Re: Spartina Isometric, design 574

I'll second that. Every bolger boat I build is better in real life than in the drawings. I never got tired of admiring the lowly Auray Punt--there's something perfect and timeless about that one.(NOt to mention it was the best dinghy I ever had and performed like a work horse for 10 years) The reason I built Defender is that i would love it if people would look a little more closely, or more often, anyway, at his earlier more "classic" work, which I think is usually a subtle improvement over the types they were based on. Having build Defender, I'm awed by the number of curves and hollows he got into that 11' hull, and the transom, the bow profile, the hollow at the waterline, the relatively firm bilges...I could look at that stuff all day. If only I were rich, I'd build Fancy, LIttle Superior, Monhegan, Lynx... I saw the original Lynx one day all alone in a field, and fell in love with it right away. They're perfect if done correctly; he was the master of polish and yachty detail, but don't tell that to the "box boat" bashers . . .

Also it's true, his box boats are aesthetically amazing, considering the ungainliness of the basic shapes. That Martha Jane somehow looks shippy and efficient is kind of mind boggling

--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Harry James <welshman@...> wrote:
>
> One of the things about Bolger boats is how good looking they are even
> the ones that supposedly are "ugly square boats".
> I am not sure if I can get the words to do what I want here.
> Bolger's ability to see in 3d while designing in 2d and put in subtle
> curves and balance was truly remarkable. While many of his designs look
> realy good on paper and in photos seeing them in real life is a
> revelation. That is why building them often feels like art work. I
> remember building my first cartopper, after the planking was on I would
> just walk around and look at it from different angles admiring the
> curves that just didn't show in the drawings.-- If you are building a
> gull you have to program "stop and look" time. One of my regrets at the
> memorial was I didn't get the time to walk around the Defender or just
> sit and look at Queen Mab to mention a few.
>
> Though he would have resisted the appellation, he was a great artist.
>
> Bruce as a wood artist and builder of many Bolger boats and models might
> have more to say on this. I suspect his rendering of so many models has
> something to do with creating art.
>
> HJ
>
> On 3/9/2011 5:05 AM, John and Kathy Trussell wrote:
> >
> >
> > I saw a restoration of the original Spartina at the Georgetown Wooden
> > Boat Show last year. It is prettier in person than the photos and
> > drawings might indicate. It is a useful size and anyone who takes the
> > trouble to build it won't regret it.
> >
> > JohnT
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > *F*
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

The term that occurs to me is "aesthetics" which is not easy to
describe in words either. A sense of balance, proportion and synergy
comes to mind, from the overall shape to the smallest details.

Micro is one example of such as design, and like a work of art, the
longer you observe it the more the finer details grow on you.

I am a great fan of Michalak and many of his designs are self-professed
spin-offs of Bolger's design philosophy. Some even improved from the
point of view of efficiency and simplicity of build. But very few have
the aesthete appeal and Jim would be the first to agree.

Nels

--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Harry James <welshman@...> wrote:
>
> One of the things about Bolger boats is how good looking they are even
> the ones that supposedly are "ugly square boats".
> I am not sure if I can get the words to do what I want here.
> Bolger's ability to see in 3d while designing in 2d and put in subtle
> curves and balance was truly remarkable. While many of his designs
look
> realy good on paper and in photos seeing them in real life is a
> revelation. That is why building them often feels like art work. I
> remember building my first cartopper, after the planking was on I
would
> just walk around and look at it from different angles admiring the
> curves that just didn't show in the drawings.-- If you are building a
> gull you have to program "stop and look" time. One of my regrets at
the
> memorial was I didn't get the time to walk around the Defender or just
> sit and look at Queen Mab to mention a few.
>
> Though he would have resisted the appellation, he was a great artist.
>
> Bruce as a wood artist and builder of many Bolger boats and models
might
> have more to say on this. I suspect his rendering of so many models
has
> something to do with creating art.
>
> HJ
>
> On 3/9/2011 5:05 AM, John and Kathy Trussell wrote:
> >
> >
> > I saw a restoration of the original Spartina at the Georgetown
Wooden
> > Boat Show last year. It is prettier in person than the photos and
> > drawings might indicate. It is a useful size and anyone who takes
the
> > trouble to build it won't regret it.
> >
> > JohnT
> >
> >
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > *F*
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

One of the things about Bolger boats is how good looking they are even the ones that supposedly are "ugly square boats".
I am not sure if I can get the words to do what I want here.
Bolger's ability to see in 3d while designing in 2d and put in subtle curves and balance was truly remarkable. While many of his designs look realy good on paper and in photos seeing them in real life is a revelation. That is why building them often feels like art work. I remember building my first cartopper, after the planking was on I would just walk around and look at it from different angles admiring the curves that just didn't show in the drawings.-- If you are building a gull you have to program "stop and look" time. One of my regrets at the memorial was I didn't get the time to walk around the Defender or just sit and look at Queen Mab to mention a few.

Though he would have resisted the appellation, he was a great artist.

Bruce as a wood artist and builder of many Bolger boats and models might have more to say on this. I suspect his rendering of so many models has something to do with creating art.

HJ

On 3/9/2011 5:05 AM, John and Kathy Trussell wrote:

I saw a restoration of the original Spartina at the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show last year. It is prettier in person than the photos and drawings might indicate. It is a useful size and anyone who takes the trouble to build it won’t regret it.

 

JohnT

 

---

F

 

 

--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, BruceHallman <hallman@...> wrote:

>
> Here is another study I have done of a Bolger design, his 15 foot 4
> inch long, 7 foot wide Spartina. I did the bulkhead and strake
> lofting, so this also looks to be a pretty easy build.
>
>http://www.hallman.org/bolger/Spartina/
>

There's a wonderful video of her sailing on YouTube. I think she's great!

Here is another study I have done of a Bolger design, his 15 foot 4
inch long, 7 foot wide Spartina. I did the bulkhead and strake
lofting, so this also looks to be a pretty easy build.

http://www.hallman.org/bolger/Spartina/