28th Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival

I find this old Chesapeake Deadrise one of the most elegant creations I have ever seen, even in her current state and am drawn to the CBMM 'small' boat shed on every visit.

I am also drawn to the apprentice boatshop, there's always something of interest there.

This years interest was a Finger Lakes trout fishing boat, from Lake Keuka, brought in by Dan Sutherland, head boatbuilder at the museum, for a bit of repair/restoration.

The trout boat is having her frames replaced in white oak, with new bronze fastenings replacing the sick old iron ones, the original northern white cedar planks are being retained. Thanks to John Hutchinson, the apprentice on duty, for a nice chat about her.

One of the nicest boats of the day was this Herreschoff Coquina, Calico Jack,
brought down from the Springfield MA area by Scott LaVertue. My friend, new to boats, declared this her favorite boat of the day. I'd say she has a good eye.

Pulling into the dock looking just great, Coqina's seem to be meticulously cared for by their owners, who all seem to share her maker's opinion off her, that being Nathaniel Herreschoff himelf. Nat declared Coquina to be his favorite boat.

She's quite lovely

Here's Scott's dad Bob LaVertue cleaning his glasses after a slight mishap (capsize) with Pretty Jane during the all craft free for all 'race'. Bob is the genius behind the Springfield Fan & Centerboard Co. Long time sailing canoe fan, Bob commissioned Everett Smith to build Twilight years ago, in the 1970's.

Here's Bob's friend Dan Sutherland, another sailing canoe aficionado out of the Clayton, NY school. Dan is resident at the CBMM as head boatbuilder.

Dan's sailing canoe is looking a little more canoeish than most decked sailing canoes.
Formerly owner of of Sutherland Boat & Coach in Hammondsport, NY, I have an inkling that Dan is one of the foremost builders of decked sailing canoes today. For instance, see this.

Buna Mon I Ya is a Crotch Island Pinkey and a perennial participant here.

Built in 1974 by her designer Peter Van Dine, he's owned by George and Marla Surgent

Pete Lesher with a bit of heritage. Pete's the family custodian for this boat originally built by his great uncle, if I got it right.Built to a design by George Washington Sears, aka 'Old Nessmuk' , guru of the Adirondacks and the return to the woods movement around the turn of the 19th C. Sears, if I'm not mistaken, based his work on the lines of Rushton's Sairy Gamp.
This canoe was built by none other than Mr. C. Lowndes Johnson, the creator of the Comet Class boat.

Pete is the Curator at the CBMM, nd here he's about to launch his canoe with the help of co-worker Dan Sutherland

A delicate, almost ephemeral design, yet sound enough

for Pete to venture out with his very young daughter

There's a museum installation which recreates the style of camping pursued by the canoe enthusiasts of that time, and background on an extended cruise undertaken by Lowndes Johnson & co. Pete has said he will forward me some of the logs from that journey, watch for the story here.

C. Lowndes Johnson's class boat beauty, the Comet, intended to be a smaller version of the Star class.

Tim Shaw, author of Chine Blog, looking happy to have his skin on frame outrigger canoe AL DEMANY CHIMAN in the water.

Mike Wick showed up this year with his lovely Pepita, always a favorite.

Barry Long's Melonseed Caesura, one of a pair he's building for himself and his better half. I'm guessing the first one finished is his, at least until the second improves on the lessons learned on the first. Both boats are almost finished, and the workmanship more than impressive. Barry has been writing a blog about his build of the two boats which is hands down the best build blog I've ever seen, informative and entertaining, and that's not an oxymoron.

Another Melonseed, Kandid, built by Barry's friend Tim Thatcher for his parents. Tim flew in from CO. for the fest.

On the road leading into the museum , adjacent to the camping area, I found this lovely creature which I'm guessing is a small Chesapeake Log Canoe, and if not a local sharpie type...can anyone help?

Certainly she's fitted out in a most serious manner, notice the holes drilled in the floors.

Another mystery boat, again appears to be a traditional Chesapeake type. Look at that sloped mast! Taken from the dock at the Crab Claw while enjoying steamed shrimp, local microbrew, and the company of my companion for the day. What a good day it was.


All photos Thomas Armstrong

The 28th Mid Atlantic Small Craft festival was only my third. It's a thoroughly enjoyable event. Relaxed and friendly, Saturday is the public day but this is really a four day messabout staring Thursday and running through Sunday for most participants. I had hoped to get down there on Friday and camp, but sadly it was not to be, hopefully next year. Many of the participants come every year and the event has the flavor of a large family reunion, with camaraderie winning out over competition, though the race is seriously contested. It's a beautiful sight, with 80+ small/ish boats of varied description out in the river at once. Not there at the race's start, I was able to get photos of several of the boats as they returned from the melee.
I've connected with several friends at this event, its a great way to meet folks with a shared interest, in a lovely setting on the Miles River. The host is the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and the museums collections are open to visitors. Both the museum and the charming historic town of St. Michaels are worth the trip, any time of the year.

Mike Wick, member of the Delaware River TSCA and a friend, (see his Pepita above) sent me the race results:


Race Results for sailing race at MASCF 2010 Thanks to David & Kathy Cockey
Finish Order Owner Type Class

NN Al Fittipaldi Thistle !st HP Blue
Marianne Pete Lesher Log Canoe 2nd HP Red
Moth Adam Blackwell Moth 3rd HP White
Black Swan Bill Covert Sail Canoe 1st SC Blue
NN Larry Haff Sail Canoe 2nd SC Red
Mud Hen Ron Gibbs Celebrity 4th HP
Spat Bill McGraw Sharpie (Kirby) 5 HP
Malu Michael Jones Stretch Windmill 1st 2-sail Blue
Pepita Mike Wick 16 ft Melonseed (Brady) 1st 1-sail Blue
NN Andy Slavinskas Blue Jay (S &S) 1st BJ Blue
NN Harold Bernard Glen-L 15 2nd 2-sail Red
Obadiah Pete Peters Marsh Cat (Barto) 2 nd 1-sail Red
Skye David McCullouch
Skinny Swampscott 3rd 2-sail White
Junie Jump Up Turner Matthews Penobscot 17 1st schooner/ 3-sail Blue
NN Dan Sutherland Sailing Canoe 3rd SC White
Buna-Mon-I-Ya Aaron Surgent Crotch Island Pinkey 2nd 3-sail Red
NN George Loos Blue Jay (S & S) 2nd BJ Red
Slip Jig Kevin Brennan Navigator (Welsford) 3rd 3-sail
Baguette Carl Weissinger Baby Sandbagger 4th 2-sail
NN Kevin MacDonald Marsh Cat 3rd 1-sail
NN John Deppa Sailing Canoe 4th SC
Dandy Cat Paul Skalka Handy Cat 4th 1-sail
Catnip Ned Asplundh Marsh Cat (White) 5th 1-sail
Calico Jack Scott Lavertue Coquina (Herreshoff) 5th 2-sail
Whisper Dennis Keener Lug-rig skiff 6th 1-sail
Allegretto Larry Huffman Sea Pearl 6th 2-sail
NN John Guidera Melonseed (Jones) 1st MS Blue
Kandid Tony Thatcher Melonseed (Barto) 2nd MS Red
Crab Skiff Mike Moore Cambridge Skiff 7th 2-sail
2nd Wind Ron Hearon Blue Jay (S & S) 3rd BJ White
Wild Rover Frank Stauss Core Sound 17 8th 2-sail
Stiff Woodie John Allen Sailing Canoe 5th SC
Comfort Doug Oeller Marsh Cat 7th 1-sail
Mystic Charlie Steigerwald Sailing Dinghy 1st small Blue
Dolphin Jon Bornman Marisol skiff 2nd small Red
Sallie Adams Bob Pitt (FMM) Spritsail Sharpie 9th 2-sail
Bonita Marie Cobb DC 10 Sailboat 3rd small White
Utility skiff Jack Mizrahi Dobler 16 8th 1-sail
Whisp Phil Maynard Sharpie (Redmond) 9th 1-sail
Sierra Howell Crim Dinghy 10th 1-sail
NN Bob Lavertue Sailing Canoe 6th SC
NN Pamela Claggett Chesapeake 18 Tri Special
Apple Pie David Kavner Sailing Canoe (Rushton) 7th SC
Hanna Banana John England Skiff (England) 4th small
Sailing Canoe 8th SC
Woodwind John Sandusky Dory 9th 2-sail
Catnip Ron Gryn Catboat ( Gill Smith) 11th 1-sail
Bill Rutherford Peapod 12th 1-sail
Wee Punkin Lacy England Punkin (Thayer) 1st Sq Bow Blue
Kermit Ed Cobb SF Pelican (short) 2nd Sq Bow Red
NN Jim Thayer Punkin 3rd SQ Bow White
Wm Henry Harrison Paul Helbert Sailing Canoe (Storer) 9th SC

And Sprouted Seeds

Stephen Lansdowne

Launch first sail

My first time out. Very stable, but shifting from one side of the cockpit to the other while seated on the bottom is not easy for this older body. Sitting on the side deck is a good option if there is some wind. I'm learning how to adjust the sprit (that goes from the mast to the top of the sail) and the downhaul to keep the crease in the sail (which is not very visible here) from happening. The boat can fit two, but it is tight if both sit in the cockpit. In practice the 'crew' can sit on the front deck facing aft with his/her feet in the cockpit, shifting side to side as needed to keep the helmsman from having to change positions at all when the wind stiffens.

Forward spar support in use within mast hole

Hiding from the ducks

Actually this is me installing the cover to the rear hatch which is in the aft bulkhead. I added these to provide an air-filled flotation compartment aft 'just in case.' In practice this bulkhead is too far aft to be easily used, as is evident by the fact that I'm having to lie down just to fit the cover, which is held on (as is the forward hatch) from beneath via shock cord. While it is likely not fully watertight, it will sure slow down water entry if I capsize. Once I sailed the boat, I understand others who say that a capsize is unlikely, as she is very stable.

Launch on trailer

Going into the water at last. The cockpit coaming is cherry, with mahogany quarter round between it and the deck. In practice the square loomed Culler oars I already had and the height of the oarlock risers were not a good match, allowing the square part of the looms to scrape the top of the coaming when rowing. The solution was to make another set of oars with fully round looms and raise the oar lock risers by about an inch, which at present (Nov 09) is being done.

Primed deck and hatch

The 'spoiler' at the top of the transom is part of the decoy rail system that I opted not to install along the edge of the rest of the deck. This boat was originally used for duck hunting in the late 1800's back east. The notch in the spoiler serves to keep the tiller from swinging too far in either direction.

Beam detail 1

Cedar deck knees cut and fitted on the port side. Starboard side knees are in the foreground waiting to be installed. A temporary gusset on one side of each knee was used to hold the knee in place while the glue dried. Circular cutouts in the side of each knee are where the oar will sit. Attempts at steaming green ash knees were not successful -- grain runout and too tight a bend.

Deck beams and carlins in

Deck beams, carlins, etc. installed or ready to be glued in. Atlantic white cedar is a joy to work with. At this point I'd not yet decided to go with a centerboard. Doing so led to a need to modify some of the forward deck beams. Notice how the hull is supported by MDF scraps at the front, with carpet scraps between the hull and the MDF. A similar arrangement is used aft. The horizontal MDF pieces, which are screwed to the strongback, can be easily removed as needed. The flat bottom of the boat lets it rest easily on the strongback.

Planked

Here the outer stem sits where it will eventually be, but it was just placed there for appearance in this photo. After this was well set up, I removed alternate molds and cut extra wood from those that remained before turning the boat over with help from some rope, pulleys on the ceiling of the shop, and a few friends. Those 3/4" MDF mods are very heavy.

Garboard preparation

Trial fastening the first garboard. Chines are held down to molds via blocks screwed to the molds below the chines and screws upward through these to the chines. The chine beveling was slow, but molds needed minimal beveling for the garboard. Still, what mold beveling I did (for other strakes) was no fun!

Ttransom forward

Transom forward -- distortion caused by not shooting photo precisely – ideally the pieces of the transom should have been glued together horizontally, not vertically as I did. Keeping the aft end of the chines in place while the glue dried was rough -- I came back into the shop an hour later and found that the two chines had popped upward (toward the ceiling of the shop) and thus were not still in contact with the stem. Some fast work with some screws through a block screwed to mold 12 fixed that.

Stem lamination

1) A messy job needing clamps of the right size and advance planning. Put waxed paper or plastic film or clear packing tape between the lamination and the clamps/mold to prevent sticking. Don't make the laminations too thick. I think mine are no thicker than 1/8".

all photos Linda Lansdowne, courtesy Stephan Lansdowne

Marc Cozzi

Launched



Ready to go!



Varnished

This really is a three or fore hand job. Pushing in, holding down, aligning and screwing all at the same time. Thanks Kay.

7/8" X 7" ash mast bed mortised, glued and screwed in. Dummy mast pole is inserted in the 3" mast hole. A plum line is dropped to determine the 4" per 10' rake.

It goes slow but the results are good.

Here I've setup a rubber band driven 12' lathe. The idea is that the router will slid along the straight edge on a sled while the mast turns. Holes are drilled for centers in each end of the mast.

First deck beam installed. The arch is 3" per 25" half side.


courtesy Marc Cozzi

Each of these builders sent me links to their story after I'd requested it through the Yahoo Melonseed group. Each of these guys built beautiful boats, both to the Barto plans, I believe. Marc Barto drew detailed plans for the modern builder based on the Chapelle plans, but expanded from one page to ten, at least in the WoodenBoat version. Marc Cozzi started his project in 2002 and finished it in 2003. Stephan Lansdowne started his project in 2004 and finished in 2009. Marc has a nice website about his Melonseed, and a Rob Roy canoe he built as well as links to other melons here. Stephan Lansdowne set up his strongback in Oct 2004 and launched in August 2009. Steve doesn't have a website, but his flickr photo set is so richly captioned that it is as informative as one. I believe Barry Long has communicated with Steve about his build experience. Thanks and cheers to both these fellows, for stepping forward and congratulations on their beautiful boats.

Sprouting Seeds...

Mike Wick

Mike Wick's Melonseed, aptly named Pepita, scandalising sail at the basin of the ISM, during the 2009 Wooden Boat Festival in Philly

Mike is building another Melonseed, this one with some design modifications he wanted to implement after his experieince with Pepita.

above photos thomas armstrong

Mike is introducing camber to the deck, visible here in the model, hoping to achieve a drier sail.

The new boat is a Cortez Melonseed, I think drawn by Roger Allen of the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez, FL, with the hull built from a kit by the FMM by Ted Cook.

Mike is finishing the boat himself.

these photos courtesy John Guidera via Mike Wick

Barry Long

scribing the skeg

one of the completed hulls

both boats half stripped

Set up, keelson, stem and transom in place, twelve strips on each boat

Two at once.

Steam bent stems cooling.

And set up.

Two full sets of molds laid out.

Setting up the strongbacks for the work to proceed upon.

Barry first saw a Melonseed in an historic photo, and the boat grabbed his imagination, but it wasn't until years later that he saw this boat in MD and began his research in earnest. A year later he'd finally identified the Melonseed.

all photos in this segment courtesy Barry Long

Melonseeds evolved in the Mid Atlantic region and there's been a revival of interest in these boats in recent years. Howard Chapelle wrote about and surveyed these boats and they are included in American Small Sailing Craft, the bible for those interested in traditional American small craft. Although this revival is mainly centered in the home waters of this boat type, the popularity of the Melonseed has spread to other areas, the Midwest, the Deep South and the Northeast, at least.
Two friends of mine are currently building or finishing Melonseeds and I wanted to write about these elegant small sailboats. There's a Melonseed Yahoo group and I wrote to them inviting members to submit their build photos and text, more of that later.
Mike Wick is a fellow member of the Delaware River TSCA group and is a Melonseed devotee. Mike is a prolific boatbuilder and collecter, and has a livery of around 13 boats. He recently sold his lovely Oughtred McGregor sailing canoe to a friend up in the Thousand Island area, in an attempt to lighten his load. He's currently finishing out his second Melonseed. This one is to a design by Roger Allen, head of the Florida Maritime Museum in Cortez, Florida. Dubbed the Cortez Melonseed, an original strip planked hull was built by Mike Lucas, which he gave to Mike, who used it as a male mold for a cold molded hull, seen in the photos.That done, Mike pooped off his hull and passed it on to Roland Anderson who took over the original hull to build another melonseed. The model Mike is using to work out his deck modifications is a lazer-cut kit made by Ted Cook and are available from the Florida Maritime Museum. As seen in the photos of the model, above, Mike is making some modifications, mainly building in a camber to the deck to make his boat a drier sail. Mike's other seed Pepita was designed by John Brady and built by Carl Weissenger, and is a gem of a small boat.

Barry Long set himself an ambitious project. The Virginia based graphic designer and photographer decided, after falling in love with the Melonseed, to build a brace of seeds, one for himself and one for his better half. He's basically done that, but is still adding the finishing touches. He's also chronicled his build on a weblog, which has to be the most detailed, erudite, well written and photographed build blog I have ever encountered. Build blogs can get a little dry, but not so with Barry's, which is interspersed with amusing and enlightening asides, a host of informative comments from his followers and witty, introspective, informative and insightful commentary on the building process. Not to be missed! Barry seems to be completing the dual project and I've pushed him to get the pair done for the October MASCF in St, Michaels this year, owing to my completely selfish desire to sail one, or both of his sprouts this Autumn. I anyone reading this can make this annual celebration, I highly recommend you do so! Also, Barry's photos here will be best read from he bottom up. There are tons more photos at Barry's website.