Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival!

This year's logo from poster on ferry.  Have to get a t-shirt!

So, I've been planning on going to the Port Townsend Wooden since I left PT last year...;)  As a sailor and a woodworker, it's Disneyland for me.  It also happens to fall very close to my birthday every year, which is kind of cool.  An added bonus is my newfound passion for building a wooden boat.  As you know, I've been looking seriously into building CLC's Eastport Pram and they're an exhibitor every year!  Being able to see one built in real life with the new eyes I have from doing all of my research proved invaluable.

Why I go every year...

After drooling my way through the awesome chandlery at the entrance to the festival, I slowly made my way past Brion Toss' rig shop and other holy ground to the CLC "booth".  I say booth in the loosest terms possible.  They own a whole corner of the grounds.  Their boats and kayaks are everywhere.  The brightwork is dazzling.  Anyway, right there was the Eastport Pram, nesting version with sail kit, all setup, along with the Passagemaker take apart dinghy!

What all the fuss is about...;)

Seeing both together, I vacillated between them.  Then a couple of things clicked.  I could build the small one for practice to get better at the techniques so the large one would turn out better.  I could build the small one and sell it to pay for the materials to build the large one.  I think the most compelling argument as a novice boat builder is that the small one doesn't require a scarf joint, meaning I can make it out of one sheet of plywood.  It's easier to move with my back acting up, and because there's no scarf joint, I could theoretically not have to paint it and leave it bright...;)  Also, the large one would probably cost three times the price to build of the small one, which is a factor right now for this particular hobby.

Passagemaker in back, stern of Eastport Pram in front...

Upon further inspection of the nesting version of the Eastport Pram, I had a couple of observations...  First, there are a lot of aesthetic tradeoffs to make this thing nest.  The stern thwart that you see in the photo above must be removed in order for the bow to fit, hence the knobs (the line from the boom is tied to one).  I had planned on making that removable if I don't make it a sealed buoyancy tank.  Second, the "curvilicoius" center thwart isn't "curvilicious" on the nesting version because the curves don't fit when nested.  Sigh...  So now I'm torn between building the nesting version for ease of transport or making the much prettier one-piece version (see photo from previous post).  At approximately 75 pounds, maybe I can swing it (literally).

I talked with one of the guys working the booth, and the cost of the plans at the show was $9 less than online, without the additional $9 shipping.  I decided to hold off on buying plans until I metabolized my conundrum.  I then thought about building one of the cheaper or free boats from www.Bateau.com, but they don't have the same lines.  I don't want something that looks like a couple of plywood planks epoxied together, I want something graceful, so I think I'll wait until the Lummi Island dry-dock season is over and start bringing some 4' x 8' sheets of 1/4" oak plywood home.  My landlady is a totally cool lady from Alaska with tons of boating experience, so she's offered me a place to setup shop to build.

Happy as a clam in a pram...;)

I will say that an 8 foot boat for a 6' 2", 200#  guy is a bit of a stretch, but I think it's doable for a daysail.  I've also done some research on trolling motors.  Evidently, the only real difference between a fresh water and salt water versions is about $200 and some metallurgy that can be addressed by hosing the motor off when you get back.  I am very serious about the possibility of building two prams or at least using the parts for the first one as templates for another one to save lofting again in the future.  One option is Tyvek templates, but I don't want to risk the flexibility factor.  I also don't need to haul around another 75 pounds worth of templates for the foreseeable future.  Sigh...   All of these mutually exclusive criteria...  The good news is that I found some adjustable bars for my pickup that would allow me to stow the pram upside down over my bed/cab (much like those cargo photon torpedo capsules you see on top of Subarus), and they're only $50!

I've looked at building an Optimist or a Pelican, but those boats require you to build a jig, which the boat is then build onto, then when done, you cut your boat free from the jig.  While this is attractive in a classic boat building sort of way, I'd rather spend my time building the boat than the jig, and possible two boats in succession to have a fleet to race against...;)  CLC's stitch and glue method means that once the boat parts are cut out (or delivered if you order the kit), then the boat basically gets stitched together in one day, with the bulk of the work epoxying what you've put together.  I'm banking on building two is only 50% more hassle than building one, but I'll be happy with one for now.

Keep in mind that one of the goals of this project is to put together an event where people build these at home and then we all hit the lake together for a big BBQ.  The only way I can pull this off with any kind of credibility is if I've already built one to show off.  I think it makes a great centerpiece...;)