trumpy boatworks

2003-02-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

Feb. 10
Before varnishing the rails I planed and sanded the top of the sheer where rails, planks, frames and knees all come together. I remembered that on my other boat, the Trumpy Tender, I had taken the corners off of the top of the frames to avoid chipping of the sharp corner, so I did the same on the skiff. Here is a picture of before and after that little chore:

Feb 8-9
Went to an antique show in Bath and found an old wooden tool box and an 1908 booklet, "Forest Trees of Maine". Building this skiff has stirred my interest in the sources of my materials.

More painting and varnishing each day.

Feb 3-7
Finally a visitor! Jane came for the week and is helping me with the painting and varnishing which is coming along nicely. Each day I do a little something, like varnish the interior or the bottom with me painting above my head so that the paint doesn't run into the space between the bottom boards. That would impare the swelling necessary to float the boat.

Attending to little details like the oval brass screws for the oarlock holders. I bought copper by mistake but was able to find the brass at Grovers, the local hardware store in Boothbay Harbor.

Feb 2
Why would anyone build a house with a flat roof in Maine? This sort of question puzzles me.
The second skiff is moving along. The keelson and the chine logs are smaller than on the first skiff and I am wondering if it truly qualifies as a Mathis skiff if the scantlings are changed? The stem is also shaped slightly different where it meets the keelson, as is the size of the sheerstrake.

January 27 - 31, 2003
Oak rails were attached. They have a groove for a rope on outside surface.
Moved the skiff to a heated shop, 55 degrees, so that the paint will dry in a timely manner. This will free up space for the next boat to get started, a second Mathis skiff, and won't restrict the sanding that is necessary in Rick's shop. Started to paint!

January 24, 2003
It was zero today. Rick and Michael test the ice.

January 23, 2003
The paint order arrived from Kirby Paint Company in New Bedford, Mass. The colors that I decided to use are the circled ones.

January 18
Primer applied to the outside of the hull after all holes were filled with surfacing putty.

January 17, 2003
Chalked and painted red lead on groove in stem.

Rick created a groove in the transom to put chalk and red led it, so it would be water tight.

January 13 - 16, 2003
Filled rivet holes with putty. Cut the pieces of ash that make up the back seat. There are five pieces with a small spacebetween them.

Made the oarlock pads which are small rectangular pieces of oak that the oarlock holder gets set into.

Made cardboard pattern for frount seat and transferred that shape to the ash boards. Painted the outside of the boat with primer. Sand, sand, sand.

January 11, 2003
Cut and shaped the ash braces that hold one side of the back and frount seats. Sand, sand, and sand.

January10, 2003
Sanding, sanding, sanding! Plus took riser off and hammered rivets to below the surface of the planks where needed. Then put riser back on and rebunged. This was so that we could get that Corvette finish on the outside of the hull…….

2002-12-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

December 20, 2002
The boat is looking good! After the holidays we'll add the thwarts and rails, and then it's on to paint and varnish.

Dec 16-18
Using a pattern from the old skiff as a general guideline, I cut pieces of hackmatack crooks for breasthook and the quarterknees. (Remember Newman's Knees?)

Rick and I transfered the multiple bevels from the boat to the rough wood, planed and sanded them and fastened each to the boat using rivets. Screws will be added.

Dec 9-13
Cut, fit and sanded 8 frames for each side of the boat. Sealed them before installing in the boat.

Screwed frames into place and cut small piece of ash that serves as a spacer between the inwale and the planks at stem and transom. Took the measurements for the length of inwales.

Clamped the inwales into place for screwing and riveting.

Dec 6
Patterns were made to make the frames for the interior of the boat. I cut each one out on the band saw before fitting.

Dec 2 - 5
In preparation for the bottom boards to be put on we ran a bead of Boatlife caulk in the groove cut for that purpose in the bottom of the chine log.

Bottom boards were attached with 1 1/2" #8 bronze screws, 3-4 in each, while the boards were clamped tightly together side-by-side. Four screws were put in the from each plank into the keelson also. This process took a few days. Then the ends were sawed off and planed to the edge of the boat. Seam compound was used to cover the screws on the bottom.

White oak skeg and runners were attached, which strengthen the bottom of the boat and made it more rigid.

The final piece to go on the bottom was the oak strip that follows the line of the bottom of the stem. The bottom is complete.

On Thursday the boat was taken off of the strongback and turned over. A brace was placed across the boat amidships to maintain the correct width as the planks wanted to straighten.

November 26
Started riveting sheerstrake to garboard before Thanksgiving and finished it the Monday following.

Monday, November 25
Rick cut groove in bottom of chinelog where it meets the garboard to use for laying chalking in to seal this seam.

Finished gains and fit sheerstrake to the boat and attached to stem and transom with screws.

2002-12-12T19:54:00.000-05:00

November 19 - 22
Attached the chinelog to keelson at stem.

Fit garboards to boat and attached to stem and chinelog with screws.

A bevel was cut on the edge of the garboard so it can receive the sheerstrake with a tight fit.

By Rick's suggestion we took the shape of the sheerstrake off of the boat by holding an uncut piece of cedar against the boat while scribing lines from the inside at the molds, stem and transom. Cut and fit and then used this plank as pattern for the other side. Both planks were clamped onto garboard at lap.

Started cutting the gains, which are the approximately 12" edge at the stem and transom end of each plank, where two planks meet, and are blended into each other by tapering each board.

Cedar was planed and cut for bottom boards.

A small impression was forced into the thickness edge of each board, then it was planed down leaving just a small amount of that groove. When the board swells with water this groove will give a space for expansion so that the bottom boards won't be too tight.

2002-12-11T19:48:00.000-05:00

November 18 Monday
We lined off the boat by tacking long battons along the plank line on one side of boat, and also along the sheer points in order to establish the plank shape. Used the marked points on the molds for the most part, but adjusted accordingly to establish a fair line. Spiled the garboard. (Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of the lining off. Next boat!)

Spiling is the process of placing a wide (4-5"), thin batton down the center of the space where the plank will go, and using a compass to strike an arch onto the batton from known points on the boat, such as the corner of the chine log at each mold, and along the other side at the lined off edge of the next plank.
The batton is then carried over to the cedar board and moved around until it fits in a way to use existing "sweep" of the tree, and to avoid sapwood. Sapwood is the outer layer of the tree and is not as dense and strong. Two archs are struck from the one arch on the batton, and the point where they cross is the edge of the plank. A batton is struck along those points and it is pondered as to fairness. We then cut the garboard plank for starboard side and used this plank as a pattern for the port side. Amazingly, they both fit.

2002-12-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

November 11-15
Sorted thru the lumber order and stacked it according to the boat is was ordered for . Planed and cut the cyprus for the keelson. Rick prepared the ash for the chinelog and cut it to follow the multiple curves of the bottom of the boat. Keelson and chine logs were clamped into place.

Attached the keelson to the stem using two screws on the inside of the boat.

November 8
The lumber order from Virginia finally arrived. It included almost entirely cedar, and one piece of cyprus for the keelson.

Overnight a deposit was made under the tarp to acorn bank by some unknown creature.

November 6
Rick cut out the Transom, put the bevel on it with saw and chisel, and fixed it to the strongback.

2002-11-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

November 5
Cut the stem from hackmatack and the set it up on the strongback. Puzzled over how the stem and keelson are fit together.

Drew the rabbet, apex and bearding lines on the stem and transferred them to the other side also. Started to chisel it out.

We keep looking back and forth between the old boat and the new boat. Since I decided I didn't want to take the old boat apart, we have to find a creative solution.

2002-11-25T20:37:00.000-05:00

November 4
Cut the rest of the chine notches from the molds, and also cut where the keelson will rest. Beveled all mold surfaces. Picked out a piece of hackmatack for the stem and drew it on from pattern.

Rick prepared the oak for the transom by doweling two pieces together. He then epoxyed and clamped the two pieces together and Celeste drew the shape of the transom on by tracing around the pattern.

2002-11-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

Halloween
Beveled the station molds and drew on them where the chinelog will fall. Then cut that shape out of the station molds.

A gypsy appeared to assist on this last day of October.

2002-11-04T07:36:00.000-05:00

Week of October 25th

This week we spent time gathering the lumber needed for both boats. I drove to Thorndike, which is about 65 miles north of Boothbay, to Tweedies lumberyard in order to look at the cedar he had. He showed me the piles and said "pick out what you want". I went with the clearest, no knots, pieces I could find that were about 12" at widest and piled them up. Ended up with 6 boards that were 4/4 to 5/4 thick, but he had nothing longer than 12'. These should be good boards for the bottom of the Mathis skiff and possibly scarfed for the Trumpy Tender.

Also visited three other lumber suppliers. Tuesday we went to a lumberyard in New Gloucester and another in Phippsburg to purchase white oak for rails, keelson, transom and stem. It's starting to pile up in frount of the shop.

Found all but a piece for the stem, although red oak was plentiful at John Morse Lumberyard in Phippsburg, I decided to stick with the original scantlings that my grandfather spelled out in the other small craft he designed, and traveled to Newman's Knees in St. Albans on Friday to purchase hackmatack.

I gathered all the patterns for knees, stems and breasthook and took them with me to place on the knees to help with choosing the right curve of the grain for that paticular pattern.

Returned with a car load of knees in rain & snow from 95 miles north of Boothbay Harbor.

2002-10-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

October 24, 2002

Today the old skiff was taken off of the saw horses and braces holding it level and moved outside onto it's trailer. The strongback that Rick built the day before was brought into the same space. It was centered over the batton with station measurements on it and leveled across the beam. Using two levels and a large square we brought the stem and transom points up from the batton on the floor to the strongback. Moulds 6 and 8 were place toward the bow before the station lines, and 2 and 4 were placed behind the station lines toward the transom.

October 22 - 23, 2002
Took measurements of transom in all directions on outside and where we could get to it, on the inside, which is the larger side. Made the moulds for stations 6 and 8 from the sectional lines.

Rick made a pattern of the transom using small strips of wood and hot glue. He put that down on a sheet of 1/4' plywood and measured out at specific locations to recreate the shape. A profile guage was used to pick up the rounded shape of the corners of the transom at the sheer. It was used as a guide to draw a pencil line of the shape, and a tick strip was bent into that curve to sharpen the shape.

October 21, 2002
Purchased lumber for station moulds. At the end of lofting boards there is space where we drew the sectional lines that will allow us to make the station moulds. Rick has suggested that we only make the moulds for stations 2, 4, 6 and 8. Those along with the stem and transom will establish the shape of the skiff. The dimensions were transferred by tick strip, and once lines were drawn they were reduced by 1/2". This was done because all measurements were taken from the outside of the boat, but we are building from the inside dimensions. Planks and bottom are 1/2" thick.

2002-10-26T14:52:00.000-04:00

Questions and comments can be sent to me at hollace@crosslink.net

2002-10-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

Today Rick showed Tracy and I the process for picking up the molds from the lofting. The head of a small nail is gently hammered into the lines at each station which follow the shape of the inside the planking and bottom. A board is then pressed down onto the other side of the head of the nail which transfers the shape. The indents are connected with a smaller batton and pencil line.

The bottom line is established and the wood is cut on the band saw to the shape. A mirror image is made, the width picked up also from the lofting and it's all screwed together. Makes alot of sense, huh?
Got two estimates for lumber for the boats. $$! Will order tomorrow.

2002-10-22T09:32:00.000-04:00

October 20, 2002

Drew lines for Plans View on lofting, struck the line with a batton. Measured the stem to find the rabbit line for the lofting.
Drew a sketch of the shape of the stem as seen from above.

October 18, 2002

Screwed the lofting boards to the shop floor. Moved baseline strip from under the boat and placed it along the edge of the plywood. Transferred the frount of stem, three rabbit points along stem, station lines, and transom to the plywood, drawing the lines the full width of the board. Transferred verticle dimensions to one side of the lofting boards to create the profile view, and from the tick strips to the other side of the board for the Plans View (looking straight down or up to the boat)

With a very long batton we struck the lines for the sheer, plank and bottom checking for fairness.

October 17, 2002

Took measurements from baseline points at each station, which is the floor, at each station vertically to the three points, bottom of boat, plank line and sheer.

Painted two sheets of plywood white to use for the lofting.

2002-10-22T08:03:00.000-04:00

October 15, 2002
Set the boat up in the shop, leveling fore and aft & across the beam on sawhorses so we could begin taking the lines. Established a level waterline with string between 2 braces attached to the floor since the painted waterline didn't look accurate. Rick placed the string for waterline by eye. We found the center of the boat (stem to stern) and laid a strip of wood along a chalk line under the boat, then screwed it into the floor.

Dropped points to the floor with a plum line at each of the 8 stations at the sheer. We found the sheer by extending the frame line to outside of the rail, forward of the frames from amidships to stem, and aft of the frames from amidships to transom. We then subtracting the thickness of the rail at that station. A line was drawn square from the sheer point back to the centerline strip under the boat. Points were established for each station in three places, the outside bottom of the boat, the plank line and the sheer.

October14, 2002

Delivered skiff to Finest Kind Wooden Boats, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine

October 12&13, 2002

Towed the skiff from Maryland to Maine

2002-10-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

Here is the skiff just after I picked it up last fall.

2002-09-27T15:53:00.000-04:00

With my house rented for the winter, and a multitude of loose ends beginning to resolve themselves, I am now packing for Maine. Departure date is October 12, with a slow journey up the coast using alternative routes whenever possible, since I will pull a trailer with the Mathis skiff on it. I saved the original molds and patterns from the building of Johan T and will be taking them along with some tools, notes and camera equipment to record via digital video the process. I'm storing Johan T tonight for the winter which will free up the trailer to be refit for the Mathis skiff.

2002-08-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

Ideas continue to develop, a recent one from Rick being that we will use the building of the Mathis skiff to test the ground for a possible future class. (More on the classes later.) I also like this idea as the collaborative process is high on my list of ways to do stuff. The skiff we will be building will be a copy of an original Mathis skiff that was passed on to me by someone from the Eastern Shore of Maryland last fall. It had been stored in a chicken coop for 20 years of so and the story told to him when he received it was that this boat actually belonged to my grandfather, and was built by Trumpy's. A name plate became exposed on the inside of the transom, as many layers of paint had chipped off leaving almost the entire boat as bare wood. After some scraping the nameplate revealed where the boat was actually built. It says "Built by Mathis Boatbuilders, Camden, New Jersey". That pretty much dates it to approximately 1930. All this to say that we will start by taking the lines and then lofting this little wooden boat that is about to fall apart.

2002-08-16T18:02:00.000-04:00

Latest conversations with interested family, for now unnamed, have suggested that the skiff will simply serve as a warm-up for building the tender and should be completed within the first month! And also, my carpenter/cabinetmaker friend here in Annapolis upon pondering the length of the boat and the number of planks per side has suggested the skiff will take 140 hours, translating to one month approximately, also. I like to keep track of what all the knowledgeable men I know have to say about this project, being female, right brain, & a more artistic/intuitive type, and not so confident about making predictions. I'm much more conservative in terms of time estimates but feel it's a good idea to keep track of all these predictions so that when the real time arrives I can see where we measure up, or if we measure up.

2002-08-14T20:21:00.000-04:00

Well, we may have found a compromise, and that would be to start by building the skiff, a much simpler boat to build as it's flat bottomed and has only two planks per side, and then when we see the end in sight we'll start the tender. The tender is a 14' lapstrake rowing boat, 9 planks per side if I remember correctly, and much more complex but challenging for that reason. Both are nice to look at and both will be built using traditional methods, materials, and tools.
Pictures and details will be posted soon when I'll connect to a web page. Contact me at hollace@crosslink.net

2002-08-14T10:10:00.000-04:00

Right now Rick and I are discussing which boat to build, or whether we should try to build both the Trumpy Tender and the Mathis/Trumpy skiff. Since this will be a six month project I'm leaning in the direction of just the Mathis/Trumpy skiff, but Rick wants to build them simultaneously.