Sailing with wooden boat Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about wooden boat? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about wooden boat.

Recreational sailboats vary the most in size and shape. There is everything from a 5 foot wooden Pram to huge yatchs that span over 100 feet in length. Smaller boats are designed for more economical reasons. The small price tag and the agile steering make them great for learning on. Bumping and obsticle will do minimal damage to small boats because the are so light. They are also more appropriate for small lakes and rivers. When boats exceed about 20 feet, they begin to take the shape of the typical single hull sailboat. There is the rudder wheel located near the stern and a cabin that starts halfway and up towards the bow. The deck is where you access all the ropes and winches to control the sails. Most every boat has an alternate form of power in the form of an engine with a propeller. Wind power is not good for every situation and it is not always plentiful. Racing sailboats also vary in size and shape, but the biggest sailboat race in the world sets the standard for the type of boat. Yatch racing is the

most popular and most repected. They are fairly large boats at 44 feet with a single hull. The race is held every four years and the challengers are fighting to win the cup from the victor of the previous race. Other popular styles of boats to race are Cataraman sailboats that have two hulls with a deck spanning the gap between them.

If your wooden boat facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your actions and decisions? Make certain you don't let important wooden boat information slip by you.

Sailing is a tough sport because there is strict strategy that must be carried out through so many different controls. Teams practice together for years just to learn how to work around eachother. If you ask me, I'll just go cruising.

Is there really any information about wooden boat that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.  ¶ 10:30 PM 0 comments

  boat made from wood Are you looking for some inside information on wooden boat? Here's an up-to-date report from wooden boat experts who should know.

what about those little chips and dings in the gelcoat?

Many books have been written on fiberglass repair and it isn't the intent of this article to cover the subject in any depth but many small repairs are well within the reach of a fairly skilled do-it-yourselfer. Like anything else though, if you have never done it before, "consult an expert."

I've been building and repairing in fiberglass since I was 14 and while the first wooden boat I glassed was water tight and lasted a good many years, it was far from pretty. The small investment you lay out for expert repair now will pay big dividends when your boat sells at the price you want.

In the Emerald Coast region the standard fees for compound/waxing run between $15.00/ft. and $18.00/ft. for the topside (rub-rail up) which includes a thorough cleaning and treatment of the vinyl, windows, isenglass, and metal. In other words, for the price of doing the "hard" part we'll detail the entire topsides and leave it in "ready-to-show" condition. Hulls (rub-rail down) run about $8.00/ft. but, of course, the boat must be out of the water in order to do it. (This walking on water with a hi-speed electric buffer in hand is still beyond me, but I'll let you know;-)

Most of this information comes straight from the wooden boat pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.

Fiberglass repair runs from $45.00 to $65.00 per hour and in general as with most everything else, one gets what one pays for. The up side to this is that when approached in a professional manner the dents and dings of ten years hard use can be repaired and made to look like new in an amazingly short time.

All too often we have seen people save $300.00 or $400.00 on a detail only to loose $Thousands$ on what their boat could have sold for. Then too, our local marinas are clogged with many examples of boats with "For Sale" signs which were never given the least bit of attention to make the passer by want to stop and think, "Hey, I wonder what it would be like to call that boat mine." Some of these boats have sat for years when all they ever really needed was a little T.L.C.

You'll want a work area that's adequate. The larger the table or work area the better, and it's always nice to hang your plans for easy referral. You also need good lighting with no shadows. Your work area should be broken into areas such as preassembly, working on, and waiting to dry. It will make the process much easier.

Always read your plans in advance of starting to work on an area. That way you'll know exactly where you are headed. It might take a couple of reads to makes sense of the directions, but be patient – you'll get it.

There are all kinds of model ships – tall ships, cruise ships, sailboats, speedboats, wooden boats, and antique boats are some examples. So whatever you fancy, you'll find plenty of model ships to choose from.

There's a lot to understand about wooden boat. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.  ¶ 8:58 PM 0 comments

  traditional wooden boat So what is wooden boat really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about wooden boat--info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

Lake Iseo, also called Lake Sebina, is the fourth largest lake in the Lombardy region of Italy. The lake was formed by the Valcamonica Glacier, and is 24 kilometres long and up to 5 kilometres wide. This width is not always obvious as the largest lake island in Europe, Monte Isola, sits in the centre of the lake. The lake is situated just north of Brescia and Bergamo, this being reflected in the fact that it is administered on the western bank by the Bergamo district council, and on the east bank by the Brescia district council. The River Oglio, flowing down from the Val Camonica and entering between Lovere and Pisogne, mainly feeds the Lake from the north. The Val Camonica has thermal spas and prehistoric rock carvings. At the southern end of the lake lies the Torbiere, a peat bog and now a nature reserve. South of this lies the Franciacorta valley, producing the best sparkling wine in Italy.

The tour usually takes an hour or so with most of the spices being grown within a small area on each shamba. The tour usually ends with a young man climbing a coconut tree to harvest young coconuts which are opened and the water is offered as a very refreshing drink. Thousands of clove trees line the roads and if it is the season you will be able to smell and see the cloves drying on hessian sacking at the roadside as you drive to Nungwi. From Stone Town the drive is 60km and is a pleasant drive through the island it is too.

Nungwi is a small fishing village on the most northern tip of Zanzibar Island [Unguja]. The traditional wooden boats are still made here and visitors are able to watch the craftsmen at work. Nungwi has evolved into a resort and looks likely to keep growing.

Life for the fishermen of Nungwi is very different from life in Stone Town. Stone Town is affluent and here in the far flung north life is hard. The fishermen can be seen fixing their boats with a paste made up from ground bones and oil.

Think about what you've read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about wooden boat? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

The population of the island is around 1700, with those not employed in tourism working as fishermen, in boatyards or making nets. In fact, the nets for the goal posts of the 1982 Football World Cup were made locally. Guess what - Italy won the Cup that year! There are still numerous naets, the typical wooden local fishing boats, to be seen. Some of the catch is left outside to dry in the sun in the traditional manner.

You can visit a traditional boatyard, Cantiere Nautico in Peschiere Maraglio, and see the construction of the handmade wooden boats.  ¶ 12:33 AM 0 comments

  One of the biggest investments a fisherman. When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

One of the biggest investments a fisherman will every make is the purchase of a fishing boat. Just like cars, fishing boats come in all shapes and sizes and varying levels of quality. To avoid buying a “lemon”, it is always advisable for the potential boat owner to educate themselves on the ins and outs of boat ownership.

These boats are intended for those who fish for just about everything. They can be made of aluminum, wood, or fiberglass and sizes usually range from 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6 meters) in length. Aluminum boats are generally the least expensive option available, with prices ranging from $1,500 up to about $25,500. Keep in mind that these prices are generally without a motor, which will have to be purchased separately. Wooden boats are still being made, but they are difficult to find, and very hard to get. Used wooden fishing boats are readily available in the classifieds section of your newspaper or any number of places on the Internet. Maintenance is the big issue with wooden boats, as the wood is susceptible to dry rot and fungus, and so must be painted and kept in good shape at all times. Fiberglass boats are probably the most widely used these days. There are many manufacturers and styles of fiberglass boats, and prices range from about $8,000 to $30,000 for a new boat.

A general purpose fishing boat will usually have spaces for fishing gear and several bench seats or pedestal style seats with backs. The driver's area will be very simple; some boats can be found that even use a steer-by-tiller layout. These boats are almost always outboard powered, and are usually trailerable. The capacity range for a general purpose fishing boat is 1-4 people. Boat movers require the boat to be properly prepared for transporting. They will not move the boat unless certain details are taken care of. The doors need to be closed properly. Batteries and cables must be disconnected. Boats should be covered by shrink-wrap. The shrink-wrap is a heat sealed surface to ward off hot sun and water from chafing the surface. Wooden boats are transported in a custom cradle. Most boat movers do not accept responsibility for damage if the boat was not prepared for transport.

If you don't have accurate details regarding wooden boat, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don't let that happen: keep reading.

The driver transporting the boat will carry out a survey of the exteriors of the boat. He makes a report of the condition of the boat. Damages if any have to be reported while taking delivery of the boat.

If the boat fits the size of a container of a container vessel, then it is transported in the container. For oversized boats, a flat rack and strap is used to secure the boat. Sometimes the boat is loaded directly from the water. In some cases the boat is loaded from a barge into the ship.

The main job of boat movers is to assess the client’s needs and transport boats in a timely and safe manner.

If you've picked some pointers about wooden boat that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won't really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don't use it.  ¶ 11:21 PM 1 comments

  information about wooden boat The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Solstice Parade - The Solstice Parade is the official kick-off of the Fremont Fair. Over the past 20 years, the Fremont Arts Council has been a non-profit organization celebrating art and creative expression. The Solstice parade has become popular not only with the locals in Fremont, but with hundreds of people from Seattle and beyond. The parade celebrates not only the beginning of summer, but a love of art and community. Location: Fremont

Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival - The Wooden Boat Festival is an annual event celebrating one of the most favorite pastimes of Seattlites - Boating. The festival includes a regatta and people’s choice awards. Location: Lake Union

Many books have been written on fiberglass repair and it isn't the intent of this article to cover the subject in any depth but many small repairs are well within the reach of a fairly skilled do-it-yourselfer. Like anything else though, if you have never done it before, "consult an expert."

I've been building and repairing in fiberglass since I was 14 and while the first wooden boat I glassed was water tight and lasted a good many years, it was far from pretty. The small investment you lay out for expert repair now will pay big dividends when your boat sells at the price you want.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

In the Emerald Coast region the standard fees for compound/waxing run between $15.00/ft. and $18.00/ft. for the topside (rub-rail up) which includes a thorough cleaning and treatment of the vinyl, windows, isenglass, and metal. In other words, for the price of doing the "hard" part we'll detail the entire topsides and leave it in "ready-to-show" condition. Hulls (rub-rail down) run about $8.00/ft. but, of course, the boat must be out of the water in order to do it. (This walking on water with a hi-speed electric buffer in hand is still beyond me, but I'll let you know;-)

Fiberglass repair runs from $45.00 to $65.00 per hour and in general as with most everything else, one gets what one pays for. The up side to this is that when approached in a professional manner the dents and dings of ten years hard use can be repaired and made to look like new in an amazingly short time.

All too often we have seen people save $300.00 or $400.00 on a detail only to loose $Thousands$ on what their boat could have sold for. Then too, our local marinas are clogged with many examples of boats with "For Sale" signs which were never given the least bit of attention to make the passer by want to stop and think, "Hey, I wonder what it would be like to call that boat mine." Some of these boats have sat for years when all they ever really needed was a little T.L.C.

Knowing enough about wooden boat to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about wooden boat, you should have nothing to worry about.  ¶ 1:44 AM 0 comments

  History of Ship Models This article explains a few things about wooden boat, and if you're interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don't know.

Model ships have gone a long way from the first types of model ships made by the Egyptians 5,000 years ago. Funeral boats were an integral part in Egyptian burial practices since these were believed to carry the souls of the departed to the afterlife, thus, tedious effort was exerted in making highly detailed, beautifully crafted and richly colored funeral boats made from sycamore. From the 12th to 15th century, model ships were used as symbols taken to the church to bless the said vessels and the crew aboard these ships who are at sea. Galleys and Galleons are the more popular types of model ships and may still be seen in museums. Unlike the Egyptian funeral boats, however, these blessing symbols are quite crudely made.

The first well-crafted ship models were actually made just for nobility by shipwrights or those who design ships to show the ships that they intend to build. More interestingly, French prisoners of war who spent many years held captive made use of their time by making ship models using scraps of wood and bone, often using human hair for rigging. Model ships later evolved into an art form due to exceptional craftsmanship and are still sought after in this day and age.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you're fully informed about wooden boat, keep reading.

Boat shows have become very popular ways for boat manufacturers to showcase their products and for consumers to research, dream about and perhaps even purchase a boat. There are as many different kinds of boat shows as there are boats with shows specializing in luxury yachts, wooden boats, power boats, sailboats and more. However, the largest shows are more general with exhibits and information on all different kinds of watercraft.

Boat shows can take place inside large convention centers or at outdoor venues like marinas. For example, the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat show takes place at six different marinas throughout the city. By contrast, the largest boat show in Baltimore takes place inside the convention center.

Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about wooden boat. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important.  ¶ 11:58 PM 0 comments

  specialized of wooden boat The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with wooden boat.

THE regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said he will recommend for the auction of a wooden boat recently seized in Maitum, Sarangani.

The half-finished boat is 94 feet long, 18.5 feet wide and almost two-storey high.

The boat has three decks with bridge, crew cabin with built-in beds and engine room that can hold at least four cars, he said.

Now that we've covered those aspects of wooden boat, let's turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

A public notice has been issued by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to inform "whoever is the owner" of the abandoned boat "to submit any legal documents within three days upon this posting to support the source of wood materials."

A source at the Sarangani government said they have identified the owner but declined to give the name pending further verification.

The grilled gizzards shads are also popular. Sprinkled with raw salt, they are slowly roasted over a briquette fire, making the fish greasy from its natural unsaturated fat.

"Gizzard shads have plenty of DHA and EPA, helping your children to study harder, and they have taurine, a compound also found in fungi and plants, that breaks down your body fat," said Chung Jeong-ho, a director of the town's upcoming gizzard shad festival. "It also helps clean out the intestines. Actually there's nothing in the body that this silver fish is not good for."

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about wooden boat.  ¶ 8:37 PM 0 comments

  wooden boat: Folks soak up nostalgia with wooden ships 2006-09-08
by JEFF CHEW

PORT TOWNSEND -- If maritime heritage really floats your boat, the 30th annual Wooden Boat Festival is bound to put wind in your sails and a song in your heart.

With more boats than ever expected to be exhibited at or near Point Hudson Marina -- about 200 -- the festival runs today through Sunday.

``Bigger than ever,'' said Dave Robinson, Northwest Maritime Center executive director, who was making the rounds Thursday as exhibitors were sailing in and setting up at Point Hudson.

Audrey McSperitt, the festival's maritime information coordinator, said Thursday that about 175 boats would be exhibited on the water and another 25 on land.

It's still not too late to catch an ear-splitting close-up shot of a cannon blast aboard the tall ship Privateer Lynx, which will challenge the tall ship Lady Washington in a mock battle in Port Townsend Bay.

There are still plenty of spaces aboard the Lynx, said Jeffrey Woods, Lynx Educational Foundation director, on Thursday.

On board tours of the Lynx and Lady Washington are scheduled during the festival, for donations.

The Lady Washington, which last visited Port Townsend in 2005 along with the Lynx and several other tallships en route to the Tacoma Tall Ship Festival, is a replica of the original Lady Washington.

The Lady Washington was painted in Port Townsend in 2002 for its appearance in the Disney movie, ``Pirates of the Caribbean.''

The Lynx is an interpretation of an actual privateer named Lynx that was built by Thomas Kemp in 1812 in Fell's Point, Md.

The vessels have visited the popular festival in past years.

New this year is a live broadcast of National Public Radio's West Coast Live from the Wooden Boat Festival.

The broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday from the Main Stage, near the Cupola House at Point Hudson.

Hosted by Sedge Thomson, who last appeared at the Upstage in Port Townsend for last year's Port Townsend Film Festival, the show is carried by KALW-FM in San Francisco, and usually is broadcast from Fort Mason.

Lemanski said he keeps the boat in the water until October at his home port in Afton, then stores it in a covered pole building during the winter. He has a hydraulic trailer to lift the boat from the water.

Aside from the beauty of the craft, Lemanski said the boat offers a better ride than many of today’s fiberglass models.

“Because of its weight and because of the wood, it sits a little bit lower in the water and has a tendency to just glide through the water better,” he explained.

Mark Ludlow, who along with other resort operators organizes the annual boat show, said his own love affair with wooden boats began in the 1970s.

“My wife Sally’s parents, the Beaurlines, had two wooden Chris-Crafts hanging in the boathouse,” he said. “We decided to get one going in the late 1970s.” From there, the fleet expanded to include the cruiser Sally Anne and a wooden boat that shuttles passengers to and from Ludlow’s Island Resort.

The annual boat show is “pretty informal” as shows go, said Ludlow. “There are only two prizes — one is the Skippers’ Choice and the other the People’s Choice. The real purpose is to show off the boats and familiarize people with the boats.”

That’s not to say that the show doesn’t attract some major boating enthusiasts.

Jeff Stebbins owns 14 wooden watercraft, including a 28-foot 1954 Chris-Craft Sportsman that is one of a kind. He first started obtaining the boats in the early 1970s. “Wood boats were cheap then,” he recalled. “Nobody wanted them. In the mid-70s, they started to become collectors’ items instead of just discarded relics.”

Stebbins said classic wooden boats please all the senses.

“They look beautiful, they smell great, they sound great and they ride great,” he said.

Stebbins, who has a house on Lake Minnetonka, recently purchased a home on Lake Vermilion, where he and his wife Nancy plan to become full-time residents. When he visited friends in the area, Stebbins said he became smitten with the lake. His travels as a member and past officer of the International Antique and Classic Boat Society reinforced his feelings.

“We travel all over,” he said, “and Lake Vermilion is one of the top five lakes in North America.”  ¶ 8:38 PM 1 comments

  wooden boat: Large wooden boat seized by DENR MAITUM, Sarangani (8 September) -- A half-finished wooden boat two-storey high and longer than a basketball court lies abandoned in the coastal barangay of Pinol after no one claimed ownership when authorities swooped down.

Maitum police chief Senior Inspector Geronimo Dimayuga inspected the boat yesterday but nobody around would tell about its owner.

The boat has three decks with bridge, crew cabin with built-in beds and engine room that can hold at least four cars.

Authorities said the boat was "60% complete" and locals were calling it "Noah's Ark" because it was entirely made of wood.

Local officials pegged the boat's value at P5 million when completed and fitted with engine.

The boat, 94 feet long with a width of 18.5 feet, was seized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on August 23.

A public notice has been issued by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) to inform "whoever is the owner" of the abandoned boat "to submit any legal documents within three days upon this posting to support the source of wood materials."

"Otherwise this apprehended item shall be recommended forfeited in favor of the government," said the notice, a copy of which was received by a barangay official Monday.

A composite team from DENR, municipal government and the police which seized the boat was "facing a blank wall," CENRO Ruel Divino reported.

In a memorandum for DENR Sec. Angelo Reyes dated August 30, Divino said "there was no one who was willing to divulge the identity of owner for fear of reprisal."

The CENRO recommended that the boat "be disposed immediately thru public auction in 'as is where is' basis."

Divino said the lumber used has a scaled volume of 20,426.65 board feet of batete, yakal, and lambayao hardwood with total value of P612,799.

The seized boat has been placed in the custody of Pinol barangay kagawad Sarifa Ulangkaya. (Sarangani IO/PIA 12)  ¶ 11:28 PM 0 comments

  wooden boat: Large wooden boat seized by DENR MAITUM, Sarangani (8 September) -- A half-finished wooden boat two-storey high and longer than a basketball court lies abandoned in the coastal barangay of Pinol after no one claimed ownership when authorities swooped down.

Maitum police chief Senior Inspector Geronimo Dimayuga inspected the boat yesterday but nobody around would tell about its owner.

The boat has three decks with bridge, crew cabin with built-in beds and engine room that can hold at least four cars.

Authorities said the boat was "60% complete" and locals were calling it "Noah's Ark" because it was entirely made of wood.

Local officials pegged the boat's value at P5 million when completed and fitted with engine.

The boat, 94 feet long with a width of 18.5 feet, was seized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on August 23.

A public notice has been issued by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) to inform "whoever is the owner" of the abandoned boat "to submit any legal documents within three days upon this posting to support the source of wood materials."

"Otherwise this apprehended item shall be recommended forfeited in favor of the government," said the notice, a copy of which was received by a barangay official Monday.

A composite team from DENR, municipal government and the police which seized the boat was "facing a blank wall," CENRO Ruel Divino reported.

In a memorandum for DENR Sec. Angelo Reyes dated August 30, Divino said "there was no one who was willing to divulge the identity of owner for fear of reprisal."

The CENRO recommended that the boat "be disposed immediately thru public auction in 'as is where is' basis."

Divino said the lumber used has a scaled volume of 20,426.65 board feet of batete, yakal, and lambayao hardwood with total value of P612,799.

The seized boat has been placed in the custody of Pinol barangay kagawad Sarifa Ulangkaya. (Sarangani IO/PIA 12)  ¶ 11:27 PM 0 comments

  wooden boat: Richard Shanahan loves his Streblow 28 The vessel weighs in at about 8,000 pounds, but it used to do 55 miles per hour. It runs a little slower today, having been repowered.

The Streblow 28 is constructed with white oak framing and Philippine mahogany planked deck and sides. That's right. It is a classically beautiful wooden boat. But Richard has learned classic beauty and wood are not necessarily high priorities for Southwest Florida.


"It forced me to buy a piece of property on the water when I moved to Boca Raton," Shanahan said. "I couldn't find any place that would take a wooden boat. So I ended up buying a house on the water that I couldn't afford. That was back in 2000."

He also designed a lift for the boat and worked together with GEM Remotes to design the remote for the lift. All of that simply proves what all boaters' wives already know - some men really do love their boats.

Shanahan's love for boats started when he was young.

"I grew up in Chicago. My dad had a lake house at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. My mom and dad were divorced, so I spent my summers at the lake," Shanahan explained. "Basically, I've been boating ever since I was a kid."

He got his first little fishing boat when he was about 10, and his family was among the first to have jet skis on Lake Geneva.

The big boat, though, was a wooden Streblow runabout. Shanahan's father, Richard Sr., started with a 23-footer, then moved up to a 26-footer. Finally, he convinced the Streblow family to build him a 28-foot runabout.

"That was back in '85," Richard said. "My dad died in '88, so me and my brother kind of inherited the boat. Basically, I've had it ever since."
When Richard moved to Florida, he brought that boat with him and quickly learned that wooden boats are rare in this part of the world.

Also, like most northern boaters who move to Collier County, he learned some things about navigating the local waters.

"How this area became a boating community I don't know because it's shallow water, not very easy to navigate," he said, voicing a common frustration. "Where I'm from if you go towards the middle of the water the deeper it is. I've found that here it's just the opposite. The edges are deeper than the middle, which is a little amazing. So I'm driving a boat that can easily run aground. And if I do, I'm really in trouble."

Shanahan has figured a way to deal with shallow water. "I got a little 16-foot jet boat. Now, I map out where the shallow spots are, then take the other boat out."

His first day of boating here was memorable for several reasons. He and his brother were bringing the Streblow from Boca to Marco, a trip of more than 300 miles that started with propeller problems and a repair delay of several hours. At the end of a very long day, they arrived in the Marco area about midnight under just a sliver of a moon while disagreeing on how to interpret the GPS.

"My brother was saying, 'The house is this way,' Richard recalled. "But he was pointing over Caxambas Pass and some hotels. So now I know why mutiny happens."

He continued, "Ironically, I drove the 300 miles from Boca and got almost to my house before almost touching bottom. We stopped, backed up, figured it out and went ahead."

A few days later, a friend shared some local knowledge, took Richard around by boat... and grounded it three times.

"I am absolutely shocked," Richard commented. "The bottom constantly changes here."

But, like others who boat around Marco, he is overcoming his dismay and learning how to keep track of the bottom.

He plans to buy a sailboat in the next few years.

"I love sailing," he said. "But living in a very shallow area, I don't know which sailboat I'm going to get. Maybe a trimaran."

Capt. Carl has held his U.S. Coast Guard Captain's License since 1994. He was a columnist for the Englewood Review of Englewood, Fla., before moving to Collier County. He can be contacted at marcocaptain@comcast.net.



©Marco Island Sun Times 2006  ¶ 1:03 AM 0 comments

  wooden boat: Huge wooden boat abandoned, seized MAITUM, Sarangani -- A half-finished wooden boat, two-storey high and longer than a basketball court, lies abandoned in the coastal barangay of Pinol after no one claimed ownership when authorities swooped down.

Maitum police chief Geronimo Dimayuga inspected the boat Wednesday, but nobody around would tell about its owner.

The boat has three decks with bridge, crew cabin with built-in beds, and engine room that can hold at least four cars.

Authorities said the boat was "60 percent complete" and locals were calling it "Noah's Ark" because it was entirely made of wood.

Local officials pegged the boat's value at P5 million when completed and fitted with engine.

The boat, 94 feet long with a width of 18.5 feet, was seized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on August 23.

A public notice has been issued by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to inform "whoever is the owner" of the abandoned boat "to submit any legal documents within three days upon this posting to support the source of wood materials."

"Otherwise this apprehended item shall be recommended forfeited in favor of the government," said the notice, a copy of which was received by a barangay official Monday.

A composite team from DENR, Municipal Government and the police, which seized the boat, was "facing a blank wall," Cenro Ruel Divino reported.

In a memorandum for Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes dated August 30, Divino said, "There was no one who was willing to divulge the identity of owner for fear of reprisal."

The Cenro recommended that the boat "be disposed immediately through public auction."

Divino said the lumber used has a scaled volume of 20,426.65 board feet of batete, yakal, and lambayao hardwood with total value of P612,799.

The seized boat has been placed under the custody of Pinol barangay kagawad Sarifa Ulangkaya. (Sarangani Information Office)  ¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments

  wooden boat: Setting sail Crafted of wood in the shipbuilding tradition, 38-foot schooner makes its debut this weekend in Gloucester's Parade of Sail
By David Rattigan, Globe Correspondent | September 3, 2006

ESSEX -- The answer to the question Harold Burnham has been asked most often over the last year is scrawled in spray paint on a plank that's tacked to a cabinet in his boatyard. It reads, ``We will launch her when she's done."

homemade sign reads, ``No drinky drinky until splashy splashy."

Since the fall of 2005, when he started milling the wood of a thick tree trunk that would become the keel, Burnham has been working on the Isabella, a wooden schooner that is scheduled to make its debut in today's Parade of Sail at the Gloucester Schooner Festival .

Shipbuilding has been part of Essex's history since the 1600s, when travel along the coast and down river was the region's most important form of transportation. Over the centuries, more than 4,000 wooden vessels have been built in the town, according to Tom Ellis, president of the Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum. Essex vessels were distinguished not just by volume but by quality and innovation, he said. ``They were the envy of sailors all over the world."

Production methods have changed, but traditional wooden shipbuilding is alive at Burnham's Shipyard, from the use of wood milled on site to the recognition of centuries-old rituals.

Last November, there was a public celebration at the yard for the laying of the keel to signal the ``official" start of the project. Attendees were allowed to write their names on what would become the vessel's spine. Earlier this month, the shipyard held a formal boat launch, which drew an estimated crowd of 2,000. They watched from vantage points around the inlet and cheered as the 38-foot, 20-ton vessel was tipped on its side and eased along the greased launchway into the water.

The tradition also includes building the boat by the water's edge, to be observed by those sailing past. With the help of modern technology, the project also could be viewed via an automatically updating webcam on the website of the Essex Shipbuilding Museum (www.EssexShipbuildingMuseum.org), which is located next door to the boatyard, at the Town Landing.

``All the methods we use to build these boats are as efficient as they ever were," said Burnham, 39, who learned many of the techniques as a teenager, observing Brad Story, a prolific boat builder from another old Essex family, who operated a boatyard in the buildings that now house the museum. He learned of other old-time methods through photographs and historical documents.

Burnham began building wooden vessels in the traditional way starting 10 years ago, with the 65-foot schooner Thomas E. Lannon, which was commissioned by Ellis and launched in 1997. This is the fourth traditional schooner built by Burnham, who is the 28th Burnham to operate a shipyard in Essex since 1819.

Burnham said he can build a vessel in the traditional way and charge the same price, or less, than an owner would pay for a comparable new boat.

``Those techniques and ways that we do it have been handed down in this town for almost 400 years," he said. ``The nice thing is, there's an awful lot of people in the next generation that worked on this boat and will be able to use those methods to take on more projects, as long as people like Bill Greene want a well-built wooden vessel," he said, referring to the boat owner who commissioned the project.

Burnham doesn't use those methods solely as historical curiosity, he said, but because they deliver better quality for the cost than other methods. And while he builds in a traditional way, using wood carved from a tree trunk, the Isabella is a new design, not a replica.

Burnham isn't exactly sure how many people have worked on the project, but said that the ``mad rush" of work being done in the last few weeks is typical of the end of any boat-building project.

``There's a lot of interesting characters in this yard," Burnham said, noting that many enjoy the challenge of the work. ``If you're building something and it's just spreading goo into a mold, it's just not the same. When this boat goes away, it will be rewarding not only to the owner, who will reap the benefits of all these people's work, but everybody will look at it and see a different thing."

Francis Cleary of Gloucester, who has worked as a carpenter on both houses and boats for 25 years, said he enjoys the nature of the work, and the variety. ``It's all custom work," Cleary said. ``You can go buy a real nice sailboat for a lot less than this, as a production boat, but you wouldn't have nearly the boat, and wouldn't have the uniqueness."

Neither the builder nor the owner has divulged Isabella's price.

This is the second wooden boat John Miles has helped build. The retired Lynn firefighter said the work presents multiple challenges. The wood of the hull, for instance, has to be milled in a precise pattern that will mirror a matching piece on the other side of the hull. ``If it's not right, as soon as you put it up, you'll see it," he said.

In comparison to building houses, he noted, ``You don't have to cut two-by-fours out of trees."

Burnham recently purchased the flagship of the Bath Maritime Museum in Maine, and plans to refit it for use as a commercial passenger vessel next summer out of Gloucester. He also plans to do some work on the historic Schooner Adventure, a large, long-term restoration project out of Gloucester.

He doesn't have a commission for a new boat, but noted that frequently, one job comes from the previous one and the celebration that surrounds the continuation of a town tradition.

``Almost all of the customers I've had from the last few years have come from the launch," he said. ``Having lived through it, [the owners] all appreciate it."

Asked if he is sad to see the vessels go at the end of the project, he said, chuckling, ``No -- God no -- I can't wait to see them go."

``The end of every project is pretty intense. There's a lot going on, everybody's got a lot at stake, everyone's in a rush. It's natural for it to be that way. What's really nice is a year or two years later when you're sailing along the coast and bump into everybody. That's when everybody's happy to see you.

``When you're in the thick of it, it's pretty intense, but the memories are fond ones."

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