SHAVINGS
Volume
One,
Number
NEED FOR NEW HOME The Center f o r Wooden Boats is f a r from being the Mecca f o r small c r a f t e n t h u s i a s t s , at t h i s p o i n t , but more and more devotees are dropping by at our corporate headquarters to see what's happening and to pay t h e i r respects. We t a l k about the Wooden Boat Shows, r e g a t t a s , n e w s l e t t e r s , research on Northwest small c r a f t , the upcoming monographs, seminars and meetings. I hope we are b e l i e v a b l e , r e l a t i n g these events and e x c i t i n g p l a n s , while we are s i t t i n g i n our k i t c h e n , s i p ping c o f f e e , with the dog napping in the sun spot, and the ducks demanding lunch at the doorway. This s l e e p y , homey atmosphere is the l i k e l y impression of most out of town v i s i t o r s . With the Wagner kitchen as the CWB e n t r y , I think we have stretched our c r e d i b i l i t y to the l i m i t . The main focus of our e f f o r t s now must be on a new l o c a t i o n f o r the Center. Impressing v i s i t o r s w i l l be no problem once we have a permanent s i t e , with boats in the water, a shop r e s t o r i n g and b u i l d i n g traditional small c r a f t , a d i s p l a y of photos and drawings of our small boat h e r i t a g e , a l i b r a r y , and a proper l i s t i n g in the telephone book
I still
June, J u l y 1979
Four
v i s u a l i z e a sleepy dog, hungry
ducks, and a big pot of c o f f e e , always ready. But with an i d e n t i f i a b l e , o r g a n i z a t i o n a l l o c a t i o n , we w i l l spend f a r l e s s time s a y i n g , " Y e s , CWB s t i l l is in business." Dick Wagner, D i r e c t o r
HURRAH FOR THE VOLUNTEERS I t ' s amazing what can happen when a group of people, i n t e r e s t e d in an i n s p i r i n g p r o j e c t , work to p u l l i t a l l together. Our s i n c e r e thanks to the volunteers who took on the job of planning and staging the Third Annual S e a t t l e Wooden Boat Show. Thank you f o r the long hours of p l a n n i n g , f o r the press r e l e a s e s , the s i g n s , the p o s t e r s , f o r s e t t i n g up the Show and s i t t i n g in the booths, and f o r s e l e c t i n g a program we are proud of. This donation of f r e e l y given time, t a l e n t , and energy is the most valuable asset of the Center f o r Wooden Boats. Dick Wagner, D i r e c t o r
ONE MORE TIME SHAVINGS needs c o n t r i b u t i o n s from i t s readers. What are you up to? What's news, where, among our membership? We a l s o need an e d i t o r i a l team!
A PUBLICATION OF THE CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS
SMALL SAILING CRAFT, as a l i m i t e d stock boat, t o s e l l f o r $2035, with r i g .
TRIP TO MYSTIC CWB D i r e c t o r Dick Wagner represented the Center at the 10th Annual Mystic Seaport Small C r a f t Workshop and the 5th Annual Museum Small C r a f t Conference, June 2, 3, 4. Among notes of
interest:
Chesapeake Maritime Museum buys white oak timbers f o r $0.20 a board f o o t . Strawberry Banke found that t h e i r apprentice shop was producing neither well-rounded boatbuilders nor good boats. They now w i l l b u i l d a l i m i t e d number of t r a d i t i o n a l types f o r s a l e , with a three man shop. Boatbuilding i n s t r u c t i o n w i l l be l i m i t e d to weekend "fundamentals" c l a s s e s f o r amateurs. Hampton Mariners' Museum uses l o c a l (North C a r o l i n a ) j u n i p e r f o r p l a n k i n g . The Museum of Man has about 45 Eskimo kayaks and an equal number of Indian b i r c h bark and dugout canoes. Only one of these has been measured. The Adirondack Museum has 120 guide boats and Rushton boats. No l i n e s have been taken o f f y e t . Wooden Boat magazine w i l l commission and s e l l boats. They w i l l publish d e t a i l e d p l a n s , as f o r the r e c e n t l y completed dinghy. The Apprenticeshop w i l l launch a 35' Tancook whaler about now, to be used f o r s a i l t r a i n i n g and commercial freight. Mystic Seaport i s expanding t h e i r l i s t of l i n e s . They sold more than 300 sets l a s t year. The Mystic Seaport Boat Shop w i l l b u i l d Melonseed, from C h a p e l l e ' s AMERICAN
The Workshop and Conference both were e x c i t i n g experiences. Many contacts were made, comments absorbed, programs analyzed. Dick f i g u r e s he gained both in information valuable to CWB, and in confidence t h a t we are on the r i g h t track in our approach. In the course of the three day gatheri n g , Dick a l s o f i g u r e s , he rowed about 30 miles and s a i l e d about 10 m i l e s . He can report on the performance of a 16' Adirondack guide boat, a Rangeley boat, a Psquataca River wherry, and a New Haven s h a r p i e , among o t h e r s . He also can draw from memory a l l the sand bars in the Mystic River between the R a i l r o a d Bridge and the I-95 B r i d g e ! Topics covered by the Conference agenda included: A c t i v i t i e s of the museums; small c r a f t programs in S c a n d i n a v i a ; s t a r t i n g a small c r a f t program; boatbuilding t r a i n i n g ; audio-visual documentation of b o a t b u i l d i n g ; coopera t i o n in small c r a f t r e s e a r c h ; small c r a f t inventory c a t a l o g ; s m a l l c r a f t r e s t o r a t i o n p h i l o s o p h i e s ; future of the conference. Representation i n c l u d e d : V i k i n g Ship Museum,Oslo; Mystic Seaport Museum; National Museum of Man, O n t a r i o ; Thousand Islands Shipyard Museum; Heritage Ship G u i l d of P h i l a d e l p h i a ; Hampton M a r i n e r s ' Museum, Beaufort, NC; Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA; Adirondack Museum; East Hampton H i s t o r i c a l Society; Strawberry Banke; Apprenticeshop; Peabody Museum. THE BOAT BUILDERS DIRECTORY w i l l be ready f o r d i s t r i b u t i o n J u l y 6. This f i r s t issue w i l l include a l l Northwest s m a l l c r a f t b u i l d e r s we could f i n d , plus designers, suppliers. The D i r e c t o r y is l a r g e l y the work of C h a r l i e Bond.
SEMINAR SERIES SUCCESSFUL
Carl Harper's session on maintenance had that s p e c i a l Harper stamp. Where e l s e would a l e c t u r e on maintenance begin with a rusty r e v o l v e r and end with the speaker surrounded by a l i t t e r of shavings and wood s c r a p s , passing around a b o t t l e of rum?
The seminar s e r i e s r e c e n t l y concluded were a thorough success. Almost 300 persons attended 15 s e s s i o n , on nine t o p i c s , from January 27 to A p r i l 14. The Center gained 65 members and made a l i t t l e profit. F u r t h e r , we broke ground in our f i r s t educational venture and gained a foundation of know-how f o r future s e r i e s .
The h a l f model l e c t u r e by Dave LeFebrve was another model of enlightenment, as Dave demonstrated b u i l d i n g models from l i n e s , and as a design t o o l . Dave showed nine study h a l f models that lead to the design of his 13' catboat.
None of t h i s could have happened w i t h out f r e e l y given help from volunteers in the Center. The i n i t i a l s e r i e s was planned by Pat F o r d , Land Washburn, Ray A l i b e r t i , Rip Knot, and myself. P u b l i c i t y was handled by Land Washburn and Doc D o o l i t t l e . Many others helped on m a i l i n g of announcements. Weekly phone and mail reminders were done by Pat Ford and Colleen Wagner. Every Saturday, Colleen and I set up, made c o f f e e , introduced speakers, and closed up. Dennis Corum watched our kids and our business.
The climax of the s e r i e s was Deb Harrington on handtools f o r the boat builder. It was l i k e Christmas, with Deb opening three tool chests and several boxes, going through f i f t y years of hand work on boats. I got in the act with a t a l k on performance c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t r a d i t i o n a l boats, and on s a i l i n g techniques. Our thanks to a l l the speakers, to the h e l p e r s , and to the audiences. It was a s p e c i a l achievement f o r a l l , and a major step forward for the Center.
The space f o r the f i r s t three seminars was donated by the Wooden Boat Shop; f o r the l a s t s e r i e s by Svein Madsen. The f i r s t s e r i e s opened with Joe Trumbly t a l k i n g on Plugging i n t o B o a t b u i l d i n g , with expert knowledge and humor. Paul Schweiss followed with a down-to-earth t a l k on considerations in s t a r t i n g a boatbuilding business.
If you missed out t h i s S p r i n g , we w i l l have another s e r i e s in the F a l l . Dick Wagner CONTRIBUTIONS b r i e f l y noted
The t h i r d session cut through the a d v e r t i s i n g smokescreen on adhesives, s e a l a n t s , and f i n i s h e s . Then Lyn Smith took a s m a l l , dedicated band through the world of knots and s p l i c e s , with the grace of a patient teacher.
The Center r e c e n t l y has received several valuable donations. The most s t r i k i n g is a 26' Samoan Bonito boat donated by Mr. & Mrs. John Haydon. A most welcome donation, j u s t in time f o r the Boat Show, is four f l o a t s , by Lyn B u c k l i n of K i r k l a n d , from Eagle Harbor Marina.
The l e c t u r e on wood by Bob P i c k e t t was loaded with information. We who heard Bob know not only more about wood, but about the c a l c u l a t e d gamble involved in the lumber c y c l e from c u t t i n g to d e a l e r .
D e t a i l s on these g r a t e f u l l y received g i f t s w i l l appear l a t e r .
3
SAWDUST Can a Poulsbo boat take a load? North Burn, of Waldron I s l a n d , has a 17' Poulsbo. He put an outboard motor on i t , to give more room to carry cargo, since Waldron has no f e r r y . North's boat may have set a r e c o r d , r e c e n t l y , when he c a r r i e d ten 55 g a l . drums of gasoline and 1,000 l b s . of cement in one t r i p !
Miracles s t i l l
happen.
Hank long keeps tuned to the wood grapevine, looking f o r good red cedar to plank his 12' and 15' Whitehall type boats. Hank uses only t i g h t v e r t i c a l g r a i n , and needs wide planks. A f r i e n d of a customer to Hank to check out a couple of o l d bachelor brothers who mill in Humptulips. The brothers once planned to b u i l d a boat, and cut the planking s t o c k , but
never got beyond that stage. There was the o l d growth, quarter sawn red cedar, neatly s t i c k e r e d in the barn, 3/4" x 22" x 2 5 ' - - c u t 63 years ago! Hank w i l l use the cedar f o r h i s back o r d e r s , but f e e l s the boards might better be used as a museum d i s p l a y .
On June 9, two Santa C r u z , CA men departed from CWB headquarters on Lake Union in t h e i r 18' Grand Banks dory, to row to G l a c i e r Bay, A l a s k a ! Dick Lukon and Pete McKay have been c r u i s i n g t h e i r boat, b u i l t by Aeolus Boats, Davenport, CA, and r a c i n g in rowing events in Monterey Bay, H a l f moon Bay, and San Francisco Bay the past three y e a r s . The idea f o r the Alaska venture came to Dick and Pete a f t e r reading of Ginger Cox and Tish D a v i s ' s rowing c r u i s e , l a s t y e a r , t o Skagway. Dick and Pete hope to return in time f o r the Port Townsend Wooden Boat F e s t i v a l in September.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM ( )
P l e a s e e n r o l l me as a member o f the Center, a n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n (dues tax d e d u c t i b l e ) , and send me the C e n t e r ' s N e w s l e t t e r f o r one y e a r , the monograph s e r i e s , membership c a r d , and s u p p o r t e r ' s p i n . ( ) Regular--$7. 50/year ( ) Contributing--$15.OQ/year ( ) Organizations--$15.00/year
( )
( ) Life--$100.00
P l e a s e send me a C e n t e r T - s h i r t (Navy b l u e , preshrunk c o t t o n , w i t h the C e n t e r ' s logotype--$5.50 p o s t p a i d . ( ) A d u l t s m a l l ( ) A d u l t medium ( ) Youth medium ( ) Youth l a r g e
Name Address City Z i p code
( ) Adult large
( ) Adult extra large
TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED $ State
Boat(s) owned
Phone
THE CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS
2770 Westlake Avenue North Telephone (206283-9166
S e a t t l e WA 98109