boat building
November Customer Projects
We have some talented customers who do amazing work! Here’s this months selection:
Click the large images to scroll through through the photos.
More From Micronesia
In our last issue (Volume 41) and post we had written about Noel Lynam and Kathy Hayes; currently living in Kolonia, Pohnpei, Micronesia. Who are in the process of making repairs to their sailboat. We asked to know more about them and their story, so here it is:
* photos taken in Canada, Hawaii, Marshall Islands, and working on the boat in Pohnpei.
Micronesia- Work in Progress
Customer Noel Lynam and Kathy Hayes; currently living in Kolonia, Pohnpei, Micronesia. Which is a sub-region of Oceania, consisting of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean close to the Philippines and Indonesia.
Noel and Kathy needed to make mast repairs to their boat and that is where West Wind came to the rescue! We shipped to them some Sitka Spruce and in turn received some lovely photos of their boat which is sure to be a vision when complete.
Ipe Wood-Stunning in Boat Work
This is an older boat, which my friend decided to restore. The old woodwork was taken out and each piece was replicated with templates, and Ipe has been installed. I can tell you the Ipe is stunning in boat work, however, it is very hard on the steel tools, like chisels and hand planes. Carbide power tools have no trouble at all with it. The wear on the steel tools is overwhelmed by the beauty, strength and value of Ipe.
- Bill Howard
1947 Chris Craft Cruiser
After a full life on the Columbia River, OR, Lars Nielsen acquired her in 2004. Starting life as ‘Toby’, he renamed her ‘Marika II’ and refurbished her for family boating.
Now this old lady is living the life of a grand dame on the Elbe River. She is fully restored to her original state under the name of ‘Viva of Conover Cove’.
Reader’s Forum- Black Locust Fans
Fred Epstein’s Story in Newsletter #32 (Have a Species that Excites You…tell us why?!) elicited this response from David Shipway on Cortes Island.
“I’m also a boat builder and big fan of Black Locust. When I was living in Ruskin in the 70′s, I discovered that the municipality had cut down a large locust to build a sidewalk. A friend and I leapt to the rescue before it was turned into firewood, and Alaska-milled the tree into many 2″ slabs, some of which I still have. The rest of the wood went into steamed frames for a 42′ schooner on Gabriola, built by Nikos Darokakis. Most of the deck and hatches were also made of locust. He has since sailed the boat back to Greece, where it bakes in the hot Mediterranean sun, but the locust is still holding up remarkably well. Yes, someone with some good bottom land should plant a huge grove of Robinia, it would be worth a fortune in 50 years, after the oil that makes polyester and epoxy resins run out!”