SHAVINGS Newsletter of The Center for Wooden Boats -- Vol. 6, No. 3 - May-June, 1984 -- $0.25
LOOKING A H E A D . . . L e t ' s i m a g i n e that t h e C W B has finally p u t its act t o g e t h e r . W e w o u l d h a v e a g r a n d f l e e t o f display boats representing the total s p e c t r u m of o u r s m a l l craft h e r i t a g e . T h e c r y s t a l ball also sees our boatshop skills program running year-round: evenings, w e e k e n d s a n d longer-term intensive boatbuilding w o r k s h o p s . W o u l d that be o u r whole bag of tricks? Hardly. T h e m o r e w e get i n v o l v e d w i t h t h e little b o a t s o f our past, the m o r e closed d o o r s a n d d a r k passages w e f i n d , yet t o b e o p e n e d a n d e x p l o r e d . T h e r e i s s o m u c h m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n t o collect a n d pass o n t h a n just t h e o l d b o a t s a n d o l d - t i m e skills. T h e b o o k s h a v e n ' t yet b e e n c l o s e d o n t h e origins, c o n s t r u c t i o n techniques, handling metho d s a n d passages o f the m a n y s m a l l b o a t s t h a t s p r a n g up in the Puget S o u n d area. F o r e x a m p l e : the Native dugouts. M u k i l t e o boat, Blanchard Jr. and Sr. K n o c k a b o u t s , Lake U n i o n Dreamboats, W i l l i t s c a n o e , sailing g i l l n e t t e r s , sailing s c o w s , o y s t e r s l o o p s , pelagic sealing b o a t s , t h e F l a t t i e , t h e H . A . L o n g b o a t s , t h e Reinell b o a t s , a n d e v e n m o r e on our beloved Poulsbo Boats. T h e n there are tangled stories to unravel about the wonderfully talented builders of the N o r t h w e s t : A c m e M a n s k e r , G e o r g e N e u s s , the T a y l o r f a m i l y , the G r a n d y f a m i l y . O l d t i m e r s w e o n l y k n o w a s " B i g E d " a n d " I v a r , " w h o left b e h i n d
f l o a t i n g m o n u m e n t s . J i m C h a m b e r s has t o b e r e c o r d e d - the m a n w h o s t a r t e d S e a t t l e ' s o l d - l i n e b o a t b u i l d i n g s c h o o l i n 1937. C h a m b e r s w e a n e d quite a few superstar builders into the w o r l d of good w o o d construction. Y e t to be surveyed a n d c h a r t e d are the misty w o r k s of outstanding h o m e - g r o w n designers: H.C. Hanson, Leigh Coolidge, T e d Geary, Ben Seaborn and Ed Monk. T h e s t o r i e s o f t h e g o o d small c r a f t a r e a tangled, dense thicket of i n f o r m a t i o n on designs, c o n s t r u c t i o n m a t e r i a l s , tools a n d especially t h e ingenious, energetic, colorful characters w h o d r e w t h e m , built t h e m a n d u s e d t h e m . It's a t o u g h tale t o tell. It's a b o u t a s h a r d t o d e c i p h e r a n d classify a s , say, t h e c o m p l e x , i n t e r l o c k i n g w o r k ing w a t e r f r o n t o f P u g e t S o u n d t o d a y . W e m u s t get m o s t o f t h e a n s w e r s t o o u r questions about N o r t h w e s t historic boats f r o m t h e o n e s w h o still r e m e m b e r . T h e t r o u b l e is, t h e s e a r e t h e f o l k s w h o a r e just t o o b u s y right n o w building boats, replacing d e c k s , stems, keels, t r a n s o m s , s p a r s . W e c a n hear t h e s h a r p r i n g o f caulking along our waterfront from Olympia to Bellingham. T o d a y , h u n d r e d s of skilled professional h a n d s a r e t e n d i n g t o t h e o n g o i n g m a i n t e n a n c e o f classic w o o d t u g s , h a l i b u t s c h o o n e r s , t r o l l e r s , g i l l n e t t e r s , seiners, c a n n e r y t e n d e r s , r e s e a r c h vessels, m i n e s w e e p e r s a n d c h a r t e r
vessels, n o t t o m e n t i o n t h e l a r g e Puget S o u n d fleet o f w o o d p l e a s u r e c r a f t . W h i l e w e n e e d t h e s e p e o p l e t o tell u s m o r e a b o u t o u r h e r i t a g e , they a r e b u s y c o n t i n u i n g it. It's easy for u s t o t a k e t h i s f o r g r a n t e d , b u t t h e y don't in the p o r t of G a l v e s t o n . It was necessary to b r i n g i n o u t s i d e h e l p t o r e s t o r e t h e h i s t o r i c squarer i g g e r Elissa. N o n e o f t h e e x p e r t s w e r e t h e r e t o p l a n k , c a u l k , r i g o r m a k e t r a d i t i o n a l sails. Same thing in San Francisco. T h e new masts for t h e s c o w s c h o o n e r Alma lie in w r a p p i n g p a p e r on the pier, w a i t i n g to be s t e p p e d . T h e y can't do it because there are no riggers in t o w n to m a k e t r a d i t i o n a l w i r e r o p e splices for t h e s h r o u d s a n d stays. W h a t w e h a v e i n Puget S o u n d i s a g o l d m i n e o f m a r i t i m e h i s t o r y , a n d i t has c a l l o u s e d h a n d s a n d spits s n o o s e . T o d a y , P u g e t S o u n d i s still d e e p i n fresh sawdust a n d shavings. S o m e d a y the waterf r o n t will b e g e n t r i f i e d b o u t i q u e s a n d r e s t a u r a n t s . B y t h e n , t h e C W B will b e a full-service m u s e u m , with archives of p h o t o s , d r a w i n g s , b o o k s , magazines, o r a l h i s t o r y tapes a n d p a r a p h e r n a l i a r e l a t e d t o o u r s m a l l - c r a f t h e r i t a g e . C W B will h a v e industrial-sized files a n d c a t a l o g s . B u t o n e t h i n g that will n e v e r c h a n g e i s o u r s o l i d base o f p u b l i c p a r t i c i p a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s . W e will a l w a y s reflect t h e h o n e s t , w o r k - e a r n e d Puget S o u n d s t y l e , w h e r e p e o p l e c a n lay t h e i r h a n d s o n h i s t o r y . —
Dick
Wagner, •
M A J O R PUBLIC E V E N T : T H E C W B SPRING R E G A T T A S u n d a y . A p r i l 28, t h e C e n t e r for W o o d e n B o a t s will h o l d its " o p e n i n g d a y " r e g a t t a - first m a j o r o u t d o o r gathering of the new year. T h e W a t e r w a y 4 event w i l l , as u s u a l , be a g r e a t o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x c h a n g e ideas a n d e x p e r i e n c e s , try o u t a v a r i e t y of t r a d i t i o n a l s m a l l b o a t s , a n d engage in a bit o f f r i e n d l y c o m p e t i t i o n . T h e s p r i n g g e t - t o g e t h e r a t o u r site ( s o u t h e n d of L a k e U n i o n , between Abigails and Belknap Glass) begins at n o o n . R o w i n g races start at 12:30. A p o t l u c k l u n c h is s c h e d u l e d f o r 1:30. Sailing r a c e s will be at 4 p . m . I n - b e t w e e n , t h e r e will b e a m p l e t i m e t o t e s t - d r i v e t h e b o a t s a n d have m o r e races. T h e m o d e of the day, as a l w a y s , will b e p a r t i c i p a t i o n . T o m a n y , t h e p o t l u c k l u n c h i s t h e highlight o f the r e g a t t a . W o o d b o a t s a n d c u l i n a r y e x t r a v a g a n zas s e e m t o h a v e a s y m b i o t i c r e l a t i o n s h i p . There's some competition here, too - a seafood c h o w d e r c o n t e s t . T h e c o v e t e d C W B c h e f ' s hat will b e a w a r d e d t o t h e c r e a t o r o f t h e best c h o w d e r . . . with the winner to be d e t e r m i n e d by popular acclaim. For those not c o m p e t i n g we need main c o u r s e s , salads, b r e a d s , d e s s e r t s a n d b e v e r a g e s . T h e r a c e s will b e o r g a n i z e d t o p r o v i d e m a t c h u p s for a w i d e v a r i e t y o f b o a t s . A w a r d s w i l l b e g i v e n for first a n d last p l a c e s in t h e r o w i n g a n d sailing r a c e s . T h e r e will a l s o b e a h a r d - l u c k p r i z e , class-boat a w a r d , a n d several o t h e r p r i z e s . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e p e r s o n t r a v e l i n g t h e g r e a t e s t distance will receive a prize. T h e r e g a t t a i s o p e n t o all no charge. Y o u don't have to bring a boat, either. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , please call 3 8 2 - B O A T . •