LaHogue, launched by James Laing on 16 July 1855, for Duncan Dunbar. At 226 feet and 1152 tons under deck, and rigged with double fore and main top-sails, single topgallant sails and royals. It was the largest vessel built in the North up to that time.
Temerity, launched by James Laing on 22 August 2007. At 11 feet 1 inch, 3 foot 10 1/2 inch beam, 5 inch draft, and plans to be rigged with a gunter mainsail post graduate school. It was the largest vessel built in his parent’s garage up to that time.
Let’s put this in perspective: First off, Sir James Laing was a ripe old man in 1855 and LaHogue represents a lifetime of achievement. While Temerity was launched on my 25th birthday, Sir James Laing launched LaHogue while staring death in the face at … 32 years old.
Well, how about the fact that Sir James relied on centuries worth of ship building wisdom passed down from generation to generation, working entirely with lumber, know-how and hand tools. All I had to work with was the full resources of the Internet, uniting a global community of modern-day boat builders (and of course all of the power tools money can buy … not to mention epoxy and plywood).
At the very least, I’m willing to bet that he had help …
Sometimes you’re just beaten, fair and square … my boat doesn’t even have cannons! More pictures here.
Well, since deciding to take my time and finish up the boat (officially Temerity) properly, things have slowed down quite a bit. Finish work takes time. But the paint and varnish are arriving tomorrow, there are only a few small pieces to install before sanding and sealing like mad, and I purchased a car-top rack today. Just for kicks, I decided to throw the boat up on top of the Civic and take a look:
The boat actually looks quite small on top of my (small) Honda Civic … or at least smaller than I thought it would. But then again, the Civic has seating for 5 adults and an engine. Temerity has neither.
Well folks, I think I had mentioned that my goal was to have the boat on the water by the first week in July. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re going to miss that deadline by several weeks. The reason? Mismanagement.
My sister, Pam, has been bugging me to write about her contribution to the boat project. So here it is, in total: Two Saturdays ago, Pam appointed herself “supervisor” of the boat project, and then promptly fell asleep in a chair not far from where I was working on the boat. She did wake up briefly, and was able to successfully measure out the location for the screws in the sheer strake, but then decided that this type of work was far too hands-on for someone from the managerial class like herself. So, now the boat is behind schedule. It is amazing that a project, which was only briefly managed, can suffer so badly at the hands of mismangement. Such is life, I suppose. Continue Reading »
Well this past weekend was my last weekend as a part-time boat builder. Soon I shall leave the ranks of the gainfully employed to pursue a full-time career as a boat wright. Actually, I guess I will still be gainfully employed, and I expect the gains to be much higher that those available in corporate America. Unfortunately, they will also be significantly less monetary in nature. In fact, the title of this post is a misnomer, as I will be paid approx. $0/hr. Some things you do for money; some you do for love.
Also, some things you do for health insurance. Please pray I don’t injure myself.
I’m reminded of a description of the Atlantic Challenge boat building apprenticeship program:
… young people would be eager to learn a demanding trade abandoned by most of its practitioners a half century earlier. And that in pursuit of this knowledge they would willingly place themselves outside the economic mainstream for two years or more, participating in an exchange of labor for learning during which they would receive no wage for the extensive work they would perform. Apprentices labored long hours at arduous tasks, emerging perhaps only with the satisfaction of having begun to master skills for which there seemed at best a marginal demand.
Well, first off, that last post was a bit hurried, and I didn’t fully (or at all) explain the various names and why they may or may not be good names for a boat. Joe was kind enough to point that out, and explanations will follow in this post. Also, I didn’t describe any of the photos posted or what various challenges I had to overcome. So I went back and edited the previous post so hopefully it is a little more informative.
I’m waiting for the epoxy to cure on my planking stock, so I thought now might be a good time to post an update about my progress. As I mentioned, the boat is now entirely framed, with only a few minor details to take care of before I can plank her. However, first things first. The boat is in need of a name, and I have only a few ideas … most of which are sort of dorky. So I’m soliciting you, the users of the Internet, to help divine a name:
(Please note that the poll results only update every hour … also, I voted for “Magpie” twice before I figured that out …)
If you select “Other”, please give your suggestion in the comments. Continue on for a whole mess of recent photos, along with some brief explanations: Continue Reading »
Above are the plans for Sand Dollar. Well, it’s 1 sheet of plans out of 16, but it is the most important one. It describes the full-sized temporary frames, transom, and bulkheads, which I have previously mentioned.
At the top of the plans, you might notice that there are two parallel lines, one marked “Jig” and another one marked “Jig - Transom”. The difference between these two lines is 1 1/8″, and if you happen to use the wrong one at the wrong time, well then you’ll be fine. However! If you use the right one at the wrong time or vice-versa, you’ll screw things up big time.
I spent all weekend in Ann Arbor, hanging out with Adam. While it was a fun and informative weekend, it meant that I wasn’t able to accomplish much on the boat. So, I think this week’s post is better devoted to a well-deserved shout-out.
Quick report on last weekend’s building activities: I finished and mounted the transom, and put the cleats on the temporary frames. I started the fore and aft bulkheads, but due to lack of screws, I didn’t finish. Instead I ordered a small fortune worth of stainless steel screws from Jamestown and Bolt Depot to remedy that problem, and they should be arriving today. (Fun fact: when buying screws for marine use, you might want to consult a scale of the nobility of metal in saltwater.)
Shop class presents an image of stasis that runs directly counter to what Richard Sennett identifies as “a key element in the new economy’s idealized self: the capacity to surrender, to give up possession of an established reality.†This stance toward “established reality,†which can only be called psychedelic, is best not indulged around a table saw. -Matthew B. Crawford in The New Atlantis
Construction on the boat has officially commenced! Last weekend, I entered the shop on Friday night and didn’t exit until Sunday evening, outside of tending to my necessary life functions (you know the ones …). Here’s the play-by-play, which I’ll try to make as interesting as I know how:
