We have chosen our next build – the handliner that the club has been intending to build for a long time – there is discussion in old newsletters from as far back as 2003 (and probably before that – that’s the oldest newsletters I had access to)!
We’re using the “Bus Bailey” plans from Larry Westlake, a former OLAS member who has done extensive research on this type of boat, and has measured and documented a number of them. The original boat (which is still in use) was built by the Luomo brothers near Nanaimo in 1937, and is named after the original owner. The boat has been restored by the current owner, and has been used extensively up and down the coast, including participating in the Port Townsend to Victoria leg of the Race To Alaska in 2016! She’s a highly capable rowboat, designed for the salmon fishing trade pre-WWII.
We’ll be doing carvel planking, using some of the yellow cedar that we’ve collected, and white oak for the ribs – we may even have a lead on some locally sourced oak. For fastening, we’ll be doing copper rivets or clench nails.
On Saturday we started building the strongback, which will form the base for the moulds, and is currently serving as the platform for the lofting. We painted a couple of sheets of plywood so that our pencil lines will show better, and have started to lay out some of the many lines we’ll need. The lofting will give us the shape of the moulds, keel, stems, and other parts.
Over the past two weeks we had the pleasure of meeting the owners of SkyDancer, a 73′ steel schooner which had just come through the Northwest Passage and down the coast from Alaska. They’re working their way around North America, with a stop in the Caribbean for Christmas. We took them out sailing a couple of times in our little boats, and they met up with us in the shop to give us an overview of their trip. It was a wonderful time, and the shed managed to stay afloat with a crowd packed in!
Hope to see you at the shop as we start our new boat!
Oarlock & Sail Wooden Boat Club 