wooden boat – Page 10 – intheboatshed.net

Steel-hulled schooner for sale, lying at Standard Quay, Faversham

A pal and I dropped by Standard Quay at Faversham to see if we could spot a little lugger that we’d heard a friend is considering buying, so I took the opportunity to bag some photos of how things are there now. I’m sorry if you feel they’re not up to my usual standard – on arrival I discovered the battery of my usual camera was flat and so had to use my mobile phone, which seems to produce quite blue-grey images. I must get a spare.

Anyway, if you’re in the market for a steel-hulled schooner liveaboard, the one currently for sale at Standard Quay may be just what you’re looking for. It looked in pretty good shape to us, though neither of us has ever seen it sailing. The schooner’s pictured above.

On a more cheerful note, the first two shots above are of the lovely small Thames sailing barge Lady of the Lea, two shots of Bob Roberts’ old sailing barge Cambria in restoration and a nice little Roxane that lives on the creek here.

And below is the bow of another Thames sailing barge Lady Daphne, here in a dry dock being repaired after a racing accident (I believe) and the yuppie flats that have already encroached the area opposite Standard Quay. The blue banner reads ‘Save Standard Quay’. For more on the Standard Quay campaign, click here.

Lady Daphne, Save Standard Quay banner

Nick Smith’s best motor launch yet – and the next one could be yours

West Country-style boat builder Nick Smith has sent in some photographs of the completed motor launch Bella.

‘Dear Gav,

‘I’ve attached some photos of the complete Bella taken last Thursday.

‘It’s been a long haul as usual but worth all the hours – she is in my opinion the best yet, so maybe I am getting the hang of it. I managed to get an excellent final coat of varnish on despite the conditions, although the engine box lid has some dust in it, so it will get another coat.

‘And so it remains to button her up in a cool shed until the spring when the owner will come and collect her.

‘I am off to New Zealand for a few weeks of sun and then back to Britain to prepare two existing launches ready for the new season 2011, and to build another launch. Thanks for all your good work, and a happy and prosperous New Year

‘Nick’

I’d like to add that Nick’s in the market for a commission for one of his handsome motor launches – so if any readers would like a grand, seaworthy traditionally craft finished to the best standards for fishing, birdwatching, picnicking or general outings, please contact him using the details below.

If a commission doesn’t come in, I’m sure he’ll be building a motor launch on spec, though what size I couldn’t say. Maybe he’ll make his mind up while stretched out on one of those New Zealand beaches…

For more posts at intheboatshed.net on this project, click here; here, here, here, and here.

Nick comes from Devon, learned boatbuilding the traditional way and specialises in new builds in clinker and carvel for sail, motor and rowing power from 8ft to 28ft with a special emphasis on West Country style and design, and also takes on repairs and refits from 25ft to 50ft. These days he’s based in Hampshire, and can be contacted by email at nick_smith_boatbuilder@yahoo.com and by phone on 07786 693370.

PS – can we say you’re looking for a commission for this spring, or would you feel that was giving too much away? G

Wooden Boatbuilding – a review

Wooden Boatbuilding Jean-Francois Garry

Baffled by the difference between a futtock and a fashion piece? Would you like to be able to read a set of offsets or take off some lines? Would you like an attractive, nicely illustrated guide to the principles of traditional-style boatbuilding to read over Christmas?

Wooden Boatbuilding could well be the book for you.

The first in a new series about classic boats from Adlard Coles, this is a very attractive and nicely designed book written by a well known French boatyard and chandlery owner Jean-François Garry, and translated into English.

There are sections discussing boat plans and how to choose between designs, taking-off lines, lofting, timber types, the various components of traditionally built boats and the techniques required to plank hulls and decks, boat carpentry and maintenance. Despite the book’s claims for itself, I wouldn’t want to attempt any of this stuff having read this book alone, but it certainly provides a useful introduction.

There’s a very Gallic theme among the photos and illustrations, and the occasional appearance of words in settings unfamiliar to a native English speaker remind one that the material was originally written in French. In the foreword, for example, we learn that the book gets to the point in a helpful manner ‘by deliberately overlooking difficulties that an amateur would not encounter’. Elsewhere, ‘oak is widely used for classic yachts but so too are red woods’. We know what’s meant but we haven’t heard it put quite like that before.

Happily, the technical side of the translation seems to be correct throughout, so I don’t think there’s any danger of learning something that later turns out to be misleading. There’s also a very useful collection of recommended reading, a short section on the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) and a glossary. The only thing that lets it down are some rather dodgy and fuzzy photos that look like they’ve been placed at low resolution by mistake.

This very attractive and useful package would make a nice gift for many people interested in traditional boats, and is available from Amazon.

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