Comments for intheboatshed.net

Comment on A man called John Short by Tom Brown

Tom Brown — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:15:04 +0000

All John Short’s shanties are being recorded for release on CD in a project called the Short, Sharp Shanties. We’ll keep you posted, Gavin.
T

Comment on Joe Dobler’s car-topping technique by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:38:20 +0000

Excellent – I look forward to the photos!

Many thanks, Gav

Comment on Joe Dobler’s car-topping technique by Greg Walter

Greg Walter — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:59:35 +0000

I built one of these last summer and it worked great. I’ll try and get some pictures up soon. It’s built out of metal emt electrical conduit from home depot, inexpensive, strong and easy to work with. I attach it to the roof racks with hooks on either side, in case of parked cars. I roll the canoe up and tilt it over onto some rubber covered stops and slowly lift up on the cross bar. The legs straighten out as it goes up and eventually get vertical to hold the weight, and the canoe slides right on to the racks. So much easier on the shoulders. I just reverse the process when its time to unload, I can even leave the wheels strapped to the canoe while it rides the rack. The frame comes apart with two wingnuts and collapes into a small package that fits alongisde the mast and boom on the rack. I also built a rowing frame and mast step system out of the emt conduit, my favorite fabricating material!

Comment on An extraordinary auction of amazing old boats at Turk’s, Chatham by David 'Thorne' Luckhardt

David 'Thorne' Luckhardt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:03:55 +0000

Does the Arthur Ransom group know about the Swallow replica in this auction? Looks like it can really sail, and was the one in the BBC series.

Comment on The Stephen family and the stories of the Fraserborough zulus Violet and Vesper by JRMacG

JRMacG — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:38:20 +0000

That is great information supplied by Mr Rennie – thanks to him and yourself for posting it.

Apart from anything else, the pictures show how well the Scots fishermen looked after their boats in those days.

Comment on An extraordinary auction of amazing old boats at Turk’s, Chatham by jeff

jeff — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:29:48 +0000

Strewth Gavin! It’s not fair. Lot 10, or 23, or 58, or a whole slew of stuff would do me! Wonder if I could import a few? Look up “Venus” in my pics here and you’ll find lot 10.
Jeff

Comment on An extraordinary auction of amazing old boats at Turk’s, Chatham by Jim from Zanzibar

Jim from Zanzibar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:44:07 +0000

But floating props I hope… are they seaworthy?

Comment on An extraordinary auction of amazing old boats at Turk’s, Chatham by Steve

Steve — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:26:08 +0000

I was hoping you’d keep it quiet – I want to buy them all!

Comment on An extraordinary auction of amazing old boats at Turk’s, Chatham by Chris Partridge

Chris Partridge — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:14:41 +0000

Hi Gav – the story is here: http://rowingforpleasure.blogspot.com/2010/03/shallop-for-sale.html
The collection was built up as film props, but films are made by computer these days and demand for Turk’s maritime props has declined so they are selling the collection off and returning to their core business of pleasure boats on the Thames, which they have been doing for 250 years.
Chris

Comment on Keep Turning Left Dylan just isn’t good enough to own a wooden boat by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:48:25 +0000

Hopefully this is just a temporary arrangement…

Gav

Comment on Keep Turning Left Dylan just isn’t good enough to own a wooden boat by Bob Telford

Bob Telford — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:30:00 +0000

This video has been removed by the user?????

Comment on Reports and photos from the first Melbourne Wooden Boat Show by Jolly Roger (retd)

Jolly Roger (retd) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:52:27 +0000

tis a sign of the times (pun intended). Please check your cutlass at the door as it might offend someone at a wooden boat festival. Why bother, the fun police have won, the war is over folks.

I hope its better in the UK…….

Roger

PS Aren’t wooden boats just a slur on progress? I like to think so!!!!

Comment on Abner’s whale, from the Cruise of the Cachalot by Ben

Ben — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:33:42 +0000

Have just spent a very enjoyable few minutes reading that. Thanks. I remember how amazed I was when I first found out how whales used to be hunted and killed, and I’m still just as amazed.
Ben

Comment on The boats of Hanoi, Vietnam by Don

Don — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:40:00 +0000

Kids, selling from the boat is the same as local immigrants kids working in their family corner store. I have been to Vietnam and go back and forth for business. The kids all go to school. Not sure about in the high lands.

Comment on The boats of Hanoi, Vietnam by jeff cole

jeff cole — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:28:20 +0000

G’day Gavin, this thread from the WB forum by an Aussie contributor who works in Vietnam might add to your posting.
http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96916&highlight=RNFK
Jeff

Comment on The boats of Hanoi, Vietnam by Ed Lithgow

Ed Lithgow — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:39:26 +0000

From a quick Google it was probably the “Blue Book of Coastal Vessels of Vietnam” US Dept. of Defense, 1960 , 1967. I didn’t find a scanned copy, but there are various photos and fragments out in the web.

Comment on The boats of Hanoi, Vietnam by Ed Lithgow

Ed Lithgow — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:15:19 +0000

Somewhere, a long time ago, I’ve seen a US Military Intelligence booklet on Vietnamese traditional riverine and inshore craft, which IIRC mentions they had a bottom of woven split-bamboo laths, treated with Tung oil and sealed with a mixture of Tung oil and shell-lime, overlain with pitch. It noted that this was flexible, allowing them to sometimes “squidge” over shallows, which I suppose could have had tactical significance.

I think it also said that bitumen was (then, i.e. mid ’60s) superceding the trad treatment, so I guess it has by now. The booklet might be on the web somewhere but I don’t have time to search right now.

It is a long time ago, though, so my recollection may be at fault.

Regds, Ed Lithgow

Comment on Reports and photos from the first Melbourne Wooden Boat Show by Dale

Dale — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:36:13 +0000

In simple securitese:

Oughtred = Norse influence= Viking = Rule 15.

What a pity, I’d loved to have seen the canoe.

Comment on Reports and photos from the first Melbourne Wooden Boat Show by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:24:57 +0000

That’s outrageous! How’s your Oughtred designed sailing canoe anything but a highly respectable craft?

Gav

Comment on Reports and photos from the first Melbourne Wooden Boat Show by jeff cole

jeff cole — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:18:34 +0000

All cutlasses were confiscated at the door, (and it wasn’t off beat humour, but lawyers rearing their ugly heads) Why we weren’t even allowed to leer at the lasses!
I didn’t go, I tried to sail in to have lunch there one day but ’security’ decided my craft was too small and probably my wallet and refused to allow me to tie up.

Comment on The intheboatshed.net newsletter, RIP – do readers want a new one? by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:03:46 +0000

An invitation from Yahoo should be with you any second. If anyone else would prefer to receive an invitation to joint the intheboatshed newsletter group this way, please send me an email at gmatkin@gmail.com.

Comment on The intheboatshed.net newsletter, RIP – do readers want a new one? by Al Smart

Al Smart — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:44:56 +0000

Sign me up ,please

Comment on Reports and photos from the first Melbourne Wooden Boat Show by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:55:57 +0000

And won’t they miss some of the disgusting bits? The parrots defecating on people’s shoulders? Giving people pieces of white paper with a black spot in the middle? And keel-hauling? ‘Tis er disasturr!

Comment on Reports and photos from the first Melbourne Wooden Boat Show by Doryman

Doryman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:28:15 +0000

Sinking ships, stealing cargo and pressing crew will not be tolerated!
No homemade brandy, either.
‘Tis a shame.

Comment on A pretty double-ended skiff seen at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:35:40 +0000

But it was in Berkshire, England. There wasn’t anything to suggest that it came from the other side of the Atlantic, though I suppose that’s possible.

I think it was from the British Isles and perhaps from Scotland.

Gav

Comment on A pretty double-ended skiff seen at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show by andrew frederick

andrew frederick — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:46:52 +0000

maybe i’m mistaken, but looks like a peapod to my eye.

Comment on A traditionally built Tideway at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show by Dick Johnson

Dick Johnson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:37:28 +0000

When I left school in Leigh-on-sea, Essex, my first job was as a trainee with Lew Walker – who sadly died just before Christmas last year – learning to build the Walker range of clinker boats from 7ft prams to 14ft motor launches and Yachting World Dayboats.
In those days we worked a 52 hour week – including Saturday mornings – and I earnt £3 five shillings and sixpence. And I had to pay into the tool club. At least I could bike in to work.
The boats were built on a virtual production line in two small premises, one behind what was then Woolworths in Leigh Broadway, the other in the old Fire Station in Shoeburyness.
All the parts were machined against patterns on a spindle moulder so they were all exactly the same. Even the planks were got out of thick stock against the pattern and then “deeped” – resawn – on the bandsaw to get two identical planks. If you look at all Lew’s Tideways, the plank pairs had the same grain.
While worked there we had a spate of requests for replacements for broken or damaged pieces from the Fire Station and while you could expect the odd plank to break, it was unusual, to say the least, to have requests for knees or floorboards.
When Lew finally got suspicious and inspected the loft of the Fire Station, he found an almost complete boat some nefarious worker was building for himself. . .
After a while I left Walker’s and went to work as an indentured apprentice in Peter’s Boatyard in Southend, next door to the old gas works and opposite Southend’s decrepit Loading Jetty – and alongside one of Southend’s houses of ill repute.
But that’s another story. . .
Dick

Comment on Weel may the keel row by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:02:40 +0000

That’s very interesting… What are they like? Like the boats in the picture?

Do you have any photos please?

Gav

Comment on Weel may the keel row by mark

mark — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:10:46 +0000

funnily enough, I used to live in the keelman’s hospital in newcastle. still pretty much unchanged apart from the fact its all studio flats

now, as for there’ being no keel boats left, I think there’s 2 or 3 that I know of. Down river, in northumberland dock, which all but silted up, in the far corner there are whats left of a couple slowing dying in the mud, not much left to speak of, frames and keel about all that can be seen. I had a little explore about in there last year on a quiet day mooching about in the river

Comment on Scoter is being restored – does anyone have information or photos that might help? by Gavin Atkin

Gavin Atkin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:15:10 +0000

That’s great thanks Bob – we LOVE a good party. Some photos should be with you now, so long as your mailbox is big enough.

Gav