Alpine lakes of Europe, albeit
with much more sophisticated—and
expensive—lithium-ion battery banks,
so a substitution of equipment will
allow the concept to work.
Spade’s layout is classic runabout—a pair of bucket seats behind
a rakish, curved windshield and a
full-width couch across the aft end of
the cockpit. The couch’s low, wraparound bolsters and the shallow,
sleek cockpit call to mind the attractively spare boats of 1970s Florida—
think Donzi Sweet Sixteen. Absent
the throaty rumble of a small-block
V-8 (along with its aroma of incompletely burned gasoline), Spade
promises a similar experience as
canal-walkers watch in envy while
you slip by. A recessed aft platform
provides a somewhat protected “beach”
for sunbathing or swimming off the
narrow swim platform.
Spade 21’s construction is plywood
skins over CNC-cut plywood internal stiffeners (a theme that’s wellrepresented among the boats in this
contest). If you sign on to build her,

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DESIGNS

be prepared to become proficient in
working with fiberglass, for the hull
is sheathed completely with the stuff,
both inside and outside, and every
joint is reinforced with fiberglass
tape. While messy, it’s an effective
way to create a light, strong hull, and
is quite accessible for amateur builders. With the proliferation of simple
computer-controlled routers, access
to pre-cut panels is easier every year—
it’s not necessary to ship cut panels
from a central warehouse. Instead,
a digital cut file can be included
with the plans, and you can use your
neighborhood cabinet shop to produce perfectly cut and scribed panels
for you to set up egg-crate fashion—
transverse frames and longitudinal
elements can key together using CNCcut slots and tongues so alignment is
virtually assured. It’s unclear to me
just how the assembly sequence will
allow taping the inside of the hull
while getting a good fit and bond for
the cockpit sole that goes in above the
hull and essentially prevents access to
the bilge. Details like this will need
to be worked out as the final building
plans are developed.
Mainfray reminds us that while
we’re going to lengths to build a
boat that will operate with such
low impact on the environment,
we should go the extra mile in her
construction by using bio-based
epoxy adhesives and water-based
paints and varnishes. Spade 21 will
respond well to any number of finishing schemes. Mainfray suggests
varnished plywood topsides, with
the deck and cockpit sole laid in raw,
unfinished doussie, a west African
hardwood he says “advantageously
replaces teak for marine applications but is not subject to such overexploitation.” The resulting look, as
featured in his renderings, is a classic blend of traditional woodworking and spare European styling that
works very well—but a fully painted
finish would be strikingly minimalist
and less troublesome to maintain.
Mainfray’s renderings of the boat
afloat and underway show how convincingly traditional this modern,
innovative hull can look with his
thoughtful touch in massaging the
hull lines to strike just the right
chords of memory while allowing a
crisp, current edge to shine through.

The two runners-up, Pandion 25 (shown
here) and Capriccio (next page), have
distinctive sheerlines that swoop down
to the stern. Contact Pandion’s designer
Peter Buescher at Fathom Design
Studio/Donald L. Blount and Associates,
Greenbrier Tower II, 870 Greenbrier
Circle, Suite 600, Chesapeake, VA 23320;
[email protected].

The Runners-up: Capriccio and Pandion 25

T

he two boats that achieved
honorable mention are similar enough in aesthetic thrust,
naval architecture of their running
bottoms, and construction style that
they’re worth examining together.
Capriccio is from Italian firm B.C.A
Demco, a major supplier of plans to
the Italian amateur boatbuilding
market. The Pandion 25 is a product
of designer Pete Buescher of Pandion Art and Design, also a design
engineer at the well-respected firm
of Donald L. Blount and Associates
in Virginia.
Pandion and Capriccio share a
sheerline that distinctively sweeps
continuously down to a water-level
swim platform; a nearly plumb stem;
and a deep, strongly curved forefoot
that’s—unusually—the deepest point
of the hull. In each boat, sharply

veed sections create a knife-edge
entry that in combination with its
depth looks like a potential weakness in inducing poor handling and
bow-steering in a following sea.
However, a consequence of the deep
forefoot is that the running lines of
the bottom slope upward as they
approach the stern; this will cause
the bow to trim up as the boats come
on plane, so they may pull those fine
sections up out of the water enough
to mitigate that vice. As a result of
these rising buttock lines, I’d expect
each of these boats to ride relatively
bow-high, changing trim by a couple
of degrees more than the typical
three or four degrees of bow rise as
they come on plane.
Capriccio shows a classic aft helm
position reminiscent of a 1920s Gold
Cup racer. However, since she uses a
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DESIGNS

Capriccio has an aft helm station reminiscent of a 1920s Gold Cup racer. Her construction is a combination of plywood and
strip-planking. Contact designers Enrico Macera and Matteo Costa at B.C.A. Demco, Sas di Paolo Lodigiani & C., Via Ricciarelli,
21, 20148 Milan, Italy; www.bcademco.it.

much smaller modern Volvo fourcylinder gas engine, she has lots of
room where the immense engine
compartment would have encased a
massive straight six or V-12; she puts
this to good use as a forward cockpit
and lounge area. I have some concerns about how passengers might
move from forward to aft cockpits

past the sleekly curved glass windshield without ending up in the
drink—but the arrangement offers
interesting and useful spaces in an
attractive package. Construction, like
Spade 21, is of plywood over CNC-cut
frames and longitudinals; the topside
panels are glued strip planking.
If the contest were entirely about

looks, Pete Buescher’s Pandion 25
would have won hands down—she
features a stunning harmony of
sweeping curves and voluptuous
surfaces, all flawlessly presented in
photorealistic computer renderings.
She will be a gorgeous boat. A
straightforward cockpit seats four in
individual bucket seats, off-the-shelf

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86 • WoodenBoat 238

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DESIGNS

from a high-quality supplier—very
smart. A tremendously sexy frameless glass windshield rises from a
wraparound coaming that sweeps
from swim platform across the foredeck and back, setting off the
cockpit in charcoal gray. Aft of
the cockpit is a molded fiberglass
lifting panel that incorporates
sculpted aft-facing seats for wakewatching; beneath is the propulsive
machinery. Though he hasn’t
in­cluded any information or installation details in the drawings, Buescher specifies twin 143-hp Weber
gasoline engines with jet drives,
and mentions an electric alternative, although again there are no
details. Construction is similar to
Capriccio, with cold-molded hull
skin; Pandion’s concept renderings
show a combination of transverse
frames and longitudinal stringers,
all laid out for CNC cutting.

Capriccio’s lines, like Pandion 25’s,
show a running surface that will allow
the bow to trim up a few more degrees
than a conventional runabout. This
should mitigate the bow-steering effect
of a deep forefoot.

Anne T. Converse
Photography

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May/June 2014 • 87

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Paul Hernes

How to Build Phoenix III
A versatile, easy-to-build 15-footer

Part 3
by Ross Lillistone

4. finishing the interior, continued
Personal Touches
Some builders prefer to install specialized deck fittings.
Jonathan McNally, for example, wanted blocking to support the oarlock pads (the shapes of which are shown
in the plans). He epoxied pieces into place against the
inner face of the sheerstrake underneath the deck
and faired them into the deck structure (photo 28a).
He also chose to install a foredeck samson post (photo
28b), glued to the after face of bulkhead No. 1. In this
case, it’s best to dry-fit the foredeck panel first, then
mark the location of the post, shape the aperture for it,
install the post, and begin installing the deck starting at

the bow. Byron Bennett chose to add nicely shaped spray
rails forward of the cockpit (photo 28c). When adding
deck fittings, consider whether they may require additional structure under the deck.

Installing the Deck
The deck is made of 1⁄4" (6mm) plywood. How the
pieces are arranged is a matter of personal preference,
but they must cover the gunwales, and in way of the
cockpit they must come flush to the faces of the bulkheads and carlins. Byron gave his decks a nice touch by
installing blocking that matches the radiused corners

Above—In this final part of a three-part series, the author takes the construction of Phoenix III through its last phases,
including fitting out the interior and installing the rig. The rig shown above is the original sprit-sloop, in this case with a
loose-footed mainsail.

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BYRON BENNETT

29a

JONATHAN McNALLY
BYRON BENNETT

at the forward and after ends of the cockpit (visible in
photos 29a and 29b). The plywood joints can be joined
by glued scarfs or butted with backing plates.
The panels should be dry-fitted first (photo 29a).
Notice that Byron also chose to install an access hatch
in the seat (photo 29b) instead of in the bulkhead.
As noted in Part 1, bulkhead hatches must be made
watertight, because the chambers they cover serve as
flotation during a capsize.
After cutting and dry-fitting the deck panels, drill for
and drive silicon-bronze screws (No. 6 × 3⁄4", or 18mm,
are fine) at about 6" (about 150mm) intervals around
the gunwales and side-deck carlins. The number and
interval of these screws is not critical. It is quite possible
to attach all the deck panels with just glue, although I
still recommend using some screws so that the slippery,
epoxy-covered panels stay in the right place.
Painting underneath decks is not much fun, and my
method is to roll at least three coats of unthickened
epoxy onto the underside of the deck panels before
doing the final attachment. In Australia’s hot weather,
I allow no more than three hours between coats so
that a good chemical bond is made. After the last sealing coat, I prime the faying, or mating, surfaces with
unthickened epoxy, followed by a thickened adhesive
layer. I then place the panels in position, using awls or
nails to locate a few screw holes and drive in enough
screws to hold the panels from slipping out of position.

28b

28c
After that, it is just a matter of driving the rest of the
screws and setting clamps as needed.
The epoxy seal on the undersides of the deck panels
is largely protected from UV light and should last for
decades without being painted.
The deck finish is also subject to personal choice.
It could be simply painted, or epoxy-coated and then
painted. Or, the edges could be rounded over and the
deck sheathed in light fiberglass cloth set in epoxy, then
painted. Regardless of what method appeals to you,
ensure that exposed plywood end-grain is adequately
covered with epoxy, fiberglass sheathing, or thin wood
battens.

BYRON BENNETT

JONATHAN McNALLY

28a

29b
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ROSS LILLISTONE(BOTH)

30

Maststep and Mast Partner
The mast partner plans are clear, showing the outline
of the piece, which should be 1 1⁄2" thick (38mm),
made of solid wood or a lamination. Give the back of
the piece a 5-degree bevel as shown to accommodate
the mast’s rake. Make sure the piece is accurately centered on the bulkhead with its top lined up with the
line drawn during setup on bulkhead No. 2, just below
deck level. Glue it to the bulkhead, backed up by screws.
The maststep is a lamination of three 1⁄2" (12mm)
pieces of plywood, to the dimensions shown on the
plans. A means of preventing water from pooling in
the maststep is important. You can drill a 3⁄8" socket
(10mm) through the side to intersect the bottom of the
hole, or, alternatively, use a router to shape a groove in
the bottom of the maststep to form a kind of tunnel for
drainage once the piece is installed on the keelson.
Make sure that the forward end of the maststep
is strongly glued to the bulkhead. Install fi llets all
around it.

Finishing Off the Centerboard Trunk
The capping pieces should be made and installed, as
shown on the plans. It is possible, if preferred, to make
the top cap piece removable, which can aid in future
removal and reinstallation of the centerboard.
The centerboard raises and lowers by means of
a solid rod, preferably of bronze. When the board is
raised, the rod folds forward and rests on top of the
trunk cap to hold the centerboard up. The trunk cap
should be reinforced with a bronze, brass, or stainlesssteel plate where the rod bears against it. The rod can
be either lashed down or clipped under a thumb cleat
and should have a leather pad at the handle end to protect the paintwork.
A simple rod fitted with a crosspiece or bent to make
a handle will suffice, but Byron chose to make a deluxe
version (photo 31), using bronze flat-bar. Usually, the
rod system requires the centerboard to be fully lowered
or fully raised, but Byron cut several notches in his
flat bar that fit into a bronze crosspiece, allowing his

Mast partner detail: The 11⁄2”-thick mast partner (36mm) can
be laminated of plywood or solid wood, dimensioned as shown.
Note the 5° bevel where the forward face mates to bulkhead No.
2 to accommodate mast rake. Glue and screw the partner to the
bulkhead amidships and with its upper edge meeting the line drawn
just below deck level, as shown in the bulkhead plan in Part 1.

centerboard two intermediate depth settings. Whether
flat-bar or rod is used, the piece connects to a simple
metal fitting on the top edge of the centerboard, as
shown on the drawings.
The centerboard pivot bolt installation that I prefer uses plain bronze or stainless-steel rod. The plans
detail in Part 2 shows how the bar is a bit shorter than
the extreme width of the trunk, so that it lies loose
in the hole. After the pin is in place, cover the ends
with bronze, stainless-steel, brass, or plywood plates,
which should be well-bedded and screwed into place.
This system avoids problems caused by through-bolts
that can distort the centerboard trunk sides if cinched
down too tight.

31

BYRON BENNETT

VINCENT DRANE3

Maststep detail: The
maststep is a lamination
of three pieces of
1⁄2” plywood (12mm),
dimensioned as shown
viewed from above.
Drill a 3⁄8” hole (10mm)
athwartships to allow
water to drain.

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BYRON BENNETT

ROSS LILLISTONE

32
Rudder details: Rudder cheek pieces of 1⁄2” plywood (12mm)
sandwich a 3⁄4”-thick (18mm) plywood filler piece, all with faces
sheathed in fiberglass cloth set in epoxy before final assembly,
also using epoxy. The blade is of 3⁄4” plywood (18mm), or
equivalent lamination, faired to a foil section and sheathed with
’glass cloth in epoxy, as described for the centerboard in Part 2.
Use a 3⁄8” bolt (10mm) as a pivot pin.

Rudder and Tiller
Tiller details: The tiller, shaped as shown, can be made of 3⁄4”
hardwood (18mm). The shape can be altered, but check the tiller’s
swing in relation to side decks to suit personal preferences.

doing in photo 33a) to avoid exposure to volatile organic
compounds, for ease of repair, and for their somewhat
porous nature. Follow the manufacturer’s suggestions,
especially if painting over
epoxy-coated surfaces.
Proper preparation involves
finish sanding through a
range of grits, ending with
120- or 180-grit. That is followed by a 40-percent-thinned
first coat of primer, and then
three coats of full-strength
primer. Sand the second and

33a

JONATHAN McNALLY (BOTH)

The rudder profile and details are shown in the plans.
It’s wise to apply light fiberglass cloth set in epoxy to the
inside faces of the rudder-box cheeks to protect against
abrasion, and apply ’glass to the faces of the filler piece
to ensure that it is at least as thick as the rudder blade.
The blade itself is made from 3⁄4" (18mm) plywood,
or three layers of 1⁄4" (6mm). The portion extending
below the cheek pieces should have its edges streamlined. Sheathe it in fiberglass cloth set in epoxy, using
the same method described earlier for the centerboard.
The rudder blade can be installed with a slightly
short bronze pivot pin, backed by plates just as with the
centerboard pin. One such plate is visible in photo 32.
(Note also Byron’s nicely made cover for the transom’s
outboard motorwell.) However, I’d recommend using a
3⁄8" (9mm) bronze or 316-grade stainless-steel nut-andbolt combination, which will resist the tendency of the
rudder cheeks to spread apart under side-loading.
The tiller shown in the plans is 3⁄4" (18mm) thick,
which is the minimum and works fine if a dense, strong
wood is used. If in doubt, make it thicker. Pintles and
gudgeons can be purchased or made, either in cast
bronze or stainless-steel. Be sure the gap between the
pintle tangs is right for the thickness of the rudder box,
and use screws that are of a length that will not penetrate the inside faces of the cheek pieces.

5. PAINTING
There are many marine coatings on the market, but
I have yet to find one that works better than ordinary
enamel paint. I use single-part paints (as Jonathan is

33b
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SAIL PLANS and SPARS
Sail plan, with spar details:
The mast (right), boom (center
right), and sprit (far right), can be
laminated of two solid halves or—as
recommended—hollow, using the
“bird’s mouth” method (see figure
4, page 95). Ends must be plugged
about 4” (about 10cm), but the
mast heel should have a V-shaped
clothespin-style plug extending
above the mast partner to avoid an
abrupt change in stiffness. In the
mast diagram, figures in parentheses
on the right side indicate widths of
5⁄8”-thick (16cm) staves for bird’s
mouth construction. The mast can be
made 10” longer (25.5cm), as shown
in dotted lines, for a higher hoist. The
boom uses jaws of 1”-thick hardwood
(2.5cm) shaped as shown, epoxied
in place, and leathered to prevent
chafing the mast. The jib is set flying.
The mainsail is laced to the boom
and mast; it has no battens and has a
slight hollow cut in the leech.

MAST

BOOM

SPRIT

ROSS LILLISTONE

Two alternative sail
plans: Details of alternative
balance-lug (left) and
Bermudan knockabout
(below) rigs are available
from the author; see the
website link at the end of
the article.

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JONATHAN McNALLY

Coating Flotation Chambers
Sealing end-grain plywood with epoxy is always essential, and I also occasionally use much-thinned epoxy
on external bare wood before painting. Particularly
on low-density wood species, I use a single light coat to
harden the surface a little and raise the grain for initial
sanding, and such a light coating will allow moisture to
escape.
Some boatbuilders coat every surface with epoxy,
but I avoid this because an epoxy-coated surface that
is damaged allows moisture into the wood, where it can
become trapped and
cause rot. Furthermore,
cured epoxy is difficult to fair, and paint
does not adhere well
to the surface unless
it is very well abraded.
Many paints will not
cure over some epoxy
products. If you like
using epoxy sealers,
go ahead, but follow
the product instructions to the letter. Also
remember that epoxy
34
must be well painted
or covered with many
coats of varnish to protect it from ultraviolet light.
Where I do favor using epoxy coatings is in locations
that remain out of daylight, such as the internal surfaces
of flotation chambers (as shown in photo 34) and
inside hollow masts. These finishes won’t be harmed
by ultraviolet light or have their surfaces broken by
ordinary use.

6. THE SPARS
The original PHOENIX III rig (which is described here)
has a sprit-rigged mainsail with or without a boom. The
mast is free-standing, without shrouds or stays. Since
there is no forestay, the jib is set “flying.” Such a rig sets
up very quickly at the launching ramp. The running
rigging, too, is simple and straightforward.
The mainsail boom is optional, and the lead photo

(page 88) shows a boat rigged without one. A boom,
however, is recommended for general use because it
provides greater control over sail’s shape by reducing
its twist. The decision to add a boom can be made at
any time, since the sheeting geometry works either with
one or without one. The plans also show two alternative rigs: a sloop with a sliding-gunter mainsail and a
balance-lug catboat without a jib.
Phoenix III’s original rig requires three spars: the
mast, boom, and sprit. They can all be made of solid
wood, but I usually make mine hollow. I’ve found that
making hollow spars is no more labor-intensive than
making solid ones, and the resulting mast is significantly lighter. Phoenix III’s mast is very short relative to
its sail area, however, so the additional weight of solid
spars, if chosen, would pose no problems.
Figure 3

ROSS LILLISTONE

third coats with 180-grit, and the fourth coat with 220grit. Finally, apply at least three top coats, sanding the
first one lightly with 220-grit and the second one with
320-grit before the final coat. If varnishing, apply an
initial coat thinned 50 percent and sanded with 220grit, then eight or nine more coats sanded with 320-grit
dry or 400-grit wet.
The bottom of Jonathan’s boat shows careful work
(photo 33b), which he protected with brass half-oval
rubbing strips strategically placed. (Note also the strips
he added to his slender outer keel in way of the centerboard slot, as mentioned in Part 1.)
This all may sound like tedious work, but in the long
run you will appreciate the good foundation you have
laid down.

Making Solid Spars
If solid construction is chosen, it is best to laminate at
least two pieces together, as shown in figure 4, to prevent
warping. Even if you have a piece of wood large enough
to make the spar in one piece, it is best to cut it into two
halves, turn one half end-for-end, and then glue the
halves back together. The resulting grain pattern will be
symmetrically opposed, as shown in the figure 3.
The lamination should be wider and thicker than
the spar’s finished maximum diameter, because it
is almost impossible to make a laminated spar blank
perfectly straight. Be certain the lamination is square,
however. After snapping a chalk-line on one face, draw
perpendicular lines at each of the stations noted on the
plans and mark half-diameters out from the centerline
on each side.
Using a stiff batten, draw a fair curve through the
points on each side to give you a plan view of the
tapered spar. Using a bandsaw and plane, cut these
tapers. On completion, turn the spar 90 degrees and
repeat the process. The resulting square-sectioned spar
will be properly tapered.
The next step is to make it evenly 8-sided. To establish
guidelines for this, use a spar gauge. (A good description of a spar gauge can be found in WB No. 118, page
84, or in the books listed in the reading list at the end of
this article.) The next step, 16- and 32-siding, is taken up
after the following discussion of hollow spar making.
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36a

VINCENT DRANE

ROSS LILLISTONE

35a

Making Hollow Spars
There are several ways to make a hollow spar. (For alternatives, see WB No. 91, “Building a Hollow Mast,” or
WB No. 214, “How to Build a Wooden Mast.”) For small
craft I prefer the “bird’s-mouth” method, in which
eight tapered staves are shaped to interlock with one
another, as shown in figure 4. (A thorough article on
making bird’s-mouth hollow spars can be found in WB
No. 149.) The Phoenix III plans include specific measurements for the staves needed to build each spar
using this method.
The staves are identical, with one edge of each having a 90-degree V-shaped groove allowing it to fit at 45
degrees into the square corner of its neighbor. All eight
tapered staves can be glued up at once, including end
plugs, shaped to a properly sized octagonal section to
fit the space. Once clamped straight (as shown in photo
35a, using cable ties), the spar takes its taper automatically and can be adjusted for straightness before the
glue sets. (In photo 35b, Jonathan uses a laser level to
check his mast.)
After the glue has cured, planing off the high corners of the staves to make them flush to the stave faces
automatically makes the spar eight-sided (photo 36a),
so a spar gauge is not necessary for this method.

ROSS LILLISTONE

36b

36c

ROSS LILLISTONE

JONATHAN McNALLY

35b

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Figure 4

TOM JACKSON

BYRON BENNETT

37a

From 8-Sided to 16-Sided
After they’ve been 8-sided, solid and hollow spars
are completed in exactly the same way—by planing
off the points of the octagon to make the spar evenly
16-sided, followed by another round of planing to make
it 32-sided.
For this job, I mark the spar with wide pencil marks
about every 2' (600mm) to help gauge how much
material to remove (photo 36a). As the corners are
planed off, gaps appear in the pencil mark (photo
36b), clearly indicating how much material has been
removed, and how evenly the job is progressing all
along the spar’s length.
After the spar is evenly 16-sided, redraw the pencil
bands, then plane the corners off one more time to produce a 32-sided section (photo 36c).
The final job is to sand the spar to make it round
and smooth.

Final Spar Details

Mast Gate and Belaying Pins
A simple metal mast gate (photo 37a) holds the mast at
the partner and allows it to be quickly taken down. The
gate is made of bronze flat-bar held by bolts (or roundhead wood screws, as shown in the lighter example in
photo 37b) set into the mast partner on each side of the
opening for the mast. One side of the flat-bar has a hole
that allows the gate to rotate on one of the bolts. The
other end has a slot that allows the gate to swing shut
over the second bolt. Because the mast has no shrouds
or forestay, opening the gate allows it to be stepped or
struck quickly.
The main and jib halyards can be made off to belaying pins, one on each side of the mast partner. Note the
inclusion of wooden cleats mounted on the mast and a
tie-down point for the downhaul (photo 37b); there is
ample room for individual preference in such rigging
details. But avoid fastening fittings to the mast with
screws whenever possible.

37b

ROSS LILLISTONE

➤

MELANIE POWELL

➤

The ends of the spars are shaped or drilled to receive
rigging. The mainmast, for example (figure 5), has two
bee-holes, one foreand-aft for the main
Figure 5
halyard and the other
athwartships for the
jib halyard block lashing. The tip of the
sprit has a nock to
hold the peak becket
Jib halyard
of the mainsail. The
boom has jaws to
hold it to the mast.
Mainsail
All of these details are
shown on the plans.
These are among a
Jib
wide range of rigging
options—so it is
Mainsail
important to finalize
halyard
your rigging plan
before completing the
spars.

7. RIGGING AND RIG FITTINGS

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38

Figure 6

Mast
➤

➤

➤

Snotter

ROSS LILLISTONE

MELANIE POWELL

Sprit

Sheet Fairleads
In sprit rig, the most important line for adjusting
mainsail shape is the snotter, which holds the heel
of the sprit (photo 38). For best performance, take up
on the snotter until a crease forms between the tack
and the peak of the sail; this crease will smooth out as
the sail fills.
The snotter’s position on the mast is important. The
simplest snotter can have the tail of its upper block
made off around the mast with a rolling hitch, which
can be moved up or down the mast as desired. This is an
excellent way to start off, and once you determine the
best location for the snotter you can add a thumb cleat
to keep it from sliding down the mast, as shown in figure 6. If you wish to start off by using a thumb cleat, set
it about 46" (1,160mm) above the mast partner. Thumb
cleats should be glued, not screwed, to the mast.
When reefing, it will help the set of the sail to lower
the snotter’s attachment point on the mast by the same
distance as the sail is lowered, or about 2' (600mm). A
rolling hitch makes this easy, but you could add a second thumb cleat.
The sprit should also be well leathered (using a longer leather than the one shown in the photo above),
and the mast also can be leathered, as shown, to prevent chafe.
A low-stretch line, such as Spectra or pre-stretched
polyester, about 1⁄4" (6mm) in diameter, works well for
the snotter. (The photo above also shows a line lying
alongside the sprit, but this is unrelated to the snotter.
That is a slack brailing line, which is used to gather
the sail and sprit up against the mast to quickly douse
the rig. The brailing line also shows in the lead photo
of Part 1 in WB No. 236. For more information about
brailing lines, and sprit rig details in general, see WB
Nos. 89 and 165.)

Figure 7

MELANIE POWELL

The Sprit and Snotter

If the mainsail has a boom, a conventional sheeting system can be used, as shown in figure 7. A bridle rigged
between pad-eyes on each side of the afterdeck forms
a rope traveler that clears the tiller. The sheet reeves
through a block with a fitting allowing it to slide on the
traveler.
If the mainsail is used without a boom, the position
of the sheet fairleads largely determines the set of the
sail. In this case, the mainsail has two sheets, much like
a jib, with fairleads positioned 7 5⁄16" (185mm) forward
of the transom and as far outboard as practical. Adjust
the position if necessary after experience using the
boat.
The jibsheet fairleads should be placed on the side
decks, as shown in the plans, 6' 6 1⁄2" (1,995mm) aft of
the pad-eye on the bow. Fairleads should be mounted
with backing plates under the deck to provide ample
fastening support, or they can be placed so that
their fastenings can be driven into a deckbeam.

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Figure 8

39b

Lashing to tack of sail.
Attach a downhaul
underneath.

Mainsail

Boom
ROSS LILLISTONE

MELANIE POWELL

➤

The Mainsail and Boom
The mainsail can be laced to the mast in a number of
ways. I prefer individual ties at each eyelet along the
luff. The ties must be loose enough to allow the sail to
slide up and down for reefing. I use 1⁄8" (3mm) braided
line, with the upper tie doubled or tripled to take the
tension exerted by the sprit.
The tack (the lower, forward corner of the sail) must
have a downhaul to keep the luff in tension, as seen in
figure 8. If a boom is used, the tack of the sail is lashed
to the boom, and the downhaul is tied to the lashing.
For a loose-footed sail, the tack downhaul is tied to the
tack grommet. The downhaul can be made off to a
cleat on the mast, or to one of the belaying pins on the
partner.

8. OARS AND ROWING
39a

Choose oarlocks and sockets that will allow the oars
to clear both edges of the side decks in use. The mounting blocks (visible in photo 39a) shown on the plans are
designed for top-mount oarlock sockets. Depending on
the type of oarlocks chosen and the placement of the
mounting blocks, it may be necessary to reshape the
blocks to make them a bit taller.
Phoenix III requires 7' 6" oars (230cm). If you buy
oars, get good ones from a reputable company. Making your own oars is a satisfying process, and plans are
available from a variety of sources. See WB No. 71 for
a how-to-build article on boat designer Pete Culler’s
favorite oars. See also “Getting Started in Boats” in WB
No. 211 for fundamentals about oars and rowing.
The oars should always be leathered (photo 39b) in
way of the oarlocks, to prevent wear. See WB No. 127 for
an article on how to stitch oar leathers properly.

9. USE

TOM PAMPERIN

A small sailing dinghy such as Phoenix III can take
you across a pond under oars, teach a beginner to
sail, or provide an adventurer with the means to cover
hundreds of miles of coastal cruising. She is small
enough to be easily handled by one person, yet large
enough to carry three on a daysailing expedition.
When you get home, the boat and trailer combination can be slipped into the side of a garage without
taking up too much valuable space. There she can sit,
protected from the elements but fi lled with potential.
Best of all, you can easily build this magic carpet with
your own hands.

Oars and Oarlocks
Phoenix III was designed to be a pleasure to row, a satisfaction many people never discover.
For the best results, the right equipment and setup
are of critical importance. The oarlocks should be positioned about 7" (180mm) above the rowing thwart and
centered 12" (300mm) aft of its aft edge, as shown in
the plans (see also photo 28a on page 89).

This is the final installment of a three-part series by Ross Lillistone,
who builds and designs wooden boats in rural Australia, surrounded
by kangaroos and koalas. He lives with his wife, Rhonda, and two
dogs and usually has a smile on his face.
Although efforts have been taken to assure that a full-scale boat can
be built from the information presented in these pages, the editors
strongly suggest that full plans sets be purchased from the designer.
Phoenix III plans, which include general instructions and are
printed in either imperial or metric measurements, are available from
Ross Lillistone, P.O. Box 152, Esk, Queensland, 4312, Australia.
The designer may also be contacted directly at [email protected];
www.baysidewoodenboats.com.au.
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LAUNCHINGS

T

hese pages, along with the Boat Launchings section
of www.­woodenboat.com, are dedicated to sharing
recently launched wooden boats built or restored by our
readers. If you’ve launched such a boat within the past
year, please write us at Launchings, WoodenBoat, P.O.
Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616 or email us at launchings@
woodenboat.com.
Please include the following information: (1) the
boat’s length and beam; (2) the name of its design class
or type; (3) the names of the designer, builder, owner,
and photographer; (4) your mailing address along with
an email address or phone number; (5) the port or place
of intended use; (6) date of launching; and (7) a few
sentences describing the construction or restoration. We
prefer digital jpeg images at 300 dpi. Please send no
more than five photographs and enclose a SASE if you
want anything returned.

Below—Francis Groenhart’s dream of owning a boat came
true on his sixth birthday, when his family gave him a
rowboat of his very own, which Francis promptly named
GEORGE . Local builder Colin Brown designed and built
the 7' 7" plywood skiff. Francis and GEORGE will row
around Kawau Bay and Mahurangi Harbour near their
home in Warkworth, New Zealand.

Sally Groenhart

Edited by Robin Jettinghoff

Emile Bootsma

Below—Australian film producer Andy McIntyre wanted to
make a documentary film about designer Iain Oughtred,
so he decided to build one of Iain’s boats, the 11' 10" Shearwater design, as part of the film’s story. He launched GHILLIE CALLUM in January 2013 in Melbourne, Australia,
after two years of construction. The film, called Bonnie Wee
Boats: The Iain Oughtred Story, should be out by mid–2014.

Above—The Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville,
Michigan, built a 19' 6" modified Rescue Minor last spring.
Originally designed by John Atkin (www.atkinboatplans.com)
as a World War II military rescue vessel, the new design was
modified by instructor Kees Prins to look more like a runabout.
Among other things, he put tumblehome in the stern, added
flare to the bow, and gave her a center console. See www.glbbs.org
for more information.

Nicole Dixon

Kees Prins

Above—Eelke Bootsma celebrated his retirement by building
a 17' Shearwater kayak from plans by Chesapeake Light Craft
(www.clcboats.com). His brother, Gerhard, was a willing helper
over the six-month construction, which included cocktails every
evening at sunset. The hull is 4mm okoume plywood, and the
deck is alternating white and western red cedar. Eelke paddles
on Knysna Lagoon in South Africa.

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Rachael Thompson

Below—Eric and Rachael Thompson named their new triplecockpit runabout DOG DAYS OF SUMMER to honor their
love of dogs. Eric built the boat from marine plywood and
mahogany over 15 months. The Biscayne 22 (23' × 7' ) is  a
Ken Hankinson design available from www.glen-l.com. The
couple enjoy cruising with their two young sons, Ben and
Luke, on the waters of Ohio and Michigan. 

Pippi Ellison

Below—Planked with white cedar over white oak timbers
and backbone, SEA SONG is the newest boat built by Peter
Buxton of Buxton Boats in Stonington, Maine. They fastened
her with bronze, and powered her with a 405-hp Cummins.
Frank Gotwals owns SEA SONG and will be lobstering from
her in Jericho Bay. Contact Peter for plans or finished boats
at [email protected].

Sue Buxton

Above—During the summer of 2011, Peter Ellison of
Cambridge, Massachusetts, planked this 12' Ellen sailing
dinghy while a student in WoodenBoat School’s gluedlapstrake construction class taught by John Brooks. Peter
took the hull home and spent several months finishing her,
launching SCAUP on Kezar Lake, Maine, last August. For
plans, contact John at [email protected]. For
classes, visit www.thewoodenboatschool.com.

Above— Charles “Sonny” Somelofski of Margaretville, New
York, writes that he can’t wait to haul a nice trout over the
gunwales of his first build, a 14' 6" Cosine wherry. He built
the western-red-cedar hull in a nine-day workshop at the
North Carolina Maritime Museum, following directions
from J.D. Brown’s Rip, Strip, and Row, then took her home
and finished her eight months later.

Matthew p. Murphy

Barbara Fairbaim

Below— Sean Koomen’s Contemporary Composites class
at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building (www.
nwboatschool.org), launched the 24' AZULITA at the Port
Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in September 2013. This is
the first boat in the Sentinel-24 class designed by Stephens
Waring Yacht Design of Belfast, Maine (www.stephenswaring.
com). The cold-molded wood-composite hull displaces 2,850
lbs and goes like a rocket.

May/June 2014 • 99

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LAUNCHINGS

Jacqui Ireland

Below— SEA SHADOW, Canada’s first St. Ayles skiff, was
built by 12 friends from the Bay of Quinte region in
eastern Ontario and launched in early June 2013. The
glued-lap, 22' plywood design by Iain Oughtred is intended
to be an inexpensive boat for community rowing (see Small
Boats 2012 ). The team participated in the North American
Championships at The WoodenBoat Show at Mystic
Seaport last July. 

Below—Edward Rouvier of Sarteneja, Belize, owns ZAYANN,
a 40' traditional Sarteneja sloop that he built with master
boatbuilder Juan Guerrero. They started construction in
2010 and incorporated several native woods including a
cocobolo keel, frames from a bullet tree, and planking of
Santa Maria. Contact them at [email protected].

Above—John Sheperdson ordered plans for this 19' Key Largo
Barrelback from Glen-L (www.glen-l.com) in 1998. After 14
years of work, he launched CLAIRE LYNN last June on Lake
Tahoe, California. She has a cold-molded hull with mahogany
veneers on the decks and topsides. Floorboards are teak and
holly. John powers her with a PCM V8 inboard.

Edward Rouvier

John Sheperdson

Above—Ever since he read about William Garden’s Tom Cat
in WB No. 176, Tony Harland has wanted to build one of
his own. Last May, he and friend Tim Robinson launched
LOLA , a 12' 6" Tom Cat design. The hull is cold-molded
gaboon plywood over stringers of recycled hemlock. Tim,
who owns the boat, will sail LOLA on the Brisbane River, in
Australia with his triplets.

Bonnie Townsend

Lyn Harland

Below— STUBBY is a pram dinghy built by Charles Peterson
from Edwin Monk’s book How to Build Wooden Boats
(available from www.thewoodenboatstore.com). Charles
shortened the hull by 7" to 7' 11" to utilize an 8' sheet of
plywood. He also made the center thwart movable so her
trim can change depending on her load. Charles built
STUBBY to explore South Carolina’s Low Country.

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...AND RELAUNCHINGS

Peter Ziobrowski

Below—At a recent estate sale in Three Lakes, Wisconsin,
Jerry Murray found this 1948 nearly original runabout.
On a builder’s plate inside the boat, he read that the boat
was a K14L built by Sheboygan Falls Boat Company and
launched in April 1948. Jerry refastened her where needed
and replaced the rails, and he now cruises in WOODY on
Lake Elmo, Minnesota,  near his home. Contact him at 
[email protected].

Jerry Murray

Above—In 1994, Eamonn Doorly  and Crane Stookey took the
lines from the Sable Island surf boat at the Maritime Museum
of the Atlantic, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The pair, along with
Charles Brown and 10 young adults, used the lines to build
DOROTHEA , which then became Nova Scotia Sea School’s
first expedition boat. Last winter the Sea School restored
DOROTHEA , replacing a few planks, nearly half of her frames,
and the transom. Find out more at www.seaschool.org.

Rick Trautman

Right—John D. Little of Mile Creek Boat
Shop in Old Lyme, Connecticut, built
this 12' rowing skiff sometime before
1978. When Bruce Lighty bought her last
March, she was in rough shape. He took
her down to bare wood, repaired the
rails, replaced the thwarts, and refinished her entirely. Bruce and his poodle,
Sadie, row KIT II on Connecticut’s
southern coast.

Hints for taking good photos of your boat:
1. Pictures need to be at 300 dpi or larger to be printed in the
magazine. Send no more than five unretouched jpgs. We also
accept transparencies and high-quality prints.
2. Clean the boat. Stow fenders and extraneous gear below.
Properly ship or stow oars, and give the sails a good harbor
furl if you’re at anchor.
3. Schedule the photo session for early, or late, in the day to
take advantage of low-angle sunlight. Avoid shooting at high
noon and on overcast days.
Michael Osean

4. Be certain that the horizon appears level in your viewfinder.
5.  Keep the background simple and scenic. On a flat page,
objects in the middle distance can appear to become part of
your boat. Take care that it doesn’t sprout trees, flagpoles,
smokestacks, or additional masts and crew members.

Above—George and Sylvia Blake charter their 1956, 32' ×
9' Eldredge-McInnis power yacht, LA DOLCE VITA , out of
Newport, Rhode Island, and Miami, Florida. LA DOLCE VITA
spent five years out of the water before her restoration, which
included a new 300-hp GM Vortec engine, new systems, and
extensive hull work by Chester Kason and Jimmy Titus, also of
Newport. Find out more at www.ladolcevitacharters.com.

6. Take many photos, and send us no more than five. Include
some action shots and some of the boat at rest. Pictures in a
vertical format are also welcome.

We enjoy learning of your work—it affirms the vitality of the
wooden boat community. Unfortunately, a lack of space prevents our
publishing all the material submitted. If you wish to have your photos
returned, please include a SASE. 

May/June 2014 • 101

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WOODENBOAT WEAR
The

Order Clothing On-Line: www.woodenboatstore.com

WoodenBoat

STORE

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All-Cotton WoodenBoat Caps

A baker’s dozen of oh-so stylish colors to
select from. Choose Terra Cotta, Slate Blue,
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Spruce-Forest Green, and Seafoam. This is
one cap you should have two of. Leather
adjustable strap, so one size fits most folks.
$15.95 #546-000 (Please specify colors)

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your eyes shaded. $15.95
Khaki: #546-VK2
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Choose Green/Khaki with Green
logo or Blue/Khaki with Blue logo.
Khaki/Green #546-CKG
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This is our lightweight cap. Built with
a slightly longer and wider bill than
our standard cotton caps, it’s made
of spun nylon, and has an adjustable
Velcro closure on the back. $18.95
Navy: #546-CNB Khaki: #546-CNK

Sea Grass Hat

A fairly stylish twisted sea
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Navy banding, embroidered logo, it has an elasticized inner
headband so it will fit most folks. #546-SGH $24.95

Watch Cap
Fleece Hats

NEW

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To Find out What’s New, Sign-up for Our WoodenBoat Store e-Newsletter
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Long Sleeve Jerseys

Our not-so-subtle shirts. They sport the humongous logo
on the back, and a small logo on the front. Comes in Yam
with Navy logo, White on Navy, and Navy on White. Small
thru XL $23.95 (XXL is $25.95) #503-000
(Please specify size/color)

Wicked popular, this shirt has Cobalt Blue ink on the
front, with the viking proverb “bound is boatless man”
in Dark Red ink on the back. Small thru XL $18.95
(XXL is $21.95) SuperVike (XXXXL 58-60 is $26.95)
#500-VIK (Please specify size)

WoodenBoat Pocket T’s

All cotton T-shirts, with arched
WoodenBoat across the logo.
Pick from three classic colors:
Navy Blue, Red, and Dark
Green. Small thru XL $18.95
(XXL is $20.95) #502-000
(Please specify size/color)

Color options: Denim Blue, Wild
Berry, and Spruce Green. Pigment-dyed Ts,
with small WoodenBoat logo silkscreened on
the front. Small thru XL $17.95 (XXL is
$19.95) #501-000 (Please specify size/color)

WoodenBoat T-shirts

A plethora of colors for your
clothing palette, each of these
six shirts are sure to brighten
your comportment and inspire
hanging planks and varnishing
transoms. All cotton, pigmentdyed, garment washed. You get
to pick from Seafoam Green,
Navy, Yam, Salmon, Pepper, and
Purple. Small thru XL $17.95
(XXL is $19.95) #500-000
(Please specify size/color)

Call Toll-Free 1.800.273.7447

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The WoodenBoat Store, Naskeag Road, PO Box 78, Brooklin, Maine 04616
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Each digital issue of the magazine
is a full color PDF file, true to the
original. Choose from any of the 230+
back issues. $3.95 to $6.95 (Flash
drive, all back issues $160)

Epoxy Basics

Professional BoatBuilder

Subtitled “Working with Epoxy
Cleanly & Efficiently.” If you
thought you could do a better job
with your epoxy work, you’ll no
doubt find more than enough info
within these 48 pages to help out.
The focus is on gluing, filleting, as
well as glassing and coating. The
Rustips and techniques are from Rus
experisell Brown, a person with experi
ence at doing this type of thing in
a very tidy fashion. $5.99

Maritime Life & Traditions

Building Plans
from Simon Watts

It’s the trade magazine in the industry,
and we have all issues available. Select
from over 140+ magazines. $5.95
AND... you can now download
1-90, or 91 thru current, for $80.00
each
This joint venture between Le
Chasse Maree in France, and
WoodenBoat in the US resulted in
Maritime Life, which was published
for nine years. We have all 34 issues
as digipubs. $3.95 or download
all 34 issues $50.00

The WoodenBoat Index

Our up-to-date Index is oh-so
handy to use. Keyword search, or
peruse the pages just as you would
a print book. And, after you download,
you can use even if you’re not on-line.
We’ve made it so price-friendly, you
won’t mind updating every twice in
awhile. Covers 1974’s first issue through
“current.”
300+ pages $1.95

Getting Started in Boats

Popular series of 8-page inserts bound
into WoodenBoat magazine. They cover a
wide variety of topics, and are especially
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series. $1.95 each
AND, we also have 1-20 or 21-40 as
group downloads, for $35 each

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Choose from several proven
designs. You can print-out the
plans. Includes instruction books.
$30.00

Build a Boat

Kind of a pre-curser to the
successful Small Boats. It features
three boats: Martha’s Tender, a
strip canoe, and the Gloucester
Dory. $3.95

Small Boats

This special annual hits the news
newsstand in November, and sells-out
quickly. Published since 2007 by
WoodenBoat, it always features
an awesome mix of wooden
boats. We now have eight issues.
$3.95 to $6.95

MotorBoats magazine

We have published two issues,
2012, and 2013. The 2013 is
now only available in digital as
the print has sold out). That’s a
Van Dam skiff on the handsome
cover of the 2013 issue. $6.95

3/19/14 2:37 PM

REVIEW

PRODUCTS • BOOKS • VIDEOS • STUFF

Wonder: The Lives of
Anna and Harlan Hubbard
Wonder: The Lives of Anna and Harlan Hubbard, Will
Oldham  (Actor),  Morgan Atkinson  (Director), Duckworks, Inc. Running time 60 minutes.  Format:  DVD.
Available from www.morganatkinson.com and www.
amazon.com., $25. Available from The WoodenBoat Store,
www.woodenboatstore.com.

Reviewed by Randall Peffer

P

icture a spring mist rising over a broad and gleaming river flowing bet ween the green wooded slopes
of the river’s ancient valley. Listen to the sounds
of bird songs as they interplay with a violin and cello
sonata. Imagine drifting with the current as morning
breaks over the Kentucky hills and warms the Earth.
You can almost smell the river in heat when viewing
Morgan Atkinson’s documentary about the extraordinary lives of two modern river pioneers. The river folk
of Appalachia love to tell this story, and now the rest of
us can access it in living color.
In 1946, in search of a “free and joyous life,” and following their marriage in Cincinnati, the artist Harlan Hubbard and his wife, Anna, set off down the Ohio in a homebuilt shanty boat of their own design and began what they
would describe as a “continuous holiday.” The journey
down the Ohio and the Mississippi lasted five years and
gave birth to a life like Thoreau’s at Walden Pond.
But what the transcendentalist writer did for about
two years, the Hubbards did for four decades. First in
their shanty boat, and later in an elegant two-room
home of their own creation at their favorite anchorage,
the Hubbards lived on the shores of the mighty Ohio
without electricity, radio, telephone, television, or even
clocks. They passed their days gardening, scavenging
for field corn, fishing, and playing duets—Anna on
cello and Harlan on his violin or viola. And Harlan
painted—rich impressionist landscapes, now American

classics, that aimed to preserve the “world’s radiant
beauty.” They lived simply and elegantly on an income
that was often less than $500 a year.
In this lyrical film that flows like the Ohio and its seasons, writer-producer Atkinson moves seamlessly from
serene image to serene image using dissolves and doubleexposures to document the Hubbards’ life on the fringe
of industrialized America, and to give the viewer a sense
of the peace and freedom that come from living not on
the river but by “becoming one with the river.” According to writer Wendell Berry, whose biography Harlan
Hubbard: Life and Work informs much of the film’s narrative, Hubbard was a “disbeliever of the entire value
system of his time and place, a maverick, a lonely man
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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

full of love...a kind of wonder.” Hence, the film’s title.
The homey and resonant voices of Berry, reading from
his biography, and actor Will Oldham, reading from
Hubbard’s journals and his books Shantyboat and Payne
Hollow, share the narration of much of the film with a
deeply soothing soundtrack of soft guitar, violin, and cello riffs blended with the echoes of lapping water, birds,
and bees. And speaking of bees, the film takes us into the
Hubbards’ world of beekeeping aboard their shanty boat
as well as their goat herding at Payne Hollow.
Amid these anecdotes, the film splices together period
photos of the Hubbards, their shanty boat, and river
scenes. We are drawn into images from Harlan Hubbard’s
romantic paintings and sketches of steamboats, river
towns, and the primeval landscape. Contemporary video
of the Ohio Valley wilderness and flowing water tie the
still images together. At one point the camera follows a
drift log on its gentle journey downstream while the narrative underscores the metaphor of the image by saying that
the Hubbards’ quest in the shanty boat, and in life in general, was the “ joy of not getting anywhere in particular.”
In the later years of the Hubbards’ lives, they became
something akin to celebrities among artists, musicians,
scholars, and people who dreamed of escaping the
rat race of modern America. In these years the Hubbards’ homestead at Payne Hollow became a mecca for

gatherings of like-minded people. The Hubbards died
in the late 1980s, but in creating Wonder, filmmaker Atkinson gives us a chance to soak in some of the peace
and wisdom that rises from Harlan’s painting and Anna’s music; their lives made a pure and simple art form
bonded to their beloved Ohio.
Like Harlan Hubbard, Atkinson is a native of Kentucky.
In addition to Wonder, he has produced a number of
documentaries, including profiles of monk-philosopher
Thomas Merton and the social activist and author John
Howard Griffin (Black Like Me). In Atkinson’s film on
the Hubbards, a viewer can sense the filmmaker’s profound admiration and yearning for the bold and simple
lives of a couple who made drifting in a shanty boat
seem like a voyage to the stars.
Some viewers, used to getting their cinematic and
nautical thrills from the likes of Capt. Jack Sparrow and
his brethren, may well find Wonder too slow and quiet.
But other viewers seeking surcease from the madding
crowd will find this film a gateway to a place and time
that once caused Harlan Hubbard to exclaim, “What
church or shrine could be as comforting as the river was
this dark evening.”
Randall Peffer is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. His article
on the river-faring traditions of the Ohio appears on page 26.

As Long as It’s Fun: The Epic Voyages and
Extraordinary Times of Lin and Larry Pardey
As Long as It’s Fun: The Epic Voyages and Extraordinary
Times of Lin and Larry Pardey, by Herb McCormick. Paradise Cay Publications, 550 South G St., No. 1, Arcata,
CA 95521. 280 pp., $18.95.

Reviewed by Bruce Halabisky

T

he idea of sailing around the world is a romantic
dream for many people. Both sailors and nonsailors imagine escaping from the chaos and
technical complexity of modern society and sailing off
into the sunset. In this dream the voyage often takes
place on a handmade, engineless wooden boat with
one’s soulmate along as a dependable companion. But
somehow, from the dream to the reality, the boat often
becomes larger and more complex; traditional wooden
construction is deemed too much work and potentially
unsafe; one’s soulmate refuses to go to sea without an
electric-flush toilet and a watermaker; debt is incurred
to finance the larger vessel and the extra equipment.
When the dream becomes reality and finally sails off
into the sunset, it is on a bloated fiberglass motorsailer
with no sheerline to speak of and not a stick of wood or
lick of varnish to be found.
Fortunately, for nearly half-a-century there is one couple who has stuck to the original plan and not been distracted by the baubles of today’s boating industry. Lin
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Woodenboat Review

and Larry Pardey have sailed twice around the world in
simple, engineless wooden boats of their own making
and never wavered from their mantra: Go simple, go
small, go now. All the while they have written prolifically
and lucidly about the process of turning the dream into
reality. Herb McCormick’s new biography As Long as It’s
Fun: The Epic Voyages and Extraordinary Times of Lin and
Larry Pardey, deftly unravels this sprawling tale of two
of the best-known characters in the cruising community who have been a guiding light for many wanting to
make the dream a reality.
Because of their strong beliefs and often extreme positions on seamanship and sailboats, the Pardeys are a
controversial couple. I have to admit when I started reading McCormick’s telling of the Pardeys’ early years, I was
reminded of critical remarks I had heard about them as I
myself was sailing around the world in their wake. I have
heard them derisively called Lin and Larry Perfect. Some
sailors, who have crossed just as many oceans but never
written a word, roll their eyes at the couple’s aggressive
self-promotion.
In fact, in the first half of As Long as It’s Fun I found
McCormick confirming these stories in describing two
rather unappealing perfectionists. The reader is given
disconcerting glimpses into Larry’s diary from his early
20s in which he cruises bars to pick up “chicks.” We
get a sense of his blistering temper when he threatens
to kill Lin for spilling a can of bottom paint on SERAFFYN’s teak floorboards. (Instead he throws her into the
ocean!) He criticizes Lin’s sail trim and orders her to
scrub the dinghy when she carelessly gets tar on it. As
for Lin, it’s surprising she put up with the guy.
But something interesting happened as McCormick
told the tale: I started to like the Pardeys. If McCormick had simply written a Pardey tribute, it would only
have confirmed that they really do consider themselves
a cut above the rest of us. Instead, he confronts the criticism front-on, including a chapter called Lin and Larry
Parody: Caricatures, Causes, Critics. McCormick humanizes the “Perfects” by exposing their doubts and describing the less glamorous stories we seldom read of in Lin’s
writing: For a while their marriage is on the rocks; Lin
gets horribly seasick on ocean crossings, and Larry even
runs SERAFFYN aground a couple of times. Despite
Larry’s reputation as an award-winning navigator, the
book actually opens with TALEISIN lost in the Strait of
Le Maire while rounding Cape Horn.
Sometimes McCormick’s descriptions of the Pardeys’
faux pas are not only revealing but quite funny. I found
the most humorous section of the book to be during
the construction of TALEISIN when the Pardeys considered having children despite an earlier pact not to.
Larry logically surmises that just as one might borrow
a boat before buying one, he and Lin should “Borrow
some kids for a while. Live with them. See how they affect us.” They do, in fact, borrow a three-year-old and
an eleven-year-old from friends for “several weeks.”
Okay, that’s pretty odd. And pretty funny. As the father
of a three-year-old, it’s hard for me to imagine this experiment convincing anyone to have children. “Clearly,
there were solid reasons why the Pardeys were ripe for
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Woodenboat Review

parody,” writes McCormick. “Unorthodox and even a
little corny, what made them especially vulnerable and
such an easy target was the couple’s honesty and openness. Yes, Lin’s effervescent prose at times was wideeyed and even flowery. But it was also her truthful take
on their world.” So maybe they aren’t quite as perfect
as I thought.
Besides tracing the evolution of the Pardeys’ characters, As Long as It’s Fun is also a rollicking adventure
story. The building of two Lyle Hess–designed wooden boats (SERAFFYN, 24' 7" long, and TALEISIN, 29' 9"
long) and two circumnavigations east-to west and
west-to-east take the Pardeys from Bull Canyon, California, to the treacherous Knysna Heads, South Africa,
to a 49-day crossing of the North Atlantic. As McCormick points out, the Pardeys are focused achievers and
not the shirkers of hard work a life of cruising might
imply. Larry’s ability to earn a living on the go by repairing wooden boats is complemented by Lin’s ability
to sell a story to their growing fan base.
Larry’s quest for perfection in boatbuilding is admirable. The logic of TALEISIN’s custom cast-bronze
floor timbers is hard to dispute if money and time are
of secondary concern. McCormick touches briefly on
the Pardeys’ Quixotic mission to prove that epoxy glue
“was neither waterproof nor heat resistant” and unfit
for boat construction. This eventually involved testing
at the University of Wisconsin and the spending of over
$10,000 of the Pardeys’ own money. I wonder if Larry
feels as adamant today about the deficiencies of epoxy
as he did in the ’90s with so many successful glue joints
still holding boats together on the world’s oceans? My
own boat, VIXEN, a 1952 Atkin cutter, has many scarfed
epoxy planks from a 20-year-old restoration. The glue
replaced the original butt blocks and shows no sign of
weakening after thousands of miles of ocean sailing.
It is clear that McCormick is a seasoned sailor himself.
Unlike many sailing books I read, both fiction and nonfiction, there are few technical glitches in the narrative.
The distance from Rangiroa to Tahiti, I remember well
from my own voyage, is just over 150 miles and not the
500 miles he states, but who cares? As far as describing
the building of both SERAFFYN and TALEISIN, McCormick seems to have done his research well. The description of Bahamian horseflesh mahogany as “similar to
pine” made the boatbuilder in me wince as I thought of
that dark hardwood, but, again, this is a minor thing.
In the epilogue to As Long as It’s Fun, McCormick reveals that he is indeed a longtime friend and admirer of
the Pardeys. But thankfully this doesn’t stop him from
airing all the dirty laundry. As a result we get a truthful
glimpse of what makes this iconic sailing couple tick.
And for anyone dreaming of sailing off into the sunset
on a beautiful wooden boat, read this book and take
heed: Go simple, go small, go now.
Bruce Halabisky is a boatbuilder and sailor and a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. For the past five years, he has been making a
meandering circumnavigation of the globe in a 34'7" wooden Atkin
cutter with his wife and two young daughters.

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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

Lodestar Books:
New and Neglected
Nautical Writing

Sail and Oar: Drawings of Yorkshire’s North Sea Fishery
Before the Advent of Steam, by Ernest Dade. Lodestar
Books, 71 Boveney Rd., London, SE23 3NL, U.K. 224 pp.,
£12. Paperback.
Cruises of the JOAN, by W.E. Sinclair. Lodestar Books, 71
Boveney Rd., London, SE23 3NL, U.K. 245 pp., £15.
Hardcover.
Catalan Castaway: A Sail-and-Oar Story, by Ben Cranshaw.
Lodestar Books, 71 Boveney Rd., London, SE23 3NL,
U.K. 220 pp., £15. Paperback.

Reviewed by Tom Pamperin

I

discovered Lodestar Books and its founder Richard
Wynne while searching for a publisher. Although
we ultimately agreed that a London publisher
wouldn’t suit my book, I was impressed by this publishing company, and later hired Mr. Wynne as my typesetter on a freelance basis—none of which merits a review
in WoodenBoat. What does merit a review is the varied
catalog of “new and neglected nautical writing” (Wynne’s phrase) that Lodestar offers. The following three
titles provide a good introduction.
Ernest Dade’s Sail and Oar, first published in 1933, is
a fascinating collection of 100 pen-and-ink drawings of
the fishing fleets of the Yorkshire coast in the last days of
working sail. It’s a book that’s pleasant to have in hand;
the paper is nicely textured, the presentation spare
and uncluttered, the drawings neat and clean (each is
backed by a blank page). The Lodestar Books edition
reproduces the 1933 version in its entirety, including
the original preface, foreword, and the author’s detailed captions. In addition, there is a postscript about
the restoration of THREE BROTHERS, a Yorkshire sailing coble originally built in 1912. (Though a chart of
the area is also included, a larger overview map of the
Yorkshire coast would be a welcome addition for those
unfamiliar with British geography.)
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Woodenboat Review

Schedule includes all significant classic events,
regardless of series affiliations.
Most include a Friday evening reception, racing on Saturday,
and an awards dinner on Saturday or Sunday evening.
Some also include a Sunday race.

July — l.I. Sound
July 12-13: Classics at 116th Annual larchmont
Race Week
Larchmont Yacht cLub
For More Info: http://www.larchmontyc.org,
[email protected]

MId AuguSt — MASSAChuSettS
Aug. 9-10: Corinthian Classic yacht Regatta
corinthian Yacht cLub, marbLehead
For More Info: www.corinthianclassic.org
[email protected]

Aug. 17: 42nd Annual opera house Cup
nantucket, ma
For More Info: www.operahousecup.org
[email protected]

lAte AuguSt — BRIStol / neWpoRt
Aug. 22-24: the herreshoff Classic yacht
Rendezvous and Regatta

(Includes “the living Boat Show” on Friday)

herreshoff marine museum, bristoL, ri
For More Info: www.herreshoff.org
(Dockage avail: [email protected])

Aug 30–31: 35th Annual Museum of yachting
Classic yacht Regatta
newport, ri

For More Info: www.MoY.org, [email protected]

SepteMBeR / oCtoBeR — l.I. Sound
Sept. 13: Indian harbor Classic yacht Regatta
indian harbor Yacht cLub, Greenwich ct
For More Info: www.IndianHarborYC.com
Shelia Graves: [email protected]

Sept. 20-21: greenport Classic yacht Regatta &
Maritime Festival
Greenport, nY
For More Info: www.SailGreenport.org
Jeff Goubeaud: [email protected]

Sept. 27: heritage Cup Regatta and Rendezvous
hempstead harbor cLub, hempstead harbor, nY
For More Info: www.Heritagecup.org
Michael Emmert: [email protected]

oct. 5: American yacht Club Classic Regatta
american Yacht cLub, rYe nY
Samuel Croll: [email protected]

oct. 11–13 new york Classic Week
manhattan Yacht cLub, manhattan, nY
For more info: www.nyharborsailing.com
Michael Fortenbaugh: [email protected]
Sponsored by WoodenBoat

Flipping through Sail and Oar is like turning back the
pages of history. There are gaff-rigged smacks and trawlers, oar-powered lifeboats, and lug-rigged cobles—an authoritative portrait of life under sail in the late 19th century, in vivid sketches that are “true in every way,” according to the Yorkshire fisherman who wrote the foreword.
Indeed, every page of Sail and Oar suggests an artist with firsthand knowledge of his subject. Dade (who
studied art with yacht designer and artist Albert Strange
in the 1880s) spent his childhood on the north Yorkshire coast, and later used local fishermen and villagers
as models. Inspired by French Impressionist painters,
he worked from direct observation en plein air. Dade
even puts himself into one scene, seated near the transom of a gaff yawl while the crew hauls nets aboard (The
Artist at Work).
It’s tempting to romanticize the past, to look for
golden ages that never existed—but the sharp reality of
Dade’s drawings outweighs any tinges of nostalgia. From
“the very curious stroke, in his big high-sided boats”
(The Smacksman’s Stroke) to “the old horses” who “got
very clever” at pulling boats ashore (At Filey the Cobles Are
Pulled Up on Wheels By Horses), Sail and Oar is filled with
surprising details that will reward repeated readings.

W

. E. Sinclair’s The Cruises of the JOAN, first published in 1934, is one of the best sailing books
I’ve come across in a long time. Again, the
Lodestar Books edition contains the complete original
version, including the original photographs and handdrawn maps. As with all sailing narratives, there’s the
requisite series of ambitious voyages: a circumnavigation of Great Britain, a trip to Madeira and back, a Baltic
cruise, a passage to Iceland and Greenland (surprisingly
ambitious for 1927), all in a 22' yacht. But it’s the author’s
personality and self-deprecating wit—both quintessentially British—that makes reading this book so fun. The
Voyages of the JOAN is a portrait of the author and his attitudes toward the world far more than it is a record of
what happened and where. At the same time, here is a
series of sailing adventures that deserve to be much better known—there are probably few modern readers who
recognize the name W.E. Sinclair or know of his voyages.
In our present age of satellite navigation and EPIRBs,

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Woodenboat Review

of course, some might find the author’s approach to
long passages disturbingly glib. Sinclair sails to Belfast
without a chart (“We know Ireland’s out there southwest somewhere”), and describes position lines that
“fixed us in all sorts of places” while trying to navigate
with a cheap watch and sextant he doesn’t know how to
use. Celestial navigation, for Sinclair, is a mash-up of “curious operations that changed angles to huge numbers,
which in their turn were added and subtracted, turned
this way and that, and called by half a dozen names;
and ending with a result that wasn’t an angle at all.” But
then, writers often exaggerate for effect—something
Sinclair does brilliantly, I would argue, though perhaps
not always obviously.
The ending, maybe, is a little too abrupt to provide the
necessary denouement—and yet it fits the circumstances
perfectly, matching form to content. (To say more would
be to say too much.) Possibly more troubling to readers are a few brief passages of racist language and attitude that reflect the ugliness of the colonial age, an
era of innocence and ignorance we have not yet entirely
escaped. But I think the decision to leave the original
text unaltered was correct—we do not move forward by
ignoring or concealing the errors of the past, but by
observing and learning from them.

B

en Cranshaw’s Catalan Castaway is a compilation
of postings from his blog The Invisible Workshop,
which features designer Gavin Atkin’s Light
Trow, a 15' stitch-and-glue dinghy Cranshaw built for
himself on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. The book
is printed in landscape orientation (large postcard size)
and filled with evocative color photographs and handdrawn maps. There is a foreword by Gavin Atkin, as well
as an updated version of Atkin’s Watercraft magazine
article on the Light Trow design.
Cranshaw is at his best in “Voyage to Ibiza,” an account
of a passage from the Spanish coast to the island of Ibiza,
across 55 nautical miles of open sea. I especially appreciate that he acknowledges the inherent selfishness of selfimposed risk, something most adventurers seem unable
or unwilling to address. “I can’t quite help feeling that
I might just have done something really stupid,” Cranshaw writes, “and somehow I seem to have got away with
it, miraculously unscathed.” But risk is unavoidable, after all, as the ending of the book makes all too clear—an
ending as powerful as it is surprising.
If Catalan Castaway has a weakness, it’s that the short
attention span and inherent low selectivity of a blog do
not translate perfectly to the more permanent medium
of the printed page, which expects and rewards more
cohesive structures. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed
reading the book—twice so far. Cranshaw is an engaging writer who can capture a theme or a mood with a
carefully chosen image or phrase, and readers will find
exactly what the author intended: “a simple, enjoyable
sea story of the sort that at one time might have inspired
me to seek out a design, build a boat and go to sea.”

Tom Pamperin is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat.

HOW TO
REACH US
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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

Marine Education
and Training Center

BOOKS RECEIVED
Johan Anker, Master of Yacht Design: The Man, the Designer, and the Sailor, by Elin Kragset Vold and Ole Engen.
Published by Randviken AS, PB 2010, 3202 Sandefjord,
Norway; www.ankeryachts.no. 360 pp., hardcover, €73.
ISBN: 978–82–303–2502–5. Beautifully illustrated and produced volume on Norway’s premier designer.

Where Craftmanship
meets the 21st Century
The Honolulu CC Marine Education and Training
Center ranks as one of the premiere training
facilities in the United States and is a Marine
League School through the American
Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)

A Dream of Tall Ships: How New Yorkers Came Together
to Save the City’s Sailing-Ship Waterfront, by Peter and
Norma Stanford. Published by Sea History Press, National Maritime Historical Society, 5 John Walsh Blvd.
P.O. Box 68, Peekskill, NY 10566. 566 pp., hardcover,
$34.95. ISBN: 978–0–930248–17–8. The authors formed
the Friends of South Street in 1966, which brought the South
Street Seaport Museum into being a year later. This is the story
of how that happened.

Associate in Applied Science
Degree Program:
• Marine Manufacturing and Tooling
• Electrical, Plumbing, Rigging and
Propulsion Systems
• Composite Repair
• Marina Operations
• Yacht Journey
• Lofting

10 Sand Island Parkway
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96819
Phone: 808-832-3682
TM

www.honolulu.hawaii.edu

High Performance
Marine Wood Coatings

855-423-8009 – www.bristolfinish.com – [email protected]

Ed Cutts: Designer, Boatbuilder, and “Cutts Method” Inventor, by Wayne Brown. Published by Leeward Publications, P.O. Box 693, Fairfield, CT 06824. 284 pp., paperback, $19.95. ISBN: 978–0–9892766–0–3. An extensively
researched and thorough biography of Ed Cutts, who with John
Case ran Cutts & Case Shipyard, in Oxford, Maryland, for
decades.
NORTH STAR OF HERSCHEL ISLAND, by R. Bruce Mac-

donald. Published by Friesen Press, Suite 300, 852 Fort
St., Victoria, BC, V8W 1H8 Canada; www.friesenpress.
com. 496 pp., hardcover, $39.99. ISBN: 978–1–46020–
558–7. Built in 1935 and now a privately owned vessel on
Vancouver’s waterfront, NORTH STAR OF HERSCHEL ISLAND is the last Canadian Arctic fur-trading vessel.

Coffins of the Brave: Lake Shipwrecks of the War of 1812,
edited by Kevin J. Crisman. Part of the Ed Rachal
Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series. Published by
Texas A&M University Press, John H. Lindsley Building, Lewis St., 4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843–
4354, www.tamupress.com. 420 pp., hardcover, $60.00.
ISBN: 978–1–62349–032–4. The history and archaeological
exploration of 16 ships that played a role in the War of 1812 on
the Great Lakes or Lake Champlain; lines plans, archaeological sketches, and historic and underwater photography augment the essays.
Gentlemen of the Harbor: Stories of Chesapeake Bay Tugboats and Crews, by Capt. Bill Eggert. Published by Gentlemen of the Harbor, 615 Lavender Court, West River,
MD 20778; www.gentlemenoftheharbor.com. 64 pp.,
paperback, $24.95. ISBN: 978–0–615–77632–3. A pictorial history of Chesapeake tugboats by a man who worked those
waters most of his life.
Capt’n Pauley’s Workshop: 60+ Tips for Better Boating, by
Paul W. Esterle. Published by Capt’n Pauley Productions, 4142 Ogletown-Stanton Rd., No. 243, Newark,
DE 19713, www.captnpauley.com. 92 pp., paperback/
e-book, $12.99/4.99. ISBN: 978–1–304–70469–6. A collection of projects for the home builder from the “Workshop”
column of Small Craft Advisor magazine.

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VINTAGE BOATS
and SERVICES

The Legacy
from 1908 continues....
We still build boats with the same designs from the golden era of wooden boats.

Both of these gorgeous boats are for sale.

2014 26' Miss APBA Racer
In 1923 John L. Hacker published the design
for this Racer in Motor Boating magazine, to
encourage the sport of boat racing.

Call us at 866-540-5546

2013 30' Heritage Series Triple Cockpit Runabout
The beauty and grace of this remarkable runabout epitomizes the HackerCraft legacy. The advent of the forward cockpit proved to be a revolutionary
design which set the standard for runabouts that followed.
Silver Bay, NY ~ www.hackerboat.com
May/June 2014 • 113

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Reproductions of the finest
watercraft ever produced.

Traditional construction with modern materials.
Exact detailing in all aspects, steering wheels,
controls, instrumentation, etc. Small family shop
ensures superb quality control. No fluff, no dreams,
just beautiful, faithfully reproduced boats at an
attractive price. Many models from 20 to 30 feet.

ish ros

F
B
MaRiNE SERvicE

6 Newcomb Street, Queensbury, NY 12804
518–798–4769 • [email protected]
www.fishcustomboats.com

Check out a variety of

Now
taking
orders
for
delivery
in 2014

Vintage Boats

at the
rd

The 23 Annual

Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT • June 27-29, 2014 • 9am–5pm daily
Tickets & Info: www.TheWoodenBoatShow.com

Available: Tempo VI / My Sin - 24ʹ Ventnor

Available : Miss Detroit III - 21ʹ Step bottom Replica,
original V-12 Curtiss

Available: Tempo Commuter - 1936 44ʹ Huskins, once owned by Guy Lombardo

Available: 1996 GarWood 33ʹ Replica

Available: Chris-Craſt 26ʹ Special Racer

S

Available: 1930 Hacker-Craſt 30ʹ Triple Cockpit

Available: 1929 Chris-Craft Upswept

Available: 1932 GarWood 25ʹ Triple

ince 1971, we have offered complete restorations of vintage runabouts and new boat construction. We have been selected
by top boat collectors around the world to restore and maintain some of the most sought-aſter boats in existence. For
those interested in buying or selling rare and collectible runabouts and race boats, we now offer a brokerage service.

989-686-7353

Check our website for a complete list of vintage boats and engines

www.morinboats.com

[email protected]

114 • WoodenBoat 238

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Photo: Kai Greiser - yachtbild.de

BOATBROKERS

MISTR AL FOR SALE

see: www.mistral-yacht.com

W-Class
W
-Class

TM

W.37
W.37
W
.37
“Race Horse”
“Race
Horse”
For sale by
Donald Tofias
Yacht Developer
617-901-5242

w-class.com
Photo by Cory Silken

May/June 2014 • 115

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BOATBROKERS

IN MEMORY OF
J. BURR (Joe) BARTRAM, JR.
Founder 1932-2013

“THE TRADITION LIVES ON”

75’ 1965 Trumpy
AMERICA – FL

84’ 1964 Trumpy
SEA HAMMOCK – NC

86’ 1935 Mathis Yacht Builders
ENTICER – VA

71’ 1939 Trumpy
ELEANOR – VA

63’ 1970 Trumpy
ABSOLUTE – WA

61’ 1947 Trumpy
AURORA II – FL

59’ 6” 1957 Trumpy
CHESAPEAKE – FL

58’ 1947 Consolidated
EMPRESS – VA

58’ 1970 Trumpy
LIESELOTTE – VA

50’ 1965 Trumpy
MINNOW – VA

56’ 1956 Trumpy
STARGAZER III – FL

40’ 1951 Huckins Classic Fairform
BEIGHLEYWICK – CT

40’ 1941 Chris Craft
ARGOSY – NJ

46’ 1961 Whiticar Sportfisherman
CORISANDE – ME

57’ 1960 Trumpy
ATLAS – FL

Contact David C. Lacz: Office: 954-779-7377 Cell: 401-641-2951 email: [email protected]

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL • NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND • www.bartbrak.com
WB238Brokers.indd 116

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BOATBROKERS
May/June 2014 • 117

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BOATBROKERS

S PA RN AVA
KM
AN & STEPHENS
L A R C H I T EC T S - Y A C H T B R O K E R S

© Cory Silken

1926 GEORGE LAWLEY R CLASS RACING YACHT

1967 SPARKMAN & STEPHENS - McGRUER CUSTOM

“RUWEIDA V” was designed by the legendary Starling Burgess and
originally built for Commodore Beggs of Corinthian Yacht Club. Impeccably restored by the International Yacht Restoration School
and launched in 2011. Her hull is double planked, mahogany on
cedar with white oak frames. Under current ownership she has
been successful on the classic racing circuit in the Northeast, winning both the NYYC Annual Regatta and the Panerai Museum of
Yachting Classic Regatta in 2013. She’s ready for a new custodian.

“TINTOO VI” is an excellent example of a Sparkman & Stephens
design. Built by the McGruer yard in Scotland, she has had only
two, equally loving, owners. Sailed seasonally out of Genoa, she
is a must see for the wooden boat collector. She has a forward
master with seperate head, guest cabin amidships and can accommodate four in the main salon. Modern systems allow comfortable cruising. Continually maintained at a high level, she
looks as new. Price recently reduced, she is seriously for sale.

PAUL BUTTROSE (954) 294-6962

S PA R K M A N

&

S T E P H E N S ,

REX HERBERT (917) 913-1886

L L C

170 MASON STREET, GREENWICH, CT 06830 (203) 687-4700
555 THAMES STREET, NEWPORT, RI 02840 (401) 847-5449

w w w . s p a r k m a n s t e p h e n s . c o m

Hull 141

1992 24' Triple Cockpit Runabout

Buy a used Hacker-Craft with confidence,
Hull 32

direct from the factory!

Hull 405
1989 30' Triple Cockpit Runabout

Hull 550
2013 30' Sport Custom

Hull 410
2003 26' Triple Cockpit Runabout

2002 27' Runabout

Ready for purchase at our showrooms!

Contact us today for prices and our full current inventory.

313 N. Bryan Road * Dania Beach, FL 33004 * 954-927-0903

www.hackerboat.com

8 Delaware Avenue * Silver Bay, NY 12874 * 866-540-5546

118 • WoodenBoat 238

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BOATBROKERS

For Sale

60’9” Huckins Yacht
Moveable Feast
LOA: 60' 9" (18.3M)
Beam: 15' 6" (4.7M)
Draft: Max 5' 5" (1.7M)
Speed: 20 knots / 30+ knots

Year: Mfg. 1961; Model - 1961
Mfg.: Huckins Yacht Corporation
Type: Motor yacht / yachtfish
Sale Price: On Request

Moveable Feast (Echo) is the largest Linwood built,
the only one built on the 64′ hull and the only one fitted
with V-12 engines at the factory. Restored without
regard to cost with all new systems, frame out rebuilds
on engines and V drives.

www.huckinsmoveablefeast.com

Robert Mooney – [email protected] – (800) 799-2276

PAGE TRADITIONAL BOATS
CUSHING, MAINE

www.PageTraditionalBoats.com
Call Bill Page 207-749-0208
[email protected]

DELIVERANCE: a Nearly New 43' Fantail Stern Long Range
Cruising Vessel, completed to high quality standards in 2011
by D.N. Hylan & Associates. She has proven to be a very
comfortable cruising boat for a couple with occasional guests,
and has a range of 1100 to 1200 miles. Her power is a fully
rebuilt Gardner slow turning diesel which makes her especially
quiet and smooth running. Draft is 3' 8" thus ideal for cruising
shoal water areas. DELIVERANCE is very well fitted out and is
being offered for sale at far below replacement cost.
Location: Maine
Offering Price: $470,000
Please call Bill Page for more details, and view our website for
the vessel’s complete description with full photographs.

www.PageTraditionalBoats.com

W-Class W.76
TM

Photo by Cory Silken

W.76 “Wild Horses” at the 2013
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.
New construction available.
Donald Tofias, Yacht Developer
617-901-5242

w-class.com

May/June 2014 • 119

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BOATBROKERS

1959 40̕ Kettenburg sloop for sale
‘The Lady J’

Recently restored with a custom, remodeled interior.
Visit our Facebook page for additional information
and photographs; www.facebook.com/kettenburg40ladyj
Asking $95,000
BrooklinBoatyard238.ad.pdf

1

3/10/14

1:37 PM

Please contact Don Forbes at 206–388–8787 or email [email protected]

C U S TO M BU I L D I N G

RACE HORSE
2010, BBY Built W-Class, 37'
Asking: $599,000 Newport, RI

DESIGN

HALCYON
1999, BBY Built Sloop, 39'

Asking: $500,000 Barrington, RI

SAY WHEN
EMILY MARSHALL
1996, BBY Built Buzzards Bay 25, 33' 1946, Restored Crocker Yawl, 36'
Asking: $159,000 Mystic, CT

Asking: $75,000 Brooklin, ME

2010, 45' S&S New York 32: $485,000
1968, 37' Bill Tripp One-Tonner: $83,000

SERVICE

207-359-2236
[email protected]

R E S TO R AT I O N

B RO K E R AG E

ZINGARA
2001, BBY Built Yawl, 45'

VA PENSIERO
2004, BBY Built Sloop, 49'

ALLIANCE
2007, G&B Lobster Yacht

WAVE
2009, G&B Holmes Hole Sloop, 29'

Asking: $329,000 Mystic, CT

Asking: Inquire Southwest Harbor, ME

2006, 16' Haven 121/2 w/trailer: $32,000
1948, 18' Aage Nielsen Design Sloop: $12,000
1967, 36' S&S Molich Sloop: $115,000

Asking: $165,000 Northeast Harbor, ME

1971, 36' Crocker Ketch: $88,000
1990, 12' Goeller Tender w/trailer: $7,500

NEW CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN & RESTORATION
207-359-2236
[email protected]

Asking: $695,000 Southwest Harbor, ME

BROKERAGE

207-359-2193
[email protected]

P.O. Box 143, Center Harbor • Brooklin, ME 04616 USA • www.brooklinboatyard.com
120 • WoodenBoat 238

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BOATBROKERS

BUY A BOAT
NEW on
WoodenBoat.com

at the

The 23rdAnnual

Launchings Online
www.woodenboat.com/boat-launchings
Become a WoodenBoat.com community member today, for free.

$75,000 or near offer
616-299-3868, Holland, MI • [email protected]

1934 28Ft Hutchinson Triple Cockpit

Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
June 27-29, 2014 • 9am–5pm daily
www.TheWoodenBoatShow.com

CUTTS & CASE
SHIPYARDSINCE

1927

A FULL SERVICE BOATYARD SINCE 1927

P.O. BOX 9, TOWN CREEK, OXFORD, MD 21654
www.cuttsandcase.com 410-226-5416 [email protected]

Brand new Chrysler power • Beautifully restored

Designed by John Hacker

VIXEN

Boat Schools
List Your Programs With Our Online Service
WoodenBoat has launched a free
listing program for boat schools.
Simply go to www.woodenboat.com/boatschools and
follow the instructions in the FAQ.

FOX

Ralph Wiley built,
strip-planked, cutter-rigged,
Tancook Whalers FOX and
VIXEN are available for sale.

INQUIRE
Cutts and Case Shipyard

Readers are welcome to join the site at any time to
search for programs of interest to them.
WoodenBoat Publications
41 WoodenBoat Lane, Brooklin, Maine 04616
207-359-4651 www.woodenboat.com

DESIGNERS & BUILDERS OF FINE WOODEN YACHTS
May/June 2014 • 121

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BOATBUILDERS
TRADITIONAL MAINE BIRCHBARK CANOES

MP&G

LLC

STEVE CAYARD

WOOD BOATBUILDING
YACHT RESTORATION
AMORITA

RECENTLY COMPLETED
Cabin, rig and rudder work on
N.Y. 32 SALTY

NY-30

www.stevecayard.com

[email protected] 207–683–2841
Wellington, Maine

ATLANTIC YACHT BASIN
A PROUD TRADITION OF QUALITY,
CRAFTSMANSHIP & EXCELLENCE
Family owned since 1936

Atlantic Yacht Basin loves classic yachts and wooden boats
just like you do! From routine maintenance and seasonal
repairs to more complex special projects such as refits
and restorations, AYB’s expert crew will handle your boat
with the skill and attention to detail upon which our
reputation is built. Our customers come back to us boat
after boat, year after year.

SallyAnne Santos

CURRENT PROJECTS
Restoration of
Buzzard’s Bay 25 MINK #733
Restoration of
Buzzard’s Bay 15 MARIBEE #731
Structural work on
Watch Hill 15 VIKING #885

929 FLANDERS ROAD, MYSTIC CT 06355
TEL

860–572–7710

www.mpgboats.com

AYB OFFERS
• Comprehensive marine
services
• Dedicated craftsmen with
decades of experience
• All trades represented
in house
• Up to 110’ capacity railway
plus travel lifts
• Year-round covered storage
• Protected, non-tidal basin
• Convenient location on ICW
• Dockmasters & fuel
available 24/7
• Fully-stocked marine store
• Guaranteed hurricane
storage program
To get a free quote or find out
more, please contact us at

757-482-2141 • 800-992-2489
www.atlanticyachtbasin.com

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BOATBUILDERS
May/June 2014 • 123

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New 28' Whaleboat and 14' Catboat

Beetle Cat® Boat Shop
Traditional wooden boat building and restoration
from skiffs to 50' power and sailboats.

Sole Builder of the Beetle Cat Boat

32' Noank Schooner Restoration

WE OFFER

BOATBUILDERS

New Boats • Used Boats
• Storage • Parts
• Repairs • Maintenance

BEETLE, INC.
Beetle Cat — Celebrating 93 Years

3 Thatcher Lane
Wareham, MA 02571
Tel 508.295.8585
Fax 508.295.8949
www.beetlecat.com

Seal Cove Boatyard, Inc.
BOX 99 / HARBORSIDE, MAINE 04642
TEL: 207-326-4422 / FAX 207-326-4411

You Will Find Us
Personable, Knowledgeable
and Skilled in a Broad
Range of Services

Same
Folks...It’s the
That’s Right,
Railway
She’s Off the

Boat.

DESPERATE LARK - Herreshoff, 1903.
In Our Care for Over 40 Years
E-mail: [email protected] • www.sealcoveboatyard.com
124 • WoodenBoat 238

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H I S T O R I C

C R A F T S M A N S H I P

www.adirondack-guide-boat.com
“One pull on the long graceful oars and it all came
back. It was like dancing again with a long lost love”

•

Willem Lange, Guideboat Memories

Cedar Guideboats • Cedar Guideboat Kits
Kevlar Guideboats • Vermont Fishing Dories
Vermont Packboats

Free DVD
on request

RESTORING AND CONSTRUCTING
HISTORIC AND CLASSIC WOODEN BOATS

www.tumblehomeboats.com
518.623.5050

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/guideboat1

6,000 Sq Ft Boatshop • Route 28, Southern Adirondacks

Downeast PeaPoDs

BOATBUILDERS

6821 RT 7, N Ferrisburgh, VT 05473
802-425-3926 • [email protected]

The tradition rows on...

Own a Jimmy Steele Downeast Peapod.
QUALITY, BEAUTY,
PERFORMANCE

SAWYERSUP.COM

Donald Tofias, Yacht Developer
207-570-8585 • 401-619-1190

downeastpeapods.com
May/June 2014 • 125

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Traditional Boat, LLC
Give your wooden boat the care she deserves

BOATBUILDERS

Our specialty is wooden boat
construction, restoration
and repair.
We are a full service
wooden boat yard.
Our reasonable rates
($38/hr) make it all
possible.

Recent Project:
Restoration of 56' Nimphius
Schooner Sadie G Thomas

www.mainetraditionalboat.com

ABYC Certified Marine Systems (207) 322-0157 Unity, Maine

NEW on
WoodenBoat.com

Bonus Content
www.woodenboat.com/bonus-content
Become a WoodenBoat.com community member today, for free.

FREE E-Newsletter!
1. Go to www.woodenboat.com
2. Fill in and Click

Stay in touch
with ALL we do!

Restoration
and Preservation of
Antique and Classic
Wooden Boats
207.882.5038
edgecombboatworks.net

126 • WoodenBoat 238

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Laughing Loon

“ YAC H T I N G A S I T WA S I N T EN D ED T O B E ”

Custom Canoes & Kayaks

Boats • Paddles • Plans • Kits •Classes
Building Instruction Books & Videos

Disko Bay
Greenland style

MATHIS

Dark Star
Baidarka style

LaughingLoon.com

MCMILLEN

&

MATHIS YACHT BUILDING COMPANY, LLC
YACHT BUILDING
YACHTS, INC.
COMPANY, LLC
FRACTIONAL YACHT OWNERSHIP

CLASSIC WOODEN NEW BUILDS
CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITE HULLS
www.mathisyachts.com

RESTORATIONS & MANAGEMENT
www.woodenyachts.com

Photos: Alison Langley

pulsiferhampton.com

BOATBUILDERS

Maine’s Premier Wooden Boat

[email protected]
Tel: 401.846.5557
P.O. Box 99 Newport, Rhode Island 02840

On Portage Bay since 1927

Jensen
Motorboat Corp.

1417 NE Boat St.
Seattle, WA 98105

W-Class W
W.. 100
TM

Phone: 206-632-7888

e-mail: [email protected]

→
→
→
→
→
→
→
→

Hull & cabin repair, refit & restoration
electrical & systems repair & installation
Interior joinery & custom cabinetry
Mast & rigging installation & repair
Complete painting & varnish work
structural & finish woodworking
Fiberglass & gel coat repair
Welding & metal fabrication

LOA: 100'-1"
LWL: 80'-0"
Beam: 22'-6"

Draft: 13'-0"
Displ: 169,950 lbs
Ballast: 55,000 lbs

Available for new construction by
Donald Tofias, Yacht Developer
617-901-5242

w-class.com

May/June 2014 • 127

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P

E N D L E T O

YACHT•YARD

N

R e b u i l d e r s o f C l a s s i c Ya c h t s

BOATBUILDERS

525 Pendleton Point Rd. • Islesboro, ME 04848
(207) 734-6728 • www.pendletonyachtyard.com
www.quicksilvermaine.com

Atkin Seabright Skiff
New Construction

Celebrating 65 Years

www.woodenboatstore.com

Thirty-five pages of plans
included Celebrating
in this book
!
65 Years

Celebrating 65 Years

Offering a full range of services since 1946.
Storage available for this winter.
Register your Crocker Design at

www.CrockersBoatYard.com
Manchester, Massachusetts

•

888-332-6004

Storage available for the upcoming winter

Gifford Jackson’s 12’6” rugged daysailer has a
plethora of exceptionally detailed and interesting
drawings, including a two-part trailer for easy
launching. Measured metrically, she’s a v-bottomed
dagger-boarder, glued-lapstrake plywood hull,
with sawn frames.

WoodenBoat

BOOKS

Naskeag Rd, PO Box 78
Brooklin, Maine 04616

88 pages, hardcover
#325-135 $19.95
add $5.00 shipping in the US.

Call 1.800.273.7447

128 • WoodenBoat 238

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Please Visit Our Website to
Register Your Crocker

3/20/14 11:46 AM

KITS & PLANS

1.
4.

2.

3.
5.

6.

Build one of our 90 award-winning boat kits, like PocketShip. More than 22,000 CLC boat kits sold since 1991!
WWW.clcboats.com or 410-267-0137 for a free catalog and much more!
May/June 2014 • 129

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FiberglassSupply.com

Materials:
Kits and Plans:
• Vacuum Bagging Supplies
• 11’ Hollow Wooden Stand Up
• Epoxies
Paddleboard, Kit Only

System Three®
• 18’ Hollow Wooden Unlimited

WEST System®
Paddleboard, Kit or Plans

MAS® Epoxies
• Surfboard Frame Kits for Strip
• Reinforcements
Plank Surfboard Building

Fiberglass Cloths
• And More!!!

Carbon Fiber
Check us out at:

Aramids
www.fiberglasssupply.com
• See our Full Catalog Online
Burlington, Washington - www.fiberglasssupply.com - Toll Free 877.493.5333 - Fax 360.757.8284

Blue Hill, Maine

Kits for Francois Vivier
Iain Oughtred Paul Fisher
Walter Simmons
Timeless Surf SUP frames

www.cnc-marine-hewesco.com
[email protected]
207-460-1178

Vivier Jewell

built by French & Webb

KITS & PLANS

T37s Racing at Seattle Yacht Club
over 1800 T37s sailing today

www.modelsailboat.com

Tippecanoe Boats
the finest wooden model sailboats
130 • WoodenBoat 238

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S

am Devlin’s “Stitch-and-Glue” boat designs bring
together the beauty of wood and the durability of
composites. An already easy construction method is
made easier with the help of Devlin’s Wooden Boat
Building book and Wooden Boat Building video.

KITS & PLANS

“Dunlin 22”

We offer a full line of plans: dinghies, daysailers,
pocket cruisers, motorsailers, powerboats 8-45 ft.

www.DevlinBoat.com
Devlin Designing Boatbuilders
3010 37th Ave., SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
Phone: (360) 866-0164

May/June 2014 • 131

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RAFTINGS
Welcome to

ISLAND FALLS CANOE
“Real Canoes, Built Right”
Experience the grace and beauty of a
custom-built wood and canvas canoe.

www.islandfallscanoe.com

Catboats
by Jay Benford

Six cruising catboat
17 to 22', with
designs, 17'
detailed drawings in the
book and many photos.
Order at tillerbooks.com or
call 410–745–3235. Also check out
www.benford.us for more info on these designs,
and scores of other designs.
128 page 8½" x 11" book. $19.95 plus shipping/handling.

SANDUSKY PAINT CO.
Est. 1927

Sanpaco Marine
Products
1401 Sycamore Line
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Paints, Coatings, & Supply
419 - 626 - 2461

www.sanpaco.com
Makers of marine restoration products

132 • WoodenBoat 238

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8 historic windjammers sailing from Camden and
Rockland on 3- to 6-day cruises. Prices start at $400.
1-800-807-WIND www.sailmainecoast.com

Drop anchor...
Join the group!
YOUR AD HERE

$300/issue

(with one-year (6×) contract)

$350/issue
(individually)

Email [email protected],
or call 207–359–7714

DON’T MISS
THE BOAT
Complement your print ad
with a listing in our Online
MarketPlace Classifieds!
Easy, Affordable, Effective!  
Contact Tina for details: 
[email protected]

www.woodenboat.com

May/June 2014 • 133

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CLASSIFIED

To place a Classified Ad: visit our website www.woodenboat.com; email [email protected];
or call our Classified Ad Manager at (207) 359–7714.

Deadline for the July/August issue: May 5, 2014
MI A MI, FORT L AUDER DA L E ,
Florida Keys—30+ years experience
building, repairing, and restoring
boats. Traditional and composite
construction. Nice people, quality
workmanship, and reasonable rates.
References. Call 305 – 634 – 4263,
305–498–1049. rmiller35@bellsouth
.net, www.millermarinesystems.com.
NAVTECH MARINE SURVEYORS’
Course—Surveying recreational/
commercial vessels. U.S. Surveyors
Association, Master Marine Surveyor
program. FL, 800–245–4425.

HADDEN BOAT CO.—WOODEN
boat construction and repair to any
size; sail and power. 11 Tibbetts Lane,
Georgetown, ME 04548, 207–371–
2662, www.haddenboat.com.

EST.

1970

CO
RPORATIO N
S.N. SMITH & SON, BOATWRIGHT/
timber framer. Annual maintenance, Custom Cold-Molded Boats and Yachts to 40'
restoration, and building to 45'. Our
43 years of experience DMCBOATS.COM
goal is to make wooden boat ownership predictable and enjoyable. P.O. JOHN M. KARBOTT BOATBUILDING.
Box 724, Eastham, MA 02642, 978– Custom wooden boat building and
290–3957, www.snsmithandson.com. repair. Lobsterboat styles a speciality.
WoodenBoat School instructor. Member Massachusetts Marine Trades
Association. 789 Rocky Hill Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360. Phone/fax 508–
224 –3709, w w w.by-the-sea.com/
karbottboatbuilding.

.

FARLEY BOAT WORKS IS LOOKING
for a full-time boat builder/manager
to run our boat-shop and boat building school. Contact Rick Pratt, TX,
361–549–6328, rickpratt45@gmail
.com.

MCLAUGHL
AN
IN
MI

.
JR

DA

L OW E L L B OA T S — C o m p l e t e
wooden boat restoration services and
marine surveying. GARY LOWELL,
Greensboro, NC, 336 –274 – 0892.
www.lowell.to/boats.

.

SAIL MAINE ABOARD MAINE’S
oldest windjammer, “Lewis R. French.”
Enjoy great sailing, lobsters, new
friends, and fresh air (no smoking).
Sailing from Camden, three-, four-,
and six-day cruises with only 22 guests,
May–October. Capt. Garth Wells, P.O.
Box 992 W, Camden, ME 04843. 800–
469–4635. www.schoonerfrench.com.

REBUILT CHRIS-CRAFT 6-cylinder
engines: K, KL, KBL, KFL, KLC, M,
ML, MBL, MCL. Assorted V8s. Mitch
LaPointe’s, www.classicboat.com.
952–471–3300.

HERCULES ENGINE PARTS
Model M, ML, MBL, K, KL

VINTAGE CRAFT BOATS, BUILT
by Classic Restoration and Supply—
All our runabouts are cold-molded,
using white oak for the framework,
and 1⁄2" African mahogany for the
planking, giving our boats low maintenance for years to come. Our models include the 19' Custom (pictured),
the 23' Custom, and the 25' Sportsman.
All use chrome-plated bronze hardware, and period-correct gauges and
interiors. Show-quality restorations
are also available, from runabouts
to cruisers, complete or partial. 215–
805–4933 or at www.vintagewater
craft.com.

HERCANO PROPULSION, LLC
Business Hours: M-F 8:30-4:30 EST
Phone: 740-745-1475
Fax: 740-745-2475

VOLVO PENTA MD2. 13.5-HP DIESEL
—Freshwater cooled with aftermarket heat exchanger. Includes a parts
engine. $950. matt@woodenboat
.com; 207–359–4651 (ask for Matt).
THE DORY SHOP—Custom-built
small boats and Lunenburg dories
since 1917. Oars and paddles too.
Call 902– 640 –3005 or visit w w w.
doryshop.com.
REPAIR, RESTORATION, STORAGE,
and Surveys. Low overhead and low
rates, 35 years experience. MICHAEL
WARR BOATWORKS, Stonington,
ME, 207–367–2360.

RATTY’S CELEBRATED QUOTATION
with original illustrations featured
on our shirts and bags. 301–589–9391,
www.MessingAbout.com.
E L EG A N T S C A L E MODE L S —
Individually handcrafted, custom,
scale model boats, starting at $3,000.
JEAN PRECKEL, www.preckelboats
.com, 304–432–7202.

134 • WoodenBoat 238

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CLASSIFIEDS
CATALOG OF 40 SIMPLE PLYWOOD
boats, $4. JIM MICHALAK, 118 E.
Randle, Lebanon, IL 62254. www.
jimsboats.com.

Jordan Wood Boats
541–867–3141

www.jordanwoodboats.com

Distinctive Boat Designs
Meticulously Developed and Drawn
For the Amateur Builder

THE FINEST Wooden Pond Sailers.
Free brochure: 1–800–206 –0006.
www.modelsailboat.com.

CrADle BoAt
BABy tenDer

BeACh Cruiser
Footloose

BOAT KITS—PLANS—PATTERNS.
World’s best selection of 200+ designs
on our website. Boatbuilding supplies—easy-to-use 50/50 epoxy resins/
glues, fasteners, and much more.
Free supplies catalog. Clark Craft,
716–873–2640, www.clarkcraft.com.
COMPLETE PLANS FOR 60' ALDEN
design wooden schooner. $500. Call
781–337–1131.
A PERFECT DESKTOP MODEL—
Our 1⁄8" scale kit is of plank-on-frame
construction, and can be displayed as
an Admiralty-style model with its ribs
exposed. We have provided enough
wood to complete the planking if you
wish, as well as brass and Britannia
fittings, rigging line, and sail cloth.
BlueJacket ShipCrafters, 160 E. Main
St., Searsport, ME 04974, 800–448–
5567 www.bluejacketinc.com.

Glen-L.com
■ Boat Plans
■ Epoxies
■ Raptor® Products
■ Underwater Hardware
■ Bronze Fastenings
■ Steering
■ Deck Hardware

■ much more...

SUPPLIES & H A R DWA R E FOR
building a boat or outfitting an existing one. Competitive prices, friendly
service. Glen-L Marine, 888–700–
5007. www.Glen-L.com/WBC (online
catalogs).

GEODESIC AIROLITE DESIGNS—
Westport Dinghy, 8' 10"; beam 431⁄2';
weight 29 lbs. Stow-aboard yacht
tender. Forget outboard, rows easily!
Monfort Associates. 207–882–5504, Building Skin-on-Frame Double Paddle
www.gaboats.com.
Canoes—Iain Oughtred: “...inspiring...
elegant simplicity...” Matt Murphy:
“...step-by-step construction of these
graceful and beautiful craft.” Useful
for all skin-on-frame construction.
Order from www.berkshireboatbuild
ingschool.org; plus plans, parts,
ATKIN ILLUSTRATED CATALOG— classes.
135 pages, with more than 300 Atkin
designs. Famed Atkin double-enders,
rowing/sailing dinghies, houseboats,
and more. $15 U.S. and Canada ($22
US for overseas orders). Payment:
U.S. dollars payable through a U.S.
bank. ATKIN BOAT PLANS, P.O.
Box 3005WB, Noroton, CT 06820.
[email protected], www.atkinboat
plans.com.

FREE DIGITAL
SUBSCRIPTION
The ArTisAn JournAl

MAINE RENTAL—PRIVATE BEACH,
4-bedroom Cape—Bay/islands view,
in-view anchorage, boat ramp access.
Secluded master bed/bath. Kayaks
provided. $1,250/week. 207–963–
7800, or [email protected].
FB WINDSONG.

The Bi-Annual
Newsletter From
Artisan Boatworks

Building, Restoring & Maintaining

Classic Wooden Boats
Read Now at

ArtisanBoatworks.com

28 DESIGNS IN OUR $12 BRO CHURE—Boats 10-26'. S&H: $4 U.S.,
and Canada; $10 overseas. Ken Swan,
P.O. Box 6647, San Jose, CA 95150.
408–300–1903, www.swanboatdesign
.com.
LEARN HOW TO BUILD your own
cedar-stripped boat. Plans for dinghies, canoes, row, sail, paddle, outboard. www.compumarine.com. AZ,
520–604–6700.

COMPLETE COLLECTION OF
WoodenBoat magazine—$700, email VACATION RENTAL—“Little Neck”
[email protected].
in S. Dartmouth, MA. Sleeps nine;
4 bedrooms/baths. Dock, woods,
walks. Fishing, sailing, kayaking,
swimming, biking, bird-watching.
3-day minimum stay. Website: www.
SMITHSONI AN INSTITUTION
The magazine for those working in
design, construction, and repair.
littlenecksouthdartmouth.com, LNT
Plans from the National Watercraft
[email protected].
Subscriptions:
Collection, H.I. Chapelle drawings,
One year (6 issues)
Historic American Merchant Marine
$35.95 (US)
LAKE SUPERIOR, BAYFIELD, WI—
Survey, etc. Send $20 check to SmithCanada: $52 (US funds)
(airmail)
360' frontage within Apostle Islands
sonian Institution for 250 -page
Overseas: $68 (US funds)
National Lakeshore. 60' L-shaped
catalog to: Smithsonian Ship Plans,
(airmail)
dock with 7' of water inside dock.
P.O. Box 37012, NMAH-5004/MRC
PATTY HUTCHINSON
P.O. Box 78,
Four-bedroom contemporary home.
628, Washington, DC 20013-7012.
Brooklin, ME 04616-0078
[email protected] 715–779–
www.americanhistory.si.edu/csr/
www.proboat.com T: 207–359–4651
5757.
shipplan.htm.
May/June 2014 •

WBClass238-Final.indd 135

135

3/20/14 2:43 PM

CLASSIFIEDS

MAINE BOAT-SHOP ON 14 ACRES—
All three-phase stationary machines.
Good well, steam boiler, greenhouse.
Storage for at least 12 boats. Surveyed.
Good opportunity for co-op. Owner
financing a possibility. For more info,
[email protected].

DOUGLAS FOWLER SAILMAKER—
Highest-quality, full-seam curved
sails since 1977. Traditional sails a
specialty. White, colors, and Egyptian
Dacron in stock. 1182 East Shore Dr.,
Ithaca, N Y 14850. 607–277–0041,
[email protected].

H AV E TOOLS W IL L TR AV EL .
Wooden boat builder will build,
rebuild, or repair your project on
site or in my shop. $25/hour. VT,
802–365–7823.
THIS 20' CHRIS-CRAFT WAS stripped
in four man-hours. Environmentally
friendly paint stripper. For more
information, call 800 –726 – 4319.
E-mail us at [email protected], or
COTTAGE NEAR WOODENBOAT
visit our website, www.starten.com.
School—Now taking 2014 reservations.
There is a lot less snow in the summer.
BLOX YGEN SAV ES LEFTOV ER
One-bedroom cottage, suitable for
Finishes. Prevent Oxygen or Moisture
two, $500/week. Brooklin, ME. Condamage. www.bloxygen.com, 888–
tact [email protected].
810–8311.

FINELY CRAFTED WOODEN SPARS;
hollow or solid. Any type of construction. ELK SPARS, 577 Norway Drive,
Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, 207–288–
9045.
THOMSON WOOD SPARS—MAKER
of fine wood products. Masts, booms,
clubs, gaffs, custom furniture, and
woodworking. 508–317–3944, thom
[email protected].

W W W.DA BBLER SA ILS.COM—
Tr aditional small-craft sails. P.O.
Box 235, Wicomico Church, VA,
22 579. Ph/f a x 8 0 4 – 5 8 0 – 8723,
[email protected].

12/24V CABIN FANS—Teak, cherry,
or mahogany. www.marinecabinfans
.com.
CLASSICBOATCONNECTION.COM
— Your one-stop source for all your
classic boat restoration needs. Call
507–344–8024, or e-mail mail@classic
boatconnection.com for free catalog.

COPPER FASTENERS AND riveting
tools, Norwegian and English boat
nails, roves/rivets, rose and flathead,
clench, threaded, decoration, and
more. 50+ sizes and types, 3⁄8" to 6".
Your leading source since 1987. FAERING DESIGN, Dept. W, P.O. Box 322,
East Middlebury, VT 05740, 1–800–
505–8692, [email protected],
www.faeringdesigninc.com.

Composite fasteners for:
Strip Planking
Cold Molding
Fiberglass Layup
Foam Core Joining
Vacuum Infusion
RTM

Staples and nails you
do not need to remove!
 No holes to fill in
 Easily sand off crowns & heads
 RAPTOR® fasteners accept stains
 Bonds with thermoset resins
 No galvanic corrosion/electrolysis

EPOXY-PLUS MARINE EPOXY, $69/
gal with hardener; epoxy glue and
putty. Premium products at direct
pricing. No-blush, flexible, easy-touse 1:1 mix. Free Catalog. Clark Craft,
716–873–2640, www.clarkcraft.com.
MODERN MANILA. NEW LEOFLEXX. The latest rope technology. Looks
great, works hard. American Rope
& Tar, 1–877–965–1800 or tarsmell
.com.

www.raptornails.com [email protected]
P (512) 255-8525
F (512) 255-8709

JASPER & BAILEY SAILMAKERS.
Established 1972. Offshore, onedesign, and traditional sails. Sail
repairs, recuts, conversions, washing
and storage. Used-sail brokers. 64
Halsey St., P.O. Box 852, Newport,
RI 02840; 401–847–8796. www.jasper
andbailey.com.

VACUUM-BAGGING SUPPLIES—
TRADITIONAL BOAT SUPPLIES Fiberglass cloth, epoxy resins, waterfor traditional boats. Take a look at b a s ed L PU p a i nt s , a nd more.
www.tradboats.com.
Technical support and fast service.
www.fiberglasssupply.com or toll free:
HAVEN 121⁄2 complete high-quality 877–493–5333.
bronze hardware sets. See our display
ad elsewhere in the issue. For our EXCEPTIONA L BRONZE A ND
free catalog, contact us at J.M. Reineck Chrome Hardware—Windshield
& Son, 781–925–3312, JMRandSon@ brackets; navigational lighting; Tufnol
aol.com.
and ash blocks; fastenings, roves, and
rivets; repair, building, and kit mateSTOCKHOLM TAR. Genuine kiln- rials; oars, paddles, and rowing accesburnt pine tar. It’s the Real Stuff. sories; decals, apparel, and traditional
American Rope & Tar, 1–877–965– giftware. www.tendercraftboats.com.
1800 or tarsmell.com.
Toll-free phone: 800–588–4682.

LeTONK INOIS. ALL-NATUR AL
varnish. Centuries-old formula. Longlasting, beautiful finish. Extremely
user-friendly. American Rope & Tar,
877–965–1800 or tarsmell.com.
CANOE HARDWARE: 1⁄2", 11⁄16", 7⁄8"
canoe tacks; 3⁄8" oval brass stembands;
clenching irons; 3⁄16" bronze carriage
bolts; canoe plans; clear white cedar.
Catalog $1. NORTHWOODS CANOE
CO., 336 Range Rd., Atkinson, ME
04426. Order, phone 888–564–2710,
fax 207–564–3667.

136 • WoodenBoat 238

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CLASSIFIEDS
MARINEPLYWOODS,SOLIDLUMBER
—Cypress, Douglas-fir, teak, Philippine, Meranti, Genuine, Sapele, white
oak, cedar, teak/holly. Vickery, OH,
419–684–5275. Nationwide shipping.
www.HomesteadHardwoods.com.
SITKA SPRUCE FOR SALE—Four
beams, 24' • 8" • 1 7/8". 75 planks,
23' • 8" • 7⁄16". All sanded two sides.
Price and delivery negotiable. Palm
Bay, FL, [email protected].
Home 321–676–0722, cell 321–544–
5945.
SLOW-GROWING, OLD-GROWTH
white oak (Quercus alba), up to 50'
long and 42" wide. Longleaf pine
(Pinus pilustrus) out to 50' long.
Old-growth white pine, 22'–28'. Black
locust, American elm, and larch.
NEW ENGLAND NAVAL TIMBERS,
CT, 860–480–3402.

TARRED HEMP MARLINE. Several
styles; hanks, balls, spools. American THE ORIGINAL SINCE 2001. The
Rope & Tar, 1– 877–965 –1800 or smallest composting toilet in the
tarsmell.com.
world! EOS, P.O. Box 5, Mount Vernon,
OH 43050. www.airheadtoilet.com,
740–392–3642.
BLACK LOCUST LUMBER AND
found curves. Cut to your specifications. Band-sawn. 4/4, 6/4, 8/4, and
bigger. ablacklocustconnection.com,
413–624–0242.
STARS AND STRIPES PENNANTS—
Authentic historical design exquisitely
handcrafted in the most durable
fabrics. 4', 6', 8' and 12' sizes in stock,
other sizes and designs by custom
order. Custom design and fabrication
is our specialty. Also in stock, all sizes
U.S., state, foreign, historical, marine,
and decorative flags, banners, pennants, and accessories. 77 Forest St.,
BRONZE CAM CLEAT with plastic New Bedford, MA 02740. 508–996–
ball bearings and 11⁄2" fastening cen- 6006, www.brewerbanner.com.
ter distance. BRONZE WING -TIP
NAVIGATION LIGHTS with glass
globe. Side mount, stern and steaming. For our free catalog, contact us
at J.M. Reineck & Son, 781–925–3312,
[email protected].

BANTAM AIR HAMMER
Boat Riveting Kit
Designed for
Copper Rivets
■ Cuts Riveting Time up to 70%
■ Superior Pneumatic
■

800-521-2282

www.superiorpneumatic.com
CANVAS FOR DECKS and CANOES.
Natural, untreated. No. 10, 15-oz.,
96", $20/yard; 84", 16.75/yard, 72",
$13.75/yard; 60", $10.75/yard. Minimum 5 yards, prepaid only. Fabric
Works, 148 Pine St., Waltham, MA
02453, 781–642–8558.

BOULTER PLY WOOD—Marine
plywood 4' • 8' to 16', 5' • 10' to 20'
— 1⁄8" to 1" okoume, sapele, meranti,
teak, ash, khaya, teak and holly, teak
and rubber. Lumber—Sitka spruce,
teak, mahogany, green oak, ash,
cypress, fir, Spanish and red cedar,
teak decking—lengths up to 20'.
Milling services. Nationwide delivery.
www.boulterplywood.com, 888–4BOULTER.

“Wood Sawn by Boatbuilders for Boatbuilders”
White Oak • Atlantic White Cedar • Cypress
Longleaf Yellow Pine • Sitka Spruce
401-253-8247 NewportNauticalTimbers.com

TE A K , M A HOGA N Y, PA DAUK ,
purpleheart, white oak, teak decking,
starboard. Complete molding millwork facilities. Marine ply wood.
Custom swim platforms. SOUTH
JERSEY LUMBERMAN’S INC., 6268
Holly St., Mays Landing, NJ 08330.
RARE WOODS—Ebony, boxwood, 609–965–1411. www.sjlumbermans
rosewood, satinwood, tulipwood, .com.
boatbuilding woods, +120 others.
207–364–1073, info@rarewoodsusa. W W W.DI A MONDTE A K .COM—
True teak wood. Planing, sanding
com, www.rarewoodsusa.com.
available. Quarter-sawn teak for deck2,500 BF OLD GROWTH HEART ing; tongue-and-groove; veneer;
Cypress—All clear, 13" and wider. custom work. Also mahogany and
8-16', heavy to 16'. White cedar, long- Spanish cedar. Highest quality. We
leaf yellow pine, old growth Douglas ship worldwide. 215–453–2196, info@
fir, western red cedar, Sitka spruce. diamondteak.com.
PLANKING STOCK IN LENGTHS
to 32'—angelique, silver balli, wana,
angelique timbers. Call for quotes.
Gannon and Benjamin, 508–693–
4658.

352–474–7200, steve.tillman@cox
.net.

CEDAR BOAT PLANKING—Live
edge. Select and mill run. Clear
spruce rough, full 2". Tweedie Lumber, 207–568–3632. bruce@tweedie
THE BROOKLIN INN—Year-round
lumber.com.
lodging, fine dining, Irish Pub. Modern interpretations of classic Maine
TEAK LUMBER FROM $7.50/bf,
dishes. Always organic/local. Winter
and teak decking from $0.99/lf. Call
Getaway: $155/DO, dinner, breakfast,
ASI, 800–677–1614 or e-mail your
room, November–May. Summer rate:
requirements to rogerstevens@asi
$125/DO (plus dinner). brooklininn
hardwood.com.
.com,
ME,
207–
359–2777.
SOFT COTTON FENDERS and classic knotwork. For catalog, send SASE
ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR—Wide
to: THE K NOTTED LINE, 9908
12"–16", canoe strips, 2" • stock teak,
168th Ave. N.E., Redmond, WA 98052new or reclaimed; utility fencing.
3122, call 425–885–2457. www.the
203–245–1781 or armsters@yahoo
knottedline.com.
.com.

DIRECTORY OF
BOAT PLANS & KITS
www.woodenboat.com/
boatplansandkits
This web service is
FREE to designers
and readers alike.
If you are a designer
who offers plans, or a manufacturer of
kits boats, we invite you to upload
your information.
This is for boats of ANY hull
materials. There is no charge! And if
you’re in the market for a boat to
build, this is a fine place to start.

May/June 2014 •

WBClass238-Final.indd 137

137

3/21/14 8:40 AM

CLASSIFIEDS
ROZINANTE—L. FR ANCIS Herreshoff ’s design No. 98, 28' lightd isplacement ca noe - y awl. New
traditional construction by professional shop. Please call for details
and specifications. 860–535–0332,
www.stoningtonboatworks.com.

FREE Classified
Writing guide

48' HEAD BOAT, 34-PASSENGER—
Cedar on oak, riveted, heavily framed,
6-71 GM. New wet exhaust and fuel
tanks, COI. $38,000 or best offer.
207–442–7616 or 207–443–5764.

Tips on writing a ‘Boats for Sale’ ad,
and how to prepare for questions
from potential buyers. For a copy,
call Wendy, 207–359–7714 or email
[email protected].

171⁄ 2' GR E AV ETTE RUNA BOUT
from 1950s—Has been restored completely. 4 -cyl F&R engine. Three
hours from Detroit in Canada. Selling due to health issues. Less than
half of restoration. Boat, motor, trailer.
1940 CHRIS-CRAFT 22' SEDAN— $19,995. Call 705–789–4843.
With modern power V8 Crusader
350 engine. MBBW premium restoration. Completely restored from the
keel up, including new 3M-5200
no-soak bottom with new chines,
keel, stem, frames, knees, frame tie,
okoume inner bottom, solid African
outer bottom, new mahogany hull
sides—all attached with 3M-5200.
New linoleum flooring, show-quality
paint and varnish, modern classic
gauges, restored steering wheel, new
chrome, new German Hartz cloth LUDERS 16, “GOD’S POCKET”—26'
tan canvas top, new head liner, leather LOA, 4' draft, excellent condition.
upholstery, cabin-top cover, cabin Originally 1950s Northeast Harbor
AC/heat, matching MBBW Classic fleet #12. Mahogany hull completely
Trail custom, inboard trailer. Total restored, bottom fiberglassed, 2013.
my cost: $85,000. Bid wanted—moti- New keel-bolts. Spruce spars. Jib,
vated seller. 860–671–0846.
genoa, 2010 main, boom tent, seat
cushions, two pipe berths. Located
in Southwest Harbor, ME. $20,000.
207–244–7697, jsnider@midmaine
.com.

“SA ZER AC” 1913 FR IENDSHIP
Sloop 35'—Wilbur Morse original.
Rebuilt to highest standards 1967.
Maintained without compromise
since. 11.5' beam. 18,000 displacement. Very large cockpit. Oceanus
sails. Varnished spars. Beautiful fir
deck. Power ful 50 -hp Universal
diesel. Sleeps four. Needs younger
owner. Belfast, ME $30,000. 207–
522–8007. [email protected],
http://gailandroger.com/sazerac.
26' ELDREDGE-McINNIS SLOOP—
Cedar on oak, bronze-fastened, lead
keel. Universal diesel with less than
100 hours. Great condition. Located
in Mystic, CT. Illness forces sale. Call
201– 438 –2758, leave message or
email psv [email protected] for more
information.

HERRESHOFF 12 1⁄ 2 , #1089, built
1928. Professionally sheathed to the
waterline. Harding sails in good
condition. $8,500. 207–367–2360,
[email protected].

1940 CHRIS-CRAFT CUSTOM, 19'
Barrelback (Hull #4873)—Complete
restoration 2001. 5200 bottom, new
bow stem, keel, chine, new doublestrength stern. All correct long boards,
12-volt conversion. New stain, varnish,
and stripes 2010. Original (to the
boat) CC-M engine, 2003 complete
overhaul with hardened valve seats,
instruments restored. 20 hours on
boat and motor since restoration.
Custom single-axle trailer, excellent
condition for long cross-country runs.
Offered at $93,500. Serious inquiries
1933 “WILLIAM HAND” MOTOR- only, please! [email protected]
yacht 63'—Carefully restored to her or 303–947–8520.
original luster. Teak decks, sleeps 10,
stunning interior. ME. David Jones
Yachts, 207–236 –7048, classics@
midcoast.com.

1946 HINCKLEY 21, 28.5'  8'  4.5'
—Exterior restoration 2011. New
sails 2011. Yanmar 3GM 30-F, sleeps
three. $35,000. In-water CT. Call
“ROSEANN,” 30' L.F. HERRESHOFF Rob, 914–393–0295.
cutter-rigged Wagon Box—Good
sailer, and well maintained. Built by
Steve Slauenwhite, 1986. White pine
on white oak, locust backbone, bronzefastened. Deck doubled 3⁄8" Bruynzeel
plywood with Dynel in epoxy. Yanmar
3-cyl diesel. Located Lunenburg, NS,
Canada. $49,500 USD. Google “Dave
1950, 36' BALTZER “SARAH E.”— Morse Cutter” for video. 902–634–
Totally restored 2003. New 350 Cru- 3429. [email protected].
sader, tanks, head, radar, autopilot,
RHODES 24, 35' ON DECK—Beam
GPS, and more. WoodenBoat price:
8', draft 51⁄2'. Mahogany on oak with
$30,000. Info/pictures: w w w.and
teak decks. Built Mystic, CT, 1949,
woodcraft.com/our_work. CT, 860–
and extensively rebuilt by present
434–7391.
owner the last 10 years. A fast thoroughbred. Four-time winner at Foxy’s
Wooden Boat Regatta. Hull #1 in her
class, and one of two left. Cruise the
Caribbean this winter, and New England this summer! Serious offers near
1977 LOBSTERBOAT “JEAN”—24' $60,000. Plans, pictures: yankee_
Striper built by the Riverside Boat [email protected].
Company of Newcastle, ME. Classic
lines, built of native cedar planking KEN SWAN DESIGN, LITTLE GEM
on oak frames. Ford/Lehman 300, rowboat—Kirby paint, two oarlock
“A NA N DA ,” 45' PI LOT HOUSE full navigation suite, well-kept, new positions, bronze oarlocks, Shaw &
Ketch—Charles Davies designed, cushions and canvas. Asking $23,500. Tenney oars with leathers. Shorelander
1979. Professionally owned, upgraded, Pictures and full specifications avail- galvanized trailer dolly, custom cover,
and maintained. More pictures at able upon request. Contact Bruce, trolling motor, sail rig. Lawrence,
www.peaseboatworks.com. $89,000. CA, 619–436–8444, brucesutphen@ KS, make offer. 785–864–3287 csull@
cox.net.
[email protected].
ku.edu.

138 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/20/14 2:34 PM

CLASSIFIEDS
1943 NAV Y W H A LE-BOAT—26'
double-ender, cypress on oak. Restoration project. Serviceable diesel
engine. Photos and additional information available. Offer, kentluanne@
interisland.net.

20 05, 10' F L AT-IRON SK I F F—
Custom designed, and built with 3M
5200; does not leak. Immaculate.
$800. RI, 401–575–7165, captainarts@
aol.com.

PENOBSCOT 14, GUNTER R IG
sailing dinghy—6mm marine plywood
on cedar stringers. Cypress keel.
Bronze deck fittings. Clear varnish
finish throughout, completed 2013. THE WEST POINT SKIFF—THREE
1941 R ICH A R DSON 31' DECKRegional wooden boat show prize- models: 16', 18', and 20'. See our
house Cruiser—Yanmar turbo diesel,
winner. $6,500. NC, 201–321–6640. website www.westpointskiff.com, for
model 4JH3-TE. Survey and photos
more info. 207–389–2468.
available. Boathouse-kept in JamesTEXAS DORY, 19'  7'—MARINE
town, RI. $20,000. Call Don, 401–
plywood over oak. Stainless-steel
423–0220. Photo: 9/21/2013.
fastened. 50-hp Evinrude outboard,
hydraulic steering. Custom built.
16' RUSHTON VESPER SAILING
Never been outdoors. $13,000. 860–
Canoe, c. 1916—Second owner, excel536–3543.
lent provenance. Original hardware
mostly intact, sliding seat, paddle,
Radix centerboard. Very good overall condition. $27,500. Located Brunsw ick, ME. John, 207– 650 –3667,
[email protected].
“PRIMA DONNA,” 1954 S&S NEVINS
Yawl—40' Keel/CB vessel, well cared
for by Rockport Marine. ME, David
Jones Yachts, 207–236–7048, classics@
1956, 23' HACKER OVERNIGHTER midcoast.com.
—Professionally restored 2011. Very
rare. See WoodenBoat March/April
2014 for more details or call. Asking
$44,500. Bill Tordoff, 970–409–9224.
R HODES 27, VA RYA, BUILT BY
Kettenberg 1940—Extensively rebuilt
1993 to present. $100,000 USD. www.
rhodes27varya.weebly.com, drcrystal
[email protected].

“NORTHERN LIGHT”—HANDSOME
32' Sloop built in 1961 by Walsted of
Denmark using the finest materials.
Constantly upgraded, including new
rigging, sails, equipment, and 27-hp
Yanmar diesel with 200 hours. Easily
handled centerboarder; sleeps five,
and well equipped for cruising or racing. Priced to sell. Contact jmterry@
gmail.com.

1965 OWENS CABIN CRUISER 28'
—Newer 260-hp Volvo Penta inboard,
cabin sleeps four, large cockpit, runs
well. Brightwork needs a coat of varnish. Included: Coast Guard equipment, and winter storage cradle.
$5,000. Located Plattsburgh, N Y.
John, 239–293–2980, 802–659–4802.

1931 ALDEN YAWL, 57' LOD—Very
fast classic yawl, diesel, radar, water
heater, watermaker, gas stove, refrigerator/freezer, 10' dinghy, rollerfurling jib, large sail inventory, new
paint/bright, sound hull. Located
in Alameda, CA. 808–249–2529.
25' CHR IS - CR A F T ENCLOSED
Cruiser, 1953—Inboard 350, dinette,
head, galley, new canvas/seats/cushions. Excellent. $15,000. CT, 860–
490 –8508, skelly_brian@hotmail
.com.

1965, 25' LYMAN SLEEPER—2010
Cover Girl, Issue 4 Clinker Magazine.
Go boat. 5.7-liter Volvo Penta engine.
Asking $19,500. Pete, 774–238–0008
or [email protected].

1902 “COR AL of COWES,” 80'—
Rebuilt in 2005, Frederick Sheperd
gaff schooner, ideal for family cruising or charter. ME, David Jones Yachts,
207–236 –7048, classics@midcoast
.com.

18' 2" ARCTIC TERN—ONE OF IAIN
Oughtred’s most elegant designs,
recently completed by an experienced
builder of his boats. Traditional lug
sails by Nathaniel Wilson. Okoume
marine ply with white ash, oak, and
walnut trim. Custom over-the-road
boat cover. Motor well for a Honda
4-cycle, 2-hp outboard, with motor
storage compartment, retaining the
handsome sheerline when sailing.
Custom galvanized trailer. Ash blocks.
All bronze hardware. Positive flotation. Two rowing positions with 10'
Douglas-fir oars. Located in MN.
Health reasons require sale. This is
one gorgeous boat! Additional photos available. Asking $12,500.Email
at [email protected] or phone 941–
624–4729 or 507–454–1649.

1927, 40' TANCOOK SCHOONER—
For sale due to illness. Entirely rebuilt
between 1998 and 2007 in Nova
Scotia, including new ribs, fastenings,
wiring, and planks. Pine-on-oak
construction. Fiberglass deck. Sails:
mixed, old to never used. Engine,
1927 coal stove. Needs cosmetic work,
but sound! Sur vey 2011. $10,000
negotiable. 607–282–4215.

2009 REDWING 23—FIBERGLASS
over okoume. Honda, Wallas stove,
pressure water, GPS, depth, trailer,
in MO. $24,900 or best offer. fox
[email protected].

“BUCKRAMMER,” HISTORIC 24',
1908 Crosby Catboat—Legendary
boat of the best-selling book Catboat
Summers. Sailaway condition. Two
sails, 15-hp Westerbeke diesel; 4-hp
Yamaha; CQR anchor and tackle,
VHF, GPS, digital depth, original
Shipmate #2, and propane stoves,
enclosed head, jackstands. $27,500.
Email [email protected], 617–
821–7890.
May/June 2014 •

WBClass238-Final.indd 139

139

3/20/14 2:34 PM

CLASSIFIEDS
A DI RON DAC K GUI DEBOAT—
Original builder unknown. Original
oars. Old seats recaned in traditional
method, some restoration done,
needs more. Usable as is. Located in
NH. Email [email protected].
32' CHRIS-CRAFT SEA SKIFF 1961—
Engines overhauled, hull CPES, new
water, electronics. Trailer included.
Sma ller t r ade considered. N V,
$ 2 2 , 9 5 0. Q ue st ion s , pic t u re s:
[email protected], 775–771–4770. 1957 CHRIS-CRAFT 18' SEA SKIFF
lapstrake utility—New cushions,
folding top and side curtains. Original 95-hp K engine, runs strong.
Hull in excellent condition and ready
to go, with custom cover and tandem
trailer. $9,000. 905 –727–8671 or
[email protected].
38' U.S. ONE-DESIGN—FIRST-CLASS,
high-performance daysailer. AlumiSIMMONS SEA SKIFF 18—BUILT num spars, roller reefing, all in very
in 1989 by Nelson Silva. 1987 Johnson good condition. $33,000. 810–359–
40-hp, low hours. Galvanized trailer. 2370.
This boat was restored in 2009 to
show-winning condition. It has since
been shown annually at Keels and
Wheels in Seabrook, TX, and twice
at the Madisonville, LA Wooden Boat
Festival, winning four first-place
trophies and two seconds. $7,500.
Contact David Lind, 281–534–2348 16' HERRESHOFF KAYAK—BUILT
or 713–213–0424. Located in Dick- in Marblehead, MA, c.1948, accurate
inson, TX.
to plans in Sensible Cruising Designs.
Excellent condition. $3,500. MA,
508–636 –2236, enku451@charter
.net.

“GRANDE DAME” 1950, 34' Hinckley Sou’wester—A yachtsman’s sloop
in striking condition. Cedar on oak,
30-hp Atomic Four, teak deck and
cockpit sole, mahogany cabin. Sitkaspruce mast and boom, club jib. Lake
Champlain, VT. $29,950. grande
[email protected], 802–999–2094.

“WINGS OF THE MORNING”—1967
Roger Morse Friendship sloop 30'.
Handsome and well-kept. Highly
recommended. $29,500, ME. David
Jones Yachts, 207–236–7048, classics@
midcoast.com.

YOU NEED “TIME OFF”!—1963, 14'
classic Sturdee-built wood runabout.
5' beam, 20" freeboard. Seats fi ve,
double-’glassed bottom. New knee
2010. Hull/cockpit oil refurbished
2011. No leaks/rot. Magic Tilt trailer.
1990, 48-hp Johnson outboard, Allen
Harbor Marine serviced annually.
Garaged since 1970. $5,000. 508–
1960, 16' JERSEY SPEED SKIFF— 432–0713.
Completely restored, new Chevy 350
HERRESHOFF 121⁄2, “EVENFALL”— engine, mahogany decks, new cushRestored 1992. Original hardware, ions, with trailer. $15,000. 732–892–
carefully maintained. Excellent con- 3252.
dition. Shorelander trailer. $17,500.
Photos available. [email protected], RUNABOUT, 16' GLEN-L MALAHINI
www.woodenboat.com/herreshoff- —Built 2002 of plywood, oak, and
epoxy. Owner disabled. Located near
12-12-0. 585–248–5022.
Ottawa. $800. 613–623–5466, doc
[email protected].

16' SHEARWATER, JOEL WHITE
design—Beautiful boat, exciting
sailer. Okoume plywood hull, Fowler
sail, Shaw & Tenney oars, Trailex
trailer. All in like-new condition.
Located Upstate NY. $5,000. 315–
725–9592. jonathankirk@roadrunner.
com.

33' CUSTOM YAWL 1970—Original
builder, exceptional! Boston design,
berths, head, galley, electronics,
inboard, 10' beam, 44' mast, sails.
$25,000/best offer. MI, 864–643–
9945. [email protected].

“KITTIWAKE ll,” 1964 BUNKER &
Ellis Downeast Cruiser 44'. Well-known
RUGGED, LONG-DISTANCE Schoo- admired classic. Yard-kept. $290,000.
ner motorsailer—Suitable for expe- ME, David Jones Yachts, 207–236–
dition or charter cruising, “Alca i” 7048, [email protected].
was built as a research vessel, with
five watertight bulkheads, and extensive offshore safety equipment and
redundant systems. Recently underwent a major 10-year re-fit, including
all-new running rigging, and 17-kW
generator. Stunning, spacious pilothouse. Oak/epoxy composite, with
strip-plank on frame, and steel keel.
All fastenings Monel, stainless or
bronze. 17-kW and 6-kW generators,
hydraulic system with bow thruster 1922 “NATHANIEL BOWDITCH”
and winches. Cherry and walnut 82'—William Hand schooner with a
interior. One owner. See WoodenBoat COI for 30 passengers overnight. In
article, No. 182. $750,000. Located need of work. $350,000. David Jones
in Newfoundland. Contact klfilms@ Yachts, ME, 207–236–7048, classics@
aol.com, 804–815–2835. First listing. midcoast.com.

WINTHROP WARNER, 39' 10" Cutter—Built by Paul Luke in 1947,
designed by Winthrop Warner in
1941. (See WoodenBoat No. 75, pg.
34.) New sails 2011, new standing
rigging in 2012. “Mary Loring” is
great to go safely cruising in all kinds
of weather, a yacht to be proud to
own and sail. The coal/wood stove
in the cabin enables one to cruise
comfortably through December.
Selling price: $49,000. Call 201–768–
9450 or cell 551–404–2010. See website, http://stan14.purehost.com.

GRAND BANKS 1973, 32' SEDAN—
Lake St. Clair, MI. Needs wood repairs,
refi nishing and sweat equity for a
great cruising boat. Excellent equipment. Call Tony Peot, 920–746–6236.

140 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/21/14 8:38 AM

1958, 28' KINGS CRUISER SLOOP—
Professionally restored. Located in
Northern WI. $6,000. For more info,
see www.81x.com/kings/cruiser/.
Please leave a message at 561–206–
2869.

OLD WHARF ROWING DORY, 15' 6"
 4' 6"  150 lbs—9mm okoume ply,
locust. $6,000, with new trailer.
508–349–2383. More info at www.
oldwharf.com.

“SUVA,” 1925 STAYSAIL SCHOONER
designed by Ted Geary. A gorgeous
and sound classic yacht. Burma teak.
Financing available. Make offer. Port
20' GRAND LAKER CANOE—Epoxy- Townsend, 360–643–3840. See specs
’glass over white cedar ribs/planking. at www.schoonerforsale.com. Email
Red cherry trim, ship’s wheel. Inside [email protected].
is gorgeous. Honda engine is quiet
and thrifty. Always stored inside.
Trailer and all the extras. $9,500.
802–586–2575, 802–279–2491, email
[email protected].

“INNISFREE,” 23' CROCKER STONE
Horse—Built by Lance Lee/Apprentice Shop, Bath, ME 1980. Beautiful
interior. Atomic diesel 2-cyl in excellent condition. Refit 2011, but now
needs work. $7,000. Brooklyn, NY.
20' CEDA R- STRIP ROW BOAT— 347–262–7350, pirateschool1@yahoo.
Piantedosi sliding-seat Row-Wings, com.
Dreher carbon-fiber 11' oars. Used
three times. $5,000. For more pictures,
[email protected]. 715–462–
9811.

LYMAN, 1969 CRUISETTE, 26'—
Repowered with V-8 MerCruiser, less
than 90 hours. Teak decks, mahogany
liner, boathouse-kept. Professionally
maintained. Good condition. $25,000.
Ian Tat lock, 10 0 0 Islands, N Y.
[email protected].

24' 6" FRED GOELLER-DESIGNED
Adams InterClub daysailer. Restored
2005 by owner. Mahogany on oak,
bronze fastened. Well cared for.
$18,000, negotiable. RI, 401–374–
0123, alexander.salisbury@gmail
.com.

15' POCKETSHIP—DESIGNED BY
John Harris of Chesapeake Light
Craft, with sails and spars for interchangeable gaff-rigged sloop or yawl.
Includes trailer, 6-hp outboard, and
all cruising and safety equipment.
Sleeping accommodations for two
adults, and two children in cockpit
under enclosed canopy. Constructed
2010 by experienced boatbuilder
from Chesapeake Light Craft kit.
REDUCED PRICE $13,400. For full
details and photos, contact Pete
McCrary, Manassas, VA. 703–369–
6100, [email protected].

47' SALMON SIENER, 1945—Great
cruiser/livaboard. Systems new, CAT
318 rebuilt and in great condition.
Hull refastened, and professionally
maintained. $115,000. More pics and
info: www.peaseboatworks.com. Cape
Cod, 508–945–7800.
1965 CHRIS-CRAFT CUSTOM SKI
Boat—283 Chevy, Eagle trailer, custom cover with side skirts. Original
owner, freshwater only. 970–291–9065,
[email protected].

19' 7" VARNISHED MAHOGAN Y
Launch—Oak ribs, copper fastenings.
Beam 7', draft 2'. Center console,
18-hp diesel engine. Excellent condition. Beautifully custom crafted in
Italy in 1982 for Miami shipping
company owner. Imported and registered in 1993. Launch class winner,
2002 Rendezvous, Antique and Classic Boat Society, Barnegat Bay, NJ.
Includes custom cover, and accessory
canopy. Asking $16,500. Located in
St. Michaels, MD. 410–745–5032 or
[email protected].

1953 HINCKLEY #881 36' SLOOP—
Recent refit, all new frames. 2009
Spirit of the Race award winner,
Nantucket Opera House Cup. $45,000.
Contact Chad, 305 –923 – 4030 or “SOLO,” FRIENDSHIP SLOOP—
Solid teak hull and deck, laminated
[email protected].
mast, electric motors, two front sails
on furler. Road trailer included.
Professional construction, easy to
sail, always well maintained. Price
negotiable. jacoulombe@hotmail.
com, 418–875–3061.

“SPINDRIFT,” GENE WELLS 34' TEAK
Ketch—In excellent condition with
many extras. $50,000. Email GeneWells
[email protected].

17' CHRIS-CRAFT DELUXE Runabout, 1942—Complete restoration
completed in 2011. Custom cover and
trailer included. Photos of restoration
and much documentation available.
Won Best Amateur Restoration and
19' ATKIN VALGERDA 2010—Lug- People’s Choice awards at St. Michaels
rigged, okoume on white oak, bronze- show. $35,000. St. Michaels, MD
fastened, trailer. $3,500. Northeast 215–266–4885, francis-hopkinson@
NY, 518–420–6270.
verizon.net.

34' YAWL “HARVEST,” K.A. Nielsendesign, Luke built 1954—New engine,
rigging, galley, and head with holding tank. Good set of six sails. 2012
survey available. $50,000. 603–569–
2024. Located in Castine, ME.
May/June 2014 •

WBClass238-Final.indd 141

141

3/20/14 2:35 PM

CLASSIFIEDS
2011, 13' 7" SAILING/PADDLING
Canoe—MacGregor, Iain Oughtred
design. Okoume plywood, lapstrake
hull. Single, 45 sq ft sail. $1,400. Call
570–326–1339.
27'  8'  5' SCHOONER—No spars.
Engine included, and some systems.
Replica of 18th-century vessel. Contact [email protected].

CLASSIC DOUBLE-ENDED Rangeley boat, 17' 4"—Built by Barrett, circa
1929. Rangeley rowing oars included.
Photos available. $3,900. 508–335–
7329 or [email protected].

MASON 35' SLOOP—BUILT South
Coast Shipyard 1959. Mahogany over
oak, silicon bronze-fastened. Aluminum mast by LeFiell. Major work
completed one year ago, including
13 new or sistered frames, hull painted.
Full dodger. Lead ballast. Currently
berthed in Santa Barbara, CA. Always
maintained to a very high standard.
$29,900. For more information, contact owner Michael Grasso at 805–
649–5067; and see the full listing at
Bob Craven Yacht Sales, www.craven
sells.com.

12' PETERBOROUGH (CANADA)
Sailing Sk iff—1937, completely
restored, new sail, shiplap planking,
copper/bronze, trailer, $9,000.
516–639–1033, cutwater@earthlink
.net.

LUDERS 16, RECENT RENOVATION
—New deck, new sails, AwlGrip flag
blue hull 2013; original wooden spar;
custom bronze, removable engine
mount; 6 -hp Mercury four-stroke
engine; B&G speed and depth; new
autohelm tiller, autopilot. Sleek, fast,
and beautiful. $19,500. Jim, 914–213–
WILLIAM GARDEN’S 12' 4" TOM 1028 or [email protected].
Cat—New trailer Included. $8,000.
Contact John Robertson, 905–634– 2004, 26' SEABIRD YAWL with 10-hp
9892, or fax 905–634–9392, or email Yanmar diesel—Excellent condition,
[email protected].
with trailer. Stored inside at Eric Dow
Boat Shop, Brooklin, ME. $10,000
negotiable. Call 201–569–3787.

30' SA ILBOAT FR A ME—DECK ,
bow to stern 30', beam 10'. Great 30' CABIN CRUISER—Completely
project start. Stored inside. ronny rebuilt and redesigned in 2008. 10'
[email protected], 316–655–5320. beam, 2' 8" draft, 30 -hp Yanmar.
Totally ‘glassed and epoxied plywood
hull and superstructure. Roomy,
economical cruiser. $8,700. awregier@
tds.net.

1953, 27' SHEPHERD—Completely
rebuilt in 2006. Chrysler M47Ss,
freshwater cooled, bronze-rubber
impeller water pumps, electronic
ignition. Low hours since rebuild.
Varnish stripped, recoated, 15 coats
hi-gloss. Hardware rechromed. Bimini
top enclosure, isinglass panels. Full
boat storage cover. Jupiter, FL ,
$118,750. Doug, 954 –303 – 4349,
[email protected], www.photobucket
.com/babalu_photoshoot.

1969, 43' CLASSIC EGG HARBOR
custom sportfi sherman—Twin J/T
6-71 Detroit diesel, excellent running
condtion. Recent bottom paint. In
water, excellent condition. All-mahogany interior. A/C, heat, generator,
does not leak. Great liveaboard in
NC Outer Banks. Looking for experienced yachtsman. Slip cost with
electricity, $200/mo. Call for details,
910–368–7145.
1948 DYER DHOW SENIOR Auxiliary Sloop—26' length  8' beam 
3' draft, one of only four, built by
The Anchorage in Warren, RI. Plans
in Mystic Seaport Library. Cypress
bottom, plywood topsides, bronze
fastened. Small cabin with two berths,
and large cockpit. 12-hp Universal
Bluejacket Twin. Bronze stern tube,
SS shaft, bronze propeller. Project
boat. Bottom rebuilt, decks ready to
re-install. Needs cabin and cockpit
rebuilt. Have mast, most rigging, and
sails. On cradle in Albany, NY. Contact Worth at [email protected]
or 518–463–8256.

IT’S A PROJECT ABOUT HALF
completed from Ken Hankinson
plans—20' runabout based on a 1939
Barrelback. All mahogany, bronze
fastened. Comes with extra stuff. The
boat is in MA, I’m in FL. For details:
941–475–3295, email TDun shee@
N.G. HERRESHOFF COQUINA— aol.com.
new construction, red cedar hull,
spruce mast with Dacron sails. 16' 8", 1956 CHRIS-CRAFT DAY CRUISER
5' beam, 22" draft.  $25,000. 412–580– 26'—Mahogany, 195-hp Graymarine.
401–423–8920, [email protected].
3197, [email protected].

Want Boats?
We’ve got more!
Check out the
black-tabbed

BOATBROKERS

section in
this magazine...

40 “BUD” McINTOSH K ETCH,
1973—Superb structurally and cosmetically. Vessel has rebuilt Westerbeke, newer wiring, newer sails,
electronics and canvas. Ready now
for her next offshore trip. Reduced
to $59,000. Gray & Gray, Inc., 207–
363–7997, www.grayandgrayyachts.
com.

2012 RASCAL RUNABOUT—Modern construction, best materials.
Turn-key package, a blast to drive.
Located in CT. $26,500. Motivated
seller! 203–687–9639 or brian.dom
[email protected].

And visit WoodenBoat’s

ONLINE CLASSIFIED

‘Boats for Sale’ listings at

woodenboat.com/boats-sale

142 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/20/14 2:35 PM

Index to Advertisers
Adhesives & Coatings
Bristol Finish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Endurance Technologies/
MAS Epoxies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Epifanes North America - - - - - - - Interlux - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - System Three Resins, Inc. - - - - - - Tri-Texco inc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - West System Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

www.bristolfinish.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 112
www.masepoxies.com/challenge - - - - 40
www.epifanes.com - - - - - - - - - - - - Cover II
www.yachtpaint.com - - - - - - - - - Cover IV
www.systemthree.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
www.tritex.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19
www.westsystem.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25

Boatbuilders
Adirondack Guide Boat - - - - - - - - - www.adirondack-guide-boat.com - - - 125
Atlantic Yacht Basin - - - - - - - - - - - - www.atlanticyachtbasin.com - - - - - - - 122
Beetle, Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.beetlecat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 124
Billings Diesel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.billingsmarine.com - - - - - - - - - - 123
Carpenter’s Boat Shop - - - - - - - - - - www.carpentersboatshop.org - - - - - - 126
Choptank Boatworks - - - - - - - - - - - www.choptankboatworks.com - - - - - - 128
Crocker’s Boat Yard, Inc. - - - - - - - - www.crockersboatyard.com - - - - - - - - 128
Downeast Peapods - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.downeastpeapods.com - - - - - - - 125
Dutch Wharf Marina - - - - - - - - - - - www.dutchwharf.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 123
Edgecomb Boat Works - - - - - - - - - - www.edgecombboatworks.net - - - - - - 126
Fish Brothers Marine Service - - - - www.fishcustomboats.com - - - - - - - - - 114
Gannon & Benjamin - - - - - - - - - - - www.gannonandbenjamin.com - - - - 124
Hacker Boat Co., Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - www.hackerboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18
Haven Boatworks, LLC - - - - - - - - - - www.havenboatworks.com - - - - - - - - - 128
Jensen MotorBoat Company - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 127
Laughing Loon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.laughingloon.com - - - - - - - - - - - 127
McMillen Yachts, Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - www.woodenyachts.com - - - - - - - - - - - 127
MP&G, L.L.C. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.mpgboats.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 122
Parker Marine Enterprises - - - - - - - www.parker-marine.com - - - - - - - - - - 126
Pease Boatworks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.peaseboatworks.com - - - - - - - - - 124
Pendleton Yacht Yard - - - - - - - - - - - www.pendletonyachtyard.com - - - - - 128
Reuben Smith’s
Tumblehome Boats - - - - - - - - - - - www.tumblehomeboats.com - - - - - - - 125
Richard S. Pulsifer, Boatbuilder - - www.pulsiferhampton.com - - - - - - - - 127
Sawyer SUP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.sawyersup.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 125
Seal Cove Boatyard - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.sealcoveboatyard.com - - - - - - - - 124
Steve Cayard - Birchbark Canoe
Builder - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stevecayard.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 122
Stonington Boat Works, LLC - - - - www.stoningtonboatworks.com - - - - - 128
Traditional Boat, LLC - - - - - - - - - - www.mainetraditionalboat.com - - - - 126
W-Class Yacht Company, LLC - - - - www.w-class.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 127

Brokers
Bartram & Brakenhoff Yacht
Brokerage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.bartbrak.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116
Brooklin Boat Yard - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.brooklinboatyard.com - - - - - - - - 120
Concordia Yacht Sales - - - - - - - - - - www.concordiaboats.com - - - - - - - - - 115
Cutts & Case - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.cuttsandcase.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 121
Edmiston & Company - - - - - - - - - - www.edmiston.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 117
Hacker Boat Co., Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - www.hackerboat.com - - - - - - - - - 113, 118
The Lady J
www.facebook.com/kettenburg40ladyj - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120
Lakewood Classic Boats - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 121
M/V MOVEABLE FEAST - - - - - - - www.huckinsmoveablefeast.com - - - - 119
Metinic Yacht Brokers - - - - - - - - - - www.sealcoveboatyard.com - - - - - - - - 115
Morin Boats - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.morinboats.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 114
Page Traditional Boats - - - - - - - - - - www.pagetraditionalboats.com - - - - - 119
S/V Mistral - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.mistral-yacht.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 115
Sparkman & Stephens, Inc. - - - - - - www.sparkmanstephens.com - - - - - - - 118
W-Class Yacht Company, LLC - - - - www.w-class.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 115, 119

Events
Antique & Classic Boat Festival - - Elf Classic Yacht Race - - - - - - - - - - Family BoatBuilding - - - - - - - - - - - Maritime Tour: Penobscot Bay
Food Cruise - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The WoodenBoat Show - - - - - - - - WoodenBoat 40th Anniversary - - Wooden Boat Festival - - - - - - - - - - WoodenBoat Regatta Series - - - - - -

www.boatfestival.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49
www.cyr.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22
www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12
www.thewoodenboatshow.com Cover III
www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
www.woodenboat.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - 107
www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 110

hardware & accessories
Airlette Manufacturing - - - - - - - - - www.airlette.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 77
Atlas Metal Sales - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.atlasmetal.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 40

Barkley Sound Oar & Paddle Ltd. www.barkleysoundoar.com - - - - - - - - - 31
Boatlife Division Of Life
Industries - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.boatlife.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15
Canadian Tack and Nail - - - - - - - - - www.canadiantackandnail.ca - - - - - - - - 76
Hamilton Marine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.hamiltonmarine.com - - - - - - - - - - 21
J.M. Reineck & Son - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.bronzeblocks.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 41
JBC Yacht Engineering - - - - - - - - - - www.hydralignprop.com - - - - - - - - - - 109
Marine Development & Research - www.mdramazon.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 51
New England Ropes - - - - - - - - - - - - www.neropes.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30
R&W Traditional Rigging &
Outfitting - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.rwrope.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49
Strong Fire Arms - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.strongfirearms.com - - - - - - - - - - - 77
Top Notch Fasteners - - - - - - - - - - - - www.tnfasteners.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 87
Wooden Boat Chandlery - - - - - - - - www.woodenboatchandlery.org - - - - - 67

Insurance
Allen Financial - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.allenif.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 50

Kits & Plans
Arch Davis Design - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.archdavisdesigns.com - - - - - - - Chesapeake Light Craft, LLC - - - - www.clcboats.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Devlin Designs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.devlinboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fiberglass Supply - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.fiberglasssupply.com - - - - - - - - Francois Vivier Architecte Naval - - www.vivierboats.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - Glen-L-Marine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.glen-l.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Guillemot Kayaks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.kayakplans.com - - - - - - - - - - - - Hewes & Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.cnc-marine-hewesco.com - - - - Marisol Skiff/ WoodenBoat Store - www.woodenboatstore.com - - - - - - - Pygmy Boats Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.pygmyboats.com - - - - - - - - - - - - Tippecanoe Boats, Ltd. - - - - - - - - - www.modelsailboat.com - - - - - - - - - - Waters Dancing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.watersdancing.com - - - - - - - - - -

lumber
Joubert Plywood - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.joubert-group.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 76

Prints & Publications
Getting Started in Boats - - - - - - - - Wood, Wind and Water - - - - - - - - WoodenBoat E-Newsletter - - - - - - WoodenBoat Subscription - - - - - -

www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
www.annetconverse.com - - - - - - - - - - - 87
www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 126
www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32

Sails
E.S. Bohndell & Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 112
Gambell & Hunter - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.gambellandhunter.net - - - - - - - - - 76
Nathaniel S. Wilson, Sailmaker - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 67
Sailrite Enterprises - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.sailrite.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4

Schools & Associations
Antique & Classic Boat Society - - - www.acbs.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23, 113
The Apprenticeshop - - - - - - - - - - - - www.apprenticeshop.org - - - - - - - - - - - 20
Center for Wooden Boats - - - - - - - www.cwb.org/campaign - - - - - - - - - - - - 87
Directory of Boat Schools - - - - - - - www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 121
Great Lakes Boat Building School www.glbbs.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 86
HCC METC - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - tech.honolulu.hawaii.edu/marr - - - - 112
International Yacht Restoration
School - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.iyrs.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 41
The Landing School - - - - - - - - - - - - www.landingschool.edu - - - - - - - - - - - - 31
Northwest School of Wooden
Boatboatbuilding - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.nwboatschool.org - - - - - - - 14, 50, 66
Westlawn Institute of Marine
Technology - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.westlawn.edu - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 48
WoodenBoat School - - - - - - - - - - - - www.woodenboat.com - - - - - - - - - - 10–11

Tools
Shelter Institute - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.shelterinstitute.com - - - - - - - - - - - 48

Miscellaneous
American Cruise Lines - - - - - - - - - Beta Marine US Ltd. - - - - - - - - - - - Christopher Ward (London) Ltd.
Half-Hull Classics - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Real McCoy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Schooners North - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Star Clippers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - U.S. Bells - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WoodenBoat Store - - - - - - - - - - - - -

www.americancruiselines.com - - - - - - - 9
www.betamarinenc.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 77
www.christopherward.co.uk - - - - - - - - 1
www.halfhull.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30
www.realmccoyspirits.com - - - - - - - - - - - 7
www.starboardnw.com - - - - - - - - - - - - 108
www.starclippers.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 51
www.usbells.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 67
www.woodenboatstore.com - - - - 102–104

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143

3/25/14 3:40 PM

by Maynard Bray

Three Classics—An Atkin Ketch, a Joel White Double-Ender,
and a Core Sounder

KRISTEN

BILL BECHART

ROB ISENBERG

Particulars

SYLVIA II

LOA
33'
Beam
10' 6"
Draft
4' 6"
Power 33-hp Westerbeke diesel
Designed by William Atkin
Built by Thompson Bros.,
Charlevoix, Michigan, 1927

Particulars

LOA
36'
Beam
8' 9"
Draft
2' 6"
Official no.
278885
Powered by Chrysler Crown gas
engine, freshwater-cooled with
dry exhaust
Built by James R. Willis,
Morehead City, North Carolina,
1933

MAYNARD BRAY

ROSE

LOA
LWL
Beam
Draft
Displ
Sail area

Particulars

29' 4"
23' 7"
9' 2"
4' 2"
10,525 lbs
430 sq ft

SYLVIA II and KRISTEN are now afloat and available for inspection. While both require work, their needs are less than many of
the classics we portray. ROSE is a shapely, well-constructed brand new hull that awaits completion.

SYLVIA II

A Core Sounder

B

uilt for fishing, SYLVIA II went on to carry mail
and serve as a waterborne school bus before being
rescued in 1976, after a sinking, by her present owners, who slightly reconfigured her for pleasure. She’s
presently afloat and operational, but really needs work
if she’s to be used beyond the sheltered Intracoastal
Waterway. SYLVIA II lies on Peltier Creek close to where
she was built and always lived. There are a couple of
bunks, though little else for accommodations—but
lots of possibilities. You’d be saving a historic boat, one
whose design evolved from the sharpies of New Haven,
Connecticut—a type that migrated to Core Sound
in the late 1800s after Long Island Sound oysterman
George Ives moved there in search of new oyster beds.
For more information or to arrange an inspection, contact owners Robert or Conni Simpson, 4500 Termite
Ln., Morehead City, NC 28557; 252–876–1881; [email protected].

KRISTEN

An Atkin Gaff-Rigged Cruising Ketch

H

ere’s a wholesome cruising boat that you can pretty
much climb aboard and use—after her masts are
stepped and the sails are bent on, that is. But that’s not to
say there’s no work ahead. Her rust-streaked hull has to be
painted; there’s refastening; keelbolts (although renewed
in the 1960s) should be checked; the 1985 engine hasn’t
been run in a couple of years; there’s some rot in the stem;

and at least one plank has to be replaced. Even so, there’s
a lot of usable boat here, and she comes fully equipped.
KRISTEN (ex-TRUANT) lies afloat at Fort Rachael
Marina, Mystic, Connecticut. For more information,
contact owner Bill Bechert, [email protected].

ROSE

An Unfinished Joel White Double-Ended Sloop

T

his design is described on pages 148–151 of the
book Joel White—Boatbuilder/Designer/Sailor, accompanied by Joel’s drawings and a color rendering by Kathy
Bray. This publication along with Bill Garden’s design
review in WB No. 90 are what inspired Jim Pearson to
begin construction. But, sadly, Jim died in the midst of
fairing the strip-planked hull that he’d built. Since the
fall of 2012, that hull, the mast and boom, rudder and
tiller, wooden mold for the ballast keel, and much of the
hardware has sat in Pearson’s Plainfield, Vermont, shop
awaiting a buyer. With the recent drop in asking price, a
reasonable investment could get you well on your way to
owning an unusually fine cruiser. Although he was not
a professional boatbuilder, Pearson’s work is first-class—
nothing amateur about it! For more information or to
arrange an inspection, contact Sandra Pearson, 63 Jerusalem Rd., Plainfield, VT 05667; 802–426–3563; jspearson@
fairpoint.net.

Maynard Bray is WoodenBoat’s technical editor.
Send candidates for Save a Classic to Maynard Bray, WoodenBoat,
P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616.

144 • WoodenBoat 238

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3/13/14 4:30 PM

The 23rdAnnual

June 27–29, 2014
Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut
Tickets & Information: 800-273-7447 • www.thewoodenboatshow.com
PRODUCED AND PRESENTED BY WOODENBOAT MAGAZINE

TM

WBShow14-237.indd 3

3/20/14 2:06 PM

5779AD - NA MicronCF Testimonial_Woodenboat_FP 2/24/14 2:52 PM Page 1

It’s an exceptional,
Copper-Free paint.
The bright color
looks great…
We wanted Copper-Free technology
that works, at all our locations and
in all water conditions. Micron CF
delivers that for us. It really works!
An extra bonus was the color. This is
the first Micron bottom paint in really
bright, crisp colors – so it’s a popular
choice with our customers.
Micron CF contains Econea to ward
off hard shell and Interlux slime
blocking technology (Biolux). It’s
a product that is very universal…
we use it on sail and powerboats,
for any type of waters.
This product has a reduced
environmental footprint, it’s copper
free and has significantly less solvent,
so much lower VOC emissions
than conventional paint.
Scan this QR code to see Molly’s video

Molly Strassel
Molly’s Marine Service

AN_200079_150114

, Interlux and all products mentioned are trademarks of AkzoNobel. © AkzoNobel 2014.

interlux238.indd 4

REAL Testimonials by REAL Americans
3/19/14 4:20 PM