Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

Planking completed

2012-01-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

It’s been a busy couple of months and the planking is now complete.

Volunteer Rachel Gordon, back for Christmas break, is helping with the frame patterns.

All the work last year bending frames has come in handy as framing has been started. Installing each frame is a lot of work and it comes in handy having a supply of frames already made.

First mold is no longer needed and was removed to make more room.

Randy Dearlove checking his measurements.

Photos and captions courtesy Gina Pickton

Lowell's Boat Shop

All rights reserved

Looks like the good folks at the boatshop have indeed been busy. Planking is finished and framing begun. Notice in the first photo that the top two planks are lapstrake. I'm sure you'll all join me in extending Gina, Bruce, Jeff Huffenberger, Newt Kirkland and all the volunteers involved a hearty well done. There's lots yet to be done but it's nice to see the project advancing and looking like a whaleboat. I'll get down there soon and follow up with some more photos.

Interestingly, I received an email from Graham MacKay, Manager of Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury MA saying that they are currently fundraising to build yet another whaleboat for the Morgan, beginning this coming fall. Lowell's was for decades a successful family owned concern, is on the National Historic Register and is somewhat uniqe in being both an ongoing commercial boatyard and a museum. From the website:

Established in 1793, Lowell's Boat Shop is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the United States and is cited as the birthplace of the legendary fishing dory. Lowell’s is the only remaining survivor of the area’s world-renowned dory manufacturing industry that produced in excess of a quarter of a million dories over a period of two centuries. Building more than 2000 boats in 1911, this business was one of the first in the Nation to employ a seminal form of assembly line manufacturing.
With the founding of his company, Simeon Lowell made radical innovations to traditional boat design. Known for their efficiency, durability and sea worthiness, Lowell dories became the heart and soul of the Gloucester fishing fleet. In the waning days of the great fishing industry, recreational boaters turned to Lowell dories for the same qualities that attracted the fishermen. Rowing clubs, hunting camps, the Boy and Girl Scouts and the Lifesaving Service all sought Lowell dories and skiffs for their maritime experiences.
Conveyed through seven generations of the Lowell family, Lowell’s Boat Shop was passed to the Odell family in the 1980’s and then to the Newburyport Maritime Society in the 1990’s. In 2006, Lowell’s was purchased by Lowell’s Maritime Foundation, an independent non-profit group with the mission of leading this National Landmark and Working Museum through its third century of wooden boat building.

I'm sure to be hearing more from Graham in the coming months and hope to keep you informed about this project as it progresses. Lowell's makes, among others, this finely kitted out sailing dory.

Original post Thomas Armstrong for Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

Planking taking shape

2011-11-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

Wendy Byar

Four planks up counting the garboard

Plank 5 going on

5th plank
The 2nd thru 6th planks are clench nailed to battens. It is sort of like carvel with a backing plank. I suppose the battens reinforce the seams since the planks are thin for lightness and they are not nailed to the molds. It takes some care with the anvil and hammer to keep everything aligned so neither the planks or battens split. The frames are fitted after the boat is planked. It is taking a beautiful shape. The 5th and 6th planks were wumped, or prebent to a cupped shape before being hung. the last two planks will be hung lapped.

Courtesy Wendy Byar

Gina Pickton

Wendy Byar and Newt Kirkland attaching a plank

Knot drilled out with Forstner bit and replaced with a bung

Jeff and Newt have been making good progress with planking the boat. The process of putting a plank on is the same for each one, a set of steps that gets repeated over and over again until all 16 are on

We start by spiling the pattern and preparing the boards. The cedar we have is not long enough to span the entire length of the 28ft whaleboat so we have to scarf two pieces together. After planing each board to the proper thickness, we use our pattern to cut the proper shape into the boards, making sure to leave enough room for the scarf. Next we repair any parts of the plank that need it, drilling out knots and replacing them with bungs and adding dutchmen where necessary.

As the planks work their way up around the turn of the bilge, they get wider and wider. In order for the board to take the curve we bend them before attaching them to the boat. To do this we use a process called Whomping.

You can see more about how we do this by watching the videos above. Narrated by John Schwarzenbach

courtesy Gina Picton

Thomas Armstrong

Wen Byar clench nailing

From Wendy's blog Green Boats:
"Here is the skinny. We drill the holes through the plank and batten, and place the nail oval perpendicular to the grain. Back it with the iron next to the hole and tap the nail thru from the plank side until it just clears the batten. Move the iron over the nail. Hold it at an angle so the nail starts to turn back into the batten. Tap it home flush with the plank surface."

I was at the workshop Thursday and it was a dark day, which produced this combination of natural and artificial lighting.

She's a long boat at 28'

A nicely turned bilge

Newt and Jeff

She's really taking shape

photos Thomas Armstrong

I made my way down to the Workshop last Thursday to see the progress on the whaleboat. Coincidentally Gina Pickton and the new workshop director Bruce MacKenzie (more on Bruce later @ 70.8%) had put together some photos and videos for me. Wen Byar had also sent me some updates. The boat looks swell and is really graceful, and the work looks top notch. My first impression was of how long, and how sweet she is. The videos will outline the process of wumping or whomping, basically steaming a plank to make it more pliable form fitting the curve of the boat. Thanks ladies and gents, you are doing exceptional work. Special thanks to John Schwarzenbach for his narration on the videos.

Original post Thomas Armstrong for Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

Planking begins...

2011-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Garboard in place and a new plank being fitted.

Same

Frames!

More frames on the bending jig

This shot shows how the garboard fits into it's rabbet, or groove, on the keel.

This from about eye level

This photo shows how the garboard conforms to the molds.

all photos Thomas Armstrong

After a great afternoon aboard Gazela for the pirate battle (see 70.8%), I dropped in on Gina at the boatshop to see what progress had been made of the boat. They've started planking but only just. Much more time has been spent over the last month or so bending the approximately100 frames needed for the boat. The actual figure is around 76, but Gina explained they wanted a few extras so they would not have to do them later. As you can see there's a rather impressive pile!
As for the planking, both garboards have been fitted into their rabbet along the keel and a partial first plank or strake as well. Once the frames are all done the planking should proceed quickly. Exciting!
Since John Brady is spending so much time running the museum, a new boatbuilder has been chosen to oversee the day to day running of the boatshop. His name is Bruce McKenzie and I should be meeting him soon.

Stay tuned.

Original post Thomas Armstrong for Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

More progress

2011-08-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Once the keel was laid and the stem attached we realized that the stern post had sprung and no longer would work for the boat. We didn’t have the oak to replace it right away so we moved on to the next step of attaching the molds in place and squaring them up.

Our oak showed up last week, so right away we went to work bending a new stern post.

It took 4 tries to get it right, but we got it.

Final stern post ready to cut it’s rabbet.

With all the oak in we moved forward milling the oak for the 100 frames we need to bend.

Jack and Rachel getting oak stock ready for milling.

Jeff and George determining the right length to cut stock.

While everything else was going on, we still found time to start spiling the garboard planks. In the above photo you can see them resting on the molds waiting to be finished.

all photos and captions courtesy Gina Pickton

Well, as you can see here, things are moving along at the Workshop. Gina has once again told the story rather smartly. Looks as though planking will have begun as you read this or soon after, as the garboard planks are already cut. I'm hoping to hear from Geoff McKonly soon on the New York team's progress.

Building Progress

2011-08-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

We’ve made some progress on the Whaleboat in the past few weeks. Going has been a bit slow as we have been waiting for our oak to be milled. We’ve made jigs and patterns in preparation.

Vincent and Salim are working from plans to make patterns.

George Clark is working on the pattern for the rudder

We’ve shaped the keel...

and attached it to the Strongback in place

Mystic Seaport sent down planking cedar and green oak for the stem and stern posts and the next couple weeks were filled with milling the cedar.

Jake Davidson and Alex Miller getting the cedar ready for resawing

We’ve also posted a video of resawing the cedar with the jig that Jeff designed.

Once the mess from the cedar milling was done, the crew got to work on bending the stem and stern posts

Stem and Stern post bending jig.

The whole crew gets in on the steam bending action.

While on the jig we drilled and riveted the posts to help them keep their shape.

Nick Pagan and Charles Bernstein getting ready to attach a strap to the post to help it keep it’s bend over time.

Charles Bernstein and Jeff Huffenberger attaching the stem post to the keel. Jeff welded up a bracket to help support and keep it in place while the build happens.

all photos courtesy Gina Pickton

Thanks to Gina Pickton for this update on the progress of the whaleboat build. The captions are all hers and pretty much tell the story. This I think brings us up to about 2 weeks ago, as I can see that work has gone beyond what's seen here, with molds in place and planking to begin soon.
You can follow the progress on a daily basis by visiting the webcam. More soon!

Originally posted @ Whaleboats for the CW Morgan

Molds and Jigs

2011-06-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Workshop volunteer Paul Connors feeding the planer

Rocking the Boat participants unloading the goodies from Phily

Molds and one of the bending jigs unloaded at Rocking the Boat's
Brooklyn workshop.

A jig for bending the stem.

Jig and steambox

These two photos are of the frame bending jig. A smaller version has been built for the knees.
Notice that next to the jig is a steambox setup. The pieces will be steamed to make them pliable before going onto the jig.

All photos courtesy Gina Pickton/Workshop on the Water

Boatbuilding glossary found at Inthe Boatshed, courtesy Gavin Atkin

Gina & Co. have been busy at the boatshop as the project heats up, with help from the CHAD group. Her report:

"We’ve been making some progress on both getting boats out of the shop, and moving forward on the whaleboat. One boat left last week and two more will be out the door next week. Then we will finally have the room freed up in the shop for the whaleboat.
On Friday we delivered some goodies to Rocking the Boat. They now have the keel pattern, the knee and frame bending jig patterns, the stem bending jig, the strongback and 8 molds. We’ve also made our own stem bending jig and are on our way to completing our own knee and frame bending jigs."

Once the strongback is set up and the molds attached, the fun should begin in earnest.

2011-05-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Clamp being filed

Clamp being sanded

Jeff and Nicholas admiring a students work

all photos courtesy Gina Picton

From my esteemed correspondent Gina Picton comes this brief summary of the weeks progress on the whaleboats:

"The CHAD students were in again this week. They are working on the frame bending jig. I’ve attached some pictures of them working with teacher Jeff Gerstemeier (in the hat) and workshop volunteer and instructor Nicholas Pagan. The jig has many built in clamps to hold each frame in place and the students are learning to use the different tools needed to complete the project. They have 29 ready to go, with just a few more to finish."

Gina says a couple more boats will leave the boatshop this week, allowing work to begin on setting up the support structure need for building the whaleboat. There is a possibility of some names to apply to the student photos above and also some photos they've taken of the work as well! Stay tuned.

the Whaleboat

2011-05-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Artwork from the logbook of the ship Iris while on its voyage from 1843-1847. The painting depicts a sperm whale upending one of the whaleboats chasing it.

Courtesy Girl on a Whaleship

This detailed painting of the killing of a whale by a whaleboat crew was done on the inside cover of a logbook. The logbook covers two voyages; the ship Alexander Barclay, 1837-1840 and Charles W. Morgan, 1841-1842.

Courtesy Girl on a Whaleship

Diagram ({{Information |Description={{en|1=Side and interior plan of whale-boat equipped with apparatus of capture, &c. Noted on the drawing as Plate 192. sec 5 v ii pp241, 252. not clear why the file name says fig 193.}} |Source=NOAA Photolibrary Image ID: figb01)

Courtesy NOAA

Azorean whaleboat racing

C0urtesy Azorean Whaleboats

The Queen's Ranger's whaleboat after its trip from Crown Point to Fort Ticonderoga
(courtesy David Michlovitz)

Courtesy Fort Ticonderoga Brigade

The past--a district Missionary's whaleboat

In early days the work of the "Southern Cross" was supplemented by the district missionaries in their whaleboats, but in recent year these have been replaced by launches and schooners

Courtesy Anglican History Oceania 1849-1949

from 'Into the Deep', a documentary by Ric Burns
The history of the American whaling industry from its 17th-century origins in drift and shore whaling off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the golden age of deep ocean whaling, and on to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War.
Find here, and here.

I just happened to catch the airing of this documentary on PBS, I rarely watch TV so it was extremely fortuitous. I was deeply moved and impressed by this work.
Ric Burns is without doubt a most discerning and articulate documentry filmaker. I recommend this film highly. It focuses acutely on the wreck of the Essex, an American whaleship and more generally on American whaling. The wreck of the Essex is reputed to be one of the inspirations for Moby Dick, and the documentary focuses quite a bit on Melville's celebrated work. Do not miss this!

Courtesy Ric Burns, PBS, and Mystic Seaport

Aquatic Mammals
Caption: Darting Harpoon into Sperm Whale
Image Date 1926
Subject Whaleboats
Whaling
Harpoons
Sperm whale
Image Source Author Cook, John A.
Image Source Title Pursuing the Whale : a Quarter-Century of Whaling in the Arctic
Pub. Info. Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1926
Page No./Plate No. Facing page 8
Digital collection Freshwater and Marine Image Bank
Repository Most materials are located in the University of Washington Libraries. Images were scanned by staff of the UW Fisheries-Oceanography Library
Copyright Materials in the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank are in the public domain. No copyright permissions are needed. Acknowledgement of the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank as a source for borrowed images is requested.
Ordering Information The University of Washington Libraries does not provide reproductions of this image. This record contains a citation for this image. If you want to use the scanned image, acknowledgement of the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank as a source for borrowed images is requested.
Type Image

Courtesy University of Washington Libraries

A whaleboat chasing its prey

Courtesy Girl on a Whaleship

From the introduction to ' The Whaleboat A study of Design, Construction and Use from 1850 to 1970 by Willits D. Ansel, published by the Mystic Seaport Museum:

The term "whaleboat" properly describes boats used for hunting whales, lthough it has also been applied to other boats having similar features, generally sharp ends. Whaleboats ere used by the thousands aboard American whaleships in the middle of the nineteenth century and, in lesser numbers, aboard the vessels of toher nations and at shore stations around the world. The whaleboat was a double ended, light, open boat with a length at that time of between twenty-seven and thirty-one feet and a beam of slightly more than one-fifth the length. It was pulled by oars and sailed. It was a fine sea boat, not only adapted to its function but also handsome. Though there were variations in size, lines, and construction, the general characteristics were well defined.
The whaleboat was once the most widespread of all small craft. In the late 1800s it was known in the Pacific in such widely separated places as Easter Island, Tasmania, the Bonin Islands and the Aleutians. In the Atlantic, it appeared in the north off Greenland, in the Azores, the Grenadines, and south to Tristan da Cunha and still farther south to Antarctica. In the Indian Ocean it was seen in the Mozambique Channel, Kerguelen Island and Cocos. It was used in the Arctic Ocean at Herschel Island on one side and Spitsbergen on the other. Whaleboats were seen in the most remote places in the sea.
The last voyage of a whaleship that carried whaleboats was in the 1920s. At a few far scattered places the boats continued to be used for shore whaling, as at Tong and Norfolk Island in the Pacific and at Bequia and the Portuguese Islands in the Atlantic. Two whaleboats are still maintained at Bequia and whaling on Pico and Madeira.* In 1969 there was whaling at Fiji. Elsewhere on remote islands the type survived for carrying cargo and passengers.
In the United States, where the whaleboat was carried to its final stage of development and where the boats were build by the thousands, very few remain outside of museums, although an undermined number survive in Alaska.
Much has been written in praise of whaleboats:
Their shape "ensures great swiftness as well as qualities of an excellent seaboat." 1
The boats were dry and rode "as gracefully as an albatross...for lightness and form, for carrying capacity compared with its weight and sea-going qualities, for speed andfacility of movement at the word of command, for theplacing of menat the best advantage in the exercise of their power, by the nicest adaptation of the varying length of the oar to its position in the boat, and lastly, for a simpicity of construction which renders repairs practicable on ships, the whaleboat is simply as perfect as the combined skill" of generations of boatbuilders could make it. 2

As surf boats the whaleboats were "without rival, better than a lifeboat which is a compromise because it has to carry a larger number of people...The whaleboat was the best seaboat that man could devise with no limits to size, weight, or model. "3 A whaleboat type, locally called a longboat, was adapted on Tristan da Cunha around 1886, after fifteen men were lost in a lifeboat. The longboat coxswains conider their light, canvas covered boats fine surf boats. 4
Howard Chapelle cites the whaleboat's reputation for good performance under oars and sail under all conditions.5 Others noted their maneuverability and speed and, last but not least, the cheapness of their construction.
Such praise was deserved. However, the whaleboat was the product of compromises, and was excelled in some functions by specialized boats. There were faster pulling boats, such a certain ones used in nineteenth-century smuggling in southern England, and certainly some lifesaving boats were safer in surf or a breaking sea. In terms of all-around performance, however, the whaleboat rated very high.

1. Charles M. Scammon, The Maritime Mammels of the Northewest coast of North America and the Whale Fishery, rev. ed. (Riverside: Manessier Publishing Co., 1969), p.224.

2. William Davis, Nimrods of the Sea, rev. ed. (North Quincy: The Christopher Publishing House, 1972), pp157-58.

3. Clifford W. Ashley, The Yankee Whaler, (Garden City: Halcyon House, 1942), p.59.

4. Notes on the Tristan da Cunha boats were provided by the island's administrator, J. I. H. Fleming, in 1973.

5. Howard I. Chapelle, The National Watercraft Collection, (Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office. 1960), p. 262

* Whaling was banned in the Azores in either 1986 or 1987, even though other small groups of shore based whaling, such as the Inuit and the Bequian whalers were allowed to continue as their whaling is considered 'indigenous'. It's my belief that the Azoreans should also be allowed to take whales based on their long standing practice. (ed.)

While not meant to condone the wholesale industrial slaughter of whales by, in particular, Japan and Norway, I do feel the history and development of the whaleboat a legitimate area of inquiry.

Currently I am writing a weblog about the construction of two whaleboats being built to fit out the restoration of the Charles W Morgan underway at Mystic Seaport. The boats are being built to historic standards at both the Independence Seaport Museum's boatshop in Philadelphia, PA and at Rocking the Boat in Brooklyn, NY.

Molds completed!

2011-05-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

One of the lofting boards in the workshop

Two mold halves about to be joined by Gina

I asked Gina how the lines on the lofting board were transferred to the pieces of wood used to build the molds. She asked if I knew of the nailhead technique. I did not, so she showed me how it works. Nails, like the ones in thi photo, are pounded in at regular intervals along the lofted line of the drawing, the the wood for the frame piece is aligned and gently impressed with the curvature of the drawing. You can see the nailhead indentations in the board.

Tools of the trade

Gina Pickton explaining some of the vagaries of the lofting/mold building process to me.

Lots of work to finish up and boats to be moved before the building of a whaleboat can take place. This will hopefully all be accomplished this week. Next a structure will be built in about the area occupied by the blue lift to attach and stabilize the boat skeleton, the molds, keel, stem and sternpost on a 'strongback' or table/platform as these boats are built upright, Norwegian style and not upside down which is the more common practice.

All Photos courtesy Snez'a Litinovic

Last Sunday, (meaning March 8) I met a new friend for the first time. We'd been conversing by email and since she lives in Philadelphia I thought we could combine a visit to the Independence seaport museum with a visit to the workshop to update the progress on the whaleboats. Snez'a had never seen the museum and we had a lot of fun viewing and discussing the collection. Snez'a is an architect (her firm, 119 Degrees Architects) so a lot of what she was seeing in terms of process and drawings and form made sense to her, and led to lively discussion. I had left my camera behind but fortunately Snez'a had a little battery time left on her camera and was able to get some photos. Gina Pickton was finishing up the mold building for the whaleboat project and was very gracious in showing us how the process worked and answering our questions.

Molds finished and stored awaiting the building of support structure and strongback

Same with these, one set for Philly and one for NYC

One half of the frame building jig being built by the school team from CHAD school in Philadelphia

ditto

photos courtesy Gina Pickton

Gina finished up the molds for both boats this week and was kind enough to send some photos along with a brief update on the progress.

"This week we finished up both sets of molds. Now we’re taking a moment to finish up the Elco’s Tranquility and Bear Cub, and the Marsh Cat to clear space before we continue on.
The pictures above are of both sets of Whaleboat molds ( for this workshop and the one in NYC at Rocking the boat, ed.), stored out of the way until needed

On Wed we have some regular kids from the CHAD school here in Philadelphia. They are working on jigs for the whaleboat.The lobster trap looking thing is the frame bending jig the kids are working on. We’ll get pictures of them working on it next week."

Once the project is properly underway, Gina will be sending me regular updates and I will attempt to visit as often as possible as well to document the build in Philadelphia, with project director Geoff McKonley updating me from NY.
Stay tuned.

Building Molds for the Whaleboats Project

2011-04-30T16:35:00.001-07:00

Here we see molds 1 and 2 labeled RtB

Gina here is joining a two piece half mold

and here

Mold # 1 for the ISM boat. These are long and narrow boats. 28' feet long and as Gina measured from the lofting board today, just under 6' beam. They are quick, maneuverable and responsive, and will have gaff rigs.

Mold parts awaiting assembly

More of that (those)

And yet more

Gina Pickton assembling parts into a complete mold

Laying them down onto the lofted lines to check for accuracy

putting it together

You can't really see it, but Gina has in hand a small template for drawing, then cutting, a keel rabbet before joining the mold halves

Keel rabbet

This is a model whaleboat from the museums collection, dusted off and installed in the visitors
section of the workshop so folks can see what the finished boats will look like. Gina says this little exhibit has been very successful.

Amistad, Gina worked aboard Amistad in 2007

courtesy Gina Pickton

Crewing aboard Gazela

courtesy Gina Pickton

Replanking schooner Dolphin

courtesy Gina Pickton

All photos Thomas Armstrong, unless otherwise attributed

Willets Ansel, author of The Whaleboat, defines molds as: 'Temporary forms used in whaleboat construction , around which the boat is planked'. Apparently the term is so ubiquitous I found no other definition in about two hours of searching the internet and boatbuilding texts including Chapelle. So let me attempt to expand on Willets' definition. Molds are built to conform to the inside form of a boat drawing, taken in regular vertical sections and serve as a framework around which the actual boat is built. Most common practice today in traditional construction of small boats have the molds set upside down and the boat is only turned right side up after planking is finished. The whaleboats are built right side up, like Norwegian small boats and most larger boats and ships.
The lines of a boat are drawn full size and laid down on a lofting board. The molds are cut to conform to these lines. Once built, the molds are secured to a 'strongback' or support frame or 'table' to allow the building of the boat.

I visited the boatshop today to see what progress had been made on the building of the molds for the two whaleboats. I found Gina Pickton, an employee of the workshop, busy putting together precut peices of the molds. The mold halves are joined after cutting rabbets for the keel to fit into. After they are joined more rabbets will be cut for battens or ribbands, horizontal strips running the length of the boat to tie the molds together. With molds and ribbands in place and the keel laid, all is secured to the strongback and planking can commence. These boats are unusual as the garboard, (gar·board/ˈgärˌbôrd/
Noun: The first range of planks or plates laid on a ship's bottom next to the keel.) and the next strake (1st strake) and the top two strakes (gunwale and sheer strake) are built lapstrake, while all other planking is carvel.
Gina and co. are building two sets of molds, one for the ISM boat and one for Rocking the Boat in NY.
When I visited, Gina was quite accommodating, answering my questions and allowing me to document her work. She also showed me a portion of a 6 hour (3)DVD set from Mystic Seaport which follows the construction of a whaleboat there. The team at WoW are using this as a guide to sequence their build and to answer many of the questions that come up along the way.

A quick note about Gina Pickton. She has been an employee of the boatshop for about 1.5 yrs. and has been involved with boats for over a decade, mostly larger boats, tall ships. All the work she has done prior to the whaleboat project has been repair/reconstruction maintenance type work. She allowed that she is very excited to participate in a ground up new build project.

Molds

2011-04-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Whaleboat molds were cut from the lofted plan last week. Two sets were made; one to send up to Rocking the Boat in NYC. The students there will be building a boat with Geoff Mc. while his cohort Tony A. is rowing another one of the boats built by the students to Maine and back as a fund raiser for the program.

The other set of molds will be erected at the Workshop on the Water. They will form the shape of things to come. Really they will shape the form of the whaleboat.

We will be following up soon with more on the molds and their setup, hopefully, watch this space. (ed)

Whaleboat Models

2011-03-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Beetle Whaleboat

Photo 1—Port side view: This was a Beetle whaleboat, so-called as they were built by Charles Beetle, a whaleboat builder from New Bedford, Massachusetts; in fact, the name “Beetle” was burned into two places on the completed boats. This model was built to a scale where 1/2-inch represents one foot and was the subject of a two-part series of articles published in Seaways Journal of Maritime History. The model was based on the last boat Beetle built. On completion, it was shipped to the Mariners' Museum where it can still be seen today.

Photo 2—Midships and a look at the gear: The gear aboard a whaleboat was highly specialized and included not just harpoons used to fasten to a whale and the lances that were used to kill the creature, but also the line tubs. In this case the tubs were built with individual staves, as were the baling scoop and the fresh water keg. The harpoons and lance tips, the boat knife and hatchet head were made from nickel silver, oxidized to a soft patina representing age, and the edges were then polished to simulate having been recently sharpened.

Photo 3—Interior detail: Whaleboats were ceiled inside, meaning that they were planked inside and outside the frames. This model is also an example of a painted model as opposed to being polished Boxwood. At the right-hand end of the last photo of the interior of the boat the compass can be seen, required for situations where a boat lost sight of its parent ship. The compass in this model boat was gimbaled as were the real ones. There are paddles in the bottom of the boat used when quietly approaching a whale on the surface. All of the equipment has been aged to represent usage.

While this model was built to be displayed on a regular base and mounted on posts, Roger decided to see what it would look like set up on a simulated beach. This was done in his basement, on a piece of cardboard with a layer of sand scattered on it and two different coloured backdrops.

The model is fourteen inches long.

photos and text courtesy
The Internet Craftsmanship Museum

From 1720 to 1920 nearly 60,000 whaleboats were consumed by the American whaling industry. With a useful life of no more than three years, whaleboats were discarded on the spot throughout the coastal U.S. and around the world. Remarkably, only a dozen or two have survived to become part of today's museum collections.

In 1916, the Dartmouth Historical Society commissioned the building of a half sized model of the bark LAGODA. Local whaleboat builder Joshua Delano was retained to build the seven half-sized model whaleboats needed for the project. Delano built these models according to the design of the full-sized boats he had built for the whaling industry for more than forty years.

Whaling historian Erik A.R. Ronnberg, Jr. made a thorough study of Delano’s half-sized boats in order to produce this kit of a uniquely American working craft.

photos and text courtesy Historic Ships

Whalers had no equal in handling an open boat at sea. At a time when whales were still plentiful as well as fair game, they were hunted in relatively small open rowboats. They approached a whale closely so as not to miss with a toothpick-like harpoon. At least when comparing it with the bulk of a seventy foot long leviathan sperm whale. And the Kings of the Sea didn't take kindly to being hunted, giving rise to the shanty of the harpooner: A Dead Whale or a Stove Boat.The whaleboat rode the waves like an albatross. For lightness, grace and speed it simply had no peer. The buckets held up to a mile of line. The harpooner would stand on the stern holding his harpoon. A successful throw might mean a long chase, the whale taking the boat in tow. The harpoon line would be belayed on a single pollard on the deck. The double ends made it easy to move in two directions, a slap of the tail of an angry whale had better be avoided. Our hand built whaleboat is built lapstrake planks-on-frame.
Whaling tools in amazing detail.

photos and text courtesy Mallcarts

"Thar she blows!" The hard men of the sea take to their boats in pursuit of the gentle giants of the ocean.

photos and text courtesy The Miniatures Page

Nautical dioramas, This whale boat is completely outfitted with whaling tools of exceptional detail, including harpoons, hooks, daggers, flensing knives, gaffs, etc. The hull is crafted of individual ivory "planks". This is a six-man, single mast whaleboat. It would have been one of four carried on a whaling ship. Its crew would have included a coxswain, four rowers, and a harpooner up front. The model has been mounted in a fine mahogany and brass case. Boat measures 10 and one quarter inches long by 2 and three quarters inches wide by 2 and one quarter inches high. Case / Mount: 13 and one half inches long by 6 and one half inches wide by 5 and three quarter inches high.

photos and text courtesy One Of A Kind Antiques

While we're waiting for the whaleboat builds to begin I thought it might be nice to look at some whaleboats. I didn't find a lot to show on the internet, but I did find lots of material relating to models of whaleboats, apparently in far greater abundance than the real thing. Not surprising given that your average whaleboat had a life expectancy of about three years. Lightly built and put to hard use, the boats were soon discarded and replaced. Which no doubt kept their builders happy. Wendy Byar actually spurred me into action when she put a post on FB of a model. I had been looking at them, but then it clicked.
N Roger Cole built the model at the top of the post. He's a meticulous craftsman based in Canada and does his research. I believe his model is built to the same plans that our boats will be. There's an extensive bio on him here. For the other models I have supplied what information was available. Hope this will serve as an appetizer prior to getting to the main course.

Whalebones and Whaleboats

2011-03-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

For Ycrow. Visited the New Bedford Whaling Museum to answer your question about scale.

A mature male sperm whale is about 35-50 years old, 50-60 feet long and weighs between 43 and 45 tons. That would make him about two times longer than a whaleboat. A fully loaded whaleboat with crew ranged from slightly less than one ton to about a ton & a half according to material published in The Whaleboat by W. Ansel.

The pictures I took show a sperm whale skeleton next to a wooden whaleboat in the museum.

Lofting 1.0, preliminaries

2011-03-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

Imprimature

photo Thomas Armstrong

Sorry about the quality here, but a more defined photo might infringe on Mystic copyright.
Drawn by RC Allyn in 1974, lines taken off a Beetle Mfg. Co. boat that arrived with the CW Morgan.

photo Thomas Armstrong

Batten pinned

photo courtesy Wendy Byar

Lofting floor

photo courtesy Wendy Byar

photo courtesy Wendy Byar

from Wikipedia:

Lofting is a Drafting technique (sometimes using mathematical tables) whereby curved lines are drawn on wood and the wood then cut for advanced woodworking. The technique can be as simple as bending a flexible object (such as a long cane) so that it passes over three non-linear points and scribing the resultant curved line, or plotting the line using computers or mathematical tables.
Lofting is particularly useful in boat building, when it is used to draw and cut pieces for hulls and keels, which are usually curved, often in three dimensions.
Lofting is the transfer of a Lines Plan to a Full Sized Plan. This helps to assure that the boat will be accurate in its layout and pleasing in appearance. There are many methods to loft a set of plans.
Generally, boat building books have a detailed description of the lofting process, beyond the scope of this article. Plans can be lofted on a level wooden floor, marking heavy paper such as Red Rosin for the full sized plans or directly on plywood sheets.
The first step is to lay out the grid, mark the Base Line along the length of the paper or plywood sheet. Then nail Battens every 12 inches (or more in some cases) where the station lines are to be set as a mark for the perpendicular line, which is marked with a T-square. The previous steps are followed in turn by marking the Top Line and the Water Line. Before continuing make sure to check the lines by using the Pythagorean theorem and make sure the grid is square.
The second step is to mark the points from the table of offsets. All measurements off the table of offsets are listed in Millimeters or the Feet, Inches and Eighths. The points are plotted at each station then use a small nail and a batten to Fair (draw with a fair curve) the boat's lines.

from Wendy Byar:

"The beginning of a new boat means drawing the shapes full size from a set of offsets (feet-inches-eighths) that determine points. Battens bent to meet these points are adjusted for fair curves.

The plans for the whaleboats being built at Workshop on the Water and Rocking the Boat are available from Mystic Seaport. These drawings were done by R.C Allyn in 1973. They are the lines from a Beetle Whaleboat. Beetle built about 50 boats a year between 1834 and 1854. A set of lines like this gives all the information a builder needs to produce a boat with the given shape.
The plans for the Whaleboat have a table of offsets in the corner. The offsets are read in feet-inches- and eighths of inches. These coordinates specify points on given lines. They are the given locations where a long flexible batten may be bent along to make a fair line.
The lines on the plans are drawn in three axes, or planes intersecting each other at right angles for the most part. (the diagonals make a fourth set of planes, not at right angles.)

The whaleboat we are building at the Workshop on the Water is about 28 feet long, so we need a drawing surface at least that long.
Four sheets of luan were screwed to the wooden floor and painted white for good contrast with the pencil lines. The paint makes it easier to erase, too.
A baseline was laid down using a very tightly stretched string. Marks were made along one side of the string and a 30' straight line was drawn using a straight edge to connect the marks. This line needed to be true since the rest of the boats geometry is drawn in relation to it.
Station lines were set up every three feet along the base line as indicated on the plans. These lines are 90º to the baseline. They were drawn using the 3, 4, 5 triangle method to assure right angles. Each station line was labeled with its number."

There's more to come on the lofting soon, The photos above are from a trial lofting for educational purposes, the boat will be re-lofted soon, and we plan to follow that. (ed.)

Whaleboats 101

2011-03-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Whaleboat in davits on the CW Morgan, Mystic Seaport

photo courtesy Mystic Seaport

Whaleboat exhibit at Chubb's Wharf at Mystic. This boat came to Mystic in 1941 aboard the CW Morgan but is believed to have been built before 1920. It is fully kitted out with whaling gear representative of the 1880's.

photo courtesy Mystic Seaport

Newly minted (2003) whaleboat built at Mystic by a team headed by Walter and Willits Ansel.
Willits came out of retirement for this boat, to build 'one more', the project manager being his son Walter. Tom Jackson was a member of the team and wrote an article for WoodenBoat which is must read.

Photo courtesy Michael Eudenbach

Long and lean, fast and graceful, the brutality of the whaleboat as an eloquently evolved weapon is belied by the elegance of their lines. Light, efficient and lethal. These are the boats that were employed by whaling ships to close the end game. They are an example of the evolution of form in service to function that has resulted in sheer artistry born of utility.
The last traditional whaleboat built in this country was built in 1933 by the beetle Mfg. Co. of New Bedford MA. for the Maritime Museum in Newport News. The boats had long been built by Beetle and they supplied much of the American whaling industry. The legacy of American whaleboats has been kept alive by Mystic Seaport and in particular Willits Ansel who, while serving as a shipwright at Mystic initiated the the building of whaleboats there. He also 'wrote the book' on whaleboats. I cannot explain the crazy price for the book at Amazon right now, I recently ordered the book for around $35. Take a look also at Tom Jackson's article on Willits and his son Walter building a whaleboat at Mystic featured in WoodenBoat #171. The boats we will be following here are being built to plans from Mystic, I believe Beetle plans. The work should commence at the ISM's WoW in a couple of weeks, lofting has already taken place and we should have an article on that in a day or so from one of my companions or guest editors in this endeavor, Wen Byar. Hope you enjoy this!