Month: November 2009

A carvel-built Mouse in Vietnam

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Here’s a surprise – a carvel-built The Edge member of the Mouseboat family being built in Nha Trang, Vietnam by Jacques Molinari.

I don’t normally write about Mouseboats here. They’re simple little boats intended to be made from plywood that I designed years ago for people without either money or skills who wanted to construct a little boat and get afloat. In fact, the first Mouseboat was originally designed for teenagers and children to make!

I’m delighted that some of the Mouse family designs have been very popular, but although some have been built to very high standards and many have been used for purposes very far from my original conception, I don’t generally see them as belonging on a weblog that focuses on boats that either are traditional, or which include a clear traditional element, and which also likes to celebrate old-fashioned rather than new-fashioned craftsmanship – so they rarely feature at intheboatshed.net.

But this particular scow-bowed spritsail Mouse is an exception, for it isn’t being built by stitch and glue, not least because plywood is difficult to obtain in Nha Trang. In the absence of the dimensionally stable and easy to work 20th century wonder material Jacques has clearly used the offsets from the plans, and is building his boat in the traditional way. He plans to be in the water in December, after the hurricane season is over.

Great good luck Jacques!

I’m greatly looking forward to seeing how this project goes; it’s terrific to see this boat being built in this way, and The Edge is one of my favourite Mouseboat designs, even if it hasn’t been built as often as some of the others.

For other stories relating to Mouseboats at intheboatshed.net click here.

If you’d like to join the Mouseboats forum and download the plans, click here.

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The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project’s St Ayles skiff is launched in fine style

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The St Ayles skiff slices the water; Dr Robert Prescott speaking at the launch; David Tod with Alec Jordan; proof that St Ayles skiff designer Iain Oughtred was present. All images used with Chris Perkins’ permission

Last Saturday provided pretty well perfect conditions for the press launch of the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project’s first St Ayles skiff, says Chris Perkins.

He has kindly written the following report, sent the photos above and provided the video links below. Many thanks Chris! It’s particularly good to hear that the project seems to be snowballing in various locations around Scotland – and even abroad.

‘Among the notables present at the press launch were Alec Jordan, whose original brainwave kicked the whole thing off and whose superb effort in the workshop over the past two months culminated in Saturday’s event. Scottish Fisheries Museum trustee and chair of the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project David Tod introduced Dr Robert Prescott, chair of the Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships and vice president of the Scottish Fisheries Museum, who gave the project launch speech. It was great that Iain Oughtred was also able to attend the launch and try the boat out for himself after the formalities were over.

‘The Forthsailoar weblog author Osbert Lancaster was also present along with naval architect Richard Pierce who has provided some very useful analysis on the prototype’s performance. Boat Building Academy graduate and now professional builder Charlie Hussey also put in an appearance.

‘My snaps suggest around 50 were at the speechifying. Having a goodly sized group including some who were very experienced trying the boat has helped fine-tune the design: the principal tweak will be to spread the thwarts to give more room for the oarsmen.

‘This will also benefit the trim of the boat when coxed by an adult with a fuller figure!

‘Representatives from some of the groups planning to build a St Ayles skiff were there including the Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club, the North Berwick group and Anstruther RNLI. The ripples from this project keep expanding: apart from the prototype now on the water, the Scottish Fisheries Museum boat is now in build in the viewing gallery at the museum, and Ullapool 1, Portobello 1, and The North Berwick Rowing Club have placed orders. There is strong interest from Achiltibuie (Coigach), Anstruther RNLI, Glasgow Schools Pilot (Galgael), Herdecke, Port Seton, Portobello 2, Portsoy Faering Project 1 & 2, Tollcross Centre, Edinburgh and even Germany. The breaking news is that there is now strong interest in in building four boats in the Western Isles, but more likely and interest has been expressed by another Loch Broom group.

‘Alec was tweaking the cutting files yesterday to expand the rooms and will then start cutting the kits already ordered.

‘The boat had at least four different sets of crew so that means not less than 20 took the opportunity to try her out – though I may have missed another group because I couldn’t resist inspecting the museum, very worthwhile for anybody visiting Anstruther. And, of course, I thought it was also getting dangerously close to Alec suggesting I have a turn at the oar!

‘Cheers

‘Chris’

Interested readers may also want to see some snatches of video of the skiff at Chris’s YouTube channel:

Charlie Hussey (mentioned above) also got a good clip of the boat in action that’s worth seeing.

And, finally, for much more on this project at intheboatshed.net, click here!

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Dory fishermen’s lives in the 1920s on film

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Albert Khan

Still of fishermen long-lining from dories in the 1920s, from the Albert Khan archive

Some fabulous documentary film of French fishermen catching cod from on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland is online now via the BBC iPlayer – if you’re lucky enough to have access to it. Click here!

Originally from Alsace, Albert Khan was a rich pacifist, philanthopist and internationalist who sought to promote world peace by using photography as a means of persuading the people in the West of the enormous diversity of human life and culture – so he sent French photographers on trips throughout the World to shoot black and white as well as early colour photos and film.

To say that the material his photographers brought back is hugely impressive would be an understatement. It clearly demonstrates the richness and high degree of civilisation of the lives lived by many in even the remotest areas of the world and should be seen by anyone who doesn’t know enough about people in other parts of the world, just as Khan intended.

But enough of the sermon – this particular programme includes some fabulous footage of the lives and work of dory fishermen fishing from French boats in the era before the trawlers emptied the Grand Banks of cod, as well as excerpts from the telling diary of the photographer who took it.There’s also some nice clips of sailing Breton tuna fishermen in port.

If you can see material on the iPlayer, do catch it before it’s no longer available!

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