english elm

[Mike Newmeyer]

Does anyone know the latin name for the type of english elm used in the building of pilot gigs, and anybody know anything about the 8 oared cornish pilot or Scilly isles gigs?

[Dave Gray]

Mr. Smalser can probably do better than this but here is what I found:

http://www.mcconnel.co.uk/hmso.html#F

Elm, English and Elm Dutch

Ulmus procera and Ulmus hollandica

Other names Red elm Nave Elm (Great Britain)

http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism/2004/10/28.html
Every English elm may be a clone of a single tree originally introduced into Britain from Spain 2,000 years ago as a part of the Roman wine industry, according to a study published today.

Scientists have discovered hardly any genetic variation between English elms from Spain and Britain, which are also closely related to elms in central Italy.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Ahem, Cornish gigs are planked with wych elm, Ulmus glabra.

This is not the same tree as the once-common English elm, aka the coffin board elm, Ulmus procera.

U. glabra propagates only sexually, U. procera is infertile and propagates only vegetatively.

Alas U. glabra is almost as susceptible to Dutch elm disease as U. procera

From the boatbuilding point of view, wych elm is much to be preferred, being tougher and notably more durable.

[Clencher]

As well as those species mentioned by Andrew we also have in the UK other Elm species and hybrid varieties. Most relevant to this thread is the Cornish Elm, variously classified as Ulmus carpinifolia var cornubiensis or Ulmus augustifolia. Purists may tell you that the Cornish Pilot Gigs were built of Cornish Elm. Elms, particularly the hybrids, are notoriously difficult to tell apart and it has to be suspected that any Elm log felled in Cornwall which yielded quality timber for boatbuilding was called Cornish Elm. Wych Elm (U. glabra) was more common in the north of England and Scotland.

There was a superb example of a new build Pilot Gig out of elm at the Beale Park show this year, built by Win Cnoops of the Slipway Co-operative in Bristol.

www.slipwaycooperative.co.uk (http://www.slipwaycooperative.co.uk/)

There are some good pictures of this boat at:

www.intheboatshed.net (http://www.intheboatshed.net/)

Put Pilot gig in the search box on this one as there’s stuff in various locations.

Win Cnoops explained to me that Pilot Gigs for racing have to be built to tight specs in both design and the timbers used. It may be worth your while contacting him at the Slipway Co-op.

There’s also some good stuff on Elms at:

www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/TreeGallery/elmc.htm (http://www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/TreeGallery/elmc.htm)

www.forestry.gov.UK/fr/HCOU-4U4JCL (http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/HCOU-4U4JCL)

Here is a quote about Elm from “A Modern Herbal” 1931 by M. Grieve:

“All parts of the tree, including sapwood, are used in carpentry. The wood is close-grained, free from knots, hard and tough, and not subject to splitting, but it does not take a high polish. It does not crack when once seasoned and is remarkably durable under water, being specially adapted for any purpose which requires exposure to wet. To prevent shrinking and warping in drying, it may be preserved in water or mud, but is best worked up soon after felling. In drying, the wood loses over 60 per cent of its weight.
Elm wood is used for keels and bilge planks, the blocks and dead eyes of rigging and ship's pumps, for coffins, wheels, furniture, turned articles and general carpenter's work. Elm boards are largely used for lining the interior of carts, wagons and wheelbarrows on account of the extreme toughness of the wood, and it has been much employed in the past for making sheds, most of the existing farm buildings being covered with elm. Previous to the common employment of cast-iron, Elm was very much in use for waterpipes.
The inner bark is very tough and is made into mats and ropes.”

My experience of Elm (U.procera) in boatbuilding is that it was commonly used as planking, particularly in small workboats. Sometimes it would just be used for the garboards since it steamed well if there were severe twists at the hood ends and tuck, and for sheer strakes as it was an attractive timber when bright finished. It was also popular for transoms since the ‘confused’ grain held fastenings well in the end grain sections. Although prone to rot, it seemed to last well if kept in a wet, preferably salty environment. Rot would get it if it was subject to fresh water and then drying. Seemed to be dry rot to me but Bob S is the expert. In a boat built by grandfather in 1948 the elm sheerstrakes lasted for about 25 years, the elm transom about 40 years and the elm garboards are still in her, but need replacing now.

Before Dutch Elm disease, the timber was easily obtained and reasonably priced. Now it is very difficult to find in the UK, but this may not be so on the continent.

Hope this is of some use and I haven’t bored everybody to tears or sleep.

[Jay Greer]

One of the interesting properties of Wych Elm aside from it's strength and excellent bending properties is the fact that the more it is scrubbed, the whiter it becomes. This is the reason that Herreshoff specified it for cockpit gratings and galley drain boards. Wych Elm is reasonably rot resistant as well. Those beautiful steam bent cockpit combings on the Herreshoff boats were also made of Elm. When varnished, it resembles teak; so much so that only close inspection will prove it to be otherwise.
Jay

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I'd like to thank Clencher for his outstanding essay, which ought to be preserved in a section on timbers in boatbuilding.

Jay is absolutely correct also. A scrubbed elm rail was the usual fitting on Victorian yachts, but, like scrubbed pine decks, only practical with a full time crew. My boat has elm block shells and they are now seventy years old - they take very well to Deks Olje, fwiw!

[Dave Fleming]

I have read, more than once, a book by George Stuart called The Wheel Wrights Shop.

Time frame early 1900's or thereabout.

He was the the third generation of owners of a small wheelwrights shop in rural England. It was his responsibilty to go into the woods with the fallers and choose which trees were to be felled for future new and repair work on rural farm carts and wagons.
He wrote at some length on the ELM tree and it's uses principally for wheel hubs because of its toughness and interlocking grain.
Really a nice little book and to me, worth it just for the portrait of rural England and a time long gone along with the skills of the craftsmen he had working for him in his shop.
Of course he does not mention the specific Latin name for the species of ELM, sigh.

[Stephen]

Carlotta has a lot of her original English Elm from 1899. She was planked in Elm from 2' below her waterline downwards (with the exception of an Oak bilge strake on each side), her lower deadwood is Elm, and her keel is Elm.
I drilled a hole to mount a zinc on her Elm keel last year - it was like driving into rock it was so tough!
If kept wet it will last a very long time. However it does not like to be repeatedly cycled between wet and dry - which leads to a relatively quick break down of its cell structure compared to other woods.

[Clencher]

Well thank you Andrew and I apologise again for writing an essay, can't help it, trees and timbers I find so interesting I get carried away.

Stephen, how wonderful that English Elm from 1899 is still going strong in Carlotta and your point about elm not liking repeated cycling between wet and dry explains exactly why the elm on my boat deteriorated when it did.

[Stephen]

I went back and looked at the building specifications of Carlotta and found that it specifies English Elm for the pieces I previously mentioned (keel,planks,etc) and calls for American Elm for the main rail .