Re: [SPAM]Re: [bolger] Re: OTTER experience
Regrettably, no, Harry, I don't seem to have a single surviving picture of that boat. It was, of course, over 30 years ago, long before the days of digital cameras and easy email photo sharing. I can really show my age by telling young people I was old enough to remember when the first televisions began to be marketed.
Paul
Paul
----- Original Message -----
From: Harry James
To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 2:04 PM
Subject: [SPAM]Re: [bolger] Re: OTTER experience
You got pics??
HJ
Paul & Susanne wrote:
> Thanks for your interest in my experience with the Otter design, Graeme. I am going to have to scratch my memory going back over thirty years. Yes, I had prior boat building experience as a kid when I had built and rebuilt plywood boats in their hay day of the 1950s - before mass production in that other material bacame popular and commonplace.
>
> First I should admit that I only used Phil's fine shape of the hull in the Otter design. Wanting an open boat, I changed the construction, deck layout and rig. I did not consult with Phil (at that time)...I know how designers feel about amateur builders altering their carefully devised plans. Understandably, they fear owners will blame them for any problems that may result from the builder meddling with their design.
>
> I built Otter as a largely open or 'half-decked' boat. It had fore and aft decks for gear stowage plus wide side decks under which were secured large blocks of fitted foam flotation. I have long been a beliver in side, rather than just end, flotation - as recently advocated by Sam Rizzetta in his new book on canoe building. Makes for much better stability in a swamped boat and increases your likelihood of self-rescue, bailing out and getting underway. I did retain the water ballast pretty much as designed by Phil and it worked a charm, giving the boat both the stability and the momentum of a much larger vessel.
>
> With her classic sharpie long-and-narrow proportions, many who saw my Otter under construction, including a lot of other boat builders who should have known better, predicted that she would be very tippy with a bottom beam of under 4' for an overall length close to 20'. What they did not understand is the power of the flat cross section, hard chined sharpie shape. On launch day in front of a crowd (in Port Townsend, WA, around the year of the first wooden boat festival) to everyone's amazement I walked around the side decks. Then, to the gasps of onlookers, I invited two other big guys to join me on one side deck. Still plenty of stability and freeboard remained.
>
> I had built in three mast steps and partners in traditional sharpie tradition for either a two masted light weather rig or a heavy weather single masted setup, all unstayed of course. Perhaps like Bolger himself, for years I was very full of everything Howard Chapelle had written about oystering sharpies. In the 1960s I'd lived in their historic home of New Haven, CT, and sailed out of nearby Stoney Creek in a Lightning class boat, a Sparkman and Stevens designed "arc-bottomed" sharpie. I even named my Otter 'Nonpareil' after a type of sharpie mentioned by Chapelle in American Small Sailing Craft.
>
> In my ownership I never sailed more than single-masted with a triangular sail and sprit boom. Considerably under canvassed for light airs. But my experiences with her included a couple of months on the Washington coast sailing on the Pacific ocean out of La Push. The inside water ballast, combined with Phil's signature greater than traditional rockered bottom, made for a reassuringly seaworthy vessel. (Look at the extreme rocker of the white water-capable McKenzie and Rogue River drift boats.) She rowed heavily but steadily and I would even ride a flood tide back upstream on the Quileute river. Last I saw of that Otter she was on a trailer headed for a life on some Montana lakes with a new owner.
>
> Hope that answers some of your questions. I'd be please to answer any others you have.
>
> Paul
>
> PS-I only recently noticed that my spouse spells her name the same unusual way that Phil's Susanne does - with no 'z', or 'zed', as we say in Canada.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: graeme19121984
> To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 6:53 AM
> Subject: [SPAM][bolger] OTTER - was Re: plan index (#60469)
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Paul,
>
> could you tell us more about OTTER please? People have told of their admiration for this design - of how it looks so attractive. However, to my knowledge, on this list we've only ever heard bits about one, and that was second hand. That was Jim Michalak's mate Jim Huxford's boat, and it also is the only one we've ever seen photo's of (2), such as they were. And he fitted a sloop rig off another boat...
>
> How'd you find it to build? Did PCB help by way of elaborating on the plans, or were you already an accomplished boat carpenter? (After all he did later wish he could have the book published plans back...)
>
> How'd you find the accomodation, and the rowing? Did you go for metal ballast? What, if anything, would you do differently again?
>
> But really, how'd she sail?
>
> Hoping to hear
>
> Graeme
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And, inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions his designs would subsequently follow...
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Bolger rules!!!
> - NO "GO AWAY SPAMMER!" posts!!! Please!
> - no cursing, flaming, trolling, spamming, respamming, or flogging dead horses
> - stay on topic, stay on thread, punctuate, no 'Ed, thanks, Fred' posts
> - Pls add your comments at the TOP, SIGN your posts, and snip away
> - Plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349
> - Unsubscribe:bolger-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> - Open discussion:bolger_coffee_lounge-subscribe@yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
There was a Bolger Otter for sale in the St.Louis Mo. area about 4 years ago. I thought pretty seriously about getting it. It would have been a fun sailer but for my 6'3" frame not much of a camp cruiser. I concluded a Martha Jane would make more sense for me. I dug around in my email "sent" folder, but Otter didn't come up, so I must have purged the email.
Regarding building a Bolger design, I bought plans for Hawkeye a few years ago. Along with the blueprints, one also receives a "key" which is an essay describing the recommended building sequence. You must, however, own the skills. Other writers have prepared books describing those skills, IE, Glen-L, and Buehlers "Backyard Boat Building", Payson's "Building the New Instant Boats", and Devlin's excellent books. I've got all I mentioned here plus a real oldie by Chappelle. When I build, they will be a great aid to the plans I own already.
Don
Regarding building a Bolger design, I bought plans for Hawkeye a few years ago. Along with the blueprints, one also receives a "key" which is an essay describing the recommended building sequence. You must, however, own the skills. Other writers have prepared books describing those skills, IE, Glen-L, and Buehlers "Backyard Boat Building", Payson's "Building the New Instant Boats", and Devlin's excellent books. I've got all I mentioned here plus a real oldie by Chappelle. When I build, they will be a great aid to the plans I own already.
Don
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "graeme19121984" <graeme19121984@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Paul,
>
> could you tell us more about OTTER please? People have told of their admiration for this design - of how it looks so attractive. However, to my knowledge, on this list we've only ever heard bits about one, and that was second hand. That was Jim Michalak's mate Jim Huxford's boat, and it also is the only one we've ever seen photo's of (2), such as they were. And he fitted a sloop rig off another boat...
>
You got pics??
HJ
Paul & Susanne wrote:
HJ
Paul & Susanne wrote:
> Thanks for your interest in my experience with the Otter design, Graeme. I am going to have to scratch my memory going back over thirty years. Yes, I had prior boat building experience as a kid when I had built and rebuilt plywood boats in their hay day of the 1950s - before mass production in that other material bacame popular and commonplace.
>
> First I should admit that I only used Phil's fine shape of the hull in the Otter design. Wanting an open boat, I changed the construction, deck layout and rig. I did not consult with Phil (at that time)...I know how designers feel about amateur builders altering their carefully devised plans. Understandably, they fear owners will blame them for any problems that may result from the builder meddling with their design.
>
> I built Otter as a largely open or 'half-decked' boat. It had fore and aft decks for gear stowage plus wide side decks under which were secured large blocks of fitted foam flotation. I have long been a beliver in side, rather than just end, flotation - as recently advocated by Sam Rizzetta in his new book on canoe building. Makes for much better stability in a swamped boat and increases your likelihood of self-rescue, bailing out and getting underway. I did retain the water ballast pretty much as designed by Phil and it worked a charm, giving the boat both the stability and the momentum of a much larger vessel.
>
> With her classic sharpie long-and-narrow proportions, many who saw my Otter under construction, including a lot of other boat builders who should have known better, predicted that she would be very tippy with a bottom beam of under 4' for an overall length close to 20'. What they did not understand is the power of the flat cross section, hard chined sharpie shape. On launch day in front of a crowd (in Port Townsend, WA, around the year of the first wooden boat festival) to everyone's amazement I walked around the side decks. Then, to the gasps of onlookers, I invited two other big guys to join me on one side deck. Still plenty of stability and freeboard remained.
>
> I had built in three mast steps and partners in traditional sharpie tradition for either a two masted light weather rig or a heavy weather single masted setup, all unstayed of course. Perhaps like Bolger himself, for years I was very full of everything Howard Chapelle had written about oystering sharpies. In the 1960s I'd lived in their historic home of New Haven, CT, and sailed out of nearby Stoney Creek in a Lightning class boat, a Sparkman and Stevens designed "arc-bottomed" sharpie. I even named my Otter 'Nonpareil' after a type of sharpie mentioned by Chapelle in American Small Sailing Craft.
>
> In my ownership I never sailed more than single-masted with a triangular sail and sprit boom. Considerably under canvassed for light airs. But my experiences with her included a couple of months on the Washington coast sailing on the Pacific ocean out of La Push. The inside water ballast, combined with Phil's signature greater than traditional rockered bottom, made for a reassuringly seaworthy vessel. (Look at the extreme rocker of the white water-capable McKenzie and Rogue River drift boats.) She rowed heavily but steadily and I would even ride a flood tide back upstream on the Quileute river. Last I saw of that Otter she was on a trailer headed for a life on some Montana lakes with a new owner.
>
> Hope that answers some of your questions. I'd be please to answer any others you have.
>
> Paul
>
> PS-I only recently noticed that my spouse spells her name the same unusual way that Phil's Susanne does - with no 'z', or 'zed', as we say in Canada.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: graeme19121984
> To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 6:53 AM
> Subject: [SPAM][bolger] OTTER - was Re: plan index (#60469)
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Paul,
>
> could you tell us more about OTTER please? People have told of their admiration for this design - of how it looks so attractive. However, to my knowledge, on this list we've only ever heard bits about one, and that was second hand. That was Jim Michalak's mate Jim Huxford's boat, and it also is the only one we've ever seen photo's of (2), such as they were. And he fitted a sloop rig off another boat...
>
> How'd you find it to build? Did PCB help by way of elaborating on the plans, or were you already an accomplished boat carpenter? (After all he did later wish he could have the book published plans back...)
>
> How'd you find the accomodation, and the rowing? Did you go for metal ballast? What, if anything, would you do differently again?
>
> But really, how'd she sail?
>
> Hoping to hear
>
> Graeme
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And, inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions his designs would subsequently follow...
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Bolger rules!!!
> - NO "GO AWAY SPAMMER!" posts!!! Please!
> - no cursing, flaming, trolling, spamming, respamming, or flogging dead horses
> - stay on topic, stay on thread, punctuate, no 'Ed, thanks, Fred' posts
> - Pls add your comments at the TOP, SIGN your posts, and snip away
> - Plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349
> - Unsubscribe:bolger-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> - Open discussion:bolger_coffee_lounge-subscribe@yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
Thanks for your interest in my experience with the Otter design, Graeme. I am going to have to scratch my memory going back over thirty years. Yes, I had prior boat building experience as a kid when I had built and rebuilt plywood boats in their hay day of the 1950s - before mass production in that other material bacame popular and commonplace.
First I should admit that I only used Phil's fine shape of the hull in the Otter design. Wanting an open boat, I changed the construction, deck layout and rig. I did not consult with Phil (at that time)...I know how designers feel about amateur builders altering their carefully devised plans. Understandably, they fear owners will blame them for any problems that may result from the builder meddling with their design.
I built Otter as a largely open or 'half-decked' boat. It had fore and aft decks for gear stowage plus wide side decks under which were secured large blocks of fitted foam flotation. I have long been a beliver in side, rather than just end, flotation - as recently advocated by Sam Rizzetta in his new book on canoe building. Makes for much better stability in a swamped boat and increases your likelihood of self-rescue, bailing out and getting underway. I did retain the water ballast pretty much as designed by Phil and it worked a charm, giving the boat both the stability and the momentum of a much larger vessel.
With her classic sharpie long-and-narrow proportions, many who saw my Otter under construction, including a lot of other boat builders who should have known better, predicted that she would be very tippy with a bottom beam of under 4' for an overall length close to 20'. What they did not understand is the power of the flat cross section, hard chined sharpie shape. On launch day in front of a crowd (in Port Townsend, WA, around the year of the first wooden boat festival) to everyone's amazement I walked around the side decks. Then, to the gasps of onlookers, I invited two other big guys to join me on one side deck. Still plenty of stability and freeboard remained.
I had built in three mast steps and partners in traditional sharpie tradition for either a two masted light weather rig or a heavy weather single masted setup, all unstayed of course. Perhaps like Bolger himself, for years I was very full of everything Howard Chapelle had written about oystering sharpies. In the 1960s I'd lived in their historic home of New Haven, CT, and sailed out of nearby Stoney Creek in a Lightning class boat, a Sparkman and Stevens designed "arc-bottomed" sharpie. I even named my Otter 'Nonpareil' after a type of sharpie mentioned by Chapelle in American Small Sailing Craft.
In my ownership I never sailed more than single-masted with a triangular sail and sprit boom. Considerably under canvassed for light airs. But my experiences with her included a couple of months on the Washington coast sailing on the Pacific ocean out of La Push. The inside water ballast, combined with Phil's signature greater than traditional rockered bottom, made for a reassuringly seaworthy vessel. (Look at the extreme rocker of the white water-capable McKenzie and Rogue River drift boats.) She rowed heavily but steadily and I would even ride a flood tide back upstream on the Quileute river. Last I saw of that Otter she was on a trailer headed for a life on some Montana lakes with a new owner.
Hope that answers some of your questions. I'd be please to answer any others you have.
Paul
PS-I only recently noticed that my spouse spells her name the same unusual way that Phil's Susanne does - with no 'z', or 'zed', as we say in Canada.
First I should admit that I only used Phil's fine shape of the hull in the Otter design. Wanting an open boat, I changed the construction, deck layout and rig. I did not consult with Phil (at that time)...I know how designers feel about amateur builders altering their carefully devised plans. Understandably, they fear owners will blame them for any problems that may result from the builder meddling with their design.
I built Otter as a largely open or 'half-decked' boat. It had fore and aft decks for gear stowage plus wide side decks under which were secured large blocks of fitted foam flotation. I have long been a beliver in side, rather than just end, flotation - as recently advocated by Sam Rizzetta in his new book on canoe building. Makes for much better stability in a swamped boat and increases your likelihood of self-rescue, bailing out and getting underway. I did retain the water ballast pretty much as designed by Phil and it worked a charm, giving the boat both the stability and the momentum of a much larger vessel.
With her classic sharpie long-and-narrow proportions, many who saw my Otter under construction, including a lot of other boat builders who should have known better, predicted that she would be very tippy with a bottom beam of under 4' for an overall length close to 20'. What they did not understand is the power of the flat cross section, hard chined sharpie shape. On launch day in front of a crowd (in Port Townsend, WA, around the year of the first wooden boat festival) to everyone's amazement I walked around the side decks. Then, to the gasps of onlookers, I invited two other big guys to join me on one side deck. Still plenty of stability and freeboard remained.
I had built in three mast steps and partners in traditional sharpie tradition for either a two masted light weather rig or a heavy weather single masted setup, all unstayed of course. Perhaps like Bolger himself, for years I was very full of everything Howard Chapelle had written about oystering sharpies. In the 1960s I'd lived in their historic home of New Haven, CT, and sailed out of nearby Stoney Creek in a Lightning class boat, a Sparkman and Stevens designed "arc-bottomed" sharpie. I even named my Otter 'Nonpareil' after a type of sharpie mentioned by Chapelle in American Small Sailing Craft.
In my ownership I never sailed more than single-masted with a triangular sail and sprit boom. Considerably under canvassed for light airs. But my experiences with her included a couple of months on the Washington coast sailing on the Pacific ocean out of La Push. The inside water ballast, combined with Phil's signature greater than traditional rockered bottom, made for a reassuringly seaworthy vessel. (Look at the extreme rocker of the white water-capable McKenzie and Rogue River drift boats.) She rowed heavily but steadily and I would even ride a flood tide back upstream on the Quileute river. Last I saw of that Otter she was on a trailer headed for a life on some Montana lakes with a new owner.
Hope that answers some of your questions. I'd be please to answer any others you have.
Paul
PS-I only recently noticed that my spouse spells her name the same unusual way that Phil's Susanne does - with no 'z', or 'zed', as we say in Canada.
----- Original Message -----
From: graeme19121984
To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 6:53 AM
Subject: [SPAM][bolger] OTTER - was Re: plan index (#60469)
Hi Paul,
could you tell us more about OTTER please? People have told of their admiration for this design - of how it looks so attractive. However, to my knowledge, on this list we've only ever heard bits about one, and that was second hand. That was Jim Michalak's mate Jim Huxford's boat, and it also is the only one we've ever seen photo's of (2), such as they were. And he fitted a sloop rig off another boat...
How'd you find it to build? Did PCB help by way of elaborating on the plans, or were you already an accomplished boat carpenter? (After all he did later wish he could have the book published plans back...)
How'd you find the accomodation, and the rowing? Did you go for metal ballast? What, if anything, would you do differently again?
But really, how'd she sail?
Hoping to hear
Graeme
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And, inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions his designs would subsequently follow...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hi Paul,
could you tell us more about OTTER please? People have told of their admiration for this design - of how it looks so attractive. However, to my knowledge, on this list we've only ever heard bits about one, and that was second hand. That was Jim Michalak's mate Jim Huxford's boat, and it also is the only one we've ever seen photo's of (2), such as they were. And he fitted a sloop rig off another boat...
How'd you find it to build? Did PCB help by way of elaborating on the plans, or were you already an accomplished boat carpenter? (After all he did later wish he could have the book published plans back...)
How'd you find the accomodation, and the rowing? Did you go for metal ballast? What, if anything, would you do differently again?
But really, how'd she sail?
Hoping to hear
Graeme
could you tell us more about OTTER please? People have told of their admiration for this design - of how it looks so attractive. However, to my knowledge, on this list we've only ever heard bits about one, and that was second hand. That was Jim Michalak's mate Jim Huxford's boat, and it also is the only one we've ever seen photo's of (2), such as they were. And he fitted a sloop rig off another boat...
How'd you find it to build? Did PCB help by way of elaborating on the plans, or were you already an accomplished boat carpenter? (After all he did later wish he could have the book published plans back...)
How'd you find the accomodation, and the rowing? Did you go for metal ballast? What, if anything, would you do differently again?
But really, how'd she sail?
Hoping to hear
Graeme
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And, inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions his designs would subsequently follow...
And don't overlook the search function in this group. Photos too.
Joe T
Joe T
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Paul & Susanne" <glassens@...> wrote:
>
> Hello,...
Another useful resource is the set of digital models compiled bu Bruce
Hallman and stored on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hallman/3531705350/
V/R
Chris
Paul & Susanne wrote:
Hallman and stored on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hallman/3531705350/
V/R
Chris
Paul & Susanne wrote:
> Here is my question today; I frequently read mention of designs I am unfamiliar with and would like to look them up for a brief description and a drawing. Is there on the web an index for quick reference?[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>
There is a plan database at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bolger/database?method=reportRows&tbl=3&sortBy=1&sortDir=down&startAt=&prntRpt=1
Also check the files and photos section of the many Bolger group overflows.
Mike
_________________________________________________________________
Looking to move somewhere new this winter? Let ninemsn property help
http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fninemsn%2Edomain%2Ecom%2Eau%2F%3Fs%5Fcid%3DFDMedia%3ANineMSN%5FHotmail%5FTagline&_t=774152450&_r=Domain_tagline&_m=EXT
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bolger/database?method=reportRows&tbl=3&sortBy=1&sortDir=down&startAt=&prntRpt=1
Also check the files and photos section of the many Bolger group overflows.
Mike
_________________________________________________________________
Looking to move somewhere new this winter? Let ninemsn property help
http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fninemsn%2Edomain%2Ecom%2Eau%2F%3Fs%5Fcid%3DFDMedia%3ANineMSN%5FHotmail%5FTagline&_t=774152450&_r=Domain_tagline&_m=EXT
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Welcome to the group.
There is this wiki:http://bolger.wikidot.com/
-Jay
There is this wiki:http://bolger.wikidot.com/
-Jay
On Thu, May 28, 2009 at 1:16 PM, Paul & Susanne <glassens@...> wrote:
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years
> starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My
> copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is
> also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And,
> inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie
> Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions
> his designs would subsequently follow.
>
> I met Bolger briefly at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, in the mid-1970s. Our
> exchange at that meeting became the basis of an amusing correspondence
> twenty years later. I told him I had built several Yellow Leafs (Leaves?)
> with the kids in a school boat building program, only, for the instructive
> value, we had built them out of solid timber with cross-planked bottoms and
> cotton caulking (and seats and oarlocks for rowing). His reaction to this
> information was to exclaim retorically, "What did you go to all that work
> for!?" The design of course was intended as one of the first 'instant'
> builds with the expanded sides laid out for light plywood/lumberyard
> materials.
>
> Many years later Bolger designed an economical version of Herreshoff's
> Rosinante, called Burgundy, if memory serves, to be built 'instant' style
> but with solid timber and cross-planked bottom - just the way I had built
> the Yellow Leaf(ves) years before. He credited the idea for this
> construction to one of his professional boat building friends. Writing to
> inquire about another matter, I couldn't resist chiding him that had he
> listened to this brazen amateur that day at Mystic he would have come to the
> constuction idea some years earlier. Gracious as always, he wrote back
> thanking me for "the good letter" and conceding the point.
>
> Here is my question today; I frequently read mention of designs I am
> unfamiliar with and would like to look them up for a brief description and a
> drawing. Is there on the web an index for quick reference?
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hello,
I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And, inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions his designs would subsequently follow.
I met Bolger briefly at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, in the mid-1970s. Our exchange at that meeting became the basis of an amusing correspondence twenty years later. I told him I had built several Yellow Leafs (Leaves?) with the kids in a school boat building program, only, for the instructive value, we had built them out of solid timber with cross-planked bottoms and cotton caulking (and seats and oarlocks for rowing). His reaction to this information was to exclaim retorically, "What did you go to all that work for!?" The design of course was intended as one of the first 'instant' builds with the expanded sides laid out for light plywood/lumberyard materials.
Many years later Bolger designed an economical version of Herreshoff's Rosinante, called Burgundy, if memory serves, to be built 'instant' style but with solid timber and cross-planked bottom - just the way I had built the Yellow Leaf(ves) years before. He credited the idea for this construction to one of his professional boat building friends. Writing to inquire about another matter, I couldn't resist chiding him that had he listened to this brazen amateur that day at Mystic he would have come to the constuction idea some years earlier. Gracious as always, he wrote back thanking me for "the good letter" and conceding the point.
Here is my question today; I frequently read mention of designs I am unfamiliar with and would like to look them up for a brief description and a drawing. Is there on the web an index for quick reference?
Thanks,
Paul
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I am new to the website - although I have been reading Bolger for 40 years starting (with articles) before the publication of Small Boats in 1973. My copy of it is yellowed and well worn. My copy of Boats with an Open Mind is also well worn and indexed with post-it tabs for favourite designs. And, inevitably I have built several of his designs up to the twenty foot sharpie Otter, a very old design now but one that foretold many of the directions his designs would subsequently follow.
I met Bolger briefly at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, in the mid-1970s. Our exchange at that meeting became the basis of an amusing correspondence twenty years later. I told him I had built several Yellow Leafs (Leaves?) with the kids in a school boat building program, only, for the instructive value, we had built them out of solid timber with cross-planked bottoms and cotton caulking (and seats and oarlocks for rowing). His reaction to this information was to exclaim retorically, "What did you go to all that work for!?" The design of course was intended as one of the first 'instant' builds with the expanded sides laid out for light plywood/lumberyard materials.
Many years later Bolger designed an economical version of Herreshoff's Rosinante, called Burgundy, if memory serves, to be built 'instant' style but with solid timber and cross-planked bottom - just the way I had built the Yellow Leaf(ves) years before. He credited the idea for this construction to one of his professional boat building friends. Writing to inquire about another matter, I couldn't resist chiding him that had he listened to this brazen amateur that day at Mystic he would have come to the constuction idea some years earlier. Gracious as always, he wrote back thanking me for "the good letter" and conceding the point.
Here is my question today; I frequently read mention of designs I am unfamiliar with and would like to look them up for a brief description and a drawing. Is there on the web an index for quick reference?
Thanks,
Paul
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]