What's on your WORK BENCH - June 2020

Steve Sanford,

While sorting through my decoy pattern files I found the long lost Al McCormick Canvasback patterns. These were drawn by him on aluminum. I would guess he gave them to me back in 1988 or so. He said he didnt need them as he was never going to make another canvasback.





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I actually started this project in April, but it's still in progress, and likely will be for a while yet. I'm working on a 1-1/2" = 1'0" scale model of a Chesapeake Bay double ended crab skiff, from drawings by Howard Chapelle. Chapelle was the preeminent historian of American sailing craft, and documented hundreds and hundreds of small craft, including the sailing Sneakboxes, Delaware Duckers, Melonseeds,Gunning dories, and on and on. All of his published drawings are available from the Smithsonian, at a nominal cost per sheet, and I have a flat file full of them. The skiff I am building was not a duck boat, but many of the double enders were used as gunning skiffs, so I hope the post here is not too inappropriate.

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I'm building this the traditional way, all wood, from scratch.
Below is the lofting board, with ducks and splines for drawing the lines.

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Just like real boats, you can't have too many clamps.
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Cross planked bottom.
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Staving at bow and stern. These planks are put on thick, shaped to address the severe twist, and dubbed off afterwards to fair the hull.
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I'm being called to supper. I'll pick this up later. Holler if this topic isn't appropriate here. I'm still tiptoeing around a little.
Thanks for looking!
Jim
 
nothing in appropriate about building wooden boats!

Cool project, cant wait to see her finished.
 
Good morning, Jim ~


I suspect lots of us here are fans of Chappelle - and are mesmerized by certain boat plans. Just like bay charts, they are great dreamin - I mean planning - tools.


I have a framed copy of a favorite Smithsonian print hanging in our entry way to greet visitors.


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Howard Chappelle's Small Sailing Craft (and Boat-Building) is consulted regularly.


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Others are Peter Guthorn's - lots of Sneakbox information.... (I am reminded that I treated myself to a hard copy of this book last Fall).



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...and Zack Taylor's. Lots of plans and how-to-build for gunning vessels of all stripes. I appreciate most his presumption that the reader can and likely will build the boat himself (probably too long ago to add "or herself" here). It's the same presumption I enjoy here at duckboats.net.



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BTW: I have often thought of building a model - Sneakbox or Scooter. It's the challenge of making all those 1/12 scale decoys that keeps me away....


All the best,


SJS





 
I bought copies of all the garvey plans listed in from the Smithsonian both Chappelle and Harry Sucher. Someday I will finish the 17' garvey I am working on. Atlantic White Cedar over White Oak.

Rick
 
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Rick, it's a combo of oak and/or ash framing, cedar planking, white pine blocking. Spars will be cherry, which I find is best for looking like aged fir, at this scale. As I have gained experience, I've realized that oak is a very poor scale material, because of it's coarseness. The part may be 1:8, but grain is still 1:1. so, in future, most of my framing will be poplar. I like Alaskan yellow cedar, but it's hard to find. I have a bunch of AYC veneer from which I've made custom plywood (1/16th" 3 ply), but the solid is harder to come by.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. Steve, I have most of Chapelle's work in my library, and the Guthorn book, which is great. I will look for Successful Waterfowling. I realized the other day that I'm missing one of my John Gardner books, with a sailing sneakbox. Must have loaned it out, grr. Richard, I don't have Sucher's V bottom book, I should get that.

I was thinking recently about creating a marsh diorama with a sneakbox and hunter. Little ducks sounds like fun. Roy, that's a nice skiff model. I've often pondered how I might go about making a scale outboard.

We have, at my boat club, a Roger Crawford Melonseed, and one of our members has a Chapelle seed. I love also the Duckers. Too many boats, too little time!

Our Crawford seed-
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And a couple pics of my Matinicus Peapod, with yawl rig-
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jimouse


mouse1


I'm unfortunately back at work, after 3 months off, so time is once again precious. I'll post more model pics tonight when I get home.
Thanks for looking!
 
Jim~


After my note this morning, my mind wandered to a high tech solution for little decoys: laser printer? I can only imagine that this would be viewed as cheating to traditional model-builders - but my old hands are sacrificing a bit of dexterity with each additional year of experience.


I've often thought of a Peapod for rowing up on Lake Champlain.



All the best,


SJS

 
Jim,

I am a member of the MidAtlantic chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association. I have been to the East Coast Messabout at St. Michaels a few times. While I am not a waterfowl hunter myself. I do see how these boats are actually used. It makes sense why a sneakbox has an off center dagger board versus a centerboard once you know how they are used.

Rick lathrop
 
To continue with a few more pics. Here we are all planked up. I had to use rather more ready patch than I wanted, but the hull has to be fair!
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First coat of primer.
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The boat is set up on the bench dead level, and I marked the waterline with a laser.
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I made a cradle to support the boat upright.
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And here's the interior, waiting for frames.
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Fitting frames and floors.
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Still quite a few to go.
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I'll post more on this tomorrow evening.
Jim
 
Thank you Steve! I?m already thinking about carving the next before these are painted and done.

George, yes I am planning to use acrylics so I will drop you a note about paint schematics. I?m following a video course from Willy McDonald, so I?m interested to see what is covered in the painting section but so far very detailed information. But you can never have too many resources.

Jim, the body is tan cork and head is basswood.

Thanks again for the comments
 
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