The turnout for our Sunday afternoon boatbuilding continues to be robust. As a result the “stripping” of our new American Star is almost complete. More gratifying than the beautiful hull that is growing under our hands has been the good cheer and increasing confidence that I see around me every Sunday afternoon. The Wednesday crew is smaller but equally focused and congenial.
We will have regular sessions on Sundays going forward, but there will be no boatbuilding this Wednesday because of the VCB board meeting.
The Sunday crew did a really fine job, adding 8 strips to each side of our American Star. See the attached photos. The next boatbuilding session will be tomorrow, Wednesday 10/25.
We have finally finished the form and skeleton on which we will build our American Star. All 17 molds have been molded, the stems have been steamed and bent, and the keel has been beveled.
Now it’s cedar strip time. All hands on deck!
The first two strips are temporarily in place. The sheer line looks fair.
The VCB boatbuilding program is starting up again following a short summer recess. After a fair amount of discussion, the Board has given the go-ahead to build a replica of the American Star. The photos show a west coast version of this boat.
This is a 27′ racing gig (a bit longer, narrower, and lighter than our Whitehalls) which is modeled on a famous 19th-century rowboat. Building it should keep us busy for at least nine months. Busy, and I should add, happy!
Open boatbuilding sessions will be Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, from noon to 4:00. Everyone is welcome, no notice is necessary. But if you can text me ahead of time to tell me you are coming it will help me to plan out the work.
Starting tomorrow we will begin laying out the strongback and drawing the molds over which our new boat will be built.
Today the 8′ floating flower pot that we have been affectionately calling our Orchid Boat was collected by its owners. In a couple of weeks it will be filled with orchids and float on one of the ponds at the Queens Botanical Garden as part of their upcoming “Taiwan: A World of Orchids” exhibit.
Exhibit director Wei Du had the idea for an orchid boat modeled on a Taiwanese fishing craft, and he found us after a short Google search for “boatbuilders.” Andrew and I went out to Flushing to see him. It looked to be a straightforward project, we had time, a price was agreed on, and we got to work. We did our best to imitate a couple of photos of actual Taiwanese fishing boats. The result was a very elementary shape with a very exotic paint pattern.
We hope our Orchid Boat enhances the QBG show (and doesn’t upstage the orchids!) Anyone wishing to see this rare collection should plan to get out to Queens the weekend of August 11, 12 and 13.
The Orchid boat filled with flowers at the Queens Botanical Garden, its final destination
