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“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Thanks to all my WB...

Thank you Bernadette for your heartfelt post. Your words inspire me.

Cheers,
Jay

Last year sucked for everybody. On October 16, 2020 I was set out to sea, so to speak, because I had a stroke. Haven't been ignoring everybody, but I'm still trying to get my sea legs back. Love...

I have always made up bulkheads in tripple laminents. This is what Larry Pardy did as well. I learned from the old guys in the shops I worked in as a kid. The inner layer is made up of T&G with no...

You look very comfortable there Ken!
Jay

Some boats use "Lazy Jacks" in place of the topping lift. When not in use they are cleated near the goose neck and pass under the boom until needed for dropping the sail. Then they are led aft and...

If you use the counter top vertical grain maple you will have no glue stink in your sink!
Bird

your can use a block of wood that has been drilled on a drill press to accept the drill as Peter mentions in post #2 or use a Rockler guide that does the same thing. ...

You need to block up the underside of the keel at the transom to keep it from sagging or what we call hogging.
How far do you wish to go in the restoration? It is a nice looking little ship!
Jay

The flatting agent in most paints is silicone/glass powder that is held in a vehicle for suspension. Jeff is correct in that one has to experiment with samples before commenting a large mix to the...

Unless the designer calls for "fixed bulkheads", there can be a danger of having them perimantly cause unfair areas in the hull due to the need of a wooden hull to twist in a seaway and the...

I guess I am in the minority now as I still use Fuller Counterbores for nearly all fastenings I drive. We all used them when wooden boats were the only boats to be had or made! Clean cutting and...

As for the Wainscotting, there are router bits made that will cut stock but the size is sometimes not right for a match to existing stock. I had a set of custom bits made up years ago as I often use...

Peb,
Teak is a viable wood to use if you can't find the rock elm. Another wood is vertical grain Maple. It can be purchased as glued up counter top slab material and is made up of end grain blocks...

Hugh Angleman was a good friend of mine along with his partner Charlie Daveys. I worked with them on their Sea Witch and Bounty Ketches. But I was never in Hugh's house what did that room look...

That boat design cries out for a tripple expansion steam engine!
Jay

Get a post under that stem or the boat will hog! The stern is a good place as well!
Jay

Good question Nick. The sure look like bilge stringers to me! They are right at the turn of the bilge just at the beginning of the dead rise down to the keel which is a place that many lightly...

I really don't like crewing on boats that need a diaper or safty straps to keep a person in their bunk when off watch!
Jay

Ron, I am going to mention something that will save you a lot of effort and frustration as well as add some beauty to your little ship. Rather than fussing with that delamitation and being...

Hi Christian,
Yesterday I recommended the Port Townsend Foundry for another poster who was seeking special hardware. I think you are looking for a swivel mounted block and jamb cleat. I have seen...

Keep in mind that this is a small boat, a dinghy! Larger boats need floors and frames that attached, often at every other frame.
Here only a few floors are needed and only those few need keel...

Nick is right about that layup. I must also say that drift bolting is also a must. While glassing can be an added assist, normally water has a way of invading such structures and will eventually...

If you can go to a glass shop and get a piece of plate glass cut to fit a sheet of wet and dry sandpaper it will be cheaper than buying diamond plates. A draw knife that has been hollow ground on...

First I usually will strip as much finish as possible on such a job such as this. Often there are hidden problems that come to light and having a good step by step plan starts with the paint removal....

Dewaxed shellac flakes can be purchased here. https://wellermart.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIntS1wL-q7AIVlhitBh2oug4gE
If you have a large area to prime then making your own shellac can save you some...

I deal with the Port Townsend Foundry. They have over two thousand of my own patterns. Pete Langey is the owner there take a moment to check out some of their classic custom castings as well as...

He is the tool makers tool maker for sure!
Jay

I will show some more when I can find my camera.
Jay

I might add here that if you are seeking to have a flat bottomed hole with a straight sided counterbore for a plug,
you should consider using a counter bore that is attached to the drill of your...

Here is the view from the porch. That original Kamado Oven has had two new tops and one new bottom in the last forty years! This oven was a second hand gift from a friend who was not into loading...

The 110s were designed in Marblehead in roughly 1937. You can check them out here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_110
The boats are 24' loa with 4' of beam. The are flat bottomed...

Thank you Dave, "Autumn Leaves" is a fascinating boat! Like the 110s the hull can be unstable at times I would guess? Skinny water boats are always filled with the possibilty of adventure that...

Tell us more about your boat Woxbox. It reminds me of an International 110 hull.
Jay

Nick is right! I had to use larger screws on my own boat as I had no plate to attach to.
Jay

When I apprenticed as a spar maker, we often would make wood bodied planes out of beech to fit the curve of the mast shape for hollowing and finishing the outer and inner surfaces. This was oftern...

That double block came from the rigging of an old coasting schooner sadly I don't remember the name. The tray on the wall is made of trap door snail shell and I found it in a junk pile near the San...

I vote for a museum or a foundation like MIT. They have the Herreshoff plans. That way they are preserved and copies can be made available.
Jay

Out of the wind and spray unless it is a nice day!
Jay

Larks has the right idea of making the drip pan simple to remove and clean under. I might add that if you can afford it, making the pan of bronze plate will save a world of curising over rust and...

I have the same fitting on the mizzen boom of our H28. What does stand to reason is to use a bronze plate under it that will elongate the attachment point to he mast with bronze machine screws to...

That is indeed a jewel in the rough. Hopefully someone of equal talent and ability to your Grandfather will acquire and finish it! That design sings Herreshoff in inspiration.
Jay

Well, here is the fire place that does not smoke or bother the neighbors that have forced heat and air conditioning. The models are a few that I have carved. The biggest is the original model for...

Thanks Hugh. The trick is in making the difficult look easy. I will say that L. Francis Herreshoff was the king of collecting, I am just an amateur.
Jay

Herreshoff himself both L.Francis and his father Nathanial used cast bronze bands around several of their mast designs as well as a fitting on a bronze plate. The reasoning here is that you have...

Since I have posted photos of the tiny shop in another posting, there is no reason to repeat it again. The house and shop warmed in the winter by a fireplace and wood stove. Because it does not...

There are a vast number of designs that will fit your requirement for an easy rider at anchor. Flat bottoms do have a marked tendency to slap or pound depending on the amount of chop. A good design...

I am reminded here Timo, that a fella can never have too many clamps!
Nice Work!
Jay

Well Steamboat if you were out West I would put you to work with all those skills you have! What a lovely boat she is!
Jay

That outta surprize a squirrel or two!
Jay