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It's been a long time coming, but I have finally got started on that Eric Hvalsoe dinghy I have mentioned on my "Kotik, Kotik, Kotik!" thread.
In my younger days I did a lot of canoeing and kayaking and camping on and by rivers, lakes and the sea, and then by my “sail and oar” (motorless) Swampscott dory Clarsach. On my “Big Retirement Trip” in 2004 Alison and I visited the Centre for Wooden Boats in Seattle and discovered the existence of Port Townsend. On our return home I built my Eun na Mara Islesburgh, designed by Iain Oughtred, from 2005 to 2008. After that we went to five Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festivals, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018. Always different, always good! I went to as many of the practical demonstrations put on by the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding as I could and Alison went to lectures on cruising. We spent pleasant times with David Jones and his Eun na Mara Suzanne (and later with Steve Borgstrom and his EM Marianita), and with the “Sail and Oar” people. I saw Eric’s own HV16 Bandwagon on the hard and in the water at different shows, and had some friendly discussions with him. I was further encouraged by the forum threads of Rich Jones and Jeff Patrick (I met Jeff, too). I bought both Eric’s HV16 and HV13 plans at different times, but various things got in the way, including three more boats (Sooty Tern Trondra, Kotik Kotik, and my lock-down project Feather Pram), and an unrelated health problem which is now resolved, I'm pleased to say. Aged 78, I have decided that the HV13 is more practical for me now, for fine days on our local harbour.
On our 2017 trip we visited the Centre for Wooden Boats again, where I hired their HV15 and rowed it up the middle of Lake Union with the Victoria seaplanes roaring in and out on both sides of me, which was quite exciting! The boat rowed very nicely.
I have built several kayaks over the years, by various methods, restored my dory, and now, after building four of Iain Oughtred's plywood/epoxy boats, excellent as they are, I will be building this one by a different method, the "old-fashioned way”, as it was originally designed for. I have most of the books on the subject, and as well as watching the demonstrations at Port Townsend, have attended a course at WoodenBoat School where I had "hands on" experience of traditional construction in Thad Danielson's class. The course and Thad’s book will be of real benefit to this boat. There are also all the very fine videos by Off Center Harbor and others, which no doubt many of us are familiar with these days.
So, over the last year or so, we got my old building frame down from the workshop ceiling and set it up with two sheets of construction plywood (which will become a steam-box in due course), topped it with 3mm MDF, and painted it white as a lofting board. On 17th May just gone, I drew the lofting grid, and have now completed the lofting and made cardboard patterns for the moulds. I expect to be able to work at it fairly steadily now. I like using a boat but I like building one too!
Links:
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?231482-Building-a-Hvalsoe-13
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?177857-Hvalsoe-18
Small Boats Monthly articles on HV 16 Bandwagon and HV 18 Haverchuck.
Here are some lofting photos. Lofting was part of Thad’s class. At the time, I saw the transom and the rabbeted stem as future challenges, which are shown here. I also looked at the thread “Lofting the Brewer Catboat” by Jim Ledger, and found his stem on page 21, done the same way.
P1040036.jpg
P1040067.jpg
P1040061.jpg
P1040062.jpg
P1040064.jpg
I have made cardboard patterns from the lofting, and am in the process of making the moulds out of my old Kotik moulds.
Cheers,
Ian
In my younger days I did a lot of canoeing and kayaking and camping on and by rivers, lakes and the sea, and then by my “sail and oar” (motorless) Swampscott dory Clarsach. On my “Big Retirement Trip” in 2004 Alison and I visited the Centre for Wooden Boats in Seattle and discovered the existence of Port Townsend. On our return home I built my Eun na Mara Islesburgh, designed by Iain Oughtred, from 2005 to 2008. After that we went to five Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festivals, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018. Always different, always good! I went to as many of the practical demonstrations put on by the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding as I could and Alison went to lectures on cruising. We spent pleasant times with David Jones and his Eun na Mara Suzanne (and later with Steve Borgstrom and his EM Marianita), and with the “Sail and Oar” people. I saw Eric’s own HV16 Bandwagon on the hard and in the water at different shows, and had some friendly discussions with him. I was further encouraged by the forum threads of Rich Jones and Jeff Patrick (I met Jeff, too). I bought both Eric’s HV16 and HV13 plans at different times, but various things got in the way, including three more boats (Sooty Tern Trondra, Kotik Kotik, and my lock-down project Feather Pram), and an unrelated health problem which is now resolved, I'm pleased to say. Aged 78, I have decided that the HV13 is more practical for me now, for fine days on our local harbour.
On our 2017 trip we visited the Centre for Wooden Boats again, where I hired their HV15 and rowed it up the middle of Lake Union with the Victoria seaplanes roaring in and out on both sides of me, which was quite exciting! The boat rowed very nicely.
I have built several kayaks over the years, by various methods, restored my dory, and now, after building four of Iain Oughtred's plywood/epoxy boats, excellent as they are, I will be building this one by a different method, the "old-fashioned way”, as it was originally designed for. I have most of the books on the subject, and as well as watching the demonstrations at Port Townsend, have attended a course at WoodenBoat School where I had "hands on" experience of traditional construction in Thad Danielson's class. The course and Thad’s book will be of real benefit to this boat. There are also all the very fine videos by Off Center Harbor and others, which no doubt many of us are familiar with these days.
So, over the last year or so, we got my old building frame down from the workshop ceiling and set it up with two sheets of construction plywood (which will become a steam-box in due course), topped it with 3mm MDF, and painted it white as a lofting board. On 17th May just gone, I drew the lofting grid, and have now completed the lofting and made cardboard patterns for the moulds. I expect to be able to work at it fairly steadily now. I like using a boat but I like building one too!
Links:
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?231482-Building-a-Hvalsoe-13
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?177857-Hvalsoe-18
Small Boats Monthly articles on HV 16 Bandwagon and HV 18 Haverchuck.
Here are some lofting photos. Lofting was part of Thad’s class. At the time, I saw the transom and the rabbeted stem as future challenges, which are shown here. I also looked at the thread “Lofting the Brewer Catboat” by Jim Ledger, and found his stem on page 21, done the same way.
P1040036.jpg
P1040067.jpg
P1040061.jpg
P1040062.jpg
P1040064.jpg
I have made cardboard patterns from the lofting, and am in the process of making the moulds out of my old Kotik moulds.
Cheers,
Ian
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