Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Good morning, All~
Two Jersey vessels - classic Barnegat Bay Sneakboxes - migrated recently from Pencil Brook Boatworks over to Cape Cod - an Eastward journey of about 250 miles. This exchange came about from an inquiry last Fall right here at duckboats.net. Lou Ureneck was seeking a pair of "project" boats - one for each of his two grandsons. Lou had grown up in Jersey and had hunted the real thing on the saltmarshes of his youth. As it happened, I was doing a bit of maintenance of a sneakbox owned by Jamie Woods. And, I had another given to me by Josh Schwenger back in 2019 at Tuckerton.
I had helped Jamie buy his 'box - a very nice VanSant - from Bill Simonson at Tuckerton a year or so earlier. (Bill has since passed on). The builder of the Schwenger-now-Sanford 'box is unknown.
The Tuckerton Brain Trust had numerous theories but could not agree on a single builder. In any event, both Jamie and I were ready to find good homes for both boats. I have done nothing with mine - other than evaluate its (very good) condition and then store it responsibly.
We came to terms with Lou quickly sometime before Christmas - and we all agreed that the transfer would happen sometime this Spring. Jamie's came with a trailer and a motor; mine was just the boat. Early on, the plan was for Lou to haul Jamie's VanSant to its new home. I made a conditional offer to haul the second 'box - which I had dubbed the Model 19 - because Josh had given it to me in 2019 - IF I had the time. Susan's ancestors helped settle Sandwich, Mass back in the 1630s. From Wikipedia: "Sandwich is a town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and is its oldest town. The town motto is Post tot Naufracia Portus, Latin for "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". Susan has yet to visit Sandwich.
However, Life got in the way - especially my Mom down on Long Island, 97 in July this year - and we could not find the time for an Eastward overnight. So, Lou asked me whether I thought it possible to haul both boats on his single (small but roadworthy) Sea Lion. I asked him to give me a few days and sent the request along to the R&D engineers (moi) here at Pencil Brook Boatworks. I knew the design would involve 2x4s, carriage bolts and U-bolts. After a sketch or two and a visit to my lumber yard, the "superstructure" took shape rapidly.
I had done several upgrades to Jamie's trailer when he got it (along with the 6-horse Evinrude and a 12-foot tin skiff - from a local seller. I put lighter bunks on it (1-inch - finished 3/4" - treated) so that they would conform somewhat to the rounded hull - and avoid the hard-spots that the original 2x4 bunks would likely cause. The trailer has 12-inch wheels, all the rollers roll, jack stand and winch are perfectly functional.
The two frames were U-bolted to the trailer frame and the cross-bar was set high. The rollers and bunks had been adjusted previously for this hull.
It winched right on and settled in for a comfortable journey.
I lubricated the U-bolts with Fluid Film. A new product to me - but recommended by my mechanic neighbor. It contains lanolin - just like the chassis protectant sprays onto the underside of my Forester. I taped the bearing surface of each U-bolt to avoid chafe on the trailer frame.
Each post was stiffened against racking with a gusset made from 1/2-inch AC plywood. Liquid Nails helped the deck screws keep everything stiff.
Custom chocks were fashioned from 1/2-inch AC and split pool noodles (the "super" ones). These were screwed to each cross-bar with Liquid Nails.
I lowered the cross-bars to about an inch above the cockpit cover (which needs to be replaced entirely by Lou) - mostly to keep the center-of-mass a bit closer to the road. (Notice how it sounds like real engineering, but - no measurements or calculations, just seat-of-the-pants design.) These are held with a carriage bolt and a single deck screw at each corner and are put on dry" (no Liquid Nails) for easy removal/adjustment.
Here it is ready for the Model 19 in the upper bunk.
BTW: The whole time I was designing and building, I thought what a nice frame my neighbor Matthew Ross could make from square tube steel - like this round-bale feeding shed for horses he is building right now:
Lou and his brother Paul arrived in time for breakfast on a rainy Saturday. Jamie Woods was at the table - and we all enjoyed getting to know each other. Then we set to the work of loading both a boat and some lumber. The motor and other "loose" items went inside Lou's Forester.
I used rope instead of chain to lift the Model 19 the day before. It was a 3/8-inch polyester that stretched about 50 percent....too hard to control.
So, I spliced up a pair of slings from 1/2-inch polypropylene. Never a favorite rope of mine, it does resist stretch and so was a better choice. Perhaps I should have used a heavy 1-inch webbing instead. I have no photos of the boat being lifted and lowered onto the superstructure. I believe the crew was a bit anxious/skeptical/terrified about the Massey-Ferguson - and especially its operator.
But, all went as planned - with a nice soft landing. The crew went to work lashing both vessels down with ratchet straps and lines. We moved the Model 19 enough aft to put about 75 pounds on the draw-bar/trailer hitch.
Lou's brother Paul - a builder by profession - was relieved to discover that I had planned to prevent fore-and-aft racking with a pair of OSB "sideboards". I use almost no OSB in my various projects - but I had screwed one sheet over a hole in a barn roof to get through the Winter. I was glad to find a good use for it. (And the barn roof has since been replaced....) I installed them last because I wanted easy access to the trailer for securing the load.
The sideboards were screwed on dry - but stiffened the structure as designed.
The final task was to lash 6 or 7 boards of Atlantic White Cedar to the load. I had gotten them at Tuckerton and Lou will use them in his restorations.
Later that day, Lou reported a successful - and uneventful - journey home. All was in fine fettle at the destination.
I look forward to Lou's progress on these gunning boats. And, Susan and I do hope to get over to Sandwich sometime this Fall.
All the best,
SJS
Two Jersey vessels - classic Barnegat Bay Sneakboxes - migrated recently from Pencil Brook Boatworks over to Cape Cod - an Eastward journey of about 250 miles. This exchange came about from an inquiry last Fall right here at duckboats.net. Lou Ureneck was seeking a pair of "project" boats - one for each of his two grandsons. Lou had grown up in Jersey and had hunted the real thing on the saltmarshes of his youth. As it happened, I was doing a bit of maintenance of a sneakbox owned by Jamie Woods. And, I had another given to me by Josh Schwenger back in 2019 at Tuckerton.
I had helped Jamie buy his 'box - a very nice VanSant - from Bill Simonson at Tuckerton a year or so earlier. (Bill has since passed on). The builder of the Schwenger-now-Sanford 'box is unknown.
The Tuckerton Brain Trust had numerous theories but could not agree on a single builder. In any event, both Jamie and I were ready to find good homes for both boats. I have done nothing with mine - other than evaluate its (very good) condition and then store it responsibly.
We came to terms with Lou quickly sometime before Christmas - and we all agreed that the transfer would happen sometime this Spring. Jamie's came with a trailer and a motor; mine was just the boat. Early on, the plan was for Lou to haul Jamie's VanSant to its new home. I made a conditional offer to haul the second 'box - which I had dubbed the Model 19 - because Josh had given it to me in 2019 - IF I had the time. Susan's ancestors helped settle Sandwich, Mass back in the 1630s. From Wikipedia: "Sandwich is a town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and is its oldest town. The town motto is Post tot Naufracia Portus, Latin for "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". Susan has yet to visit Sandwich.
However, Life got in the way - especially my Mom down on Long Island, 97 in July this year - and we could not find the time for an Eastward overnight. So, Lou asked me whether I thought it possible to haul both boats on his single (small but roadworthy) Sea Lion. I asked him to give me a few days and sent the request along to the R&D engineers (moi) here at Pencil Brook Boatworks. I knew the design would involve 2x4s, carriage bolts and U-bolts. After a sketch or two and a visit to my lumber yard, the "superstructure" took shape rapidly.
I had done several upgrades to Jamie's trailer when he got it (along with the 6-horse Evinrude and a 12-foot tin skiff - from a local seller. I put lighter bunks on it (1-inch - finished 3/4" - treated) so that they would conform somewhat to the rounded hull - and avoid the hard-spots that the original 2x4 bunks would likely cause. The trailer has 12-inch wheels, all the rollers roll, jack stand and winch are perfectly functional.
The two frames were U-bolted to the trailer frame and the cross-bar was set high. The rollers and bunks had been adjusted previously for this hull.
It winched right on and settled in for a comfortable journey.
I lubricated the U-bolts with Fluid Film. A new product to me - but recommended by my mechanic neighbor. It contains lanolin - just like the chassis protectant sprays onto the underside of my Forester. I taped the bearing surface of each U-bolt to avoid chafe on the trailer frame.
Each post was stiffened against racking with a gusset made from 1/2-inch AC plywood. Liquid Nails helped the deck screws keep everything stiff.
Custom chocks were fashioned from 1/2-inch AC and split pool noodles (the "super" ones). These were screwed to each cross-bar with Liquid Nails.
I lowered the cross-bars to about an inch above the cockpit cover (which needs to be replaced entirely by Lou) - mostly to keep the center-of-mass a bit closer to the road. (Notice how it sounds like real engineering, but - no measurements or calculations, just seat-of-the-pants design.) These are held with a carriage bolt and a single deck screw at each corner and are put on dry" (no Liquid Nails) for easy removal/adjustment.
Here it is ready for the Model 19 in the upper bunk.
BTW: The whole time I was designing and building, I thought what a nice frame my neighbor Matthew Ross could make from square tube steel - like this round-bale feeding shed for horses he is building right now:
Lou and his brother Paul arrived in time for breakfast on a rainy Saturday. Jamie Woods was at the table - and we all enjoyed getting to know each other. Then we set to the work of loading both a boat and some lumber. The motor and other "loose" items went inside Lou's Forester.
I used rope instead of chain to lift the Model 19 the day before. It was a 3/8-inch polyester that stretched about 50 percent....too hard to control.
So, I spliced up a pair of slings from 1/2-inch polypropylene. Never a favorite rope of mine, it does resist stretch and so was a better choice. Perhaps I should have used a heavy 1-inch webbing instead. I have no photos of the boat being lifted and lowered onto the superstructure. I believe the crew was a bit anxious/skeptical/terrified about the Massey-Ferguson - and especially its operator.
But, all went as planned - with a nice soft landing. The crew went to work lashing both vessels down with ratchet straps and lines. We moved the Model 19 enough aft to put about 75 pounds on the draw-bar/trailer hitch.
Lou's brother Paul - a builder by profession - was relieved to discover that I had planned to prevent fore-and-aft racking with a pair of OSB "sideboards". I use almost no OSB in my various projects - but I had screwed one sheet over a hole in a barn roof to get through the Winter. I was glad to find a good use for it. (And the barn roof has since been replaced....) I installed them last because I wanted easy access to the trailer for securing the load.
The sideboards were screwed on dry - but stiffened the structure as designed.
The final task was to lash 6 or 7 boards of Atlantic White Cedar to the load. I had gotten them at Tuckerton and Lou will use them in his restorations.
Later that day, Lou reported a successful - and uneventful - journey home. All was in fine fettle at the destination.
I look forward to Lou's progress on these gunning boats. And, Susan and I do hope to get over to Sandwich sometime this Fall.
All the best,
SJS
Attachments
Last edited:
