Tuesday, August 11, 2009

[Scot]

Here's a starter thread.

[Carl Cramer]

And here's a reminder of how to use it:

Thanks, all. A reminder of how it works:

Post your questions in this thread. Specifically in this thread.

We'll read and respond to them here when we login at noon on the 11th.

Questions for the editors; questions for Scot and the WoodenBoat Store; questions for the WoodenBoat School, etc.

We'll reply to as many of them as we can. There should be a good degree on online chaos.... and that's generally good.

Once the August 11 session is over, we will post a NEW thread for the following week's session.

To read the dialog that occurred in the "Tuesday, August 4, 2009" thread, please just click that thread.

So, please begin posting your questions for next week's session. Thanks, Carl

[htom]

Could we have an article (maybe even left on-line to point to) about why scaling boats by arbitrary amounts does not usually work? Disaster examples greatly appreciated, for those who can't or won't follow the math.

Some "simple" boat, drawn at 200%, 125%, correct size, 80%, 50%; show the displacement, stability, ... strength of the hull as a beam, etc ... I'm not a NA and don't play one, but you know them.

[john welsford]

Noting Karens posting about glues and carrying on from that, there is a great deal of misinformation out there about surface preparation for glueing. I did not really appreciate the differences in strength that could come about from using some of the more commonly reccommended methods until in my efforts to make a crust I ended up doing process control and quality management in a structural laminated beam plant and had a tensiometer and a shear block tester to play with.

An article on this issue would be helpful, it need not be overlong as its pretty simple stuff but its always good to have the correct information out there.

John Welsford

[openboater]

Could we have an article (maybe even left on-line to point to) about why scaling boats by arbitrary amounts does not usually work? Disaster examples greatly appreciated, for those who can't or won't follow the math.

Some "simple" boat, drawn at 200%, 125%, correct size, 80%, 50%; show the displacement, stability, ... strength of the hull as a beam, etc ... I'm not a NA and don't play one, but you know them.


http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww119/openboater/boats/sidewayssmaller.jpg

here's the perfect candidate. My Bolger Tenessee, length shortened to 80% proportionatly, beam still 100%. Cabin revised to look like a NYS Erie Canal Buoy Tender. Fore and Aft draining decks.

Except this is not a disaster, it would be one of the success stories. This boat is perfect in every way for what I wanted and envisioned. Tell both sides of the story.

[Ross M]

Well, Katherine needs an authoritative piece on home-built observation towers.

(you said "There should be a good degree on online chaos..." :D)

[S B]

Day late and dollar shy,left my post in last weeks thread.

[cookie]

I would like to learn a bit more about the differences in wooden boat design and building techniques used in North America, Australia + New Zealand and Europe. Also I am curious whether the boatbuilding methods and designs evolved much since the day that Columbus set foot on America. OK, there wasn’t plywood and epoxy back then, but that is about as far as my knowledge goes.

If the above questions don’t yield interesting information, maybe include Asia and Africa in the comparison. This may however hide the evolutional patterns of western boatbuilding a bit though....

[J. Dillon]

Years ago in Yachting I think there was a regular column called Gadgets and Gilhickies. It illustrated the creative way boat men solved particular problems be it mechanical, rigging, sailing or comfort aboard. It was just a page. In fact I think they even published a book of these useful ideas. This sort of thing appears in WB occasionally but I’d like to see it as a regular feature. Perhaps a name contest could help launch it ?

JD

[Cedric Rhyn]

I know that what I am going to suggest has been done before, but we have among some of the designers and builders who hang out on the WoodenBoat forum and who appear in the Magazine, some pretty original thinkers with lots of experience. It would be fun to have a collumn in the print magazine, where readers write in with questions and the editors send selected questions, maybe three or four an issue, out to the better writers in a pool of "experts" with a breif to be not only informative but educationally entertaining as well.
I'd enjoy Ruel Parker, Dynamite Payson, John Guzzwell, and whatever you have to do to get John Welsford on the panel, do it!

Cedric Rhyn


Years ago in Yachting I think there was a regular column called Gadgets and Gilhickies. It illustrated the creative way boat men solved particular problems be it mechanical, rigging, sailing or comfort aboard. It was just a page. In fact I think they even published a book of these useful ideas. This sort of thing appears in WB occasionally but I’d like to see it as a regular feature. Perhaps a name contest could help launch it ?

JD

[jimkeen]

Hi Carl, I really like this new opportunity to actually "speak" with the crew. My question is on plans that have been published in the magazine. Has the designer given up the rights to those plans? Since they are now published can a person build as many of that design as they want? Thank you.

[wbrobin]

Hi All,

Sorry not to be joining you this noon. I did want to say that I will be happy to put any article suggestions through the editorial pipeline as needed.

Hope all of you enjoy your lunchtime chat.

Robin

[Mrleft8]

I'd like to see an ongoing "travelogue". Each issue could have a short focused article on boat building, or restoration, or use, in exotic (or not so exotic) locations... Each article would tie into previous articles in some way, so it becomes a serial... Almost like bi-monthly chapters of the same article. (I volunteer to be the author, all the magazine needs to do is provide transportation, accomodation, and a modest stipend for victuals and liquid refreshment...;) )

[Paul Pless]

liquid refreshment...;)cpes?

[Thorne]

cpes?

No religious disputes, please! :D

How about a discussion on detailing small wooden boats. Many of the plans leave this to the builder, but resources / sources / guidelines can be hard to find.

Making wood cleats instead of installing metal hardware, keeping it simple, leading lines aft, stowage of boathooks/bailers, how to attach floorboards, etc etc etc...

Also backrests in dinghies / tenders, where to put the tender's name (if it has one other than TTxxx), rope fenders and puddings, ....

[rbgarr]

Noting Karens posting about glues and carrying on from that, there is a great deal of misinformation out there about surface preparation for glueing. I did not really appreciate the differences in strength that could come about from using some of the more commonly reccommended methods until in my efforts to make a crust I ended up doing process control and quality management in a structural laminated beam plant and had a tensiometer and a shear block tester to play with.

An article on this issue would be helpful, it need not be overlong as its pretty simple stuff but its always good to have the correct information out there.

John Welsford

IIRC this topic was covered in a Professional Boatbuilder article.

Meanwhile, would it be difficult to have a cross-referencing function between Proboat and WB in the online search functions?

Thx

[Carl Cramer]

Hi, all. Thanks for joining us today.

We'll begin responding to your questions at noon (in 5 minutes).

So -- Post away and we'll try to respond.

[Carl Cramer]

.. and remember to keep hitting your "Refresh" button to read the latest questions and comments.

[KE Wales]

Hi Everyone,

Karen

[Carl Cramer]

This was a good question:

Hi Carl, I really like this new opportunity to actually "speak" with the crew. My question is on plans that have been published in the magazine. Has the designer given up the rights to those plans? Since they are now published can a person build as many of that design as they want? Thank you.

No, we only purchase "first publication rights." All copyrights belong to the designer(s), so you must purchase plans from them.

[Tom Jackson]

jimkeen,

When we use an illustration for an article, we are almost always paying the creator for the right to publish the image. (The only exception is if the images was created by someone who is an actual employee.) This is true regardless of whether it’s a photograph, a drawing, or a lines plan. When we publish boat lines, the designer absolutely retains the copyright, and if you want to build to his design you should contact the designer directly and buy a copy of the plans; anything else would be flatly unethical.

Some designers are really opposed to publishing lines plans for a couple of reasons: first, other designers could use them to mimic ideas, and secondly people could make an attempt to measure the lines to develop their own table of offsets and build a boat that way. If it is a badly built boat, or if it is changed badly — for example, directly scaled down in ways that make the boat unworkable — it can reflect badly on the designer. K. Aage Nielsen, whom I wrote about in “Worthy of the Sea” a couple of years ago, was one example of a designer who wanted total control over each boat built, and I suspect most designers would prefer to have such a role. But early in his career, Nielsen also eagerly sought publication of his plans, because every designer relies on publicity in one form or another to establish his reputation. As his reputation was more established, Nielsen seemed to dial back on publication, and the published drawings were almost all accommodations plans, not lines plans. This dichotomy of wanting to retain control and yet also disseminating work to gain reputation is probably something every designer struggles with. Most designers these days will at a minimum refuse to publish tables of offsets for this same reason, and some are reluctant to see lines published, in my experience.

[Carl Cramer]

Great points, Tom.

[Carl Cramer]

This is another great one. I don't know if we have the capability of cross-indexing, but it would be great if we do.

Scot, Greg -- Do you know if this is at all possible?

IIRC this topic was covered in a Professional Boatbuilder article.

Meanwhile, would it be difficult to have a cross-referencing function between Proboat and WB in the online search functions?

Thx

[Carl Cramer]

Matt can't join us today (launching his boat). Tom, Karen -- Would you like to describe the editorial process when reviewing new article proposals?

[Tom Jackson]

Sure...give me a minute, I'll be right back...

[Scot]

Cross Index of PBB and WB:
I'll defer to Greg... but, I'd guess not at this stage of the game.

[rbgarr]

Tom,

I've been rereading your 'Worthy Of The Sea" over the past weeks. It's one of the best books of its type ever. Thank you so much.

[Carl Cramer]

Cross Index of PBB and WB:
I'll defer to Greg... but, I'd guess not at this stage of the game.

That's my suspicion/fear as well......

[rbgarr]

How was the idea of sailing the Morgan received by folks in your neck of the woods?

[Carl Cramer]

Thank you, Mrleft8. We appreciate your kind offer. But I'm afraid your proclivities in the victualing and liquid refreshments would put us out of business in no time...

I'd like to see an ongoing "travelogue". Each issue could have a short focused article on boat building, or restoration, or use, in exotic (or not so exotic) locations... Each article would tie into previous articles in some way, so it becomes a serial... Almost like bi-monthly chapters of the same article. (I volunteer to be the author, all the magazine needs to do is provide transportation, accomodation, and a modest stipend for victuals and liquid refreshment...;) )

[Carl Cramer]

It's certainly a wonderful prospect.... I hope they can pull it off.

How was the idea of sailing the Morgan received by folks in your neck of the woods?

[Thorne]

How about enabling Boolean searches in the WB Forum Advanced search function? Just checked it and adding subsequent words with the plus symbol doesn't work...

I've come up with this boilerplate text to help those trying to find older threads here -

"I find the internal Wooden Boat Forum search engine to be pretty limited, as it doesn't seem to allow Boolean searches.

I find that the Google Advanced Search ( http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en ) works much better. Just copy and paste the Forum's URL ( http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/ ) into the last field named "Search within a site or domain:", and then put in search strings like "tow dinghy bridle" or whatever."

[Canoez]

Not to disparage the idea of meeting here at a specific time, but...

Going away from the online "meeting room" format you were using, to posts on the forum really allows this discussion to go on at any time. It certainly would make it more convenient for those in other far-away time zones and for folks at the magazine and school who may be tied up with a specific task at a specific time.

[john welsford]

I recall that article, but Professional Boatbuilder goes to quite a different circulation group , and while many here will read it I'd guess that overall not a high proportion of WoodenBoat readers do.
Also. There is a steadily growing number of plywood and epoxy amateur boatbuilders out there, and those people are quite different to the traditional treewood wooden boat enthusisasts who generally have taken the trouble to learn the skills associated with that genre. Many of those people read WoodenBoat, out of curiosity as much as anything but they are a potential market and have needs that are slightly different to the "traditional" traditional WoodenBoat reader.

John Welsford

IIRC this topic was covered in a Professional Boatbuilder article.

Meanwhile, would it be difficult to have a cross-referencing function between Proboat and WB in the online search functions?

Thx

[Tom Jackson]

Articles come to us from a variety of avenues, some being not much more than a scrawl on a bar napkin and others all the way up to fully developed manuscripts. These days, a lot of proposals come in by e-mail, which we used to discourage but now accept, bowing to reality. We still prefer a mailed query or proposal, with photographs.

Writers are both complete strangers to us and also well known to us. Some articles are commissioned informally, which is the editor’s prerogative, but the vast bulk of them come “over the transom,” as we say, and they are routed to all of the editors. Robin logs them in the database I developed some years ago, and we try to get acknowledgement e-mails or letters out fast.

This routing of articles takes a while. In stacks of 10, they come to me first, then to Karen, then to Matt. When we have 40 or 50, we meet as a group and go over them one at a time, reviewing notes and our remarks. If something is chosen as a feature, it can take a long time to make it to the magazine, since we work about a year in advance. Very often, boats already launched are sent on to Karen for the very popular Launchings column, or to me for Currents. I just reviewed the database, which I’ve been keeping since about 1998, and there are 1862 separate article proposals listed there.

We are keenly aware that many people who submit proposals are also readers. We never write form letters to people, instead choosing individual notes of acknowledgement and, if we reject a proposal, personal letters. It is a time-consuming process, and that’s one reason getting a response to a proposal can take a long time, sometimes too long, in my view. But it is very thorough, and we assure that the articles we choose to publish are the best they can be.

[Canoez]

Ahh. Mr. Welsford - you were one of the people I had in mind with my last post. Good (early) morning to you!

[Carl Cramer]

So, Canoez -- You approve of this new format?

One downside -- which I just experienced -- is that the system gets very slow when a lot of users are on the Forum at once.

Not a complaint, mind you........

Not to disparage the idea of meeting here at a specific time, but...

Going away from the online "meeting room" format you were using, to posts on the forum really allows this discussion to go on at any time. It certainly would make it more convenient for those in other far-away time zones and for folks at the magazine and school who may be tied up with a specific task at a specific time.

[Tom Jackson]

Hey, rbgarr, thanks for the comments on the Nielsen book!

[rbgarr]

If WB could get the rights to the o-o-p booklets of designs by Gillmer, Warner, Al Mason, etc. from Seven Seas Press it might be a popular offering.

[john welsford]

Thanks, and Good Morning to you all, its 4 17 am here, I cant imagine being "live" in this discussion every week, but its nice to be here.

John Welsford

Ahh. Mr. Welsford - you were one of the people I had in mind with my last post. Good (early) morning to you!

[Carl Cramer]

Ah, John -- This is more important than sleep, isn't t?

What design(s) will you work on today?

Thanks, and Good Morning to you all, its 4 17 am here, I cant imagine being "live" in this discussion every week, but its nice to be here.

John Welsford

[Canoez]

So, Canoez -- You approve of this new format?

One downside -- which I just experienced -- is that the system gets very slow when a lot of users are on the Forum at once.

Not a complaint, mind you........

So far, yes, I do - and I think you are probably getting more exposure by having it here where people come across the thread in their usual searches of the forum. I'm sure some people will also stumble across items that they are interested in that are part of the discussion via browser searches, etc.

I would take it that the previous "meeting record" wasn't searchable?

[john welsford]

Can I assume that this forum is in part an effort to get a betterhandle on whats going on out there in readerland? If so, would a discussion on how to convert those with some interest in the WoodenBoat theme into readership?

John Welsford

[rbgarr]

Mr. Welsford,

Is there anywhere online that photos or a 'review' of a completed Walkabout and how it worked out as a camp cruiser can be found? It was an inspired design for the Maine Island Trail.

[Tom Jackson]

I think it would be fair to say this idea of Carl's is one of many things WoodenBoat has been looking at. I think probably all publications are looking at potentially fruitful uses of the internet. The idea of interaction is a good one, but I have to say that it needs to happen at boat shows, festivals, and not just in cyberspace, lest the tail wag the dog.

[Carl Cramer]

That's correct, Canoez. As well as being beset with technical problems.

And we DO put a premium on the value of our Forum members. It's nice to be able to interact with you all here.

So far, yes, I do - and I think you are probably getting more exposure by having it here where people come across the thread in their usual searches of the forum. I'm sure some people will also stumble across items that they are interested in that are part of the discussion via browser searches, etc.

I would take it that the previous "meeting record" wasn't searchable?

[KE Wales]

Tom summed up what happens in the proposal loop pretty well, I think.

[john welsford]

Sure is Carl, but sometimes a warm bed in the middle of winter is an attractive place to be.
I'm drawing a sailing houseboat for a guy in Bristol UK , he wants to sail it from there around the south coast and across to France, then down through the canals to the Med, then live there until its not fun anymore. The boat is way more yacht than houseboat, but has a much bigger interior than a conventional yacht ( 29 ft x 10 ft)
It has to be handleable by a pair of older and very unfit people.
The other project is a trailerable 20 footer with blue water capability( New Zealand to Fiji, about 900 miles) This one for a Sea Captain who normally drives a 2500 ton offshore oil rig tender.

Has that envelope arrived yet?

JohnWelsford

Ah, John -- This is more important than sleep, isn't t?

What design(s) will you work on today?

[rbgarr]

This forum site is working well but the anarchy of the previous one was fun! Sorry about the tech problems you had to manage. It worked fine for me on my end.

[Carl Cramer]

Oh, John -- What a crass, commercial idea....

I believe we view this as an opportunity to interact with our readers and Forumites in a way that's conducive to them. That's really important for us here.

Can I assume that this forum is in part an effort to get a betterhandle on whats going on out there in readerland? If so, would a discussion on how to convert those with some interest in the WoodenBoat theme into readership?

John Welsford

[Carl Cramer]

Well, except with the previous one: I could choose to not permit a post. Not that I did, but I could have. So the anarchy was a controllable one. "The sheen of anarchy without the fun of it..."

This forum site is working well but the anarchy of the previous one was fun! Sorry about the tech problems you had to manage. It worked fine for me on my end.

[rbgarr]

What books (if any) are in the pipeline by writers up there? (Matt Murphy, Tom Jackson, Maynard Bray, others?)

[Carl Cramer]

Thanks, John. No envelope yet, I'm afraid.

Good projects for today, I'd say. Are they both intended for DIY construction?


Sure is Carl, but sometimes a warm bed in the middle of winter is an attractive place to be.
I'm drawing a sailing houseboat for a guy in Bristol UK , he wants to sail it from there around the south coast and across to France, then down through the canals to the Med, then live there until its not fun anymore. The boat is way more yacht than houseboat, but has a much bigger interior than a conventional yacht ( 29 ft x 10 ft)
It has to be handleable by a pair of older and very unfit people.
The other project is a trailerable 20 footer with blue water capability( New Zealand to Fiji, about 900 miles) This one for a Sea Captain who normally drives a 2500 ton offshore oil rig tender.

Has that envelope arrived yet?

JohnWelsford

[john welsford]

MR ? Thats a bit formal isnt it?
Thanks for the compliment, the boat has worked out very well and owners love it to bits, you can have a read about one here
http://gerryl-walkabout.blogspot.com/
But this is not a place for me to tout my wares, so lets get back on track here.
John Welsford
Mr. Welsford,

Is there anywhere online that photos or a 'review' of a completed Walkabout and how it worked out as a camp cruiser can be found? It was an inspired design for the Maine Island Trail.

[Carl Cramer]

Oh, I doubt they'd tell you before they're ready. But let's see........

Scot, any cool new books with our imprint?


What books (if any) are in the pipeline by writers up there? (Matt Murphy, Tom Jackson, Maynard Bray, others?)

[Tom Jackson]

"Worthy of the Sea" was about a two-year project for me, so I'm sailing this year. I'd love to do another book, and I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not ready to commit yet. Also, I think it's getting harder to get books published. And, further, I think my next book should have a lot more sex and violence.

[john welsford]

Yes, and its an interesting process interacting with the customers to ascertain what level of skills and other resources that they have so the build is achieveable. The houseboat couple have been building skin on frame kayaks so I've got them building a tender that uses much the same technology and methodology so they are a bit better prepared when they get into what will be a pretty big project.

Actually, I delivered a lecture on this sort of thing at the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival a few years back and I could see that very few people had considered this aspect of design. I wonder how many readers would have realised that its a large part of the process?

John Welsford

Thanks, John. No envelope yet, I'm afraid.

Good projects for today, I'd say. Are they both intended for DIY construction?

[Scot]

Books...
Harry Bryan, first up in his series, compilation of past articles from WB... Making Hand Tools

Simon Watts, on sailing

Another Harry series book later this fall or spring

and a bunch of others not far enough along to chat about just yet....

[rbgarr]

Sounds good. Publishing is difficult due to web influence or expense/markets?

[Carl Cramer]

Wonderful. And you just published the new one by Iain Oughtred as well. I'll be down to buy it this afternoon....

Books...
Harry Bryan, first up in his series, compilation of past articles from WB... Making Hand Tools

Simon Watts, on sailing

Another Harry series book later this fall or spring

and a bunch of others not far enough along to chat about just yet....

[john welsford]

G.Morning Scot, what sort of criteria do you guys have for books, do you have a mental ( or written) set of rules or are you more opportunistic than that?

John Welsford

Books...
Harry Bryan, first up in his series, compilation of past articles from WB... Making Hand Tools

Simon Watts, on sailing

Another Harry series book later this fall or spring

and a bunch of others not far enough along to chat about just yet....

[rbgarr]

Which WBSchool classes are most popular? Has it changed over the years?

[Carl Cramer]

John -- You were at Mid-Atlantic Small Craft and didn't bother to swing by here? The water is nice and warm here in October....

You've been such a great contributor to "My Wooden Boat of the Week" (www.woodenboat.com/boat) -- Could I interest you in being the guest editor next week?

Yes, and its an interesting process interacting with the customers to ascertain what level of skills and other resources that they have so the build is achieveable. The houseboat couple have been building skin on frame kayaks so I've got them building a tender that uses much the same technology and methodology so they are a bit better prepared when they get into what will be a pretty big project.

Actually, I delivered a lecture on this sort of thing at the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival a few years back and I could see that very few people had considered this aspect of design. I wonder how many readers would have realised that its a large part of the process?

John Welsford

[Todd Bradshaw]

I never got any rules, but I think I broke most of them anyway. It's just my nature......

[Carl Cramer]

Duly noted, Todd. All contributions appreciated.

I never got any rules, but I think I broke most of them anyway. It's just my nature......

[Scot]

Book Pub difficulties...
I don't look at the web side of things as hindering. It probably adds more opportunity than it takes away at this stage.

I don't think it's ever been easy, though. But, I like to whine.

We typically do 3-5 newbies a year, as well as reprinted 3-5 (strong backlist).

[john welsford]

They did not pay my airfare, and it just happened that I was on my way through to a dayjob function in Germany so sort of "dropped in" on the way past. I'd love to have come north but it was already pushing it to get two days in Maryland.
Yes, I'd hope that the water in Eggemoggin Reach is warmer in October than it is in Febuary.

Yes, I'm on for writing a guest editorial, give me a shout with the guidlines.

John Welsford

John -- You were at Mid-Atlantic Small Craft and didn't bother to swing by here? The water is nice and warm here in October....

You've been such a great contributor to "My Wooden Boat of the Week" (www.woodenboat.com/boat) -- Could I interest you in being the guest editor next week?

[Tom Jackson]

One thing that might be worth explaining is that there is a separation between the book part of WoodenBoat and the magazine. For example, the books Scot just mentioned are project I have heard nothing about until this moment. WoodenBoat magazine editors have no involvement in the books we publish here.

[Carl Cramer]

I'm not sure we have any representatives from the School here.... My impression is that classes on building/repairing are ALWAYS our strongest. It is such an inspiring dynamic.

Also classes in design.

Even our popular "Learn to Sail In the Fog" fare well........


Which WBSchool classes are most popular? Has it changed over the years?

[Scot]

We have some basic guidelines:
http://woodenboatbooks.com/WBB/Book_Submissions.html

And YES, Todd created a fantastic book, perhaps creating some new rules, just to be able to break them as well.

ps: Tom... I'll send you a link to my blog

[Tom Jackson]

Karen would be a good one to come in here about the school, since she taught there before joining the editorial staff.

[Carl Cramer]

Thanks, John. I should sponsor a plaque for you at Eggemoggin Lodge for your February swim. Adding to your legend....

There are no guidelines -- just have at it, and email me Monday latest? Attach photos and tell me where you'd like them placed.

The pay is very poor, but the experience is fulfilling. Get our crowd all riled up.


They did not pay my airfare, and it just happened that I was on my way through to a dayjob function in Germany so sort of "dropped in" on the way past. I'd love to have come north but it was already pushing it to get two days in Maryland.
Yes, I'd hope that the water in Eggemoggin Reach is warmer in October than it is in Febuary.

Yes, I'm on for writing a guest editorial, give me a shout with the guidlines.

John Welsford

[Carl Cramer]

Five more minutes -- post away.

[john welsford]

What I dont think I told you was that I got out to the end of the jetty and could not feel the ladder well enough to climb out, so had to swim back again.
It sure fixed the jetlag but there has to be a better way of doing that.

Ok, I'll have a think about a subject line and see what I can do,

John

Thanks, John. I should sponsor a plaque for you at Eggemoggin Lodge for your February swim. Adding to your legend....

There are no guidelines -- just have at it, and email me Monday latest? Attach photos and tell me where you'd like them placed.

The pay is very poor, but the experience is fulfilling. Get our crowd all riled up.

[rbgarr]

Thanks for the photo and slideshow update on the WB Show site.

[Carl Cramer]

Thank you, John. I look forward to it.

(You didn't tell me, but that explains it.)



What I dont think I told you was that I got out to the end of the jetty and could not feel the ladder well enough to climb out, so had to swim back again.
It sure fixed the jetlag but there has to be a better way of doing that.

Ok, I'll have a think about a subject line and see what I can do,

John

[john welsford]

Classes in design? Who do you get to tutor? That sounds like fun from both sides of the lecturn.

JohnW

I'm not sure we have any representatives from the School here.... My impression is that classes on building/repairing are ALWAYS our strongest. It is such an inspiring dynamic.

Also classes in design.

Even our popular "Learn to Sail In the Fog" fare well........

[Carl Cramer]

Michele (photos) and Greg (webmeister) did those. Something to view during the long winter..........

Thanks for the photo and slideshow update on the WB Show site.

[Carl Cramer]

Currently, Mike O'Brien and Paul Gartside, John. Am I forgetting any? Iain Oughtred in some capacity next summer.


Classes in design? Who do you get to tutor? That sounds like fun from both sides of the lecturn.

JohnW

[Tom Jackson]

Paul Gartside has been teaching design for some time now. I asked him if he would be interested when I was out in B.C. some years ago (though he lives in Nova Scotia now).

Another popular class is bronze casting, but I think the perennial favorite (on construction, anyway) is the fundamentals course, two weeks long and taught by Harry Bryan, Greg Rossel, Warren Barker, and others.

[Carl Cramer]

I guess that's it for today. Thank you all.

Scot will post notice for next week's session soon. So save next week's questions for then.

[Tom Jackson]

This is Tom, out.

[john welsford]

I wonder if it would be possible to produce a DVD recording of the classes, its a damn long way from here to there and all three of those gents would be well worth the time.
It seems to me that even though very few would use the skills, many might be interested in how a boat grows from a concept to a reality.

JohnW



Currently, Mike O'Brien and Paul Gartside, John. Am I forgetting any? Iain Oughtred in some capacity next summer.

[Pirate-at-heart]

Hello to the editors of Woodenboat magazine. A fine publication to be sure.

I have a couple questions which I'd really like answers from some experts about.

Lead.

I'm a very old-fashioned guy when it comes to woodenboat building. I want to eventually build a small sailboat with lead in the keel. Right now I am only practicing with scale models of herreshoff plans. I want to know how dangerous is it to melt lead. Not the spilling some on yourself part... the fumes. Could melting lead fumes really kill a man? Is melting lead the best or the easiest way to put lead in a keel? Have any of you done this? I am thinking along the lines of a few hundred pounds of lead for a twelve foot boat someday, a scaled-down version of a herreshoff day sailer.

Do you recommend melting lead at all? DO you tell people to not try it? And if so, why?

[rbgarr]

John,

Two Forum members that I know of, Clint Chase and Liam English, took Paul Gartside's design course and each ended up designing (or working with him to complete designs) and building their boats. It added immensely to their enjoyment.

[john welsford]

Ok, point taken. I must say that I find that the interaction with my own clients is the best thing about this business, while I get the very occasional ratbag most are really neat people and sharing ideas and experiences with them is really great.

JohnW

Oh, John -- What a crass, commercial idea....

I believe we view this as an opportunity to interact with our readers and Forumites in a way that's conducive to them. That's really important for us here.

[Clinton B Chase]

I've been lurking, mostly. I did take Paul's course and now I am designing professionally. Just finished lines for a dory for a local couple. Very exciting. Other designs in the works. I was trained at the Landing School, but I attribute the design learning curve to Paul's fabulous course. He was just great and available for all my annoying questions in the months after the course when I set about designing a few boats for myself.

I think the whole process of imagining a boat, the design, lofting and pattern making and building to launching and doing sea trials, the tweaking, and redesign is the most fascinating process and something missing in the WB's since I've read them. A longitudinal story about a particular idea and it's design and sea trials would be a great story and it could be about a few designs. You'd keep track of the project...a sort of blog...and go through the whole process with the designers and builders. For folks who design and build, this would be great reading and if done well would inspire others to do the same.

[Mrleft8]

Thank you, Mrleft8. We appreciate your kind offer. But I'm afraid your proclivities in the victualing and liquid refreshments would put us out of business in no time...

Hmmmppffft! I think I just got "Dissed"!:rolleyes:;)

[ChaseKenyon]

Just caught up with this after a back episode earlier this week.

Lefty, They have definitely got your number.

Mom and Dad lived in Old Saybroik for years and brother Kim and wife liven in Clinton, Old S, gilford and noe for years in East Lyme.

If , no when we make it down to the CT coast would love to hook up with you. Same goes if you make it up here to Gods custom built year round vacation land in the Mt/Lake Sunapee Region.

chase