Steve Sanford
Well-known member
All~
Here is another project where I got to incorporate waterfowl into the design of something useful. You can call them "anseriform appurtenances" or just "duck-shaped doodads"....
The full story is on my site at: http://stevenjaysanford.com/grabrails-with-broadbill/
I built these grabrails for Red Oster's Commanding Mistress - one of the boats that "starred" in our When the Broadbill was King on Great South Bay DVD: http://stevenjaysanford.com/when-the-broadbill-was-king-on-great-south-bay/
I think Red got the idea from my bow handle on White-Wing. He called me last spring and asked for a pair of custom grabrails to replace the "workboat grey" pair on either side of the companionway. Of course, he wanted Broadbill.
I had drawn a sleeping Broadbill for the sign at our camp on Champlain. The pattern was too large so I reduced it on a copier at my local hardware store.
Then I made a full-size "mock up" from pine. I wanted to show both those wonderful cadmium yellow yes and that famous blue bill.
Last time I was on Long Island, I checked it on the boat - and decided how it would be fastened.
Now I was ready to saw out some 5/4 Philippine Mahogany - and then carve and sand. Here they are ready for finishing.
I struggled with the stain but finally got something light enough and with just enough red.
I painted the eyes and bill and the Hen's white "mustache" with acrylics over the first coat of varnish. I've got 2 more coats of marine varnish on now - and will add 2 more before installation.
I first developed this Hen's "face-plate" shape last summer - on the pair I made for Pat Gregory. It satisfies my need to play around with biology and shapes and abstractions.
The shape of the side feathers is the right shape and size for a human hand.
I relieved the wingtips and tail - and burned them so they would not get lost in the varnish.
Now to find another excuse for building ducks into boats......
All the best,
SJS
PS: For fans of Tom Robbins - yes, the title of this post was a nod to "Still Life with Woodpecker".....
UPDATE: On my September excursion down to Long Island, I brought along the grabrails for installation.
Commanding Mistress is in dry dock - until the late season.
Each rail was fastened from below with SS lag screws - 1/4" x 3" - and washers. I set them in an adhesive caulk - but not 3M 5200. I wanted Red to be able to remove them if he wanted to for re-varnishing over the years.
We decided the Hen should be on the port side - because the "green-headed" drake needed to be on the starboard (as per the Law the Sea). Here's the view from the helm.
The Satisfied Customer. (We should have taken a photo with the companionway open. Guess that will have to wait until winter.....)
All the best,
SJS
Here is another project where I got to incorporate waterfowl into the design of something useful. You can call them "anseriform appurtenances" or just "duck-shaped doodads"....
The full story is on my site at: http://stevenjaysanford.com/grabrails-with-broadbill/
I built these grabrails for Red Oster's Commanding Mistress - one of the boats that "starred" in our When the Broadbill was King on Great South Bay DVD: http://stevenjaysanford.com/when-the-broadbill-was-king-on-great-south-bay/
I think Red got the idea from my bow handle on White-Wing. He called me last spring and asked for a pair of custom grabrails to replace the "workboat grey" pair on either side of the companionway. Of course, he wanted Broadbill.
I had drawn a sleeping Broadbill for the sign at our camp on Champlain. The pattern was too large so I reduced it on a copier at my local hardware store.
Then I made a full-size "mock up" from pine. I wanted to show both those wonderful cadmium yellow yes and that famous blue bill.
Last time I was on Long Island, I checked it on the boat - and decided how it would be fastened.
Now I was ready to saw out some 5/4 Philippine Mahogany - and then carve and sand. Here they are ready for finishing.
I struggled with the stain but finally got something light enough and with just enough red.
I painted the eyes and bill and the Hen's white "mustache" with acrylics over the first coat of varnish. I've got 2 more coats of marine varnish on now - and will add 2 more before installation.
I first developed this Hen's "face-plate" shape last summer - on the pair I made for Pat Gregory. It satisfies my need to play around with biology and shapes and abstractions.
The shape of the side feathers is the right shape and size for a human hand.
I relieved the wingtips and tail - and burned them so they would not get lost in the varnish.
Now to find another excuse for building ducks into boats......
All the best,
SJS
PS: For fans of Tom Robbins - yes, the title of this post was a nod to "Still Life with Woodpecker".....
UPDATE: On my September excursion down to Long Island, I brought along the grabrails for installation.
Commanding Mistress is in dry dock - until the late season.
Each rail was fastened from below with SS lag screws - 1/4" x 3" - and washers. I set them in an adhesive caulk - but not 3M 5200. I wanted Red to be able to remove them if he wanted to for re-varnishing over the years.
We decided the Hen should be on the port side - because the "green-headed" drake needed to be on the starboard (as per the Law the Sea). Here's the view from the helm.
The Satisfied Customer. (We should have taken a photo with the companionway open. Guess that will have to wait until winter.....)
All the best,
SJS
Last edited:
