Davis boat - Traditional Small Craft Association

The 

Ash Breeze 

Journal of the Traditional Small Craft Association, Inc. 

Vol. 28 No. 3 

Fall 2007 – $4.00 

In This Issue: 

The Davis Family, Boat Builders of Metlakatla, Alaska 

Single Up • Reports from the National Meeting 

John Gardner Project Report • Daisy R • A Boatbuilding Story 

Log of the Court of Inquiry Regarding the Loss of a Sea Scout Vessel 

Acorns and Rich Kolin

The Ash Breeze 

The Ash Breeze (ISSN 1554-5016) is the 

quarterly journal of the Traditional Small 

Craft Association, Inc. It is published at 

1557 Cattle Point Road, Friday Harbor, 

WA 98250. 

Communications concerning membership 

or mailings should be addressed to: 

P.O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355. 

www.tsca.net 

Volume 28 Number 3 

Editor 

Dan Drath 

drathmarine@rockisland.com 

Copy Editors 

Hobey DeStaebler 

Cricket Evans 

Charles Judson 

Jim Lawson 

Editor for Advertising 

Pete Evans 

Editors Emeriti 

Richard S. Kolin 

Sam & Marty King 

David & Katherine Cockey 

Ralph Notaristefano 

Ken Steinmetz 

John Stratton 

Layout with the assistance of 

The Messing About Foundation 

The Traditional Small Craft Association, 

Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational 

organization which works to preserve and 

continue the living traditions, skills, lore, 

and legends surrounding working and 

pleasure watercraft whose origins predate 

the marine gasoline engine. It encourages 

the design, construction, and use of these 

boats, and it embraces contemporary variants 

and adaptations of traditional designs. 

TSCA is an enjoyable yet practical link 

among users, designers, builders, restorers, 

historians, government, and maritime 

institutions. 

Copyright 2007 by The Traditional Small 

Craft Association, Inc. 

Editor’s Column 

There is a legislative action alert in 

this issue. It came in late in the production 

cycle and appears on page 11. Please 

read it, do your own research (I suggest 

you Google the topic) and, most importantly, 

email your concern to your representatives. 

For the bylaws change proposed in the 

insert to this issue, we are instituting the 

option of email voting. If you can make 

use of this option, please do so. Use of 

email for voting, membership reminders, 

and political action alerts has the potential 

of reducing organization expenses and 

better serving our membership. 

Regards to all, Dan Drath 

From the President 

Richard Geiger 

This year we have taken a step that 

shows that TSCA is truly a national organization. 

We’ve just held our first Council 

meeting and membership meeting outside 

of our home port of Mystic. The 

San Francisco Maritime Historical Park 

and the Sacramento Chapter were the 

hosts. The facilities and hospitality were 

top notch. The chance to participate in 

the one-week Gunkhole cruise sponsored 

by the Park, was a unique opportunity. 

You will find the minutes of the Council 

meeting and the informational notes 

from the general membership meeting 

in this issue. Unfortunately, due to a 

scheduling glitch, we missed the numbers 

for a quorum for the latter meeting, 

but information was shared and 

there was no pressing issue that needed 

to be addressed. The Council felt that it 

was good to have the flexibility to move 

the annual meeting to different locations 

around the country. Two possible spots 

that garnered enthusiasm: the Mid-Atlantic 

Small Craft Festival at the Chesapeake 

Bay Maritime Museum in St. 

Michaels, Maryland and the Wooden Boat 

Festival in Port Townsend, Washington. 

Since the bylaws stipulate that we meet 

in June, and both of these events are held 

in the fall, the Council is putting forth an 

amendment to the bylaws to be voted by 

the membership. You will find information 

in this issue of the Ash Breeze on how 

to vote on this matter. 

Since I’ve yet to attended the annual 

meeting at Mystic, I may not be familiar 

to many of you. Coincidentally, in this issue 

you will see a small piece on my 

family’s modest boat that set me on this 

path. I spent all of my vacation time in 

my first eighteen years on this little 18- 

foot gaff-rigged yawl. 

My wife Susan and I have an 18' gunning 

dory that we have sailed in the San 

Francisco Bay and Delta, and once across 

the Catalina Channel. We also sailed down 

the Loire River in France in a small lugrigged 

open boat. Although we have had 

larger boats, we have never had as much 

fun as in the small ones! 

It is my honor to serve this great group. 

Please let me hear from you. 

Email me at rggeiger@comcast.net • 

Front Cover 

The historic scow schooner Alma tends to her “chicks” on Nurse Slough near 

Suisun City in the California Delta. This was an overnight stop on the San Francisco 

Maritime Historical Park’s annual "Gunkhole" cruise. 

Twenty-five boats and sixty people participated in the event. Photograph by Kathy 

Geiger. 

Address Changes: We instruct the Postal Service to forward the journal to your 

new address, but if it is not forwardable, we are charged the full third-class fee (not 

the less expensive bulkrate fee) for its return, along with the address correction fee. 

To help us reduce postage costs and ensure that you don’t miss an issue, kindly 

send your new address to TSCA Secretary, P. O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355. 

2 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Fall 2007

Gardner Grants 

“To preserve, continue, and expand the achievements, vision and goals of John Gardner by enriching and disseminating 

our traditional small craft heritage.” In 1999, TSCA created the John Gardner Grant program to support projects for which 

sufficient funding would otherwise be unavailable. Eligible projects are those which research, document, preserve, and 

replicate traditional small craft, associated skills, and those who built and used them. Youth involvement is encouraged. 

Proposals for projects ranging from $200 to $2000 are invited for consideration. Grants are awarded competitively and 

reviewed semiannually by the John Gardner Memorial Fund Committee of TSCA, typically in May and October. The source 

of funding is the John Gardner Memorial Endowment Fund. Funding available for projects is determined annually. 

Eligible applicants include anyone who can demonstrate serious interest in, and knowledge of, traditional small craft. 

Affiliation with a museum or academic organization is not required. Projects must have tangible, enduring results which are 

published, exhibited, or otherwise made available to the interested public. Projects must be reported in the Ash Breeze. 

For program details, applications and additional information visit TSCA on the web at www.tsca.net 

Benefactors 

Life Members 

Samuel E. Johnson Sidney S. Whelan, Jr. Jean Gardner Bob Hicks Paul Reagan 

Generous Patrons 

Howard Benedict Willard A. Bradley Lee Caldwell Richard S. Kolin 

Michael S. Olson Gregg Shadduck Zach Stewart Richard B. Weir Capt C. S. Wetherell Joel Zackin 

Rodney & Julie Agar 

Doug Aikins 

Roger Allen 

Rob Barker 

C. Joseph Barnette 

Ellen & Gary Barrett 

Bruce Beglin 

Charles Benedict 

Gary Blackman 

Robert C. Briscoe 

John Burgess 

Richard A. Butz 

Charles Canniff 

Dick & Jean Anne Christie 

David Cockey 

James & Lloyd Crocket 

Thad Danielson 

Stanley R. Dickstein 

Dusty & Linda Dillion 

Terry & Erika Downes 

Dan & Eileen Drath 

Frank C. Durham 

Albert Eatock 

Michael Ellis 

...and Individual Sponsor Members 

John D. England 

David Epner 

Tom Etherington 

Edna Erven 

Friends of the NC Maritime Museum 

Ben Fuller 

Richard & Susan Geiger 

John M. Gerty 

Gerald W. Gibbs 

Jordan E. Gillman 

Les Gunther 

Mr. & Mrs. R. Bruce Hammatt, Jr. 

John A. Hawkinson 

Peter Healey 

Colin O. Hermans 

Steve Hirsch 

Stuart K. Hopkins 

K. E. Jones 

John M. Karbott 

Carl B. & Ruth W. Kaufmann 

Stephen Kessler 

Thomas E. King 

Arthur B. Lawrence, III 

Chelcie Liu 

Jon Lovell 

The Mariners Museum, 

Newport News, VA 

Pete & Susan Mathews 

Charles H. Meyer, Jr. 

Alfred P. Minnervini 

Howard Mittleman 

John S. Montague 

King Mud & Queen Tule 

Mason C. Myers 

Charles D. Nord 

David J. Pape 

W. Lee & Sibyl A. Pellum 

Stephan Perloff 

Ronald Pilling 

Robert Pitt 

Michael Porter 

Ron Render 

Don Rich 

Richard Schubert 

Paul A. Schwartz 

Karen Seo 

Michael O. Severance 

Austin Shiels 

Gary & Diane Shirley 

Charles D. Siferd 

Walter J. Simmons 

Leslie Smith 

F. Russell Smith, II 

Stephen Smith 

John P. Stratton, III 

Robert E. (Bub) Sullivan 

Jackson P. Sumner 

George Surgent 

Benjamin B. Swan 

John E. Symons 

James Thorington 

Joel Tobias 

Ray E. Tucker 

Peter T. Vermilya 

John & Ellen Weiss 

Stephen M. Weld 

Michael D. Wick 

Chip Wilson 

Robert & Judith Yorke 

J. Myron Young 

The Ash Breeze – Fall 2007_________________________________________________________ 3

“Only if our children are introduced to boats at an early age and grow 

up using them on the water will what we are doing today have any 

relevance for the future.” 

– John Gardner (former counselor, Pine Island Camp) 

Founded in 1902, Pine Island remains true to the simple, island life-style established by 

the current director’s grandfather and committed to providing an adventurous, safe summer. 

No electricity, an absence of competitive sports and the island setting make Pine 

Island unique. Ten in-camp activities offered daily, include rowing, canoeing, sailing, 

kayaking, swimming, workshop, archery, riflery, and tennis. Over thirty camping trips 

each summer, include backpacking, canoeing, kayaking and trips to the camp’s 90-acre 

salt water island. Campfire every night. Write or call the director for more information. 

Ben Swan, P.O. Box 242, Brunswick, Maine 04011 

Adirondack Chapter TSCA 

Mary Brown, 18 Hemlock Lane, Saranac 

Lake, New York 12983, 518 891-2709, 

mabrown214@hotmail.com 

Annapolis Chapter TSCA 

Sigrid Trumpy, P.O. Box 2054, Annapolis, 

MD 21404, hollace@crosslink.net 

Barnegat Bay TSCA 

Patricia H. Burke, Director, Toms River 

Seaport Society, PO Box 1111, Toms River, 

NJ 08754, 732-349-9209, 

www.tomsriverseaport.com 

Cleveland Amateur 

Boatbuilding and Boating 

Society (CABBS) 

Hank Vincenti, 7562 Brinmore Rd, 

Sagamore Hills, OH 44067, 330-467-6601, 

quest85@windstream.net 

Connecticut River 

Oar and Paddle Club 

Jon Persson, 17 Industrial Park Road Suite 

5, Centerbrook, CT 06409, 860-767-3303, 

jon.persson@snet.net 

Delaware River TSCA 

Tom Shephard, 482 Almond Rd, Pittsgrove, 

NJ 08318, tsshep41556@aol.com 

Down East Chapter 

John Silverio, 105 Proctor Rd, Lincolnville, 

ME 04849, work 207-763-3885, home 207- 

763-4652, camp: 207-763-4671, 

jsarch@midcoast.com 

Floating the Apple 

Mike Davis, 400 West 43rd St., 32R, New 

York, NY 10036, 212-564-5412, 

floapple@aol.com 

Florida Gulf Coast TSCA 

Roger B. Allen, Florida Maritime Museum, 

PO Box 100, 4415 119th St W, Cortez, FL 

34215, 

941-708-4935 or Cell 941-704-8598, 

Roger.Allen@ManateeClerk.com 

TSCA Chapters 

Join or start a chapter to enjoy the fellowship and skills which can be gained around traditional small craft 

Friends of the North Carolina 

Maritime Museum TSCA 

Brent Creelman, 315 Front Street, Beaufort, 

NC 28516, 252-728-7317, 

maritime@ncmail.com 

John Gardner Chapter 

Russ Smith, Univ of Connecticut, Avery 

Point Campus, 1084 Shennecossett Road, 

Groton, CT 06340, 860-536-1113, 

fruzzy@hotmail.com 

Lone Star Chapter 

Howard Gmelch, The Scow Schooner 

Project, POBox 1509, Anahuac, TX 77514, 

409-267-4402, scowschooner@earthlink.net 

Long Island TSCA 

Myron Young, PO Box 635, Laurel, NY 

11948, 631-298-4512 

Lost Coast Chapter - Mendocino 

Stan Halvorsen, 31051 Gibney Lane, Fort 

Bragg, CA 95437, 707-964-8342, 

Krish@mcn.org 

North Shore TSCA 

Dave Morrow, 63 Lynnfield Str, Lynn, MA 

01904, 781-598-6163 

Patuxent Small Craft Guild 

William Lake, 11740 Asbury Circle, Apt 

1301, Solomons, MD 20688, 410-394-3382, 

wlake@comcast.net 

Pine Lake Small Craft Assoc. 

Sandy Bryson, Sec., 333 Whitehills Dr, East 

Lansing, MI 48823, 517-351-5976, 

sbryson@msu.edu 

Puget Sound TSCA 

Gary Powell, 15805 140th Ct. SE, Renton, 

WA 98058, 425-255-5067, 

powellg@amazon.com 

Sacramento TSCA 

Todd Bloch, 122 Bemis Street, 

San Francisco, CA 94131, 415-971-2844, 

todd.sb@comast.net 

Scajaquada TSCA 

Charles H. Meyer, 5405 East River, Grand 

Island, NY 14072, 716-773-2515, 

chmsails@aol.com 

SE Michigan 

John Van Slembrouck, Stoney Creek 

Wooden Boat Shop, 1058 East Tienken 

Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48306, 

stoneycreek@stoneycreekboatshop.com 

South Jersey TSCA 

George Loos, 53 Beaver Dam Rd, Cape 

May Courthouse, NJ 08210, 

609-861-0018, georgeowlman@aol.com 

South Street Seaport Museum 

John B. Putnam, 207 Front Street, New 

York, NY 10038, 212-748-8600, Ext. 663 

days, www.southstseaport.org 

TSCA of Wisconsin 

James R. Kowall, c/o Door County 

Maritime Museum, 120 N Madison Ave, 

Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 920-743-4631 

Organizing 

Eastern Shore Chapter 

Mike Moore,5220 Wilson Road, Cambridge, 

MD 21613, estsca@mail.com 

Michigan Maritime 

Museum Chapter 

Pete Mathews, Secretary, PO Box 100, 

Gobles, MI 49055, 269-628-4396, 

cpcanoenut@cs.com 

ReOrganizing 

Oregon TSCA 


The Davis Family, 

Boat Builders of 

Metlakatla, Alaska 

By Rich Kolin 

The history of traditional small craft in 

America is replete with the stories of enterprising 

families who, through their talents 

and energies, made important 

contributions to our small craft heritage. 

Many are unsung and deserve to be recognized. 

One such family is the Davis family 

of Metlakatla, Alaska. Made up of three 

generations of Tsimshian Indians, this remarkable 

family designed and built beautiful 

and practical workboats that were an 

important part of the Northwest boating 

scene from the turn of the 19th century to 

the early 1960s. In 1981 the Center for 

Wooden Boats in Seattle published a marvelous 

monograph written by Marty 

Loken, which told this family’s story. Unfortunately, 

it is out of print. It served as 

the major source for this article. 

Grandfather John Davis started out his 

boatbuilding business as a part time 

builder of skiffs in Vancouver, BC in the 

late 1880s. The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 

drew him south to help rebuilt the city. It 

was the Alaskan gold rush in the late 1890s 

that gave him his start. John and his son 

Rod spent three summers at Lake 

Lindeman and Lake Bennet building boats 

for the miners who needed to transport 

their supplies down the Yukon River to 

the goldfields. Working with hand tools 

alone and newly felled trees they built 

rough barges and rowboats. Diligently 

saving the money from this work, they 

were able to set up a boat building business 

in Metlakatla, Alaska, a new community 

of Tsimshian Indians founded by 

a missionary, Father William Duncan. 

Duncan designed the community around 

Profile of a later 14-1/2' model from which the 

measurements were taken. All pictures by the author. 

the economy and culture of the United 

States with the concept that it would be 

self-supporting. Under this premise Father 

Duncan got the U.S. Congress to cede 

86,000 acres to the Metlakatla Indians. 

This was the first land grant reservation 

in the Alaskan territory. 

John and Rod became an important link 

in the local economy by founding a sawmill, 

boatyard, general store, and fish 

saltery. John Sr. was the master boat 

builder; Rod turned out to be an enterprising 

businessman selling boats and eventually 

branching out into a bowling alley 

and a movie theater. John and Rod sold 

their boats through a network of agents in 

many of the major coastal towns and villages. 

These agents were usually postmasters 

and owners of the local general store. 

When grandson John Jr. was old enough, 

he went to Seattle to attend a trade school 

to learn boat design and helped the family 

business by designing fishing boats. 

The family built sealing boats, skiffs, 

and lighthouse tenders. Their big hit was 

a double-ended boat, which began a new 

hand trolling salmon fishery on the Alaskan 

coast. These popular boats were 14 to 

18 feet long and resembled the Maine 

peapod although their design influence 

came from the sealing boats. With the introduction 

of outboard motors, the Davis 

family came out with a new design, the 

square sterned Davis boat. This design was 

a transition between the time of oar propulsion 

and motor 

power. It is not a planing 

boat. It is a displacement 

boat which rows 

well and is easily pushed 

by a low powered outboard. 

Its sharp bow followed 

by flat floors 

makes for an easily 

driven yet stable hull. 

The high freeboard allows 

for a dry sea boat. 

Somewhere in the period a new design for 

the double-ender appeared with a plumb 

stem. Pictures from the 1930s show both 

double-enders. 

In 1999 I was fortunate to find a 14 foot 

square sterned Davis boat being restored 

in Marty Loken’s (Marty is the editor of 

the newsletter of the Classic Boat Society) 

classic boat restoration shop. I made 

several visits and took the lines off. In the 

spring of 2001, a class held at my shop in 

Marysville, Washington through the auspices 

of The Center for Wooden Boats 

(CWB), built a boat to those lines with a 

modified construction plan. This new construction 

plan beefed up the frames, added 

limbers and bent floors to increase her 

strength and longevity. This boat turned 

out to be all that I hoped and will be part 

of the rental fleet at the new CWB facility 

at the Cama Beach State Park on Camano 

Island, WA that will open in 2008. 

In 2006, I received a TSCA Gardner 

grant to measure a 14-1/2 foot doubleended 

Davis boat in the CWB collection. 

The original double enders had bows more 

reminiscent of the sealing boats possibly 

derived from New Bedford whaling boats. 

This boat had a plumb stem and was designed 

for oar and sail. An early photograph 

shows both types participating in a 

race at Ketchikan, Alaska. The sailing rig 

was rudimentary, consisting of a marconi 

rig with a long boom. All spars fit into the 

boat. It was steered by one of the oars us- 


ing the outrigger oarlocks. 

Plans for both the square sterned and 

the newer plumb stem double-ended Davis 

boats can be obtained from the CWB. Unfortunately 

the early double ender from the 

CWB collection was stolen. A rough set 

of lines was included in a monograph on 

the Davis family published in 1981 by the 

CWB. Unfortunately, this monograph is 

no longer available. A replica was built 

from these lines but the lines needed to be 

considerably reworked. If another one of 

these older boats turns up, and there are 

some around, I will make every effort to 

measure it. 

Richard Kolin 

4107 77th Place NW 

Tulalip, WA 98271 

360-659-5591 

kolin1@tulalipbroadband.net 

The Center for Wooden Boats can be 

reached at: 

1010 Valley Street 

Seattle, WA 98109 

206-382-BOAT 

cwb.org 

About the Author 

Rich Kolin has been a professional boat 

builder for over 35 years and has been 

teaching classes through the CWB for over 

25 years. He is a past vice president of the 

board of the CWB and was the founding 

editor of the Ash Breeze, the newsletter of 

the Traditional Small Craft Association. 

He is the author of many articles 

about traditional small craft and 

the author of two books on 

boatbuilding: Traditional Boat 

Boatbuilding Made Easy Building 

Catherine (building a 14 foot 

pulling boat in the Whitehall tradition), 

and Traditional Boatbuilding 

Made Easy: Building 

Heidi (a 12 foot skiff for oar and 

sail). • 

Stern view of square stern Davis boat. 

Profile of the square sterned Davis boat. 

Bow on view of the later model double 

ended Davis boat. 


Note: This construction plan depicts the materials used in the 

measured boat. There are differences between this boat and the 

boats manufactured in Metlakatla in the period before the 1940s. 

In the early boats teak was not used. Fir or yellow cedar was 

used instead. Also there would be only one knee be thwart. In the 

boats built after the 1920s, the stem and stern post would be made 

up of three futtocks. 

To date there is no information about where or when this boat 

was built. 


Single Up 

An open letter by Harry Broady 

To All my Friends and Fellow Members 

at TSCA: 

On October 8 of this year ~ Columbus 

Day ~ a day as good as any. 

I like it to be known that on this day, I 

will ~ Come About ~ Head Up Into The 

Wind ~ Drop Anchor ~ Lower My Sails ~ 

Secure ~ And ~ Row Ashore ~. 

~ And in this way end my 86 years of 

—ACTIVE—Sailing ~ Rowing ~ Sculling 

~ Boating ~ and ~ Sjömanslive.~ 

When I was 6 months old, my family 

sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a 

Steamer to Sweden (the best sleep I ever 

had). It was my first taste of being at sea 

and also the opportunity to breathe the 

Atlantic Salt Air. 

As for Nord Vinden, she is for sale and 

if there are no takers, she will enter that 

venerable fleet of small boats you will find 

in old sheds, old barns, garages, boat yards 

or perhaps under cover behind the house. 

As for myself, I will sit back, reminisce 

and dream, with fond memories of so 

many wonderful days on the water. 

BUT...If it so happens that I would be 

down at the Harbor and see a beautiful, 

sailboat pass by with a bone in her teeth, 

all her sails drawing. 

WATCH ~ MY ~ WHISTLE 

Harry Broady 

Puget Sound Chapter • 

National Council 

Members 

2005-2008 

Bill Covert, Delaware River 

Richard Geiger, Sacramento 

Chauncy Rucker, John Gardner 

2006-2009 

Clifford Cain, Sacramento 

David Cockey, Southeast Michigan 

Chuck Meyer, Scajaquada 

2007-2010 

Robert Pitt, Florida Gulf Coast 

Todd Bloch, Sacramento 

Jim Swallow, Lost Coast • 

Harry Broady sailing Nord Vinden in a recent Puget 

Sound Chapter event. 

Nord Vinden 

For Sale 

Harry Broady read about George Holmes 

design of his canoe yawl Ethel in a book, 

Sail and Oar by John Leather, and was 

much taken by the article and the line 

drawing. Hence Nord Vinden came to be. 

She was built by William Clements 

Boatbuilder at his shop in North Billerica, 

MA in winter of 1987. 

Her particulars are: 

Length 13'-0" 

Beam 4'-6" 

Draft 6" — board down 24" (folding 

centerboard) 

Sail area 100 sqft. (main 80, mizzen 

20) 

Weight approximately 350 lbs. 

Construction: 6mm sapele plywood epoxy 

fastened (plus copper rivets on 6" center 

for good looks) 

Deck 1-1/4" strip-planked Santa Maria 

wood with cover board 

Spars, booms and yards Sitka Spruce, 

Sails by Sail Right 

Rudder weighted tiltup 

Trailer including with 

purchase of boat, new 

axle, spindles and bearings, 

replaced Spring 

2006 

Asking price $7,900 

US 

for further information, 

contact: 

Harry Broady 

16867 Odom Lane 

SE 

Monroe, WA 98272 

360-794-1227 

hbroady@earthlink.net 

• 

Letter to the 

Editor 

Dear Editor: 

A proposal was made 

in the June 10th non 

meeting of the TSCA in San Francisco, or 

in the Council meeting following, that we 

change the bylaws to eliminate the requirement 

for the TSCA general meeting to be 

in June, to create the ability of the Council 

to schedule our annual meetings to coincide 

with one or another of the big 

boating events that occur during the 

spring-summer-fall boating season. 

The eighty mile, five day San Francisco 

Maritime National Historic Park’s 

gunkholing trip into the Sacramento River 

Delta was just such an attractive boating 

event. Many TSCA members came. But 

when the timing of the gunkhole cartrailer 

shuttle to the haul out changed to 

morning from afternoon, sixteen people 

didn’t attend our meeting. 

And then there were weddings, birthdays, 

graduations, injuries, gas prices, and 

so on, and nobody thought of proxies. 

The Council meeting did happen, between 

live bodies, proxies, and a telephone 

connection with somebody on the car 

shuttle. Those minutes will be posted. 

Cricket Evans, Mme Ex • 


Minutes of the 

Council Meeting 

of the TSCA 

June 10, 2007 

San Francisco, CA 

Members Present: E. Evans, President; 

C. Rucker, J. Weiss; T. Bloch (by telephone); 

C. Cain; R. Geiger. Proxies: B. 

Covert (Rucker); J. Swallow (Geiger); C. 

Meyers (Evans). 

1. Call To Order. 11:00 

2. Seating of new Council members. 

Members of the new Council are: T. Bloch, 

J. Swallow, and B. Pitt. 

3. Richard Geiger was elected President, 

Todd Bloch, Vice President. Secretary is 

Elizabeth M. Evans. Charles Meyer will 

continue as Treasurer. 

4. President Geiger continued the meeting. 

5. Old minutes were accepted as they 

appear on our website, www.TSCA.net. 

6. New Business 

6.1 Ash Breeze: Mr. Weiss will make 

extra copies available to boatshops, libraries, 

and other suitable venues. 

6.2 Legislative Watch: a volunteer is 

needed for this vital function. 

6.3 General Meeting Location: the issue 

is whether we may move the General 

Meeting location each year to involve 

other chapters in hosting the meeting. Mr. 

Cain suggested that the bylaws be 

amended to allow such a change. Mr. 

Rucker proposed that the annual meeting 

could coincide with a major boat show. 

Mr. Weiss will draft a proposal for the consideration 

of the membership. 

6.4 Mr. Rucker detailed the plan for the 

TSCA participation in the Newport 

Wooden Boat Show, June 29–July 1. Expenses 

have escalated, and funds need to 

be increased. The Council determined that 

these needs be met. 

7. Meeting adjourned 11:55. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Jim Lawson, Secretary • 

Vote By Email 

Minutes of the National 

General Membership 

Meeting of the TSCA. 

June 10, 2007 

Members Present: Evans, President; 

Lawson, Secretary; Clifford and Marian 

Cain; Rucker, Geiger, Caldwell. 

Proxies: Halverson, Schuldt, Dillion, 

Allen, Covert, Greenwood, Swallow, J. 

Rucker. 

1. Call to Order, 1030 

2. Election of Board Members: These 

members will serve on the Board for the 

coming term: Todd Bloch, Bob Pitt, and 

Jim Swallow. 

3. John Gardner Grant Funds. The issue 

of whether Association funds may be 

transferred to the John Gardner Fund will 

be presented to the membership through 

the Ash Breeze. 

Informational Items 

3.1 The record of Council action for the 

previous year is available on our website, 

www.TSCA.net. 

3.2 The Treasurer’s Report is also on 

our web site. 

3.3 Mr. Weiss’s comprehensive membership 

report is on the website. 

3.4 Ash Breeze report is on the website. 

3.5 John Gardner Grants Report. Mr. 

Cockey’s report is in the mail. 

4. Adjourned 11:00. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Jim Lawson, Secretary • 

2007 Annual Report 

Membership, 

Chapters 

and WEB Site 

Submitted by John Weiss 

Membership 

Current membership is down slightly 

from a year ago, continuing a 3-year trend. 

Though there is a decline from 2006-2007, 

the increase in Sponsor members makes 

up for them in total income. I have attached 

a chart showing the trends, but the 

fidelity of the historic data is not great. 

Only the last three years are taken from 

consistent data. Starting in 2005 I stan- 

dardized the way in which we account for 

lapsed memberships and the method of 

identifying and purging long-time delinquent 

members from the active roster. 

The current membership numbers and 

comparisons with last year are: 

714 domestic and 21 foreign (down 

from 717 and 25) 

123 Sponsor members (up from 111) 

46 complimentary/life (down from 47) 

118 lapsed (Jul-Dec 06; up from 108) 

Membership renewal fulfillment continues 

on a bi-monthly basis, and is a combined 

effort of Peter and Cricket Evans, 

Roger Allen, and John Weiss. Roger has 

responsibility for all members with Florida 

addresses, and Peter is working with the 

corporate sponsors. Every two months, renewal 

reminders are sent by the Membership 

Coordinators to all active members – 

post cards to US and Canada addresses, 

and first class to other foreign addresses. 

Total mailings from July 06 through June 

07 were 459 (down from 536 last year). 

Part of the decrease in notices is due to 

the fact that several chapters, notably the 

Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, collect dues 

from some or all of their members and 

forward them to us without our having to 

send individual notices. Several Corporate 

Sponsor Members also sent dues directly 

to Dan Drath along with ad copy for the 

Ash Breeze. We are current in notifications 

through June 07 expirations. 

Additional “Final Notice” mailings 

were sent in October 06 and February 07 

to a total of 174 lapsed members, for a 

total of 633 notices sent (down from 711). 

Approximately 20% of those have renewed. 

Delinquent members from Jun 06 

and prior have been removed from the 

active roster. Applications are processed 

by Treasurer Chuck Meyer, and updates 

sent approximately twice monthly to John 

Weiss. New membership cards (again, post 

cards to US and Canada, first class otherwise) 

are sent from Seattle after each update. 

With responses from reminders plus 

new membership applications, a total of 

466 cards were sent between Jun 06 and 

May 07 (down from 557). The updated 

mailing list is also used for the Ash Breeze 

mailing. 

We have collected a total of 436 email 

addresses (up from 410 last year) via renewal 

cards, but we have not yet instituted 


a process for email renewal notices. This 

is still on my “to do” list...Costs for printing 

and postage for Membership fulfillment 

totaled $314.31 in the past year, 

down from $661.97. The big savings resulted 

from putting Council election ballots 

in the Ash Breeze. Next year, however, 

we will see the effect of the recent postage 

rate increase. Also, Florida members’ renewal 

expenses are covered by the Florida 

Maritime Museum, which includes TSCA 

membership in their museum membership. 

Details of Membership Coordinators’ 

expenses are: 

From Cricket Evans in Berkeley, CA: 

Cardstock & printing & US Postal Service 

(postage) $47.00 

From John Weiss in Seattle, WA: 

US Postal Service (postage) $219.44 

Card stock $47.87 

Total $267.31 

Chapters 

We currently have 24 active chapters 

and 4 inactive chapters (Maury River, 

Oregon, Potomac, and Upper Chesapeake). 

In the past year we approved 1 new 

chapter, CABBS (Cleveland Amateur 

Boating & Boatbuilding Society). There 

are currently 4 chapters organizing at the 

Michigan Maritime Museum in South 

Haven, the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, 

Jones River, MA, and Austin, TX. 

Previous efforts to organize chapters in St. 

Louis, MO; Minneapolis; and Dallas-Fort 

Worth have been abandoned by the organizers. 

Web Site and Internet 

The web site at www.tsca.net remains a 

very visible means of information exchange 

and recruiting of new members 

and chapters. The site is hosted by By-the- 

Sea.com, and a current backup copy of the 

entire site is maintained by John Weiss. 

Domain registration is paid through 

March 2009. The hosting fee to By-the- 

Sea.com is $107 per year, and is the only 

current expense. We were recently notified 

by the web host that we have exceeded 

our current contracted web storage limit, 

so the hosting expense will increase a bit 

this coming year. I installed “hit counters” 

on the National and Puget Sound Chapter 

home pages. The National site has recorded 

approximately 11,200 discrete hits 

in the past 12 months (30,800 total since 

Sep 14, 2004), and the Puget Sound site 

recorded 2,400 (7,300 total). The web site 

has become the repository of many TSCA 

archives, including the Constitution and 

Bylaws, official meeting Minutes, back 

copies of the Ash Breeze, an international 

events calendar, and space for members’ 

writings and photo essays. The latest entry 

is an almost-complete account of the 

sailing voyage of the Altura II from New 

York to San Francisco in 1941. Author 

Howard Benedict is a longtime TSCA 

member, now living in Spain. The site is 

updated regularly, as information is received, 

so send input to Webmaster John 

Weiss via email to jrweiss@attglobal.net 

at any time. 

Six chapters now maintain their web 

sites within the tsca.net domain: CROPC, 

Delaware River, Florida Gulf Coast, John 

Gardner, Puget Sound, and Sacramento. 

SE Michigan is in the planning process. 

The Floating the Apple, Friends of the 

North Carolina Maritime Museum, Lone 

Star, and South Street Seaport Museum 

chapters maintain their own web sites in 

other domains. TSCA also hosts 6 email 

forums or discussion groups on Yahoo 

Groups, with total of 288 participants. 

One is a general, national forum; one 

each is dedicated to the Delaware River, 

Florida Gulf Coast, Puget Sound and SE 

Michigan Chapters; and one is dedicated 

to the national Council and Officers for 

TSCA business, discussions, and voting. 

All 6 forums are currently active. Current 

policy is to allow interested members access 

to the Council forum on request to 

the President; several former officers and 

Council members still participate in discussions. 

All that is required to participate 

is a web browser and email address. 

Information on joining these forums is 

available on the web site – see the link to 

“Email discussion forum” on the home 

page. Any chapter that wants assistance 

in building a web presence needs only to 

contact John Weiss for assistance. Also, 

he can set up an email discussion group 

on request for any chapter, special event, 

or other sub-group. • 

Case your ballot 

by Email 

Ash Breeze Report 

Submitted by Dan Drath 

General 

· Four issues were published in the last 

year. 

· Production costs were $10,463. 

· Cost estimate for the next year is 

$10,600. 

· By including the June ballot in as a 

page in the Ash Breeze, we saved $118 in 

printing and approximately $300 in first 

class postage. 

Mailing Permit 

· We continue to use the mailing permit 

of All-the-Answers in Providence. This is 

a no-cost-to-us benefit of having ATA do 

our labeling and mailing. 

Editorial 

· Reader response has increased in the 

last year, comments both good and not so 

good. 

· It has become easier to get material. 

Organizational 

· At this time, the ad pages are nearly 

all paid up and producing revenue. Pete 

Evans has taken on the job of keeping the 

ads and revenue in step. 

· Hobey DeStaebler, Cricket Evans, 

Charles Judson, Jim Lawson and John 

Weiss have given great editorial and production 

support. 

Recommendations 

· Thought should be given to mailing a 

few copies of the Ash Breeze to boat shops 

around the country in a rolling list. There 

would be little additional cost to such a 

distribution. 

· A volunteer is needed to prepare the 

list of candidate boat shops. 

· The distribution of free copies of the 

Ash Breeze to individuals should be reviewed 

to see what we are accomplishing. 

• 

Reverse Card 

Rowing Compass 

Submitted by William Graham 

After many calls from rowers, I have 

asked Danforth Compass to make me reverse 

card rowing compasses. They will 

be available through Rowing Sport, 

Ipswich, MA 978 356-3623 • 


Financial 

Statement 

June 1, 2006 to May 31, 2007 

Submitted by 

Charles H Meyer, Jr, Treasurer 

KeyBank Opening Balance $0 

Transfer fromChelsea Bank 

$19,504 

Income 

June 2006 $3,986 

Jul $1,165 

Aug $733 

Aug* $400 

Sep $1,508 

Oct $964 

Nov $1,261 

Dec 2007 $1,327 

Jan $620 

Feb $2,063 

Mar $694 

Apr $560 

May $1,404 

Total Income $16,685 

Expense 

June 2006 $2,560 

Jul $800 

Aug $193 

Sep $2,875 

Sep* $347 

Oct $0 

Nov $100 

Dec 2007 $0 

Jan $2,585 

Feb $176 

Mar $2,696 

Apr $30 

May $591 

Total Expense $12,953 

Cash at Key Bank $23,236 

Chelsea Bank 

CD $10,106 

Checking A/C $200 

Total Assets $33,542 

* per John Symons Records 

Figures rounded to nearest dollar. 

• 

Florida Maritime 

Museum Rebuilding 

Refugee Boat 

Submitted by Doug Calhoun 

The Florida Maritime Museum at 

Cortez, FL, is currently rebuilding a boat 

that six Cuban refugees used to reach the 

Florida Keys in 1990. 

The fifteen foot sail boat boat was found 

in the grass flats on the Atlantic side of 

Windley Key, FL. For the next sixteen 

years it rested on land as lawn art for a 

fishing cottage in Islamorada until the 

owner, Janice Rice-Carillo, decided to 

donate it to the Museum. Bob Pitt, Museum 

Boat Builder, and Paul Thomas, 

President of the Florida Gulf Coast TSCA, 

went down to get her. Those years had 

taken such a toll on the boat that before 

trailering her back to Cortez from the 

Keys, Bob took several pictures of her. He 

and Paul worried about how much of her 

would survive the road trip, and they 

wanted to have at least an image of her 

original shape when they returned. 

The deterioration the boat suffered open 

to all nature had to offer has provided a 

real challenge to the skill and the will of 

the volunteers at the museum. Dry rot, 

termites, and carpenter ants had attacked 

a great deal of her. The entire bottom and 

the adjacent planks, along with what remained 

of the keelson, the centerboard 

trunk and the centerboard itself had to be 

removed. 

Taking the boat apart has been an important 

experience for the volunteers, and 

they have used and added to their basic 

boat building skills. More than that they 

have gained a great deal of admiration for 

the skills of the Cubans who built her. 

Much of the wood appears to have been 

taken from other uses, perhaps other boats, 

perhaps docks or buildings. The frames 

and planks were held together with several 

types of fasteners. Some of the different 

sized copper fasteners seem to have 

been cut and made from wires placed in 

some holder and a head hammered on 

them. A few cut iron nails were used too 

that could have been made for the boat or 

adapted from a building or even furniture 

and maybe from a horse’s hoof. 

While the ingenuity of Cubans in adapting 

other forms of transportation to or 

building watercraft is well known, working 

on a restoration or a rebuilding of a 

wooden boat actually used by Cubans to 

reach the United States makes one aware 

of their skill, ingenuity and ultimately 

their daring. 

The rebuilding is slow and the progress 

will be reported from time to time. 

The museum would be interested in receiving 

donations of other Cuban refugee 

boats. 

For additional information, contact the 

author at calbooks@pcsonline.com • 

BoatU.S. Action Alert: 

EPA Discharge Permit 

for Recreational Boats 

National Action Alert 

For 34 years the federal Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) has exempted 

discharges from recreational boats from 

the Clean Water Act permit system. Regretfully, 

a recent court ruling cancelled 

this permit exemption. EPA is required 

by the court decision to develop and implement 

by September 30, 2008 a national 

permit system for ALL vessels in the 

United States for a variety of normal operational 

discharges. 

The Recreational Boating Act of 2007 

(H.R. 2550) has been introduced by Representatives 

Gene Taylor (D-Miss) and 

Candice Miller (R-Mich) which would 

protect recreational boats from being swept 

into this unnecessary and expensive permitting 

system. 

If the permit system becomes a reality, 

you will be required to pay for a state permit 

for each of your boats. EPA will be 

monitoring your deck runoff, grey water, 

bilge water, engine cooling water, and the 

use of copper bottom paints. 

The original lawsuit that led to this court 

decision sought to address ballast water 

discharges from large ocean-going ships, 

which can introduce damaging aquatic invasive 

species into U.S. waters. Keeping 

our waterways clean and preventing the 

spread of invasive species is of utmost imcontinued 

on page 18 


Gardner Grant 

Application 

Name: Michigan Maritime Museum 

Address: 260 Dyckman Ave., South 

Haven, MI 49090 

Phone: 269-637-8078 

Web: 

www.michigamaritimemuseum.org 

Project Directors: Cobie Ball and 

David Ludwig 

Address: 260 Dyckman Ave., South 

Haven, MI 49090 

Phone: 269-637-8078 

Email: 

Cobie@michiganmaritimemuseum.org 

and 

David@michiganmaritimemuseum.org 

Michigan Maritime Museum Organizational 

History: The Michigan Maritime 

Museum is a private, not-for-profit, 

corporation with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. 

Since its inception in 1976, the Michigan 

Maritime Museum has developed its 

facilities and resources to meet the growing 

demand(s) for maritime research, preservation, 

and education in Michigan and 

the surrounding Great Lakes region. 

These developments have included the advancement 

of rich artifact and archival collections, 

strong commitments to 

education, and a constant dedication to 

high quality programs and services. No 

institution in Michigan has attained the 

same levels of expertise and infrastructure 

necessary to achieve these far-reaching 

goals of maritime preservation and education. 

The Maritime Museum is the only 

institution that focuses on the complete 

chronological history of Michigan’s maritime 

heritage. 

Mission Statement: The core purpose 

of the Michigan Maritime Museum is to 

provide maritime education through research, 

collections, preservation, and the 

preservation of Michigan’s Great Lakes 

and waterways history and culture. 

Vision Statement: The Michigan Maritime 

Museum seeks to be Michigan’s leading 

institution of maritime education, 

research, and preservation—serving the 

broadest audience. 

Audience Served: The Michigan Maritime 

Museum serves approximately 1,000 

members and between 10,000–50,000 visitors 

each year depending on events and 

programming. Over the last few years, 

visitors came from 48 states and twelve 

countries, with over 75% coming from 

beyond the immediate area. In 1998, the 

Museum brought the American Sail Training 

Association (ASTA) Tall Ships Challenge 

to South Haven. This event attracted 

over 250,000 people to the area, and 

earned South Haven the ASTA “Tall Ship 

Port of the Year” award. In 2001, the 

Museum drew an audience from 25 states 

when it hosted the national boat show of 

the Brooklin, Maine, based WoodenBoat. 

Building and operating Friends Good 

Will, a historic replica tall ship, provides 

the Museum an unprecedented opportunity 

to reach new and diverse audiences 

by sailing to ports in Michigan, Illinois, 

Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, 

Pennsylvania, and Canada to deliver quality 

educational programs. 

Project Title: Documenting and Constructing 

a Traditional Au Sable River 

Boat 

Amount Requested: $1300 

Project Description: The Au Sable 

River Boat is a small craft indigenous to 

the state of Michigan. The first written 

account of the Au Sable River Boat was in 

1879. Some theories of its origin are that 

it was inspired by dugout canoes made by 

local Native Americans or that it is derived 

from the lumber bateau. The craft 

is named for the Au Sable River in the 

northeastern quadrant of Michigan’s 

Lower Peninsula. In the latter half of the 

19 th century, lumbermen used this shallow 

river as a water highway. Old growth lumber, 

one and one-third billion feet of logs, 

was harvested from the surrounding region 

and floated down the river. During 

that lumber boom, Au Sable River boats 

were used to carry tools and equipment 

up and down the river. Powered primarily 

by use of poles, this shallow-water 

craft was made of local white pine. 

Though logging companies moved on, the 

Au Sable River boat remained and found 

new use as a recreational craft for fishermen 

along the Au Sable and Manistee rivers. 

Recreational use of the craft remains 

its primary function to this day. 

Over 125 years have passed since this 

unique type of boat evolved. That the craft 

is still in use today is evidence that its design 

has stood the test of time. Though 

one can find the boat still being constructed, 

it is rare to find one made in the 

truly historic manner with traditional 

materials. It is the goal of the Michigan 

Maritime Museum, through this project, 

to research, document, and construct for 

posterity a traditional Au Sable River boat 

before the last remaining authentic examples 

of this subtype craft are gone. 

Pursuant to this goal, the following steps 

are proposed for this Gardner Grant application: 

1) To photograph and take the lines off 

at least one existing traditionally-constructed 

Au Sable River boat. 

2) To loft the lines full size from the 

offsets on a CAD machine; this work will 

be performed by Tom Jarosch, a MMM 

volunteer and professional naval architect. 

3) To make station molds from the 

loftings. 

4) To construct the craft. 

5) To finish (sand, paint and varnish) 

the craft. 

6) To build a cradle for exhibiting and 

storing the craft. 

The construction work will be completed 

on the campus of the Michigan 

Maritime Museum where Museum visitors 

can observe and learn from the project 

as it progresses. 

7) A summary article will be submitted 

to The Ash Breeze for publication in 2007. 

8) Historic documentation and other 

information about the Au Sable River boat 

gathered for this project will be added to 

the holdings at the Michigan Maritime 

Museum’s Great Lakes Research Library 

and will be available for public research. 

Periodic progress reports will be submitted 

to the Gardner Grant Committee, 

and a summary report will be filed at the 

end of the project. A timeline will be filed 

once the grant is made and supplemental 

funding secured. Full acknowledgement 

of the Gardner Grant funding will be made 

in all publications. 

Project Team: The Au Sable River 

boat project will be under the direction 

of Cobie Ball and David Ludwig, 


Curator and Boat Shed Director, 

respectively, of the Michigan Maritime 

Museum. 

Cobie Ball has worked in the museum 

field for many years and has extensive 

experience is project management and 

historical research. 

David Ludwig is an accomplished carpenter 

and builder. He has been the Boat 

Shed Director since 2002. He has developed 

numerous boat building and restoration 

programs and assisted in the design 

and construction of Friends Good Will, the 

Museum’s 1811 replica tall ship. 

Other members of the project team are 

members of the Museum’s Small Craft 

Care Club. These individuals include: 

Pete Mathews is a longtime Wooden- 

Boat School instructor, a canoe builder and 

restorer, and a paddling enthusiast. He is 

an expert on marine paints, having recently 

retired from Interlux Paints. He has 

authored several articles on traditional 

small craft. An expert photographer, Pete 

specializes in maritime scenes. 

Sandy Bryson is the author of several 

Ash Breeze articles, a builder of several 

small craft, was a participant in the Skaneateles 

#5 boat documentation project 

(supported by a recent Gardner Grant), 

Secretary/Treasurer of the Pine Lake 

TSCA, and is an educator. 

Tom Jarosch, BSE Naval Architecture 

and Marine Engineering, MSE Industrial 

and Operations Engineering, University 

of Michigan, Registered Professional Engineer. 

Tom has built several small craft, 

was a participant in the Skaneateles #5 

boat documentation project , was an assistant 

instructor in “Sailor Girl” construction 

classes, and serves as President of the 

Pine Lake TSCA. 

Dick Dodson has been repairing and 

building wooden boats (sailboats, 

powerboats and canoes) for 40 years. 

Frank James is a hobbyist woodworker 

and a restorer of antique wooden boats. 

He was a paid member of both the Michigan 

Maritime Museum’s Evelyn S fish tug 

restoration team and the Friends Good 

Will historic below-decks reconstruction 

team. 

Impact: 

1) Documentation of an indigenous and 

historic Michigan watercraft 

2) Preservation of technical knowledge 

of the Au Sable River boat through construction 

of an example of this unique and 

historic Michigan watercraft 

3) Addition of an accurate reproduction 

of an indigenous and historic Michigan 

watercraft to the small craft collection 

of the Michigan Maritime Museum, the 

official maritime museum of the state of 

Michigan 

4) Increased and broadened 

boatbuilding skills of Michigan Maritime 

Museum volunteers 

5) Increased public awareness of 

Michigan’s small watercraft history 

through observation by Museum visitors 

of the Au Sable River boat construction 

underway on Museum grounds 

6) Future uses of the Au Sable River 

boat at the Museum include periodic inwater 

demonstrations, inclusion in temporary 

exhibits in Museum gallery, display 

at the Museum’s Collections/Library facility, 

on-loan travel to other cultural institutions, 

and focused public 

programming. 

Evaluation/Documentation: 

1) Resources to be consulted by the 

project team to guide them in the documentation 

and construction design of the 

Au Sable River boat include: 

· Primary and secondary source materials 

at the Museum’s Great Lakes Research 

Library 

· Primary and secondary source materials 

at other cultural and historic institutions 

which may include the Michigan 

State University Museum. 

· Gary Willaby and Jay Stephens, modern 

builders of Au Sable River boats 

· Historic examples of Au Sable River 

boats owned by the DNR . 

2) A summary article will be submitted 

to The Ash Breeze for publication in 2007. 

3) Historic documentation and other 

information about the Au Sable River boat 

gathered for this project will be added to 

the holdings at the Michigan Maritime 

Museum’s Great Lakes Research Library 

and will be available for public research. 

4) Full acknowledgement of the Gardner 

Grant will be made in all publications. 

Budget: 

Expected Income Source: 

Gardner Grant $1300 

Michigan Maritime Museum $525 

A funding grant of $1300 from the John 

Gardner Program will enable the Michigan 

Maritime Museum to proceed with 

this project. Without this grant, the project 

will not be possible. • 

NC Maritime Museum 

Fall In The WaterMeet 

The 2007 Fall In-the-Water Meet will 

be held at the new dock facilities at Olde 

Beaufort Seaport on September 15. Come 

join in this celebration of small craft and 

check out the new facilities. The museum 

will have the fleet of spritsail skiffs there 

for TSCA members to sail and, if conditions 

warrant, take visitors for boat rides. 

All small craft are welcome and we hope 

to have quite a collection of boats on hand! 

A pig pickin’ is planned and everyone 

is welcome to attend. $10/pp ($5/pp for 

current TSCA members). 

Friends office 252-728-1638 • 

Kisses, one of the 30 largest yachts in 

the world, visits Friday Harbor, WA. She 

is 175 feet, registered in George Town, 

Grand Cayman Islands and powered by 

two 1,360-hp diesel engines. 

Emily Joan is 15 feet over all. Her home 

port is Friday Harbor. The experience of 

a morning row around Brown Island is 

priceless. • 


Gardner Grant 

Update 

Submitted by Pete Mathews 

On June 4th 2006, the Gardner Grant 

committee generously granted $900 to the 

Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter. 

This grant was for the documentation and 

construction of an Au Sable River Boat. It 

came at a time when the chapter was just 

forming so it came both as an act of faith 

by the committee and as a means of coalescing 

the group around the project. 

The original plan had been to take the 

lines off an early Au Sable River Boat on 

display at the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery 

outside Kalamazoo, Michigan. It turns out 

this boat had been moved to the Carl Smith 

Hunting and Fishing museum in Cadillac, 

Michigan. It was then loaned to a historical 

society and so was not available to us. 

Some time ago I had taken the lines off a 

modern reproduction of a 1930s era boat 

that could have been used, but fate, as if 

often does, intervened. While on a fishing 

trip to the area I stopped at The Fly 

Factory in Grayling, Michigan. I knew 

they had an original (circa 1915) Au Sable 

River Boat on display. In talking to Steve 

Southard, the owner, about the history of 

the boat I mentioned the idea of documenting 

the boats and, if possible, acquiring 

one for the museum, knowing he wasn’t 

going to give up his. To my surprise Steve 

said “Aw s—t Pete, come with me.” He 

led me out behind a storage building, and 

there, sitting on two equally old and decrepit 

saw horses, was an Au Sable River 

Boat, or what was left of one. (see photos) 

It was uncovered, but not sitting there full 

of water. The holes in the bottom had let 

any water run out. It was painted “Redwood” 

red inside and out. It was believed 

the boat had been built by Arthur E. 

Wakely in 1912 or 1913. At the end of it’s 

useful life as a fishing boat it had landed 

at the Redwood Motel in Grayling Michigan. 

There it had been used as a planter 

in the front yard, hence the redwood paint 

and holes in the bottom, well, some of 

them anyway. Some have said what a horrible 

thing to do to a boat like that. It seems 

to me that it was a good thing. If it hadn’t 

become a planter it would have rotted away 

behind someone’s shed and been lost forever. 

Without too much discussion, Steve offered 

to donate the boat to the museum, 

an offer that was hastily accepted. So it 

fell to me to move this 94 year old “artifact,” 

recently upgraded from relic, a 

couple of hundred miles from Grayling to 

South Haven without further damaging it. 

Moving a decrepit boat 24 feet long by 3 

feet wide weighing nearly 400 pounds 

proved to be a challenge in logistics. A 

local trailer dealer with a pontoon boat 

trailer was convinced to make a trailer 

available for the trip; it proved to be the 

perfect solution. A bit of cribbing was 

added to the boat to stabilize it for this 

voyage which was longer and faster than 

any it was ever designed for. It survived 

the journey admirably. 

Once back in South Haven, the boat was 

installed in the Collections Center at the 

Center Street Location of the museum with 

the rest of the small craft collection. Here 

the Chapter gave it a thorough inspection, 

removed the cribbing, old leaves, animal 

feces and other typical adornments old 

neglected boats acquire. We then proceeded 

to document all the information we 

could about the boat, including taking the 

lines off. These were then given to member 

Tom Jarosch who plugged them into a 

fancy computer program he has access to 

and came up with corrected table of offsets, 

albeit not in the form we’re used to 

seeing them in. With these in hand, and 

Tom to interpret, we made a full size three 

dimensional lofting of the boat. From this 

we picked up the necessary form shapes, 

angles for the ends and dimensions of the 

stems (plural because a boat built in the 

early twentieth century was double ended, 

though not symmetrical, today they have 

a small transom, which can, though rarely 

does, carry a small outboard.) Using a box 

type strong-back we set up the forms and 

started scarfing boards. 

The original boats had been built of 

White or “cork” pine. This was the primary 

wood being harvested in North Central 

Michigan at the time. It was found to 

check badly when soaked then taken out 

of the water and allowed to dry. Around 

1900, Arthur E. Wakely found a source 

for “Swamp Cypress” for one dollar a 

board and switched to using that as a building 

material. While just as heavy as the 

pine, it didn’t check as badly. So our decision 

was to build in Cypress as this is a 

replica of the 1912 Wakley boat. There is 

a lumber dealer in Michigan who sells 

cypress, but only in lengths up to 16 feet. 

Importing custom cut 24 foot lengths from 

Louisiana wasn’t financially feasible, even 

with the generous grant from TSCA. So 

scarfing was necessary. The boat is to be 

painted so this won’t cause any historical 

problems to the viewers. 

The stems (oak) were set up at the proper 

angles and the bottom boards were 

mounted and trimmed to shape. The boats 

are built dory-style with two 12” boards 

running lengthwise and held together with 

cleats on the inside. We were able to dry 

bend the ends where they rise to meet the 

bottom of the stems. These boats have a 

significant amount of rocker at either end 

to allow them to work in the river current 

without swinging around wildly in the 

fairly swift currents of the Au Sable. The 

sides proved to be a little more problematic. 

While they, again dory-style, form a 

natural upward sweep when they are bent 

to the stems, there is some twisting that 

takes place. We found we had to use some 

hot water to get them to lie fair on the 

stems. These boats have a fish well in the 

forward end that doubles as the seat for 

the fisherman or “sport.” The front and 

rear bulkheads of this well were installed 

prior to putting the sides on so they could 

be used as additional “station molds.” 

The inside was next. The forward deck 

was installed along with the seat in the 

stern for the “pusher” as the guide was 

called. The covers were put on the fishwell 

and a double sawn frame was installed. 

The original boat has two broad 

metal partial frames roughly amidships to 

help hold the boat’s shape. These have 

been eliminated and replaced with a second 

set of double sawn frames. All the 

Wakely boats of that era looked at have 

two sets of double sawn frames. We feel 

this is more authentic. 

At this point all that remains is to finish 

the fish well by cutting slots in the 

bulkheads to allow the sport to drop the 

fish in without getting up, installing “fish 

checkers,” (a wooden go, no-go gauge that 

measures 7", 10" and 12") on the bulkheads, 

caulking and paying off the bot- 


1912 A. E. Wakely Au Sable River Boat, 

as found. 

Fresh off the form. 

Tom Jarosch trimming the side planks 

to the bottom. 

tom (with tar) and paint. Each end is 

sheathed in copper to prevent damage 

from hitting sweepers, gravel and the 

bank. This will be installed just before 

painting. It will painted the traditional 

green on the outside and gray on the inside. 

The paint will be porch and deck 

enamel, also traditional. 

We expect to have this completed within 

the next month or two at the most, allowing 

us to launch the boat this summer, 

within a year of the start of the project. So 

the project has gone well and been very 

well received by everyone who has seen 

it, staff and visitors alike. 

We will follow up with another report, 

with photos of the completed boat, when 

the project is completed, later this year. 


Pete Mathews is the Secretary of the 

Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter. He 

can be reached at: 

canoenut@bciwildblue.com • 

Ready of lift off the form. 

San Francisco 

GunkholeYear 13 

By Bill Doll 

This year the San Francisco Maritime 

National Historical Park completed the 

thirteenth Gunkhole and what was unique 

about this year’s cruise into the Sacramento 

River Delta was its being held in 

conjunction with the national TSCA meeting 

held at the museum. The folks who 

attended the meeting came as far as CT, 

Seattle, WA and the Mendocino, CA, Lost 

Coast chapter of the TSCA. The events 

included a tour of the Museum’s Small 

Craft Department’s historic watercraft 

storage facility, a sail on the historic scow 

schooner Alma and dinner at the Sunday 

Bulkheads installed in fishwell/seat. 

Preparing to install rub rails. 

night kick off and orientation dinner for 

the Gunkhole. The TSCA members had a 

great opportunity to see the participants 

of all 25 traditional small boats sailing for 

a week-long adventure into the Sacramento 

River waterways. 

The fve day row/sail event started from 

the Historic Hyde Street Pier and navigated 

some 80 miles across San Francisco, San 

Pablo and Suisun Bays, stopping at marinas 

and wildlife refuges along the way. 

This program challenges the small boat 

mariner to develop their small boat seamanship 

skills in northern California’s 

wild and windy waterways. 


Bill Doll is the curator of the Small Craft 

Department, San Francisco Maritime National 

Historic Park at Hyde Street Pier. 

• 

Become a 

Sponsor Member 

A portion of the Gunkhole fleet sails past the “reserve fleet” in Suisun Bay. This 

rusting collection of maritime history must be renovated in order to pass the inspections 

required before it can be towed to the scrap yard. We have really made it hard on 

ourselves. Caption by the Editor. Richard Geiger photo. 


BoatU.S. 

Foundation Seeks 

Local Help with 

Fishing Line 

Recycling Program 

Establishing a 

Nationwide 

Monofilament Recycling 

Program 

Submitted by Susan Shingledecker 

Thanks to a grant from the National 

Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

the BoatU.S. Foundation for 

Boating Safety and Clean Water hopes to 

reduce the amount of monofilament fishing 

line in the water by enlisting individuals 

or local fishing and boating groups to 

install, monitor and periodically empty 

recycling bins and return their contents 

to a recycler. 

“Discarded fishing line can last for hundreds 

of years, harming marine life and 

damaging boat propulsion systems,” said 

BoatU.S. Foundation Environmental Program 

Director Susan Shingledecker. 

“We’re looking to provide groups who 

have access to popular fishing spots, 

launch ramps or marinas, a free pre-made 

PVC monofilament bin and signage suitable 

for mounting outdoors. In return, all 

we ask is that you agree to keep an eye on 

the bin, keep track of how many containers 

get filled and when full, return the 

collected line to the recycler, Berkley Conservation.” 

There are a limited number of bins, and 

bin locations will be determined by geographic 

area and demonstrated demand for 

monofilament recycling. For more information, 

please contact 

CleanWater@BoatUS.com or visit: 

http://www.BoatUS.com/foundation/ 

Monofilament/ 

The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating 

Safety and Clean Water is a national 

501(c)(3) nonprofit education and re- 

search organization primarily funded by 

the voluntary contributions of the 650,000 

members of BoatU.S. The Foundation 

operates more than a dozen programs including 

the only accredited, free, online 

general boating safety course, a low-cost 

EPIRB rental program, the “Help Stop the 

Drops” national clean fueling campaign, 

a free kid’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, 

and has awarded hundreds of thousands 

of dollars in grants for nonprofit groups 

for boating safety and environmental 

projects. • 

Daisy R 

By Richard Geiger 

Daisy R is a gaff-rigged yawl built in 

Venice, CA by my father and launched in 

1931 when he was 19. She was a bit of a 

miniature Seabird yawl. He normally 

painted the bottom and varnished the 

masts by careening her in the slip. 

She was just 18' long, perhaps 7' beam. 

Waterline about 16'. Although my father 

started with a plan from a magazine, he 

lost track of it and adapted the boat in his 

own way. I believe the original design was 

for an daysailer and centerboarder. He put 

the cabin on it and added a plank keel. 

All ballast was inside. Daisy R was named 

after his mother, Daisy Roy Geiger. 

The photo of her careened (back cover) 

was taken in 1967 at the Long Beach 

Marina. At this point Daisy R had spent 

Somewhere off the Southern Californian 

coast bound for Catalina Island ,c.1949. 

My parents with their first four kids at 

Catalina, in 1949. I’m the boy amongst 

my three older sisters. The picture sailing, 

I think, was from the 1930s. Daisy R 

anchored, is in Little Geiger Cove, 

Catalina Island. 

Daisy R on launching day in 1931, in 

San Pedro. 

36 years cruising to Catalina Island and 

the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara, 

covering thousands of coastal miles. This 

was one of the last years she was sailed 

before being laid up ashore. 

My father was George L. Geiger, and 

two coves at Catalina Island are named 

after him: Little Geiger Cove and Big 

Geiger Cove. We had six kids in our family, 

so eight of us regularly sailed to Catalina 

in this very small boat. 

The original Seabird Yawl was 26' x 8' 

• 


A Boatbuilding 

Story 

By Dave Lucas 

I was 27 and my brother Charlie was 

29 in 1975 and we wanted a big sailboat 

to party and take wild women out in. We 

hung out at the Tampa Sailing Squadron 

and sailed a lot with the “old guys” who 

had big boats. We wanted a big boat fast 

and didn’t have any money. This didn’t 

stop my brother; he can do the impossible. 

We picked out a simple, shallow draft hull 

from Howard Chapelle’s American Small 

Sailing Craft and started building. The 

only considerations in construction were 

cheap and quick. These are the only plans 

we had to start with and this is the boat 

we ended up with eleven months later. It 

turned out to be the perfect shallow water 

boat. It had no plumbing, inboard engine, 

electrical system, kitchen, bathroom or 

debt. It did have a huge interior with lots 

of cushions and play space. We just took 

the things you would take on a camping 

trip. It was fast and fun, turned out to be 

the party boat for the whole squadron. 

Helen and I took our honeymoon in it. 

Named it Helen Marie. The moral to the 

story is keep it simple and fun if you’re 

looking for a boat to go sailing in. Next is 

a melon seed model that Ted Cook made, 

maybe he’ll make it available in a kit. It 

looks like it was made from the plans that 

Howard is using for his 20 footer. The 

Birdwatcher 2 coming along, got to be in 

36 foot Skipjack Messenger built in Maryland about 1900 to be a fast poacher. 

Skipjack Helen Marie from Messenger’s hull plan. A young Dave Lucas at the helm 

with Helen Marie looking out of the cabin. This boat was a good all around sailor and 

extremely fast on a broad reach with the board up. 

Ted Cook’s model melonseed. Building this two foot boat 

would teach you a lot about building the real thing. 

Howard Heimbrock is building a 20 footer on a frame that 

looks exactly like this. It should, it’s from the same plans. There 

are also eight 15.5 ft melonseed hulls completed from this plan. 


The Helen Marie as a bare hull. She was 

1/2 inch plywood over 2x6 yellow pine 

frames. The distinctive skipjack shape is 

easy to recognize and easy to build. 

Dave Lucas in his Laylah. The second 

of the eight boats. A really good little boat. 

the water before the snow flies. Chapelle’s 

20 footer is ready to fair and glass. I love 

the perfect stem profile. Jose is starting 

on his foam mast. We think it will work. 

When it does you can expect to see a lot 

more just like it. My shop also sports a 

home made band saw. Howard came up 

with it from somewhere and it actually 

works. • 

H.R. 2550 contineued from page 11 

portance to the future of boating. But taking 

a complex permitting system designed 

for industrial dischargers and applying it 

to recreational boats will not yield significant 

environmental benefits and it will 

come at a very high cost. 

Please ask your elected federal representatives 

to support H.R. 2550. As you send 

your emails to your Members of Congress, 

please copy BoatU.S. at 

GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com. EPA’s email 

is ow-docket@epa.gov, and your email 

needs to have a subject line with “Docket 

ID No. OW-2007-0483.” • 

This log was found 

blown under the fence 

of the Aeolian Yacht Club in 

Alameda, CA Ed. 

Log of the Court of 

Inquiry Regarding the 

Loss of an unamed 

Sea Scout Vessel 

Submitted by Cricket Evans 

Background and History of vessels 

and personnel 

Unit Skipper: 3 years of sailing experience—council 

license. 

Vessel: Operating 21’ Islander sloop 

with outboard motor—no installed lighting 

system—no radio—1 flashlight—no 

charts—2 adults on board—2 crew—4 

p.o.b. total. 

Junior Skipper : 17 years old—1 year 

experience on junior license—Able for 3 

months—no night sailing experience. 

Night sailing is discouraged by the council. 

General day experience only—5 persons 

on board total, no adult on board. 

Vessel Lost: 26’ Columbia MkII sloop 

with outboard motor — history of engine 

trouble, motor not dependable — running 

lights and interior lights inoperable — 

rudder post leaking, causing crew to bail 

periodically — no bilge pump installed — 

no radio. 

Facts as discovered by the Court: 

0900 

The unit operating the 2 vessels set forth 

above, sailed from the harbor at Antioch 

on Friday morning into the beginning of 

a flood tide and winds 25 knots and westerly. 

1100 

Moored briefly at the Pittsburg marina 

for fuel. 

Approx 1200 

Underway—wind still 25 knots westerly—seas 

about 4-5 feet. Islander 21 lost 

jib halyard in Suisun Bay. 

1900 

Both boats moored at Benicia Marina 

to recover halyard and to take on fuel and 

water—7 hours total time to cover 10 

miles of Suisun Bay (fatigue factor beginning 

to build up). Benicia Marina too expensive 

to stay ($20) The decision was 

made to push on to the Vallejo Marina 

(free). [An additional 8 statute miles—half 

against the flood, then, once in the Napa 

River, with the flood. Ed.] ETA 2100-2130 

Vallejo. 

1920 

Underway for Vallejo—flood tide in 

Carquinez Straits—wind 25-30, plus 

gusts. Tide tables not consulted before departure. 

Boats reduced to small jib and 

reefed main. 

2030 

Sunset off Port Costa—boats lost sight 

of each other. 

2100 

Columbia 26 passed under Carquinez 

Bridge—port tack and passed Maritime 

Academy to starboard about 300 yards— 

navigator below eating a sandwich at this 

time. (detail—court brought out that the 

sandwich was a “Tuna Surprise.”) the 

navigator was asked about the course by a 

concerned helmsman. The navigator told 

the helmsman, “you’re ok keep going.” 

and continued eating “Tuna Surprise.” 

Approx 2120 

Junior skipper and helmsman observed 

cliffs 50 yards to starboard and breakwater 

and (sic) 50 yards ahead—tacked immediately 

to starboard tack and tried to 

restart engine—headed seaward. 

Approx 2130 

Vessel struck pilings of the Old Vallejo 

Lighthouse at about 5.5 to 6 knots and 

came to a sudden stop, throwing everyone 

off their feet and causing minor injuries, 

(bruises and cuts). Vessel out of control— 

dropped the main and drifted towards 

cliffs. 

1-1/2 to 2 minutes later: 

People below reported that the floorboards 

were being pushed out of place due 

to the rush of water coming into the hull, 

2 minutes later the water was well over 

the bunks. Skipper sounded distress signals 

on horn and prepared to abandon 

ship—flares under water—D.C. equipment 

under water—fire extinguisher 

knocked down from racks—hard to locate 

anything below, because of mislaid flashlights 

and personal gear floating around 

cabin. Skipper sent a crew-member to 

launch the dinghy. (dinghy was lashed 

down.) Knots were too tight and wet. None 

was wearing a knife, (“It’s in my gear.”) 


Dinghy went down with the vessel. 

2 plus minutes: 

Skipper ordered all hands into 

lifejackets. Noone had learned their emergency 

duties on the W.Q.S. Bill, so the 

D.C. Team fell apart early from shock and 

inability to locate equipment. 

3.5 plus minutes: 

Water begins to flow out of cabin into 

cockpit. 

4.0 minutes: 

Islander 21 is alongside, the word is 

passed to abandon ship. Vessel sank before 

anyone could abandon her. All hands 

were thrown into 50 degrees waters and 

2+ knots of tide, 5 ft seas, 30 knots of wind, 

and by now it was dark. As the boat went 

under 1 person’s foot was caught temporarily 

under the cabin top handrail, another 

person was caught in the mainsheet 

and another was almost caught below rescuing 

personal gear. The Islander 21 

drifted away, out of control momentarily. 

4.5 plus minutes: 

Islander 21 began recovering crew 

members from the water. Total of 9 people 

on the 21ft sloop The vessel was grossly 

overloaded for the sea conditions at this 

point. They moored at Mare Island Coast 

Guard Station—hypothermia relief and 

reports / called parents / council and 

sheriff’s dept. Left boat with mast sticking 

out and with Sea Scout flag flying. 

Great P.R. for Sea Scouts. 

Sunday: 

Two other units did preliminary dives 

and recovered all loose gear except for 

dinghy which was missing and motor and 

did salvage survey. (Does anyone really 

know about the pizza parlor hold up?) 

Marine salvors from Rio Vista called to 

scene. Salvage boat sunk enroute by rough 

weather, one life lost. No other salvage 

firms will touch wreck at this time. Marine 

Service Company of Benicia called, 

tried to raise boat using a crane barge to 

pull on the mast. The shrouds broke—mast 

went down, they gave up. Several attempts 

to put together another salvage team failed. 

Contributing fact and findings: 

1. Faulty basic judgement to leave 

Benicia in the face of adverse tides—high 

winds—dark—pilot inexperienced— 

nonfunctioning lights—outboard engine 

unreliable and no radio communications. 

2. Navigator negligent, no navigational 

plot, not paying attention, inexperienced. 

3. Damage control team ineffective, no 

W.Q.S. bill, no D.C. Kit, no posted flashlights. 

4. Vessel condition—interior lights inoperable, 

depth sounder inoperable, motor 

not reliable, rudder post leaking at the 

hull, no bilge pump fitted. 

5. Skipper and pilot inexperienced—no 

night sailing experience, did not insist on 

crew performance. 

6. Ship training program—no meetings, 

all on the water, very little or no technical 

training, no night training, no navigation 

training, no D.C. training, the crew members 

felt that the advancement program 

was too easy and not enforced. 

Penalties: 

Skipper of unit : Standard license revoked, 

must take test after 90 days. 

Junior pilot: Junior license revoked, can 

retake the test after 90 days. May not take 

the test for standard license until 19 years 

old (wait of about 18 months) 

Navigator: No penalty! Should have 

been hung by his—thumbs, for continuing 

his dinner and not checking the chart 

and ascertaining position of the vessel. 

Total cost in lost time of all participating 

and in the value of the lost vessel estimated 

at $9,500 and if the Coast Guard 

or the Corps of Engineers determine the 

vessel to be a hazard to navigation it could 

cost an additional $2,800 to have wreck 

moved commercially. 

Recommendations: 

The Constellation quarterdeck in reviewing 

the above findings has made the 

following recommendations. 

1. Night sail training 

2. Radio on all vessels 

3. Night navigation training 

4. Knives for all hands 

5. Stow ALL survival equipment 

topside. 

6. Knife taped to dinghy lashings 

7. Flashlights posted—2 topside 

8. Improve testing for council license 

9. Improve training program 

10. Begin inspection program for all 

vessels not coming under Coast Guard 

certification. • 

BoatU.S. 

Cooperating Group 

Agreement 

Submitted by JohnWeiss 

TSCA has just renewed with BoatU.S. 

for another year. 

The primary benefit to TSCA members 

is a 50% discount on their individual annual 

BoatU.S. dues. A Speaker Bureau is 

also available to chapters. We are eligible 

to apply for various grants, and there are 

a few other benfits. 

More info on the BoatU.S. web site and 

at: 

http://www.tsca.net/pdf/ 

BoatUSCoOpBrochure.pdf 

For reference, our group number is 

GA84393B; use that on your BoatU.S. 

application/renewal for the dues discount. 

• 

Donations to the 

John Gardner Fund 

The Maine Community Foundation 

holds the assets for and administers the 

captial of the TSCA John Gardner Fund. 

Direct donations can be made to “TSCA 

John Gardner Fund” and sent to: 

Maine Community Foundation 

Attn: Ellen Pope / TSCA Fund 

245 Main Street 

Ellsworth, ME 04605 

Maine Community Foundation Facts 

Founded in 1983. 

Home to more than 800 charitable 

funds. 

Stewards $200 million in assets. 

Received over $30 million in contributions 

in 2006. 

Awarded a total of $18 million in grants 

and scholarships in 2006. 

Offices in Ellsworth and Portland, with 

home-based staff in various regions of 

Maine. 

Ranks among the top 10% of community 

foundations for total assets and gifts 

received. 

Donations to the TSCA John Gardner 

Fund are fully tax deductible. • 


Acorns and 

Rich Kolin 

An email from Larry Fenney 

Great to hear from Rich. For those who 

don’t know him, Rich is undoubtedly one 

of our most knowledgable and experienced 

boatbuilders—a great designer, builder 

and writer. Rich can probably tell more 

by looking at the lines of the Acorn for a 

few minutes than I am likely to be able to 

tell after having built one and now used it 

for 13 years. But he did ask, so here are 

some miscellaneous comments. 

First, the various Acorn designs are actually 

quite different. I do not think 

Oughtred was the one to lump them together 

under the names Acorn 10, Acorn 

12 and Acorn 15—I was told that was 

WoodenBoat’s doing. If you compare the 

lines and dimensions of the 10 and the 12 

for example, you will see that they are 

pretty different. The 10 actually has more 

beam than the 12, for example. True, they 

are all vaguely Whitehall in origin and all 

glued-lap construction. But, contrary to 

what the name implies, I do not think one 

should think of the Acorn 10 as simply a 

slightly smaller Acorn 12. 

I built the Acorn 12 as my first boat, 

relying entirely on the instructions which 

came with the plans. I found her a very 

good first project, certainly more challenging 

than some, but Oughtred’s instructions 

were excellent even for a complete novice. 

I figured I had enough challenges as 

it was, so I did not skimp on materials: 

Honduras mahogany for keel, skeg, gunwales, 

stem and transom; Sitka spruce for 

thwarts and knees, Port Orford cedar for 

sternsheets, floors and floorboards. I figured 

it took me more or less 200 hours of 

labor, spread out over a number of months. 

I followed the instruction pretty much stepby-step 

and resisted the common error of 

first-time builders to start tinkering with 

the design to make it “easier” or “better.” 

Enjoyed it all very much. 

Originally I built her purely for rowing—skipped 

the sailing apparatus. Once 

I got involved with TSCA, however, I became 

envious of my colleagues who had 

sailing rigs for their boats of similar size 

so one winter I built the sailing rig, rudder 

and a leeboard. I must say, however, 

that I have never found her very satisfactory 

as a sailboat (nothing like as handy 

as Catherine, one of Rich’s designs which 

I have fond memories of, sailing around 

Bellingham harbor and bay on Labor Day.) 

In fairness, this might be due to 1) the after-the-fact 

sailing inspiration, including 

the leeboard; 2) the “kill” of the skipper; 

3) the relative lightness (90 lbs or so) of 

the boat; or 4)...? In any event, I have 

generally found that tacking her requires 

a fair amount of wind and the good graces 

of the Almighty. Neither of which are 

dependably present, at least for me. 

As a rowboat, however, I have found her 

a delight. She has great acceleration 

(again, possibly due to lightness) and 

moves very smoothly and quickly. Thanks 

to TSCA, I have had the opportunity to 

row quite a few designs and I’ve yet to 

find one I would rather have for the pure 

joy of rowing. Very sweet. 

In addition to the glued laps, all the 

structural members are laminated, so there 

is a fair amount of epoxy work involved 

which, at the time, I did not find irksome 

but I admit to having less tolerance for it 

in recent years. Not my favorite part of 

the process. 

Anemone has lived outside, uncovered, 

for all of her life and she has withstood 

that kind of abuse rather remarkably. I’ve 

had no structural problems, delaminations 

or anything like that--just the normal paint 

and varnish maintenance. Since I live on 

the lakefront, I have used her a lot over 

the years, particularly in the beginning. 

She undoubtedly has hundreds of miles on 

her. 

I guess that’s about what occurs to me. 

Oh, I do find her very appealing visually, 

with the cute little wineglass transom and 

the sweet laps. 

Larry Fenney 

Puget Sound Chapter • 

National 

Endowment for 

Humanities Grants 

September 5 is the deadline for the museum, 

libraries and special project planning 

grants from the National Endowment 

for the Humanities. For Details, see 

www.neh.gov • 

Schooner 

C. A. Thayer 

From the newsletter of the 

Association for Great Lakes 

Maritime History 

The 112-year-old West Coast schooner 

C. A. Thayer has been returned to the San 

Francisco Maritime National Historic 

Park, after a three-year restoration project 

that cost almost $14 million. The project 

involved replacing about 85% of the ship’s 

original timber. 

During the restoration process, over 

375,000 square feet of lumber, mostly 

douglas fir, was used. To preserve the authenticity 

of the 156-foot sailing ship, 

original type fastenings were used including 

square section spikes, steel rod drift 

bolts and wooden tree nails. 

The Thayer was built in Eureka, CA in 

1895 and carried lumber from Washington 

to California until 1912. It was later 

refitted for cod fishing in the Bering Sea 

off Alaska and, in 1950, completed one of 

the last commercial voyages of an American 

sailing ship. 

National Park officials have decided to 

restore the Thayer to how she looked as a 

lumber hauler. Prior to the start of the restoration 

project, the ship’s hull had been 

extensively deteriorated and was constantly 

taking on water. The cause of most 

of the damage, according to the museum’s 

curatorial staff, was over 100 years of fresh 

water rain that led to rot throughout the 

historic sailing ship. • 

Mackinaw Boat 

Replica 

The Great Lakes Boatbuilding Co would 

like to sell a museum-quality, 19-foot replica 

of a Mackinaw boat to a museum or 

historical association that would place the 

boat on display and preserve it. 

Mackinaw boats were popular on the 

upper Great Lakes in the late 1890s. The 

two-masted vessels were used for fishing, 

hauling cargo and short passenger runs. 

The asking price is $25,000. For more details, 

contact Great Lakes Boatbuilding 

Co., South Haven, MI 269-637-6805 • 


Cleveland Amateur 

Boatbuilding and Boating 

Society 

September 8: Sandusky Bay, 

Sandusky, OH. Our 40 th anniversary 

messabout and boat display. Dinner, 

good friends and good memories 

September 29: La Due Reservoir 

Messabout – Auburn Corners, OH. 

October: River Trip Messabout, 

Upper Cuyahoga River near Hiram, 

OH. Canoes, kayaks, pirogues, skiffs. 

Your Board of Governors discussed 

and decided to try an expanded summer 

event schedule to give all members 

more opportunities to attend a 

messabout. Some of these events will 

be near public places which will give 

CABBS an opportunity to attract prospective 

members. More details on this 

later. Meanwhile make your plans and 

mark you calendar for a very active 

summer on the water. 

For more information contact: 

Jim Stumpf 440-888-2036 

or Hank Vincenti 330-467-6601 

Center for Wooden Boats 

Third Friday Speaker Series Every 

3rd Friday, 7 PM: CWB Boathouse 

September 16 & 17: Varnishing 

Workshop with Dave Thacker. Fee. 

September 6, 13, 20 & 27:Traditional 

Woodworking, Build it yourself, with 

John Belli 

October 13 & 14: Bronze Casting 

with Sam Johnson 

October 29, 21, 27 & 28: Family Boat 

Building at Camano Island State Park 

Center for Wooden Boats 

1010 Valley Street 

Seattle, WA 98109-4468 

Tel: 206-382-2628 

Fax: 206-382-2699 

Email: cwb@cwb.org 

Small Craft Events 

Puget Sound Chapter 

September 29: Curry and Oars, Lake 

Forest Park Civic Club — John Weiss, 

206-368-7354. See the maps. 

TBA: Annual Meeting, Center for 

Wooden Boats. 

25th Annual 

Antique & Classic Boat Festival 

Saturday, August 25, 11A-5P 

Sunday, August 26, 11A-3P 

Hawthorne Cove Marina, White Street, 

Salem, MA 

Featuring: sailboats, powerboats, 

handpowered craft. Exhibits, artists, 

crafts, entertainment, blessing of the 

fleet 

For information and boat entry: 

617-666-8530 

www.boatfestival.org 

Défi International des Jeunes 

Marins 

July 24-31, 2008: Quebec, PQ, Canada 

International Challenge of Seamanship, 

and gathering of Bantry Bay gigs 

This Rendezvous will be held in the 

framework of the celebrations surrounding 

the 400th anniversary of the 

city, founded by Samuel de Champlain 

in 1608. 

For more information, download the 

847 KB PDF or contact Flavie Major 

at flavie_major@hotmail.com 

Lost Coast 

September 29–30: Lake Mendocino 

Row and Campout 

October 20: Albion River Messabout. 

Launching at 11AM. Potluck and BBQ 

November 24: Annual meeting, Worlds 

End boathouse 

December 15: Lake Cleone row, 11AM 

launch 

Sacramento Chapter 

October 6-7: Bolinas Lagoon Row 

and Campout, Pete Evans 

October 27: Redwood City Row, Al 

Lutz 

November 3: Delta Meadows Row, 

Lynn Delapp 

November 24: Wet Turkey Row, Jim 

Lawson 

January 1, 2008: Hair of the Dog: 

Tomales Bay, Lee Caldwell 

January 5: Annual Planning Meeting, 

Aeolian YC, Pete Evans 

For more information: 

dlagios@smace.org 

www.tsca.net/Sacramento 

Working Waterfront Museum, 

Tacoma, WA 

September 15-16, 2007: A Festival, 

Dock Street, Thea Foss Waterway and 

Port of Tacoma. 

Events: 

Dragon Boat Races 

Quick & Dirty Boat Building 

Tacoma Rail Train Rides 

Puget Sound Dock Dogs 

Salmon Bake & Beer Garden 

Sea Scouts Boat Rides 

Wine Garden 

Port Harbor Tours 

Tour de Port Bike Tour 

Downeast Chapter 

August 23 – 26, 2007: 2007 Small 

Reach Regatta 

Sponsored by WoodenBoat Magazine 

and the Downeast Chapter of the 

TSCA To be held at WoodenBoat, 

Brooklin, ME 

Tom Jackson, 207–359–4651 

tom@woodenboat.com, or 

David Wyman, 207–326–9406 

david@dwymanpe.com 


S 

P 

O 

N 

S 

O 

R 

M 

E 

M 

B 

E 

R 

S 

Samuel 

Johnson 

BOATBUILDER 

624 W. Ewing Street 

Seattle, WA 98119 

206-375-3907 

drathmarine 

http://drathmarine.com 

1557 Cattle Point Road 

Friday Harbor, WA 98250 

Email: sjboats@gmail.com 

Mole got it right... 

ALBERT’S WOODEN BOATS INC. 

• Double ended lapstrake 

• Marine ply potted in Epoxy 

• Rowboats – 15' & fast 17' 

• Electric Launches – 15' & 18' 

A. Eatock, 211 Bonnell Rd. 

Bracebridge, ONT. CANADA P1L 1W9 

705-645-7494 alsboats@sympatico.ca 

Museum Quality 

Wherries, Canoes and Cabin Cruisers 

54442 Pinetree Lane, North Fork, CA 93643 

559-877-8879 trapskiffjim@sti.net 

Richard Kolin 

Custom wooden traditional small craft 

designed and built 

Boatbuilding and maritime skills instruction 

Oars and marine carving 

360-659-5591 

kolin1@gte.net 

4107-77th Place NW 

Marysville, WA 98271 

22 We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.

SPECIALIZING IN 

SMALL-CRAFT 

SAILS 

www.dabblersails.com 

dab@crosslink.net 

Ph/fax 804-580-8723 

PO Box 235, Wicomico Church, VA 22579 

Stuart K. Hopkins, Sole Prop 

BOATS PLANS BOOKS TOOLS 

Specializing in traditional small craft since 1970. 

Duck Trap Woodworking 

www.duck-trap.com 

Fine Traditional Rowing 

& Sailing Craft 

NORTH 

RIVER 

BOATWORKS 

RESTORATIONS 

741 Hampton Ave. 

Schenectady, NY 12309 

518-377-9882 

PISCATAQUA WHERRY 

14' Length, 47" Beam, 150 Pounds. This rugged, sturdy rowing 

boat is ideal for young adults, men or women, either for pleasure, 

sport or good health. The Wherry is steady and well balanced 

with a deep full length keel so that it rows with surprising ease. 

Box 631, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, 207-967-4298 

www.bayofmaineboats.com 

ROB BARKER 

Wooden Boat Building 

and Repair 

615 MOYERS LANE 

EASTON, PA 18042 

S 

P 

O 

N 

S 

O 

R 

M 

E 

M 

B 

E 

R 

S 

We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services. 23

S 

P 

O 

N 

S 

O 

R 

Redd’s Pond Boatworks 

Thad Danielson 

1 Norman Street 

Marblehead, MA 01945 

thaddanielson@comcast.net 

781-631-3443—888-686-3443 

www.reddspondboatworks.com 

Duck Soup Inn 

50 Duck Soup Lane 

Friday Harbor, WA 98250 

360-378-4878 

Fine Dining for Sailors 

Les Gunther 

M 

E 

M 

B 

E 

R 

S 

LARS NIELSEN 361-8547C 

656-0848/1-800-667-2275 P 

250-656-9663 F 

P.O.Box 2250, Sidney 

BC Canada V8L 3S8 

lars@westwindhardwood.com 

R. K. Payne Boats 

http://homepage.mac.com/ 

rkpayneboats 

The Design Wor 

orks 

PO Box 8372, Silver Spring MD 20907 

301-589-9391 or toll free 877- 637-7464 

www.messingabout.com 

Rex & Kathie Payne 

3494 SR 135 North 

Nashville, IN 

47448 

Ph 812-988-0427 

24 We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.

S 

P 

O 

N 

S 

O 

R 

EZ-Row, Inc 

Forward Facing Rowing 

System,with Sliding Seat 

Comes Complete 

Nothing else to buy 

EZ-ROW INC. 

www.ez-row.com 

877-620-1921 

M 

E 

M 

B 

E 

R 

S 

We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services. 25

Now in Our 

25th Year! 

40 Pages — 24 Issues/Year 

$8 Trial Subscription (6 Issues) — $32 Subscription (24 Issues) 

Seaworthy Small Ships 

Dept A, POBox 2863 

Prince Frederick, MD 20678 

800-533-9030 

Catalog Available $1.00 

www.seaworthysmallships.com 

Damaged Journal? 

If your Ash Breeze is missing pages or gets beaten up in the mail, let 

the editor know. Email: drathmarine@rockisland.com 

Tom Walz Machinery Co., Inc 

One Roundabout Lane 

Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107 


Copy Deadline, 

Format, and Ads 

Deadlines 

v28#4, Fall 2007, October 1 

Articles 

The Ash Breeze is a member-supported 

publication. Members are welcome to contribute. 

We encourage you to send material 

electronically. Text may be sent in the 

body of an email message or, alternatively, 

as MSWord attachments. Send photos by 

US mail or as email attachments in jpg or 

tif format. Typewritten material or material 

submitted on computer disk will be 

accepted too. Please give captions for photographs 

(naming people and places) and 

photo credits. Email to: 

drathmarine@rockisland.com 

Advertising Rates 

Effective March 1, 2006 

Yearly rates, 4 issues/year 

Sponsor - No Ad $50 

Sponsor with ad - 1/8 page $60 

Corporate Sponsor - 1/4 page $125 

Corporate Sponsor - 1/2 page $250 

Corporate Sponsor - 1 page $350 

Corporate Sponsors with 1 page ads 

will be named as sponsors of a TSCA 

related event and will be mentioned in 

the ad for that event. 

Members’ Exchange 

50 words or less. Free to members except 

$10 if photo is included. 

Back Issues 

Original or duplicated back issues are 

available for $4 each plus postage. 

Contact Flat Hammock Press for ordering 

details. 

Volume Year Issue 

Newsletter 1975-77 1,2,3,4 

1 1978 1,2,3,4 

2 1979 1 

3 1979,0,1 1-9 

4 1982 1,2,3,4 

5 1983 1,2,3,4 

6 1984 1,2,4 

7 1985 1,2,3,4 

8 1986 1,2,3,4 

9 1987 1,2,3,4 

10 1988 1,2,3,4 

11 1989 1,2,3,4 

12 1990 1,2,3,4 

13 1991 1,2,3,4 

14 1992 1,2,3,4 

15 1993 1,2,3,4 

16 1994 1,2,3,4 

17 1995 1,2,3,4 

18 1996 1,2,3,4 

19 1997 1,2,3,4 

20 1998/99 1,2,3 

21 1999/00 1,2,3,4 

22 2001 1,2,3 

23 2002 1,2,3 

24 2003 1,2,3,4 

25 2004 1,2,3,4 

26 2005 1,2,3,4 

27 2006 1,2,3,4 

28 2007 1,2 

Flat Hammock Press 

5 Church Street, Mystic, CT 06355 

860-572-2722 

steve@flathammockpress.com 

TSCA MEMBERSHIP FORM 

TSCA WARES 

Caps 

Pre-washed 100% cotton, slate blue with 

TSCA logo in yellow and white. Adjustable 

leather strap and snap/buckle. $15. 

($14 to members if purchased at TSCA 

meets.) 

T-shirts 

100% cotton, light gray with the TSCA 

logo. $15.00 postpaid for sizes M, L, and 

XL and $16.00 for XXL. 

Patches 

3 inches in diameter featuring our logo 

with a white sail and a golden spar and 

oar on a light-blue background. Black 

lettering and a dark-blue border. $3.00 

Please send a SASE with your order. 

Decals 

Mylar-surfaced weatherproof decals 

similar to the patches except the border 

is black. Self-sticking back. $1. Please 

send a SASE with your order. 

Burgees 

12" x 18" pennant with royal blue field 

and TSCA logo sewn in white and gold. 

Finest construction. $30 postpaid. 

Visit the TSCA web site for ordering 

information. 

www.tsca.net/wares.html 

I wish to: Join Renew Change my address 

Individual/Family ($20 annually) 

Patron ($100 annually) 

Sponsor ($50 annually) 

Canadian with Airmail Mailing ($25 annually) 

Sponsor with 1/8 page ad ($60 annually) 

Other foreign with Airmail Mailing ($30 annually) 

Enclosed is my check for $____________________________________ made payable to TSCA. 

Chapter member? Yes No (circle) Which Chapter? _________________________________ 

Name ________________________________________________________________________ 

Address ________________________________________________________________________ 

Town ______________________________State_______ Zip Code________________________ 

Email _____________________________________________________________________________ 

Mail to: Secretary, Traditional Small Craft Association, Inc., P. O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355. 

Note: Individual and Family Memberships qualify for one vote and one copy of each TSCA mailing. Family Memberships 

qualify all members of the immediate family to participate in all other TSCA activities.

Daisy R. Sometimes there is an easier way than using the boatswain chair. See the text and pictures inside. 

The Traditional Small 

Craft Association 

The Ash Breeze 

PO Box 350 

Mystic, CT 06355 

Non-Profit Org. 

US Postage 

PAID 

Providence, RI 

Permit No. 1899 

Address Service Requested 

Time to Renew? Help us save postage by photocopying the membership form 

on the inside back cover and renewing before we send you a renewal request.

Davis boat - Traditional Small Craft Association

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