Category Archives: Sailor’s crafts

As the Arrow Flies: Chester Yawl Part 3

A boat is a roundish sort of thing. Round is not an ideal hydrodynamic shape. Push it through the water and it will tend to wander, much like my prose, unless something is added to set things straight. The pull … Continue reading

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The Sheer Beauty of a Fair Rail: Chester Yawl Part 2

In which the boys in the boatshed live on the edge before being run out of town on a  rail. ON FAIRNESS I like to run my eye along a beautiful curve. When a line sweeps along a contour with … Continue reading

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Bonding With Boats, Beer and Epoxy

In the hierarchy of things that constitute “simply messing about in boats” sailing is at the head of the list. Next is time spent building, restoring, painting or in any way physically advancing a boat from land-bound to seaborne. Time … Continue reading

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A New Rudder Takes Shape in the Shop

Every ship needs a steady hand on the helm. A stout tiller to grip through which the pressure of water in motion can be felt is the interface between the sailor and his medium. Unfortunately my 17 foot daysailer does … Continue reading

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It All Hinges On Raising The Mast

Last August I purchased a 19 foot O’day Daysailer that is in fundamentally good shape but needed a few replacement parts and some attention paid to several old ones.  I had hopes of getting out on the water this spring … Continue reading

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Start At The Beginning

Frugality is an art practiced with patience and a casual disregard for personal status. In a world where branding is practically a religion it is heretical to build in materials with no discernible commercial origin. Far beyond the green zeitgeist … Continue reading

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Coming Attractions: Kayak Building in Slow Motion

The observant follower of this blog will have noticed the glacial pace of my postings over the last several month. Life is not coinciding with my personal schedule and my priorities have shifted like a southern California fault line. Nevertheless, … Continue reading

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Boatbuilding In A Small Way

Building a boat, even a small one, can be a large undertaking.  Everything being relative, the size of my budget demands a minuscule boat.  I remain in an extended period of constructive daydreaming.  My hands, however, want to be actively … Continue reading

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County Fair in a Bottle

The sea can be a boring place to hang out on long passages.  Sailors have filled the off-watch hours with their own particular amusements for centuries.  Now a days they have television or the Internet.  not so long ago amusement … Continue reading

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