Delaware River Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association Next Meeting: March 2012 August 7, 2012 Open Boating @ 2 pm: Program at 6:30 pm Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club www.ULSTC.org for Directions August 2012 Topic: Maritime Museum-Monomy Surf Boats By George Loos Pond Boats How to Cut a Diamond By Mike Bill I came to the TSCA and boatbuilding as a recovering woodworker. I enjoy completing all sorts of woodworking projects, including nutcrackers, jewelry boxes, mantelpieces, furniture and candlesticks. You name it. I would never make it as a production cabinetmaker. Too many right angles, too much of the same. Building a boat requires the use of T-squares and a variety of precision tools but you really use them to establish a relative dimension or location in space. You then shape the wood to hit that mark. Rolling bevels, tapers, curves: all fascinating and challenging. Figure 1 Figure 2 At the most recent WoodenBoat Show, the staff members of the Mystic shipyard were selling offcuts from their various restoration projects, with the money going towards completion of “Charles W. Morgan”. Included in these gems were pieces of live oak (from Katrina windfalls), longleaf pine (planking), and probably most unique, offcuts from the Charlestown, Massachusetts stash of oak that has spent the last century in the mud in Boston Harbor. This wood was procured by the government for eventual reuse on any restoration of the “Constitution” and was uncovered during a recent excavation there. Some of this wood has indeed made it to the “Morgan”. I’ve done a little wire brush work to remove some of the remaining mud. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show the proposed templates for the breast hook and knees. Do you see what I see? It was cheap at twice the price, and already seasoned! Figure 3 In looking thru the stacks, I found this oak crotch, still bearing the government serial numbers embossed in the end grain (Figure 1 & Figure 2). What to most people would look like firewood, I saw a potential diamond. This piece of wood would be ideal for the fabrication of a breast hook and a couple of thwart knees. What I see in this wood may not be what anyone else sees in it – that’s the beauty of liberating the proverbial “Diamond” from the lump of coal. Figure 4 This is a dingy waiting to be built. It will surely have a story. Hump Day on the Barnegat By Pete Peters To the young post adolescent man or woman Hump Day is Wednesday, the middle of the week, as one looks forward to the weekend. To old TSCA sailors it means a great day of sailing on the Barnegat. On Wednesday July 11 we launched at Ocean Gate Yacht Basin and sailed off at around 11:00 am. Eight brave (?) traditional small craft sailed in calm waters and 8 knots of wind. View of the Bay from Ocean Gate Photo by John Smith 2 The prettiest boat award goes to Bill and Susanne Tonnetti, who spend the summers in Ocean City sailing a blue hulled strip planked Melonseed that was built in North Carolina. She carried a sprit rig that made the seed with two passengers somewhat under sailed for the light air. However, they stayed with the fleet as they had their first Barnegat experience. Fastest boat and highest pointing boat award goes to Moggie. She ain’t pretty but Mike Wick sailed her ahead of the rest of the fleet. Pete and daughter Whitney Photo by John Smith Other awards for the day were shortest amount of the time on the water and leakiest boat. Both go to John Smith. Rather than the plunger award, John gets the bilge pump award. Bill and Susanne in Melonseed Photo by John Smith Another winner for the day was WAWA. Lunch stop on Beach Island State Park, and WAWA hoagies (named after the Hog Islander boat builders) all around were the main course. The best part (excluding the beer) was Meg Oeller’s cookies. Goodbye South Beach, hello Island Beach. She will be invited again and again to join the floats. Boats in the bay Photo by John Smith Dave Soltesz was screening candidates for the Plunger Award. Fortunately none were to be found, but, not to worry there will be other Wednesdays. Boats at dock Doug Oeller (Comfort), Frank Stauss (Wind Dancer), Paul Skalka (Red ???????) and I in Obadiah all tied for the Best Traditional Catboat of the day. Photo by Dave Soltesz 3 Ken Tweed won the cleanest post sail washed boat award. There were rumors that wood simulated contact paper could be placed on the hull of his Day Sailer to make her more traditional, but that would wait for another day. Ken Tweed on the water A members and family only dinner at the Anchor Inn ended the evening. We toasted the day and made a pact to return the first Wednesday after the Fourth of July next year. Boats on the water Photo by John Smith Photo by Paul Skalka If anyone asks what will we do when we retire, (some already have) my answer is that on Hump Days, I’ll be sailing on the Barnegat to Tices Shoal and swimming in the Atlantic. Jersey Rum Runner A new boat joins the fleet of the Delaware River Chapter of the TSCA. Ken Tweed has finished his Cocktail Class Racer! Jersey Rum Runner was built by Ken over this past winter. He will debut his boat at the Cocktail Class Wooden Boat Racing Association National Championships at Rock Hall Yacht Club, August 18 & 19, 2012. Ken will be participating in the 8 hp class. 4 WoodenBoat Show 2012 By Frank Stauss Photos by Mike Bill The annual WoodenBoat Show was held at the Mystic Seaport from June 29 to July 1. Bright sun, high temperatures and lots of boats and boating stuff greeted the attendees. Our chapter of the TSCA was well represented at this year’s show. The group all got together after a hot Saturday at the Seahorse Restaurant in Noank for dinner where we all became properly hydrated. The first WoodenBoat show was held at Newport, R.I., and through the years its ports of call have included Southwest Harbor and Rockland, Maine; Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels, Md.; and the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven. The show has been at Mystic Seaport for the past six years. It will once again return to Mystic in 2013. The dates to circle on your calendar are June 28 – 30. Jackaroo, a Haven 12 1/2 By Mike Wick Just what I need, a new boat when my collection is already substantial. JACKAROO is just a working title, but it is the nickname of the newest grandchild, Jack Dempsey, so it may stand the test of time. She was listed on Craigslist, and the price was right. At first I thought it was impossible. The location of the boat herself was listed as BWI, and how would I ever get a 16 foot boat home from the British West Indies. A friend pointed out that BWI also meant Baltimore Washington International as in the airport. Sure enough, he was right. Not such a bad delivery. At first I was just on the list of potential buyers, but other interested buyers found various reasons to back out of the deal. They thought that she needed a lot of work. It was true, she did but I had just attended the Herreshoff Symposium and listened to a full day of lectures about what was possible about building and restoring Classic Yachts. I had just finished building another boat and was looking forward to taking a rest, but I took the plunge. If you enjoy building boats, there is nothing nicer than rolling out of bed, stripping off the cover, and getting to work. Once I got the Haven home and made a close examination I found that, sometime in the past, fresh water had been allowed to collect in the bilge. I noticed that there were soft places in the bedlogs of the centerboard trunk, so I stripped her down to the bilge and used a Dremel tool to clear away at the soft places. I’ve now epoxied and painted the bilge so this problem won’t recur on my watch. Last year, five of us had spent lots of time cruising the lower Chesapeake, boom tent camping in a fleet of 15 footers. I sailed my two different Melonseeds and they are very seaworthy, but they are wet in the short little seas of the afternoon Chesapeake Sou’wester. Melonseeds are fine in the creeks and rivers but they take a dusting whenever we round a headland and have to stop and pump before going on. My buddies keep a close eye on me whenever it started to get a little rough. That’s my excuse for needing a bigger boat, or at least a dryer boat. The interior is finished bright, and I will mostly keep it that way, but in some places, mostly the forward bulkhead, it had suffered and now was the time for some paint. Pettit Sandtone looks almost as good as varnish. My buddy John England says “The best thing about varnish is that it is so easy to paint over”. Spars are a different story. Paint just wouldn’t do, so I sanded them down to bare wood and started with two coats of CPES, clear penetrating epoxy system. It is supposed to fill the grain of 6 the wood so fewer coats of varnish are required for a beautiful finish, and to bond the varnish top coats to the bare wood. The catch is that it is terrible stuff to work with. Just like nail polish remover. Even working outside with a big fan blowing the fumes away I still need a respirator if I am to make sure I live long enough to ever sail this fine new boat. is too deep and doesn’t row as well as the Melonseed. I can see his point. I hope to finish her and race in the class of Herreshoff 12 ½’s and her various clones in the Classic Boat Regatta at Bristol in late August. There are two serious vertical cracks in the cockpit coaming, a beautiful 12 foot piece of bent mahogany. The only true way to fix it is to replace the whole piece, but, at least this year, I will stop short. I’ve made a male/female mold of the damaged section, dug out the cracks and filled them with G-Flex epoxy. I will sand down the whole area with a belt sander and sandwich on a close match veneer. A belt sander is a crude tool, but it gets right down to the coaming/deck joint. That’s something that no router will do. I am making good progress, and my household tasks are suffering from delay. I need to paint the porch, and I sometimes pass up some fine sailing weather in my haste to get her done. But it is a great luxury to walk out the back door and set to work on my beautiful new boat. I am scheduled to take my Melonseed to the Small Reach Regatta in July and I asked if I could bring this boat instead. Tom Jackson felt that she Cat or Not-That Is the Question. You Be the Judge. By Ned Asplundh & Frank Stauss Ned writes: Attached photo is of an unusual, low-sheer Catboat that I came across at the docks in Lionshead, Ontario (oh, the irony!), located near the bottom end of Georgian Bay, a great cruising area. Its wishbone boom is made of 4" PVC pipe. Still looking for more info on the internet, but it seems that the name "Sophrina" may have come form a local woman of the 19th Century. Frank writes: Interesting boat but a Catboat? I don’t think so. What do you think? 7 Boat for Sale $4000 This boat is offered for sale by Woody Foster. It is beautiful re-done 1922 small wooden row/runabout. The boat is 11’6” long. It comes with a re-built 1946 Mercury Wizard outboard engine with only two hours of run time, oars and trailer. Interested buyers should contact Woody at 856-678-3369 or [email protected] Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain 8 TSCA Meeting Notes By Mike Bill Secretary July 3, 2012 10 Attendees Call to order @ 8:20 pm at Red Dragon CC by Pres. Ted Kilsdonk June Minutes approved as printed in newsletter. Committees Report: “Marion” update – Pete Peters o On trailer at Union Lake  Sprit Rig in place  Has dolly  Leaks repaired  There for club members to use  Best to dry sail  Should be tight enough for overnight mooring Old Business Newsletter – o Send articles to Frank Stauss o Send website links and podcasts with small boat themes for inclusion as well. ISM – Whaleboat Construction – at risk kids & boatbuilding o Invite Instructor to speak to Del. Riv. chapter  Nicholas Pagon  [email protected]  215-413-8621 o ISM Matching Donation program “Lendfest”  Motion (Peters/Bill) made to donate $500 to ISM in support of this program  Vote to be held at August meeting o ISM Membership  Confirm donation to ISM for shop time/assistance with “Marion” (Paul Skalka)  Pete to discuss with Carl Weissinger & Bruce McKenzie New Business Catboat Association Rendezvous th o 50 Anniversary – Catboat Assoc. o Mystic Seaport, July 6-8. o 100+ catboats to attend Small Reach Regatta – end of July o 49 entrants o Mike Wick to participate Barnegat Sail – July 11, 2012 o Leaves Ocean Gate (Bayville) 10am - - o Call Pete Peters on cell if running late “Marion Day” o Saturday in later August @ Union Lake Next Meeting – August 7 o Union Lake – Pond Boat races Wood “Sunfish” available o Built by Pete Peters & his father in 1964 o Built to Alcort plans Plan for cross-river row for next July picnic Meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm. Presentations – “Show & Tell”: “Mosquito Curtain Co.” (netting)– John Smith “Water Pistols” “Portable Rope Locker” (large plastic jars) “Kitten” (Bolger Gypsy) – Ted Kilsdonk “Poly Line Uses/Splices” – Pete Peters “Mesh reinforced 3M Caulk” o Field repairs, actual use in sealing centerboard trunk leaks Horsefeathers By John Smith This term is usually associated with silliness, or a Marx Brothers’ movie. Back in the days when fiberglass was believed to be a cure all, it had another meaning. We had what, when we had it, was an aging lap strake sailing dink. It had none of the spars, rudder, or other sailing related parts and it was in need of considerable work. Mom thought the best way to save it was to fiberglass the outside. The lap strake part made this look difficult. She found what was called “Horsefeathers”. These were available planks feathered to one edge, allowing them to be placed with the thick edge against the “lap” and the smooth edge against the plank. In effect, making it no longer a lap strake hull but one which lent itself much better to putting the fiberglass on. This seemed like it worked well enough, but complaints of the weight of the repaired boat were frequent. This was a good while before we built the “Dud” and it perhaps gained weight from the planks absorbing water and keeping it. I remember the Horsefeathers, as that became the name of the boat. 10 2012 Meeting Calendar February Tuesday Feb 7, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Feature: Mick Wick presents using Sunbrella fabric to sew boat covers. August Tuesday Aug 7, 2012 Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club, 6:30pm In the past, open boating has started at 2 pm Feature: George Loos presents Cape May Maritime Museum-Monomy Surf Boats. Secondary Feature: Pond Boat Racing before the meeting March Tuesday Mar 6, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Show up early to help get set up Feature: Annual Bid and Buy! September Tuesday Sep 4, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Come early for open boating Feature: TBD – please send suggestions to Ted, Tom, or Frank. Secondary feature: Final planning for the Sep 8 club Messabout April Tuesday April 3, 2012 Independence Seaport Museum, 7:30pm Feature: Something hands-on. This will probably involve steam bending and/or working on Marion Saturday Sep 8, 2012 Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club, 9:00 am Annual Messabout May Tuesday May 1, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Arrive early for messing about in boats Feature: TBD – please send suggestions to Ted, Tom, or Frank. October Tuesday October 2, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Feature: TBD – please send suggestions to Ted, Tom, or Frank. Secondary feature: Final planning for the MidAtlantic Small Craft Festival Oct 5-7. June Tuesday Jun 5, 2012 Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club, 7:30 meeting In the past, open sailing has started mid-day. Feature: Alan Hedges & Floyd Beam, Building the Pelican. November Tuesday November 6, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Feature: TBD – please send suggestions to Ted, Tom, or Frank. July Tuesday Jul 3, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 5:30pm In the past, open boating has started mid-day Feature: TBD – please send suggestions to Ted, Tom, or Frank. Secondary feature: Annual cookout and picnic. Additional topic: Discussing the July 11 Barnegat Bay Sail December Tuesday Dec 4, 2012 The Gallery Restaurant, Burlington NJ, 6:00pm start, 7:00pm dinner Feature: Food, fun, friendship, prizes! 11 Delaware River Chapter From the Snuggery TSCA By Frank Stauss On June 30 while attending the WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, I received a phone call that no boater who keeps their boat on a mooring or a dock ever wants to receive. Tom Shephard who was also attending the show called to say that he had been in contact with his son and John Guidera back in N.J. They reported that a tremendous thunderstorm had marched through Southern N.J. during the early morning hours. Winds reported to be in excess of 80 mph had cut a wide swath through the area. Trees were down by the hundreds. Power was cut to hundreds of thousands. John Guidera reported that there were problems at Union Lake, one specifically that affected me. My Core Sound 17 had been blown over onto its side and sunk. Tom said that John, his wife and daughter, Floyd Beam and some people I did not know righted the boat and emptied it of all water. While now in an upright position the boat listed for some reason to starboard. Mary and I decided to cut our vacation short by one day and headed home on Sunday. When we arrived at the lake we found that Mother Nature had shown her wrath to the area. We also found the Core Sound floating but still listing to starboard, even though there was no visible water in it. After a careful inspection I discovered that the starboard watertight compartment I constructed was not quite watertight. While the boat was on its side the compartment filled with water and stayed that way when righted. I emptied the compartment with a small drilled hole and the boat once again floated correctly. It is nice to know that when a problem arises I have so many friends willing to help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Chapter President: Ted Kilsdonk [email protected] Chapter Vice President: Frank Stauss [email protected] Secretary: Mike Bill [email protected] Treasurer: Pail Skalka [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Frank Stauss [email protected] Website: www.tsa.net/delriver/index.html 12