You guys don’t get out much, at least enough to know the health of the wooden boat industry. I’ve spent most of my working life with wooden hulls in fact I left the West coast cause I wasn’t able to get my fill. Built them, repaired them, and finally surveyed them. Landed in New England where plank on frame hulls are as common as donut and pizza shops. A common day for me might include leaving NH sea coast to Kittery and York Maine where Foley boat building is completing a planking job on a 1898 English cutter and Rollins Boat Shop in York is laying the deck on a new lovely 72’ wood schooner ‘ Magnolia ‘ . From here we head to Northend Shipyard in Rockland where a crew is building a new rudder for the schooner ‘Issac Evans’ another crew is shaping a new fir bowsprit for schooner ‘Windameen’ and on the rails the ‘Grace Bailey’ is getting some new planks etc.. It’s Spring so the windjammer fleet is prepping for the season and USCG inspections.
Had we headed South then Glouchester Marine Railway was heavily into a number plank, deck and rigging repairs on the big schooner ‘ Roseway ‘. I ask the company manager Mrs. Viking Gustafson when she expects to launch ‘Roseway’ and as usual she is on top of every stick and fastener. An incredibly smart lady with technical depth and hands on experience. From there we stop at Crockers Boat Yard in Manchester, MA where they are 60-70% thru a lovely custom Downeast style lobster yacht then next door is Manchester Marine where they are fitting a locust horntimber in a Concordia 39. Couple miles down the road to Salem and FJ Dion’s and there are two good size wood hull jobs. A 46’ Bobby Rich design/build with grounding damage and a Aage Nielsen 42’ cutter with a deck and coachroof Dynel and epoxy overlay. I could go on for pages all the way to Canada or the Carolinas there is plenty of wood hull work out there and on the East coast no shortage of good hands. Haven’t even touched on Hodgdon in Boothbay, ME and their gorgeous cold molded mega yachts or Perterson and Marinette in Wisconsin who built the MCM class minesweepers for the USN
When you watch a video like this couple is offering it’s entertaining and informative but the quality of work and pace with which it is accomplished would not cut it in the real world. They can afford to spend four or five days hanging a plank since it’s a presentation, no ? The work appears very good but like all video documentaries most of the dirty or unglamorous elements, mistakes and sense for hours involved are not shown. Kind of reminds me of the cooking shows where they tackle an impressive thirty minute meal. You see it being put together and cooking but you don’t see the hour or more chopping, dicing, grating or blending of the ingredients. Nope just add 1 cup of this 4 cups of that etc etc. it’s all done.
BTW watch out for deer ticks or you’ll pay for years and years
Rick
