“Ship shape and Bristol fashion”

“Ship shape and Bristol fashion”

Many have debated the origin of this expression- I don’t really care. I’m not usually so callous with language. In fact I’m rather a huge fan of how things are said and what meaning they carry. But I feel like with any art, what is observed from one person to the next can be different.

All I know is that I’m a fan of this expression for describing a boat, ship, or craft that has had lots of care put into its appearance and functionality.

I have acquired a 16’ sloop. Wooden hull with fiberglass sheathing, gaff rigged, with lovely lines. She is sound and just needs cosmetic work: sanding, painting, and a small amount of patching up fiberglass on her port rub rail.

My goal is clear to me- restore her, get her into the water and explore the lake. Maybe even coastal sailing after I have the feel of her and confidence to match.

This work would not be at all daunting to most, but I’ve never done it before. I know how to weld, and as far as carpentry I have attempted the obligatory spice rack as well as a rickety trestle table. However my trestle table and spice rack never had to worry about if they could float or not. My spice rack never had rigging or complicated lines to care for. My Trestle table never had a sail.

My deadline:

Late summer/early fall for initial refit completion and launch. To be certain- she is, as many are, a work in progress and I can see this work continuing on longer than this deadline.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The slow migration of me


Boat boat boat boat… boat boat boat? Boat boat boat boat boat boat, boat!
Yes a bit fixated to say the least. Nothing like the feeling of wanting to make progress, but not being able to.

Though I wasn’t able to work on the boat physically I have spent some time looking into items that I will need to pick up. One of those items being oar locks.
Fascinating thing is that due to being primarily a flat bottom boat she apparently rows very well. The existing oar lock brackets are wooden and checking so I will need to replace them.

This will be an excellent chance for me to show off my metal working skills. I am debating milling out/welding some brass or steel brackets in the fashion shown above.

There is an appeal to the sockets that are recessed into the deck, out of the way, things wont get snagged on the, etc, etc, etc, (said in my best Yule Brynner impression).

I just don’t think I would have the best clearance with the recessed sockets and the raised ones are already a proven success.

Needless to say I just saw an add for a car dealership on TV with big foot pimping cars- time to go to bed.
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJune 25, 2010 at 10:51 AM

    Congratulations on the boat adventure!
    Having owned at least one vessel, I must say that puttering, head scratching, and problem solving are truly enjoyable aspects of ownership. But I think your oarlocks may be overkill. Trust me, if there is something to skin your shins on, stub your toe, or bang your head on, it WILL happen.

    But I won't be critical without offering some other idea. Why not put the flat plate inside the gunwale and weld the bored out stock to the side of it. This allows it to drain and also gives you one less thing to stub on. Also, the 1/4 inch flat stock seems out of proportion; perhaps a thinner stock?

    Happy maintenance!
    Bob
    PS. Put some more pics up, especially of the whole boat!

    ReplyDelete

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