At home in Rotorua New
Zealand. 5 NOVEMBER '04
I recently had the honour of
addressing two groups at the 2004 Mid Atlantic Small Craft
Festival. With the problems of getting my office sufficiently
under control to be able to leave it for three weeks I had
not done a really detailed “speech” preferring
to make notes to give me some direction and “wing it”
when I could see what reaction I got.
I drew those notes up the day
before at the spare desk at Kent
Island Boat Works old premises down near the
old ferry terminal at the eastern end of Kent Island the day
before (I never did get my own office completely sorted before
I left and writing speeches on a plane is not my best skill).
I’ve just been through
the notes, expanded them and offer them here for those who
did not make it to the Boat Show. I digressed from those notes
so this is what the address might have been, rather than what
actually happened. To those who came and listened, thank you
for your attention and tolerance, and thank you for what was
an engaging round of interesting questions afterward. I very
much enjoyed meeting you and hope that you enjoyed my talk.
John Welsford
__________________________
1/ INTRODUCTION OF JW AND SMALL CRAFT DESIGN.
Background, GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY, MY NAME IS JOHN WELSFORD
. I AM A DESIGNER OF BOATS FOR RECREATION AND COMMERCIAL USE
.
I AM A NEW ZEALANDER, AND HOME FOR ME IS A LITTLE COUNTRY
DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC .
THE LAND AREA OF NEW ZEALAND IS SLIGHTLY BIGGER THAN COLORADO
BUT WE HAVE ONLY 4 MILLION PEOPLE.
NEW ZEALAND IS TRULY A MARITIME NATION, THE COUNTRY HAS ABOUT
50% MORE TERRITORIAL WATERS , THAT IS THE AREA WITHIN THE
200 MILE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE THAN THE USA DUE TO OUTLYING
ISLANDS ON ALL SIDES OF THE MAIN LAND MASS AND NO NEIGHBOURS
NEARER THAN AUSTRALIA 1200 SEA MILES AWAY.
WE ARE IN FACT THE MOST GEOGRAHICALLY ISOLATED NATION ON
EARTH!
NEW ZEALAND ADMINISTERS SEVERAL PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS TO
THE NORTH OF US, SO WE HAVE EITHER WITHIN OUT WATERS, OR WITHIN
OUR ADMINISTRATIVE AREA ONE OF THE LARGEST MARITIME TERRITORIES
IN THE WORLD.
UNTIL THE ADVENT OF MASS AIR TRAVEL IN THE 60s THE ONLY
WAY TO GET TO NZ WAS BY BOAT, AND A VERY LARGE PROPORTION
OF OUR PEOPLES, INCLUDING ANCESTORS OF THE MAORI PEOPLE, CAME
HERE BY BOAT.
AS EUROPEANS HAVE ONLY BEEN IN NEW ZEALAND IN NUMBERS FOR
AROUND 200 YEARS, THE ROADING INFRASTRUCTURE WAS NOT BUILT
UNTIL RELATIVELY RECENTLY AND SO BOATS, SMALL AND LARGE WERE
USED FOR TRANSPORT, FISHING AND RECREATION.
IN THIS SMALL COUNTRY, SO CLOSE TO ITS PIONEERING ROOTS,
THE “DO-IT-YOURSELF” ETHIC IS STILL VERY ALIVE
AND WELL SO THE AVERAGE KIWI IS STILL QUITE PREPARED TO GET
OUT THERE AND BUILD THEIR OWN BOAT.
IT IS WITHIN THIS ENVIRONMENT THAT I TOOK UP A CHALLENGE
FROM A FRIEND, I’D BEEN BUSILY OPENING MY BIG MOUTH
AND TELLING HIM JUST WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE SET OF PLANS
THAT HE WAS PROPOSING TO BUILD HIMSELF A BOAT FROM, CLAIMING
THAT “EVEN I COULD DO BETTER THAN THAT” AND HE
CALLED MY BLUFF!
NOW I AM A COLLECTOR OF VINTAGE HAND WOODWORKING TOOLS, AND
MY FRIEND HAD A STANLEY NUMBER 55 MOULDING PLANE, A TOOL WHICH
CAN MAKE ANYTHING FROM WINDOW FRAME SECTIONS TO FINE PICTURE
FRAME MOULDINGS, ALL BY HAND. AND HE OFFERED ME THAT TOOL
IN EXCHANGE FOR A SET OF PLANS IF I WAS TO DRAW THEM UP!!!
WELL THAT WAS LIKE OFFERING A HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL TO A BANKRUPT
AND I TORE INTO THE JOB AS SOON AS I COULD FIND A PIECE OF
PAPER AND SOME DRAWING TOOLS.
NOW I WAS NOT FLYING TOTALLY BLIND HERE, AT 9 YEARS OLD I
BUILT CANOES FOLDED UP FROM ROOFING IRON , I’D GRADUATED
TO SOME VERY SOPHISTICATED ONES BY THE TIME MY FATHER BOUGHT
ME MY FIRST MOTORCYCLE, THOSE AND GIRLS HAD DISTRACTED ME
FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS BUT I’D RETURNED TO BOATS IN THE
FORM OF YACHT RACING AFTER A CAREER IN MOTOR RACING AND OF
COURSE HAD STUDIED THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES OF RACING YACHTS
IN ORDER TO GET AROUND THE COURSE BEFORE THE OTHER GUYS.
I BUILT MY OWN BOATS, MOSTLY AROUND 20 FT OR SO, AND IT SEEMED
QUITE THE USUAL THING TO DO SO. MOST OF MY CLUB MEMBERS HAD
EITHER BUILT THEIR OWN BOATS OR BOUGHT OTHER AMATEUR BUILT
CRAFT, AND WE ALL OF US JUST GOT ON WITH THE JOB, AND NONE
OF US THOUGH ABOUT WETHER WE WERE “QUALIFIED”
TO BUILD THESE THINGS OR NOT, WE JUST GOT ON WITH IT, MUCH
THE SAME AS I DID WITH THAT DESIGN JOB.
THE NEW DESIGN WORKED AS ADVERTISED AND I STILL HAVE THE
STANLEY PLANE, UNUSED, IT’S A LOT EASIER TO SET UP MY
SHAPER AND HAVING BEEN A WOOD PROCESSING TECHNICIAN SETTING
UP SAWMILLS FROM LOG BREAKDOWN SAWS TO FINGERJOINTERS AND
PLANERMILLS I AM WELL USED TO WOODWORKING MACHINERY.
BUT THE BOAT WAS A SUCCESS, SO MUCH SO THAT OTHERS ASKED
ME FOR PLANS. THAT WAS GREAT OF COURSE, BUT EACH ONE OF THOSE
PEOPLE WANTED “JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER” OR WIDER,
OR A SAIL ON IT, OR A BIGGER MOTOR.
YOU GET THE IDEA? EACH CHANGE ACTUALLY MEANT A NEW DESIGN,
AND SUDDENLY I WAS OFF ON A HOBBY AND A COURSE OF STUDY THAT
HAS, AFTER SOME 20 ODD YEARS TURNED INTO A LIVELIHOOD THAT
HAS TAKEN ME AROUND THE WORLD, HAS INTRODUCED ME TO MANY WONDERFUL
PEOPLE , SEEN ME WRITE TWO BOOKS, GIVEN ME ENORMOUS SATISFACTION,
AND LAST YEAR SAW ME LECTURING IN YACHT DESIGN AT A LOCAL
UNIVERSITY, SOMETHING THAT MY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WOULD HAVE
DISMISSED AS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY IMPROBABLE, BUT THERE YOU
GO.
NOW I STUDY HYDRODYNAMICS AND ENGINEERING WITH THE BEST OF
THEM, BUILD TEST MODELS AND SAIL PROTOTYPES AND DO ALL THE
OTHER THINGS NAVAL ARCHITECTURAL, BUT AS I SELL MOSTLY STOCK
PLANS TO HOME BOATBUILDERS I HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST IN THE
AMATEUR BOATBUILDER . ( I BET YOU WERE BEGINNING TO WONDER
WHEN I WAS GOING TO GET AROUND TO THE ADVERTISED SUBJECT,
AND HERE WE ARE)
DESIGNING A BOAT FOR A PROFESSIONAL IS RELATIVELY NOT A PROBLEM,
I CAN ASSUME THAT THE SAID BUILDER HAS CERTAIN SKILLS, CERTAIN
TOOLS, CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF ADHSIVES AND MATERIALS AND CAN
READ A PLAN. IN SHORT, THEY ARE A KNOW QUANTITY TO ME AS A
DESIGNER .
THE HOME BOATBUILDER HOWEVER, IS A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR
INDEED.
TO DESIGN FOR THE HOME BOATBUILDER I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THEM
AS I DO THE PROFESSIONALS, BUT IT’S A MUCH HARDER GROUP
TO QUANTIFY. IN ORDER TO GET A BETTER HANDLE ON THIS PART
OF MY BUSINESS, I HAVE TALKED TO MANY HOME BOATBUILDERS, MOST
SUCCESSFUL IN COMPLETING THEIR PROJECTS, AND A FEW WHO WERE
OVERWHELMED BY THE TASK AND GAVE UP PART WAY THROUGH.
AND THIS IS WHERE THE STORY REALLY BEGINS.
I’LL SHIFT TO THE OTHER POINT OF VIEW HERE, AND TALK
ABOUT THE CHOICES THAT FACE THE AMATEUR WHO WISHES TO BUILD
THEIR OWN BOAT.
IT USUALLY STARTS WITH A DREAM, TODAY MOST NEEDS ARE ABLE
TO BE SATISFIED WITH A CHEQUEBOOK OR CREDIT CARD, SO ITS NOT
JUST THE WANT OF A BOAT THAT DRIVES THIS DREAM, NO, ITS NOT
AS EASY AS THAT.
THERE WILL BE A MENTAL PICTURE, ONE WITH A FAINT BUT REAL
FEELING OF “ I WISH” ATTACHED TO IT. BUT THIS
DREAM WILL GROW, USUALLY WHEN SITTING IN GRIDLOCKED TRAFFIC
, OR WORKING AT A SOULLESS JOB THAT SEEMS TO HAVE NO CONNECTION
WITH REALTY, OR CLIMBING THE STAIRS TO AN APARTMENT THAT HAS
ONLY CEMENT AND GLAS AS A VISTA THROUGH ITS OVERLY EXPENSIVE
WINDOWS.
THE DREAM MAY ORIGINATE IN THE MEMORY OF A WELL REMEMBERED
WALK ALONG A BEACH WHILE A PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL SCHOONER
SAILED PAST, ITS SAILS TINTED ROSE RED BY A SETTING SUN, IT
MAY HAVE ORIGINATED IN THE PAST WHEN AS A CHILD THE DREAMER
WAS TAKEN OUT ON GRANDFATHERS MOTORBOAT TO A BEACH THAT SEEMS
FROM THIS DISTANCE YEARS LATER TO HAVE BEEN THE EPITOMY OF
PERFECTION. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A BOOK, WRITTEN BY A WRITER
WHO COULD EVOKE THE IMAGES OF GENTLE TRADEWINDS BREEZES, COCONUP
PALMS AND A HINT OF BARE BREASTED MAIDENS WALKING ON PURE
WHITE SANDS WHILE THE GLEAMING WHITE YACHT, CRADLED IN THE
LIMPID WATERS OF A TROPICAL LAGOON BECKONS THE TRAVELLER TO
THE SWEET SORROW OF A DEPARTURE TO THE NEXT IN AN ENDLESS
CHAIN OF TROPICAL ATOLLS.
THE DREAM IS A VERY VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE SELECTION
OF A DESIGN, FOR ANY BOAT OWNER, HOME BOATBUILDER OR MILLIONAIRE
CLIENT OF A CUSTOM BOATBUILDING YARD IT DOES NOT MATTER.
THE REAL OBJECTIVE OF BUYING OR BUILDING A BOAT IS TO SATISFY
THE DREAM. NEVER FORGET THAT, OR THE ITCH WILL NEVER FEEL
SCRATCHED.
BUT REALITY NEEDS TO INTRUDE SOMEWHAT , THE FACT THAT THE
TRADEWINDS ARE BLOWING STRAIGHT IN FROM THE OPEN OCEAN AT
NEAR STORM FORCE, THE BOAT BUCKING LIKE A MAD THING AND THE
FLYING WATER MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A HATCH OPEN TO
VENTILATE THE BOAT IN THE 100 DEG TEMPERATURE, THE FACT THAT
YOU DAREN’T SIT UNDER A COCONUT TREE FOR FEAR THAT A
FALLING NUT WILL LEAVE YOU SEROUSLY CONCUSSED OR WORSE, THAT
THE BARE BREASTED MAIDEN WEIGHS 350 LBS AND IS TATTOOED FROM
HEAD TO TOE AND THE REFELCTION FROM THE STARK UNRELIEVED WHITE
CORAL SANDS GIVES EVEN SUNGLASS WEARERS A HEADACHE MEANS THAT
SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TO FINDING A WAY TO
MATCH THE DREAM TO THE REALITY.
OTHER REALITIES TO BE CONSIDERED ARE THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTIN
WHICH THE BAOT WIL BE USED. NOW I RATHER LIKE THE ENGLISH
PILOT CUTTERS, MIDDLE 20s FEET LONG, HEAVY, DEEP AND POWERFUL
THESE ARE WONDERFUL BOATS. BUT MY REALITY IS A HUGE HARBOUR
OF SANDBARS,, NARROW WINDING CHANNELS AND GUSTY WINDS COMING
DOWN OFF HIGH HILLS. THEY DON’T FIT!
INEED TO ADJUST MY BOAT TO SUIT MY ENVIRONMENT.
OTHER REALITIES TO CONSIDER ARE THINGS LIKE BUDGET. NO USE
STARTING OFF ON A PROJECT THAT IS GOING TO TAKE QUARTER OF
A MILLION DOLLARS WHEN THE THOUGHT OF EACH MONTHS MORTGAGE
PAYMENT FEELS LIKE A LOOMING DENTAL APPOINTMENT, THE CLOTH
NEEDS TO BE CUT TO FIT.
AND THE BUDGET IS NOT THE ONLY RESOURCE TO BE CONSIDERED.
SPACE, A 50 FOOTER IS NOT GOING TO FIT INTO YOUR APARTMENT
GARAGE! THERE ARE WAYS OF GETTING AROUND THAT AS THERE ARE
SOLUTIONS TO ALL OF THE OTHER ISSUES, BUT YOU HAD BETTER FIND
THOSE SOLUTION BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR CHOICE OF DESIGN!
TOOLS, NOW THAT’S AN OVERRATED ISSUE REALLY, AND I’LL
TALK AT A LITTLE MORE LENGTH ON THAT NOW.
I’M A TOOL FREAK, LOVE THEM, COLLECT THEM, HAVE AT
LAST COUNT 22 HAND HELD POWER TOOLS AND EIGHT FIXED MACHINES
PLUS A LIFETIMES COLLECTION OF HAND TOOLS.
BUT THE TOOLS THAT I CANT DO WITHOUT WHEN BUILDING A PLYWOOD20
FOOTER WILL FIT INTO A BOX THAT I CAN CARRY IN ONE HAND, I
WENT TO A “BUILDING DEPOT” A FEW DAYS AGO AND
I AM SURE THAT I CAN BUY EVERY TOOL I NEED TO BUILD THAT BOAT
WITH ABOUT US $250 .
THATS NOT MANY TOOLS, MEASURE, CUT, SMOOTH, DRILL AND SHAPE.
ABOUT A DOZEN ITEMS, AND THE ONLY POWER TOOLS WOULD BE A JIGSAW
AND A CORDLESS DRILL. THAT LATTER ONLY TO SPEED UP THE DRILLING
AND DRIVING OF INNUMERABLE SCREWS SO EVEN THAT ONE IS OPTIONAL.
SO WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY OTHERS?
IT SPEEDS THINGS UP, MAKES THE BUILDING GO FASTER AND MAKES
BETTER USE OF MY TIME. NOTHING MORE! THERE IS NO TASK THAT
I CANNOT PERFORM WITH THAT BOX OF HAND TOOLS, AND REMEMBER
THE USS CONSTITION WAS BUILT WITHOUT A SINGLE POWER TOOL,
BEYOND A WATERWHEEL POWERED DEAL FRAME SAWMILL, AS WERE INNUMERABLE
OTHER WOODEN VESSELS OF A SIZE AND COMPLEXITY THAT THE WORLD
DOES NOT SEE TODAY. GOOD SHARP HAND TOOLS AND ELBOW GREASE!
THERE IS THOUGH A LAW OF DIMINSHING RETURNS . THE SETUP
TIME FOR A SMALL ONE OFF JOB IS OFTEN LONGER THAN THE TIME
NEEDED TO DO THE JOB WITH A NICE SHARP HAND TOOL SO DON’T
OVERDO IT. START LIGHT ON POWER TOOLS AND ONLY BUY WHEN YOU
CAN SEE A REAL GAIN, AND THEN BUY A REALLY GOOD PIECE OF MACHINERY
THAT WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.
BUT AGAIN, DON’T OVERDO IT. YOU DON’T NEED THEM,
YOU MIGHT WANT THEM, BUT THAT’S A DIFFERENT THING ALTOGETHER.
SPACE, THE GARAGE IS AN OBVIOUS STARTING POINT, AND IS USUALLY
A SECURE STORAGE PLACE BUT THERE ARE OF COURSE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.
THE SPOUSES CAR MAY POSSIBLY HAVE A PRIOR CLAIM HERE AND IF
NOT THAT THERE ARE OTHERS IN THE HOUSHOLD WHO MAY NOT AGREE
WITH YOUR CLAIM!
I DID NOTICE THOUGH WHILE SITTING THROUGH THE ENDLESS HOURS
OF BOREDOM THAT MODERN AIR TRAVEL IS AND READING AN OUTDATED
COPY OF POPULAR MECHANICS THAT THERE ARE REMARKABLY CHEAP
READY MADE SHELTERS THAT CAN BE ERECTED IN BACKYARD A FLASH
, I NOTE THAT THERE ARE RENTAL STORAGE UNITS AROUND WITH POWER
POINTS AND DAYTIME ACCESS WHICH MAKE IDEAL SMALL WORKSHOPS
AND IF YOU ARE PREPARED TO MOVE AT A COUPLE OF WEEKS NOTICE,
A SMALL UNOCCUPIED FACTORY IN AN OUTLYING AREA MAY, WITH SOME
NEGOTIATION COME IN CHEAPER THAN YOU THINK.
THE FATHER IN LAWS BACKYARD MIGHT BE WORTH CHECKING OUT (HE’S
OFTEN A GOOD SOURCE OF LABOUR AND MATERIALS AS WELL) AND I
KNOW OF ONE GENT WHO MANAGED TO RENT A SPACE IN A WAREHOUSE
IN RETURN FOR HOLDING THE KEY FOR WEEKEND DELIVERIES. THINK
OUSIDE THE BOX AND YOU NEVER KNOW.
THERE ARE MORE SOLUTIONS TO THE SPACE THING THAN YOU MIGHT
INITIALLY THINK, BUT ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS, IS TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS
TO THE DREAM THAT CAN HELP TO FIT THE DREAM TO THE RESOURCE,
THE 50 FOOTER MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT, AND IN THE MEANTIME THE
12 FOOTER CAN GET YOU ONTO THE WATER AND OFF TO SOME INTERESTING
AND ADVENTUROUS PLACES.
SKILLS. I KNEW A RAGGED OLD GUY WHO’D HAD A LIFELONG
DESIRE TO OWN A BRIGANTINE. YOU KNOW, LIKE A SCHOONER BUT
FULLY SQUARE RIGGED ON THE FOREMAST.
EVERYONE ( EXCEPT THOSE WHO REALLY KNEW HIM ) LAUGHED, NO
MONEY, NO SHIPYARD, NO HIGH PROFILE BACKER WITH MILLIONS,
NO CHANCE ( THEY SAID)
THE LATE RALPH SEWELL HAD THOUGH A LIFETIME OF SKILLS AND
A HUGE DETERMINATION. HE BUILT A SAWMILL, BOUGHT STANDING
TREES AND FELLED THEM, WHILE THE LUMBER SEASONED HE BUILT
A FORGE AND MADE THE FITTINGS , BUILT A PRIMITIVE WAYS ON
THE MUD OF A LOCAL BAY, AGREEING TO TAKE THE FARMER WHO OWNED
THE PROPERTY SAILING ONE DAY, AND FIVE YEARS LATER LAUNCHED
A 70 FT BLUE WATER CAPABLE BRIGANTINE THAT SAILS THE WATERS
OF MY HOME HARBOUR IN NEW ZEALAND TODAY, A SMALL SHIP WHICH
HAS BEEN AS FAR AWAY AS TAHITI SOME 3500 MILES AWAY TO PROTEST
THE TESTING OF ATOMIC WEAPONS, AND WHICH NOW TRAINS YOUNG
FOLK IN THE ART OF ACHIEVING DREAMS.
RALPH WAS NOT PARTICULARLY SKILLED, BETTER THAN MANY SURE
BUT A 75 FT SQUARE RIGER IS NO MEAN TASK. THE POINT THAT I
AM TRYING TO MAKE HER, IF A LITTLE LONG WINDEDLY, IS THAT
RALPHS GREATEST SKILL WAS AN ABILITY TO LEARN ON THE JOB.
AND HIS GREATES ASSET WAS A VISION.
AND THAT’S WHAT SOMEONE DOING A SIMPLE PLYWOOD KAYAK
FROM A KIT WILL DO, THAT’S THE SAME FOR A 12 FT SAILING
DINGHY, OR A 20 FT CABIN CRUISER. NO DIFFERENT.
EXPERIENCE STARTS WHEN YOU BEGIN, YOUR OWN CAPT PETE CULLER
SAID THAT,
AN EXPERT IS ONLY A BEGINNER WITH EXPERIENCE , I SAID THAT!
RETURNING TO THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THE BOAT IS TO BE USED,
GO AND LOOK. CHECK OUT THE SMALL WORKING BOATS THAT WERE USED
THERE, THEY EVOLVED TO SUIT THE CONDITIONS THAT PREVAILED
IN THAT AREA, AND THAT’S NOT ONLY THE WEATHER IT INCLUDES
THE WATERS DEPTH, SEA STATE, CURRENTS, AND IN SOME CASES TEMPERATURE.
CHECK OUT THE LOCAL MARITIME MUSEUMS.
DO BEAR IN MIND THAT THE ANCESTRY OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS
AS THEIR HISTORICAL SKILLS AND PREFERENCES WILL HAVE INFLUENCED
WHAT THEY BUILT WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN THE NEW WORLD, CHECK
OUT THE MATERIALS AS THE AVAILABLITY OF VERY CHEAP LUMBER
IN WIDE PLANKS CHANGED THE SHAPE AND BUILDING METHODS AS WELL.
BUT HISTORY CAN GIVE YOU REAL CLUES AS TO WHAT SORT OF BOAT
WILL SUIT YOUR LOCAL SAILING GROUNDS. AS A DESIGNER I OFTEN
RESEARCH A CUSTOMERS LOCAL ENVIRONMENT BEFORE I START DRAWING,
AND WILL GO TO THE TROUBLE OF LOOKING AROUND THE WORLD FOR
SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS TO SEE WHAT SORT OF BOATS EVOLVED IN
SIMILAR CONDITIONS.
THIS MIGHT SEEM EXTREME, BUT TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, WE ON
NEW ZEALANDS NORTH EAST COAST HAVE A PREVAILING NOR EAST AND
SOU WEST WIND PATTERN THAT REACHES 25 KNOTS ON NORMAL SUMMERS
DAY. AS MUCH AS 40 KNOTS IN ONE OF THE FREQUENT LINE SQUALLS
, A 12 FT TIDE AND FAST CURRENTS PLUS A SHORT STEEP CHOP OVERLYING
AN OCEAN SWELL THAT IS UNDISTURBED ALL THE WAY FROM SOUTH
AMERICA.
I LOOK FOR INSPIRATION AMONG THE SMALL CRAFT OF ENGLAND AND
FRANCES WEST COASTS WHERE THEY HAVE HIGH PROPORTIONS OF STORM
FORCE WINDS, ROUGH SEAS AND FAST CURRENTS GENERATED BY BIG
TIDES, THE WORKING SMALL BOATS INDIGENOUS TO THESE AREAS WORK
VERY WELL IN MY HOME SAILING AREA, AND ALTHOUGH YOU MIGHT
NOT RECOGNISE THEIR ANCESTRY DUE TO MORE CONTEMPORARY STYLING,
A LOT OF THE BASIC DESIGN THEORY WILL HAVE COME FROM THOSE
TRADITIONAL WORKING CRAFT.
SO DO CHECK OUT WHERE IT IS YOU WANT TO USE YOUR BOAT, MAKE
SURE THAT YOUR VISION AND YOUR REALITY MATCH. A DEEP DRAFT
CUTTER MAY BE THE DREAM, BUT IF YOU ARE SAILING FOR TWO HOURS
ON PERHAPS 10 GENTLE SUNDAY AFTERNOONS A YEAR IN WARM SHALLOW
WATERS THEN PERHAPS A TRAILERABLE SMALL FLAT BOTTOMED SHARPIE
OR SKIFF IS A BETTER CHOICE.
TIME MANAGEMENT IS AN ISSUE, EVERY ONE OF US HAVE MANY OTHER
DEMANDS ON OUR TIME. SOME WE MEET WILLINGLY LIKE FAMILY, SOME
ARE NECESSARY TO KEEP THE FAMILY FED, SOME ARE JUST THE OBLIGATIONS
THAT GO WITH MODERN LIFE. BUT TO KEEP THE PROJECT GOING IT
PAYS TO SCHEDULE REGULAR TIME ON THE JOB. TIME THAT OTHERS
RECOGNISE THAT YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR OTHER DEMANDS AND
SHOULD NOT BE DRAGGED AWAY., BUT DO KEEP TIME FOR THE REST
OF THE FAMILY, INVOLVE THEM WHERE YOU CAN, SHOW OFF PROGRESS
AS YOU COMPLETE PARTS OF THE PROJECT, GET THE FAMILY TO HELP
OUT WHICH MAKES IT THEIR PROJECT TOO, THEY WILL FORGIVE YOU
SPENDING TIME OUT WHEN IT IS “THEIR” PROJECT AS
WELL.
BUDGETING, CUTTING THE CLOTH TO SUITIS NOT SO HARD REALLY,
THERE IS MORE SLACK THERE THAN THERE SEEMS . MOST OF US HAVE
A HOBBY ON WHICH WE SPEND SMALL BUT REGULAR AMOUNTS. HOW MUCH
IS THAT A WEEK? I DON’T NEED TO KNOW, AND POSSIBLY SPOUSES
EITHER! TOBACCO AND BEER MONEY MIGHT BE REDIRECTED AND YOU
COULD THEN JUSTIFY THAT ON HEALTH IMPROVEMENT GROUNDS!
BUILDING A SMALL BOAT AT HOME NEED NOT BE A MATTER OF SCRIMPING
AND SAVING THOUSANDS TO BE SPENT IN ONE HIT . ONCE THE PLANS
ARE TO HAND AND THE BEGINNINGS OF A TOOLKIT SCROUNGED BOUGHT
OR BORROWED THEN YOU ONLY NEED ENOUGH MATERIALS TO KEEP YOU
OCCUPIED UNTIL THE NEXT PAYDAY. NO MORE.
DO BE REALISTIC, A PROJECT THAT WILL TAKE FIFTY THOUSAND CANT
BE FINANCED FROM BEER MONEY IN TWO YEARS, SO THERE NEEDS TO
BE A A MATCH BETWEEN THE ALLOCATED FUNDS AND THE RATE AND
DURATION OF THE BUILDING PROJECT. BUT A TWO YEAR PROJECT NEEDING
A FEW DOLLARS A WEEK TO PROVIDE THE MATERIALS FOR PERHAPS
FOUR OR FIVE HOURS EACH 7 WEEKEND IS NOT TO HARD TO PROVIDE
FOR.
EACH PAYDAY WILL, AS BEFITS A HOBBY, SEE AN ALLOWANCE MADE
FOR THE HOBBY, FOR BOATBUILDING IS A HOBBY WITH ITS OWN REWARDS
AND BENEFITS. ITS GOT TO BE BETTER FOR THE MIND, THE HEALTH
AND THE RELATIONSHIP THAN A COUPLE OF EVENINGS A WEEK AT MURPHIES
BAR WITH THE BOYS.
BUT DON’T OVERDO IT, THE PROJECT MUST BE ACHIEVABLE,
BUT LOOK AT IT ON A LONGER TERM BASIS THAN THAT ONE OFF COST.
YOU CAN PUT IT ON TIME, WITH INTEREST. YOUR INTEREST!
CHOOSING YOUR DESIGN, HERE IS THE CRITICAL ONE. THE BOAT
NEEDS TO SATISFY YOUR DREAM, IT NEEDS TO BE ACHIEVABLE, IN
TERMS OF SKILLS, MATERIALS AVAILABILITY, TOOLS, SPACE, BUDGET
AND FITTING THE AREA IN WHICH IT IS TO BE USED.
STYLING CAN SATISFY THE DREAM, A LITTLE PAINT AND IMAGINATION
CAN MAKE A SMALL PLYWOOD BOAT FILL THE MENTAL PICTURE ENOUGH
TO MEET THE NEED WHILE STILL BEING A PRACTICAL MATCH FOR THE
RESOURCES AND THE REALITIES OF ITS USE.
HOME BOATBUILDING CAN BE AN IMMENSELY SATISFYING HOBBY, A
REAL RELIEF FROM THE STRESSES AND DEMANDS OF WORK , BUT IT
CAN BE DREADFULY FRUSTRATING IF YOU DON’T MAKE THE RIGHT
CHOICES. MAKING THOSE RIGHT DECISIONS EARLY ON WILL MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE, AND A GOOD DESIGNER WILL HELP YOU MAKE THOSE CHOICES.
READ, GO SAILING WITH FRIENDS , THINK ABOUT THE KEY RESOURCES
OF SKILLS AND DETERMINATION, BUDGET, TIME, TOOLS AND SPACE.
GET A GOOD FIT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU PLAN TO USE IT
IN, MAKE SURE IT FITS BOTH YOUR NEEDS AND YOUR DREAM, GET
IT RIGHT GET ONWITH IT, AND ENJOY IT. HOME BOATBUILDING ONCE
BEGUN IS USUALLY INCURABLE, ITS ADDICTIVE BUT NOT HARMFUL.
GET IT RIGHT, GET ON WITH IT, AND ENJOY IT.
THANK YOU,
JOHN WELSFORD.