Schooner launched

[Ken Hutchins]

The schooner Lois McClure was launched on July 3rd.
Lois McClure (http://www.lcmm.org/site/index/framesets/shipyard_framesets/frameset_shipyard.html)

[Dave K]

Hi - Very nice historical re-creation. Just a side-note that caught my interest...is the Mac McClure mentioned the fellow who used to own a small schooner to John Atkin's "Florence oakland" design? We used to write a few years ago and he is a most interesting and positive gentleman.

[brian.cunningham]

A schooner built for canal locks, neat!


Canal Schooners were built with an usual joint called a wedged dovetail joint. Similar to the way a timber frame house is built, each frame and floor has a dovetail tenon cut on one end. The chine is mortised out at each place a floor or frame intersects with it. This mortise is rectangular in shape, and has an angled undercut on one side to accept the dovetailed end of the frame. The tenon is inserted into the mortise, then driven over to lock the dovetail. A wedge is then driven alongside the frame to hold it all in place. While the middle 60 feet or so of the schooner is square in section, the bow and stern have more traditional curves. Where the chines end, sawn frames are assembled and put in place completing the shape of the boat. The fall of 2002 was spent fitting the shelf, a structural timber that both fastens frames together and supports the deck beams, and adding some deck beams to tie the structure together

[ 07-27-2004, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: brian.cunningham ]

[Noah]

I'm sorry I didn't post about this before. I have had the pleasure of watching her be built over the last couple of years. I never had time to volunteer because I have my own fleet of boats that need work...but those guys did a very good job with her. All seams were tight, and the general fit and finish was of very high standards. Paul Rollins is a pretty well respected boat builder who has made some very elegant craft. All of the builders associated with the boat are very talented. Rob Thompson has built a number of wonderful whitehall type boats that are always a please to look at. He has had a couple of articles in Woodenboat as well. He sometimes posts here under the name "Windfall Boats" or something like that.

I can't wait to see her out on the lake.

Noah

[ 07-27-2004, 10:32 PM: Message edited by: Noah ]

[Noah]

They didn't mention it in the write-up on the web, but there was only 1/4" of water in the bilge on launching. Pretty good for a boat of that size...

I don't know if Mac McClure ever had a schooner. I do know that he owned the Burlington Free Press, and must have built up a pretty good fortune. The McClure's were true philanthropists.

Mac passed away last winter I believe.

Noah