John will introduce you to the tools and techniques of the calker. You will learn how to judge the shape of a good calking bevel, how to reef out material from old seams, how to prepare the seams, how to calk using various irons and wheels, how to make-up your strands after tucking, how to harden older material that is still in good shape and how to pay the seams. 10 Bending wood into compound curves is an art essential to the wooden boatbuilder. The many species of lumber used in boatbuilding all have different bending and steaming characteristics, and often the selection of a type of lumber will depend on its ease of bending, strength, and durability after steaming. Richard will teach you how to design and build a steam box to suit your needs, how to select lumber for its bending characteristics, how to prepare stock for steaming and bending, how to determine the right steaming time, and finally, how to get the hot wood physically bent to its form without breaking.
Wood remains the preferred spar material for most traditionally rigged vessels.
In this demonstration workshop, you will learn techniques for shaping solid timber spars with proper taper and symmetry, techniques for cutting, milling, and assembling laminated spars with both parallel and radial lifts, as well as techniques for building spars with elaborately milled gluing surfaces. There are important techniques one must master to ensure professional results. You will learn about the pros and cons of both lapstrake and carvel planking, the two methods to be demonstrated in this class. Richard will teach you how to select and prepare stock, judge the characteristics of the wood, and utilize each piece's grain pattern to best advantage. Richard will have a variety of practice hulls on which students will actually hang planks, and you will be challenged to learn careful workmanship.