It's been a bit since I posted on the blog. S/V Blue Flower is safely ensconsed in my mothers garage and all that remains for this this off season is to dream big about next spring. And dream I do. Of opening that garage door and pulling the boat out and just staring at it for a long while. Running my hands over the wood and getting ready to take the plunge. And then later sailing her with her topsides a dark blue and new white sails taut with a good breeze and just enjoying the good life.
It's been said one of the great things about our state is that we can appreciate the seasons. Well not having as sailing season for six months really makes you appreciate it when  you do have it. So I'll throw up a favorite picture here and continue my boating hibernation. In practice at least!

Seasons End?

S/V Blue Flower ready to get under way with The Typesetter and S/V Pica in the background

 It's been a busy few weeks here at the IP&NCo. A hitch has been installed on my 1970 VW Beetle and I've been heading out to the local scum pond every chance I get. There has been an awful lot of sailing going on. And one minor mishap bur more on that later. Seze has been everything I hoped she would be. A boat that is enough of a challenge to keep my interest but not enough of a challenge to not want to push her limits. I've continued to explore how the gaff rig works and have enjoyed every minute of it! I don't have a lot to report save for some wonderful pictures I've taken along the way.

Doing about a knot or so.

Running wing and wing

S/V Pica with her full 67sqft

Following a swamping at dock. Just like the square riggers of old she's vulnerable with no ballast!

Two beautiful Teals

So far there has only been two nagging issues and they are kind of related. I was having a block hang up on me which prevented rapid movement of the boom when I most needed it. This was a contributing factor in what was my first and so far only knock down. I was running in heavy winds and she just death rolled and submarined on me. I am pleased to report a Super Teal floats relatively high and dry for it's class and can be rescued in warm water with with a close shore by one person! Those air boxes, although not air tight (yet) do the job of making the craft not sink.The water was warm and while I can't say I fully enjoyed the experience the knowledge gained makes up for any loss of comfort during the event! The block issue was easily tackled, no pun intended, and the fix of turning the troublesome device ninety degrees seems to be work well.
 I've been in email consultations with Dave at Polysail and I think the Blue Flower will be getting some new sails this fall. It only seems fitting. I just hope I get a chance to try them out!
So sailing will continue until I get bored or the pond freezes up. Great times had by all. Well most of the time!

Gettting Closer

Flemish Coils on the deck of S/V Blue Flower

 It was a fairly busy day at the IP&NCo. boat yard! I've recently started work again and with loads of Belegarth stuff it's been tough to get time with Seze. But with our 2nd Annual Frenchtown Messabout coming up I had no choice but to get ready! My buddy and Journeyman Electrician Trevor Stene came over and kindly wired up my 1970 VW beetle for trailer lights. We're missing a few of them right now but it should get me to the pond and back in a somewhat more legal manner then what I was originally planning. As he was working his magic I spent time rigging and cleaning my Super Teal. The rigging was made good, and the whole boat swept and wiped down. She seems to be a very happy and eager boat at this point in time. I can see where and how she needs work but she'll sail for at least another season without major work. Of course major work is on the horizon but she's a well built craft and I can't wait to get her back in her true element.

 There is another project awaiting me. The PD Goose S/V Flying Fox. She's right now not much to look at but there is a lot of potential. And work LOTS of work. Right now the goal is to simply stabilize her for the upcoming winter and tackle her on a time needed basis. Here is a shot of her on the ways.

S/V Flying Fox eXpedition Goose by Andrew Linn

 We're in a full on Indian summer here in Western Montana and I don't think the sailing season is done yet. Well not if I have anything to say about it! I'll keep you posted and if your in my area check out the WMHBBA links on this blog. Hope to see you about!

Quiet Times and Reflections

HMS Wee Rose. A Bolger Nymph done up to the nines by Rick Cambell. If a Nymph can do it, why not a Teal?

It's been quiet on the physical front but certainly not quiet on the mental one. One of the ideas forwarded to me about the S/V Blue Flower by it's former owner and co-builder Andrew Linn was that I should turn her into a show boat. That is make this Teal and example of the breed for wooden boat shows across the Pacific Northwest. And that is the route I've decided to take. This will require a bit of work over the coming fall and winter. The list is quite long and growing but for prosperity's sake I figured I'd throw it up here. And here it is in no particular order.

1. Take the gunnels down to bare paint and brightwork them.
2. Remove all spars and brightwork them.
3. Rework rigging as required to achieve the proper look
4. Repaint deck in Royal Blue
5. Touch up interior as needed
6. Brightwork the seat, rudder and lee board.
7. Rework the seat to make it removable and stowable
8. Make duckboards for the floor
9. Repaint the Hull
10. Get a proper cover the boat itself
11. Figure out a proper anchor set up
12. Make and brightwork a boom crutch
13. Design and make a boom tent.
14. Get new sails built and/or ordered
15. Install deck cleats fore and aft

The idea again is to make a windjammer in miniature. It'll be a longer process then I was thinking and a bit more expensive but I think the end result will be worth it. A very unique vessel with a strong pedigree that will with luck get more people into building and sailing their own boat. The goal is to have all this done by the CWB's Home Built Boats weekend 2012 where the S/V Blue Flower will make her full debut.
  I downloaded and watched a delightful multi-part BBC documentary called The Boats That Built Britain hosted by master mariner Tom Cunliffe. It was a wonderful look at some of the vessels that grew the mighty British empire and should not be missed by any true sailing or boating aficionado. As an outgrowth of my interest in Mr  Cunliffe I ran across one of this books Hand, Reef, and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats. This is an amazing in depth look at setting up and sailing the gaff rig. From handling your vessel under sail in a harbor to rigging a forestay this is a must have for those who sail this classic rig. It is a bit dense for those of us with a hobby knowledge of the rig but the wonderful illustrations and photos help guide one along and all those new words and actions start to make sense.
  Tom answers all his own email and I am tickled pink that he's graciously put a signature in the post for me. Technology is truly amazing when a new gaff rig owner in the high mountain dessert of Montana can correspond with one of the worlds greatest gaff rig sailors halfway across the globe.
  What of the PDGoose you may ask? Well it's also in the list of things to get done this autumn, at least to the point I can in good conscious leave it over the winter, ready for spring. A name has been tentatively given and the S/V Flying Fox should make a grand sight on the inland waters of Montana.

Another Well Done Teal

Teal

Posted my Teal on the Wooden Boat Forums and got this one in response! It's by Greg H. and just look at all that detail. That is one of the great things about these Payson/Bolger "Instant Boats". They are literally a blank canvas upon which a builder can project whatever design or idea they may have. From built to plan to overbuilt the Instant Boat is a wonderful first, third or twentieth build. From the original book the next size up is the Surf, basically a stretched Teal at 15'6". Imagine what you could do with that much to work with! There are not a lot of Surf's to be found on the interwebs. I did find a great yellow one and lo and behold look what popped up:

 Blue Flower sure has been around! Here is a shot of her at the Eugene Yacht Club Boat Show 2008. Picture is from Flickr user jhkohnen. Andy's write up can be found here.
  I'm off to Idaho for a week of Belegarth. When I get back I hope to ramp up my boat stuff a bit. Have a PD Goose to get get done and the Teal to rework. Until then have a great week!

Little Details

Need some more line to finish this right but that looks pretty good.

Rigging S/ Blue Flower

  Awhile ago there was a rash of rigging posts on the wooden boat sailing blogsphere. Not to be left out  I posted one for the tiny sprit rig of S/V Trudy C. It was not impressive. But with a new boat and many stings to pull I figured I'd update my rigging post for those of you who may be interested.
  Blue Flower flies a gaff mainsail and a jib. The rig is fairly conventional but there are a few tweaks that the vessel has undergone that I'd like to point out.

  Here she sits on the trailer. You'll notice the mast is of a tabernacle design. This idea an design comes directly from the Stevenson Project's Weekender.

  How did a Bolger Teal end up with this mast you ask? The previous owner of the boat owns a Weekender with a gaff and many of the ideas were directly imported into this boat. The idea, and it's a sound one, is she is stored on the trailer ready to go.This makes rigging and de-rigging much less of a hassle! On with the trailer sailing!
  There is only one piece of standing rigging, a forestay. This balances the load with the dolphin knocker below. Simply pull the pin, put the mast up, make sure to put the pin back in and that bit is done.

   Then apply slight upward pressure on the bowsprit and hook the forestay into place.

 Now because the rigging of this boat is fairly self contained the rest is straight forward and simple. Simple if you follow the maxim "A place for every item and every item in it's place". With the mast up and forestay in place I check my halyards and sheets for twists or obvious binds. Below the mast partner is a belaying pin block. I'm sure there is a technical name for that but I've not learned it yet. If we look at it left to right the six pins are: Jib Halyard, Bungee Spot, Empty, Empty, Peak Halyard, Main Halyard. Jib comes up first with the sheet left loose but in place. The pins are under over, under, twist. And then coiled properly on the pin!

  And if people are in ear shot it's a rousing chanty to get the main and peak up together.

  Those are given good tension and a final check to make sure dagger board is down, rudder in place, cockpit clear and in good order. Then it's cast off and sheet home. But for this post my boat simply has her wings out on the trailer.

Total time to rig is about five to seven minutes. The fact it's all self contained is great for a single handed sailor. They say a boat the size of a Teal has limited utility. But I think the utility is what you make of it. Right now this boat for me is a sail trainer in the classical sense of the word. Training muscle memory, observation, and general seamanship in a handy easy to manage package. Now to get it on the water and work the rest!

A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say 'How to Build a Boat    Stephen Wright

Can it Daysail?

Heading out on Frenchtown Pond. Stolen shamelessly from www.andrewlinn.com

  The Blue Flower has been bugging me, sitting on her trailer. As boats do she's caused no small amount of day dreaming, planning and scheming. All the basics, like repainting, brightwork, and varnishing will need to be done. But beyond that the plan is to turn Seze into the best daysailer I know how to make.
Right now she's a great pond boat. But I'd like something that can take me a bit farther off shore. As I've mentioned previously the biggest water I can readily access is Flathead Lake, an hour and a half north of me. I've taken a Teal out on Polson Bay, the lower quarter of the lake and will use that as a base line for daysailing. I don't see me getting out on the big part of the lake until my Goose is done.
 So these plans of big water are going to mean some changes to the basic structure of the boat. The first sticking point is axillary propulsion. When there is wind in Polson Bay there is no better place for a pure sailboat. When there is no wind, there is no worse place. It's only about 14sq nautical miles but during the summer it's over run with power boats and jet skis. The ability to maneuver, even under oars will be essential. But we run into a few ergonomic problems. Rudder and boom interference are at the forefront.Coming a close second is where to store them. Oars are an emergency solution. Which means a pair of eight foot wood ones are not really what I'm looking for. I was looking online and found collapsible oars. Not ideal but they would store easily enough inside the vessel. Oar locks and the like can be worked out and I'm considering making the tiller a bit more removable. Again this for the when not if of dying wind. If I play in the bay best be prepared.
 Also in the works is the boom crutch and the boom tent. The crutch is pretty straight forward but there is a twist, It'll be expandable. This is to raise the boom for rowing. The tent is an idea I got from this entry at Log of the Spartina. This will allow for those naps when the wind does die for a bit and I have a good book to finish.
 And why not do duck boards? Allow for a flat place to lay down. Under the boom tent of course. Well the weather is a bit gloomy here but I have plans for brighter days. And that is one of the joys of owning your own boat.

"Cruising has two pleasures. One is to go out in wider waters from a sheltered place. The other is to go into a sheltered place from wider waters."
- Howard Bloomfield

Favorite Sailing Picture So Far

Sailing with Andy Linn

You can read Andy's trip write up here: http://www.andrewlinn.com/2011/110716_missoula/index.htm
Andy did a pretty good job of covering his time here with us but I thought I should throw up some more photo's. Right now I'm busy getting my vehicle and it's new trailer ready to be legal on Montana's roads and am looking forward to some late season sailing. Also have the Goose to finish before the snow comes.

Andy at the helm. What a beautiful boat!

South side of the pond

Running North before the wind

Lots of fishing, very little catching

Two Teals under sail. Not a bad sight at all!

Racing! Pica had me in a straight line but I had superior tactics on the tack! Much fun. And I want a rematch!

Unofficial Tall Ship of the Circle J Trailer Court

1st Anually Finley Point Messabout

The First Annual Finely Point Messabout, held at Finely Point State Park on the shores of the mighty Flathead Lake has come and gone. It was a great weekend of comradeship and sailing, pretty much what you would expect from something called a messabout.
I was the first to arrive, leading advance camp for the rest of the mob. Okay it was just The Typesetter and his son but I'd ensure camp was set up. But there were a few snags. First of all tent camping is not really encouraged at Finely Point. They have six or so tent pads and they don't want you camping on the grass. So after a bit a bureaucratic snafu I managed to secure a spot. This is where the fun begins! I have a huge three room tent as I like to camp in style. But it turns out the pads are designed for those who wish to live in squalor and cramped space  so only two thirds of my tent would fit. But camp was made up and waiting when the rest of the crew arrived.

The hour was late so not much sailing was done. There was however a fair bit of rowing. Ready for a full Saturday we bedded down and much sleep was had. I wish the same went for the drunken college kids just down the site.
The next morning dawned quickly and brightly. The Typesetter put out a wonderful breakfast and we hit the docks. I in my 8' One Sheet Skiff Trudey C and he in the mighty Teal, the Pica.The weather was fine as we set out for a brief sail. The Pica developed some rudder issues but a quick return to the dock fixed those. I also got to work on my man overboard drill retrieving an errant oar.

Dock at Finely Point

For the record I'm told the water was cold.

We returned to the hard for a few minutes to collect our wits and decided a sail out to Little Bull island was in order. This had been the goal of the first expedition to Flathead and it did not end well.
We literally flew out of Finely point on a reach. It was some of the best sailing I've had yet. Even with two people the Teal was a well behaved lady and it seemed in no time at all we had neared our destination. It was here we noticed the chop. Two feet swells and a moderate wind. I was alarmed at first but the boat rode up and over well enough and save for the occasional bit of spray we took no water.

Captain at the helm

Is this protected water?

 Know what it's like to pound through waves in a flat bottom boat? Get a box about a foot square and jump off it. Run around and do it again. And again. Make sure you have your teeth just a bit apart so they clash when you land. Doing it in poor shoes would help to.
Even with all of this there was never a sense that the boat would founder. The lug sail pulled well and with a few minor under way tweaks did a fine job. Sure there was the point were it was out to the big lake or run up an dashed on some rocks with no apparent way to sail out. Or the garage that would not move. But it was an adventure and I'm glad I took it!

Our goal, Little Bull. Camera angle is not exaggerated

Great day on the water

Then it was on to a surprise for me! I had been admiring a little O'Day 22 moored at the dock and ended up with a ride! Not enough wind for sailing but we did do some motoring. Find time had by all

Future boat someday perhaps?

Wonderful evening out.

The evening was adjourned to a small fire and sleep. The next morning we loaded up and left. All and all a fine weekend indeed. We'll be holding this event next year with the theme of "Teal Daze". So build a Teal and come on out. You'll enjoy it. I know I did.

Messabout Boats

Big News!

I have learned that in addition to the Goose I have incoming that I'll be able to purchase the S/V Annas Discors as well. This is big. It was looking at that boat that has really had impact on the boats I build and what I think a small boat should be. Details are still ongoing but it'll be a great day when I can look to it as mine. Sure I'll need a hitch. And a trailer. But those are minor details, right? In the meantime I'm busy getting S/V Trudy C. ready for the messabout. There is a small cove next to where we'll be camping I think should be safe for an 8' boat. I'll leave you a picture of the AD under full canvas as she was born for. My own mini windjammer!

Stolen shamelessly from www.andrewlinn.com

Moving Ahead....Again

Spring has come to Western Montana and a young mans thoughts turn to boating! And we here at the Inland Packet & Navigation Company are not where we wanted to be. It's the beginning of June and I have not even started my next boat! I'm supposed to have a Summer Breeze floating around here ready for the messabout at the end of this month. But not all is lost and there is good news on the far horizon. For there is a boat right now with my name on it. And it's the largest, most seaworthy craft I've yet had the pleasure to call my own. And it's a while before it's mine!
I was on Facebook a few weeks ago and I get a message from Andrew Linn asking me if I'd like a 33% done boat. And not just any boat, but a PDGoose.The Goose is a twelve foot expedition boat that Andy has been pushing the last year or so. It's based on the PDRacer and like it's smaller brethren will out sail most boats it's own size.

As the above video shows it's a quick little boat with a lot of sail. It's four foot beam means it's stable and can carry an amazing load. As I've mentioned before I really want to start camp cruising and the Goose is just right for that
So let's talk about MY Goose. It started life as hull number 110501 name Mayday. Andrew decided to stretch out his Texas 200 finishing PDRacer Salem Electron and create a new and untested hull design. And in my opinion it look simply stunning. Fast while standing still, can't wait to get it wet. Here is a page on the design and progress so far.
As I mentioned it's not mine. Yet. The last progress report had it on a trailer in Oregon waiting to find it's way west. The IN&PCo. looks forward to it. I"ll keep you updated.

Why Not?

I'd like to talk about those crazy off course idea's you get when building your own wooden boat. Now it should be noted I'm of two minds on the subject. One one hand you should follow the plans. The designer knows what he's doing. Unless he doesn't.
There is something amazing about how a rather logical act such as building a wooden boat, the process that is not the actual act, can be so corrupted so quickly! In Year of the Boat Cheek makes the comment that humans want to be around beauty. And this I think explains why people love "boaty" looking boats. The lines and bowsprits, gaff rigs and ships wheels. I'm not immune. Look at my first attempt the Harley 8', it had belying pins for goodness sake! So I've once again entered on the path of going overboard when I don't need to. I may complain about people wanting to be boaty over a boat that works and I'll continue to do so. But this is a boat destined to be in public and I desire a certain look. There. I said it. If I wanted true performance I'd build a Goose. And I still might.
The Summer Breeze is inspired by the Bolger Teal. The Typesetter has one and it's a nice little boat.Clean lines, sturdy and when sailed right, brisk if not fast. A mutual friend of ours, the indomitable Andrew Linn built a Teal then turned the hull over to a friend and out of this came a miniature windjammer, the Anna Discors.

Stolen Shamelessly from www.sleepingschnauzer.com

This damn boat has been a thorn in the side for both The Typesetter and myself. We keep returning to it in conversation and moments of whimsy when we get to discussing "What if?. That whole beauty thing I'm guessing.. Now for those of you who've kept up on my boat building adventures I have the predilection to make small boats look bigger. Just wrote to Andy about the Anna Discors and he came back with "It's a hole in the water you have to push around" But the fact is he has a decent Subaru with a trailer. So as of now I'm fairly limited to pushing around holes in the water.
The gaff rig has always fascinated me. I actually came up with one for the Wawona but my mast and spars at t the time were not up to it. Hate to be tangential but here is a shot from the first time I laid eyes on her namesake back in 2008. She has since been documented and dismantled.

I have loved the look of the schooner and it's gaff rig and think it's time I build my own. It's not an impulse but a  long held desire and sometimes you have to follow those desires to see where they lead. It's said every boat you build gets a bit more complicated and closer to the boat you will ultimately build. I'm not sure what I want yet in the end but a forty foot schooner would be a pretty good place to end up. Of course a jib on a small boat can end up being more trouble then it's worth. But if done right it'll add a bit of beauty to an otherwise utilitarian craft and maybe my love of the gaff rig can be satisfied.
I'm also going to attempt something I've never done before either and that is a centerboard and trunk. The idea of cutting a hole in the bottom of a boat terrifies some but I think it'll be much easier in the long run then trying to deal with a leeboard. Leeboards and I have never gotten along well. I get that they keep the interior of the boat open and they don't require a trunk but I think I'd like to go a different route on this boat.
Of course I have to do the above while still maintaining the "Desire List".
Well I think that's out of the way I can let this blog go quiet again for a bit. For those interested here are links to the Summer Breeze page and that of the Anna Discors. And remember nothing is written in stone. And if it is a good chisel and some time can take care of it!

Passion is the Fuel for The Fire of the Soul

It's still a pretty hard winter here in the Big Sky Country. But a short session at The Typesetters house has ignited the boat building passion once again and I thought it deserved a blog post. But I'll start at the beginning.
Once the cold and snow settled here I was set on my next boat. The eight foot PDR inspired Cabin Cruiser known as the Ocean Explorer (OE) by  Perttu Korhonen with technical assistance from Mik Storer. For those living under a rock for the last few years a PDR is a boxy boat with great performance and is in fact a racing class. The OE adds a cabin for one person camp cruising.

From Duckworks.com

It has a full set of Storer foil and rig plans and would out perform just about any other 8' camp cruiser or open sailboat on the water. I had been lusting after it after I saw it on Duckworks and decided to pull the trigger and order the plans. The plans alone were worth the money. It's all in metric and some of the measurements are carried out to a tenth of a millimeter.  But as I pored over the plans a bit of apprehension hit me.
I knew I could build this boat. But could I build the boat in the time frame I had set out this summer? The Western Montana Home Built Boat Association has a messabout scheduled for June 24th on the Mighty Flathead Lake. And I'm planning on attending the Center For Wooden Boats Home Built Boat Show in July sometime. So with the worst winter in years  I was looking at a shortened time line as I work outdoors.
Building a boat is not a big deal but the OE is a different kind of cat then I'm used to. There is lamination, curves galore and a fit and finish that while nice does not lend itself to a very quick build. If done to plan it would be rather expensive if done right and I'd need a trailer and a hitch to get it around.
So knowing my timeline I've been sweating the last few months on how I"m going to get the money to get all this done and then find the time. Or find the time and then the money. It simply wasn't coming together.
Part of the OE's appeal is the ability to sleep on it comfortably. Well as comfortable as you can get in an eight foot boat with a cabin on it. This would save me paying for a hotel room in Seattle.
I finally decided I would simply throw my eight foot One Sheet Skiff Trudy C. on the roof of my 1970 Beetle and get it to Seattle. The boat is done and ready for a show, but I'd have to sleep in a hotel. Simple as that.
Enter a book. The Year of the Boat by Laurence W. Cheek. It chronicles  the build of a boat very much like the ones I've build and others that have been considered these long cold months. As I read it, skimmed it is more like it, I was returned in an instant to what building a wooden boat is all about. The fear. The trepidation. The hope and the unknown. And the urge to build a new boat hit me like a thunderbolt from the clear blue. I honestly was surprised. The last few weeks have been karate inspired and getting in shape and other martial goals. I had to get up in The Typesetters kitchen and pace. It was like electric energy and I had to satisfy it.
When starting this blog I laid out a series of considerations for my next boat. I'll put them up here.

• The ability to carry more then one person safely and comfortably.
• A proven design with a greater build history then the Harley 8. 
• Enough room to sleep one in relative comfort, and if not carry the gear to allow it.
• "Instant" construction using plywood.
• Small car compatible, either on top or behind.

Those requirements have not changed. The plan a long time ago, at least in blog time, was to build a Michalak Mayfly 14. But that entered into trailer land and for the foreseeable future that is not going to happen. Enter the Summer Breeze by David Beebe. An 11' 8" Day Sailer based on the Bolger/Payson Teal.

The plans are free. She'll carry two without fuss and sleep one semi-comfortably. Good amount of freeboard and room for floatation boxes. Able to be car topped and built in the style I'm used to. Not only that I can get into a 3D hull in about $70.00 and take it to the nines if I'm financially capable. So there you have it. Once again my future boat has changed. And it may well change again. But I'm on a mission now. I'm planning on getting the lumber next month. I have a place for dry storage so I'm not too worried about buying it early.
There are a few things I want to do with this vessel I've not yet done but have been advised to do so. Chief among them is cap the top of the hull with the gunwales. That'll hopefully stop the checking issue that cheap Luann can be notorious for.
And I may yet build the OE. It looks like a well thought out, very capable boat. But I don't think it's the boat for me, right now. But I will have the plans if I get a wild idea as I'm known to. But I'd rather be sailing then building and I only have till June!
For all my readers I highly suggest The Year of the Boat. Boat Building is a madness but one I'm privileged to share with home boat builders across the world from every walk and avenue of life. So if you'll excuse me I have boats to go dream about and voyages to plan that are yet to be taken. Passion is the fuel for the fire of the soul. And it feels very, very good to be alive.