The Schooner Martha Restoration Saturday Invite!

[Bob Triggs]

I wanted to share with people here that the Schooner Martha Foundation has an Open Shop policy for those interested in seeing the ongoing winter 2007-2008 restoration work on the Schooner Martha. This project will continue into early May.

She is in the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op work shed in the Boat Haven in Port Townsend. Extensive reconstruction of Martha's 100 year old timbers, frames and much of her planking, a myriad of related items, and her interior, are being accomlished in much the same manner as was original to her construction. Captain Robert d'Arcy and his support team of wooden boat shipwrights and volunteers will be available to show people the work done so far and to answer any questions you might have. This is a rare opportunity to experience up close the inner workings of traditional racing schooner design, construction and restoration.

Updated 6/1/08: Visitors are always welcome to visit the Schooner Martha restoration project during regular working hours, and weekends. She is now berthed at the Point Hudson Boat Marina in Port Townsend

www.schoonermartha.org

[BETTY-B]

For those around the world that can't stop by in person, here's a taste of what's going on over there on beautiful Martha:











DAN

[BETTY-B]

[BETTY-B]

[Lew Barrett]

Sorry I can't make it. Looks like some serious stuff!

[Bob Triggs]

Captain d'Arcy and his team will be working on Martha every day until she is launched this spring. Visitors come by on most days and all are welcome. Don't be intimidated- they are just about the nicest people you will ever meet and the Martha restoration project is truly extroadinary for it's planning, scope, and the sheer amount of work that is getting done every single day, every week.

[S B]

Delightful

[Spin_Drift]

Wow, that's really something to behold. Thanks for the pix, Dan. Lot of work.

Unbelievably beautiful boat. What's the specs on her?

[BETTY-B]

Specs:
http://www.schoonermartha.org/history.html

I took those pictures several weeks ago. I'll make sure to get s'more when back there later this coming week.

DAN

[Michael Beckman]

I worked on Martha last winter, and went on a couple of trips in the summer. It was fun while it lasted. However, standard highschool drama pushed me away. I don't need to deal with any extra stress.

Anyway, cool pictures. Interesting to see her wide open like that. I suppose I should stop by sometime and take a look..

[TimH]

So whats with purpleheart these days? is it better than white oak? more readily available in large sizes? cheaper?

[Yeadon]

Purpleheart is about a third the price of white oak. Seems pretty dimensionally stable.

It'll give you big slivers, though.

[Lew Barrett]

So whats with purpleheart these days? is it better than white oak? more readily available in large sizes? cheaper?

We have used it for butt blocks. It is reasonably priced (for the moment) strong, attractive and has good rot resistance.

[Spin_Drift]

Dan, I was looking for photos of the interior. Would be interesting to see.

That's some serious crew they have.. wow, two with USCG 100 ton licensed...

[BETTY-B]

This page has some

None of the following images are mine.
DAN

[pcford]

Is this guy funning with us?

[Bob Triggs]

Nope! He is putting a light chamfer edge on the Angelique frames where they will be exposed inboard, to protect hands, fabrics etc. Its the last step before they are clamped in place, bolted and drifted.

That "Guy" is working six full days a week all winter long on the Schooner Martha and he is a skilled volunteer shipwright.

Martha attracts good people.

[Steveh]

Those keyboard fumbles eh Bob. :-)

Wow, that's one beautiful boat and work. Is that oil on the garboards? and what's the white stuff in the plugs? If it is oil the white stuff must be compatible

[Bob Triggs]

Those keyboard fumbles eh Bob. :-)

Wow, that's one beautiful boat and work. Is that oil on the garboards? and what's the white stuff in the plugs? If it is oil the white stuff must be compatible

They were switching to a new server as I was posting that last night.

Yes, it's "boat sauce" and they put it on the garboard prior to steaming.

"The white stuff" The plank screw bungs were set in a primer that reacts with moisture to cure. The cedar nails that were used in the frames to fill old fastener voids are set in polyurethane glue.

[pcford]

Is this guy "funning" with us?

Nope! He is putting a light chamfer edge on the Angelique frames

My point was that he is using the spokeshave against the grain.

[Bob Triggs]

Is this guy "funning" with us?



My point was that he is using the spokeshave against the grain.

I just noticed that too...the Angelique is very dense and the shave is razor sharp, it cuts cleanly with a skewed angle approach in either grain direction. This is just a minor chamfer to break the edge. My point was just to share some more of the remarkable story of Martha and all of the work being done by this extroadinary crew. Im hoping Dan will be able to update us with his pictures here once in awhile.

[Bob Triggs]

Well we are just working like mad and this week they expect the shutter plank for the starboard side to go in on friday. We fastened the garboard in on the port side today, along with some more fairing etc.

Its quite an experience to be amidst so much activity; as Mark and Greg lay out plank lines and spile the new planks shapes, mark the templates to the stock, and then cut the plank from the huge Sepele boards, ( a few hundred pounds each! ), and Antonio is battening and fine tuning the fairing on frames on the other side, while up inside Chris is bolting in the forward section of a new Larch bilge stringer, and I am preparing the rabbett in the forefoot for the forward port garboard plank, while Miles is setting in bungs, and Tucker is up inside with a huge sander, (Some days the volunteer's names change, along with some of the tasks, but the few Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-op professionals are there like anchors. And they have even taken to donating a few hours themselves.)

Meanwhile, back aft, Captain Robert d'Arcy (a disturbingly energetic individual) is checking on the planking lines, or the battening, and then walking forward to get a tool, helping someone find something, while answering the phone, and someone else asks him a question while he measures something else, and then he has to decide on how something else needs to be done...and he's trying to work out a problem with the steamer...then a few visitors show up and he greets them, and the phone rings again: the mechanic has a question.

Then in a flash as a plank man yells for help and the whole choreography shifts as we all meet at the starboard side and lift the next big plank into place together, clamp it in and drive it tight with wedges, clamps and mauls. Then we get up on the scaffold planks-three in a row- and one handles the drill and countersink, carefully following the pattern of holes in the planks and frames, while the next person in line lubes and inserts the 4" bronze screws, and then the third man drives the screws with a heavy 1/2" two-handled drill driver. The wood is very hard and the chance of breaking a bit or driver is constant. The ribbing is merciless. Then we all go back to what we are doing while the plank men get out the next one.

At noon Holly d'Arcy brings a big box of lunches for the crew, and we take a break from work- only to talk about Martha the whole time. Stories about her past, her builders of 101 years ago, how the wood feels, the weight of the planks, what we found today along the way- She consumes us. After lunch and coffee we resume. We will work now until 6 pm. Since the solstice we have gained 2 minutes of daylight a day- were using all of it- and it is getting warmer.

There are an hundred and one other tasks accomplished simultaneously in the same day; trips to the ship saw for a bevel cut, helping the shipwrights to move the planking stock again, a trip to the ship supply, a drive to the gas station for more kerosene for the steam box heater, someone needs to use the grinder in the metal shop, we need to pick up more bronze screws. Anywhere from three to ten garbage cans have to be emptied. Then at the end of the day we stow tools, clean up the site, throw out the trash, check in with Robert and get ready for tomorrow. At night I will be regrinding the hardened driver bits that broke or chipped, sharpening a cutter, or making a few hundred more 3/4" Sepele bungs to stay ahead of the plankers...so it goes.

(Hope to have more pictures up soon. )

[Eric Hvalsoe]

Where do you get 4" bronze screws - you actually mean flat head wood screws, not lags? Great comments and pictures. So, Purpleheart into the backbone, Angilique futtocks, Sapele planking . . .

[Bob Triggs]

Where do you get 4" bronze screws - you actually mean flat head wood screws, not lags? Great comments and pictures. So, Purpleheart into the backbone, Angilique futtocks, Sapele planking . . .

Eric,

Yes; they are silicone bronze, flat head, slotted wood screws, 4" and they are size #24 They are sharp as heck and we are setting them with a power driver and a bit & brace. Bronze screws from: Fasco Fastener Co Alameda, CA (Telephone: 510-522- 4049)

Additionally, from a range of diameters in bronze rod; all of the bronze drifts were hand cut to length, all of the bronze bolts were hand cut to length and then hand/power threaded. The enormous sternpost and related timbers were all fixed by hand made threaded bronze bolts. A few were over almost four feet long. You should have seen us drilling that hole!

I can attest to the heft of the Purpleheart and Angelique rough timbers too. The Sepele planking stock is coming in at over 2" thick, 20 something inches wide, and over 30 feet long. Interestingly, the Angelique frame futtocks going in are lighter than the 101 year old oak frames we have removed. I think that the accumulated moisture, minerals, and a lot of iron had something to do with all of that. It is a unique combination of the terse and rough, and the fineness of fit and precision of each piece as it interfaces with the next. The plankers strive to hold exacting dimensions on every one of the six planes of each plank, and they constantly adjust, trim and cajole the planks into place. Everything ends with a rock solid fit that rings when the last maul strikes it down. Then there is the next one. Wooden boats may seem to be rough, especially big ones like Martha. But everything lands perfectly to a fine pencil line or knife cut, and anything that it takes to get there is merely sacrificial.

Today we cranked out fastening the forward garboard on the port side, then lining and spiling to port. The port frames need final fairing as we go. Lots of reconciliations between the port and starboard sides to bring about a sweetness of her lines. After all of the measuring and referencing, fine marks and careful rechecking- it can only be done by eye. Each curve of visual weight balanced to the next. Antonio Salguero and Robert d'Arcy are both artists at this. Later Robert will follow the plankers with a huge grinder wheel as he gets out Martha's final shape. And then there's the longboarding. They got in some of the last few starboard planks today. We ran out of bungs too. And the plank men are ready to shutter the starboard side tomorrow. The usual chaos of a dozen or more things is still going on all at one time, with the central theme being the orchestration of the planking. The entire job has taken on a new aura of immediacy today as we finally see Martha's fine lines and sleekness returning. I just had dinner and a cup of coffee, back to the shop now to sharpen some bits, and just a few hundred bungs to turn out tonight. By tomorrow afternoon I will be behind again...

1:00 a.m. footnote: 600 3/4" Sepele bungs cut, honed two razor-sharp bits and counterbores...now all I need is some sleep.

Sunday p.m. footnote: On friday the plankers- Mark and Greg- drove in the last (shutter) plank on the starboard side. There is something so satisfying about that last whack, on the last plank, and the "ring" that it makes as it comes home solid to a tight, clean fit. Then after lunch they began working on the port side. Antonio has already gotten the port garboards in over the past few days. This vessel is 50 feet at her waterline and they expect to have the port side planked in another week. I have been a woodworking craftsman for most of my adult life, I have worked on all kinds of crews in a variety of shops and projects, job sites etc. But I have never before seen the confidence, skill and sheer work ethic that these guys have. Humbling indeed.

[Don Kurylko]

Nicely written, Bob Triggs, very nicely written! Keep it coming.

[Yeadon]

I think they had some #18 bronze flat head screws that were about that long down at Stoneway Hardware.

[MAGIC's Craig]

Thanks, Bob, for the pictures and description. Those of us who are MARTHA fans - yet far away at the moment- can better follow along with Robert's incredible efforts and the fine crew helping out. BTW, folks, MARTHA once fell off a ways, crushing her port side, if I recall, so "eyeballing" her back into shape is necessary.

Craig and Vicky Johnsen
schooner MAGIC
La Paz, MX

[Bob Triggs]

In the past week they have managed to get Martha's starboard side mostly faired, and now being caulked, while the port side planking has been going in like gangbusters, and serious work continues on her interior. On monday or tuesday at the latest the final (true) shutter plank will go in. This is a very exciting time around the shed as so much is coming together after three months of very heavy work. A major milestone in the 101 year old Schooner Martha restoration.

Everyone is commenting on how beautiful Martha's lines are now that they can see them again. Accentuated by the raw Sepele planks; long, sweet and lithe, with their crisp edges and darkly prominent unfilled seams, there is a kind of unique, raw beauty to seeing her shape this way. We often run our rough hands along her smoothed hull as we pass from one end of the boat to the other. Even with other tasks in mind we find time to admire her emerging grace. With plenty of work left to finish on this project- the shutter plank will bring renewed enthusiasm and spirit to the crew in the weeks ahead.

Great kudos go out to Antonio Salguero, Mark Kubiak, Greg Fredericks and Ace Caulker Eric Moose Wilson, of the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op for a level of personal committment, craftsmanship and productivity that has brought the project forward at an inspiring pace. Each has set personal plans aside to lend more time to the job. The Co-op has really made this project possible in a big way with the generous support from their members, staff and workshops often at Martha's disposal.

As always the Schooner Martha welcomes admirers and and supporters to visit this remarkable restoration project. www.schoonermartha.org

Tuesday 3/25/08 PM Update- Shutter plank went in today at 1:00 pm. It only took them a week and a half to plank the port side. Some of those planks are over 30 feet long, and weigh over 200 pounds, with complex shapes and tapers, bevels. And they fit so well we tap them in with a good squeek when they hit solid. Hard to describe how good this day feels.

[MAGIC's Craig]

Well scribed, Bob!
**************
Everyone is commenting on how beautiful Martha's lines are now that they can see them again. Accentuated by the raw Sepele planks; long, sweet and lithe, with their crisp edges and darkly prominent unfilled seams, there is a kind of unique, raw beauty to seeing her shape this way. We often run our rough hands along her smoothed hull as we pass from one end of the boat to the other. Even with other tasks in mind we find time to admire her emerging grace. With plenty of work left to finish on this project- the shutter plank will bring renewed enthusiasm and spirit to the crew in the weeks ahead.
***********
She sure ain't the "ole potato barge" no more! Her lovliness is once again shining through. And would you post another picture or three?

Many thanks from the MAGICians

[Bob Triggs]

In the past three weeks Robert d'Arcy and the Schooner Martha restoration crew have forged ahead with so many different tasks being acomplished all at once that the shed looks more like an ant hill than a boatyard.

On March 23rd we got in the shutter plank and the caulkers were already well along into getting the cotton corked into Martha's new sepele planking. Since then her hull has been faired and seams sealed, topsides painted to a gleaming, creamy white, with her signature Sea Foam green sheer and bright gold pinstripe and incised lettering. her bottom is now being finished off. In the shed on horses are Martha's spars, while Antonio Salguero is doing the restoration work on them. One can almost hear the strain and whine of the wind in the rigging.

Inboard on Martha the ceilings, soles, tanks, new bronze through-hull fittings, new shaft bearings and seals, assorted mechanical, driveline and systems work, tarring and limber cementing, and the entire interior woodwork are all being completed, installed and finished off.

In the past few weeks I have not been able to work with the Martha crew in the shed. At the rate they are working now- if you skip one day you miss so much. As busy and distracted as I have been with the ordinary affairs of life, some part of me has stayed behind with the project and I know hauntingly that I will not feel complete until I am back to being filthy dirty and bone-tired from working on Martha. I am hoping to get back this weekend and we are working on getting some new pictures up soon. The progress will be wonderfully shocking for all here to see.

[SchoonerRat]

WOW!!!

I am at a loss for words!

[MAGIC's Craig]

<Bump!>

And the latest pictures show?

Craig Johnsen

[BETTY-B]

<Bump!>

And the latest pictures show?

Craig Johnsen

I've been planning to take another round of pictures for weeks. Unfortunalty, I have had one thing after another forcing me to stay in Seattle. I'm just now starting to feel better from being sicker than I have been in years, so I might be there as soon as Saturday. If not, Monday. I sorta promise!

DAN

[LeeG]

Bob, the momentum of your narrative is great. I gotta stop in and looksee.

[Eric Hvalsoe]

Great writing Bob. One of my distant memories is working for Anchor Jenson many years ago. At the time I thought I was pretty good, had done Little Miss Canada IV, lapstrake and various projects. Not a lot of big stuff. It was an eye opener when it became clear that Anchor expected me to replace the big herky forefoot of a large vessel with all the care of fitting a quarter knee in a Hvalsoe 16!
Cheers . . .

[bamamick]

That's a stout build. Great looking work and and beautiful boat.

Mickey Lake

[Bob Triggs]

Saturday May 3rd

I have about two minutes today to write. This is an all too brief update- The crane showed up at 10:00 a.m. and we stepped her masts (59' and 79') today, getting the last of the onboard rigging done in the next few days, still finishing off on some painting details below, too many small tasks to list here now. I promise a fuller report soon.

All hands are now focused on our lauch date here at the Port Townsend Boat Haven heavy haul-out: 3pm (next) Wednesday the 7th.

And of course you are invited!

[PatCassidy]

That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth – stepped back to note the effect – added a touch here and there – criticised the effect again – Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said:

“Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”

Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind:

“No – no – I reckon it wouldn’t hardly do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly’s awful particular about this fence – right here on the street, you know – but if it was the back fence I wouldn’t mind and she wouldn’t. Yes, she’s awful particular about this fence; it’s got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain’t one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it’s got to be done.”

“No – is that so? Oh come, now – lemme, just try. Only just a little – I’d let you, if you was me, Tom.”

“Ben, I’d like to, honest injun; but Aunt Polly – well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn’t let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn’t let Sid. Now don’t you see how I’m fixed? If you was to tackle this fence and anything was to happen to it – ”

“Oh, shucks, I’ll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say – I’ll give you the core of my apple.”

[BETTY-B]

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[MAGIC's Craig]

Thanks for posting the photos!

It is Launch day today! I understand that the Travel lift is due about 1500 PDT.

Congratulations to all who put in their time and effort helping with the rebuild of a fine schooner!

Craig Johnsen
MAGIC

[BETTY-B]

I'll make sure to get over there for some of the launching here in a bit for ya Craig.

DAN

[Michael Beckman]

http://picasaweb.google.com/Stuparman/MarthaLaunch
Few shots.

[Bob Triggs]

The last few weeks before launch day were a bleary-eyed blur of long days and short nights for all of us. By launch day -three weeks ago now-so much had been pulled together that it is almost impossible to list. The energy levels rose with each passing hour in the last days. Robert d' Arcy was as calm as a hindu cow throughout the project, but on launch day that really stood out. He had after all hauled out and relaunched Martha numerous times over the past decade or more; restoring her topsides frames and planks, her transom and boomkin, and a host of other projects between sailing seasons. Not that it was all old-hat for him, but he has a way of covering his bases thoroughly. He kept reminding us: "You have to see the big picture", as we worried over some innocuous, smaller details
that would only trivially delay the overall process.

On launch day the wisdom of our daily "site management" cleanup and organization sessions became quite apearant. The Schooner Martha
had been in the shed since Christmas time, a litte over four months. In that time Robert had wrangled a loosely rotating crew of volunteers and a handful of part time (on this project) professional shipwrights, into rebuilding Martha from the keel up; frames, planks, floors, soles, ceilings, the sternpost and rakepieces and deadwoods, and a major rejoinery effort on the interior. New bronze throughhull fittings, bronze drifts, bolts and screws all replaced the original iron fastenings. Her rudder was refitted to her original bronze gudgeons with new forged bronze stakes after being refitted with new copper sheathing. Her mechanical systems were rebult with new bonze fittings, a water lubricated bearing, and her shaft was reset through the new timbers and planking. New wiring and numerous other details were attended too, even as we prepared to launch. They
worked on Martha virtually every day, all winter long here. And yet by lunch day there were only a few cans of trash to dispose of after we
swept up. That is site management.

A small crowd gathered around Martha as we finished the
last minute things. The Port of Port Townsend heavy haulout crew were taking Martha under their charge with a little extra care. Some were the volunteers since we were shooting a picture of the restoration crew. The Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-op made a good showing too. There were other yard craftsmen who had seen us working all winter, friends just wishing well. And some were just curious to see what the launch would look like. In all a cross section of our small Port Townsend community.

We here that word often these days: "Community". But it is rare to see the level of support and involvement and encouragement the likes of what transpired during the Schooner Martha restoration this winter. At every turn of the work the right people showed up at the right times to help; volunteers to help with painting, carpentry, mechnical fitting, wiring, rigging, shipwrighting, welding, plumbing... it goes on and on. None of this could have been accomplished without a host of generous donations from every corner of our community. People would come for a few minutes to visit, and donate a little money to help. It was all those kind wishes and extra efforts that made the difference betwen struggling and accomplishment. The level of energy and involvement of the professional Shipwrights from Port Townsend Shipwright's Co-op was extroadinary. A special thanks goes out to Master Shipwrights: Antonio Salguero, Mark Kubiak, Greg Fredericks and Eric "Moose" Wilson. Some of their time was also a donation. So many suppliers and manufacturers gave a little more to help Martha, with discounts, outright donations of items, or extras- it all added up. There were people who came almost daily all winter long just to say hello. That meant a lot too. It would be hard to imagine coming down to the Boat haven yard and not seeing Martha there anymore.

Martha went up on the slings uneventfully and she made way with an entourage, and her own real, Scottish Piper- Bill Shepard- piped her to the the water. I would learn later that the Piper's grandfather had come over from Scotland to work as a Shipwright, as had Capt d'Arcy's grandfather, though on the seperate coasts of America at the same time.

She motored up to Point Hudson to tie up to her berth for the last of her few remaining tasks- (almost a month of interior joinery and finishing work.) watching Robert at her helm though, it was obvious that it had been a hard, long winter of serious work for all of us, and he had worked hardest of all. And there was still much more to do. But for those few minutes of watching him at the wheel, you could see that this was a man at the center of his own universe.

Upon tying up we looked at the bilge for signs of leakage. After
all- she had been totally rebuilt below the waterline. We opened all of the sole hatches and grates and peered into the darkness. A small rivulet of water became appearant. The pumps were ready. Upon further inspection it was determined that the flower vase had tipped over and a quart of water had spilled out into the cockpit drain. Other than minor seepage Martha's bilges remained virtually dry.

Martha is berthed at Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend. And of course you all are welcome to come visit during daylight hours. Robert d'Arcy continues to work on the pre-season details, and the final stages of Martha/s winter restoration project. You will find him in a din of dust and a blur of action at the Point Hudson Boat Shop- all day every day- after all...

The Classic Mariner's Regatta is just a week away!




(A big thanks to Dan, Joe and Michael for sharing their photos here.)

www.schoonermartha.org

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[CharlieCobra]

She is gorgeous. I saw her a snapped a few when we were in PT a couple of weeks ago. Simply stunning.

[TimH]

almost as stunning as Adventuress.

[BETTY-B]

almost as stunning as Adventuress.

Ouch. I would have to disagree. Adventuress doesnt hold a candle in a beauty contest(in my opinion). But,as a work boat, she was never meant to.

DAN