Oars

I ripped 4 pieces of the yellow pine at 1-1/2 inches.  It's 3/4inches thick and 5'6" long.  I then glued them up.  I am still using the Gorilla Glue.  I have become partial to the ease of use.  I still don't know how long it will last.

Today I drilled the loom for dowels that I hope will add some strength to the blades.

Dowels for blades go thru the loom

The blades are made from the same stock as the pieces I made the looms from.  Each piece is 18" long by 3/4"x1-1/2".

glueing one oar at a time as I only have 3 clamps large enough.  The lines for the finish shape are just visible
on the blades

 The blade will be about 4-1/2 inches wide and somewhere less than 3/4 inches thick.

Rough oars.

I am thinking I will trim the shaft down to about 1-1/4 inch just above the blades, but after the position of the oar leathers I will keep the square is shape, the full 1-1/2 inches, to help balance the weight.  I also have always wanted a set of oars with the square loom.  They look so traditional!  Of coarse I will trim down at the handle, maybe to about an inch again.

I am thinking about making the oars have a set position, like the racers use, by keeping the flat sides where the oar rest on the oar lock so that the oar "falls" into flat and vertical.  We'll see.

tomorrow I can glue up the other oar and start shaping the first one!

Skiffing about, back on the lakes!

Took the Skiff out on the lake on Tuesday.  I love this boat.  I was with a friend who was in his kayak. While I was not as fast as him, we moved along together for a nice circumnavigation of the lake.  When I was feeling the afternoon lull of energy I just laid back and dozed off.  You can't do that easily in a kayak, at least I can't.  We rafted up and lashed the boats together and just drifted along for a while, sharing some food.  Again, I was laid back, head on a cushion, shoes off, feet up, loving life, while he was sitting, comfortably, but still sitting up in his kayak.  I really prefer a row boat and especially this one.

The removable thwarts and the cedar floors all work great to make for very comfortable boating.  I could easily camp aboard this boat.  Now if I can only get the sail rig completed!

Rowing

took the boat out for a test row.  It rows great, even though the oars I had were too long.  The rowing position is just about perfect for balance.  The "thole pin" set up I came up with works great.

Stringer and thole pins.

I used an alternating stroke with the oars to get past the struggle of them being too long and that worked great.  I think I will build a set of oars, 5'6" long just for the boat.  This will allow the oars to travel on the bottom of the boat, fitting between the cross braces.  That would leave me with about 4 feet of oar out of the boat.  It is on the shorter side, but then so is the boat.

I just discovered a boat on Duckworks that is called a "Jackson Pram".  It is very similar to my boat but a 4 inches longer and 7 inches narrower.  It also has no floors so you will sit in any water that comes aboard.  It is designed for a double paddle.

I like the lines on "TARTLET" and I do like the sitting position on the longitudinal thwart/floors.  I used the double paddle after the oars just to compare.  It does well with either but I just prefer rowing.  By the way, it rows pretty fast.

The oars I used came off the skiff.  They are heavy and made portaging a bit of a struggle.   I still have some of the yellow pine left from the crate, it's the same stuff that all the dimensional wood in the pram is taken from.  I think I will use this to make the oars.

Rowing set up

Today, I put the last coats of paint and varnish on the boat that I am doing.  I also made the "kabes" which is the word I got, from a book by Iain Oughtred, for a type of thole pin.  I made them to slide over the aft rib.  I also added a "stringer" of sorts on the ribs.  It will help to keep the kabes in place, and make portaging a little easier.  Also a good place to tie off a fender.  The kabes will be lashed to them to keep from loosing them

the rowing set up.

The yellow line was found during a clean up day down at the pond.

Something for the oar to work against.

The piece just slides over the top of the rib.

When using the double paddle the kabe can just hang on it's keeper.

I also spliced a painter thru the two holes that I drilled in the bow.

The painter.

I hope to test the boat with oars tomorrow morning.

"TARTLET" launched

What do you do on a nice early Spring Sunday morning, launch the boat you been building all winter.

The Sam Pram, TARTLET

LOA: 7'6"

Beam: 3'3"

draft: 3" (?)

weight: 30 lbs. (?)

cost: $60.00 (?)

It is light and not bad to carry from the house,

 the pond is about 700 feet from the house.

(the oars tie into the floors for easy portaging)

feather lite.

 This is good because I don't want to leave it at the water

 Which is what I had planned to do.

It came out just about right for the pond.

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except that a dog doesn't fit.  Maybe that's a plus.  I guess she could fit, but as Liz says the dog running the edge of the pond is probably good for her.

While paddling I went passed the 2 beaver lodges, some canadian geese, some wood ducks, some mallards and a Great blue Heron that flew over my head.  I feel very lucky having this as my front yard.  I am hoping mornings for a paddle or row can be a regular occurrence.  It is makes me very happy to have my design work out.  It is a simple start, but it's a start (maybe an end as well) and it feels good to know I did it. 

Now to clean off the muck and make the parts, the kabes or thole pins, for the oars, oh ya, I guess some custom length oars too, and put on some more paint and varnish.

lots of freeboard for a single sheet of plywood.
I guess it really is more closer to a canoe than a pram.

While paddling I went passed the 2 beaver lodges, some canadian geese, some wood ducks, some mallards and a Great blue Heron that flew over my head.  I feel very lucky having this as my front yard.  I am hoping mornings for a paddle or row can be a regular occurrence. 

I suppose the boat is more shaped like a canoe than a pram, but I am going to set oars on it for rowing, so I call it a pram.  The compromise of 3 foot beam makes it a bit wide for paddling, but a bit narrow for rowing, either can be done but neither to the best degree.

The double paddle works really well, the single, not so good.

The length makes the single paddle a lot of work.  I suppose I could have put a keel the full  length and that might have helped a bit, but it is a short boat.

I think the next version of this boat will keep the beam all the way to the stern, 2 feet wide, but it will make the shape a bit of a challenge and might require a sliver more than one sheet of plywood.  Still working on that.

The boat is much more stable and buoyant than I thought it would end up.  Ya!  

The ribs though screwed threw the sides of the hull should be shaped better on the next version and maybe attached only at the gunwale.

I'd also like the next version to have an outside chine, it's just easier and no reason not to on this boat.  It would make for a better fit on the joint.

I kept the 2 foot beam over 2 feet, 2 stations, amid ships.  I think in the next version the fair curve would be a better choice.  A version with a sharp bow would be interesting too.  So many options!

Over all, I am very happy with the Sam Pram.

Happy just messin' about with boats.

Maybe a small sail?????

More Paint, The Sam Pram, "TARTLET"

Paint can change the entire feeling of a boat.  I am working with a color that might have been considered outside of my comfort zone, but I really like it.  The boat is basically done.  I guess the next thing is to see how it floats.

Presenting The Sam Pram, "TARTLET".

I think the color works alright combined with the white paint and bright work.  Benjamin Moore calls this "Northern Lights", I think it is

pistachio!

My single sheet of plywood challenge has been accomplished!

Now it is just about sanding and adding coats
of paint and varnish.

Tomorrow we might see how it does when wet!

I got a nice note from a friend about this little boat, in the form of a quote:

"Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night

Sailed off in a wooden shoe.

Sailed on a river of crystal light,

Into a sea of dew."

I don't know who wrote that.  I'll have to ask him.

Paint

There are now 2 coats of primer on the bottom and sides and on the inside bottom.  I also have the first coat of varnish on all the parts that will be finished bright.

Just as when I built the skiff, I get a bit sad at painting over the wood, but this boat especially is built to be painted.

first coat of primer!

Primer but no varnish yet.