Any sailors out there?

[Worth1]

No not the navy kind but people that sail boats. I’m seriously tossing around the idea of building a sail boat and would like some thoughts on the matter. A friend of mine at work and I are talking about these boats and with my wood working skills and the ability to learn things fast that I care about I feel that it is well within my abilities The boat would be made from wood and I have found a couple of plans that I like really well. They can both be gaff rigged which I prefer.

Here are some pictures.
One is a yawl and the other link is a whaler.

Just another wild idea.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jw...aler/index.htm

[ContainerTed]

Are you gonna use it to haul all that garden produce to the market?

Norm Abrams built one on New Yankee Workshop. He put several coats of clear epoxy on the outside of the hull.

However, with all that produce, you're gonna need extra floatation and maybe some outriggers for extra stability.

Ted

[Zana]

Worth,

Sounds like a great plan. I only wish my wood working skills were up to the task. Years ago I helped build cedar strip canoes at a summer camp that I worked at. The theory was that anybody leading the long canoe trips (14 to 35 days) had to know how to repair them on the spot. And we carried a repair kit with more than basic hand tools for just that purpose.

And I'm sooooo glad I learned how, because some g.d. smart mouth kid dropped his canoe on a portage and split it open on a huge jagged rock. Nothing like necessity to make you remember what you learned and to work fast with manual tools. (The others did get even with the brat...they stripped him down, tied him to a cedar tree, dumped honey over him and left him all night. He was one serious mess of bites come morning...but one seriously contrite brat by then. He was worried that a bear would smell the honey! We did keep an eye on him...but didn't tell him that...hehehe.)

I did learn to repair sails while crewing a tall ship in the Med back in the late 70's - early 80's. Sighhhhh....definitely miss those days. But not exactly the size you want to try to build yourself. I'd settle for quite a bit smaller - something along the lines you've pictured here.

Good luck if you proceed with the project. Keep us posted. And whether you haul your produce that way, too. !

[Tomstrees]

Worth -

Growing up, my Dad had a 26ft McGregor sailboat he had docked at Southshore Marine at Greenwood Lake NJ - was a blast - fishing, chillin, eating? Was 1000% good times

Go for it !

~ Tom

[dice]

The whaleboat looks safer if you are going out on saltwater
with it. That other thing looks like a lake fishing boat with
delusions of grandeur to me.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by dice

The whaleboat looks safer if you are going out on saltwater
with it. That other thing looks like a lake fishing boat with
delusions of grandeur to me.

Dice,
The one you said looked like a lake boat with visions of grandeur is a Caledonia Yawl, boats built like this were used for centuries as fishing boats in salt water.
The yawl its self was used for racing
Thus so many fishing widows, it has no frame, you build it on what you call a hard back and then ether build more with the frame, sale the frame or toss the frame.
The Whale boat is a far superior boat with its own frame and it looks to me the cost would be about the same since you have to use about the same amount of lumber for both.
Both can be rowed if necessary if you end up in the doldrums and they are some what double ended so you can go forward or backward.
Running these things up on the beach is a real joy as they are so light you can just push them off.
I chose wood because if taken care of it will out last fiberglass and is much classier.
Aluminum boats are horrible they are noisy and just aren’t my cup of tea.
As soon as the weather cools off I am starting to build an Ed Monk Skiff with a beam of around 4 feet and length of 14.5 feet.
The garden next year will be real small no 2nd garden as I have found myself a slave to it and the lack of proper help at the other place has just about done me in.
The skiff will be the first boat and will be used to row and fish in the small lakes in my area.
It is a beautiful boat and was designed back in the 30’s.
I love boats never had anything but a canoe and before get to old to enjoy life I feel I need to do this.

Here is a pictuer of the skiff.
Worth

[dice]

The skiff is a beauty. Looks like someone put in some work
on the finish.

I remember a fast ride in across the Columbia bar in a 20-foot
fiberglass boat. After fishing for years in a wooden boat, I was
amazed at how noisy it was. I wonder if it is because the wood
soaks up moisture and swells up around the fasteners,
keeping them very tight, while the fasteners in fiberglass and
aluminum boats loosen up over time from all of the pounding
and vibration. That plus the materials in fiberglass and
aluminum boats are quite thin and rigid compared to the
materials used in wooden boats, so there is less vibration
damping.

[ovenbird]

I live in Iowa far from any place a sailboat can be used, so this all looks very romantic to me. I say, build the skiff. It looks great.

[Zana]

That skiff looks like they steamed allot of the pieces...definitely old school techniques. Looks like similar techniques we used to build cedar strip, canvas covered canoes with. Ahhhhhh...now there's some memories.

When I took the advanced master's level canoeing course you had to know building techniques in order to be able to repair them if you were out on a trip. Laughed at the time and figured I'd never needed it. But some silly (and I'm being polite here) smart-mouthed teenager on one of my trips dropped a canoe on the edge of a huge sharp rock. Caved in 4 ribs. Had to repair before we could proceed. Made the little beggar do most of the work while the rest of us sat around inspecting. Haha.... His father later sent us a cheque for a new canoe - saying that when he found out that his kid had to make good on a repair, he felt that lesson was one he'd been trying to drill into his head unsuccessfully for years. The cheque matched the cost of the trip! Was a great bonus for the trip leaders...and covered the further repairs that were done to truly make that canoe water-worthy again.

Either the skiff or the whale boat are cool ideas to entertain. However, the skiff sounds like it makes more sense for your needs and location, of the two.

[husker nana]

Worth
I just found this thread. Any Sailors Out There.

Did you ever build that boat? I hope so.

We read a book, "The Boat That Wouldn't Float" by Farley Mowat. After reading that book we just knew that we had to have a sailboat. Our first and only boat is a antique wood 1947 Owen Cutter. Are we sailors? It depends on who you would ask. Comedy of Errors. Somewhere in between being terrified and exuberance. That's sailing.

We worked repairing our boat for about five summers before we put it in the water. We got it from one of the most gentle lovable boatbuilders around. He helped us learn to maintain a woodboat. He fixed what we couldn't and built what was needed to make sure we would be safe.

This is a video of who we purchased and worked with on our boat.

You tube: Building of Brilliant - Narrated by Charles Kuralt

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by husker nana

Worth
I just found this thread. Any Sailors Out There.

Did you ever build that boat? I hope so.

NOT YET. But I have built it a 1000 different ways in my mind.
I still intend to build the skiff but money is going into materials for cabinets in my garage.
Also I have to narrow the garage door from 16 feet to 10 feet this will give me more wall space on one side and room for an entrance on the other so I dont have to open the garage door to get in.
The garage doors will be carriage doors that I will build myself as well as the entrance door. Both will be rustic to fit the stone work that will face the side of the house and the rustic oak floor I just put in the garage.

Since I pay for everything in cash it will be a little while longer, but it will be done and I cant hardly wait.

Did I mention the awning over the carriage doors----------------------------------
Did I tell you I have a LOT of projects AND they are getting completed by myself.

[husker nana]

Lots of projects listed there. Sounds like it will be beautiful when you are done. I did see a picture of a garage floor made of wood somewhere. Was that yours? Outstanding!

And what do you plan on doing in your spare time?

[RinTinTin]

Old time sailor here. Ed Monk, to this day, is considered as one of the classic wood boat designers. In the trade, we used to refer to fiberglass boats as "Tupperware". I have sailed 6 continents in wooden boats (never made it to Australia). The photo you posted @ the top is more what I would call 'sprit' rigged, rather than 'gaff' rigged...a true gaff is attached at its base to the mast. Gaff rigs are getting scarcer these days, but to me are superior for single handed (or short handed) sailing...when push comes to shove, you can "scandalize the main", and gain some time in getting everything else under control!

Go for it. Even on a lake, there is no better way to get away from it all than a leisurley[sp] sail without the drone of engines.

[OneoftheEarls]

There's these but you probably don't see many in Texas


Walkin' on water...Earl in MI

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by husker nana

Lots of projects listed there. Sounds like it will be beautiful when you are done. I did see a picture of a garage floor made of wood somewhere. Was that yours? Outstanding!

And what do you plan on doing in your spare time?

Yes that was my garage.
I started life out as a wood worker and have loved the art for years.
I ran a raised panel door department at the age of 24 and built doors for $500.000 to 1.000.000.000 homes back in the 80's.
It made me sick to see how rich folks lived while I could hardly pay rent.
My wife was going to the University of Texas and we literally lived in poverty.

At that time I swore I would have the nice stuff these folks had.
Though I dont live in a monster house I will have the nice woodwork these folks have.
A wooden boat is on the top of the list for sure.

I used to fish in one on the river my 3rd cousin made, it was really old and it leaked but I loved the quietness of it.

A co-worker of mine just bought a 49 foot sailboat sold his place in Anchorage and sailed to Hawaii from California. He now lives on the boat and goes to work in Alaska from there.
When he gets tired of that place he plans on sailing to the south pacific.

Not a bad gig.

Worth