Chuck,

I've seen a number of letters to Duckworks over the years on this subject. I'm not advocating the US adopt one over the other - opinions only get me in trouble. But I'll share an experience. I bought a set of plans from you guys. When I got them, were metric. Dang. So, I bought a metric tape measure.

That boat never got built(yet), but I hung onto the tape measure. While working on a PDRacer, I needed to find the center of some part. As you know, so many things must center in boat work.

I was trying to divide 79 5/16" in two. "Let's see, half of 79 is 39 1/2. Half of 5/16 is 5/32. Which little mark is that? Who makes anything this small? Where are my glasses? What is 39 1/2 plus 5/32?"

I was about to give up and do it on the calculator, when I noticed those little marks on the other side of the blade. 198? Half of 198 is 99....

I've been a metric fan ever since. It makes boat building so easy. Still have to convert to imperial before going to lumberyard, but that's OK.

Bill Prater

Chuck

The next time the skipper of "Seafever" checks in tell him to wear his national flag on the starboard quarter not in the secondary and inferior port side. The proper position would be admidship but this is not possible ergo the superior starboard side.

YOS - Barry Camp
__________________

Garth Replies:

Hi Chuck --

LOL. We had to put the flagstaff on the port side as the mizzenmast is on the starboard. I suppose a true patriot would have moved the mizzenmast. . . .

All best,
Garth

In boats canoe size and smaller righting and reentering after capsizing is difficult.  It would be much easier if the boat were dry or nearly so when it was righted.  For a canoe that weighs 64 lbs a cubic foot of floatation along both side s would allow the empty boat to float nearly dry when tipped at 90 degrees.  Many small sailboats are built to come up dry when they are righted after capsizing; there is no reason that other small boats shouldn’t be built similarly.  I can’ t be the first person to think of this simple safety issue but it is an idea that hasn’ t been adopted as the correct position for the floatation required in a boat.  I would like to see organizations like your magazine and boat plan store promote it.  Thank you.

John Pennucc

Hi Chuck,

In the following article, they mention clear plastic hatches, and they are a brilliant idea.
https://www.duckworksmagazine.com/10/projects/kayleigh/index2.htm

The actual page referred is the following:
https://www.stevproj.com/WidPC.html

The above page shows hatches open with a human face behind one which is very helpful to figure out. You may include that particular web address in the above articles.

Many thanks as usual.

Best regards,
Eliot

Great Magazine Chuck. My latest project is an AF4. A long pause between my last boat- Pointy skiff 2003 and this one.

Hopefully a summer 2010 launch, I'll keep you posted. This will be used on The I.C.W in St Augustine, Fl.

All of my other builds have been Phil Bolgers- Diablo 1990, Pointy skiff 1990/2003, Tortoise 1995, Tennesse 1995-1997, Big Dory sometime in the 90"s.
All of those boats were built when I lived on the north Shore of Mass. I had the pleasure of pulling up to Montgomerys" boatyard and seeing Phil and suzanne. We took an impromptu ride in the diablo.

I don't know who was more excited-them or me! Phil had never seen a built diablo at that time! His plans had been out for around 13-14 years at that point (around 1995). A good time was had by all.

My Tennesse was under construction and I sent photos to them, and promised to bring it by when completed. My Tennessee never made it to Gloucester, we used it in Boston for a couple of years. A divorce and subsequent relocation to Florida got in the way. The boat was sold to an attorney in Miami.

I don't know why the boatbuilding bug was suddenly renewed, but I do enjoy it.

My AF4 is made of single side MDO, 3/8 and 1/2 inch. I will epoxy seams and the bottom when I get home next. My job is as Captain on a 151' ocean going salvage tug in N.Y. A 28 day on/off schedule leaves me time to putter with such projects.

Jack Curley

Chuck
Thank you for your post on Ilur!

Kind regards
--

François Vivier Architecte Naval
7 avenue des Courtils - 44380 Pornichet - France
Tel : 33 (0)2 28 54 97 86 - Mobile : 33 (0) 6 74 54 18 60
E-mail : francois@vivier.info
Internet (français) : www.francois.vivier.info
Internet (English) : www.vivierboats.com

Hi Chuck - I'm Dave Gentry.
I'm hoping that you'll post an announcement on your website for us - we are organizing the first (ever) Colorado messabout, for builders in CO, WY, NM, etc. A quick blurb on your site could help root out some more builders - there are a lot of us around here, but no one knows anybody else!

Anyway, thanks, if you can!
Dave

Here's the announcement:
------------
Hello Rocky Mountain area boat builders - you are not alone!
In fact, there are lots of us spread out over CO, WY, and NM!

So, we are getting together for the first annual Front Range Messabout, and everyone is welcome!

Saturday June 19th - 10:00 AM
Boyd Lake State Park, in Loveland, CO (just S of Ft. Collins).
https://parks.state.co.us/Parks/BoydLake/Pages/BoydLakeHome.aspx

We'll show off our boats, do some networking, possibly learn some things, and do some paddling or rowing or sailing together. It'll be low key, fun and friendly.
We'll have a little cookout (potluck), maybe some demos, and generally have a good time. There's camping available - if you're interested, reserve a spot early.
Canoes, kayaks, sailboats and powerboats are all welcome!

For questions or comments, contact
Dave Gentry Traveller1719@yahoo.com

The original email (copied below) is from a Trailer Sailer friend who summers in the North Channel. There aren’t many masts still standing.

When our Venture Newport 23, Papillon, was last docked at Lake Monroe, a tornado came down the hill, missed the docks, but went through the buoy field. Two boats were sunk. When they were raised, there were no holes in them; the pressure of the twister had driven them under the water. Needless to say, the dock lines on Papillon were hard to loosen from the dock’s cleats.

Bob
___________________

Hey Chuck,

We just got back about an hour ago, we had a great time.

This was my first time on the Rio Grande as it was for everyone in the group. There were eight of us all together: me, the dingleberries, my son, two sisters, niece and brother in law. Everything worked out really well, the only casualties being a lost multi tool and some sore muscles. The only uncomfortable part of the trip came at the very beginning. A couple of miles down from the Rio Grande Village there was a teenager walking along the bank on the Mexican side of the river. As I got closer I could see that there was someone behind the cane that seemed to be trying to keep out of sight and that the kid on the bank was talking to. When I was nearly up to the kid on the bank the second one came out of the cane carrying a rifle, looked like a .22, and sorta jogged along the bank just ahead of me. I stopped and waited for the girls and hustled them past then went back and hustled my son along and told him to keep up with us. Up ahead I saw that the girls had stopped to wait for us a little way down. The kid with the gun raised it up, one handed, laughing, and pointed it at one of the girls who was about a 100 yards down river by then. It wasn't the motion of someone who was about to shoot but more of the motion of someone imagining that they could shoot if they wanted. I was troubled.

I escorted my son through and caught up with the girls and got them moving again. The kid with the gun also had a walkie talkie and was calling with it to another group of about 5 or 6 people sitting on rock jutting into the stream at a narrow point in the river. There was some chatter back and forth that I didn't understand but that my brother in law who speaks Spanish said was about "all the good stuff on the boats" As I herded my son through I saw that one of the kids om the rock was trying to conceal an assault rifle of some sort - folding stock, flash suppressor and sights like on the M-16. No one in this group made any motion threatening or otherwise, just stared, but I was still very uncomfortable. As far as I know the only people carrying these weapons are the law/ military and the bad guys. These guys weren't the police.

That night I picked a campsite on the US side in Boquillas Canyon that appeared to be inaccessible except by water or a very long fall. We lashed all the kayaks to a tree stump and each other well away from shore. Everyone slept very lightly, I sneezed once, during the night, and found myself almost instantly in the beam of my brother in laws spotlight. The next day saw beautiful weather in a beautiful place with zero drama. The third day (yesterday) the wind really kicked up and the temps dropped. In the canyons the wind was right on our nose at  what I'd guess at 25 to 30 mph making progress difficult sometimes and wet always. M, who just the day before was already planning our next trip, cheered when she saw the bridge at La Linda. All in all a great trip; scary enough to make a good story, challenging enough to give a nice sense of accomplishment and best of all, a happy ending.

Chris

First Grand child born today. I got this from Paul and thought as sailors you might get a kick out of it! - Bill Moffitt

One of the first things I told D'Arcy was that I promised to teach her how to sail and build a boat. Later, I got some Chinese food and when I got to the fortune cookie I told D'Arcy that this was her first fortune and opened it. I kid you not, this is what it reads:

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships are built." 

Paul Moffitt

Chuck,

Saw a bit in April Webwatch about Garth Battsta's Miami-Bahamas-Keys adventure in his Michalak Comorant, and noted that Nels says he believes "This .. is the first instance of a Michalak design going off on a real voyage..."

Jim's little 15.5 foot AF4b is also capable of extended cruising, having completed a round trip from The Delaware River, South to the Gulf of Mexico, and back up to the Hudson River; 3500+miles- all on her own flat bottom.

She's currently being re-fitted for an expedition North into Canada this Spring.

I don't mean to sound churlish. Braving the Gulf Stream for the 50 or so miles to Bimini in a small boat is a noteworthy feat - I once had to turn back in a 40 ft. Colin Archer and would think long and hard before attempting it in the AF4b.

Rene

Hi, Chuck.

In line with today's (12APR2010) entry in Duckworks Our Young Navy, you and Paul Austin might be interested in this news from Cape Cod. The remains of a British Warship from the 1770's have been uncovered on a beach near Provincetown.The HMS Somerset was part of the British fleet in Boston in 1775. One of the articles is here.

Thanks for Duckworks! "It's the stuff dreams are made of ..."

Paul Windt

Hi Chuck,

I have been building an EC 22 cat ketch designed by Graham Byrnes. I started building about a year ago and have been recording my progress on a blog. I have been documenting the build so friends and family could see what I am up to.

If you think it would be of interest to visiters of your site I would be pleased to have a link to my blog at Duckworks.

https://sundogboatbuilding.blogspot.com/


Joe Anderson

Hi Chuck - are you well? I thought Craig Hohm's project to build a whaleboat for the Finger Lakes is tremendous - I've posted on rowingforpleasure with one of the pics from Duckworks, I hope you don't mind.
All best,

Chris Partridge

Dear Boss/Captain,

Just a little note to let you know I am working here in OZ. I am working on Project Bluestone: An Ebook guide to Free Boat Building Plans. It is an index. I have found it hard to find free boat plans on the Web over the years when you take into account broken links, repetitive links on many sites, hard to find plans amongst a lot of text, which you have to wade through to find the plan. I thought wouldn't it be good to have a list of plans in one place with images. I have often told people about this free plan and that free plan, but they could not find them. I have decided to create an ebook that lists the plan name, the site to find the plan and an image of the plan so you know what it is. You then visit the site to get the plan. There are a lot of plans out there, so just one image or two and some text with it shall have to do. I call it project Bluestone after Gavin Atkin's design of that name, to recognise the amount of free plans Gavin, and many others, have contributed to the World of boatbuilding. I am contacting ALL of the owners of the sites linked (where at all possible) to get their permission to put their material in the ebook. The book is going to be cheap at $9.90. It is will take some time Boss, so go sailing and I will get back to you. That gives me an idea, see you later when the wind dies... 

Sorry, I'll keep working. There are three ebooks divided into their means of power: Paddle and Row Boats; Sailboats and Motorboats. It is $9.90 for all three books, by instant download. It will be free to update the books as updates are released for the life of the book. Sites come and sites go, but as ebook we can put more images with the links and update it as necessary! The small cost of $9.90 will cover your costs of hosting, bandwidth, charges etc on Duckworks and my costs in downloading the plans etc .

The boats are arranged in alphabetical order by design name.

Download a free sample of the Motorboats ebook to see what it will kinda look like.

Mike John, OZ (Where it is getting colder, not warmer, and thoughts turn to building - not sailing).

Hello Chuck,

Are we missing some pop-up pictures of two Teddy bears' tour

Some pets enjoy more quality time than me...

Best regards,
Eliot

Thanks for letting us know about that one, Eliot, the bears are all accounted for now - Chuck

I just wanted to say thanks to Max for his article on the 25hp Big Twin. I bought one last fall and worked on it all winter off and on. Max's article helped me to refurbish mine thanks to his step by step instructions.

Thanks again.
Ed Wymer.

Ellwood City Pa.

Good Morning Chuck,

Thanks for includung my Mayfly 14 in the Splash, however its mistitled as a Laguna.

Thanks
Scott

Sorry about that, Scott - the error has been corrected - Chuck

After I bought the Dennis ts 500 I did some research into this boat and found that the glue that they glued the hull and deck together has asbestos in it. I think the practice was wide spread for the time so I thought you might place a warning on your site. Please check out the Dennis sites to confirm for yourself. Drilling into these places might cause some displeasure in the future.

Cheers, Stewart

Hi Chuck and Sandra!

I just checked the website of a friend of mine - she and her husband are sailing the Caribbean in their 35 ft. catamaran. They created a long range marine and RV wireless system called The Wirie (their boat is named the Irie) and I thought you might be interested in potentially carrying this in your online store. Just trying to help some mutual friends out!

love and hugs,
Jen

Hi Chuck,

Dont know who else to vent to so you get it. do with this what ever you want. i went for a sail today!! it was great to be on the water after this long winter!!!!!! BUT it was the first time i got #381 in the water. i should have got some pics for splash at the dock but i was too fired up to get at it, there is time later i thought. i am a self taught sailer and i am NOT a very good teacher. i learned some stuff today. i will be counting my pennys and putting in an order soon. i learned not to fudge on hardware, it aint worth it. i learned if it aint right at the dock it sure wont get any better out on the water!! i learned no matter how bad you want or need to sail into the wind it just aint going to happen!! my rudder was not mounted up right so it kind of laid over at an angle ( not good ) i did get some fast runs, enough to make the leeboard hum, then the clamp that held the leeboard in place broke and broke BIG. (i had it rigged so i could move it fore and aft as needed to figure out the trim for the sail) the only thing to do was drop all sail pull up rudder and paddle 1/2 mile into the wind to get back to the dock. i still had fun though. i want to make the TX200 so bad i can taste it, i hope i aint one of the greenhorns that need to be rescued all the time if i do get to come down. P.S. i am building # 405 as we speak!!! love your site i am on it 2 or 3 times every day.

Gene

I was saddened to hear that David Luckenbach of www.sailingtexas.com passed away. Maybe some of you knew this but I just found out today, his website and Duckworks are two sites that I go to almost everyday to get my sailing fix. A few minutes on these two websites everyday has made my workday a little more tolerable.

David has over the past several years created one of the best collections of sailboat picures and information available anywhere, that along with his FREE sailboat for sale ads. He will truly be missed by the sailing community all over the world.

Fairwinds David,, you will be missed,

Bobby Chilek

Hi Chuck - -

Duckworks readers might be interested in Harvey Golden’s website www.traditionalkayaks.com in which he details his explorations of traditional kayak design.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Harvey speak at the Small Boat Conference March 6th hosted by the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria OR. https://crmm.org/ (I'm preparing an article for you now regarding the conference, which was focused on identification, recording and preservation of traditional boats of the Pacific Northwest).

I was thoroughly impressed by his knowledge and enthusiasm for exploring the broad range of traditional kayak designs from around the world. Harvey keeps half of the nearly 50 boats he’s built in his house, and the other half in a storage facility; he lives immersed in the boats and cultures he is exploring.

Pete Leenhouts

What a joy it was to find the link, in the April Webwatch, to the Japanese sailor Masato's story.

It is an inspiration to us all and the pleasures, dramas, dangers and triumphs are told in the simple and charmingly error-strewn English of a non-native speaker, which adds to, rather than detracts from, the power of the narrative. Many a lump was brought to my throat by the descriptions of some of the people he came across who helped him, his wife who must be every boatie's dream woman, not to mention the pirates and others who were less helpful.

Back in late '92 or early '93 I was returning to my mooring in Putiki Bay on Waiheke Island in New Zealand, in my newly acquired 23' trailer sailer. It had been one of my first solo day sails and I had been trying to perfect the art of picking up the mooring buoy under sail alone. On this occasion wind and tide were in my favour and I was all set for a flawless manoeuvre when I noticed a rather shabby little yacht on an adjacent, usually unoccupied, mooring. It was swung in the direction of my mooring and preventing me from making the required approach. I cursed, mildly, and hurriedly engaged the outboard. On closer inspection I had been a bit unfair to think the boat shabby. It was a pretty little wooden craft, and well salty.

It turned out that the boat was Hope11, and I enjoyed a fleeting acquaintance with Masato and was very soon in awe of his achievements of which he spoke with great modesty. I signed the book in which he was collecting the names of all the people he came across on his travels and a couple of days later he slipped anchor and continued on his way.

I had often wondered what became of him, and now I know that he completed the circumnavigation.

The website seems to have been created in 1998. I wonder where he is now.

Thanks to Dale and Chuck for making this great story available to all

Deek

The web watch is too big, too many good links, interferes with my work... but don't stop.

Reed

Congrats, Mike and Andrew! Tom and Jackie's reports sometimes made me feel exhausted, even though here I was sitting in my chair at home. Thanks so much for "play-by-play" updates. We all enjoyed them.

Frank

Hello Chuck,

I love the idea of the Texas 200.... Genius and worthwhile concept.. Read about the group in Small Craft adviser when you had the first article run on it.

In April 2008 I solo kayaked the whole Texas (folding Long haul folding kayak with klepper sail rig) coast to raise money for a charity (Girls inc) in 17 days... I am headed out again this month to raise money for Wounded Warriors backpack program.. This time will do the 370 some odd miles in under 14 days (or at least that is my goal) in a wilderness system tarpon 16 sit on top kayak with a kayaksailor (way cool fully battened kayak sail.)

Thought you and your group would want to know, maybe follow along since I am carrying a SPOT and it is a great cause that if you could help spread the word it would really help....

The trip has a website www.kayakforbackpacks.com and if you could help spread the word with a sticky on your board I would appreciate it...

Local Houston NBC affiliate recently did a story (click on news on the site to see it if you want to check it out) next week local Houston Fox affiliate is doing a story to help get the word out.

The goal of the trip is to raise awareness of wounded solders and to raise enough to fund 200 medical assistance kits for critically injured solders. I am writing to you both help and as it is a trip I think your forums would like to follow along and Our best and brightest are getting hurt and the worse casualty of war is being forgotten...

Blue Skies,
Austin
www.fitandfunny.net
www.davisseminars.com

Hi Chuck!

Justin's fantastic website on building his Jacques Merten-designed and trailerable Vagabond-20 Just Right is hiding in plain sight at the end of his recent Duckworks-featured article March 12th 2010 on building Joe Dobler's little dinghy Pepita.

Justin may have built Just Right more than a couple of years ago, but his website, pictures and descriptions of his decison-making process, how he picked the design, how he built and equipped the boat are clear and extremely informative. An added bonus are his cruise and trailering reports from many of his trips with his boat. I've picked up all kind of useful building and painting tips from Justin's experience.

Perhaps he could be convinced to write a summary of his experience with Just Right for Duckworks? I think it would be a great article!

Sincerely,
Pete Leenhouts

Dear Jim Michalak:

I thought you might like to hear a little story about your Laguna design:

Mike and I were sailing along, outside the ICW, off Naples, Florida. It was a nice, easy sail, the seas were 2ft or a little higher, the winds had moderated to about 9kts. It was a good hour or two after dark when I spotted a kayak off to port. It had to be a Watertribe member, who else would be out that late? We hailed him and asked who he was "Sharkchow" came the answer. He asked "Where's the Naples Pier?" and since we had never been in the area before, we said "We dunno. Must be up ahead, innut?"

He asked us "What's the next pass?" and I looked at the chart "Gordons!" as we were moving away at a pretty good clip, conversation wasn't really possible, so he said "Thanks" and we continued.

At the end of the event, I went up to say "Hi" and that chat about when we had passed in the night. This is the story he told:

"I was beat when I saw you guys. Tired and barely thinking. I couldn't find the Naples Pier - they usually have it lit up like a Christmas tree, and I couldn't see it. All I could think was that my GPS was malfunctioning and I wasn't nearly as far along as I thought I had been. Even though it was only 9pm, I was considering finding a spot to stop and sleep for a couple of hours. The wind and waves had just knocked my out."

"Then, just as I was feeling the most miserable, I looked back and what did I see but that beautiful blue Laguna sailing out of the dark. She was running wing and wing with her sails backlit by your sternlight and I swear it was the most magnificent vision I had ever seen on the water. Seeing it and talking to you guys just brightened everything for me. It was the best thing that happened to me all day. That sure is a beautiful boat."

So: Good job, Jim. You enabled someone to make a thing of beauty that brings joy to everyone who sees her. Congratulations on an excellent design.

Andrew

I was reading the letters column the other day and saw that some people have a problem with metric. Metric is nothing more than a system of measurement. It might seem confusing initially because it is not what we are used to, but any measuring system is nothing more than a group of equal units (in the case of imperial measurement the units are inches, feet and yards) that we use a measuring devise to count, as in 17 inches. Metric does exactly the same thing using different units (millimetres, centimetres, metres). If your plan is metric and calls for 127cm, find 127cm on your metric tape and there you are(it´s about the same as 50 inches). So basically what I´m saying is not to worry about what scale your plans are in, you just get a measuring devise for that scale and you´re away. The nice thing about metric is that it is a decimal system (based on units of ten) just like our counting system is decimal, so to change from one unit to another you just move a decimal point, for example 1,357 millimetres is 135.7 centimetres or 13.57 decimetres or 1.357 metres, no fractions, no 12 (inches to a foot) of these and 3 (feet to a yard) of these and fifteen-sixteenths of those. If you try metric, you´ll probably get to like it. I sure do.

Luis

Well, Chuck, that article makes me feel like a piker. It's well written with lots of pics and shows thought and ....holy cow, I feel so inadequate actually having a boat built! A great article by an Oregonian.

Rich Green

Paul Austin makes some intriguing observations of lateen sail tacking in the second part of his February 11 column "With Winter Comes Thoughts of Building". It seems that the equilateral triangular sail of the first scheme must at some point of its rotation excitingly present orthogonal to the wind. For a lateen tacked before the mast, the second scheme, Paul writes "Each side will have two lines: one to pull the sail around and one to tie it off." I'm not sure four lines attached to the clew are required, but I may be missing something of the plan. As I understand things it usually works pretty much like the Beer non-dipping lugsail, as discussed here a while ago, in that only one sheet is required from each side of the clew.

Richard Carson was a boatie and professional seaman for many years and so was able to pay lots of attention to the many different types of small boats he encountered all over the world. Much of that before easy power options too. He wrote many striking articles for MAIB. In paras 3 to 6 of "Dream Boats: The Splendidly Simple & Versatile (And very much misunderstood) Split-lug" (September 1, 2000) he wrote of his first encounter a with type of small boat lateen rig seen in the eastern Med, on the Nile, and way down the seaboard and lakes of east Africa. At first befuddled he figured it out, then he "chartered one of these craft, My hands-on experience proved me right, single-handing a thirty footer and putting it thru every possible maneuver, was a blast, or rather a breeze. I found the boat most responsive, the rig highly efficient, and the combination an utter delight."

Earlier in "DreamBoats: The Handling of the Lugsail" (February 15, 2000) he wrote about his epiphanic encounter with difference. He explained how the rig was tacked, provided diagrams, and touches on the Beer Luggers of England. He calls the lateen, or perhaps just this type, an "Arabian Lug". I believe this could've been due to his existing familiarity with the English south coast luggers similar tacking manouvre, or he may have been making a general point though that lugs and others rigs arose from lateens.

It beats me as to why small boats further west in the Med region reportedly don't rig their loose-footed lateens this way...

Graeme

The best way to get your sail rig finished quickly and painlessly is to explain to your wife that it will take you four months to build the rig from lumber or you could buy it from Shaw & Tenney with a single phone call. It helps to have strategically started your sailboat build in the living room and then drawn it out over four years.

Jim et al

Hello,

I recently had some email correspondence with Hartley Boats and one of the their plan sets. Below is part of the last email, and their comments about Clark Craft. It is probably something you might already know but I thought I'd send it in case you don't. Might be of interest to some of your readers.

/The first is that you have not paid us the Royalty on the plans as you purchased them from an unauthorised source and it would be copyright fraud to attempt to build from them.

Clark Craft are not agents and have not been for almost 20 years, but appear to use old master drawings from the time back when they were agents. We have had many complaints about their business activities and dealings with customers over the years. /

Ralph

My website which includes pictures of the dinghies I built

Hey Chuck,

We just got back about an hour ago, we had a great time.

This was my first time on the Rio Grande as it was for everyone in the group. There were eight of us all together. Everything worked out really well, the only casualties being a lost multi tool and some sore muscles. The only uncomfortable part of the trip came at the very beginning. A couple of miles down from Rio Grande Village there was a teenager walking along the bank on the Mexican side. As I got closer I could see that there was someone behind the cane that seemed to be trying to keep out of sight and that the kid on the bank was talking to. When I was nearly up to the kid on the bank the second one came out of the cane carrying a rifle, looked like a .22, and he sorta jogged along the bank just ahead of me. I stopped and waited for the girls and hustled them past then went back and hustled my son along and told him to keep up with us. Up ahead I saw that the girls had stopped to wait for us a little way down. The kid with the gun raised the gun up one handed, laughing, and pointed it at one of the girls who was about a 100 yards down river by then. It wasn't the motion of someone who was about to shoot but more of the motion of someone imagining that they could shoot if they wanted. I was troubled. I escorted my son through and caught up with the girls and got them moving again. The kid with the gun also had a walkie talkie and was calling with it to another group of about 5 or 6 people sitting on rock jutting into the stream at a narrow point in the river. There was some chatter back and forth that I didn't understand but that my brother in law who speaks Spanish said was about "all the good stuff on the boats" As I herded the girls and my son through I saw that one of the kids on the rock was trying to conceal an assault rifle of some sort - folding stock, flash suppressor and sights like on the M-16. No one in this group made any motion threatening or otherwise, just stared, but I was still very uncomfortable. As far as I know the only people carrying these weapons are the law/ military and the bad guys. These guys weren't the police. That night I picked a camp site on the US side in Boquillas Canyon that appeared to be inaccessible except by water or a very long fall. We lashed all the kayaks to a tree stump and each other well away from shore. Everyone slept very lightly, I sneezed once, during the night, and found myself almost instantly in the beam of my brother in law's spotlight. The next day saw beautiful weather in a beautiful place with zero drama. The third day (yesterday) the wind really kicked up and the temps dropped. In the canyons the wind was right on our nose at what I'd guess at 25 to 30 mph making progress difficult sometimes and wet always. One of the girls, who just the day before was already planning our next trip, cheered when she saw the bridge at La Linda. All in all a great trip; scary enough to make a good story, challenging enough to give a nice sense of accomplishment and best of all, a happy ending.

Chris

Chuck, if you can, please replace the link for the watercolors in your March Reports with this one. Apparently the other one only allowed access to one picture. This one should link to the whole album.

Stacy Smith

Chuck,

I know everyone else has probably already commented, but I really loved the article Jagular Goes South. Tom must be an amazing guy to have all that trouble and still keep his sense of humor about the situation. I especially enjoyed his comments about the puddle duckers lounging around in their little boxes. I'm glad he took the time to write his experiences down. Excellent article!

Paul Cook

Howdy,

I get several emails a day from scammers trying to get some sort of access to my bank account or credit cards. They do a scan of my website - www.storerboatplans.com/ - to find phrases that are commonly used through the site. As you know I design boats, but I do talk about "plywood boxes" on my website because some of my boats are almost as simple to build as boxes.

This is from "Mr Berry" who wants to order some plywood boxes.
Quote:

Dear Sir/Madam

Am Mr.Berry and would like to make an Order of Wooden-Plywood Box from your store and would like to know the types and sizes you have in stock as well as the prices and the types of credit cards that you accept for payment.Thank you and waiting to hear from you as soon as possible.

Regards
Berry

I just delete the message, but I imagined writing this to "Mr Berry".

Dear Mr Berry
We have 16ft plywood box and 8ft plywood box with one or two sail and differing performance, though it appears that several have good quality performance in a variety of weather condition.

Please advise how many people you want your box to hold.

Be advised that the 16ft one person box can commonly carry an additional small person but the 8ft one person box can carry two and retain good performance.

The two person box can carry an additional two person and possibly a picnic and/or a dog.  One customer uses his two person box like this with regularity.

If fitting a motor to box a license might be necessary.

Best wishes
Michael Storer
Director - Wooden Box Co (Maritime division)

PS - Re your other enquiry, the credit card size is standard size. Approximately 2.25 inches by 3 inches.

Hi Chuck and Sandra --

We're planning on leaving February 14 to trailer the boat to Miami and sail across to the Bahamas. I've started keeping a blog about our preparations, and once we're sailing we hope to update it every day or two with a little bit of news, and maybe photos if the satellite phone (very slow) can manage it. Anyway, you can use this site to check in now and then to see our progress.

https://blog.mailasail.com/seafever

I was just thinking about how this trip all started. I think it was a mention of "Messing About in Boats" in the zine "Out Your Backdoor" back in 1997 or so . . . and then I read Robb White's tin canoe article and that lit a flame that has never been quenched -- build you own boat and all that matters is if it floats. In short order I found Duckworks and the Bolger listserv (before it moved to Yahoo), and Jim Michalak. And then I built a lot of small craft -- a Gypsy and two Mouseboats and Toto and Larsboat and Mayfly and Piragua . . . and then it dawned on me that we really needed something big enough for the whole family to sleep aboard so we could go to the sea for longer than a daytrip. So the
Cormorant was born. And we have had five deliriously happy summers sailing her all along the northeast coast of the US . . . and now we're about to go to the Bahamas. Funny how things happen.

All best,
Garth Battista

I enjoyed Rob's article but wanted to add a few things to what he wrote. The first thing is to not use your hand to power the chisel. The chisel will never stop where you want it to. Always use a mallet or something to drive the chisel and use your hand to control how the chisel cuts. That way when the mallet stops, the chisel stops.

If deep cuts are to be made, the line that is being cut to can be "stabbed in" instead of using a utility knife to score a line. The chisel is held vertically and is driven down to the the depth required, or in increments if it's a deep hole. The chisel is then used to removed wood incrementally by driving it towards the line.

A chisel is almost always used with the bevel down so that depth of cut can be controlled by rocking the chisel on it's "heel". This is done by raising and lowering the handle while driving the chisel. If you think of the cutting edge of a chisel as an angle or V, the wood that is to be removed should always be against the face of the angle that is raised away from the wood that you want to keep.

Lastly, you always want to cut through the grain when cutting with the grain. Attention to the grain's direction will need to be watched and if you find that you are no longer cutting through the grain, change directions and cut the opposite direction. This will keep the grain from splitting out while wood is being removed. If your chisel is kept sharp enough to cut cleanly across end grain with out tearing, you shouldn't have any problems making clean cuts.

I want to apologize for the lack of drawings that could illustrate what I'm saying better, but I'm not that computer savvy and am writing this during lunch.

Dave

Hi Chuck -

Thanks for the editing and embedding the videos in the Raid Finland Article. I sent the link to several people, and have had nice feedback. Wojtek Baginski was particularly complementary.

Norm

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this article. Makes me want to sign up and go on the next one. I hope this and similar trips will be regular events.

C

Marvelous writing! (Down to the Sea in Ships) The solitary tone and the interior thoughts make it very dramatic. I can identify with Fort Wayne as a boating place, having seen (from the bridges) the rivers and islands that should make it a great place to explore. The reference to no place to boat seems stretched. Actually, given a bit of transport, the northern part of Indiana has a host of small lakes. I remember Chain of Lakes State Park as being a fascinating place for canoes and, I would assume, small boats. On the other hand, if going on down the St Lawrence is the dream, the boat may be too small! It brings to mind "Scuffy the Tugboat"--one of my childhood favorites--where this willful toy boat floats through cow pastures, past cities, and is only rescued as he is about to be swept out into the sea. Before you reach the sea you may want to build something bigger. Still, it makes a great dream!

Tom

I was intrigued with the building of "Caroline" in today's Duckworks. As always, this is my window to sanity and great pleasure!

Regards,
Ron

Chuck - loved the enthusiasm evident in Dave Farmer's land sailing article this morning - what a blast - almost made me want to get on down to Utah next March (can't make it this year) to try it out! Please tell him "great job" and lets hear more from time to time!

s/Pete Leenhouts
sopping wet Port Ludlow WA

Chuck

Jay does not 'do' credit, but here is a good link for his book. Note the layout to Army Hole. Judging by this he's done his homework and then some.

https://texascruisingguide.weebly.com/

John N. "Noël" Nicholls

What we’re doing, myself and area resident Gary Blum, is just putting together a very informal gathering of wooden boats in conjunction with our annual Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival. There’ll be no entry fee, no judging, maybe some prizes for fun, but mostly just a get-together to show off our boats to the general public and mingle with other boat owners and builders. Gary and I conceived the idea as an extra attraction to the festival, and thought it might be something that could grow over time.

Here's a link to the festival itself:

https://www.bayoutechebearfest.org/

There’ll be bulkhead docking available, or trailered boats can be parked beside the bayou on a grassy area are on the street, which will be closed for the festival. Adequate bumpers will be needed for bayou docking, as the waterway tends to be busy on festival weekend, but not horribly bad.

We are only holding the show that Saturday. There is one small boat landing a few hundred yards upstream from the festival grounds that has limited parking, we we’ll need to know how many are coming by April 1 in order to make arrangements where necessary. I am currently determining the condition of that landing to be sure it is in good enough shape before we let anyone put down there. If not, we’ll make other arrangements.

There’ll be plenty food and drink at the festival vendors section, and Gary and I might throw something on the grill or something.

Franklin is a very small town, only 8,500 people, and not very close to anything...an hour from Lafayette, two hours from New Orleans. But we are in the heart of the Atchafalaya River basin, the best part of the "Sportsman's Paradise" that Louisiana claims.

If you could pass the news along, anyone interested in participating can reach me at the Banner-Tribune in Franklin, 337 828 3706, or by email,

rstouff@teche.net

Anything else you need to know, don't hesitate to contact me back,

Thanks,

Roger Stouff

Hi Chuck,

First of all I would like to congratulate you on a great web publication you have. It certainly adds to the boat porn that we so eagerly look forward to here in the Philippines. Best of all it is free and updates are frequent.

Just recently, you featured an article written by Darold Carlson on his Filipino Navigator. I was very excited reading this article because Ormoc City, where Darold now resides is 2 hours away from my home town of Tacloban, Leyte. I frequent Tacloban to visit my parents and one day would like to establish a sailing club in our sea side property. I have also been a fan of John Welsford and in fact have exchanged emails with him a few months back regarding his Pilgrim and Pathfinder. Darolds article has definitely inspired me to dust up my plans to build a Welsford boat. But first a decision has to be made as to which boat to build.

Also, I would like to ask if you could give me Darold's email address as I would like him to be a member of our boat building club: www.pinoyboats.org. I am sure, with his experience building a Navigator in a relatively remote place like Ormoc, he can contribute much to the club.

Thanks again, and more power to you and to Duckworks!!! sincerely,

Dylan Tantuico

P.S. Please feel free to sign up as well at www.pinoyboats.org.

Regarding the suggestion (Treasure Chest) to use old battery-powered electric drills wired directly to a boat's electrical supply: People who try this should be cautioned to watch the drill battery polarity. Simple, non-variable-speed drills won't care if the polarity is reversed (except they will run backwards), but reversed polarity on a variable-speed drill will burn out its speed control circuitry. At best, it will still work, but will no longer be variable speed. Repairing the damage is not complicated but does require scraping up the right parts.

Take it from one who knows, and who now has a really nice 12 volt non-variable-speed drill.

Regards,
Chris J

The construction appears to be the late maib Monfort's geodesic aerolite. See www.gaboats.com. --

William R Watt

Chuck~

Love yer site.  Check it daily and have built 6 boats using tips for you and your writers. 

The mystery boat looks a lot like the geodesic airoLITE boat 'Black Fly' .  I built one in my hotel room on a TDY.  It is shy of 8', 4 foot beam, dacron skin, and weighs 30 lbs.  It does indeed row and sail. 

He has many other designs...very easy to build, very light and strong....but watch for pointy things.  https://www.gaboats.com/

~Jerry

chuck,

boat plans shouldn`t be in metric!!!!! we live in the us, not overseas. i'll never buy plans that are in metric. sounds like its a ploy to sell metric sticks and tapemeasures! i built my pdr from info i got off the web. lucky for me because i would not have built it with metric plans. people really dont like being forced into things like metric.

don

Hey Chuck,

The Mary Agnes entry in your last Splash was very nice. Thanks and thank you for including my profile.  I am very proud that I was able to do what I did in WW2. I came out of it without a scratch, only thing that happened is I am deaf from it.  Small price compared to what others got.

 Tnx, T.Bone

Dear Chuck:

After reading your wonderful composition on my efforts with building Father Browne the fishing boat, one of th efishing partners of Father Browne, the fisherman, sent me this picture of th efisherman with a big fish and a big smile.

Thanks again, Fred Night

Chuck: 

I consider my account of the Texas 200 in Messing About In Boats to be plodding amateur journalism at best, but I write to express my appreciation and wonder at the amazing stuff appearing in Duckworks “What’s New” by Paul Austin and Tom Pamperin.  I think “Jagular Goes South” and “Ducks Conquer All” rise to the level of literature.  No joke. The photos and videos posted last summer were useful for solidifying the event in our memories, and sharing the same with those who were not there.  But this essay and poem carry an even more meaningful punch. Thank you to the talented authors, speaking as one who knows that what they have done ain’t easy.  It’s a remarkable thing in itself that the Texas 200 experience was so powerful that it has inspired some to try to express its meaning and impact.

--Kim Apel

Small World Dept.

Chuck,

Watch out, the New York Times is now publishing articles by boat builders.

I hope, for your and all our sakes, that this isn't becoming a regular feature or popular among other main stream media, possibly encouraging people to build boats instead of watching 3D television, causing severe shortages of plywood and other boat building supplies, clogging of water ways, a boat building cable channel, boat building movies staring Jennifer Lopez and Jim Michalak, Rush Limbaugh railing against boat building commies, boat builder lobbyists in DC, a "sawdust" third party, wall street involvement, a boat building bubble, like clockwork followed by another recession and thousands of unfinished boats across the country. Worse, it could lead to such an increase in your business, you wouldn't have time to take a boat out anymore.

Let's just hope none of this happens.

Gottfried Kloimwieder

I thought Larry Cheek might enjoy Gottfried's letter, so I forwarded it. Here is Larry's reply - Chuck

Thanks, Chuck, I had a good laugh. Also got a heap of letters from all over the country (and Europe), including several from unemployed (or nearly so) people like me who were also building boats. The heartbreaking one was from a guy who sent a photo of a gorgeous 19' Simmons Sea Skiff-in-the-making. Said he'd have to sell it as soon as he was finished to pay the bills.

Larry Cheek
https://www.lawrencewcheek.com

Hi Chuck

I cut my sides out using a skill saw for the first time and I don't know what I was stressed about. It went well and I have nice fair curves. Much easier than a jig saw.  I stapled the sheets together with a staple gun and they did not move. I used saw horses and put old pine on top as rails. I marked the first chine, cut the sheet in half longitudinally and cut both sides at once. I clamped them together to move them. I'm excited. I'm addicted. There is an AA (alcoholics anonymous) but is there a BB? Well at least I don't drink or smoke. Got to have some vices.

Mike

Hi Chuck.

I first wish to say that I very much enjoy Duckworks. Great Job.

I finally broke down and bought a set of PDR plans tonight and I a bit concerned. I am a feet and inches kinda guy and these darn things are all metric. I find myself reading over them and not being able to visualize what is going on. Did I boo boo when I ordered? Is there a inch standard set available? I guess I can go over them and convert everything but that doesn't sound like much fun to me. Any ideas?

Thanks, Mel

Mel:

There are currently no Imperial plans available for the OZ PDRacer. Probably half the plans we sell are metric. That is why we sell four different metric tape measures and a meter stick. But the dirty little secret is that it is easier to build with metric than with feet and inches - and it only takes about a day to get used to the system. It is that easy. Try it, you'll like it.

This would be a good boat to learn the system on. My first metric boat was a Welsford Rifleman - I survived and you will too.

Chuck

Chuck,

I am feeling a little sheepish here. After I sent that Email I sat down in my comfy chair and read the plans word for word. I don't think this will be a major problem anymore. Also, you were absolutely clear in the description that they are metric plans. In the old days (before Email) I would have taken the time to really look at the plans before sending a letter, thus saving myself the embarrassment of getting the cart in front of the horse. I would throw this friggen computer out but then I would miss my daily Duckworks fix.

Thanks, Mel

Hello,

I recycle old sails to help keep them out of the landfills. I see you deal with a lot of tanbark and I was wondering if you run across any situations where you are building new sails and the customer is going to throw away the old ones. If so, we would love to recycle them. We would gladly pay for shipping.

Let me know if you are interested in recycling these old treasures.

Thank you,
Penny
Sea Fever Gear

--
Sea Fever Gear - real sails, real recycling and real value.

Hi,

I saw the letter posted last month about Trekka and thought I could provide some more information on the issue. Trekka was refitted from a static museum exhibit to seagoing condition several years back, and remains so to this day. She is usually stored ashore under cover and is put in the water for the annual Classic Boat Festival (https://www.classicboatfestival.ca/). This past year I was asked to skipper her to and from the festival and did so - I was going to take her out for the festival sailpast but that got cancelled due to poor weather conditions. She's a lovely little boat, and gives the feeling of something very carefully designed and built.

The mall exhibition was, as far as I know, an attempt to celebrate Trekka's and John Guzzwell's accomplishments and to allow people to see a boat that was otherwise unavailable for public viewing. I helped remove the keel and rudder - the keel is attached to two flanges along the bottom of the hull with a number of transverse bolts. I can't entirely tell from the photos posted in the article, but it appears that the mizzen is stepped along with some temporary placeholder for the mainmast. The writer is probably correct in his reasoning that the mainmast was not stepped due to height limits. The rig is still complete, and very much in sailing condition.

Thanks for continuing to provide such a great magazine/store and general boatbuilding resource,

Andrew Barclay

Hi Chuck,

My name is Bob and I listed a free mast and boom in your classifieds.  One fellow emailed and said he was interested, I thought great.  Later he asked me to lower the price?  Then he told me a delivery man would pick it up.  Lastly he sent me a check for $3500.  It looked bogus, and was.  The bank told me to tell the police and I did.  They told me that whoever this is will next ask me to deduct the cost of shipping and send them their change.  What a scam!! 

Anyhow, just wanted to let you know these idiots are out their and even watching your classifieds.  Cops told me this originates a lot from Istanbul. 

No damage done but still not found a home for the mast. 

Have a great holiday!
Bob

This’ll make more sense to you if you have actually driven a ’53 Chevy on the first warm spring day, after a long, cold winter.  OK.  A ’57 works too.  Only, if it’s a hard top, though.  And, “What does this have to do with boats?” you ask.  Well, hang on there a minute.  I’m getting to that.

You might actually remember when cars didn’t have automatic door locks, and air bags, and you could stick a hand in the air without arousing road rage.  And, if you do, just take that next step down memory lane.  Back, when the only “power windows” a guy knew about, were surrounding the foreman’s cage down at the plant; cars had these cranks to open the windows.  You had to climb over the front seat backs to reach all of ‘em.  And, like I said, this only REALLY makes sense if you’re driving a hard top.  Because, a hard top just don’t look right with part of the windows up.  And, since you had to include a bit of gymnastics—and cars were actually wide enough that you couldn’t really reach the far side windows while driving—once the decision to roll down the windows was in force, you’d better enjoy it.  Now, you remember.

So, there you are: driving on that magical, first day of the year when the temperature outside is just plain pleasant.  The windows are down.  You see, there really was a time when “air conditioning” was something for theaters and maybe the malt shop.  Cars had windows.  With hand cranks.

You stick your hand out to make a left turn signal.  Arm extended horizontal.  Fingers more or less flat to the road surface.  The air feels just about wonderful.  You tip your left thumb up a bit, and the arm rises like an airplane wing.  You dip it, and pretty soon, you’ve got a gentle swoop and roll going.  You almost forget to turn left.  Things used to be a bit simpler, I suppose.

Now, the boat part.

If you want to know why a rudder stalls, just try a left turn hand signal on a warm day.  As you roll your hand one way and then the other; it’s simple to feel what the rudder “feels.”  Just a little out of flat, and you have lift.  A bit more, and you have lots of lift.  A teensey-weensey bit more, and you have stall.  And, if you truly stall out with your hand while sticking it out of the car window, you’ll remember why it was better to do that with a hard top.  No door post to smack into.  Same thing, for feeling what the sails “feel.”

The official racing jargon involves concepts like, “Overtrimmed,” “leech too tight,”  “excessive camber,” and all that stuff.  The real deal with getting a sail just right is like flying your hand out the window on a spring day.  You move it in and out until the rudder  just “feels right.”  Or at least, that seems to work for me.  But, then, I’m kinda’ old, and may have forgotten some of the steps.

Dan Rogers

Dave Davignon owner of Edey and Duff boats [Builder of Dovekie, Shearwater, Fatty knees, Stone Horse and many others], and a friend for 25 years, died Monday quite unexpectedly. Sad news for the sailing world.

Lee Martin

"Jagular Goes South" was written so well as to allow me to see, smell,
feel, that beach and experience that Texas 200 start morning, again.

John Wright
_______________

His description of the park at Port Mansfield is dead on: Desolate, degraded, barren, beaches heaped with rotting sea grass, and a pee soaked, concrete block outhouse that does have running water and a flush toilet, but that's all.

The other thing he mentions is his new-found ability to adjust, adapt, plan, and react. Leaving Port Mansfield is like jumping out of an airplane: It is damn hard to change your mind.

Andrew Linn
_______________

the first part of Jagular's was well written and gave me a better idea of what to expect in the TX200 and what to prepare for. I was disappointed that the second and third parts of the story aren't in the magazine for reading yet but I will sure be waiting for them to appear in Duckworks Magazine. Let us know when they are ready to be read.

John Monroe
_______________

Bravo!

Great writeup. i can hardly wait for day two!

Breaux
Bolger design #268
_______________

Hey Chuck, very nice. Thanks and thank you for including my profile.  I am very proud that I was able to do what I did in WW2. I came out of it without a scratch, only thing that happened is I am deaf from it. Small price compared to what others got.

Tnx, T.Bone

Hello Chuck
 
Knowing your online magazine’s coverage of many sailing activities, I thought the following, or parts of, may be of interest to your readers.
 
Regards, Colin Ming,
 
***************************************
 
The Old Gaffers Association - British Columbia, Canada area is now forming. The Old Gaffers Association (OGA) was formed in the United Kingdom in 1963 and today has members throughout the world with local Areas in Ireland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Holland, the USA, Australia and now Canada
 
The aims of the Old Gaffers Association are to preserve interest in and encourage development of the Gaff Rig, and to participate in the maintenance of our Maritime Heritage. Membership of the Association is open to all who are interested in sailing, building; restoring or simply admiring gaff rigged and other traditionally rigged craft. There is no requirement for members to be boat owners.
 
Shortly after joining the OGA, I attended the Association’s Annual General Meeting in London. After favourable discussions with several of the Executive I was given permission to form a Canadian Branch of the OGA.
 
Enthusiasts of traditional rigs from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest are cordially invited to join the Old Gaffers Association - British Columbia Canada area. To promote the new area, membership fees have been temporarily waived. To be included on our mailing list and to receive information and news regarding the date and place of our first meeting, please visit us on Facebook
 
Facebook Group: The Old Gaffers Association - British Columbia, Canada
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=186498124176
 
Colin Ming,
OGA Canadian Area Representative.
Surrey BC.

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