Looking for info on unique design.

[Pourquoi Rene]

SV Pourquoi Rene - Documentation 262486.

I have a 35 foot mast head sloop that was built in the Albina ship yard in Portland OR. in 1951. She is cypress on oak with a steel deck/house, very heavy scantlings. I know this yard was building mine sweepers at this time and the construction & fittings fit that model. I have added a bow sprit & staysail and other ginger bread and just completed a trip from Haines Alaska to Seattle then from Seattle back to Seward Alaska. GREAT TRIP! I know this vessel was completely rebuilt in Port Townsend by Jeff Rounds/Jeff Robertson in 1989? New lead keel, rudder, aluminum dodger was added and new Yanmar 55hp JHT.
I grew up on wooden boats and have never seen or heard of anything like her nor can I place the designer. Anyone on this forum that has any info on her or her designer I would appreciate it.

Regards

Scott
SV Pourquoi Rene
Seward AK

[peter radclyffe]

thats interesting, so cypress can be used for planking, does anyone else know about cypress

[johnw]

thats interesting, so cypress can be used for planking, does anyone else know about cypress
It's a great planking material, but why import it to Oregon? Port Orford cedar is considered at least as good.

I wonder if there was a mil spec requiring cypress for the minsweepers, and this was built with leftover lumber.

[peter radclyffe]

great you guys are spoilt for choice,

[peter radclyffe]

along with pitch pine , larch & d fir, which would you choose

[johnw]

Actually, it could be Port Orford cedar. Like Western red cedar and Alaska yellow cedar, it's actually a member of the cypress family. From Wikipedia:


Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is a cypress in the genus Chamaecyparis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis), family Cupressaceae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressaceae), known by the name Lawson's Cypress in the horticultural trade, or Port Orford-cedar in its native range (although not a true cedar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar)). C. lawsoniana is native to the southwest of Oregon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon) and the far northwest of California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California) in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States), occurring from sea level up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) altitude in mountain valleys, often along streams.
It is a large evergreen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen) coniferous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer) tree (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree), regularly reaching 50-70 m (200 ft) tall, with feathery foliage in flat sprays, usually somewhat glaucous blue-green in colour. The leaves are scale-like, 3-5 mm long, with narrow white markings on the underside, and produced on somewhat flattened shoots. The seed cones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer_cone) are globose, 7-14 mm diameter, with 6-10 scales, green at first, maturing brown in early fall, 6–8 months after pollination. The male cones are 3-4 mm long, dark red, turning brown after pollen release in early spring. The bark is reddish-brown, and fibrous to scaly in vertical strips.
It was first discovered (by Euro-Americans) near Port Orford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Orford,_Oregon) in Oregon and introduced into cultivation in 1854, by collectors working for the Lawson & Son nursery in Edinburgh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh), Scotland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland), after whom it was named as Lawson's Cypress by the describing botanist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanist) Andrew Murray (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Murray_%28botanist%29). The USDA (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CHLA) officially calls it by the name Port Orford Cedar, as do most people in its native area, but as it is not a cedar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar), many botanists prefer to avoid the name, using Lawson's Cypress, or in very rare instances Port Orford Cypress, instead to stop confusion. The horticultural industry, in which the species is very important, mostly uses the name Lawson's Cypress.


Don't know about pitch pine, but it's lighter than either larch or douglas fir, which to complete the cycle of confusion, is also called Oregon Pine.

[StevenBauer]

Some pictures might help identify the designer, Scott.


Steven

[Pourquoi Rene]

Trying to find a picture file that is small enough to up load.:mad:

[johnw]

you do know you can't just copy the picture in, right?

[Pourquoi Rene]

576


Best I could do!

[Pourquoi Rene]

Just got info from a chap in Portland that this boat was built in the back yard shed in a residential neighborhood as a power sailer for former commador of Portland yacht club in 1951, Frank Battaglia who was an Officer at the Albina shipyard. His son was a Dr. He sent pictures from yacht club news paper of her original design and a small story with many interesting facts and answers to unknowns. Her hull has not changed, but her "ballroom" house is gone. Her interior was completely redone/changed from builders wifes original layout. She was originally named Pourquoi because everyone kept asking "why are you building her like that" in reference to the steel deck on very heavy scantlings of cyprus hull. Evidently this was his dream design that he planned on building while managing the shipyard during the war years and once built he cruised her up to BC coast many times towing 3 dingys for all his kids/grandkids. Aluminum dodger was added in 1989 rebuild. Somewhere she had an engine fire (1968) Any way its been great fun researching and we are planning a nice 60th B-day cruise to celebrate. If this jogs a memory drop us a note. Cheers

[Cliff B]

I would place my bets on the Port Orford cedar, as it was THE boatbuilding wood in Oregon for many years. It is, in fact, the best west coast wood for hulls. Since the root rot hit the trees, along with over harvesting, and shipping the good trees to Japan for Shinto temples, the wood is extremely scarce and expensive. Clear stock goes from $9 to $23/bd ft, depending on the mood of the seller.
There is no southern cypress in Oregon.
A friend of mine sells POC and Alaska Yellow on his website: www.easycreeklumber.com (http://www.easycreeklumber.com)

Cliff