Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

[lupussonic]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

See lupussonic for the gold standard in how it should be done

I'll take that.

I strongly disagree with you.

But I'll take that.

Big wooden boats are doing it the hard way, thankfully there are enough insane people still around to get some done.

I have a wealth of friends in Cornwall who live on pilchard drivers, East coast smacks, old luggers, who rebuild, cruise and race them, like 20 people, 18 boats. They are strictly anti-internet because they live the life, and to 'show and tell' it would dilute and compromise their integrity. Proper boat gypsies who have an enormous amount of wooden boat and sailing knowledge. I respect that and do not infringe on their right to privacy.

If I did, the WBF would wet itself.

Me, I have no such pride.

Wooden boat building is alive and well in Cornwall.

[cstevens]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

I'll take that.

I strongly disagree with you.

But I'll take that.

Big wooden boats are doing it the hard way, thankfully there are enough insane people still around to get some done.

I have a wealth of friends in Cornwall who live on pilchard drivers, East coast smacks, old luggers, who rebuild, cruise and race them, like 20 people, 18 boats. They are strictly anti-internet because they live the life, and to 'show and tell' it would dilute and compromise their integrity. Proper boat gypsies who have an enormous amount of wooden boat and sailing knowledge. I respect that and do not infringe on their right to privacy.

If I did, the WBF would wet itself.

Me, I have no such pride.

Wooden boat building is alive and well in Cornwall.

I've always wanted to visit Cornwall. Probably comes from reading too much Enid Blyton when I was a kid. And this secretive sect of luddites on old boats sounds like my sort of people, even if I do live in the world of the internet myself. Might need to make that a vacation destination this year.

[wizbang 13]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

No Chris, That is not a vacation destination for you, it is a cruising destination. Your new bride sez so.

[cstevens]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

No Chris, That is not a vacation destination for you, it is a cruising destination. Your new bride sez so.

Well, maybe not a cruising destination in the sense of sailing there - since I don't have a suitable boat, have no experience with blue water cruising and know that my bride is never going to go offshore to any distance from which she cannot see land, but:

http://www.shirecruisers.co.uk/narrowboat/cornwall.php

Hmmmm....

[wizbang 13]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Oh crap I am sorry , I mixed you up with the fellow building the ingrid in Mass.!
His boat being his new bride

[cstevens]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Oh crap I am sorry , I mixed you up with the fellow building the ingrid in Mass.!
His boat being his new bride

Ha! I wondered, especially since my bride is not so new after ten years of marriage

[sdenette]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Oh crap I am sorry , I mixed you up with the fellow building the ingrid in Mass.!
His boat being his new bride

Ill add it to the list, sounds like a place I would enjoy.
and you ain't wrong, does this mean I like them big and curvy? Haha

I am the guy building the Ingrid

[Sailor]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Don't tell her that. She's new every day and don't you forget it.

[wizbang 13]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Ill add it to the list, sounds like a place I would enjoy.
and you ain't wrong, does this mean I like them big and curvy? Haha


I am the guy building the Ingrid

Broad hips, Big t#ts and Beamy ships.
a little saying we Colin Archer types have

[sdenette]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Broad hips, Big t#ts and Beamy ships.
a little saying we Colin Archer types have

Love it! Haha

[pelagos]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

As someone who read probably hundreds of threads on this forum before buying a plywood trailer sailer project, I'd say the reason no.1 I don't have an old decrepit Vertue, or similar "proper" wooden boat, is because you guys talked me out of it based on all the stories of failure and decades of work. I'd still like to own one later, but I'll work my way up. (Reason no.2 is I need more seahandling skills before sailing a proper yacht)

[artif]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

Here you go, no need to leave sight of shore if you don't want http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/
And here is a good excuse to make the trip http://www.falmouthclassics.org.uk/r...ng-boats-2017/

Well, maybe not a cruising destination in the sense of sailing there - since I don't have a suitable boat, have no experience with blue water cruising and know that my bride is never going to go offshore to any distance from which she cannot see land, but:

http://www.shirecruisers.co.uk/narrowboat/cornwall.php

Hmmmm....

[swoody126]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

WOW what a sound beating some of us are getting

as stated above Manual Arts Education was deem'd outdated and has seen a serious decline since the late 80's(though not from lack of interest)

the powers that were back then decided all our children needed to goto college and pursuing careers that involved working with their hands was demeaning

¿ a portion of the problem ?

our living space has taken a huge hit as the population of our earth has exploded

more folks in smaller homes on smaller lots with less n less space for projects involving/needing larger spaces

actual manufacturing jobs have left our shores and folks who are adept at working with their hands are fewer by far

with the emphasis on activities like "clutter ball" & "cheer"(sports for the very young) parents have less n less time for personal projects

projects that can be realized in the space of a single car garage and completed after the kids goto bed are more n more appealing

machining materials is beyond the skills and the equipment required is beyond the budget/space of the average parent/family, in the overall scheme of life

simple tools and materials are about as much as the common hobbiest can afford and/or store(knot to mention find locally...)

materials suitable for "fine boatbuilding" are becomming harder n harder to find n source and usually involve a $tiff $hipping co$t to acquire

some tyme back the above mentioned designers realized a niche for younger families and would be builders BIG BOX STORE PLYWOOD and the science of glues/fasteners/processes was progressing rapidly

plans for the GARAGE BUILDER began popping up and the chosen materials evolved to PLYWOOD & EPOXY

with a lack of formal training and finely tuned skills some of the fears of the would be builder were alleviated to a great extent with these new concepts/designs/processes/materials...

PLYWOOD IS FLAT(DUH) and many of the resulting projects had/have flat/slab sides & bottoms

as tyme marched on multi-chined watercraft began popping up and more would be builders became a builders

these noobies began realizing success and found themselves ON THE WATER in WOODEN BOATS they built with their own hands

so what if their BOATS were made of PLYWOOD... THEY'RE ON THE WATER!

my personal heritage involves a grandfather who as a fine surgeon built boats for relaxation and TO GET ON THE WATER

dad said i was conceived in one of my grandfather's creations(mom wouldn't comment...)

growing up we didn't have any extra $$ so we had to make what we needed/wanted

i think i rememberize dad said the plans for our first boat build came from the above mentioned RUDDER MAGAZINE

my first solo sailing experience was in a SLAB SIDED PLYWOODEN OPTI

and we built our 1st ALCORT SAILFISH(wooden) from a kit in the livingroom

the list goes on n on...

YES WOODEN BOAT BUILDING HAS EVOLVED as has this and several other forums

i am in the process of posting my 2nd thread devoted to building a small plywooden boat and from the hits i get on the counter i feel there must be some interest from readers of this forum

the 1st was a PORTUGUESE DINGHY built stitch n tape

the current build is a MINI MOUSEBOAT being built w/ semi traditional framing and using TITE-BOND III glue

i try to represent my builds with actual experiences(good and not so good) and pics

when folks realize they have the interest & wherewithal to create their own boat they too will wade in and start something

with mine and other's posts to prod them along i hope many more individuals get in the game and build their own boat

SLAB SIDED/PLYWOOD AND HELD TOGETHER W/ EPOXY & GLASS CLOTH

once successful folks tend to keep on keeping on...

EVERYONE appreciates the skills and devotion involved in tradionally built wooden watercraft AND we love seeing the pictures and reading about them(adventures in them, their builds, repairs and restorations)

i just hope more folks will begin posting their projects(wooden watercraft and related projects) and inciting others to get off dead center and start making saw dust

sw

[sailcanoefan]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

If there are no more traditional boat building and restoration.....and no more plywood / epoxy ''kit'' boat building.......

This magazine and forum will become ''fossil'' like dinosaurs.

Plywood and epoxy boat building is probably the last chance to WBF before everyone go ''Computer gamer'', in other words, producing nothing.

[BrianM]

Re: Decline of Real Wood Building and Restoration Threads

I've been a "DIY" boat builder since I was a teenager.. way back in early 80's. I built a "traditional" small boat, but did not have the wisdom to understand that a carvel boat must be kept wet, so my dory was a big P.I.A. everytime I launched her (shrinking and NOT swelling). I moved on to plywood and experimented with the better solution for small boats that must be kept on trailers, clinker construction. Fast forward to having an income and keeping a traditionally carvel planked boat.. in a marina. In California, you have NO CHOICE. It MUST be Marina kept.. there are but one or two anchorages left in the state, and those are getting closed fast. The COSTs of Marina storage are high.

So why so may epoxy/ply boats? Not hard to connect the dots, at least on the West Coast of USA. And obviously, plywood allows a much lower skill level to still achieve a functional boat.