You Shamed Me Into It Shane!

[A. Mason]

I surrender Shane - I'm going to start creating JPG study plans for posting on my father's website. I've got many of them re-scanned, particularly the small watercraft, so I will start gettng them ready this weekend.

It's probably going to take a few weeks to get it all organized, so be patient folks. I'll be linking the study plans to the Specifications page, and I'm also thinking of adding a new page that groups the various designs by their types - sailboats, motor sailers, inboards, outboards, etc.

I won't be neglecting the books I'm working on, but will rotate among the different projects.

BTW, in response to the suggestion that I get the plans scanned and put on CDs, I have been doing that for a few of the oldest designs, but the scanning process is very expensive. There are over 100 designs, ranging from 3 to 25 sheets each; 30 inches tall and up to 6 feet long. Trust me, the price adds up rapidly. I got six sheets for CALIFORNIA scanned and it cost around $200, and the longest sheet was only 4 feet.

At the moment I am considering scanning my father's work for Wilmington Boat Works [1928-1930] primarily because the originals are in very fragile condition. There are some nice Lines drawings for 6 metres and 8 metres in the crowd.

I'll let everyone know when I get the revised website up and running.

Anita

[Wayne Jeffers]

I look forward to seeing the plans, Anita. I think it's a wonderful thing you're doing organizing and preserving your father's work.

Thanks,

Wayne

[JimD]

please keep us posted
jim

[Wild Dingo]

It twere but a mere nudge Anita!!... twas all I swear fellas!! :eek: ... mmmmm but now your going that way Ive got some other ideas!! :D

Now I gotta ask... and you did this Anita!!... :D A. Mason... M. Mason ala mmd... both into designing boats... mmmm you two aint related are you?? :cool: Is this maybe becoming a family affair here ;) ... of course there is the California vs Canada thing... but then Ive got damily {pun intended :D } so far away weve forgotten just where we lost track of each other... :rolleyes:

Take it easy
Shane

[ 08-03-2002, 12:59 AM: Message edited by: Wild Dingo ]

[A. Mason]

Awh Shane, I'm maybe thinking that mmd might be wondering it it twere. To the best of my genealogy research, there is no relationship.

On the other hand I have personally been wondering if "mmd" is any relationship to David A. Mason of Tancook Island, Nova Scotia.

My father had a lot of respect for D.A.'s designs and boatbuilding, so much so that my father made a point one summer to include the Mason Boatyard in Tancook Island during one of his summer vacations.

BTW, there used to be a "Masonboro" boatyard in the Southeast U.S. My father considered them quality builders. I remember visiting their yard out in the "boonies."

In the early 1950s, David A. Mason and Al Mason were equal "up and comers" in the boat design field, at least according to my father and "The Rudder' magazine.

Anita

[Donn]

Anita..have you investigated the possibility of digitally photographing the plan sheets, instead of scanning them? It seems to me that a large format camera with a digital back, might be able to accomplish the same end. I'm not a photographer, by any means, but there are some on the forum, and maybe they'll see this thread, and comment.

[A. Mason]

Digitally photographing the plans is an interesting idea but I don't feel it's particularly feasible. For one thing, I don't have a blank wall large enough to tack the plans up on. Also, I have a suspicion that the edges of the plans would get distorted. I'm no expert on photos but the phrase "depth of field" comes to mind.

For the present, my plan is to gradually get the most fragile historically important designs scanned to preserve them. The same holds true for any designs for which there are no letter-size study plans.

The income from selling plans does not justify undertaking a major scanning project. Even in my father's lifetime, his personal design income didn't not brig in enough money to support a family. That's why he always maintained a day job with one or another recognized design firm.

His personal designs provided the money for the little extras - a new car, new furniture, vacations, etc. In his day, the design of a 30-foot boat would take from three-six months to complete, by working six hours every weeknight and up to 18 hours a day on weekends.

That why many of the older designerswho worked for themselves appear to have extensive collections of small watercraft, with many designs of very similar appearance. They didn't take as long to prepare and thus the designer stood a better chance of making a living.

It's a tough way to make a living, and I'm sure the experienced solo boat builders on the forum would agree that making a living building small watercraft is just as tough.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and trying to cater to the ever changing fickle taste of the general public is like trying to catch a hummingbird in flight.

Anita

[Donn]

Yes...you would have edge focus problems if you tried to do it in one shot, but if you shot several clear sections, and used software to stitch them together...might work. I've done it with charts, and it works quite well, although the resultant files are huge.