Phil Bolger

[Roger Stouff]

A buddy of mine is interested in Phil Bolger's designs...how does one get ahold of him? I found an address and fax number, sent him a fax a couple days ago, got no reply.

Thanks,
R

[N. Scheuer]

I was able to reach him some years ago be writing. Don't remember his address, however.

Moby Nick

[Ian McColgin]

Phil's book, "Boats with an Open Mind" is a good review of much of the man's awesome ideas.

[Jamie Hascall]

He was posting occasionally over the past couple of years but the search thingy won't let you search by poster's name anymore so I'm not sure how to find him. Maybe a query to the all knowing Scot can loosen up some info so you can use the Personal Message feature to get in touch with him.

Jamie

PS, I just checked on the Mother of all Maritime links list and found a Yahoo Bolger discussion list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bolger/

Check it out.

[ 04-04-2002, 05:01 PM: Message edited by: Jamie Hascall ]

[Roger Stouff]

I know, and he's looked at the book, but he wants study plans of Chebacco, and possibly full plans. He's interested in catboats now that I've talked about them so much...I know InstantBoats has the sheet ply plans, but he's interested in lapstrake. I kinda am too, to be honest (not abandoning Marsh Cat!!!! Just wanna look) Maybe I should write to the address, but the fax went through...

[Memphis Mike]

You can write to Bolger at:

Phil Bolger and Friends, Inc.
29 Ferry Street
Gloucester, MA. 01930

My understanding is he isn't much of a puter nut
but will answer his letters.

[Memphis Mike]

http://www.instantboats.com/

The plans for Chebacca can be purchased from
Dynamite Payson. Check out the above link.

[Bill Perkins]

Roger I'd wondered if you might be interested in Chebacco .Check out www.chebacco.com (http://www.chebacco.com) for the newsletter covering the boat . there's a section on sailing the boat that may shed light on the use of the yawl rig .

[Roger Stouff]

Mike, Payson does not have the lapstrake plans only the sheet ply plans. Thanks, though, for the address, I may have to get my bud to write him. I wish he was more accessible.

Bill, Yeah, it's nice, but I'm still more a traditionalist than my friend is. It was while I was searching for a design and we were discussing it over beers that he got interested in catboats...I had some photos I had collected off the net, and he liked Chebacco a whole bunch. I settled on Marsh Cat. Still, I wouldn't mine helping him out with it! We looked at the Chebacco website, yes, thanks.

Thanks for the links to the group, Jamie I'll go there.

This is the pic that got Scot (my friend) going:

http://www.boat-links.com/PT/PT2001/Jerome-1.jpg

I like it, too...but I still prefer the more traditional cats. ;)

[ 04-04-2002, 07:58 PM: Message edited by: Roger Stouff ]

[JimD]

Why make a (wooden) boat that looks like plastic? No offense to the owner or builder, but where's the soul? Where's the wood!?

[Roger Stouff]

Agreed, Jim. But hey, I'd like to see Scott build...he was always interested in my projects, but this is the first design that got him to thinking about doing it himself, and I can't argue with that.

However, catboats are traditionally mostly all white, from what I've seem. I'd like a varnished deck and cabin top, myself, but you know... smile.gif

[NormMessinger]

Interesting question, Jim. Is it the design you object to or the way it is finished? If the latter, I agree. To much white.

--Norm

[Roger Stouff]

But they've been that way since the 1850s; look at "The Catboat Book". Nobody thought there were fiberglass then. :D

[Paul Scheuer]

Cut the man some slack. It's not like he painted it aluminum, ferchrisakes ! It may be that it gets a little toasty in the that cabin in the sun.
Are the boats in the background too white ?

[Roger Stouff]

Yup.

I gotta admit, the direction this has taken surprises me. I understand that we're all here because we love the look and feel and warmth of wood, etc...but also that most of us are traditionalists to some degree or another.

I realize Bolger's boat that Scott is eyeing is not traditionally designed, but the color scheme is the same, which is why I'm surprised, Norm. smile.gif Curious, would the Crosby Catboat at Mystic seem wrong to you?

Just wondering...

[mklein]

Dear Roger, There is a good article on the Chebaco in WB circa late 1993 (Oct/Nov?). Seemed like a nice design, within reach of the home builder. The article describes the evolution of the design, including the lapstrake and hard-chined versions. Cheers, Mike.

[Roger Stouff]

I saw that in the search I did of the index, thanks! I'm gonna get the CD as soon as I nestle a few bucks on the side... ;)

[johnw]

Plans for the Chebacco boats can be bought from:

Phil Bolger & Friends,
Boat Designers,
66 Atlantic Street,
P.O. Box 1209,
Gloucester,
MA 01930,
USA

The above comes from the http://www.chebacco.com/ site in the FAQ section. And the boat in the picture looks fine to me. I'm sure by the end of the season, it will look "wooden" enough that the owner will want to paint it again. Sort of reminds me of the controversy in which Rodin was accused of taking a mould off a human body when he made that nude sculpture of his mailman. After that, he made his work rough enough that people could tell it was a sculpture.

[JimD]

As I said, no offense meant. Its a really pretty boat. I didn't mean to say that a wooden boat has to have a packing crate for a cabin to qualify. But wouldn't it be spiffy if the combing and the sides of that sleek cabin were brite? Now I'm sounding like an armchair Herreschoff (sp). I hope my new boat turns out half as charming.

[Roger Stouff]

John, that's where I faxed to. I'll write, or get Scott to, if I don't get a reply soon.

Jim, shoot, no offense taken! I was just intrigued, like Norm. I think I'd do the coaming and the cabin top bright, though. smile.gif

Admittedly, the buncha whiteness was one of the things that put me off on cats for a while, but those sweet lines eventually wooed me over.

Regards from the Rez,
R

[Bruce Hooke]

From the online phonebook (Verizon):

Bolger, Phil and Friends
66 Atlantic Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
(978) 282-1349

A phone call might be the quickest way to get more information...

BTW - Is it possible that the response to the fax is coming via a slower means like mail...?

[Roger Stouff]

Bruce, that's the fax number, and the address I found.

I didn't think of that, but I asked them to reply by fax or email, snail-mail as last option, maybe that's what they chose. :confused:

[NormMessinger]

Ah, if it's a traditional finish one is after there is no arguement. If it is personal taste, there is no accounting there for, especially my own, often. I do like the boats in the back ground which have just a tad more bright. Who knows maybe the old timers would have had more bright if they had had really good varnish. Um, would you accept Hatteras White? Buff cockpit cushions?

I better git....

--Norm

[Roger Stouff]

Good point!

[J. Dillon]

Norm,

You're right, needs more varnish. . All that white would sure hurt my eyes, too much glare. My taste is to tone it down a bit. But the owner needs to please him/her self first. smile.gif

JD

[LisaS]

Just FYI - Bolger and Friends do not sell study plans. It's a full set or nuttin.

Lisa

[Art Read]

Kinda reminds me of one of my old skippers spending every free minute one summer epoxying and fairing the recently turned hull of his Colin Archer ferro-cement project. Talk about anal! But I gotta admit, by the time he painted her, she did NOT "look" like your typical "amatuer" built ferro boat. His finest moment came shortly after the launch when an observer had to go down and carefully study the hull before believing it wasn't fiberglass... When I started "fairing" my hull and realised I was NEVER gonna get a "perfect" finish, I just started telling myself, (and everybody else...) that, "Hell... I WANT people to know it's wood after all..." It worked. You can tell. ;)

[Roger Stouff]

Art, my philosophy exactly!

[Wild Dingo]

Here ya go Rog me old mate... did a wee search thingy for... "Phil Bolger and friends" and lookee here...

Member number 958
email pcb@shore.net

only done some 30 odd posts since 1999 so hangs around here pretty rarely

Hope it helps mate

Take it easy
Shane

Aint the search thingy great I even found old Terrapin... nice boat that... :cool: Shane

[garland reese]

Jim Slakov did a fine job of his Chebacco "Kelani Rose", pictured in the Chebacco news #28. She's glued lap, green topsides with a bright sheerstrake and cabin sides and stem. Quite lovely. I don't know what the link is for the Chebacco news, but you can find a link from Payson's site. The old newsletters are in the old articles section..........check her out in #28.....she's worth the look. I think the chebacco is a nicely done, practical catboat for the trailer sailer.
garland

[JimConlin]

Having spent 25 years tending a boat with 75' of varnished mahogany toerail, coamings, handrails hatch covers, boom..., I've had enough.
In the next boat, all of the varnish will be in the cockp[it, within the helmsman's fondling range.

[Roger Stouff]

I got in touch with Mr. Bolger, and he supplied the info I inquired about.

Thanks from me and Scott...hopefully he'll build it!

R.