While I would not classify this a restoration, it was nonetheless a fun project for a great owner. I typically shy away from the runabout crowd, as i am not setup or all that interested in chasing down a blue ribbon worthy varnish job, but the Chris Craft Sea Skiff is a nice alternative to shiny objects. This particular boat was going on fifty years of age, and the trickiest aspect was determining the intersection of broken and rotten and old but sound. The boat had been situated on a trailer that was both not designed to carry the hull properly and was also pointing the boat downhill. As a result, freshwater pooled locally forward, and the forward garboards, lower stem, and framing were all rotten. The boat also needed to be stripped and repainted and the transom brightwork was a curious blend of varnish over Cetol and the owner also wished to have it varnished properly. I enjoyed setting up the bowshed and being able to work outside, and while the brown canvas tarps made for a sometimes frustrating light to work under, it was a surprising help in highlighting unfairness in the hull as i built up and worked out several layers of high talc undercoater to mitigate the worst of the offending areas.

During the summer of 2008, I taught a ten week Wooden Boat Repair and Restoration Course at the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, MI. The School's Mission is to provide students with the vocational training necessary to pursue a career in the marine trades, and it was great to participate in this type of learning atmosphere. The campus is new, and I enjoyed working and teaching in such a nice workshop setting and with such a great staff. Photos are from a free public workshop on backbone repair.

The Herreshoff S-Boat is an iconic sailboat of the New England coast. Designed by Nathaniel Herreshoff in 1919, close to 80 S-boats were built at the Herreshoff Manufactoring Co., in Bristol Rhode Island. Our project, the Yankee, made her way to Lake Superior ten years ago, where she was sailed for several seasons before spending the last few years in storage. Her owner decided the time was right for her to undergo restoration work. Upon hearing this Garry Couch, owner/operator of Chequamegon Boatworks in Bayfield, WI approached the owner about bringing the boat into his shop. Garry then approached me, as this was a project requiring multiple hands. We've now logged about eight months on the boat. We have replaced all of her frames, sprung a new keel, replaced her stem and transom, installed all new floor timbers, replaced her deckbeams and deck, built a new cabin trunk, manufactured new White Oak sheerstrakes (a Herreshoff trademark), built a new rudder, and we are completely replanking her hull and replacing her interior. When finished, only a handful of original structural members will remain. She is once again becoming a magnificent boat, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to collaborate on this great project with a true professional and my friend, Garry Couch. An update: Yankee is now finished and was launched July 17th, 2008. I was unable to participate in the launch, as I was away from the reigion with work, but understand it was an incredible afternoon with much laughter, celebration, and champagne.

Beginning in the spring of 2008, I drew up and lofted out lines for a 13'6" wood/canvas canoe. While I didn't pretend that I could make a canoe that was all things to all people, I did want a versatile canoe that could be used easily as either a solo boat, or as a tandem canoe for people wishing to go-light afield, something like a "big little" boat. With the help of my friend and talented craftsman Jarrod Stone Dahl, we built the form and bent on the inwales and ribs. I have since largely planked the boat and pulled the hull off the form. I pulled this first boat off a little early, as I wanted to compare ways to lay out the planking schedule. I plan to build at least two of these canoes this winter. Additionally, I also think this is a very manageable boat for someone to build in a week long workshop course format.