Tuesday, December 14, 2010
St Lawrence skiff
Here is the new St Lawrence skiff that we are building. You can follow us on the Wooden Boat Forum. There you can see the posted progress shots and see the on going debate on what this boat actually is.
Gartside double ender
Saturday, November 27, 2010
St Lawrence skiff
Here are the latest pictures of the boat.
Garry oak stem and stern. A yellow cedar keel and the nicest red cedar planking we have ever seen. I have used this batch of cedar for 10 years. It was a big batch. So far we have hung 4 sets of planks and working on the 5th.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Fresh Varnish
Early this fall we did a varnish job on this Aldin cutter that belongs to SALTS. The boat if for sale and after the varnish she looks very fresh. This is a good time to purchase a classic!!
Check out SALTS website for details on this boat and others foe sale.
New construction
Recently at the last Open Boat Festival a friend dropped off a nice little double ender that Jean and I ended up falling in love with. I believe that it is a St Lawrence river skill and we are almost certain that this boat was a rental boat due to the vast number of repairs done to her. The planking and keel are pine or white cedar and the rails, stem and stern post are oak. The fastners are copper clench nails. Instead of going to the trouble of taking lines off the boat and lofting. We decided to make the molds right in the boat. We straitened up and fared the boat. Then by assembling patterns in the boat we created actual patters of the exact boat. To date we have the molds set up and we are beginning the construction of the new boat.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Rebuilding a ships wheel
Earlier this year we had the opportunity to rebuild the wheel from Duen. A Norwegian fishing boat built in 1939 as a working boat. Most likely Duen's original steering was a very large tiller. At some point this wheel was found and installed on Duen. Likely this wheel that we are working on was from some other ship. The age of the wheel would be between 80-100 years old determined by the the building method and glue that they used.
This is the wheel as it's being taken apart
Building a jig to build all the new pieces was the first job. The jig and router did most of the work. The jig built all the pieces for the wheel and it was essential in keeping all the parts perfect circles. It's interesting to note that the wheel was a very accurate circle to begin with and all the parts were almost identical. It makes me think that this wheel was originally built with a jig and that would indicate that this wheel was built by a ships wheel manufacturer.
After building all the parts for the wheel we used the jig to build a mold for the two bronze rings that we had cast up. Taking in consideration that bronze shrinks we built the rings slightly oversize.
The original plan for this project was to rebuild the steering pedestal and to upgrade the cable to tiller steering to a hydraulic system.
Below is the hydraulic pump built by a Vancouver company Kobelt. The pump and the steering controls are neatly hidden in the tradition pedestal.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Kotick's rebuilt engine
Kotick is a falmouth cutter that we have done a great deal of work to. She is looking very nice these days. Here is a picture of her 1 cylinder Yanmar that Gartside Marine engines rebuilt. Nice job! You would not think that engine was 20 years old.
12' double ender
This little boat is coming along. Its cedar on oak carvel planks. The floor are installed and the rubrail is on. It's now starting to stiffen up and look like a real boat. I'm pleased with the way it turning out. It sure is a lovely design and I'm sure she will be very comfortable. A friend of mine has built a version of this and an extended version 18'. The design belongs to Paul Gartside.
August project
Finishing up on a boat that we had been working on for about a year. This boat can now be called a yacht. The improvements on the boat, trim, wood work, paint and chrome have made a huge improvement on the overall look of the boat.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
One more strory from Jens
I have met some sailors that boast they have never run aground...everyone goes aground sooner or later. You just don't want the chart maker to name a rock after you!
Story by Jens Bagh
Are You Listening?
Single handed sailing is to many a fools game and it is not without its hazards. On the other hand having a crew on board brings on its own problems as well as it increases the requirements of fuel, water and supplies to be carried. Some people thrive on solitude while others find it hard to survive without the continuous excitement and change which company brings about. Most modern human beings seem to thrive with lots of noise around them and nowadays it is hard to go anywhere without being exposed to music or noise in one form or another. By adopting this life style have we failed to learn what nature is prepared to teach us if we just kept silent and listened for a while?
One of the reasons I like to sail is the fact the noise level under most conditions is quite tolerable with the wind in the rigging and with water lapping against the sides of the boat.
However, there are times when it is necessary to use the auxiliary engine such as when coming into harbour or anchoring in a confined space and then of course the noise level increases considerably.
I had been cruising all day in moderate winds and a fairly heavy swell and towards nightfall I approached an anchorage of which the sailing directions told of sandy bottom and clear waters. Hence I had no qualms about steering into a very sheltered bay and putting down the anchor into the dark waters as I from the chart and the colour of the water assumed ample depth for my 5' draught. In most places one can hear some sounds from the denizens of the deep in the form of clicks of various loudness and frequency and here I heard these noises very loud and very clear. Shortly thereafter the boat gave a sort of a bump and I immediately realized that the water was too shallow and the boat was aground. I went on deck right away and with the anchor and capstan tried to haul the boat out to deeper water to no avail. The tide was going out and soon the boat was inclined at an angle of better than 20 degrees. I checked the tide tables and found it would be another couple of hours before the tide again would rise and meanwhile there was little I could do except to make sure that the boat rested evenly on the sandy bottom. This I did and then took to my bunk, resting in the angle formed between the bunk and the side of the boat. Around midnight the boat was again on even keel and I got the engine started and went out to anchor in deeper water, this time making very sure that I had plenty of water under the keel to allow for the full range of the tide. I have since then been accutely aware of noises coming through the hull and should I again hear loud clicks I shall immediately check the depth and the tide status for nature may well be telling me that my boat and I are out of our depths - if we will only listen!
Story by Jens Bagh
Are You Listening?
Single handed sailing is to many a fools game and it is not without its hazards. On the other hand having a crew on board brings on its own problems as well as it increases the requirements of fuel, water and supplies to be carried. Some people thrive on solitude while others find it hard to survive without the continuous excitement and change which company brings about. Most modern human beings seem to thrive with lots of noise around them and nowadays it is hard to go anywhere without being exposed to music or noise in one form or another. By adopting this life style have we failed to learn what nature is prepared to teach us if we just kept silent and listened for a while?
One of the reasons I like to sail is the fact the noise level under most conditions is quite tolerable with the wind in the rigging and with water lapping against the sides of the boat.
However, there are times when it is necessary to use the auxiliary engine such as when coming into harbour or anchoring in a confined space and then of course the noise level increases considerably.
I had been cruising all day in moderate winds and a fairly heavy swell and towards nightfall I approached an anchorage of which the sailing directions told of sandy bottom and clear waters. Hence I had no qualms about steering into a very sheltered bay and putting down the anchor into the dark waters as I from the chart and the colour of the water assumed ample depth for my 5' draught. In most places one can hear some sounds from the denizens of the deep in the form of clicks of various loudness and frequency and here I heard these noises very loud and very clear. Shortly thereafter the boat gave a sort of a bump and I immediately realized that the water was too shallow and the boat was aground. I went on deck right away and with the anchor and capstan tried to haul the boat out to deeper water to no avail. The tide was going out and soon the boat was inclined at an angle of better than 20 degrees. I checked the tide tables and found it would be another couple of hours before the tide again would rise and meanwhile there was little I could do except to make sure that the boat rested evenly on the sandy bottom. This I did and then took to my bunk, resting in the angle formed between the bunk and the side of the boat. Around midnight the boat was again on even keel and I got the engine started and went out to anchor in deeper water, this time making very sure that I had plenty of water under the keel to allow for the full range of the tide. I have since then been accutely aware of noises coming through the hull and should I again hear loud clicks I shall immediately check the depth and the tide status for nature may well be telling me that my boat and I are out of our depths - if we will only listen!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Story from Jens
Story by Jens Bagh
Don't Shoot the Old Bitch.
There are times when customs of different cultures conflict in the most unexpected manner, conspiring to produce reactions which may have deadly results. Once in the Arctic an old bitch came close to be the death of me. As bitches go she was not unusual but as she grew older she developed some strange quirks in her character. When husky bitches no longer can have litters of their own, they sometimes attack younger bitches or their puppies which needless to say results in fighting between the dogs and upsets owners who see their stock destroyed. The Inuit know of this apparently common trait among husky dogs and are prepared to deal with it in what to white men may seem a very ruthless manner. The law of the land is clear, if a dog owner cannot control his dogs and if they repeatedly attack another team then the attacking dogs are killed.
Well, this old bitch had once attacked and destroyed a young puppy and clearly was no longer mentally stable. I told the station handyman to get rid of the beast somehow or other. That he prevaricated and never got it done should have put me on the alert but it didn't. A few days later there was a frightful racket outside on what was otherwise a beautiful winter's day and it transpired that the old bitch had started another fight by killing off a second puppy. Well I was not prepared to have this go on indefinitely so I grabbed a gun and went out and shot the old bitch and I don't think she even heard the gun go off. Everyone else in the vicinity did though and the next thing I knew was a young fellow coming at me with a gun. The gun clicked, a misfire, and then he grabbed his gun by the barrel and took a swing at me with a will. I used my own gun to fend off the blow which resulted in his gun breaking in two with the butt end hitting me in the face, splitting my lower lip wide open and knocking me to the ground. I thought this behaviour a little unreasonable and got up and pacified my attacker by holding him in a rather painful grip. He conceded the error of his ways and promised to be more reasonable in the future.
Only later did I get a more complete picture of the whole affair. He had arrived in the arctic very young and had few friends. When the whole world seemed to go against him, he sometimes retired to the carpenter's shop and sought comfort nesting up to the old bitch which to him was the only friendly creature around. And I had shot the only true friend he had ever had.
I did not press charges for attempted murder or for causing grievous bodily harm, for if truth be known then in some obscure way I felt after hearing the full story that I was as guilty as he.
It is hard to keep ones head when an old bitch loses her mind but whenever I am tempted to make a rash decision there is a scar on my chin reminding me that a little mature reflection may save a lot of grief later on.
Don't Shoot the Old Bitch.
There are times when customs of different cultures conflict in the most unexpected manner, conspiring to produce reactions which may have deadly results. Once in the Arctic an old bitch came close to be the death of me. As bitches go she was not unusual but as she grew older she developed some strange quirks in her character. When husky bitches no longer can have litters of their own, they sometimes attack younger bitches or their puppies which needless to say results in fighting between the dogs and upsets owners who see their stock destroyed. The Inuit know of this apparently common trait among husky dogs and are prepared to deal with it in what to white men may seem a very ruthless manner. The law of the land is clear, if a dog owner cannot control his dogs and if they repeatedly attack another team then the attacking dogs are killed.
Well, this old bitch had once attacked and destroyed a young puppy and clearly was no longer mentally stable. I told the station handyman to get rid of the beast somehow or other. That he prevaricated and never got it done should have put me on the alert but it didn't. A few days later there was a frightful racket outside on what was otherwise a beautiful winter's day and it transpired that the old bitch had started another fight by killing off a second puppy. Well I was not prepared to have this go on indefinitely so I grabbed a gun and went out and shot the old bitch and I don't think she even heard the gun go off. Everyone else in the vicinity did though and the next thing I knew was a young fellow coming at me with a gun. The gun clicked, a misfire, and then he grabbed his gun by the barrel and took a swing at me with a will. I used my own gun to fend off the blow which resulted in his gun breaking in two with the butt end hitting me in the face, splitting my lower lip wide open and knocking me to the ground. I thought this behaviour a little unreasonable and got up and pacified my attacker by holding him in a rather painful grip. He conceded the error of his ways and promised to be more reasonable in the future.
Only later did I get a more complete picture of the whole affair. He had arrived in the arctic very young and had few friends. When the whole world seemed to go against him, he sometimes retired to the carpenter's shop and sought comfort nesting up to the old bitch which to him was the only friendly creature around. And I had shot the only true friend he had ever had.
I did not press charges for attempted murder or for causing grievous bodily harm, for if truth be known then in some obscure way I felt after hearing the full story that I was as guilty as he.
It is hard to keep ones head when an old bitch loses her mind but whenever I am tempted to make a rash decision there is a scar on my chin reminding me that a little mature reflection may save a lot of grief later on.
Stories from a friend
Recently I have had the pleasure of making a new friend. Jens arrived at our dock less than a year ago after some amazing sailing adventures. I asked him how, after sailing much of the world how he found our place in Brentwood Bay? I believe he met some other cruisers in Mexico that recommended Brentwood as a good place to rest up and keep the boat. Jens sails a Bristol Channel Cutter built in 1994 and has sailed it as far as Northern Europe and back.
I have always enjoyed talking to Jens and listening to his stories. He has a rhythm to his storytelling that grabs you and puts you right in the situation.
I asked him to let me read some of his stories and I'd like to share them with you.
Enjoy
Story by Jens Bagh
Traffic Light of the Fairies.
I am not averse to physical fitness but regard the current craze for jogging with some detachment and cannot help wondering whether something is not being lost in the headlong rush towards that elusive goal, physical fitness.
Everyday I meet people jogging along the local pathways puffing, panting and the glazed look in their eyes precluding any recognition of their fellow creatures or intelligent observation of their surroundings.
A poet wrote: “What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”, and it certainly is true that we deprive ourselves of some wonderful experiences if we do not occasionally withdraw from the daily rush and the noisy crowds to reflect a little in a quiet spot.
Once it was my good fortune to spend some time on a very isolated coast where signs of human habitation, past or present, were scarce indeed. Wildlife there, though never abundant, was remarkably tame and after a little while one felt in complete harmony with nature. Water was clear and unpolluted and fresh water was readily available from many small streams running down the hillside being fed from higher laying melting snow. In short, the whole place breathed peace and tranquility and had someone suggested that this was the last refuge of the fairies or the wee folk, I would not have been surprised. Little did I realize that the place was so overrun by fairies that they had to have traffic control and even had a traffic light installed on the island.
I do not suppose I was meant to see it and apart from my wife, who saw it at the same time as I did, I never heard anyone else mentioning it. Not that people on that part of the coast were averse to telling tall tales when they did meet - far from it – but possibly the fear of ridicule held them back, because after all, who has ever heard of the traffic light of the fairies!
We first saw the cave entrance as a dark spot on the coastline as we sailed through the narrow inlet to the natural harbour formed by the island, but as the entrance was a difficult one with several reefs blocking direct access, I was preoccupied with steering the boat and did not pay much attention to the shoreline as such. The day was a beautiful one, a clear blue sky overhead and just enough wind to set the waves astir and turn the sea into a pool of shimmering silver. When we had the cave entrance just about abeam and approximately half a cable length away, my wife suddenly exclaimed, “Look, there is a light in there”! With reefs all around us I wasn’t much disposed to do anything but to try to get us into some relatively open water but as soon as I could I turned my head and said “Where”? My wife pointed in the direction of the cave and I saw a diffuse green light coming from the inside of the cave. Then my wife said in a voice which clearly indicated her distress “But a moment ago the light was red”! I could hardly believe my ears, the hair rose on my head and shivers went all up and down my spine. I imagine I sounded more than a little testy when I said, “You mean to tell me that when you first saw that light it was red and that it now has turned to green”? That is right she said! Here we were – more than a thousand miles away from the nearest place known to possess a traffic light and my wife was seeing one changing in front of her very eyes! This obviously was something requiring further investigation. I reduced the speed of the boat, brought it about and we returned the way we had come. Sure enough, the light changed again from green to red and even going through yellow on the way. By this time my hair was standing straight on end but I was determined to see this thing at close quarters. I reduced speed to dead slow and gingerly steered the boat towards the cave mouth keeping a sharp lookout for underwater obstacles on the way. Next time I looked into the cave mouth, the light that greeted me was shimmering silver and it suddenly dawned on me what we had been privileged to see. Water leaking through the cave ceiling had set up a fine spray a little inside the cave. With the exact elevation and direction relative to the cave entrance and our distance from the shoreline we had only been able to observe one of the spectral colours of the rainbow at a time as we sailed by.
In terms of probabilities, the chances of seeing a sight like this is small indeed and I shall feel forever fortunate in having been allowed to see the traffic light of the fairies.
JOB, (East Greenland. 1969-1971.)
I have always enjoyed talking to Jens and listening to his stories. He has a rhythm to his storytelling that grabs you and puts you right in the situation.
I asked him to let me read some of his stories and I'd like to share them with you.
Enjoy
Story by Jens Bagh
Traffic Light of the Fairies.
I am not averse to physical fitness but regard the current craze for jogging with some detachment and cannot help wondering whether something is not being lost in the headlong rush towards that elusive goal, physical fitness.
Everyday I meet people jogging along the local pathways puffing, panting and the glazed look in their eyes precluding any recognition of their fellow creatures or intelligent observation of their surroundings.
A poet wrote: “What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”, and it certainly is true that we deprive ourselves of some wonderful experiences if we do not occasionally withdraw from the daily rush and the noisy crowds to reflect a little in a quiet spot.
Once it was my good fortune to spend some time on a very isolated coast where signs of human habitation, past or present, were scarce indeed. Wildlife there, though never abundant, was remarkably tame and after a little while one felt in complete harmony with nature. Water was clear and unpolluted and fresh water was readily available from many small streams running down the hillside being fed from higher laying melting snow. In short, the whole place breathed peace and tranquility and had someone suggested that this was the last refuge of the fairies or the wee folk, I would not have been surprised. Little did I realize that the place was so overrun by fairies that they had to have traffic control and even had a traffic light installed on the island.
I do not suppose I was meant to see it and apart from my wife, who saw it at the same time as I did, I never heard anyone else mentioning it. Not that people on that part of the coast were averse to telling tall tales when they did meet - far from it – but possibly the fear of ridicule held them back, because after all, who has ever heard of the traffic light of the fairies!
We first saw the cave entrance as a dark spot on the coastline as we sailed through the narrow inlet to the natural harbour formed by the island, but as the entrance was a difficult one with several reefs blocking direct access, I was preoccupied with steering the boat and did not pay much attention to the shoreline as such. The day was a beautiful one, a clear blue sky overhead and just enough wind to set the waves astir and turn the sea into a pool of shimmering silver. When we had the cave entrance just about abeam and approximately half a cable length away, my wife suddenly exclaimed, “Look, there is a light in there”! With reefs all around us I wasn’t much disposed to do anything but to try to get us into some relatively open water but as soon as I could I turned my head and said “Where”? My wife pointed in the direction of the cave and I saw a diffuse green light coming from the inside of the cave. Then my wife said in a voice which clearly indicated her distress “But a moment ago the light was red”! I could hardly believe my ears, the hair rose on my head and shivers went all up and down my spine. I imagine I sounded more than a little testy when I said, “You mean to tell me that when you first saw that light it was red and that it now has turned to green”? That is right she said! Here we were – more than a thousand miles away from the nearest place known to possess a traffic light and my wife was seeing one changing in front of her very eyes! This obviously was something requiring further investigation. I reduced the speed of the boat, brought it about and we returned the way we had come. Sure enough, the light changed again from green to red and even going through yellow on the way. By this time my hair was standing straight on end but I was determined to see this thing at close quarters. I reduced speed to dead slow and gingerly steered the boat towards the cave mouth keeping a sharp lookout for underwater obstacles on the way. Next time I looked into the cave mouth, the light that greeted me was shimmering silver and it suddenly dawned on me what we had been privileged to see. Water leaking through the cave ceiling had set up a fine spray a little inside the cave. With the exact elevation and direction relative to the cave entrance and our distance from the shoreline we had only been able to observe one of the spectral colours of the rainbow at a time as we sailed by.
In terms of probabilities, the chances of seeing a sight like this is small indeed and I shall feel forever fortunate in having been allowed to see the traffic light of the fairies.
JOB, (East Greenland. 1969-1971.)
MV Reliance
After working on Reliance for over a year we returned her to her slip in Victoria. Those of you who have visited the shop in the last year would have seen her reconstruction. If you didn't we basically re surfaced everything on the outside of the boat. The final result speaks for itself. Erin, Dave, Theresa, Mike, Courtney and Jean all deserve gold stars for doing such a great job. There are some pictures of the details and some video of us taking the boat back to the States to clear customs.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Somthing different
At our shop in Brentwood Bay, We're not just creative on boats. This in-house project is my latest creation. Hopefully if the design and Geometry are good this will be a scooter built for speed!! I'll let you know if it works. Thankfully I have very talented friends who can weld. In the picture is Mike Harris a good friend and AG employee. Jean Gaudin also helped me with this project.
Euphimia
After a long bottom end rebuild. Euphimia is ready to go. Now that the fresh new Garboard planks are on, you would never know that almost all the floor and keel bolts were replaced. Engine timbers were re fastened and heat exchanger was reconditioned and re mounted. Euphimia was built in 1929 in Seattle. There was no doubt that the fasteners that we replaced were original. I'd be very happy if our bolts lasted 81 years. Euphmia will be launch Wednesday June 9 2010 just in time for a short sea trial and the off to the first of the summer Classic Yacht rendezvous. You may also notice by the pictures that we gave her a new pain job and a reconditioned swim grid. A new laminated rubbing strip re places the steam bent oak one. Euphmia is a member of the CYA Classic Yacht Assosiation.
Friday, May 28, 2010
New decks for Kotic
Kotic is a lovely little gaff cutter that we have done quite a bit of work to over the years. Now she is being fitted out with some new decking. We are installing yellow cedar decks. This will be the third deck we have done in yellow cedar. The first one was the Duen over ten years ago. Those decks look as fresh as the day we installed them. The yellow cedar is very tough, tougher than most people think, and the price is right. As teak soars to $32 a board foot we have to look for these kinds of alternatives. We will have more pictures soon.
Teak blocks
Jean has built these teak blocks. Real blocks are hard to find and the quality of the ones we have found are not so good. So Jean built these. Nice hey!
Oh and the nickles are fake;)
Bristol chanel cutter
Here we re-built a hatch for a customer. The end result is something that we are pleased with.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Boatbuilders weekend
I suspect that most boatbuilders go boating on the weekend, but Jean and I like to go looking for adventure on our motorcycles.
OK! we are not straying form our original passion boatbuilding and operating wood boats, Just having fun.
New boat
Alice is a new build. She is a Paul Gartside designed 12' double-ender. The construction is red cedar carvel on Garry oak frames. The keelson is oak and the keel is Douglas fir. The planks are fastened to the frames traditionally using copper nails and roves.
We hope to have her ready for the Open Boat Festival in September!!
In the picture shown here, the boat is upright and the rub rails are going on to create stiffness.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Euphimia The Classic Yacht
Euphimia is in our shop for some annual upgrades. Keel-boats and some new garboard planks.
Shown in the picture is Jean shaping up some new planks to replace the worn out ones. Euphimia was built in 1929, this makes her 81 this year. She is looking very fresh for her age. Credit must go to the owners for taking such good care of her.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Anita im Orkan
If you have not seen this video before, here it is. The best heavy weather classic yacht sailing I have ever seen. I love how relaxed the crew is.
Merva under way
Here is a link to a video of Merva underway crossing the Straight of Georgia.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=782xiH0Nz_4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=782xiH0Nz_4
Merva
This is the reconditioned galley area. New fitting imported from Europe and a sealed copper backsplach are some of the details that we installed.
Here is the new cabinet we have just built and installed into the boat. This cabinet is located in the pilothouse under the passenger seating. The wood is a match to the rest of the boat. It's Sapelle mahogany, the drawer sides are fir and the frame work is cherry.
This is the engine room located under the floor of the pilothouse. We built this to replace a similarly designed fir floor. The new floor and hatches feature sound proofing built into the hatches. The greatest feature of this hatch system is the sliding center board that is also removable. The pilot house on Merva is very small, the hatch system that we designed allows the operator to continue driving the boat while a crew member could access the engine. The engine room is designed to be completely serviceable. All essential service items are positioned to be handled with ease. We also made the engine room intuitive. The goal was to make servicing the systems simple.
This another view of the new cabinet. looking across the pilothouse floor.
Here is some details of the heads. Sepelle counter and a copper back splash.
In the winter of 2009 we had the pleasure of having Merva in our shop for a complete re-fit. New engine, interior finishes and all new systems. Basically we took the hull of Merva, repaired what need attending to and totally updated the boat with all the modern conveniences. All the upgrades were carefully thought out. The goal was to not disturb the original look of Merva yet have all the best of the new world. Modern electrical plumbing, sounders and navigation systems are essential in the busy waters these day. The Owner of the boat did all the necessary research to make the boat a period piece. We are very pleased with how Merva turned out. Merva has been featured in our blog before. The cover picture is of Merva's bow.
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