This episode is an interview with myself on building the 12ʹ Sassafras Canoe. I started the canoe in January

2012 and completed it in May 2013. Go to Launch to see a video of launch day

I spent a total of 140 hours building the boat from plans in The Canoe Shop book (available on Amazon). It took approximately 60 hours to assemble the boat, and 80 hours to glass the bottom and inside and finish the outside of the boat. This included applying 3 coats of epoxy to all surfaces; fairing, filling, priming, and painting 3 coats on the bottom, and applying 7 coats of varnish to the gunwales and interior of the boat! And all this included hours and hours of sanding!!!

The cost of building the boat was just under $700 and she came out beautiful.

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

This episode is an interview with Chuck Leinweber of Harper, Texas. Chuck and his wife Sandra are the

founders of the highly successful Duckworks Boatbuilding Supply and Duckworks Magazine.

Chuck is a self admitted wooden boat addict, having built an average of one boat per year for the last 30 years. It all started when as a youth, he picked up his dad’s Sea Scout Manuals, and couldn’t put them down. Then he helped his dad build a 22ʹ plywood cabin cruiser which they used on the Gulf of Mexico.

Fast forward a few years and Chuck built his first boat(s) – 2 Clark Craft prams for the family to mess about on. Eventually he and Sandra turned their hobby into a boating supply and blogging business, which is thriving

today!

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

This episode is an interview with Pete Bergstrom of Monticello, IL. Pete emailed me a few months ago saying he enjoyed the podcast, and also that he was doing a mentoring program at his Church by building a wooden boat together with the youth. And he said he would be glad to do a podcast interview if I were interested in that topic.

Well, I jumped all over that opportunity and Pete and I had a great time discussing his personal history as well as the 3 year boat build at his Church where 8 plus kids learning amazing skills such a discipline, teamwork, patience, and woodworking.

As a youth Pete learned to sail a Town Class sailboat and raced with a friend of his in the Boston area. Pete joined the army and became a helicopter pilot at Fort Lewis, WA, got married, left the Army, and entered the working world of the remote controlled model industry of which he had been a hobbyist since he was 12 years old.

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

This episode is an interview with John Welsford recorded while we I was at the NW Maritime Center during SCAMP Camp in August of this year. John is my New Zealand correspondent and will be bringing us occasional updates from his home country including this one today.

During the interview, John discusses plane sharpening, SCAMP Camp, the Small Craft Skills Academy, his Boat Design Business and what’s happening with the wooden boat community in New Zealand.

To listen to a previous podcast with John about his personal history and how he got into boating, check out HOWB048.

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

Today’s podcast is an interview with Skin On Frame building expert Corey Freedman, owner of SkinBoats.org in Anacortes, WA. This is the sixth of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame. I discuss each of these methods of construction in my eBook Get in the Wooden Boat Game: A Guide for Building Your First Boat which is available for $4.99 at this LINK.

The Skin On Frame method was believed to be developed by the maritime peoples of the Arctic centuries ago. The builder would stretch seal skin over a carefully lashed together and lightweight framework of driftwood to create a long (sometimes over 20’) and narrow (as little as 18”) craft. These boats were usually single occupancy and were capable of navigating rough waters, rolling over, and were used for daily activities such as hunting, gathering, and transportation.

Today, SOF boats can be built with a framework of lashed together dimensional lumber (such as cedar, spruce, or fir), skinned with ballistic nylon, and painted with a two part urethane waterproof coating. These boats are light, strong, and beautiful, and can be relatively inexpensive to build.

During the interview, Corey discusses the following points on Skin On Frame construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

Today’s podcast is an interview with Laura Prendergast of Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, WA. Laura has been

with Pygmy since 2011 and wears many hats including the director of marketing.

Laura grew up in the hill country of Texas kayaking and tubing on the local rivers. After attending Saint Edwards University in Austin, Texas, she moved to Colorado to enjoy the Rocky Mountains and beautiful outdoors. The next stop was Port Townsend, WA so that Laura’s husband – Griffin – could fulfill his dream of attending the NW School of Wooden Boat Building.

After moving to Port Townsend, Laura met John Lockwood (Pygmy Boats founder) and his daughter Freya and started talking boats, websites, and marketing. John offered Laura a job as marketing director and she has been doing an outstanding job ever since.

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago

Today’s podcast is an interview with Cold Molded building expert Sean Koomen, instructor at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA. This is the fifth of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

With Cold Molded construction, 2 or more layers of wood veneer are glued together (in opposing grain directions) over an elaborate building jig using the vacuum bagging method or by stapling them together, so that the epoxy is uniformly applied between layers. Typically the inside and outside of the hull is sheathed with fiberglass cloth to protect the veneers of the wooden hull.

A cold molded boat is a light, strong, and beautiful monocoque hull – but can be complex and time consuming to build.

During the interview, Sean discusses the following points on Cold Molded construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago

Today’s podcast is an interview with Strip Planked building expert Bruce Blatchley, instructor at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA. This is the fourth of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

With Strip Planked construction, a strongback (think of backbone) is constructed first and then molds (section shapes) are attached perpendicular to the strongback. The edges of the molds are beveled to the correct angle for each station in the hull. Next, the transom keel and stem are attached to the strongback, and narrow strips of wood (commonly cedar) are laid over the mold and glued to each other edge to edge. Once completely planked, the hull is faired and then sheathed with fiberglass cloth.

During the interview, Bruce discusses the following points on Strip Planked construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

Today’s podcast is an interview with Lapstrake building expert Jay Smith, owner of Aspoya Boats in Anacortes, WA. This is the third of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

In this interview, Jay discusses the ins and outs of the traditional method of Lapstrake (aka Clinker) building. Lapstrake boats have planks running end to end with overlapping and fastened edges. These boats require little to no internal framework since the longitudinal strength of the fastened planks creates a robust structure.

During the podcast, Jay discusses the following points on Lapstrake construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build with Lapstrake versus other methods Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

Today’s podcast is an interview with Stitch and Glue expert John Harris, owner of Boat Kit manufacturer CLC Boats in Annapolis, MD. This is the second of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

In this interview, John discusses the ins and outs of using the relatively modern method of Stitch and Glue building. With this technique, boat panels are cut to a predetermined shape and the edges are “stitched” together temporarily with wire, plastic ties, or duct tape to place the boat in its final geometric shape. The joints are then epoxy filleted to “hold” the boat shape, the stitches are removed, and voilà – you have an almost finished boat.

This method was established by an Englishman in 1959/1960 and is very popular to this day. During the podcast, John discusses the following points on Stitch and Glue:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of S&G versus other building methods Time to build with S&G versus other methods Pros and cons

Tips and tricks

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.