Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
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Intheboatshed.net as it approaches its 200,000th hit
200,000 seems like a big number for a weblog devoted a such a niche subject. It’s great that we’re reaching lots of people!
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The Duke of Bedford’s boathouse (note the blocks in the foreground), a rebuilt
Tamar Valley salmon skiff, a skylight from the Garlandstone, and
Garlandstone, the WWII Naval pinnace and Alert, all mentioned below
We’ve also received these splendid photos and an update from Will Stirling of Revenue Cutters & Smuggling Luggers. I’m sure many readers will remember his knockout 18th-century inspired design and build project Alert last year (see previous posts) and will be interested to know what he’s been up to in the first half of 2008. In fact, he seems to have a tremendous lot of work going on!
Connoisseurs will notice some good sheds here too…
‘Dear Gavin,
‘I’m spending a lot of time banging in nails!
‘We have a 150 ton West Country trading ketch Garlandstone on the slipway and are beginning a programme of further restoration after she suffered a period of neglect.
‘The upper works of a 40’ Admiralty pinnace built in Scapa Flow, Orkney during World War II are in the process of being entirely replaced. This has included redefining her sheer as it had been pushed out of shape after many years landing on the beach.
‘We have just completed a completed rebuild from a new backbone up of a Tamar Valley Salmon Skiff. An original member left in the boat has the rope marks where the net led over the side.
‘We have also restored the Duke of Bedford’s boathouse for the Tamar Valley Trust and extensively repaired a neglected cornish punt.
‘We have an MOD contract from the flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Victory, to build a new 26ft ship’s cutter to a draught from the National Maritime Museum to an 1805 specification form D. Steele’s ‘Naval Architecture’.
‘Cornish Master Shipwright Ted Luck is now helping me and lending much valuable experience to the operation.
‘I received an MA in Maritime History from Exeter University and a distinction for my thesis ‘What Factors influenced the design and construction of Revenue Cutters between 1770 and 1850?’
‘Four photos attached and I will send more when I take them,
‘Best Wishes
‘Will Stirling’
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but Will’s report has left me breathless!
See much more at Will’s website: Revenue Cutters and Smuggling Luggers
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Boats at the Armfield slip, close to Goolwa
This picture came from our very good friend and supporter Jeff Cole. Here’s what he said about it:
‘This is Armfield Slip, the base of a volunteer wooden boat restoration organisation in the original buildings of the Armfield family of boatbuilders.
‘The organisation teaches techniques and builds and restores boats. The example under the lean-to is a station supply and ‘picnic’ boat from a property on the River Murray. She’s now restored and fully operational, and I rode in her at the last Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival.
‘The open boat in the foreground is a ships boat from HMSAS Protector of 1884, the only ship in the South Australian Colonial Navy. She had a long history including deployment to China with the Aussie contingent to the Boxer Rebellion. (see link below) There are plans to replicate the ships boat as it is beyond restoration.
‘There are several boats on the lake that the Armfield group have restored, and a local schools boatbuilding programme is very active, financed in part by raffling a boat they build at each festival. The current project is a large yacht.
‘The lower Murray Lakes face permanent acidification because of the long-term drying of the Murray catchment and the over-allocation of what water there is. The resulting ecological disaster overtaking the Murray’s drought-ravaged lower lakes has hit home, and it was recently confirmed that they could be deliberately flooded with seawater: South Australian Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald said opening barriers to let in the sea was an option that could be considered this year.
‘That fact that the action is even being thought about Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert underlines the severity of the crisis in the Murray’s lower reaches.’ Read more here. The river will probably look totally different at the next Festival, if it goes ahead.’
Thanks Jeff – as always we’re grateful for your photos and explanations.