Bish was my dad’s nickname (for Erwin Walter Bischoff… I don’t blame him). He loved the Canadian Voyageurs, tug boat captains, world adventurers, exploring by canoe, exploring caves (spelunking), and was a voracious reader. He never really did his big adventure, so I felt it would be a great tribute to name a cruising wooden schooner after him. Bish is a 30′ Murray Peterson “Susan” wooden topsail gaff schooner.
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Bischoff Boatworks 
The first thing to do was to cover the building area, now car decking over concrete, with 3/8 plywood. Paint it white. Start lofting the lines. Lofting is the process of drawing the boat on the floor full size. This is done by using a set of “offsets” (numbers on a chart developed by the architect) and referring to the lines drawing. Patterns are made from this.
This is great! I can’t wait to see progress…. now’s the time to set up a time lapse camera in the corner of the shop. Better get one with a big battery.
Karl, I am a 30-year Bainbridge Islander, sailor, lighting designer and fabricator, and friend (I hope!) of Korum. I have owned four sailboats over the years.
Korum helps me with my website. I would love to be kept in the loop as you continue with your project. As I looked at your photos, I recognized the person with the long goatee as the owner of a sailboat next to the one that I race on every Wednesday out of Eagle Harbor. I know he and his family took a long cruise and that they are also musicians, but his name escapes me. We were anchored once off of Portland Island and a woman rowed over to ask me if I knew him, as she had hung out with him in the South Pacific. I believe her boat is moored in Victoria. I was able to tell her, “yes, I will say hi to her as I see him and his boat every week or so.” Anyway, small sailing community. Regards, Richard Vancil
The fellow you are referring to is my lovely brother, Kurt. Also known as Korum’s father. Yes, they cruised the South Pacific a few years ago. Before that they cruised Mexico, Panama Canal, to New Orleans with Nancy, Korum and his brother Jherek as crew. I got to sail with them from Isla Mujeres to New Orleans.
Wow, Karl. This is amazing. I have known Korum for some time and have talked with Kurt without ever asking his last name. Thank you for the responses.
Richard
Richard:
Howdy Do! Yep, I’m Korum’s father and co-owner of Gumbo Ya-Ya. Itsa small world!
See ya on the dock or on the water.
PS. The lady you ran into on Portland Island is Dama Hanks who owns the cold-molded 8-meter “Reality”. We met her and her family while we were all cruising in Mexico. And Jherek (Korum’s brother) and I sailed with them on Reality from LaPaz to Hawaii. Quite a blast since their boat is FAST (we once hit 19.5 knots!).
Kurt
How great! Can’t wait for more chapters..
So the lofting is done. Now it’s on to the build. First off, get the mold built for the lead keel. I’ve decided to let someone else poor the molten lead (I already had treatment for toxic levels of heavy metals due to my repeated bottom painting on Eglantine). But I still need to build the mold for the foundry to use. Due to the fact that there will be 4400 lbs of lead in this box, I’ve made it super stong.. I am estimating the box weighs over 400 lbs. So I have built it on a heavy duty rolling table that will hopefully allow me to slide it onto the truck.
Next step will be to cut out the wood keel (6″x12″x20′) out of purpleheart and attach it to the lead keel. Haven’t gotten around to figuring out how to off load and position the lead keel yet.
Now the dirty part starts. Non Ferrous Metals just delivered the mold with the lead poured. My good friends down the block at V. Van Dyke Hauling drove their big forklift down to offload it and bring it into the shop. It is designed to be a 4400# ballast keel, but it turned out to be 6500#. We think the sloped bottom collapsed so it filled with the molten lead… added a couple inches overall. Now I have to work the lead, using chisels, chain saws, power planers, files and rasps. I will make full size patterns for top, bottom, and sides to aid in the shaping. I designed the mold to accommodate 1/8″ shrinkage per foot, but it actually grew a bit instead. The foundry supplied a box I can use to collect the shaved off lead for a refund.
Meanwhile, I am also starting to build the molds for each station. So far #5 completed and I’m set up to speed that up (once the lead in shaped). Still waiting for EdenSaw to get my 20′ purpleheart wood keel piece in. It will be bolted to the lead keel. I now have a palette jack to use when it’s time to move the keel into position.
You might want to use a mask when shaving that lead! When I think of all the time I spent handling lead at The Printer for typesetting and not even washing my hands before eating lunch, I shudder!
OK… I was really right. Working with lead is really dirty, messy work. But, today I returned the extra 2,000 lbs of lead to the foundry (1,000 lbs of chunks and 1,000 lbs. of flakes/chips). I basically had to sculp the entire keel with a chainsaw, powerplaner, hand planes, chisels, hammers. But… it’s done now. I have a pallet jack to move it around on, so when I finished with the sculpting I jacked it up no problem. The funny thing was I didn’t plan on the weight preventing me from actually MOVING it. Ultimately, once I cleared the crap from the floor around it I could slowwwwly get it rolling. Have you ever thought about moving something around that weighs 6500 lbs… basically three cars? I had to flip it alot to work on the various sides, patching voids, routing edges, etc. Ended up using my jack from the truck to slowly tip it each time.
I am SO happy to get back to woodworking (once I spend a week cleaning the black dust and lead particles from every surface and item in the shop).
Sorry for the posting delay… holidays etc. In the meantime, dear readers, I have completed the moulds for all stations, and am about to complete templates for all backbone pieces. The sails are on order from Nat Wilson in Maine… he sailed on the original SUSAN with the architect/owner, Murray Peterson. He will be using Oceanus cloth… it looks and feels like cotton, but is actually hitech synthetic. Murray Peterson’s son, Bill, has designed a topmast rig for me as Nat and I thought it would look great and sail well. I am currently searching for a SABB 2h… an 18 hp diesel engine. They stopped making them (Norway) in 1985. I love the idea of a crank start, along with an electric start. If the batteries bottom out, I can still power up.
The moulds for all stations are now complete
Using drywall nails to transfer lines from lofting to plywood template stock
Templates for the various pieces of the backbone/stem
Last week Edensaw delivered my wood keel. A piece of purpleheart: 22 ft. long, 6″x12″, 800 lbs of South American hardness. This stuff is like stone. It “pings” if you hit it with metal. Using my shop hoist (bought to move the diesel around when I get one) I put it on blocks.
Then: how to make it 4.5″ instead of 6″ thick? I found a Beam Saw on Craigslist. I found out that many people need a beam saw for one particular project, then want to get rid of it. So I bought it cheap, will do all the big timber stuff, then sell it for what I paid. Something to remember for future limited projects.
So first lining it off, then one pass with a 7 1/4″ circular saw, then a followup pass with the 16″ beam saw. That puppy is HEAVY. One pass down the 22′ length produced about 5 gallons of very fine purple dust. Then flip it over and repeating the process to complete the 12″ deep cut. All this done 1/4″ shy of the final line. Then cross cuts to make final cut depth and planing down to that line.
Next will be cutting it out to shape to mate with the lead ballast keel.
And for a lovely distraction, one whole day cleaning off graffiti from the shop exterior. Some poor soul really needed to let it be known they exist. At first I was pissed, then I realized that at least no one got hurt, nothing was broken or stolen, and the only loss was my time. Pretty pathetic that someone sinks so low in their self-esteem that they make such a futile attempt at recognition. Well, at least they didn’t go shoot up a post office or school.
Needed to find wood for all the pieces of the backbone. Tough to find old-growth timbers that are big enough. Nothing available in white oak, and purpleheart is so hard to work and is pricey. Found a huge savage yard in South Tacoma that sells beams from old torndown buildings. They have THOUSANDS of em. Got some 6×12 and 8×12 18 footers (doug fir). Interesting getting them off the truck and in the shop by myself. Me and my trusty shop hoist, with my favorite tool… the 4×8 metal welding table on wheels.
Also finished drilling the keel bolt holes in the lead keel. 7/8″ thru 12″ of lead… eight of em. Very slow going. Other people have mentioned how easy it is to drill these holes in lead… and how easy the lead is to plane. I think the difference is that most people don’t mix in a hardener when they do the pour, so the lead is soft. I used hardener, which seemed like the right thing to do in case of groundings, but makes it much tougher to work.
Keel is now roughed out to shape and keel bolt holes drilled. I can almost lift one end by myself now. Have started cutting backbone pieces out of beams. Moving big stuff through the planer and bandsaw is… interesting.
Time to plan for an engine. Chatting with Roy Jackson about his build, he highly recommended putting in the engine before planking (being short-handed). So I finally found what I wanted… a SABB (not Saab) diesel, made in Norway, discontinued in 1985. It’s a two cylinder, 18 hp, hand-crank start. 500 lbs.
Found everything from a totally rebuilt one in Seattle for $10k to a clunker needing a rebuild for $500 in Port Townsend. Settled on a 1979 SABB 2h from Craigslist in Vancouver, BC. Never been used… installed in a boat never launched. So hopped in the truck and headed up to Horseshoe Bay to board a ferry to Bowen Island.
Beautiful crossing, even tho it was snowing, hailing, ice-storm, etc.
Pulled in to Snug Cove and found the house. The diesel worked great. We hoisted it up in a tree and lowered it down into the truck bed.
Missed the 12:30 ferry but caught the 3pm. Going thru customs was a breeze (didn’t even have to show the reams of paper I had to prove it was ok for me to import it). Terrible traffic around Vancouver, so didn’t get to the shop till 8pm.
Anyway… back to the wood!
Finally making a bit of headway. The last few weeks were spent cutting out and finishing the pieces that will become the backbone. Also a lot of time spent sourcing stuff to assemble it. 1/2″ silicon bronze rod to make up dozens of bolts, lead sheet to make lead washers for attaching the ballast keel to the wood keel, drill bits that can drill a 4′ long hole. I also finally found the Port Orford Cedar I wanted from a small family mill in Gold Beach, Oregon. It is being milled now and will show up in about a month. Still needs some air-drying, but at my current rate of progress that should be no problem.
Assembly of backbone
Rudder template
Transom template
A little more progress. I now have the stem attached and am now drilling for all the bolts and drifts for the aft section of the backbone. All will be 1/2″ silicon bronze and threaded (in the case of bolts) and straight for the drifts. Most of the floors will be 2″ white oak through-bolted to the keel with 3/8″ SB bolts.
Also, I received the delivery of 1400 board feet of Douglas Fir milled by Brett at Bainbridge Custom Woodworks on Bainbridge Island. My nephew Korum (and Sara, Calder and Garner) donated 2 doug fir trees to the cause as they are prepping their land on Bainbridge Island for their new house. Thank you so much, guys! This wood needs to dry for a bit, but we got it stacked and stickered. A lot of it will be milled for use as ribbands, and some will be used in the interior, samson posts, etc.
Next weekend the Metcalfs of Gold Beach, Oregon, will be delivering a whole bunch of Port Orford Cedar that will be air dried and used for planking. POC is the gold standard of boat planking and I feel so lucky to find this small family-owned and operated mill. They are even driving it up themselves for me! Now I just have to figure out where the hell I’m gonna stack it!
So the Port Orford Cedar arrived! I could smell it coming as they drove up my street. It is all milled 5/4 with a live edge. Some of it is 24″ wide. Quite rare to find wood like this any more. Mark Metcalf bought the log from South Coast Lumber Company in Brookings, OR. It had over 1,500 bf log scale. 36″ at 27′. It was five feet in diameter on the butt and over 225 years old.
His machine could not begin to lift it! He rolled it off and ripped it with a big chainsaw.
He will have a booth at this years’ Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend. I’ll sure there will be a great deal of interest in what he can provide.
Anyway, Mark brought some family along to help unload. The stack is about 4′ x 4′ x 21′. As soon as the backbone is up, rabbet cut, moulds and floors in place, I will restack it a little more out of the way (if that’s possible!).
Man, I bet that shop smells good!
Bit of a delay due to cycling from Seattle to Vancouver (and training for same), a few weeks in Sun Valley to attend concerts and events for Sun Valley Summer Symphony (our client), and various summer stuff. Anyway, back at it now. My friend (and sister-in-law) Nancy complained I haven’t posted any new pics, so here we go. Spent a few days bolting up the backbone and fairing all the pieces. Each piece needed to be coated with red lead paint (made by mixing turpentine, boiled linseed oil, Japan drier, and lead tetraoxide) on the faying edges to seal and poison from bugs. Then coated with peanut butter (Dolphinite) and 1/2 silicon-bronze bolts made up to size from 1/2″ stock and bolted together. Some connections use 1/2″ SB drifts instead of bolts. Then a couple days of sweating over various power and hand planes to shape the final contraption. So I’ve now shaped one side and marked the rabbet line. Next I need to cut the rabbet, and attach the transom knee that will hold the transom frame. Then I turn the whole thing over (somehow… it’s now almost a ton) and start again (shaping, cutting rabbet). It felt good to sweep up and vacuum so I could take these pictures. I filled up 80 gallons of sawdust and shavings.
My friend Roy Jackson was right… I should have started when I was a LOT younger.
A couple of the bolts are temporary till I bolt on the lead ballast keel. It can’t be bolted on till I attack the floors to the wood keel. I have attached the first four floors (white oak) as they needed attaching prior to the deadwood being attached. They will be shaped once the moulds are in place to obtain the correct bevel. After the lead ballast keel is attached, the worm shoe (purpleheart) will be attached to the deadwood. This is meant to be replaceable if it gets banged up on rocks or gets eaten by worms (which is why the bottom of the deadwood still shows read lead paint and exposed bolt/drift holes.
Spent a little time with the SABB 2h. Put up a Raccor fuel filter, hooked up a wet exhaust and water intake, all fuel lines, and… bango… she started up on the 3rd try. No battery, just a hand crank. Pretty amazing little diesel. Now I have to repair the transmission controls for the variable pitch prop (does not have a reverse gear), and wirebrush it for some touch up paint (well… a lot of touch up paint). WordPress wants $60 for uploading videos, so I posted on YouTube. I love the sound of a two-banger… so mellow and quiet compared to my Perkins 4-108 on Eglantine (80hp vs 18hp).
Gee. A lot of time has gone by since an update. A complete house redo took away from this project, but I am back at it. Since the last update, I have stood the backbone up, attached some blank oak pieces that will become floors, attached the lead ballast keel (have you ever tried to maneuver a 4500 lb. chunk of lead around accurately?), started to design and build the transom frame, and put on most of the moulds.
Things are lining up pretty well. I next have to align all the moulds in all dimensions and stabilize them. I need to bevel all the moulds as well as the transom frame. Then finish cutting the rabbet now that I am assisted by the moulds showing me the angles… and cutting the frame sockets. Then I finally get to use some of Korum’s doug fir to mill all the ribbands to line off the hull to prepare for planking. Timing should be good as it takes one year per inch for the Port Orford Cedar to air dry… the planks are 5/4 so they will be ready late summer. At my current rate that should be about right.
I’ll be ordering the clear green white-oak for the frames from Eden Saw in Port Townsend so it will bend easily out of the steam box (oh yeah… I have to build an extension onto my steam box for the longer planks and frames on this boat).
Karl, I just got caught up on your blog. You are doing such amazing work–I’m totally impressed with you and this project! I never knew if you ended up being able to mill the trees from our property, and think it is so cool that our trees will live on in the Bish! I’m looking forward to more updates.
Hi Sara. I haven’t been able to use much of your tree wood yet as it has another 2 years to air-dry properly. However… the ribbands need to bend quite a bit and be the length of the boat, so the fact that it is still green, and long, is perfect. Thanks again.
Bro, All I can say is WOW! Moving along a lot faster than I ever imagined….keep the pics and updates coming.
Yo Captn
Nice to see thar ribs-yar be float’n her be open’n day! Light the fire in yer steamer!! Looking very seaworthy KB!
this is quite impressive karl….not many people can make something that will live on through so many generations after they are gone, your dad would be proud for sure .
Gone quite a long time due to holidays and skiing in Idaho. Now about to head to NYC for a week to see Jherek (nephew) perform his orchestral pieces with David Byrne. But I have managed to finally get the transom frame built and mounted. It took quite a while… first a lot of head scratching, then some mulling, then pondering, then laminating, then routing, lots of planing. I needed to use my hoist and some scaffolding to lift it up high enough to attach. At least I can start with my ribbands now… and shaping some floors.
friggin’ beautiful!!
Have now finished the rabbett for the entire length. Now comes another long job of cutting 68 frame sockets for the butt of each frame to sit in as I steam bend all the 1.5 x 1.5 inch green oak frames into place. Luckily my bro has volunteered to help with the bending. He helped with the same project on the last boat. I don’t know how I would do that job alone. I also need to finish milling and attaching all the remaining ribbands prior to bending in the frames.
I love this build.
Show us more.
Scott
Thanks for looking, Scott. The progress has been so slow (2 years now) that it gets embarrassing showing it. But now that each step actually shows progress, I hope to post more often.
Slight setback this weekend. Someone decided to cut a hole in the back of the shop, load up a bunch of tools and a thousand 14×2 square-drive silicon-bronze screws (about $5,000 total) and run out the front door. Someone is enjoying my Festool sander/vac, but is in for a shocker since I just used it on a boat haulout smoothing out some bottom paint. Hopefully they get a noseful of toxic dust and die. Just sayin.
Due to needing to be back at work at the office, not much has happened lately. I’ve finally got the burglary stuff resolved (added a big monitored alarm system, outside motion-sensing lights, insurance claims resolved). BTW: Safeco was totally AWESOME. They were nice to work with and very prompt. It seems like everytime I go there I notice more things missing. You don’t notice a lot till you reach out for that tool and it’s gone. I’ve now replaced most of my planes, bronze hardware, my 2-ton hoist, Festool vac and sander, etc.
Anyway… I’ve now got the ribbands on and am currently marking them up for frame placement. All the frame sockets are cut and Adam at Edensaw is trying to locate some green bending white oak for me. I will be steam-bending in 66 1.5×1.5 inch 8 foot pieces. Hopefully can finish it in 3 days (yeah, right). I’ll be enlisting family and friends to help out. Each piece gets steamed for 1.5 hours and we have 30 seconds to get it into the boat, hammered into the socket, bent against the ribbands, and attached (temporarily). Later the planking will be screwed to the frames.
Glad to hear insurance resolved and place secure. Now as I said in my email, get your ass back to work….the shop is way too clean!
Finally… my bending oak got delivered. Freshly cut white oak from Tennessee, via EdenSaw (Adam) in Port Townsend. I’ve been getting ready for the frames. The green oak came as 9/4 x 16″ x 12′. I first had to joint an edge of each timber, then run them thru the band saw to get them 1 5/8 x 9/4. Those timbers were HEAVY. I’m guessing at least 150 lbs each. Next I will run them all thru the surface planer many times to dimension them to 1.5 x 1.5 x 12′. That will take at least another day. Then each piece will be squared off on one end, the end soaked in cuprenol, and coated overall with boiled linseed oil (to retain the heat long enough to do the bending). Then I need to gather as many troops as I can muster for the bending process. We have 66 frames to be steamed and bent into place. Two long days should do it.
Please show details of the steam bending including pics of the help positioning the frame. I suppose 30 sec is not a long time to worry about pics. Hopefully a more delicate member of the family can take care of that. Perhaps a video could be taken? Thanks for the posts.
Found your blog via Wood News Online. Want to stay tuned in. So very interesting. If I was in Seattle, I would be more than happy to help out but, live in Wisconsin.
Thanks for the note Brian. If you pass thru Seattle let me know and I’ll give you the 5 minute tour.
Had a great weekend of steam bending. With the help of my brother Kurt, the two Steves and a Marty, we got 66 green white-oak frames bent into the ribbands. Lots of cleanup to do making sure everything will run true for the planks. Then it’s time to build, attach and final shape the floors. They are 8/4 oak and will have three bronze bolts on each side to attach to the frames (plus thru-bolts and drifts in to the purpleheart keel).
Awesome guys, it’s really starting to come along! Keep up the good work!
Had to spend a few days doing some housekeeping with the newly bent in oak frames. I decided to put in a screw in place of the keeper wires for some of the frame/ribband joints. Then I needed to fair some of the aft frames that had a tough time making the severe bend into the frame socket. Not too bad with the help of an adz.
I re-installed the floors that had bolts running thru the wood keel, drilled bolt holes thru them into the adjacent frames, marked for final fairing, used a band saw to rough to marks and then planes and draw knife for final fitting. Then cut the remaining floors, fit, bolted, etc. 23 floors total, 8/4 white oak, between 6 and 12 inches tall. I am now giving them 2 coats of red lead, will shoot the bolts holes with cuprinol, red lead the frames and keel where they all meet, bed with Dolphinite, and bolt away. Most frames are attached to keel with 1/2″ SB bolts. Due to interference with other bolts, some will be attached with 3/8″ SB drifts.
The floors are all in now! They are 8/4 white oak and are bolted to the wood keel and frames… all silicon bronze. I’ll still have to do some trimming when I fit the planks, but I expected to have to do that. Next up: lining out for the planks. I have to study up a bit for that. The Port Orford Cedar should just about be ready. It is 5/4 and been air drying for 1.5 years now. It’ll be great to move most of that lumber from the shop floor to the sides of the boat. I’ll once again have a bigger shop!
Just a pure joy to watch it come to life. I’ll take you up on your invitation to have the 5 minute tour when I come out in the Spring to visit a son and his family living in Port Angeles.
Just found you via the Wooden Boat Forum. Great work, methodically done. How you find time to do it is remarkable. Gerard in Everett.
Thanks Gerard. Time is the big enemy of this type of long term project. Luckily, my philosophy is that boatbuilding, like sailing, is all about the journey, not the arrival. And that’s a good thing, since I’m over 60 and a long way till completion. Hopefully my nephews will finish it up when I’m too old and feeble to do it 🙂
Oh yeah, now I remember why you don’t build a boat in a big city. Just spent another half day wiping off a 25′ x 7′ tag from my shop wall. I now have by custom anti-graffiti kit: Acetone, kerosene, paint thinner, denatured alcohol. The tag on the front door was Denatured Alcohol, the side mural was kerosene.
A surprisingly effective means of limiting it in Minneapolis is having a genuine mural on the walls of your shop. Most of the graffiti artists leave murals alone. The Latin Kings definitely leave Christian murals alone.
It’s artwork. Leave it up next time…..you may discover a new Picasso.
Yes… hard to believe but the garboards are bent into place. They are shaped out of Port Orford cedar, starting as 5/4 x 8″ x 17′ blanks. They are finished off to 1″ planks, but I needed the extra 1/4″ for hollowing out parts and rounding off others to match the bend in the frames as they approach the rabbet. My bud Mr. Keenan was gracious enough to help steam bend the planks with me. Now for some long hours shaping them to fit snug in the rabbet and against the frames in a bristol fashion. Thanks for the words of encouragement from my new friend Bernadette in Oz… best sage advise: remember, it’s wood, you can always redo/fix it. Don’t overthink it. Do the best you can, take your time, get it right.
to karl bischoff, Do you have anymore pics and posts of your “Bish” build? I have wanted to build me a boat since the mid 90’s I think, but never have. Iam jealous…keep up the awesome work.
Hi Billy. All the pics I have are here on this site. I don’t take many as it can be embarrassing how long things are taking. Maybe once I get going on the planking I can show more 🙂
karl you mention about how long things are taking you. Eventhough Ivce never built anything I know it would take time lots of time to do a build, so dont worry about how much time its taking as long as you feel that everytime your nearing completion that its all being done right. You got to feel good from that Karl.
Things are coming along… S… L… O… W…L…Y. I have four steelers yet to line out, cut, shape, bend and install. Steelers are smaller planks used near the garboard that allow me to make some pretty serious bends and twists in the cedar. So that will bring me up to the tuck plank, which runs the full length of the boat without any twists.
Meanwhile I am starting the planking from the sheer down. Currently on the third strake and starting the aft portion of each. Got the major bend to the transom in on the sheer strake.
Onward.
When I was younger (and single) I re-planked my 56 ft sloop, I thought that was a big job; what you’re doing is sooo much more ambitious and incredible! Since my wife is in the ad business I’ve know a lot of guys who built furniture or models to relax but I think you should be eligible for a Clio award for most ambitious way to unwind from work. I’ll keep checking in to see how it’s going.
Ken McAuliffe
Hi Ken. My Clio should be for acting like I know what I am doing. I guess the goal is to make 2 things right for each 1 mistake you make 🙂
This is AWESOME. I am so excited about this project that I was pestering my wife last night at 1am showing her the work. My wife then told me of a friend of hers who built a boat in South Africa. Does she not understand the importance of me knowing about these matters???? For this failure to let me know about such important matters she will simply have to buy me another Lie Nielson tool as compensation for the distress that this has caused me. It is one thing to build a coffee table, quite another to build something you are prepared to float in. AWESOME work Karl.
Hi Simon. I’ll have to try that theory with my wife. I could always use a new Lie Nielson tool. I am still in the rough stages of the build, the “coffee table” quality part comes when I start smoothing things out… the hard part.
Karl, Excellent to see the progress. If you were around the corner I would have to pop over and give you a hand with the work. I know that it helps to have an extra pair of hands around. I have to use to all sorts of ingenious methods to coerce my wife in helping out and before she knows it she has the belt sander in her hands.
I’m afraid the belt sander would be used on ME. I think it wisest to continue on alone 🙂
Yes…would not want your conversations with your wife to become too abrasive 😉
Karl,
Your project is amazing, I’m both inspired and envious. I started to build a 28′ sailboat years back put ran out of funds real fast. Keep up the fantastic work I’m also in my 60’s (would love to start one now but no way could I handle it) it’s good to see someone in our age working on such a project. God bless and keep going.
Hey Jerry. The secret to not running out of funds is to drag it out over decades. One less latte a day for ten years is almost $15,000. Not that I buy lattes, but if I did……
Sorry for lack of updates. I’ve been getting the stern tube (bronze pipe that prop shaft goes thru to get from inside boat to outside) machined, components for the prop and stuffing box, and mounting hardware speced and ordered.
Meanwhile, doing a lot of shaping of the transom. Got the Honduras Mahogany steam bent over a form, I installed a Western Red Cedar spline in full length groves in order to prevent alignment shifts of the mahogany planks.
No picture of that yet.
I needed to take a day off and build something I could FINISH. I read about these planking benches somewhere and decided to make a couple of them. Much sturdier than my old sawhorses. They are called Manning Bench and Anvils. They are sturdy 2 foot high, 6 feet long, 8 inch wide benches that you can add a boxed anvil (1 ft. x 1 ft. x 6 ft.) that is dovetailed together. You can use just the benches, or clamp the anvils on for the extra working height.
I cut some planks on it using the Skil 77 and it works great! And it doesn’t even have to float 🙂
None of the images displayed today; to bad….
I wanted to see these benches!!
So I posted this note and all the images showed up; go work that out!!
The benches look like what we called in the carpentry business a “Saw Buck”, similar to a saw horse but wider to hold material steady durring rip cutting.
What is the Metal item behind them? Steam cabinet??
Yes, that’s the bottom of my steam box. It is used outside, connected via a radiator hose to a 5 gallon gas can (water tank) sitting on a crab cooker platform connected to a propane tank. The box it made of 2x2s and rigid insulation foam panels (foil backed).
Stern Tube is now installed. It is a threaded bronze pipe that runs through the deadwood and connects the prop fitting with the stuffing box inside the boat. Then the prop shaft runs though it to get to the engine.
I’m now back planking. Just put on numbers 4,5 and 6 forward on both sides. Now I have to put on the aft parts of each. This takes a lot longer (well… everything does with a broken finger) as each needs to be spiled separately and the transom shaped to accept it. It’s fun doing the planking as it really starts to bring out the shape of the hull. So I am pushing to get the planking done, caulked, sanded and painted in case the apocalypse comes. That way I can just float out of the building 🙂
It does look like a boat now but I think you have plenty of time to finish the hull, dek, house, mast, boom, galley, etc, etc, as the apocalypse always disapoints. Remember, if you wanted a boat you would have bought one, this is heritage. Something a granchild will own one day…
I have a friend who has a 38 foot wood hull cutter, it seems like too much work thats never done until people gather around the dock to see what a wood sail boat looks like; that never happens near my some what less than polished fiberglass hull.
Good luck and push on!
“If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most.”
-E.B. White
Looks great. Any chance you could take a few pics of the stern tube stuff you have done and post these? And sorry to be so nosy, but how did the finger get broken? These stories are rarely boring. I recently put one of my gloriously sharp chisels into the back of my thumb knuckle. Take care.
I am genuinely happy to glance at this website posts which
contains lots of valuable facts, thanks for providing these information.
Karl, where are you…
Georgetown area of Seattle
Hi Karl….This is Bob Albers, builder of the cold molded version…….
Nice website!…..I am getting close to launch, sometime this summer…..Looks like I might be in Seattle this weekend and most of next week for business….I would love to stop by and see your boat and “chew the fat” with ya about it…..
Love to visit with you. What does your schedule look like? I can meet you at the shop this weekend or Tuesday or Friday next week. Lemme know.
I will know my travel schedule later today….will let you know, but I should be available this weekend or Tuesday….my email is bob.albers@att.net
Had a couple great visits here at the Boatworks. First, Bob Albers stopped by from the great state of Texas. He is just finishing up on his Susan build. It is quite different than mine as it is strip-planked… very modern techniques and much lighter. BISH is very traditional plank-on-frame. I’m really looking forward to visiting him this fall to sail and check out the rig, as it will be similar to mine. I hope to also talk him into a bike ride while there since he seems to be of similar skill-set as me.
The second visitor was Chris Collins, a friend from the UK. He is a photography enthusiast and brought his digital Hassy with him. Below is the shot he took of the current state of BISH.
I am also planning on the installation of the rudder tube (being built by Port Townsend Foundry) and the engine. To place the engine in the boat, I am building a gantry out of an I beam and some wood supports. A chain hoist and beam trolley will lift, move, and lower the engine repeatedly as I fit it to the beds. Thanks to Bob Albers for the idea.
So still waiting for the rudder tube from Port Townsend Foundry. But getting done what I can till that arrives. I’ve been manufacturing and installing about 3000 cedar plugs to seal up the holes from the bronze screws in the planks. I have a few planks to go in the stern after the rudder tube goes in, and the shutter plank up forward. This last plank will go in hopefully in October. I will have a whiskey plank party at that time. Tradition calls for a shot of whiskey when the last plank is attached. I will put the plank on during the party and the whiskey will flow. I have a WEE BIT of clean up to do in the shop before the non-boatbuilding crowd arrives. I will also have all the plugs sheared off level by then.
Brilliant stuff. It has been so much fun following the progress of this work.
Karl, nice work, enjoy the party, then it’s on to the deck and house!!
Karl, may I ask a question? How are the frames fastened where they meet the keel? It appears they are set into slots cut into the keel but are they fastened and in what method?
Pockets were cut into the purpleheart keel for the frame butts. Each frame butt was soaked in wood preservative, hammered into the pocket while bending the steamed frame into place. Then a 14×2.5 silicon bronze screw was driven thru the frame into the keel… just to keep it from moving around. Then the frames are thru-bolted to the oak floors.
Thank you Karl. Pretty much as I expected, although I was very curious
whether the butt end was also screwed into the keel prior to installing the garboard plank. Much appreciated. Looking forward to more photos and info.
So now all the planks are in except the final shutter plank. Whiskey Plank Toast soon. I still need to plug all the final screws holes. The rudder tube is fitted and in. The cleanup of the shop is more extensive than I anticipated. Really haven’t done a thorough cleaning since starting the planking 2.5 years ago. I gathered all the scraps from cutting out the planks. Two trips to the dump, total of 2,000 lbs of clean wood scraps. I felt bad throwing so much beautiful Port Orford Cedar away, but the scraps mostly had a lot of knots so not useable anyway.
Brilliant work and fabulous explanations. Thanks for the pleasure.
So OK! The whiskey plank is in! At least she is looking like a boat now. Had a quick Whiskey Plank Toast at the boatworks… yum. Now comes the LONG process of fairing up the hull. If built by true professionals, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but since it has been built by a boathack (me) it’s going to take a lot longer. The upside is my arms will gain a few inches of circumference from all the planing. Six days so far on the starboard side. After all the planing, comes the scraping (with a scraper build from an old hand saw cut down)… then the caulking… then the seam priming… then the seam puttying… then the LONG sanding process… then the priming… then the puttying and sanding… then the priming again… then the puttying and sanding again… then the PAINTING!
So awesome to follow this progress. Pitty you are so far away. I could have taken all of those scraps from you. Heat my house with wood and only need small pieces to make serving trays. Do take care and have an excellent Christmas.
Ya. At a certain point you are just overcome by scraps. My brother said the same thing as you when he saw my photos, but even he would only be able to take 1/50th of what I had to get rid of. I’m a bit of a hoarder, so it was tough.
Good news today. I just received my Edson Worm Gear steerer. I looked into having Edson build one for me, but I couldn’t afford it. My friend Bob in Texas told me to keep checking eBay and Craigslist and one would turn up eventually. I kept at it for 6 months, and one turned up! In the Bay Area Craigslist and for 1/12 the price of a new one. It needs to be cleaned up but otherwise in great shape… even included a wheel.
Also, I’ve finished planing the planking, then scraping the planks to remove plane marks, and am now cleaning up the caulk seams with a dumb iron to make them all 3/32″ wide and about 5/8″ deep. I think my knuckles will be dragging on the floor if I need to do too much more rubbing on this hull. Just a couple months more.
Hey Karl!…Awesome!! I’m so glad you were able to find the worm gear! And I must say, that wheel looks incredible!
The great thing about a build like this is the process of finding great hardware such as this….
I love to just walk around the boat, look at something, and have a memory and story to tell about how it came to be……truly good times!
Bob (in texas)
Yes. I do love to tell the story of how I got my Sabb engine into the USA
Finally started chalking the hull. This is the process: first prime the seam with oil-based paint. This lubes the seam to accept the cotton as well as preserves the cotton… adding 15 years to it’s life. Then pound in loops of cotton as appropriate for the width and depth of the seam. Then follow up with a making iron that pushes it in more. Then paint the seam and cotton with more paint to seal in the cotton. Then put in seam compound to smooth it out. Then sand the entire hull. Then prime the hull. So… still lots to do. I get about 6-7 seams done a day… with a total of 44 seams to do.
One interesting note about this process: on the East Coast they talk about “caulking” the seams. Here on the West Coast we talk about “corking” the seams. My guess is that East Coast has the American Yankee influence, whereas we in the Pacific NW have a British influence (near British Columbia) and “caulking” with a British accent sounds like “corking”. But I may be wrong 🙂
Another long delay in postings. Alot happens, but it doesn’t look much different so I wait until something shows. After the corking was finished, I started putting in the seam compound, both above and below DWL (designed waterline). It shrank quick a bit (is not supposed to) so had to add another layer. Then I spent a few days sanding. The bulk of the work was done with an 8″ soft pad with 80 grit. Then a pass with a sanding board (2 ft) with 80 grit. Then another pass with the 8″ soft pad and 120 grit. The biggest job was cleaning the entire shop of 1/2″ of saw dust. whew!
Then it was on to establishing the waterline. I got the measurements from my lofting plus 6″ for the extra height of my blocks. Then I added 3″ at the stem and 2″ at the stern since I am not putting in a bootstripe. Then stretched a string along both sides and used a 3ft. level to extend that string line to the planking.
I tacked a 1/2″x1/2″ batten to the line and used a file to dig a 1/8″ deep line that will be used as the demarcation between topside paint and bottom paint.
Then I thought it was time to put on a coat of primer to see where I was at. The topsides have one coat of PreCoat, which will be sanded down till almost clear after I have used fairing putty on any newly exposed dents/dings and faired the seams for a smooth surface. The bottom will get puttied as well then recoated with bottom primer.
Looks great, nice lines. Deck next?
Be sure to show us where and how the Edson Worm Gear is installed
That’s a year or two away 😦
Still lots to do on the hull. I’ve decided to make the topsides smooth (not having the seams show) which means more putty and fairing. Another coat or two of primer, both above and below waterline. THEN… set up the boat stands and pull out the molds, install sheer clamp and start building deck beams. I think it prudent to put in the engine before installing deck beams… which means repairing the transmission linkage and building the gantry to raise and lower the engine repeatedly.
I’ve not checked in for over a year after seeing your blog on Highland Woodworking. You’ve made great progress and it looks fantastic! I wish you luck and will check in again another time.
Just finished putting some initial coats on for the topsides and bulwark. Got three coats of primer on for the bottom. Next I need to set up the boat stands, remove the molds, saw off the frame overages, vacuum out and paint the interior. I have built the upright supports (12 ft. tall) and the have the I beam for building my gantry. I will use this to raise and lower my SABB engine repeatedly to get the alignment just right.
Put a couple coats of topsides paint (Marshall’s) to seal things up for now. Finally getting to move to the deck and interior. Removed the molds and gave the entire interior a coat of bilge paint to seal in freshness. I am currently putting in the bilge stringers (2 per side) and then will put in the sheer clamps. They are too thick to bend in, so will have to 1) steam bend into place, 2) laminate in place, or 3) slit horizontally so they are slim enough to bend, and then bolt back together. I have already located and attached backing blocks for the thru-hulls. I have finished building the gantry so will install engine after putting in all the ceilings (inside planking).
i have not checked your progress in awhile…….looks amazing
I’m not ѕure exactly why but this bloɡ is loading extremely slow for me.
Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem
on my end? I’ll check back lzter on and see if thee problem still exists.
Lotsa images I guess. But it loads pretty quick for me.
A wee bit o progress. I now have the sheer clamps installed. I will have to install 7/8″ wood plugs over where the bolts entered thru the planking. Quite the scene bending in the clamps. So now I am starting the deck beams. Most are 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 with a center rise of 5″ over 10′. I am using 4 7/16 pieces and one 5/8 piece. Close counts. Each is laminated with first clear West System epoxy and followed by thickened West System. Then sandwiched together and clamped up. There are 9 2.5″ beams, a couple 2″ beams, and a few 1.5″ beams. I can only set up two at a time so it will take awhile. Also time consuming is millings all the strips used in the lamination. I have been air-drying a bunch of Doug Fir I got for free, but a lot of it turned out to be unusable due to big knots. Hopefully I have enough for the deck beams.
I know you said you’d have it in the water on opening day 2040 but I think you may beat that date! Hull looks great!
It’s a bit of a race: Which is done first, the boat or me. Luckily my mother is 100 years old, so I’m counting on the same longevity.
Working on the inside now YAY. I put in the forward three deck beams and the aft three deck beams to add a skoch of stability. I am now putting in the ceilings. Got the stuff put in down to the bilge stringer on both sides and just finished the port lower half (bilge stringer down to floors). The ceilings are 7/16″ thick, 3″ wide, Doug Fir, beveled to look like beading and to allow for bending the edges. They have to be edge-set to the preceding ceiling and have two holes drilled at each frame and then 1″ #10 SB frerson oval head screws set in. The openings are for where they meet a thru-hull backing pad. The knot holes will be filled with wood plugs. All the ceilings were primed on the back sides with red lead paint. They will be primed and painted white on the interior faces.
I am also prepping the SABB 2h for installation. I haven’t cranked her up for a while so I have to clean things up a bit to get things working again. Just prior to adding the engine, I will be “waxing” the keel. In other words, pouring a mixture of melted pure bees wax and pine tar in the gap between the planking and the wood keel, thus sealing things up and eliminating small pockets for water to settle. This wax will be primed with red lead and have a couple coats of epoxy bilge paint to finish. THEN the engine.
Yet another long lapse between postings. Sorry. After the ceilings were completed, I melted about a ton of organic beeswax, added some pine tar for the hell of it, and poured it in the small spaces between the purpleheart keel and the planking. This keeps little stuff and water from collecting there. Then it was primed with red-lead and then coated with bilge paint.
So, the Mighty Sabb 2h is now in the boat. The gantry worked great, lifting the engine up and over to the center of the boat, and lowering into place. It had to go up and down a couple dozen times till things were right and multiple coats of bilge paint added. The prop shaft was machined to fit, adding a keyway and dimples in the stainless steel to mate up with the flexible shaft coupling. Put the prop on and all seems to miraculously fit.
Next up, the rest of the main deck beams were installed, The deck framing for the main cabin, cockpit and cuddy cabin. Blocking for between the beams and support for various deck structures came next, including the breasthook and transom blocking.
More progress. I think all the deck beams and blocking are now in. Today I finished putting in some oak blocking between all deck beam ends. I just ordered my stainless steel diesel tank that will be mounted under the cockpit sole and behind the engine. The two water tanks will be plastic (to save large amounts of $). Coming up, installing the cabin sole and bulkheads. The sole will probably be mahogany. The bulkheads will be mahogany tongue and groove back by marine ply.
Can’t wait for this months installment seeing as you have been avoiding SV and the face to face progress reports.
I hope to post more photos soon as I have to update my project book. I always show my progress via the book at the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend in September when I exhibit my other boat, the Leslie Jean.
I guess I can update a bit without new photos for now. As of today, I am finishing hanging the cockpit sole. I built the eight 20″ bronze bolts and will install them next week. I built the samson post and need to build the platform in the bilge for it to sit on.
I just completed building the 7 bend laminated coach house roof beams from Doug Fir strips. They still need to be finished (sanding off the excess epoxy) and varnished prior to installation.
Next up: starting the bulkheads.
Now the samson post is built and fitted. The post and all the keel stepping pieces are now being painted before installation. The ceiling beams for the coach roof are now sanded and ready for varnish. The cockpit is now framed and 8 12″ bronze bolts are installed to hang it from the deck beams. The stainless steel fuel tank is in. It has rubber weatherstripping wherever it touches wood to avoid corrosion. I will install the Raccor fuel filter and the raw water strainer once the cocklpit it more complete, which will give me move places to attach them. Now I need to install the mast steps. THEN I will start with the bulkheads, which as of the moment will be plywood for stability.
Your progress is amazing. Can’t wait to get to Seattle to visit. WOW
Something new or winter brake? Work progress ? We are looking forward to !
No official break. But with holidays, spouses foot surgery, colds, etc. it has been slow going. I will be taking some pics this week and will post them shortly thereafter. Sorry for the delay.
A bit more progress. The bulkhead for the chain locker is in and painted. The frame and door built and painted. Also the bulkhead for the clothes/sail locker just aft of the chain locker. Installed and painted. Doors built and installed. It needs two doors as it opens around the foremast. The ceilings are now sanded, primed, and two coats of enamel (thank you Marshalls Cove). I made a pattern for the cabin sole… much of which is under furniture. It will be 1″ Honduran Mahogany. I’ve started installing the fixed pieces. Then I will make patterns for the sections that open for bilge access. They will be biscuited together with reinforcing cleats along the bottoms.
Yet another long delay. I had my 65th birthday party at the shop, and shortly thereafter found out there was a tumor in my spine. So… they needed to do surgery to either remove it if benign, or biopsy if it appeared malignant. Very luckily, it was completely benign. So now no lifting, bending or twisting for 6 weeks. I’m 3 weeks into that now, and have somehow managed to build the mahogany access panels for the sole (4″ strips biscuited together. Still need to epoxy paint the bottoms, fit the recessed lifting rings, final fitting onto sole, and finishing with Daly’s SeaFin) and machine the grubs. Grubs are the pieces attached to the deck beams that accept the cabin sides. The architect called for teak or oak, but…. I still had some Doug Fir left over and my cheap side won out. They are 1 3/4 x 3 1/4 machined to accept 3/4 ply with a bevel for draining down to deck and a flat and caulking bevel to butt up to the teak decking (if I ever figure out how to afford it).
Next up is to install the grubs for both the main cabin and the aft cabin, which I call the cuddy cabin (hey, it’s MY boat and I’ll call it anything I damn well please). I still have to machine the corner posts which will accept the ends of the cabin sides and merge with the grubs. I already made the laminated coach roof beams so they will go in after the sides are on.
I’ve been busy building and installing the upright corner posts for both cabins and fitting the grubs connecting their bottom edges. The cabin sides will be fitted into their slots.
Also: today I went to the Wooden Boat Foundation swap meet in Port Townsend and came home with a few treasures: an old Stanley square that is very solidly built… not like my crappy Chinese pot-metal one from Home Depot…, a shop-built serving mallet with reel for twine, and a 35# CQR anchor for a REALLY cheap price. All the above for $110.
This week I will be preparing for installation of 9 brass ring pulls for opening floorboards (using a new trim router, pattern bit, and reusable template) as well as continuing cabin sides.
Just finishing framing the two cabins. I made templates of all 8 sides and then cut out the marine ply to match. All installed with Dolphinite and bronze screws. Now have to save up for buying the opening port lights. Also plugged the screws in the permanent sole portions and painted the bottoms of the removable portions. Next up, putting all sole pieces in and sanding for uniformity and surface. Then pull out removable pieces and morticing in the brass flush pulls. Then the whole thing is reinstalled and given a few coats of Daly’s SeaFin Teak Oil (even tho the entire sole is made of Honduran Mahogany). I’ll cover the finished sole with cardboard to protect it during furniture construction.
So proud of all you’ve accomplished…it’s amazing really!! Bish is already looking beautiful.
So proud of all you’ve accomplished! Bish is already quite beautiful!!!
Incredible Karl. Looking great. I’m very jealous.
Some progress, although slow. Too many interruptions… like a laminectomy (removing a tumor from my spine). But back at it now. Since the last photos, I have installed the cabin roof beams, bought the NewFoundMetals port lights (5 round ones and four rectangles), cut their openings in both cabins, and started building the interior. So far added berth fronts in main saloon, all three bulkheads for the head and a couple to frame the galley. Now that these bulkheads are in I am really feeling how small this boat is. It’s going to be interesting fitting in the toilet and still having enough room not to have to bend over while seated. Definitely not a tall person boat. But I am determined to build this boat with traditional methods and materials, and following the plans per the architect … although yesterday I extended the aft berths a few inches to accommodate my feet. Even though it’s such a small boat, it will comfortably sleep 4 people… although it will help if you really like each other and no one has any intestinal issues.
Pictured below is the current status. The port lights need a backing plate (teak) as they are designed for thicker cabin sides. I decided to varnish them prior to installation to avoid lots of taping off. I will install after construction is done and cabin sides are faired and painted. On this boat, the only varnished wood will be on the interior (it took 65 years for me to figure out that spending 3 weeks every year on varnish is not the best use of my limited time on this mortal coil).
After all bulkheads are in, I will fair and paint/varnish the overhead beams of decks and cabins. Then the tongue & groove overhead goes on main cabin, followed by plywood, canvas and paint. Kiwi at Edensaw in Port Townsend has been helping me with figuring out the deck lumber. Teak is now on order. I decided to bite the bullet on the deck material and go the expensive route as I know teak and how it responds, so one less variable. The Alaskan Spruce for the spars has been at Edensaw for a couple years. It will be delivered with the teak… now where to put it?
Leonard Deitz and I checked in on your progress. Len gives the thumbs up – missed not coming down this summer… Marty
I’ve been following this blog since you started laying out the frame patterns on the floor. It’s amazing how much one person with some good tools and a whole lot of determination can accomplish. This is really quite an achievement. Keep plugging away, it’s really turning out great!
Thanks Brandon. Sometimes it feels like a race to finish while I’m young enough to sail her. Oh well, if not, at least I can hope one of my nephews will pick up the torch and do the final bits and sail her proudly. People keep saying that it looks like I’m almost finished. I think that’s because all the big stuff (other than deck and rigging) are done, so it looks like a boat now. But even the galley framing out has taken me a few weeks (2 days/week) to accomplish. So everything seems to matter more now and take a lot longer. Still learning, still dreaming.
Just an unbelievable boatbuilding odyssey – no other term describes adequately your project – far more ambitious and properly performed than anything my experience can contemplate. My hat (constantly worn due to rampant skin cancer), is off to you!
I am about to have a 16-ft fishing skiff built for me because (1) I doubt I could, and (2) at 80, I have too little time to undertake its build. My sole experience is building an 8-ft pram at 14, and a 16 ft Peterborough-model stripper canoe in the mid-70s which my wife and I still enjoy. Needless to say, your project is well beyond my talents and/or endurance.
Looking forward with great interest to launch day and the subsequent test sail knowing in advance both will be appropriately celebrated and (I hope) recorded for posterity (and us online spectators) with a video available for purchase.
Allan Horton, Sarasota, Fl.
Nice to hear from you Allan. Yes, my melanoma certainly dampens the act of sun-worship as well. People keep saying that she looks close to finished, but… everytime I look at the list of projects yet to happen, it keeps growing fast than my completion rate. But, as I am all too fond of saying, it’s about the journey and not the arrival… just like sailing. I remember reading 40 years ago in a Pardey’s book, “Go small, go now”. So I am going small, but the “now” part is still eluding me 😉
Hopefully enough time has gone by so it looks like I’ve accomplished something. It feels good to sit below and get a feeling for the environs. I know that once I get the coach roof on it will start getting darker and smaller.
Since the last post I have mostly been working on the interior. All bulkheads, berths, galley, head are now in and painted. All cabinet doors and drawers are complete and workable. I just completed building and installing the Honduran Mahogany trim pieces. They are stained dark red and varnished with Captains Varnish.
The head is now plumbed. The water inlet goes from the thru-hull to an anti-siphon valve before feeding the toilet. The outlet goes to another anti-siphon valve in the cabinet and then to a Y valve… one side goes to a bladder-style holding tank in the cabinet and the other to the outlet thru-hull.
The galley sink is now plumbed to a foot pump and to the two water tanks under the quarterberths. The corner of the galley is a lid that accesses a Yeti cooler that can be lifted out and taken home. The stove is a two burner propane camp stove that can be covered with a mahogany lid to use as a chart table or extra counter space. It is powered by small refillable propane bottles plumbed into a cabinet, but stored outside when not in use.
The saloon has two berths/settees. They will have 4″ foam lower cushions. The backs will be large pillows printed with paintings of my father “Bish” painted by my mother. The little cabinet in the middle is topped with slate onto which I will mount the heater… a wood burning Tiny Tot. The drawer is for silverware and the cabinet is for wood/pellets.
The portlight installation is temporary as I was anxious to see how they would look. I love them!
To make the saloon table, I made it hard on myself by deciding to use my parents old coffee table instead of starting from scratch. I grew up with that maple table. My father cut of the corners off the rectangular table in order to prevent additional head wounds for myself or my brother. When my mom moved to a small assisted living space, we were going to give it away, but I thought I might cut it down and make a boat table for the BISH. So here it is in progress. It has two drop-leaves with piano hinges and sliding stays. There is a 2″ bronze flange mounted on the wood keel. A bronze pipe with go from it through the floor to another flange mounted to a maple disk (shown next to the table top). When it is installed, I will install the top on to the disk so the leaves line up with the boat’s centerline. I think I will stain and varnish it as well.
Also in process are the two head doors. They are pretty small but offer some privacy for both people in the saloon and quarterberths.
Next up… finish the doors and tables, get the table leg machined, and build the ladder from the hatch down along the galley… and install the heater once it shows up (they only manufacture them as they are ordered).
Hadn’t checked in for awhile. Looking very nautical. Good luck!
I can’t believe how far it has come along since the last time I was in the shop!
It’s truly a snail’s pace, but if you only see it every couple years, it seems speedy. That’s why I only update the site when something really looks different. It makes it seem like I’m zooming along!
Another 4 months since progress report. A busy summer with getting knee and back procedures, knee braces, then quick training for 200 mile bike ride to Vancouver BC, and taking time to grieve losing my best bud, Scout, our beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Hopefully now back in the saddle.
Got the coach roof on. The first layer was t & g cedar that I painted before installation. They were bronze fastened to the coach roof beams. Over that was a layer of 1/4″ aquatek plywood fastened with West System epoxy, so no holes were introduced to the roof. THEN… I used the approach used by Gannon and Benjamin in Martha’s Vineyard. A heavy coat of Vulchem 351, #10 canvas duck over that (stretched and attached on the sides with monel staples), allowed to setup. Then two coats of the Vulchem on top of the canvas. The Vulchem 351 is a urethan very duty industrial waterproof paint used on concrete parking lots. You can only buy it in 5 gallon buckets, so I decanted it into gallon cans and started using it for various jobs that I want water tight. The canvas edge will be covered with a molding strip made of mahogany, 2 x 1/2 and topped with a 1″ half round.
The cockpit is now roughed in. I fabricated the quarter-rounds for the inside corners which will go in tomorrow. The aft cabin and main cabin are now faired and ready for some more primer. I would love to get the cabin moldings up and primed so I can paint the two cabins and the cockpit… that way I can finally install the port lights.
I now have the heater partially installed. It is a Tiny Tot, which burns wood, coal or pellets. I’m starting to save wood bits to use for fuel eventually. The cabinet it sits on has a door for wood fuel, a drawer for silverware, a slate top, and mahogany fiddles (not yet finished off and revarnished). Still to be done is installing the flue pipe which will have a couple 45 degree turns to exit thru the top of the coach roof, and putting on a Charlie Noble.
The saloon table is now complete. I had a bronze pipe leg built that allows the table to screw in/out. I was a good boy scout and built the table and cabin to plan. I installed the table and the head doors. THEN… I noticed that the door does not open past the table (they overlap). I assumed I screwed up royally. I emailed the architects son (who never replied) to see if it was me or them. Anyway, after starring at the plans a good long while, I realized that it was part of the plan. There are two folding wings to allow passage by the settees, but… if you lower the wings and spin the table 90 degrees, you can open and close the head door. So while underway, leave the table turned, and when at dock or anchor spin it back and lift the wings. Ha.
Here is the underside of the coach roof. Cedar tongue and groove painted semigloss white. I painted prior to install to avoid masking off all those roof beams.
The two cabins getting ready for eyebrow moldings and more primer paint.
The lid of the aft cabin is there to allow access for engine removal/installation (it will be hinged). One side of that lid lifts off and sets on the handholds which keep it in place.
See ya at the show Karl!
Bob
Great! This year I will be exhibiting the Leslie Jean on the plaza at the NW Maritime Center. Not as close to Bar Harbor (beer) as I would like, but I suppose I can still walk there
Well, I now have a new definition of a true craftsman: someone who can create attractive eyebrows (the trim pieces that hide the edges of the canvas coachroof and manage water dripping down the cabin exterior).
I just completed building the same on BISH. Many weeks of head-scratching, machining, cursing, shaping, cursing some more, and now priming. I am painting all the exterior trim as I decided that I have used WAY too many days of my life varnishing the trim on boats. It is SO beautiful, but I can see that since this boat won’t leave the shop till I’m around 75, I won’t be wanting to spend my days bent over sanding and putting on coats.
My eyebrows are made of mahogany, two pieces (one piece 2 x 1/2″ that has a drip line cut in the bottom to encourage water to drip down instead of drooling down the cabin side and staining it… and the other piece is a half round to act as a rub rail).
There was much machining in order to allow the canvas edge to live within the trim piece while still touching the cabin sides top and bottom. The toughest part was shaping the corners…. making a 90 degree turn while going from a straight line to an upward arch. Cricky! Anyway, a lot of artful use of a belt sander.
Whew… another long time between posts. Gone for a bit (Dias de Muertos in San Miguel de Allende, Ketchum ID for cycling, etc). But… got some stuff done anyway. I built all the companionway trim, the companion way hatch with rails, got the eyebrows and hatch painted, started work on the rudder. The bronze pintles/gudgeons are now at the machine shop getting bored for 3/4 hardware and a tapered rudder shaft is being made. Once I have all the parts in hand I will need to install the rudder shoe on the keel (deadwood) and do the final fairing. I left the deadwood thick since I wasn’t sure what the final thickness would be. Since the rudder shoe will be inset, that will determine what the final thickness will be. Same goes for the hardware on the rudder. They will determine the final shape of the rudder.
I just started to install the portlights (NewfoundMetals.com). There are 6 rectangular and 5 round ones. Each one takes a couple hours to install using a bunch of butyl. Interesting stuff. Stretchy, sticky, moldable, rubber-like cordage that gets pushed into the crevice between cabin side and portlight frame. Got 4 put in, and now have a rhythm for doing them.
Next up: starting the bulwarks so I can install the decks. That will be a LONG project. First I have to install some additional blocking for the anchor windlass, build the aft mooring bits, and more blocking to accommodate the nibbed ends of the teak deck planks.
It’s a remarkable achievement that you have made it this far and looks certain you will finish and sail her. Not many can do that.
Thanks Ken. At my day job (PhinneyBischoff.com) we have been talking about obsession and how it is tied to passion. In this case, I think it’s more like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I DO believe I will launch her eventually. Hopefully still young enough to sail her as well. I want to at least get her into the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend before I croak.
Karl, if your healthy enough to muscle that rudder around, you’ll make to Port Townsend…
Sorry for the LONG delay in updates. Due to the boatbuilding lurkers on the web, I don’t like putting up pictures of anything in too much of a progress state. People like to zoom WAY in and point out deficiencies in my skill, thinking, and character. But here we go anyway.
The rudder did get finished and installed. I actually like how it turned out (go figure).
I couldn’t put it off any longer, so am starting work on the deck. Lots of steps prepping to do that. As I mentioned earlier, I took a somewhat unorthodox route to building the bulwarks. The usual traditional method is to build the planks and frames up to the height of the deck. Then cover everything with a covering board, and build the bulwarks on top of that. For some reason, I was thinking that bringing the frames up to the bottom of the rail cap would be stronger, so I framed and planked up to the rail cap (top of the bulwark). So OK fine. But then you have to make all that water tight. I thought about it for a few years and came up with a plan:
I installed mahogany covering boards butted up to the frames, then planked with 1/2 Port Orford Cedar from the bottom of rail cap down to the covering boards. Then cut in the scuppers. Next was to apply epoxy filets to the joint of plank and covering board. The covering boards are 1 1/4″ mahogany, which get painted along with the planking and scuppers and filets.
The covering boards have a 1/2″ ships lap cut in the inside edge. The 1″ teak margin boards have a 1/2″ lap that laps over the covering board laps. THEN the 1″ teak deck pieces get nibbed into the margin boards and have the same 1/2″ lap that laps over the lap on the margin board.
Whew… harder to type than to do.
I still have to trim the laminated deck beams to make sure the deck strakes will lie flat. The pictures show things being dry fit before being final trimmed and secured (dophinite and SB screws)
Looks great, how about a picture of that finished rudder?
Coming up next week
Here are the images of the finished rudder per request:
That’s a nice bit of work; you do all this by yourself?
For better or worse, yes, by myself.
That’s one hell of a job for one person to do, very, very admirable.
Bish is amazing! What a wonderful and exquisite boat, Nice work.
Just a couple images of the bulwarks sanded and painted. I am currently roughing in the rail-caps, I soaked the stern rail-cap in a water bath for 4 days to soften up the Sapele and bent in on a frame for the arch of the stern. I have been out of town cycling in Idaho for a couple weeks, but back at it soon.
You are not too far away from an empty building and a full slip!
Just found this blog Karl. What a project. You’ve done an amazing job, congrats. Now all I’ve gotta do is go back to the start and read it all after flicking through the pics
Actually, I go back every few years and read it as well. I find it incentivizing to see all the things I had to figure out, and somehow got thru it… even tho it’s been 9 years so far.
I am currently waiting for Pat (my friendly local engine guy who used to be the Seattle SABB rep) to finish hooking up the prop direction control linkage and installing a custom muffler. Once that is done, I can start putting on the deck.
In preparation for the teak deck planks, I am doing a bunch of smaller projects that are easier accomplished while the boat is still open. Like:
–scarfing together some mahogany to make two rub rails. Two coats of epoxy and one coat of varnish (for UV protection). These have been predrilled and fitted to the hull so they are attached thru the cedar planking into the oak frames. After final coats of topside enamel is on, the rub-rails go on with bronze screws and flexible epoxy. The screw holes get bunged and then another couple of coats of varnish overall.
— Installing thru-hull fittings (and seacocks) for the manual bilge pump, and automatic powered bilge pump, and the cockpit scupper drains.
–Running and connecting all the pipes for the water tanks fill.
–Installing the manual and powered bilge pumps, as well as plumb them to their thru-hulls.
–Machining and installing the whisker-stay fittings
–Machining and installing the hawse pipe bronze rings
–Machining and installing all eight bronze chainplates
–Fairing and sanding the topside in preparation of final enamel coats of paint
I just noticed I forgot to post the photos of the completed rail caps and bulwarks. Lotsa coats of paint.
Looks ready for the teak!!
Looks stunning.
Some progress. I ran vent lines for both water tanks and the fuel tank… and attached to bronze vent fittings in the cockpit well. Also installed the manual and electric bilge pumps, installed thru-hulls for the bilge pumps and cockpit drains, wired the bilge pump to battery. So… finally starting to think about the deck. I have installed the starboard margin boards. The teak deck planks will get nibbed into the margins in order to avoid spikey ends. All are bedded in Dolphinite and screwed to deck beams with #14×2″ silicon bronze wood screws, which will be covered with teak plugs. Gonna be a LONG project making it look good. All planks are 1″ x 2.25″ with a slight bevel on both bottom edges to give a beaded appearance on the interior overhead, and a chalking bevel on the upper half of the upper edges. This will allow 1/2″ of wood-to-wood, and 1/2″ to take cotton chalking and seam compound. Hopefully get back to this mid January when back in town. Now it’s off to find some snow to shush in.
You started this in June of 2010, by all measures you could be done by June 2020. That’s a huge accomplishment for one guy to build a boat.
My wife would be thrilled with your time assessment! However…….. the deck will take a long time, and there is the little matter of building 8 spars, parcel and serving all the rigging, sourcing the bronze fittings, building all the blocks, engineering all the steering apparatus, etc. I figure 5 more years, but that probably really depends on when I can retire to spend more time on her. Thanks for following.
Took a couple weeks to put four coats of varnish on the undersides of the 700′ of teak decking. Figured it would be a lot easier to do prior to installation (thanks Kiwi for your sage advise on this). So now I have to add some margin teak to the cockpit well and I can start decking.
Finally…. just started to install the teak deck. Yesterday I milled and installed the teak margins for the cockpit (2 1/2 x 1 1/2 teak to overlap the edge of cockpit). This should keep me busy for the next couple months (at least). The teak planks are 2.25 x 1 inch, with a chalking bevel on both sides of top and a small bevel on bottom to create a beaded appearance for the interior. Then I need to chalk the seams. This is done by using a thin bead of paraffin/turps, then cotton chalking installed with a chalking wheel, then more paraffin, then the seam compound.
I’m sticking with my last assessment, if you have the boat water tight by June, you built a boat by yourself in ten years. Nice job! And, all these years of reading about your boat building, I never knew you were a brand strategy guy. That’s my wife’s work. Do you have anything up for an Effie this year?
No. But I would like to get this Eff’n deck finished 😉
Luckily, the whole Covid-19 thing doesn’t change the boat project too much. I work alone in a locked building. I have to have supplies shipped to my home since I can’t pick them up and now our office is a Work-from-Home kinda thing. But for the last 3 months I’ve been working on the deck, which I have most of the supplies already. Maybe another month for the wood attachment, and a month for the seams. Then plugging all the screw holes (I just machined 1200 teak plugs from the offcuts). Then sanding the whole magilla. So probably 6 months total for the deck.
It looks like my estimate of 6 months to do the deck is pretty close. I started prepping the planks in January, and now they are all installed near the end of April. Next steps:
1. repair all my booboo’s due to broken drill bits, split planks, etc.
2. glue in 1200 teak 1/2″ plugs to cover the screw heads… after cleaning out all 1200 holes
3. trim 1200 teak 1/2″ plugs flush with deck
4. inject a mixture of paraffin and turps into all the seams
5. roll in cotton wicking into all the seams over the paraffin
6. tape off the seams to minimize the seam compound mess
7. pay the seams with seam compound (I now have a powered chalk gun to save my carpal tunnel wrists)
8. remove tape and clean up seam compound overflow
9. sand the entire deck
10. try not to look too closely at the still visible booboo’s
11. clean up the seams below deck of any bedding compound around the deck beams.
Karl looks great. However we miss you’all in Ketchum
Just a small update… 2000 small ones. Just finished glueing in 2000 1/2″ teak plugs to cover screws. Next week I’ll slice off the excess and start prepping the seams.
I know, it looks like a Mardigra float, but it’s actually the deck taped off with the final bit, seam compound, added to the seams. Nows I’ll let it set for a few days before sanding.
Congrats Karl, I bet that’s a relief. On the homestraight now.
A banner day! The teak deck is complete! Next up will be to add all the stuff that goes through the deck… mooring bits, samson post, water and waste fills. Then it’s on to building the deck box and hatch for the steering gear and wheel.
Looks #%@ excellent.
&%$#** yeah!
Moving along. Now that the deck is on/in, I can start doing projects that sit on or through the deck. First, I have built the hatch for, and installation of the Edson Worm-Steering Gear. I bought it on Craigs List 5 years ago off a schooner in Berkeley, CA. The wheel is via Ebay from Scotland.
I have also started the bowsprit. I need to get it in so I can install the bronze anchor windlass and the hause pipe thru which the chain will come off the windlass and into the chain locker.
Looking sooooooooo noice!
Just started production of the spars. They are: Bow Sprit, Main Mast, Fore Mast, Main Boom, Fore Boom, Main Gaff, Fore Gaff, Top Mast. First up is building the saw horses to support a 34′ Main Mast. Had to clear away some tables and floor tools, but now I’m set. All saw horses will be clamped together for some rigidity using long 2x4s. I made three different sizes of spar gauges for the different spar thicknesses. These gauges use the plethagsorus theory and are proportioned to 7:10:7 to draw cut lines on a 4 sided spar to make an 8 sided spar. Then eyeball down to 16 sided, then 32 sided. After all the spars are made, I will take them outside for the serious sanding (inside-out sanding belt run by a drill motor.. at least for the round parts).
OK. I got the booms, gaffs and topmast all roughed out (32 sided). Still need to sand them smooth and fit the bronze hardware (after machining same). Now working on the masts. I got the foremast to four-sided and marked out for going to 8 sided. The mainmast has some issues. When setting it on the horses for working, I noticed that there was a twist of about an inch, and a curve to one side of a few inches at one end. I also noticed that the sawer marked the last four feet to be cut off, which I can’t do due to length requirements. So I did two sides and determined that I need another 3/8′ of thickness for the other two sides. So the question I have for EdenSaw is: do I scarf on another 1/2″ for about 5 ft (since it’s going to be painted anyway) or do I start over with a new piece of Sitka Spruce?
Also prepping bow sprit for mounting the anchor windlass and bow anchor rollers. Had to add 1″ of wood to three sides to attach the windlass on the sprit, and will have to machine down the bronze rollers that will be attached to the sprit out past the bow.
Hello Karl, just catching up on your progress. Everything is looking good! Your work is inspiring. Bernadette
Thanks Bernadette. Your build is what inspired me to keep going. Now I just have to wait for a new piece of Sitka Spruce for my mainmast. COVID has definitely made everything more difficult. At least working alone is not effected. They say this virus is an introverts dream come true.
Whew… quite a delay in posting. Mentally dealing with a crazy election, COVID, the economy, etc., but still plodding along on BISH. I have finished shaping all the spars (other than main mast, as it is too twisted to shape correctly… waiting for a new piece to be found by Kiwi at EdenSaw). They are sanded and painted (five coats of Marshall’s Cove Schooner Spar enamel). Still have to build and install all the bronze hardware. The biggest project will be to build the bits that hold the topmast to the main mast and accommodate the spreaders and all the various rigging pieces.
I have FINALLY solved the prop shifting setup dilemma. Since SABB no longer makes the linkage pieces to operate the variable pitch prop remotely, I have been searching for some other way to do it. Finally decided of the Easy Glide steering system. A bit strange installation but it WORKS! So now that that is in, and the cockpit drains are plumbed, I can start installing the teak cockpit sole.
Also the bowsprit, anchor windlass, chain pipe, and anchor rollers are on. Still to do is some sort of chafe guard for where the chain crosses the rail cap. I put in 100′ of 5/16 BBB chain on a 35 lb. CQR anchor.
I have also shaped the teak pad to be mounted on the deck just forward of the main cabin that will hold the heater’s deck pipe. I had obtained a beautiful bronze deck pipe, but it is for 4″ pipe and the spacing of my deck beams would just not take it, so I had to buy the Dickinson stainless version. At least it was WAY cheaper. For that I will need to drill a 5″ hole in the deck (EEK). Then attach the pipe from heater to deck pipe.
Also… finally put in door latches for the head… not too important since I will mostly be single-handing (sailing… as well as using the head).
(inside-out sanding belt run by a drill motor..
You’ll have to show us what that looks like. Also, I’m reasonably sure a laminated mast is stronger than a single piece and is far more stable in terms of warping.
The boat looks great!
Ken McAuliffe
Finally got the cockpit sole completed. I waited till all the work under the sole was finished allowing room to work till the end. So I attached the teak planks… using wedges and clamps to get a tight fit. Then injected beeswax/turps mixture into the beveled joints. The beeswax dissolved in turpentine makes a flexible seal that gets better and better when hit with sun.
After that set up, I corked the seams with cotton, then soaked the cotton with more beeswax/turp solution. After THAT set up, I used deck seam compound to hold it all in place. It then gets shaved flush with the deck and the whole magilla gets sanded smooth.
Now finally I could finish the cockpit details. I installed two cockpit drains and plumbed them to a thru-hull fitting. I installed the fuel-fill fitting that leads directly into the diesel fuel tank. Then the pedestal compass was attached. I also added an opening portlight in the cockpit well to allow light and air into the starboard quarterberth.
Also just laminated and cut out the drop-board pieces. Next I will cut a star logo in the upper board for detail and extra ventilation.
I also bought the bronze rod (3/4″ for the main, and 5/8″ for the forward) for the travelers. I bought a MAPP torch and will try to bend in the 90 degree ends and then thread them for nuts below deck. I will also attempt to braze on some washers for traveler stops and for deck level stops.
Looks absolutely stunning Karl. Pity you have to use it!
Use it? You mean I have to get it wet?
Very wet when you get it done! Enjoy!
‘nother update. Put on a final coat of topside paint, final coat of varnish on drop boards, and started work on the two horses (travelers). The main one is 3/4″ silicon bronze rod and the fore one is 5/8 silicon bronze. From 3/8 x 2″ silicon bronze bar stock I cut out 8 2″ rounds. Four will be deck plates and four will be stops for each end of the horses. All will be brazed in place with silicon bronze welding rod/flux and using a MAPP gas torch. MAPP gas burns much hotter than propane. Bronze is difficult to heat up as it is a very efficient heat sync. The ends were bent per the picture with a big-ass wrench (please ignore extremely messy workbench). They will be mounted thru-deck and thru deck beams, secured with washers and nuts.
I still have no idea where these go. I’ll have to wait for the “next chapter” to see.
I installed the travelers today. I did the bends with the MABB torch and a pipe. Then I tried brazing on the deck rings and the traveler stops. That didn’t go so well. I couldn’t get it all hot enough. I did some more research and found out about MIG, TIG, Stick, OxyAcetalin, etc. My budget doesn’t allow for this kind of equipment so I took it to Jason Smith at JNL Welding and Marine. He did a great job and explained how he used TIG for its appearance. Anyway, they are now in. Also got the drop boards finished for the companionway.
Karl –
I hadn’t checked out this website since before Covid. Wow, I’m blown away. What you have accomplished is stunningly beautiful. See you in Ketchum soon?
Jack
Hey Jack. Just finishing up on the spars, then to build the rigging.
House projects about to wrap up as well, and plan on driving over next week (weather permitting).
I entered BISH and LESLIE JEAN in the Worldwide Classic Boat Show sponsored by Off Center Harbor. Here are some pics I included of BISH. I’m now working on finishing the spars, will start soon on the rigging, and the boom gallows for the main boom is being made at Port Townsend Foundry.
You have got to be proud of this, I certainly think it’s beyond beautiful, it’s a work of art.
Thank goodness for the low rez limitations of the web. But thanks for the compliment! FYI
Karl – a little birdie says ETA of 3/10 for you in Ketchum? Say, if I am counting correctly, you have “Only” been at this project for 10 years. And before you started, the “experts” were saying 20-30? Am I remembering this correctly? Could you apply your same scheduling magic toward helping Americans get shots in arms these days? Jack
Hi Jack (I didn’t say that in the airport!). Yes, we are planning on driving on the 10th. The BISH project is going well. I am now on year 11. I estimated launching around my 75th birthday, but I just had my 69th so I think I am about 5 years ahead of that estimate. As for the shots in arms, I am very happy to mention we are both double vaccers now. I am guessing Darwin’s theory of survival of the smartest will apply. Anti-vaccers will quietly die off with COVID or the flu (hopefully not dragging down the smart people with them) and we will be left with smart liberal people. Now THAT’S making America great again.
Karl after viewing all of the recent pictures the BISH looks great. Spars and sails and removing from it’s nice warm home you look like you more than outdid yourself. It is so beautiful it should be a mantel piece. See you next week. It has to have been at least 14 months. We are also two shot people.
Hi Karl, Im about to make up my bowsprit. Although I am building to the 30′ Katy design, I wondered what you overall length outboard of the stem head is for your bowsprit?
Hi Bernadette! I will be back in the shop on Monday and I will measure for you.
60”
Hello Karl, thanks very much. I sought of had a target for 4′ 1/2″ but that was just a preliminary calculation. Nice to know I wasn’t too far out!
Finally getting around to adding some photos. You may recall I’m not a big fan of posting process photos since I spend so much time hiding my mistakes… and once things are painted it’s less obvious 😉
So… projects moving along, mostly with the rigging. Port Townsend Foundry made my boom gallows for the main boom. So now all installed with a laminated beam and leathered cutouts. It will probably end up being shorter once I know the exact height I want.
I am in the process of making all the blocks I will need. Single, single w/becket, double, and double w/becket. I am making a few extra since I’m in assembly line mode (25 total). Hopefully can sell the extras to offset the price of the materials.
They have Schaffear Delrin sheaves and brass metalwork. I am currently soaking all the wood shells in boiled linseed oil (3 days), then they get varnished, metal parts bent and put in, drilled through shell and metal, add a 3/8 bronze axle and the sheave, and cap each side with a bronze coin.
Also working on the masts. The mast-steps have been built and painted along the wood keel and floors. A sheave added to the top of the topmast, a couple mast rings added and mast-step cut to fit. I still need to add additional hardware to masts, booms and gaffs. Booms now have their gooseneck hardware attached and ready to mate with the bracket on the boom. The brackets will be attached by drilling oversize holes, filled with epoxy, drilled and tapped for bronze bolts.
Completed the gaff jaws to meet the masts. I did a minimal leather on them for now since they are pretty small for more of a wrap. I figure I’ll wait to see how they work before adding full leathers. Got some parrel beads to keep the gaffs against the booms. Soaked in linseed oil and drilled, they are ready for installation.
Spreaders and main tree complete. Need to find bronze shackles. I also found ten 1/2″ bronze turnbuckles on eBay… cheap. I was going to use galvanized due to cost, but the bronze ones (Wilcox Crittendon) were the same price. Lucky find.
Found some cast-bronze dorade vents made in India. It’ll be interesting seeing what they REALLY look like. Still in transit. Will need to build a couple dorade boxes for them. Don’t have to be teak as they will be painted. Dovetail construction.
Also getting ready for building the shrouds and other standing rigging. Ordered a splicing vice to hold wire and thimble steady while splicing. Bought an 8″ steel fid for wire-splicing. All standing rigging (except stainless steel forestay) with be galvanized 7×7, parcel and served, with all eyes leathered. Ordered a half-hide to do most of the leatherwork.
So anyway, obviously a bit too much to do to make it into the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend this fall, but I’ll still exhibit Leslie Jean (15′ Whitehall) just to be a part of the show. I’m on the waiting list for the Port of Edmonds Marina (1/2 hour from our house). So a slip will probably be available this fall or next spring. At that time, I hope to have Associated Boat Movers move BISH and all the spars to Canal Boat Yard (just inside the locks). They have a crane to install masts and travel lift to launch. I will have temporary standing rigging at first. Once safely in my slip, I will do final measurements (as built, not as drawn) and build the pieces in the shop. Then it’s just a matter of replacing the temps with the permanent.
Hello Karl, thanks for the update. All your work is looking really good as per usual! I like the look and style of your blocks. what are the shell dimensions?
Hi Bernadette! I am out-of-town but as memory serves: The singles are 4″ tall x 1 7/8″ thick x 2 1/2″ wide. The doubles are 4″ tall x 3 1/8″ thick x 2 1/2″ wide.
Karl – all looking great! I love it that you recited those precise dimensions for the blocks, for Bernadette, from MEMORY! Jack
I realized that the plans don’t call for any ventilation (other than opening ports… not so practical with all our rain) So I found some vents cast in bronze in India (pretty nice and very affordable) and built some dorado boxes mount them. I fed a 4″ PVC pipe thru the deck extending a few inches above the deck so water can come in the vent and out drain holes in the box.
I also finished making the blocks (with a few extra)… singles, singles with bales, doubles, and doubles with bales. All shells spent 4 days in a bucket of boiled linseed oil, then added the delrin sheaves and bronze axels with bronze cover plates, and the hanging brackets.
I decided to make 4 pin rails… one for each set of two shrouds. All are made of sapele, painted and drilled for the bronze belaying pins.
And finally figured out a way to lock the boat. A tongue is attached to the sliding hatch that then enters a slot… protruding enough for a padlock to pass thru.
Just added 150′ of twisted three-strand nylon to the end of my 100′ of chain for anchoring with the 35lb CQR.
AND… doing a lot of bronze work to fit rigging on spars. Still more of that to happen soon.
Have ordered the fabric for the cushions and will be built soon by Sonja Lamberson in Quilcene.
Hey folks! It’s been awhile. Since September (!) I have mostly been working on rigging. I spent a day at Brion Toss’ shop in Port Townsend learning to do the Liverpool splice. I think it was one of the Herreshoffs that said “Life is too short to splice wire”. May be true, but I was determined to give it a go. The wire rigging for the main mast is 3/8″ 7×7 Galvanized with a thimble spliced in both ends, except the lowers have a leathered soft eye up top. Then parcel and served (friction tape and #60 tarred seine twine). The foremast has four shrouds of 5/16″ 7×7 Galvanized with a thimble spliced in both ends and parcel/served. There is a Queen stay and a Jack stay also 5/16 galvy. The Bob stay is 5/16 BBB chain, and the whisker stays are 3/8 galvy, parcel/served. There are two running back stays, also 5/16 7×7 with thimbles and parcel/served. I have completed the running backs, bob stay, whisker stays, and the main lowers. The rest have a thimble spliced in one end. Once the masts are stepped I will measure the final length needed, go back to the shop to splice in the other ends and parcel and serve everything. Then back to the boat to install.
Running rigging is all cut and spliced.
Coming up: SPLASH! In a couple weeks, Associated Boat Transfer will bring over a custom i-beam sled with 6 big wheels and side arms. We will jack up the front of the boat, slide the sled in and lower the boat onto it. The side arms will come up to steady it. Then a forklift will pull it out of the shop and on to the street, where their truck will slide under and pick it up. We then load up the two masts, booms, gaffs. It gets taken to Canal Boatyard in Ballard (Seattle), picked up by the Travelift, and lowered into the water. It will sit in the water supported by the slings overnite to let the planks take up some water to tighten the seams. In the morning, back out of slings and tie to doc. My friend Pat will do the official startup of the SABB 2h (1979, never been in the water). Jim Maupin, the surveyor, will give her his blessing so the insurance can start up. The yard’s boom truck will lift both masts into place and I will attach all the shrouds (temporary line till measurements are done and wire is completed. Then thru the locks and out to a temporary slip at Shilshole Marina.
So now the bottom paint is on, fenders ready, mooring lines set up, extra pumps at the ready, masts are wrapped for shipping, cushions are in, fabric for sail covers on order.
OK… Phase One of launching BISH accomplished! Dennis (from Associated Boat Transport), my friend Steve-o, and I managed to slowly jack up the boat and slide in the I-beam cart and get her ready for taking out of the shop and into the street (Phase Two). We then do the whole thing in reverse (jack her up, slide out the cart) and the 60′ semi truck picks her up for transport to Canal Boatyard in Ballard (Seattle). From truck into water via travel lift, she sits in the straps overnight while the planks swell.
Hello Karl, I hope all has gone well for the launching. I would love to see photos of Bish in the water!
Pumps are ready 😬
Phase two now accomplished… getting out of the shop and onto the truck.
So… after 12 years of building 2 days/week… she has launched. We loaded her on the truck on Sunday July 10th, then she can into Canal Boatyard in Ballard (Seattle) at 4pm July 11th. There was almost no water coming in, so the high volume pump I bought was never used. She sat in the slings overnight as an extra precaution. Bilge stayed mostly dry. Filled the water tanks and the water tasted very toxic. I guess some residue was left from the pvc welding. But after a couple fill ups, it’s smells better. Jeff and Pat from Dark Harbor Marine did the official startup of my 1979 SABB 18hp 2-banger. After some monkeying around with the alternator wiring, all is well. Still have to get the tach to work tho.
Went back in the Travellift slip and used the boom truck to put the masts in. I couldn’t believe the mast step fit perfectly. For some reason I made the wedges too thick and had to joint them down another 1/8″. But now fine. We hooked up the temporary rigging and fired up the mighty SABB. It took a few minutes to figure out where forward, reverse and neutral were.
Off we went to motor to the locks connecting the ship canal with Puget Sound. Had to wait an hour for a barge/crane to come thru but got in easily. After leaving the locks we powered to Shilshole and tied up to a sublet slip till we can find a more permanent home… hopefully in Edmonds, WA.
A special thanks to Steve for helping move the boat out of the shop, and Marty, Kurt, Leslie and Nancy for help at the boatyard.
Now to finish building the standing rigging (splicing, parcel and serve). The goal is to be in Port Townsend in September for the Wooden Boat Festival!
Congratulations Karl and Happy Sailing!
Well done Karl I hope you have many new adventures in Bish. All the best.
It looks wonderful Karl, many many congratulations on having seen the build through.
And you didn’t have to dismantle some pesky bridge to get the thing into the ocean, unlike that less civilised Seattle-connected guy with a little problem in Rotterdam. I was speaking to a Rotterdammer at the weekend and she was expressing an opinion or two about the other Mr B, in that frank style the Dutch are cherished for. She would have greatly have approved of the good ship BISH.
Now you have to find somewhere to sail to. I hope South Georgia is on your list, I am writing about that place right now. …
Chris
Edinburgh
Amazing!!!!!!!
Hello Karl, sorry its taken so long to log back in here…however, CONGRATULATIONS on the launch. She looks very shippy and sweet. And she also looks big! Which is something the design is noted for…much bigger than her design dimensions. I hope you’ve been doing a lot of sailing!
Please let us know how she fares under sail. Bernadette
Thanks! One of my bucket list items was to have a boat in the water at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. Check. I have yet to sail her. I had the sails built by Nat Wilson in Maine 10 years ago. Since I am lacing them on, I didn’t want to put them on till we had the sail cover material in hand. Ordered it 6 months ago. Bit of a stall anyway since I just got a knee replacement 2days ago, then a double back fusion in a few months. But then I’ll be the bionic man and able to leap buildings in a single bound!
So now I need to fill in the blanks to get up to date.
After tying up at Shilshole Bay Marina, I went aloft to do the final measurements for the standing rigging. My only problem turned out to be that I could not climb to the top of the topmast since it is still unsupported and too skinny to support my weight without excessive bending. So I measured what I could, and guessed/estimated the rest.
Luckily, we had a trip to Ketchum Idaho planned, so I had plenty of sturdy trees to stretch out the wire. The wire for the main mast shrouds is 3/8 7×7 galvy. All the other standing wire is 5/16 7×7 galvy. 7×7 is tough to find but we Ian at Brion Toss’s found it in England. It all got splices with or without thimbles. Then stretched between trees with a come-along, coated with anhydrous lanaline, parceled with tarred canvas (friction tape), and served with tarred marline. Finally added two coats of “net dip”… basically tar used for fishing nets.
I had to got to CSR Marine in the Seattle Ship Canal to use their crane to fit the topmast shrouds. Everything fit “pretty” good. Still needs to be monkeyed with a bit.
Also spliced and added the running rigging.
So… With rigging in place, we were set to head up to Port Townsend for the Port Townsend Wooden Boat festival. I have been exhibiting “Leslie Jean”, my 15′ Whitehall, for 12 years, but always wanted to be in with the “big boys” in the water. I had the sails built 10 years ago by Nat Wilson in East Booth Bay, Maine. They will be laced on. Since the fabric for the sail covers is still on order (since June!) I decided not to install them till we are ready to make patterns for the covers. So I knew I couldn’t be in the schooner race or the sail-by, but so be it.
Left the dock at 4am to catch the tide. Took 7 hours to get to Marrowstone Point, but then got caught in the tide rip for three hours… chugging away at six knots, 0 over ground. But… finally got in to Point Hudson Marina for the show. Exhausted but happy to be there. Met tons of folks and got to “talk boat” for 4 days.
My, how time flies by! Many distractions. Leslie and I are now both retired so it’s on to more non-work projects. We sold the office house and used the proceeds to purchase a caravan (small motorhome) to be used for camping expeditions. I spent the winter upgrading systems on same. I installed 4x100w solar panels on the roof, a solar controller, a 3,000W inverter, a DC-DC charger, a Lithionics 320ah lithium battery… all so we can dry-camp (no hook-ups) with A/C, heat, a shower, etc. Which is quite interesting, since I went the complete opposite approach with BISH. She has no electrical panel, kerosene lights, propane cook stove, hand crank engine. I finally compromised and put on a small battery, an alternator for charging, an old electric starter and an automatic bilge pump (yes, wood decks and hull… so inevitable leaks).
And…. the biggest distraction: After owning and running a small brand strategy/design firm for 40 years (and spending 12 years building BISH), we needed a break from our daily routines so have moved to the UK for 4 months. One month in Bath, one in Dartmouth, one in York, and one in Rye. Trip planning was long and intense since we decided to go as a family, including our two pups. Traveling with dogs, especially into the UK, is complex and arduous. But worth it!
As for progress on BISH, I’ve been waiting for a weather window to install sails. I didn’t want to lace them on till I had reasonable weather so my friend Sonja could build the patterns for sail covers, without having the sails exposed to weather for extended periods. The covers will be installed in the next couple weeks.
In the meantime, my grand-nephew Calder Bischoff will be keeping watch on BISH. We will be back in the States early September, a quick prep of BISH, and then off to the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival again as an exhibitioner.