Hooked On Wooden Boats

Latest Episodes:

HOWB 121 – Interview | Dennis Armstrong, Marlinspike Artist Tying Knots for Wooden Boats 01.23.14 Oct 28, 2024

Today’s interview is with Dennis Armstrong of The Knotted Line in Redmond, WA. I met with Dennis at his home and got a tour of his shop/garage which is chock full of materials and products he has made over the years.

How did he get started in the knot business? While visiting the east coast as a young adult, Dennis met a Coast Guard Quartermaster who showed him how to tie a Turks head. Next Armstrong tied a String Ring for his new bride, and then promptly forgot how to tie the turks head. For their first wedding anniversary Mrs. Armstrong gave her hubby a Knot book, a fid, and two balls of twine with which he practiced and fiddled and learned and practiced and fiddled and learned.

From that humble beginning, Dennis has learned the art of Marlinspike and can tie numerous items such as a key fob, a monkeys fist, a cotton square knotted belt, boat fenders, bow puddings, decorative mats, and lots of other cool stuff. Dennis also is knowledgable in the traditional rigging of ships and has worked on the Zodiac, Wawona, and a replica of the Nina.

Dennis is a retired geologist, and devotes most of his spare time now to filling orders for customers through his online store – TheKnottedLine.com. Check it out or give Dennis a call at 425 885-2457.

HOWB 120 – Interview | Eric Hvalsoe, Shipwright, Designer of Hvalsoe 13 & Hvalsoe 16. 01.17.14 Oct 22, 2024

Today’s interview is with Eric Hvalsoe of Hvalsoe Boats in Shoreline, WA.

Eric grew up in a boating family, and has been involved with small wooden craft design and construction, marine carpentry and fine woodworking since 1981. Hvalsoe was trained as a professional boatwright at the Bates College in Tacoma, WA. He has been designing, building, and repairing boats, and teaching wooden boats skills for 30 plus years.

Eric designed the Hvalsoe 13 and 16, traditional lapstrake rowing and sailing craft which have been given rave reviews by builders and sailors over the world. He has also built several gorgeous 1930’s style speedboats such as the Aurora and Little Miss Canada IV

HOWB 119 – Interview | Gayle Brantuk, Glen-L Marine Proprietor; 60 Years of Selling Boat Plans! 01.19.14 Oct 14, 2024

Today’s interview is with Gayle Brantuk , proprietor of Glen-L Marine in Bellflower, CA. Gayle is the daughter of Glen L. Witt who started the business in 1953. At the age of 95, Glen still visits the office to see how the company and employees are faring.

During the interview, Gayle tells the fascinating story of how her father wanted to build his own boat (to save money), but had a hard time finding amateur boat building plans. During WWII, Glen was in the Army Air Corp, learned drafting, and took a correspondence course from the Westlawn Naval Design School. Shortly after leaving the army, Glen started applying his skills to designing plywood boats and selling plans and frame kits to amateur boat builders all over the world.

Today the company sells plans for over 300 boats ranging in size from 6ʹ – 55ʹ, and made from wood, steel and fiberglass.

HOWB 118 – Highlights of 2013 and Plans for the BEST YEAR EVER in 2014 - 01.02.14 Oct 07, 2024

Thanks to your support and the support of hundreds of other wooden boat lovers, HOWB has completed its second full year with flying colors. This Episode is dedicated to looking at the Great Happenings of 2013 a my Plans for 2014!

Highlights of 2013

I attended 5 Boat Festivals- Olympia, Port Townsend, Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Lake Chelan

Started phone interviews: Doug Hylan (087), Pat Lown (094) , Iain Oughtred (116, 117)

Started Interview the Expert Series

6 Const Methods, Epoxy, Glued Plywood Lapstrake

Finished building my 12ʹ canoe Chelan

Built and sold Foresail 1 (SCAMP)

Bought a partially assembled SCAMP to build in 2014

Taught classes at Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival and later at Northwest Maritime Center. HOWB has over 500 newsletter subscribers now.

Met more folks at WoodenBoat in Brooklin, ME

2 Extra Special interviews – Roy Jackson (072) 33 years building 43’ schooner; Henry LePage (100) 8 year old built Poor Boy Skiff

Had an article published about HOWB in Swedish Boating Magazine Båtnytt.

Met and connected with a ton of new people – very rewarding.

Thanks for being a part of the HOWB journey in 2013. I hope it has been as rewarding for you as it has been for me.

HOWB 117 – Interview the Expert | Iain Oughtred on Glued Plywood Lapstrake Const. 12.26.13 Sep 30, 2024

This episode is an interview with renowned small boat designer Iain Oughtred of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. To listen to a previous interview with Iain about his life journey to designing and building small wooden boats, listen to HOWB116.

Iain has over 100 boat designs to his credit, most of which you can buy online at WoodenBoat.com. There is also a biography about Iain titled – A Life in Wooden Boats.

During this Interview the Expert recording, Iain and I discuss the following points on Glued Plywood Lapstrake construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

HOWB 116 – Interview | Iain Oughtred, Small Boat Designer Extraordinaire - 12.19.13 Sep 23, 2024

This episode is an interview with renowned small boat designer Iain Oughtred of the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Iain grew up in Australia and discovered sailing in his teens. He began sailing on a wooden Vee Jay sailing dinghy, next he was onto an Australian Scow Moth, and then to a Gwen 12 sloop. Iain raced Gwen 12’s for 6 seasons, quit his model maker job, and built 7 Gwen 12’s of which he kept 3 for himself.

During a visit to the UK, he toured Scotland with friends and set foot on the Isle of Skye. He knew at that moment the Isle was where he belonged and determined to return one day.

After working for a Naval Architect in Australia, he eventually made it back to the UK and then to the Isle of Skye and continued his boat designing and building endeavors. Iain has 116 designs to his credit and these beautiful and functional boats are being built around the world. You can buy plans at WoodenBoat.com.

There is also a biography about Iain titled – A Life in Wooden Boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 115 – Wooden Boat Dan on Building the SCAMP Micro-cruising Phenom - 12.12.13 Sep 16, 2024

This episode is an interview with myself on building the SCAMP micro-cruising sailboat. I started the boat in

June 2013 and completed the assembly of the kit in October 2013. Go to Launch to see a video of launch day

I spent a total of 208 hours building the boat from a kit purchased from Small Craft Advisor Magazine (who is the brainchild for the SCAMP). The cost to build and assemble the kit was $4,137 and I sold the boat recently for $7,200. If you do the math, I earned a little less than $15/hour for my time.

It was a really fun boat to build and I learned a lot. Listen to the podcast and you will hear all the details of the build, lessons learned, pros and cons of the kit and more.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 114 – Interview the Expert | Russell Brown on Marine Epoxy - 12.05.13 Sep 09, 2024

This episode is an interview with Russell Brown on the ins and outs of marine epoxy – which most boat builders will use at some point in time. I drilled Russell with a plethora of questions that have come to my mind since I began using marine epoxy in the early 1990s.

Russell and I had a great time discussing the gory details of how epoxy works, the best way to use it, and why it is probably the best “glue” available for the marine environment.

You can listen to a previous interview with Russell and Ashlyn Brown about their personal/boating history at HOWB102.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 113 – Wooden Boat Dan on Building the 12ʹ Sassafras Canoe - 11.21.13 Sep 02, 2024

This episode is an interview with myself on building the 12ʹ Sassafras Canoe. I started the canoe in January

2012 and completed it in May 2013. Go to Launch to see a video of launch day

I spent a total of 140 hours building the boat from plans in The Canoe Shop book (available on Amazon). It took approximately 60 hours to assemble the boat, and 80 hours to glass the bottom and inside and finish the outside of the boat. This included applying 3 coats of epoxy to all surfaces; fairing, filling, priming, and painting 3 coats on the bottom, and applying 7 coats of varnish to the gunwales and interior of the boat! And all this included hours and hours of sanding!!!

The cost of building the boat was just under $700 and she came out beautiful.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 112 – Interview | Chuck Leinweber, Owner Duckworks Boatbuilding Supply, Wooden Boat Addict - 11.14.13 Aug 26, 2024

This episode is an interview with Chuck Leinweber of Harper, Texas. Chuck and his wife Sandra are the

founders of the highly successful Duckworks Boatbuilding Supply and Duckworks Magazine.

Chuck is a self admitted wooden boat addict, having built an average of one boat per year for the last 30 years. It all started when as a youth, he picked up his dad’s Sea Scout Manuals, and couldn’t put them down. Then he helped his dad build a 22ʹ plywood cabin cruiser which they used on the Gulf of Mexico.

Fast forward a few years and Chuck built his first boat(s) – 2 Clark Craft prams for the family to mess about on. Eventually he and Sandra turned their hobby into a boating supply and blogging business, which is thriving

today!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 111 – Interview | Pete Bergstrom; Mentoring Church Youth with Wooden Boat Build - 11.07.13 Aug 19, 2024

This episode is an interview with Pete Bergstrom of Monticello, IL. Pete emailed me a few months ago saying he enjoyed the podcast, and also that he was doing a mentoring program at his Church by building a wooden boat together with the youth. And he said he would be glad to do a podcast interview if I were interested in that topic.

Well, I jumped all over that opportunity and Pete and I had a great time discussing his personal history as well as the 3 year boat build at his Church where 8 plus kids learning amazing skills such a discipline, teamwork, patience, and woodworking.

As a youth Pete learned to sail a Town Class sailboat and raced with a friend of his in the Boston area. Pete joined the army and became a helicopter pilot at Fort Lewis, WA, got married, left the Army, and entered the working world of the remote controlled model industry of which he had been a hobbyist since he was 12 years old.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 110 – Interview | New Zealand Correspondent John Welsford - 10.31.13 Aug 12, 2024

This episode is an interview with John Welsford recorded while we I was at the NW Maritime Center during SCAMP Camp in August of this year. John is my New Zealand correspondent and will be bringing us occasional updates from his home country including this one today.

During the interview, John discusses plane sharpening, SCAMP Camp, the Small Craft Skills Academy, his Boat Design Business and what’s happening with the wooden boat community in New Zealand.

To listen to a previous podcast with John about his personal history and how he got into boating, check out HOWB048.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 109 – Interview the Expert | Skin Boat School Owner Corey Freedman on Skin-On-Frame Building - 10.24.13 Aug 05, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Skin On Frame building expert Corey Freedman, owner of SkinBoats.org in Anacortes, WA. This is the sixth of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame. I discuss each of these methods of construction in my eBook Get in the Wooden Boat Game: A Guide for Building Your First Boat which is available for $4.99 at this LINK.

The Skin On Frame method was believed to be developed by the maritime peoples of the Arctic centuries ago. The builder would stretch seal skin over a carefully lashed together and lightweight framework of driftwood to create a long (sometimes over 20’) and narrow (as little as 18”) craft. These boats were usually single occupancy and were capable of navigating rough waters, rolling over, and were used for daily activities such as hunting, gathering, and transportation.

Today, SOF boats can be built with a framework of lashed together dimensional lumber (such as cedar, spruce, or fir), skinned with ballistic nylon, and painted with a two part urethane waterproof coating. These boats are light, strong, and beautiful, and can be relatively inexpensive to build.

During the interview, Corey discusses the following points on Skin On Frame construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 108 – Interview | Laura Prendergast of Pygmy Boats – Wooden Boat Kit Company - 10.17.13 Jul 29, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Laura Prendergast of Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, WA. Laura has been

with Pygmy since 2011 and wears many hats including the director of marketing.

Laura grew up in the hill country of Texas kayaking and tubing on the local rivers. After attending Saint Edwards University in Austin, Texas, she moved to Colorado to enjoy the Rocky Mountains and beautiful outdoors. The next stop was Port Townsend, WA so that Laura’s husband – Griffin – could fulfill his dream of attending the NW School of Wooden Boat Building.

After moving to Port Townsend, Laura met John Lockwood (Pygmy Boats founder) and his daughter Freya and started talking boats, websites, and marketing. John offered Laura a job as marketing director and she has been doing an outstanding job ever since.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 107 – Interview the Expert | Boat School Instructor Sean Koomen on Cold Molded Boat Building - 10.13.13 Jul 22, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Cold Molded building expert Sean Koomen, instructor at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA. This is the fifth of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

With Cold Molded construction, 2 or more layers of wood veneer are glued together (in opposing grain directions) over an elaborate building jig using the vacuum bagging method or by stapling them together, so that the epoxy is uniformly applied between layers. Typically the inside and outside of the hull is sheathed with fiberglass cloth to protect the veneers of the wooden hull.

A cold molded boat is a light, strong, and beautiful monocoque hull – but can be complex and time consuming to build.

During the interview, Sean discusses the following points on Cold Molded construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 106 – Interview the Expert | Boat School Instructor Bruce Blatchley on Strip Planked Boat Building - 10.03.13 Jul 15, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Strip Planked building expert Bruce Blatchley, instructor at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA. This is the fourth of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

With Strip Planked construction, a strongback (think of backbone) is constructed first and then molds (section shapes) are attached perpendicular to the strongback. The edges of the molds are beveled to the correct angle for each station in the hull. Next, the transom keel and stem are attached to the strongback, and narrow strips of wood (commonly cedar) are laid over the mold and glued to each other edge to edge. Once completely planked, the hull is faired and then sheathed with fiberglass cloth.

During the interview, Bruce discusses the following points on Strip Planked construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build versus other methods

Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 105 – Interview the Expert | Nordic Builder Jay Smith on Lapstrake Construction - 09.26.13 Jul 08, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Lapstrake building expert Jay Smith, owner of Aspoya Boats in Anacortes, WA. This is the third of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

In this interview, Jay discusses the ins and outs of the traditional method of Lapstrake (aka Clinker) building. Lapstrake boats have planks running end to end with overlapping and fastened edges. These boats require little to no internal framework since the longitudinal strength of the fastened planks creates a robust structure.

During the podcast, Jay discusses the following points on Lapstrake construction:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of this method versus other building methods Time to build with Lapstrake versus other methods Special tools and materials required

Pros and cons

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 104 – Interview the Expert | CLC Boats Owner John Harris on Stitch & Glue Building - 09.19.13 Jul 01, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Stitch and Glue expert John Harris, owner of Boat Kit manufacturer CLC Boats in Annapolis, MD. This is the second of my Interview The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame.

In this interview, John discusses the ins and outs of using the relatively modern method of Stitch and Glue building. With this technique, boat panels are cut to a predetermined shape and the edges are “stitched” together temporarily with wire, plastic ties, or duct tape to place the boat in its final geometric shape. The joints are then epoxy filleted to “hold” the boat shape, the stitches are removed, and voilà – you have an almost finished boat.

This method was established by an Englishman in 1959/1960 and is very popular to this day. During the podcast, John discusses the following points on Stitch and Glue:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize this method

Cost of S&G versus other building methods Time to build with S&G versus other methods Pros and cons

Tips and tricks

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 103 – 2013 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Highlights: Three Interviews With HOWB Fans - 09.12.13 Jun 24, 2024

This week’s podcast is three short interviews I recorded during the 2013 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

The first interview is with Korey and Christina from Florida. Korey heard my HOWB podcast last year, and as a result he and Christina flew up for the September 2012 Port Townsend Festival and to check out the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock. This August they packed up all their gear and moved to Port Townsend for Korey to attend the School starting in October. This is really exciting for me to see the fruit of my podcast.

The second interview is with John and Roxie Caples from Olympia, WA. John is a HOWB fan and they own a gorgeous 1971 Grand Banks 42ʹ power boat that is planked with Philippine Mahogany and has a teak interior. John and Roxie are very meticulous with Xanadu, and it shows.

The third interview is with HOWB fans John and Val Teters of Olympia, WA. They own an Ed Monk Sr. designed power boat Grand Finale. She was built in 1970 for the Seventh Day Adventist Church as a mission boat to Prince Rupert Island, AK. She is gorgeous and well taken care of. The main salon area originally housed Church pews and an organ for onboard services.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 102 – Interview | Russell and Ashlyn Brown of Port Townsend Watercraft - 08.29.13 Jun 17, 2024

This week’s podcast is an interview with Russell and Ashlyn Brown of Port Townsend, WA. Russell and Ashlyn started Port Townsend Watercraft in 2009 “....with a vision and little knowledge about running a business. What they knew was that they had a good idea, and that idea had the potential to give back to the community that continues to treat them so well.“

Both Russell and Ashlyn have spent many moons boating, sailing, living on boats and learning the tricks of the trade including boatbuilding, navigation and, well, pretty much anything related to boats!

PT Watercraft sells kits for dinghies (including a nesting version) and the popular gas sipping 18.5ʹ PT Skiff. Plans are in the works for other boats down the line and the company also builds watertight wooden hatches for the popular SCAMP micro-cruiser.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 101 – Interview | Barb Trailer – Preview of the 2013 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival - 08.22.13 Jun 10, 2024

This week’s podcast is an interview with Barb Trailer, co-director of the 37th Annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. Barb and I talk about the history of the 37th Festival, the highlights and some new happenings this year. Mark your calendars for September 6-8, 2013 and don’t miss it! You can listen to several interviews from last year’s festival at HOWB 053.

Barb spent her youth in Minnesota and Colorado and snow skied with her family. At the age of 23 she moved to Saint John Island in the Virgin Islands and started her sailing and boating adventures. Soon she was the cook on the W.N. Ragland, next she crewed on a Sparkman & Stephens 80ʹ Ketch (where she met her hubby), and then Barb spent several years on the 160ʹ power boat Viva before settling in Port Townsend.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 100 – Interviews | 8 Year Old Henry LePage, and The Podcast Answer Man - 08.15.13 Jun 03, 2024

I am super excited today as it is the 100th Episode of HOWB! I can’t believe I have been doing this for almost 2 years Time has flown by and I am having more fun than ever. The other big news this week: I am publishing my first eBook on August 15th, 2013 – Get in the Wooden Boat Game: A Guide for Building Your First Boat.

Today’s special 100th episode includes an interview with Henry LePage and an interview with Cliff Ravenscraft.

Henry LePage is 8 years old and lives in Chappaqua, New York. Henry has had his own hand tools and enjoyed woodworking and boating for as long as he can remember.

Last year Henry got a hankering to have his own boat – one he could handle by himself. For his 7th birthday, his parents gave him a boatbuilding book – Ultra Simple Boat Building by Gavin Atkin. He plied through the book and settled on building the 11ʹ 6ʺ Poorboy Skiff. With the help of his father and grandfather, Henry completed the skiff – Miss Arcadia II – and launched her in the St Lawrence River on September 1, 2012. Congrats Henry!!! Henry dreams of joining the US Coast Guard some day. His boat was pictured in the Launching section of Issue 230 of WoodenBoat Magazine and in the Getting Started in Boats section of Issue 232 of WoodenBoat Magazine.

The second interview is with Cliff Ravenscraft – The Podcast Answer Man. I began listening to Cliff’s weekly Podcast in 2009. Cliff inspired me to start my own podcast, and after 2 years of pondering my next move, I took Cliffs online Podcasting AtoZ course in September 2011. (If you take this amazing course, use the discount code “Boats” and you will get a significant discount).

As a result of Cliff’s encouragement, support, and technical prowess, I launched the Weekly HookedOnWoodenBoats Podcast September 22, 2011. In the podcast interview today, Cliff and I have a fun time reminiscing about how I got the podcast off the ground and recount how Cliff at first thought I was going to

podcast about “Wooden Boots”

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 099 – Interview The Expert | Master Shipwright Jeff Hammond on Carvel Construction - 08.08.13 May 27, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Chief Instructor and Master Shipwright Jeff Hammond of the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA.

This is the first of my Interview of The Expert series of podcasts focused on 6 methods of boatbuilding: Carvel, Lapstrake, Cold Molded, Stitch and Glue, Strip Planked, and Skin-on-Frame. I discuss each of these methods of construction in my eBook Get in the Wooden Boat Game: A Guide for Building Your First Boat which will be published August 15, 2013.

In this interview, Jeff discusses the ins and outs of using the traditional Carvel method of building. Carvel is a boat building method whereby an internal structure of frames run perpendicular to the hull, and a series of butted planks extending from transom to bow are fastened lengthwise to the frames. Carvel building was established in the 14th century.

During the podcast, Jeff discusses the following points on Carvel:

Description and history

Skill level required to utilize the Carvel method Cost of Carvel versus other building methods Time to build with Carvel versus other methods Pros and cons

Tips and tricks

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 098 – Interview | Marty Loken on the Port Townsend Pocket Yacht Palooza - 08.01.13 May 20, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Marty Loken, founder of the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters and (almost) retired from his Boatshop on Marrowstone Island. The Pocket Yachters like to keep it simple – no officers, dues, bylaws, regulations nor fees to attend the annual Palooza.

Last year I attended the first ever Palooza and had a blast. This year I attended the second annual Pocket Yacht Palooza and must say it was amazing – this is a must attend event so mark your calendars for July 19 and 20th 2014! There were 75 pocket yachts (including my canoe Chelan ) from the Puget Sound area, Colorado, northern CA, OR, ID, and British Columbia. And Sam Devlin was there showing off his first ever Lit’l Coot 18ʹ Motorsailer.

There appears to be a growing interest in small boats since they are easier and cheaper to maintain and build, quicker to launch, and just plain get used because the boats aren’t complicated! And this is right up my alley as I love small boats and building them is a blast too!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 097 – Interview | Scott Sprague, Bainbridge Island Wooden Boat Designer and Builder - 07.25.13 May 13, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Scott Sprague of Bainbridge Island. I met Scott at the 2013 Bainbridge Island Wooden Boat Festival while he was relaxing on the beautiful 42ʹ double ended sloop – Tumblehome – he designed and built. We had a great time talking shop and I learned what a rotating wing spar is :).

Scott grew up on Bainbridge Island and from a very tender age he was sailing his parents gaff rigged sloop and wooded schooner around Puget Sound and into Canada. During high school he started designing boats and after graduating, he purchased a fishing boat hull and converted it to a 29ʹ wishbone ketch which he lived aboard for 7 years.

Scott was introduced to his dad’s good friend, renowned Northwest boat designer William Garden, as a youth and had the privilege of being mentored by Garden on vessel design. Between 1981 and 1989 Scott designed and built a very unique sloop – Tumblehome.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 096 – Interview | Betsy Davis, Executive Director of Center for Wooden Boats, Seattle, WA - 07.18.13 May 06, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Betsy Davis, Executive Director of The Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) in Seattle, WA. I chatted with Davis while she was sitting on her classic 1914 yacht Glory Be during the 37th annual Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival. We had a great time talking about CWB, the Glory Be, and other fun stuff.

Betsy spent her formidable years on Mercer Island and enjoyed getting out on canoes and row boats on Lake Washington. After working in the hi-tech industry, becoming a board member at CWB, and purchasing Glory Be in 1997, Betsy took some time to reflect on the next step in her life journey. That process landed her in the 2 year Marine Carpentry Program at Seattle Central Community College.

In January of 2002 while attending the Marine Carpentry Program, fire struck the Seattle Yacht Club where Glory Be was moored and she burned and sank. Three weeks later, her wreckage was pulled out of the water and she miraculously floated just like a boat should. One of Betsy’s Marine Carpentry instructions witnessed that phenomenon, and offered to Davis that if she would pay for the materials, the Marine Carpentry school would restore Glory Be.

Over the next 2 years, she was lovingly and painstakingly restored to her former glory, and looks as beautiful today as she did when she was launched in 1914 from the Taylor-Grandy yard on Vashon Island, WA. And in 2003, Betsy became the Executive Director of CWB.

HOWB 095 – Interview | George Fisher, Owner of Swedish 1937 – 30ʹ Square Meter Wooden Sailboat - 07.11.13 Apr 29, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with George Fisher whom I met at the 2013 Bainbridge Island Wooden Boat Festival while he was relaxing on his sleek 1937 Swedish sailing vessel Hansina. We had a great time talking shop and recorded a really fun interview.

When George was 11, his dad came home and announced to the family he had purchased a “30 Square Meter” boat. This was a complete surprise as George’s family had done very little boating and none of the family even knew what a 30 Square Meter boat was. George sailed with his family on the boat on Long Island Sound, and at the age of 14, he took her out by himself without his parents knowledge (or permission). He fell in love with the boat and got out on her as much as possible.

For 20 plus years after college, George didn’t do any boating to speak of, but continued to research and collect information about 30 Square Meter boats all over the world. While flying on a business trip in 2005, he spotted a 30 Square Meter boat for sale at Lake Huron. When he came home and told his wife about the Lake Huron boat, she shocked George and said “you should buy it”. George flew to Lake Huron, bought the boat, hauled her home, renamed her “Hansina“, and the rest is history.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 094 – Interview | Pat Lown, Director of Research at WoodenBoat Publications, Inc. - 07.04.13 Apr 22, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Pat Lown who has been at WoodenBoat Publications Inc. since 1993 and is currently the Director of Research.

Pat grew up in Kingston, New York near the Hudson River. Her family did not go boating, but as a youth she was introduced to boating when she attended a YMCA day camp where she had a great time paddling and rowing the canoes and rowboats there.

Growing up in Kingston, Pat was aware of the Hudson River sloop Clearwater (America’s Environmental Flagship) and the one to two week volunteer stints they offered. Pat volunteered after graduating high school in 1975 and fell in love with the boat and the water. She continued to volunteer frequently that summer and traveled to Stonington, ME in January 1976 to help with the restoration of the Clearwater at Billings Diesel and Marine on Deer Isle. Lown had planned to stay 2 weeks, but was so taken by Maine that she settled there where she lives to this day.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 093 – Interview | Father & Son Team Build SCAMP – Arlie and Todd Blankenship - 06.27.13 Apr 15, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Todd Blankenship and his father Arlie Blankenship. Arlie grew up in Port Townsend, WA fishing with a bamboo pole and hand reel in a 12ʹ wooden boat his dad made. When Todd was a teenager in Hawaii, he and Arlie built an Eight Ball sailing dinghy together and took sailing lessons. From that time on, they were hooked on sailing and owned several boats including a Hobie Cat.

At the September 2011 Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA Todd & Arlie laid eyes on the SCAMP #1 boat for the first time. Arlie thought “it was ugly”, but Todd liked the fact that it was a seaworthy and stable boat. They purchased the plans that day and two weeks later ordered the Okoume plywood SCAMP kit from Small Craft Advisor Magazine. They completed “Humu” in August 2012 just in time for the Wooden Boat Festival. And Todd made the sail himself after taking a sailmaking class from Sean Rankins.

Todd and Arlie sail Humu (Humu is the State Fish of Hawaii) around Puget Sound every chance they get, and love every minute of the SCAMP experience!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 092 – Interview | Matt Murphy Editor Wooden Boat Magazine – Personal History & Preview of 2013 Wooden Boat Show Mystic, CT - 06.20.13 Apr 08, 2024

Today’s podcast is an interview with Matt Murphy. Matt is the editor of Wooden Boat Magazine in Brooklin ME where he has worked since 1992.

Matt grew up in Salem, MA “playing in boats during the summers while dreaming about them in the winters”. He cut his mariner teeth sailing one design sloops such as the Rhodes 19, Etchells 22, and Town Class sloop around the Marblehead area of Massachusetts. At the age of 14 he picked up his first Wooden Boat Magazine and became totally hooked on wooden boats.

Murphy built his first wooden boat – a 22ʹ King Fisher rowing shell – while in college, then he built a strip planked kayak, a dinghy, and a peapod, and the list continues to grow! In early 1992 Matt responded to an ad in Wooden Boat Magazine for an associate editor , was hired, and has loved his “job” ever since, including traveling around the world to research, write about, and photograph wooden boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 091 – Interviews | Bruce Blatchley – Instructor; Steve Stanton – Student: NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding - 06.13.13 Apr 01, 2024

Today’s podcast contains two interviews from the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, WA. The first interview is with Steve Stanton. Steve is a retired law enforcement officer from Colorado and is a student this year at the School. Hear Steve share his insights about the School and some of the fun things he is learning.

The second interview is with Bruce Blatchley, Contemporary Instructor at the School. Bruce and I talk about the progress of the 62ʹ day sailor “Sliver”, cold molded boat building, the School’s Calkins Bartender boat build, Bruce’s wooden surf board build, and other fun stuff. You can find out more about Bruce’s personal history in the previous interview I did with Bruce – HOWB022.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 090 – Interviews | 2013 Olympia Wooden Boat Fair – Tug Sandman, Naida Classic Yacht - 06.06.13 Mar 25, 2024

Today’s podcast contains two interviews from the 2013 Olympia,WA Wooden Boat Fair. The first interview is with Tom Pearson. Tom is a volunteer for the Tugboat Sandman. She was built and designed by Crawford & Reid in Tacoma, WA and launched in 1910. Sandman is 59ʹ 10ʺ x 14ʹ 6ʺ and is planked with old growth Douglas Fir. She was a working tug until 1987 and has spent her entire life in Puget Sound.

The second interview is with Michael Fife who is co-owner of the classic Yacht Naida. Naida is a 48ʹ Grebe built in Hollywood in 1935 and believed to have first been owned by Humphrey Bogart. She is a bridge-deck design with elegant tuck-n-roll upholstery, bronze engine controls, and a colorful leaded glass hatch.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 089 – Interview | Jay Smith on Trunnels and Nordic Boat Building - 05.30.13 Mar 18, 2024

Today’s interview is with Jay Smith of Anacortes, WA. Jay studied Clinker boat building in Norway when he was in his 20’s then moved back to the US and has continued building traditional lapstrake boats for the last 30 plus years (for more on Jay’s personal history listen to my previous interview with Jay at HOWB 007).

One of the projects Jay is working on is a 56ʹ viking ship which is being being fastened with traditional hand made wooden trunnels. Jay is machining the trunnels from Pacific Yew – a dense, rot resistant, and flexible wood, which was prized for long bow construction in medieval England.

In the fall of 2012, Jay traveled to Europe and and met with traditional boatbuilder John Macaulay of the Isle of Harris in Scotland. John has been building all his life, and specializes in lapstrake construction that was influenced by the Vikings beginning in the 8th century.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 088 – Interview | Masaki Tabohashi, Student at NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding - 05.23.13 Mar 11, 2024

Today’s interview is with Masaki Tobashi of Kyoto, Japan. Masaki is a student at the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding (NWSWBB) in Port Hadlock, WA.

Masaki enjoyed woodworking when he was very young and was especially attracted to wooden boats. When he was in the 8th grade his mom found the website for the NWSWBB and Tobahashi watched a 16 minute video of master instructor Jeff Hammond magically shaping lapstrake boat parts. Masaki was hooked and set a goal to attend The NWSWBB after high school.

Masaki made good on his goal. After high school he worked for one year in Japan to save for one year of school. In the fall of 2012, he moved to Port Hadlock to start school and is loving every minute of it!

Masaki has a “huge dream” (for later in life) to set up a Wooden Boat Center in Japan which would include a traditional boats museum, boat shop, and a boatbuilding school. Go for it Masaki!!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 087 – Interview | Doug Hylan, Wooden Boat Designer & Builder, Brooklin, ME - 05.16.13 Mar 04, 2024

Today’s interview is with Doug Hylan, owner of D.N. Hylan & Associates in Brooklin, Maine. Doug grew up north of Boston with the allure of a small lake in his neighborhood. He was fascinated by boats and at an early age finished building a skiff that his dad and brother had only partially completed. Being on a small budget Doug got creative and made sails out of fabric he found at the local dump. With that small skiff he learned to sail on the local lake (even though he couldn’t swim and there were no life jackets).

As an adolescent, Hylan spotted catamaran plans in a Popular Mechanics magazine and built her in the family’s cellar. This boat was a disappointing design for Doug, but he used her anyway and enhanced his boatbuilding skills. After attending college to study bio chemistry while dabbling in hippie homesteading, he moved to Maine and took a job with Jimmy Steele. Jim was a residential contractor who built peapod boats on the side. Doug was intrigued by the peapod design, and Jim allowed him to make the sailing rigs as the orders came in.

Next Doug took a job with Joel White (founder of Brooklin Boat Yard) for a couple winters, then became a partner at Benjamin River Marine, where he worked on restoration and construction of wooden vessels. In 1998 he started D.N. Hylan & Associates where he specializes in the construction, restoration, and design of wooden boats.

Doug has studied the designs of, and has refurbished boats by the late Herreshoffs (N.G. and his son L. Francis). Doug incorporates Herreshoff principles into the designs of his own boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 086 – Interview | Andy Stewart of Emerald Marine Carpentry – Wooden Boat Shop - 05.09.13 Feb 26, 2024

Today’s interview is with Andy Stewart, one of the owners of Emerald Marine Carpentry in Anacortes, WA. Growing up, Andy’s dad was in the foreign service so the family lived overseas and moved frequently.

As a youth, Andy enjoyed woodworking and a limited amount of boating with family and friends. He also remembers visiting his Great Great Uncle’s boat shop in Ilwaco WA. In his teen years, Andy landed at Bellevue (WA) high school and then attended the University of WA and Evergreen State College in Olympia WA.

During Andy’s 18 years in Olympia, WA, he and his wife owned a T-Bird sailboat, a 36ʹ Yawl (Windsong), and spent a lot of time sailing between south Puget Sound and Canada. He also worked for the Rights of Man Boat Shop in Shelton, WA building large wooden craft under Carl Brownstein.

In the late 1990’s Andy and his family moved to Anacortes, WA to get to some “bigger water”. And in 1999 Andy started Emerald Marine Carpentry to focus on his passion for wooden boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 085 – Interview | Randy Roberts – Student at NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding - 05.02.13 Feb 19, 2024

I thought it would be fun to interview a few students at the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, WA to get their perspective of Getting In The Wooden Boat Game. This week’s student interview is with Randy Roberts of Colorado. Randy is a retired Air Force officer where he worked as a navigator and as an intelligence officer for nearly 30 years.

After retiring, Randy decided to use the education benefits provided him under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. He also wanted to work with his hands, and loves sailing – all of which led him to the boat school at Port Hadlock.

Randy and his wife sold their home in Colorado to move to Puget Sound to attend the boat school starting in October 2012.

Prior to attending the school Randy had no woodworking experience and by his own account, he has already learned a ton of skills which will be useful in many facets of his own life.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 084 – Interview | Capt Joshua Berger of Wooden Schooner Adventuress - 04.23.13 Feb 12, 2024

Todays featured spot is an interview with Captain Joshua Berger of the schooner Adventuress of Sound Experience. Sound Experience is the caretaker of the 1913 BB Crowninshield designed 2 masted gaff rigged topsail 101ʹ schooner.

Joshua grew up in New York sailing on Manhassett Bay with his father. He competitively raced Bluejays, 420’s, 505’s, and Lasers during college and high school. As a youth he sailed on the Clearwater – a Pete Seeger replica of a Hudson River sloop – and became intrigued by science-based environmental education aboard a sailing ship.

After several sailings to the West Indies and working on charter boats – including an Alden Schooner – Joshua moved to the west coast and attended the Evergreen State College studying experiential education while living on a 1930’s John Thomas Taylor designed ’28 ketch. Soon after he captained the Clearwater and eventually became one of the Captains of Adventuress.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 083 – Interview | Schooner Zodiac’s Chris Wallace and Jeff Carson – Part 2 - 04.18.13 Feb 05, 2024

Todays featured spot is Part 2 of an interview with Chris Wallace and Jeff Carson. Chris and Jeff live aboard their vintage 65ʹ wooden double ender Kwaietek, and both work on the schooner Zodiac. Today’s podcast is focused on the Zodiac.

Zodiac is a 160ʹ (sparred length) two masted gaff topsail wooden schooner designed by William H. Hand Jr. She was built by Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard and launched in 1924 at East Boothbay, Maine. Originally she was built for the heirs to the Johnson & Johnson family, then became a bar pilot boat in San Francisco, retiring in 1972.

In the mid 1970’s, the Vessel Zodiac Corporation was formed and she was restored over a 13 year period. She is now home ported in Bellingham, WA and available for charter trips in the Puget Sound and Gulf Islands of Canada.

In 2010, Zodiac was dismasted while cruising in Puget Sound. Fortunately there were only a couple minor injuries and a new tree was found to replace the broken mast (128ʹ length). Chris and Jeff give more details of this event during the interview.

HOWB 082 – Interview | Schooner Zodiac’s Chris Wallace & Jeff Carson – Part 1 - 04.11.13 Jan 29, 2024

Todays featured spot is an interview with Chris Wallace and Jeff Carson. Chris and Jeff live aboard their vintage 65ʹ wooden double ender – Kwaietek. Kwaietek is an ex British Columbia, Canada Forest Service boat that is built stout and beautiful. Chris is also the Port Captain for the wooden schooner Zodiac.

Jeff was born in California, the son of a career Navy man. The family moved frequently and eventually his dad retired in West Virginia where Jeff attended High School and then college at Western Virginia University. Jeff studied and graduated with a degree in Design and Technical Theater and went on to travel with theater companies building complex sets for their plays. Eventually Carson ended up working at the Seattle Repertory Theater building sets. During this stint, he met wife Chris Wallace.

Chris hailed from Corvallis, OR and her father was a well know professional set designer for theater. Chris learned the old school techniques from her father for painting theater sets and went on to study costume design and art history in college. Chris eventually moved to Seattle and joined the production side of the Seattle Repertory Theater. Chris first learned to sail on the 160ʹ wooden schooner Zodiac, and earned her 200 ton Captains license. She is now the Port Captain for the Zodiac.

Jeff and Chris first lived on a 36ʹ sloop in Seattle and eventually bought a ’40 ketch. Then in 2010 they purchased Kwaietek, which they live aboard with their youngest daughter Juliet. Kwaietek was built in 1923 and used by the BC Forest Service to take survey and inventory crews and top brass to the forests along the west coast of British Columbia. She is plank on frame constructed with a 100 hp Gardner diesel which has powered the boat since 1936.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 081 – Interview | Scott Jones of NW Maritime Center on SCAMP & Other Wooden Boat Fun - 04.04.13 Jan 22, 2024

Today’s featured segment is an interview with Scott Jones of the NW Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA. I recorded the interview during SCAMP Camp #3, which is put on by the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, WA.

Scott and I had a great time talking about the SCAMP boat and Camp, other projects at the NW Maritime Center and upcoming cool wooden boat events. Plus he gave me a few boatbuilding tips. Scott is an easy going guy who loves his job and really excels at what he does. Keep up the great work Scott!

To listen to the interview I did with Scott last year about his personal and boating history, check out Episode 049.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 080 – Interview | Howard Rice on SCAMP Camp, Online Boatbuilding, & Other Fun! - 03.28.13 Jan 15, 2024

This Episode of HOWB is an interview with Howard Rice of small boat adventure fame, and founder of SmallCraftAcademy.com. We met up a couple weeks ago during SCAMP Camp #3 at the NW Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA . The SCAMP Camp is run by the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building (Port Hadlock, WA) and employs Howard Rice as one of the lead instructors. The Camp is an awesome 2 week event where you complete approximately 50% of the SCAMP boat.

I always enjoy speaking with Howard as he is a very articulate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic seaman who has, and continues to do amazing and fun stuff with small boats and to promote the benefits of small vessels to folks worldwide.

During the interview we had a great time talking about the SCAMP boat, the SCAMP Camp (next one is in August in Port Townsend) and the new adventures of SmallCraftAcademy.com. The Academy is getting into online boat training and building classes among other things, in a new and cool way. So check it out at their website and listen to the interview with Howard for all the details.

Also, if you have not listened to the interview I did with Howard last year about his personal adventures and a portion of his life history, check out Episode 039. And if you want to hear an interview with the SCAMP designer – John Welsford – check out Episode 048. And last but not least, the brainchild of the SCAMP – Josh Colvin – at Episode 040.

HOWB 079 – Interview | Korie & Tupper Griffith, Wooden Boat Lovers, Owners of Sharon L - 03.21.13 Jan 08, 2024

Today’s featured segment is an interview with Korie and Tupper Griffith and their son Owen, of Port Townsend, WA. The Griffiths have a rich history of sailing and wooden boats.

Tupper grew up in Eugene, OR and learned to surf in CA while visiting relatives. After high school, he moved to San Diego, CA and became heavily involved in surfing. He also started cutting his teeth at sailing as crew on the 1928 Alden Schooner Kelpie . Next was a stint in the USCG at Tillamook Bay, OR where he served as crewman on ’44 motor life boats. In 2003, Tupper was invited to crew on the Schooner Martha by his sister Holly (wife to Captain Robert d’Arcy of the schooner Martha). Shortly thereafter he moved to Port Townsend and met his now wife, Korie, who was Captain of the Adventuress.

Korie was raised in Wisconsin and did very little boating as a kid. However she dreamed of moving to the coast and experiencing the ocean someday. During her college days, she spent one summer in the Florida Keys working at a Boy Scout adventure training (thru boats) camp. And then later, went back for a full year of work at the Camp – and loved it! Next it was on to grad school in chemical oceanography during which time she learned about the Tall Ship programs.

In Long Beach, CA, Korie became involved with the Spirit of Dana Point schooner directing educational programs and experienced her first blue water cruise. While earning her Captains license, her sailing destinations included the east coast, the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas. In 2003 she Met Wayne Chimenti (Captain of Adventuress) at Long Beach who called on her to be a relief mate for Adventuress. Then in 2006, Chimenti brought Griffith on to replace his as one of the Captains of Adventuress.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 078 – Interviews | Pygmy Wooden Kayak Class - 03.14.13 Jan 01, 2024

Today’s featured segment is two interviews. The first is with Tom & Cynthia Krehbiel from Juneau Alaska. Tom and Cynthia flew to Port Townsend in February for a one week Pygmy Boats sponsored class. During this one week class, they were able to complete about 50% of their Pinguino wooden kayak under the instruction of Pygmy employees John and Seth. Tune in to the podcast to hear more about why they took the class, why you should take one, and what’s so special about building your own boat.

The second interview is with John Lockwood, founder and owner of Pygmy Boats. John and I talk about a wide variety of topics including building a kit kayak, hull speed, Greenland paddles vs Euro paddles, and other fun stuff. To hear more conversations between John and I, listen to Episodes 60 & 61.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 077 – Interview | Capt Daniel Evans – Wooden Schooner Adventuress 03.07.13 Dec 25, 2023

Today’s interview is with Captain Daniel Evans of Sound Experience and the great 1913 wooden schooner Adventuress.

Capt Daniel spent his formative years in Anchorage, AK and began sailing at the age of 4 while on a visit to his grandparents in Gig Harbor, WA. Evans attended Evergreen U while living on his 28ʹ Miller Marine sloop and continued to fine tune his sailing and maritime skills.

Through his rock climbing adventures Daniel met some Outward Bound folks and eventually became the manager for their Sea Based program from Anacortes, WA. The program was Long Boat based with adventures in the San Juan and Southern Gulf Islands of Canada.

Up next for Daniel, was a stint on east coast schooners and working toward his USCG Captains License. His schooner work included the Liberty Clipper, Schooner Massachusetts, Roseway, Lettie G Howard, and the Saphira Christina.

During that time he met Catherine Collins, director of Sound Experience and let her know that if one of the Captains positions on Adventuress ever became available, he would love the opportunity. Evans got the call and joined Sound Experience as one of the Captains in early 2010.

Adventuress is in Phase 4 of her Centennial restoration which includes replanking and framing the port side, a new main mast, and refreshing some of the on board systems.

When I asked Captain Evans why he loves Sound Experience, his answer was twofold: 1. Adventuress sails really well (not a slug in the water). She was designed by BB Crowninshield to be beautiful AND to be fast – and that she is. 2. The Sound Experience community is phenomenal.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 076 – Interview | Mindy Ross, Center for Wooden Boats Sailing Education Director - 02.28.13 Dec 18, 2023

Today’s interview is with Mindy Ross of the Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) in Seattle, WA. Mindy has be with CWB for 14 years and is currently the Sailing Education Director.

Mindy grew up near Cleveland, OH and is a third generation sailor/racer. Her grandfather raced Comets and Trivets in the 20’s and 30’s at the Cleveland Yacht club and later her parents raced at the Sandusky Sailing Club.

As a kid she traveled with her parents racing Thistle’s in the midwest and southeast. The family would camp, race for the weekend, and then move on to the next regatta.

Later the family moved to Milwaukee, WI and Mindy spent time crewing on the tall ship Gazella as well as continuing her sail racing. Next it was on to the University of Oregon for Wendy, where she attended school and raced on U of O’s sailing team.

After college, Mindy chose to move to Seattle because it was near the water (and near the big water too). Upon arrival she visited the CWB and fell in love with the sense of community and the historic wooden vessels. She began volunteering and racing SNIPE’s on Lake WA. Today she is the Sailing Education Director and loves every minute of it. Her favorite boat at the CWB is the Geary ’18 “Flattie”.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 075 – Interview Part 2 | Capt Ken Greff of Sound Experience / Adventuress 1913 Wooden Schooner - 02.21.13 Dec 11, 2023

Today’s featured segment is Part 2 of the interview with Captain Ken Greff, president of the board of Sound Experience. Sound Experience is the caretaker of the 1913 BB Crowninshield designed gaff rigged 101ʹ schooner Adventuress.

Sound Experience’s mission with Adventuress is to “educate, inspire, and empower an inclusive community to make a difference for the future of our marine environment.”

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 074 – Interview Part 1 | Capt Ken Greff of Sound Experience / Adventuress 1913 Wooden Schooner - 02.14.13 Dec 04, 2023

Today’s featured segment is Part 1 of a 2 Part interview with Captain Ken Greff, president of the board of Sound Experience. Sound Experience is the caretaker of the 1913 BB Crowninshield designed gaff rigged 101ʹ schooner Adventuress.

Ken spent his early youth in San Francisco and his family settled on Mercer Island, WA when Ken was in grade school. Greff stream fished with his parents and dabbled in sailing small boats on Lake Washington with his high school buddies.

While attending Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, one of Ken’s professors invited him to crew on a T-Bird sailboat for a Bellingham Bay race. Ken jumped at the chance, and got “hooked” on keel boat sailing which he enjoyed as often as possible during his college years.

During his school teaching years, Ken heard about the bicentennial parade of tall ships in NY Harbor and the sail training programs for youth. At the time, he was working with troubled kids in the school system and was interested in helping these kids build character and leadership skills through an alternative means such as sail training.

Greff began inquiring locally about sail training and eventually was advised to connect with Youth Adventure who owned the historic schooner Adventuress and was using her to train youth. Ken saw Adventuress for the first time at the Seattle waterfront during a tall ship festival and was immediately taken by the youth aboard who were jovially singing and warmly welcoming him. Ken began volunteering that fall of 1978 and has never looked back!

Tune in again next week for Part 2 (Episode 75).

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 073 – Interview | Jim Metteer – Wooden Boat Builder and Restorer Extraordinaire - 02.07.13 Nov 27, 2023

Today’s featured interview is with Jim Metteer of Poulsbo, WA. Jim grew up “all over” the west coast as his dad moved from working at one hydroelectric dam to another. In 1965 the family settled in south Seattle, WA where Jim graduated from Tyee High School.

Jim’s dad had a power boat and Jim liked to be “on” the water, not “in” the water. After high school Metteer landed at a local furniture company learning the furniture trade and eventually taking over their finishing department. The advanced coatings skills Jim learned during those 3 years still serve him to this day.

Metteer’s first boat was a 1980 Thistle – a 17ʹ Sandy Douglass one design cold molded planing sloop. Jim sailed her on Lake Washington and Puget Sound. A few years later Jim fell in love with “Vito Dumas” – a Manuel Campos designed Cutter. However, the owner wouldn’t sell to Jim. So Jim decided to build his own Campos Cutter. The Campos cutter is a modified scandinavian rescue boat designed with a shallower for the waters of Buenos Aires in the 1940’s.

Jim read the book – How To Build a Boat by David McIntosh and started building it. It seemed to come natural and took Jim 4 1/2 years to complete. One of his tricks was to go to the boat every day whether he felt like it or not.

Lumiere was launched in 1991. She is Carvel plank, 1.25ʺ Port Orford cedar over 2ʺx2ʺ oak frames with a 1 1/2ʺ teak deck. She has a Honduran Mahogany cabin and 8600 pounds of lead in her keel.

With the encouragement of his wife, Jim decided to build boats for a living, so he joined up with the late Tom Pryor in 2000 to take over the work Tom had been doing in Poulsbo. Tom rented him the barn and Jim helped Tom live out his last years out in the neighboring farm house.

Metteer’s first project was restoring the friendship sloop Puff. This was a 2 year project. Next was the restoration of a boat gifted to him – Fokus III, a classic 6 meter racing boat. Fokus III was launched 1948 in Norway and was scheduled to race in the 1952 Olympics (for reasons unknown, she didn’t go to the Olympics). Jim has done a beautiful restoration on Fokus!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 072 – Interview | Roy Jackson – built Wooden Schooner over a 3 decade period! WOW! - 01.31.13 Nov 21, 2023

I had the rare and special privilege of meeting up with Roy Jackson who, along with his late wife Dolores built a 43ʹ Murray Peterson designed gaff rigged Coaster II Schooner – Dolores M Jackson – between 1976 and 2009.

The interview and time together with Jackson was a blast! This is an amazing story! The interview is a MUST LISTEN!

Roy grew up in Detroit, MI and was accustomed to the regular sight of schooners and other vessels navigating the Detroit River. His mom and dad boated (black tie events) on friends boats while the kids played on land.

Roy’s dad had been in the British Calvary, so Roy was taught to ride horses and spent lots of time on horseback as a kid including riding on the famed Belle Isle.

Roy began a career in advertising after school, and in 1965 a coworker invited Jackson to join him on sailing his Yawl from Nassau, Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was a new experience for Roy and he enjoyed every minute of it. The trip was “perfect” according to Jackson with smooth swells, moonlight, steady breezes and phosphorous creatures to gaze upon in the water at night. When he returned from the trip, Jackson determined he was going to build his own boat someday.

While reading a Sensible Cruising article in National Fisherman magazine, Roy laid his eyes on a beautiful Murray Peterson designed Coaster II Schooner. He decided he would build that boat and ordered the plans from Peterson in 1973. A friend at work told Jackson that Seattle, WA was a hub for building wooden boats. Roy did his research and decided to make the move in 1974 including taking a position at a large ad agency in Seattle.

The Jackson’s purchased property on Bainbridge Island (a 30 minute ferry ride to downtown Seattle), Roy designed their home, had it built, and they moved in. Next was construction of the boat shed for building the schooner and lofting of the vessel on the shop floor in 1977. Listen to the interview for the rest of the story!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 071 – Interview | Jim Llewellyn Wooden Boat Restorer and Blanchard Sr. Knockabout Owner - 01.24.13 Nov 13, 2023

Jim grew up in Bellevue, WA and at the age of 9 his parents bought a Blanchard Jr. Knockabout for $250 and spent another $250 to refurbish it. Jim’s dad taught him to sail on that wooden sloop, and at the young age of 13 “turned over the keys” to Jim and let him go out by himself on Lake Washington (wow, what a blast for a 13 year old!). As Jim became an adult, the Knockabout became his boat. He and a buddy sailed two Blanchard Knockabout Jr’s from Lake Washington all the way to Victoria BC (across the Strait of Juan de Fuca) and back – a bold adventure in an open cockpit sailboat!

In 1976 Jim bought his Blanchard Sr. Knockabout (26ʹ LOA) and began refurbishing the boat in the off season and racing the rest of the year. Jim still owns this beaut and takes great care of her. Jim also owns a 1966 Century Resorter mahogany ski boat, which he uses about 100 days each year for water skiing. (see HOWB 045 for a related interview on another Century Resorter).

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 070 – Interview | Captain Tyson Trudel – Center for Wooden Boats Youth Program Dude, Wooden Boat Afficianado - 01.17.13 Nov 06, 2023

Tyson did most of his growing up in Cove, Oregon with a massive population of 500 people During his youth he sailed with his family on their 21ʹ San Juan sloop. However, when his parents decided to take a year off and build a log cabin, they had to sell the family boat to pay for the new well. Tyson was heartbroken – he loved being on the water.

But never fear, his parents bought him an 8ʹ Jester sailing dinghy on his 8th birthday. He was sick that day so they put the dinghy in his bedroom and let him sleep in it – he was hopelessly “hooked” on boats at that point. Sorry about that Tyson – hahaha.

During junior high and high school, he took every shop class offered and helped build several Phil Bolger and other designs with whatever materials the class could scrape together. After attending college for a couple years studying history, Tyson realized he really wanted to work with youth and boats. He was able to land a volunteer position at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle and for 9 months engaged in youth programs centered around boats and life learning (in addition to being the night watchman).

Next, it was off to finish college and then on to work as a youth mentor at Lutherwood Camp for 9 months of the year, with 3 months each year working on his Captains license aboard the Lady Washington tall ship (check out HOWB 003 for an interview about her). In 2011, Tyson came full circle and landed at the Center for Wooden Boats as their Youth Program Manager.

Tyson has had some really awesome experiences with boats, youth, education, and the high seas.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 069 – Interview | Nat Howe of NW Seaport – Wooden Boat Guru and Museologist - 01.10.13 Oct 30, 2023

Nat grew up in Seattle and as a young kid was building boat models out of milk cartons, wood, and assorted other materials he could scrounge up. His parents and grandparents owned (and still own) an Allied Seawind 30’ which the family used to explore the Inside Passage around Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands. When Nate was 10 years old he discovered the 1897 three masted 165ʹ schooner Wawona on Lake Union in Seattle. He fell in love with her and at age 11 built a 5’ model of Wawona. He also built a radio controlled model of the Arthur Foss tug after discovering that historic vessel in Seattle.

Nat attended Beloit College in WI to get his undergraduate degree in Museology. During his college program, he spent one semester at Williams College studying at Mystic Seaport Museum and living on the grounds.

Besides learning about sea shanties and celestial navigation he gained valuable knowledge about museums and historic vessels.

After college Nat was awarded the highly coveted Fulbright Grant to study at the Vasa Museum in Sweden – regarded by many as the premier maritime museum in the world. On display is the Swedish Gallion Vasa – built in 1628 as a double gun deck war boat. She sank 15 minutes into her maiden voyage.

Nat loves his current position as the vessel manager at Northwest Seaport in Seattle, WA. The Seaport’s mission is the: “......preservation and interpretation of maritime heritage of Puget Sound and the Northwest Coast, and the development of maritime-based educational programs and opportunities for the community.”

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 068 – Highlights of 2012 and Plans for the BEST YEAR EVER in 2013 - 01.03.13 Oct 23, 2023

Thanks to your support and the support of hundreds of other wooden boat lovers, HOWB has completed its first full year with flying colors. This Episode is dedicated to looking at the HIGHLIGHTS of 2012 and my Plans for 2013!

Here’s Top Ten HIGHLIGHTS of 2012:

1. 52 HOWB weekly episodes were published (67 total now).
2. HOWB podcasts have been downloaded over 35,000 times by folks in 82 different countries.
3. I conducted more than 50 interviews – from wooden boat rock stars, to back yard builders to instructors, captains, Designers, a Viking ship builder, blue water gurus, authors, and expert craftsman.

4. I received “attaboy” emails from HOWB listeners all over the world – Poland, Australia, South Africa, Aruba, Sweden, and Great Britain to name a few

5. The first ever HOWB Meet-up happened at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in September thanks to Korey Rubin, Christina Cogan and Ralph Duncan.

6. I met and interviewed Si Miller whose claim to fame is putting 50 coats of varnish on his vintage 1967 Century ski boat (one coat per day for 50 days – seriously!). This boat is gorgeous!

7. I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing sailing legends and authors Lin & Larry Pardey – WOW!

8. I got to yak each week about the 12’ lapstrake canoe I started building this year – 90% done now! I thought I would finish in 2012 – but won’t quite make it

9. I made dozens of new friends, learned a ton about wooden boats, and got to hear fascinating life stories.

10. I was a presenter at the 36th Annual Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA for the first time! I also had the priviledge of attending several events for the first time: Olympia Wooden Boat Fair, Pocket Yacht Palooza, SCAMP Camp and the Maritime Heritage Festival.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 067 – Interview | Diana Hennick, Visitor Services Guru at the Center for Wooden Boats - 12.27.12 Oct 16, 2023

Diana is a NOAA brat – her dad was a commissioned officer in the the NOAA Corp and met her mom – a civilian deckhand – on board a research vessel in the Bering Sea.

Diana was born in San Diego, and lived in Maryland for a few years before her family settled in Seattle. After getting her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Western Washington University, she had the rare opportunity to do an internship at the Maritime History department of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. This was a home run museum experience so Diana enrolled and completed her graduate degree in museology at the University of Washington.

After graduating, she worked for 4 years at the Northwest Seaport in Seattle where she had done her Masters Thesis on the historic tug Arthur Foss. Northwest Seaport’s mission is to preserve maritime heritage thru large craft such as the Arthur Foss.

Next stop was the Center For Wooden Boats where Diana is the Visitor Services Manager today. She loves her role of finding creative ways for the community to interact and engage with the Center as an outdoor small craft living museum. Diana loves her parents sea stories and has taught sailing in the San Juan Islands.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 066 – Interview | Dan Leach, boatwright and Center for Wooden Boats Community Engagement Lead - 12.20.12 Oct 09, 2023

Dan Leach is one of those gents that makes you feel right at home from the first time you shake his hand – which for me was October 2011 when I went to the Center For Wooden Boats to interview the founder, Dick Wagner for HOWB 004. I had the privilege to interview Dan a few weeks ago – which was a real blast for me (hanging out at the CWB comes natural – haha).

Dan grew up in Seattle, the son of a woodworker and grandson of a home builder. His parents owned a 14ʹ Rhodes Bantam racing class sloop – and his grandparents a 17ʹ ski boat. Dan water skied behind the power boat, but preferred getting out on his parents sailboat and occasionally racing. After studying political science and history at the University of Michigan, Dan moved to Eugene OR, started his news radio career, got married and had a couple kids.

Eventually moving back to Seattle, Dan continued his radio career, and did a marketing stint a Microsoft before deciding to enroll in the 2 year Marine Carpentry Program at Seattle Central Community College to “learn more about boats” and gain some woodworking skills. After graduating Dan went to work at Dunbar Marine in Seattle restoring and repairing wooden vessels.

Dan had been a volunteer at the Center for Wooden Boats for years. One day in 2011, he was talking to Betsy Davis (exec director) and she said “we need you” to lead business engagement and sponsorship development to keep the programs and museum collection of small craft alive and well. Dan agreed, on the condition, that he could work one day a week as a boatwright. Dan enjoys his role and loves having his office on a floating dock. Dan has since moved on.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 065 – Interview | Jeff Hammond: Master Wooden Boatwright, Instructor, and Seasoned Carpenter - 12.13.12 Oct 02, 2023

Behind Jeff Hammond’s laid back demeanor and Wisconsin drawl is a Master Boat Builder and seasoned instructor who is the Real McCoy. He’s been instructing at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building since 1985 and retired a few years back.

As a youth in Wisconsin, Jeff built model boats and canoed with his family on local lakes. After school he entered the construction trade, building houses and cabinets and messing with a few boat building projects here and there. It was a tough time for the construction business, so in 1984 Jeff visited a schoolmate in the Seattle area to look for improved work opportunities. When he told her of his interest in boat building, she suggested they visit Port Townsend and the 4 year old Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building.

Jeff got a tour of the school one fateful day in December 1984 and knew the minute he left, that he would return as a student. Four months later he was enrolled in a 6 month course at the school with 8 classmates. At the end of the term, he enrolled for another 6 months and was asked to work for the school, which he did as instructor, shop person, and student helper.

Five weeks after finishing his second term, Jeff was asked by founder Bob Prothero to return to the school as a regular instructor to replace a retiring instructor. Jeff couldn’t have been more excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with beautiful woods on hand crafted boats. He taught at the school for more than 30 years!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 064 – Interview: Wendy Hinman; Woodenboat Blue Water Sailor, Author, and Self Confessed Tightwad! - 12.03.12 Sep 25, 2023

Wendy grew up the daughter of a Navy dentist, who made frequent military moves. When her dad was given an assignment in Hawaii, Wendy’s parents bought a Cal ’27 sailboat and enrolled the entire family in sailing lessons. At the age of 7, Wendy was getting her sea legs sailing the Hawaiian Islands. Next, Wendy’s family moved to Washington, DC and began sailing the Chesapeake Bay on a Catalina ’30. Soon Wendy was teaching sailing utilizing the advanced skills she had learned as a youth.

Wendy’s husband Garth also grew up in a sailing family. In fact, during his youth, Garth spent 5 years circumnavigating the world with his parents and siblings. Their trip included a shipwreck in Fiji and other extreme adventures and all navigation was celestial (can you spell sextant?).

It’s not surprising that early in their marriage, Garth and Wendy made plans for their own blue water extravaganza. The first order of business was to save money and pay off their home so they could “get away” for several years and live off the modest $1,000 per month their home would rent for. In 1998 they bought a 31ʹ Tom Wylie designed cold molded cutter – Velella – and 2 years later they were off on their 7 year, 34,000 mile adventure around the Pacific. Wendy has chronicled their blue water undertaking in her newly released book – Tightwads On the Loose: A Seven Year Pacific Odyssey. You can also check out Wendy’s website: WendyHinman.com.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 063 -Interview: Katie Whalen of NW School of Wooden Boat Building; Wooden Boat Owner and Lover; Can’t Wait to Get to Work Every Day! - 11.29.12 Sep 18, 2023

Judging by her enthusiasm and passion for her work at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building, you’d think Katie Whalen had been a hard core wooden boat devotee since her childhood. Quite to the contrary, Katie grew up in southern California as a complete land lubber. It wasn’t until she visited Washington state as an adult that she got a on “boat” for the first time – a Washington state passenger ferry.

Katie was first introduced to the Boat School in the early 1990’s, fell in love with it, and immediately began volunteering. She was fascinated by the school’s mission and the dedication of the small staff, including shipwright Jeff Hammond. Katie was working in Port Townsend in 2006 when she heard the School’s business manager position was being vacated. Katie applied and has loved her dream job ever since. In Katie’s own words, the Boat School “is the real deal”!

In 2011 Katie couldn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase her first wooden boat – a 26ʹ William Atkin’s designed gaff rigged cutter – Barakah. She is a traditional plank on frame carvel planked beauty that was built by the School in 1995.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 062 – Interview: Captain Robert d’Arcy of the Schooner Martha; 4th Generation Shipwright and Wooden Boat Master - 11.22.12 Sep 11, 2023

Today’s interview is with Captain Robert d’Arcy. d’Arcy grew up in Rhode Island, the son of a shipwright. In fact he is a 4th generation shipwright – his great grandfather learned the trade in Scotland and the skills were passed down thru the generations. Robert worked in his dad’s boat shop as a kid starting with sweeping, cleaning, stacking, then moving on to building and restoring. After high school he worked beside his dad to restore a 1914 Nova Scotian schooner that was 46ʹ on deck. Next was a 5 year stint at the Mystic Seaport Museum (CT), doing restoration work on vessels such as the 1841 Wooden Whaling Ship Charles W. Morgan, and the 123ʹ fishing schooner L.A. Dunton.

Robert had friends who owned a 1910 Victorian B&B that needed work, so he switched gears and began using his woodworking skills to repair and renovate Victorian and Colonial homes. In 1995 he moved to the Puget Sound area and met mariners from the Schooner Zodiac and the Northwest Schooner Society. The Society was to become the recipient of a 1907 BB Crowninshield designed 84ʹ Schooner – Martha. They asked Captain d’Arcy if he would be willing to set up a sail training foundation, spearhead the restoration of Martha, and become her Captain.

The boat needed significant restoration work so Robert did his homework on her pedigree and history. She was a worthy steed with a rich and documented history, so he took on the project and established the SchoonerMartha.org Foundation. Martha has been fully restored under d’Arcy’s care over a period of several years and she is being used for sail training on the waters of Puget Sound.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 061 – Interview Part 2 of 2: John Lockwood, Self Confessed “Wilderness Freak”, Wooden Boat Guru, Founder Pygmy Boats - 11.15.12 Sep 04, 2023

Today’s podcast is Part 2 of my interview with John Lockwood, founder and owner of Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, WA. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of the interview, I recommend you start there first by listening to Episode 60.

In Part 2 of the interview, John talks about how he excelled as a computer programmer for 12 years (although it drove him crazy to be indoors all that time), and programmed the first commercially available Plate Expansion Software for “developable surfaces”. He also got the bug big-time to blend his passions and skills together to start a business where he was in control. The result was the 1986 birth of Pygmy Kayaks (now Pygmy Boats) – a stitch and glue boat kit business in Port Townsend. Pygmy Boats offers a large selection of kayaks kits to choose from in addition to a canoe and WineGlass Wherry kit. ------------------------------------------------

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 060 – Interview Part 1 of 2: John Lockwood, Self Confessed “Wilderness Freak”, Wooden Boat Guru, Founder Pygmy Boats - 11.08.12 Aug 28, 2023

Today’s interview is with John Lockwood, founder and owner of Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, WA. John is originally from St. Louis, Missouri where he bird hunted, and played and fished on the lakes and rivers with his family in their 20ʹ canoe. During this time, John got HOOKED (no pun intended :)) on exploring, fishing, swimming, camping and enjoying the great outdoors.

After a one year stint at Union College in New York, John launched into a 5 year adventure of traveling and exploring the mountains, rivers, wildernesses, and outdoors of the US and Mexico. The recurring theme was to work and save, then travel and explore until funds needed replenished; then work and save, and repeat. John’s stops included the Palouse in eastern Washington (wheat farm), the Snake River (drillers helper), the Wollowa Mountains in Oregon (horse packing fisherman to high lakes), and Aspen, Colorado (ski area), among others.

In 1968, John broke his hip and was on crutches for 7 1/2 years. This turn of events took John abruptly out of the wilderness and to the halls of Harvard where he studied Anthropology and Computer Science. He was especially intrigued by his studies of the Pygmy people (thus the company name: Pygmy Boats) who are “hunter gatherers”.

During his years in Cambridge, he yearned to get back to the wilderness. In spite of his limited mobility on crutches, John knew he could propel himself thru the water in a kayak using his upper body strength. So in 1970, he strapped a collapsible Klepper kayak on his back, took a train to Whitehorse, Yukon Canada and solo kayaked 900 miles down the Yukon River.

This was just the beginning of John’s many adventures on and off the water designing, building, and using small boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 059 – Interview: Sean & Inger Rankins, Sail and Canvas Makers, Wooden Boat Lovers, Spissgatter owners - 11.01.12 Aug 21, 2023

Today’s interview is with Sean & Inger Rankins of Port Townsend, WA. The Rankins own and operate Northwest Sail and Canvas Makers.

Inger is originally from Norway, and as a youth was regularly rowing the families wooden clinker workboats to and fro the island her grandparents lived on. Inger learned to sew her own clothes at a young age, and in 1990 began applying those skills to marine canvas work. She has had her own marine canvas business since 1999 and enjoys the creativity of making sail covers, boat covers and other canvas boat parts.

Sean grew up in southern California boating and fishing in his dad’s classic woody boats. After college, Sean began sailing and became a sailmaker apprentice at North Sails in San Diego. Sean crafts custom sails from his loft in Port Hadlock, WA. He enjoys working with his hands, and getting out on the water every chance he gets.

Among other boats, Sean and Inger own a 26ʹ Danish Spidsgatter 38 meter class – Cito, and a 20ʹ Norwegian Spissgatter keelboat - Havhesten.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 058 – Interview: Kaci Cronkhite, wooden boat lover, former wooden boat festival director, circumnavagator - 10.25.12 Aug 14, 2023

Today’s interview is with Kaci Cronkhite of Port Townsend. Kaci grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma riding horses and waterskiing behind her family’s Chris Craft runabout. Her ancestors were dutch, and the first family emigrant to the US was a shipbuilder.

When Kaci was in her 30’s, she sailed for the first time and it felt eerily familiar to horseback riding – position, balance, wind in your hair. She was intrigued and hooked at the same time. A few years later she sailed Australia to Hawaii upwind with a friend (with 10 days “hove to”) and then was on to a 6 year circumnavigation which included training others to sail.

When Kaci arrived in Port Townsend in 2001, she was asked to become the Wooden Boat Festival Director. She dove in head first and for the next 10 years gave it 110%. In 2007 Kaci purchased her first wooden boat – a 28ʹ Danish Spidsgatter “Pax” built in 1936. Kaci is finishing a restoration on the boat and is writing a book about her history – Finding Pax – to be published shortly.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 057 – John Harris – Wooden boat builder/designer and owner of CLC Boats - 10.17.12 Aug 07, 2023

Today’s interview is with John Harris of CLC Boats. John spent his growing up years in South Carolina – the son of a “sailing obsessed father (and he still is)” who built stuff and was an engineer. He sailed with his dad on inland lakes in a Snipe, Sunfish and other small boats. John grew up thinking it was perfectly normal that if you needed a piece of furniture, you went out to your shop and built it. When he was in his early teens, he wanted a boat, so he built one (a rowing shell)- and got addicted to the process of designing and building boats.

After college, John went to work for a boatshop in Maryland where among other things he cut out boat parts for Chris Kulczycki’s fledgling kit company, Chesapeake Light Craft. In 1994 John joined up with Chris full time.

He loved the fact that he could mess around with wooden boats all day and somehow get paid for it. In late 1999 John purchased CLC Boats from Chris and has grown the company to offer more than 100 different designs including kayaks, rowing boats, sailboats, paddle boards, and proas.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 056 – Interviews: Steve Stone and Eric Blake, OffCenterHarbor.com – 10/11/12 Jul 31, 2023

The first interview in today’s podcast is with Steve Stone of Brooklin, Maine. I met Steve at the 2012 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival and he is one of the founding partners of OffCenterHarbor.com video website.

Steve grew up sailing, later studied filmmaking, and fell in love with wooden vessels along the way. Steve is super excited about the videos he is producing for OffCenterHarbor.com.

The second interview is with Eric Blake of OffCenterHarbor.com and Brooklin Boatyard of Brooklin, Maine. Eric began building cedar stripped canoes as a teenager in Vermont, and studied boatbuilding at The Landing School and at IBTC in England. He has worked as a shipwright at boatyards around the US and in the Caribbean. Eric is also a partner in OffCenterHarbor.com.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 055 – Interviews: Thomas Scheinpflug, Pacific Grace Shipwright; Dave & Linda Burright, Builders of 26ʹ Caulkins Bartender - 10/4/12 Jul 24, 2023

The first interview in today’s podcast is with Thomas Scheinpflug. Thomas crews on the Pacific Grace Schooner and was one of the shipwrights who built her, finishing in May 2001. Pacific Grace is owned and operated by the non-profit S.A.L.T.S. Sail and Life Training Society of Canada.

The second interview is with Dave & Linda Burright of Albany, Oregon. Dave & Linda built a 26ʹ George Caulkins designed Bartender in their outbuilding over and 6.5 year period. It is a gorgeous boat and they spent a lot of money on her. So they aptly named her Kala Lua – translated Money Pit in Hawaiian!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 054 – Interview: Freya Fennwood; wooden boat builder and kayaker, outdoor adventurer - 9/27/12 Jul 17, 2023

Today’s interview is with kayaker and boatbuilder Freya Fennwood. Freya grew up in Port Townsend and was hanging out at her dad’s boat shop (Pygmy Boats) from the tender young age of zero (wow!). At 18 months she recalls falling asleep between her dads legs while he was paddling the family kayak. At age 12, Freya had her own kayak and was doing multi-week outings with her dad in wilderness areas of Canada and the US. Freya is an avid paddler these days, and has recently added the Greenland Roll to her kayaking repertoire.

Freya has a degree in professional photography from Colorado Mountain College and is a professional videographer and photographer. You can find out more about her business at https://www.freyafennwood.com/

HOWB 053 – Highlights and interviews from 2012 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Jul 10, 2023

Ten days ago, I attended the 36th Annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. I recorded 3 hours of interviews with more than a dozen people over that three day period (and had an absolute blast – btw!).

This week I am playing four short recordings/interviews (total of 37 minutes):

1. The first HOWB Podcast “Meetup” on record. HOWB fans Ralph Duncan, Christina Cogan, and Korey Ruben.

2. Tug Buse small boat adventurer. Follow up to the interview I did with Tug for Episode 16.

3. Josh and Anika Colvin – An update on SCAMP and Small Craft Advisor Magazine. Check out Episode 40.

4. John Welsford and Howard Rice – update on SCAMP CAMP, Small Craft Skills Academy and other fun stuff. Check out Episodes 39 and 48

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 052 – Lin and Larry Pardey of Sailing and Wooden Boat Fame - Interview - 9/13/12 Jul 03, 2023

This past weekend while at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, I had the privilege to interview Lin and Larry Pardy. Lin and Larry have been sailing the world since they built their first boat Serrafyn and launched her in 1968. Their second build was Taleisin launched in 1983. They have written and published numerous books, and sell DVD’s and other great products at their website: LANDLPARDEY.com.

Listen to Lin and Larry share candidly about their childhoods, their adventures and their love of the sea.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 051 – Center for Wooden Boats at CAMA Beach, WA: Interviews – John Dean and Andrew Washburn - 9/6/12 Jun 26, 2023

This week I drove 45 minutes to CAMA Beach State Park where the Center for Wooden Boats refurbished and opened a Boathouse in 2008 in conjunction with WA state parks refurbishing and opening this 30+ cabin resort. This is one beautiful spot. CAMA Beach was a water front resort from 1935 to 1980, at which time it was closed. In the good old days, you could drive your car to this resort, rent a cabin and a row or power boat to crab and fish from.

These type of resorts were called Auto Courts at the time – an inexpensive place to park the car for the night and enjoy the great outdoors. The family that owned CAMA Beach for most of its life, passed it on the WA State Parks and the Center for Wooden Boats to refurbish and reopen the park for usage similar to the previous 4 plus decades.

The joint interview is with Andrew Washburn (the outgoing manager) and John Dean the incoming manager for CAMA beach. Andrew is moving on to a new role of collecting historical information about former water front resorts in Western Washington and building an exhibit at the CWB South Lake Union. John is the incoming CAMA beach manager and a 30 year resident of Camano Island.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 050 – SCAMP Camp Part 2, Interviews – John Welsford (designer), Cliff Sell (student) - 8/30/12 Jun 19, 2023

This episode is a follow up to last week’s August 2012 SCAMP Camp Part 1 (see HOWB 049). I had the privilege to sit down and ask John Welsford some more questions about the SCAMP design and how the Camp was going. John gave some keen insight into the function and benefits of a pram bow, and talks about the success of the inaugural Camp.

I also interviewed Cliff Sell who was a student at the Camp. Cliff traveled all the way from Germany! As a first time boatbuilder, Cliff talks about why he took the class, how the build is coming along, and gives his thoughts on the success of the course.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 049 – SCAMP CAMP, Part 1: Interview Scott Jones, Boat Shop Mgr at NW Maritime Center, Wooden Boatright, SCAMP Pro -08/23/12 Jun 12, 2023

This episode is an interview with Scott Jones recorded during the August 2012 SCAMP CAMP at the NW Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA. I had met Scott on previous outings to Port Townsend, but never had the opportunity to sit down with him and get the inside scoop on his passion for wooden vessels. This interview was on the 4th day of the 2 week SCAMP CAMP where an eclectic group of ambitious folks from as far away as Germany, gathered to build 10 SCAMP’s with help from Scott, John Welsford (designer), Howard Rice (small boat adventurer) and others. Scott was the lead instructor for the CAMP, having overseen the building of the first SCAMP prototype in the fall of 2010.

Scott grew up in Olympia, WA and loved to fish from drift boats. He learned advanced carpentry skills from his talented father, and at a young age was tackling woodworking projects with enthusiasm. Soon after being married, Scott posed this question to his bride – “What if I build boats?”. The rest is history as they say!

Scott attended the NW School of Wooden Boat Building and after graduating in 2009 went to work for the NW Maritime Center on multiple wooden boat builds (Caledonia Yawl, Townsend Tern to name a couple). Scott is now the Boat Shop Manager and doing a fabulous job!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 048 – John Welsford, wooden boat designer, builder, enthusiast - Interview - 08.16.12 Jun 05, 2023

This episode is an interview I did with John Welsford while at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building’s 31st anniversary celebration. I met John for the first time that day, and he was more than agreeable when I asked if I could interview him for HOWB. So we sat down for almost an hour of recording, and I was having the time of my life!

John is a native of New Zealand and loves his country. Boatbuilding is in John’s genes – as far back as his dad could research, there is a boatbuilder in each generation of the family. And John is a descendant of the Denny’s of the William Denny and Brothers Ship Building Company of Scotland. Denny and brothers built the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank in 1882 (which is part of a museum exhibit now).

At the young age of 7, John spent every holiday with his grand dad who worked for a one man boat builder – Philip Lange. John learned to whittle, plank and take care of heavy equipment during those days at Lange’s shop. John’s first boat build as a youth was made from corrugated roofing iron (hull), firewood (stems and thwarts) and tar scraped off the road for caulking. As a young married man he built a 21ʹ light displacement sloop with a Flying Dutchman rig.

One day a friend came to John with plans for a boat he was going to build. John looked at the plans and told his buddy it wasn’t suited to his needs. His friend challenged John – modify the plans to get me a better boat, and if it works I will give you my Stanley 55 Molding plane. John still has the Stanley plane to this day and he has been designing boats ever since!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 047 – Sean Koomen, Instructor NW School of Wooden Boat Building - Interview - 08.09.12 May 29, 2023

This past week I interviewed Sean Koomen, instructor at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building. Sean grew up in Minnesota. At the age of 14 he discovered one of Dynamite Payson’s books at the library, and was soon falling trees for lumber to satisfy his boat building curiosity. Fast forward to college and Sean was in serious study mode to become a concert cellist. Spending 5 hours a day practicing was getting to be a little much, so Sean applied for a grant to start his own wooden boat building business. With grant money in hand, Sean launched Red Barn Boats where he built and sold 4 small wooden boats while in college.

Sean knew his boat building skills needed some honing, so in 2003 he attended the NW School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA and graduated 9 months later. From there it was on to wooden boat gigs in California (Rutherford’s Boatshop) and Maine (Brooklin Boatyard), a couple other stops, and then back to Port Hadlock where he became an instructor this year. Sean has worked on some fun projects over the years including a wooden 135’ steam yacht built in 1901, a fan tail wooden yacht, a 22’ Shorebird Sloop, and other cool stuff.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 046 – Jeff Sayler, Wooden Boat Builder and Restorer; Bruce Hebler and Linda Wolf, Proud Owners 1932 Wooden Gillnet Boat Interviews - 08.02.12 May 22, 2023

On July 15th, I attended the Annual Maritime Heritage Festival in St. Helens Oregon. It was a really fun festival with a wide range of traditional vessels of all sizes and shapes including the Steamboat Portland, a wooden PT Boat 658, and other fun boats. This is a really fun show that I recommend you put on your calendar for next July! Two of the interviews I did that day are included in this podcast.

The first interview is with Jeff Sayler of Firehouse Boatworks in Portland, OR. Jeff attended a wooden boat program in Maine as a young lad and from there steadily developed his wooden boat building and restoration business. Jeff is one creative dude whose resume includes building a bamboo cargo bike, restoring the Kaleta (HOWB 034) and other fun stuff.

The second interview is with Bruce Hebler and Linda Wolf of Portland, OR. Bruce and Linda have owned the M.S. Wolfe – a ’28 Gillnet wooden boat built in 1932 – for more than 2 decades. They have completely rebuilt her from the garboard up and she is one beautiful rig. Listen to the podcast to hear the history of how these gillnet boats were used on the Columbia River for several decades not only for fishing but for dating, transportation, and other life activities.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 045 – Si Miller, 1965 Century Wooden Ski Boat; Bill Weaver, PT658 Wooden Patrol Torpedo Boat Interviews - 07.26.12 May 15, 2023

Ten days ago, I attended the Annual Maritime Heritage Festival in St. Helens Oregon. It was a really fun festival with a wide range of traditional yachts, small craft, vintage cruisers, the Steamboat Portland, a wooden PT Boat 658, and other fun boats. If you can make it to the show next year, put it on your calendar – it is a great event. I recorded a total of 6 interviews, 2 of which are included in this episode.

The first interview is with Si Miller of Portland, OR. Si bought at new wooden ski boat in 1965 and he still has it to this day – 1965 Century Resorter wooden beauty. She is in immaculate condition and Si recently spent 50 days placing 50 coats of varnish on her and sanding between each coat. Is Si’s own words – “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t love every minute of it!”.

The second interview is with Bill Weaver, crew member of the PT Boat 658 wooden torpedo patrol boat. She is ’78 long, has three 2,850 hp Packard V-12’s with a top speed of 55 knots. She is the only fully restored and functioning on-the-water PT boat in the world. The boat is a living museum and has thousands of visitors each year at her home port in Portland, OR. She is one awesome looking fighting machine complete with torpedoes and 50 caliber machine guns.

HOWB 044 – Maritime Heritage Festival Interviews: Seth Vore – Wooden Boat Tours; Cody Thompson – Wooden Boat Refinishing - 07.19.12 May 08, 2023

This past weekend I attended the Annual Maritime Heritage Festival in St. Helens Oregon. It was a really fun festival with a wide range of traditional yachts, small craft, vintage cruisers, the Steamboat Portland, a wooden PT Boat 658, and other fun boats. I will be sharing several interviews I did at the festival over the next few weeks and displaying some of my photos below.

The first interview is with Seth Vore of Portland Boat Tours. Seth had a vision to start a company that would provide tours on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers near Portland in a traditionally built wooden boat. Seth took his vision to Kickstarter.com and raised $6,300 to begin his business on Memorial day of this year. Best of luck to you Seth and fam!

The second interview is with Cody Thompson, owner of NW Refinishing in Ridgefield, WA. When the construction industry slowed down, Cody’s dad offered to mentor him with his 25 years of experience of refinishing. Cody learned all the gory details of bright work and paint for wooden vessels and opened NW Refinishing shortly after. Cody has done some phenomenal work on vintage Bridgedeck boats (he finished Phanton - HOWB 034), wooden Chris Craft runabouts, a Hereshoff 12.5 sailboat and other fun stuff.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 043 – 52ʹ Ed Monk Bridgedeck Wooden Cruiser, Lloyd Shugart owner - Interview - 07.12.12 May 01, 2023

Two weeks ago I attended the Center for Wooden Boats 36th Annual Festival and interviewed Lloyd Shugart. Lloyd and his wife Theresa have owned “Flying Cloud” – a 52ʹ Ed Monk Sr. designed Bridgedeck Cruiser – since 2002. She was built in 1937 at the Grandy Shipyard on Lake Union in Seattle for Francis Brownell Jr. (president of First Seattle Bank), WA. When the Shugarts purchased her, she was in major disrepair and over the last 10 years they have completed most of the restoration.

Flying Cloud is powered by twin Perkins Diesels 6-354 and is planked with Port Orford Cedar over Oak frames. She is a beautifully designed and stately boat.

Listen to the full interview for all the details and find how Lloyd and Theresa have remained patient and persevered when their “3/30 Plan” failed.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 042 – Darryl Carver, Owner of L. Francis Herreshoff designed ’28 Rozinante Wooden Canoe Yawl Interview - 07.05.12 Apr 24, 2023

This week I attended the Center for Wooden Boats 36th Annual Festival and interviewed Darryl Carver. Darryl and his wife have owned “Dulcinea” (nick named “Roz”) – a ’28 L. Francis Herreshoff designed “canoe yawl” since 1999 and are her 3rd owner since she was built in 1983 by Hank Chamberlain on Lopez Island, WA.

L. Francis first wrote about this style of boat in Rudder Magazine after seeing Canoe Yawl style boats around Cape Cod, and was encouraged by the magazine’s readers to design the boat. L. Francis put the design to pencil in his book – The Complete Cruiser.

Roz is a simple but elegant mahogany on oak, ketch rigged beauty. Listen to the full interview for all the details.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 041 – Smith’s Boat Shop, 50 years of building wooden boats – Interview with Fred & Ron - 06.28.12 Apr 17, 2023

This week I interviewed Fred Smith and Ron Downs of Smith’s Boat Shop on Samish Island, WA. Fred and his brother Don built their first boat in 1960 – a 24ʹ plywood catamaran that could be beached easily on the tide flats in front of their house. Next they built an 8ʹ dinghy with plans they bought from US Plywood for 50 cents. Soon the neighbors began noticing the boats Fred and Don had built and started placing orders for 8ʹ, 12ʹ and 14ʹ prams that were well suited for fly fishing, duck hunting, rowing, and having a generally good time. Next the Smith Brothers went to the local sporting goods stores and made deals to sell their boats on consignment. The Smith Boat Shop was officially born!

Don and Fred built boats together from 1962 until 2003 when Don passed away. At that time, Ron Downs joined his father in law Fred, and they have continued the tradition of building plywood prams for the last 10 years. Over the years, more than 2000 El Toro’s have been built, along with a multitude of Pelican sailboats, and prams.

If you would like to read a great article on the history of the Smith’s Boat Shop, click here: Smith’s Boat Shop History.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 040 – Josh Colvin: SCAMP brainchild, Editor Small Craft Advisor Magazine, Sailor, Wooden boater - Interview - 06.21.12 Apr 10, 2023

This week’s show is an interview with Josh Colvin, editor of Small Craft Advisor Magazine. I met Josh in Port Townsend during the Pocket Yacht Palooza, and had a blast throwing questions at him left and right.

Josh has been boating since he was a kid, and grew to love sailing early in life. As a young adult, he would sail with his Uncle and others on larger sailboats and was having fun doing it. But there was something about small boats that intrigued him and drew his attention away from larger craft – the simplicity, lower cost and maintenance, ease of use, and on and on. Soon he realized there were no decent periodicals for the small craft enthusiast. So Josh, along with co-editor/publisher Craig Wagner, birthed Small Craft Advisor Magazine in 1999.

About 3 years ago, Josh presented a boatload of his own small craft ideas to John Welsford, small boat designer, to see if John could take all those ideas and put them into one micro cruising SUPER sailboat. The result is SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project). This is one amazing boat! 11ʹ 11ʺ length, 5ʹ 4ʺ beam, pram bow, water ballast, 7ʺ draft (you read it right – seven inches), offset centerboard for roomy cockpit, sleeps 2, multiple water tight compartments, beautiful looks, 420 pounds total, seaworthy, the list goes on and on and on.

So much boat in such a small package – nice job Josh! Josh describes the SCAMP project in detail during the interview.

Click on the green player button above to listen to the full interview with Josh.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 039 - Howard Rice, Sailor 'Round Cape Horn in Canoe, Wooden boat builder, Small craft guru – interview - 06.14. Apr 03, 2023

This week’s show is an interview I did with Howard Rice while at the 1st Annual Port Townsend Pocket Yacht Palooza in May. I was delighted to meet Howard for the first time and have the extraordinary opportunity to sit down with him one to one and ask any question my probing mind could devise!

During the questioning Howard described how he has been one with the water since birth, and how his desire for adventure runs thick in his veins! Case in point: in the 5th grade, Howard’s elementary school teacher had each student write down 100 things they wanted to do in their lifetime – Howard wrote the list (which he still has) that day, and has accomplished about 1/3 of the challenges he wrote at that curious age of 12. One of the items on the list was to sail around Cape Horn – check....

In late 1989 and early 1990, Howard became the first person to double Cape Horn in a 15ʹ sailing canoe. You can read all the gory details in THIS Sports Illustrated article. WOW!

Howard also talks about his current passion for the SCAMP boat (he personally tested the boat and has chosen it to make a major northern latitude crossing in 2013), his Small Craft Skills Academy Classes which just started up, and other fun stuff – like sailing, camping, and making coffee on his 15ʹ sailing canoe.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 038 – 2012 Pocket Yacht Palooza Interviews: Marty Loken, Lee Bjorkland, Pete Leenhouts - 06.07.12 Mar 27, 2023

This week’s show is 3 interviews I did while at the 1st Annual Port Townsend Pocket Yacht Palooza in May. First up is Marty Loken of the Island Boat Shop in Nordland, WA. Marty is one passionate guy and shares his thoughts on the first Palooza, his personal boats, and what’s happening at his boat shop these days.

The second interview is with Lee Bjorklund. Lee talks about his sloop OPUS – an 18.5ʹ Wee Seal MK II design by Iain Oughtred. This is a gorgeous lapstrake double ended sloop rig he sails in Puget Sound. Lee also talks about the the Dragon Boat Racing he does thru the Seattle Flying Dragon club. These boats are 42ʹ long, hold 20 paddlers, a steersman and drummer, and can pull a water skier (for a short distance).

The final interview is with Pete Leenhouts of the NW School of Wooden Boat Building. Pete is the interim director at the school, is building a Bolger Clam Skiff, and talks about his 3 decades in the Navy aboard wooden mine sweeping boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 037 – 2012 Olympia Wooden Boat Fair – Part 2: Bob Peck and Hal Van Gilder - 05.31.12 Mar 20, 2023

This week is a continuation of last week’s interviews that I did at the 33rd annual Olympia Wooden Boat Fair in Olympia, WA. The first interview is with Hal Van Gilder, president of the Olympia Wooden Boat Association.

Hal grew up boating and his dad built a 39ʹ wooden cabin cruiser in 1932 which Hal owns and maintains to this day. This boat is “federally registered” due to some past history and supposed mishaps in international waters – listen to the full story on the interview.

The second interview is with Bob Peck, president of the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association. Bob has been named 2012 Maritime Person of the Year by the Olympia Wooden Boat Association. Bob has built 18 boats as a hobbyist over the last 50 years. He brought his 1/4 scale East Coast Harbor Tug to the Fair this year. This is one talented dude who has built boats of all sizes, shapes and construction methods.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 036 – 2012 Olympia Wooden Boat Fair Part 1: Highlights, Interviews with Megan Guritz, Ray Gillespie, Mishawn and Danielle - 05.24.12 Mar 10, 2023

I start this podcast with Pete Leenhouts of the NW School of Wooden Boat Building. Pete discusses the upcoming August 6-17, 2012 class in Port Townsend where the Boat School and the NW Maritime Center along with Howard Rice and John Welsford will oversee a group of students build their own gorgeous microcruiser – SCAMP.

Next I share some highlights of the Olympia Wooden Boat Fair which I attended on May 12 for the first time. My first interview is with Megan Guritiz the Fair coordinator. Megan shares some highlights from the Fair, how she got involved with beautiful wooden vessels of all sorts, and why this event rocks!

Second is an interview with 92 year young Ray Gillespie. Ray is a real firecracker to be around. He has been a boyscout since 1930; started the Sea Scouts Olympia program in 1965 (the Sea Scouts 1944 WWII Captains Gig wooden vessel is named after him – R.E. Gillespie); and has attended the Fair for 33 years straight. This guy was a blast to interview – you will hear a lot of good laughs and the story of the shipwreck in Alaska of the SS Propellor Scout boat.

Lastly, an interview with sisters Mishawn and Danielle who own a gorgeous boat – 1935 Ed Monk Sr. designed cutter. Hear all the details and how the sisters got involved in this gig.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 035 – Peter Crim, Director of Wind and Oar Boat School; Wooden boat lover - 05.17.12 Mar 06, 2023

This week’s interview is with Peter Crim of the Wind and Oar Boat School in Portland, OR. I first met Peter at the PNWMHC meeting in Portland, OR in April, and then reconnected with Peter while he was at the CAMA Beach facility of the Center for Wooden Boats attending a 3 day session “Teaching With Small Boats”.

Peter grew up on the east coast, and from the age of 6 his parents owned and sailed wooden boats and sailboats of various sizes including a 34ʹ Alden cruising boat. Peter was also a sailing instructor using the Beetlecat as the instruction venue of choice.

After spending 20+ years in the technology and building industries, Peter hung up his professional career and headed for Brooklin, ME to attend the Wooden Boat School in 2010. Peter took a bunch of fun courses and got the bug to open a school in Portland to “... build communities through building boats”. One of the school’s projects has been building the one design St Ayles Rowing Skiff to participate in races around the area. Check out "Scottish Coastal Rowing" for more information about racing the St Ayles.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 034 – Wooden Boat Gems at Portland Yacht Club: Interviews Chuck Kellogg & Mark Hall - 05.10.12 Mar 03, 2023

Two weeks ago, I met Chris Finks (Maritime Heritage Coalition) at the Portland Yacht Club to personally
tour several of the historic and wonderful wooden boats his friends own and moor at the Yacht Club, and to talk shop (wooden boat shop of course).

One of the chaps I interviewed that day was Chuck Kellogg. Chuck has been a member of the Portland Yacht Club since his youth when he first learned seamanship and sailing on the Club’s 18ʹ plywood “Flatties“. The Flattie is a sloop with a centerboard that was designed and first built in 1928 in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC.

Chuck currently owns a drop dead gorgeous 1937 Bridge Deck boat “Phantom”. She is 58ʹ of sheer beauty and elegance, and was built by Astoria Marine Company in Astoria, OR. Chuck also owns a 36ʹ Bridge Deck boat “Kaleta”. She is is a beautifully designed and inviting vessel built in 1928 in Tacoma, WA by Martinac Marine. Chuck had her out of the water to restore her hull last year (we’re talking major restoration), now she’s back in the water for interior and deck refurbishing (see photos below). Kaleta will be the Flagship vessel for the Maritime Heritage Coalition.

Next I was given a tour of “Marymack” – a 50+’ Bridge Deck boat that is absolutely beautiful.

Finally, I met with and interviewed Mark Hall who owns a 1961 Chris Craft Constellation that is 55ʹ of craftsmanship and stateliness.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 033 – Chris Finks – Founder Maritime Heritage Coalition, Wooden boat lover - 05.03.12 Feb 27, 2023

Chris grew up in California, and at the ripe old age of 5, went water skiing behind his neighbor (Fred’s) wooden boat – a Century water ski boat. Soon after, Fred traded in the Century and bought a fiberglass replacement.

Chris was appalled that Fred would trade such a beautiful wooden vessel in for a plastic boat. Thus began his love for wooden vessels.

As a young adult, living on the east coast, Chris had the privilege to cruise around on the USS Sequoia – a presidential vessel that is now a Historical Landmark and was first used by Herbert Hoover in 1920.

Chris currently owns an early 60’s Chris Craft Constellation 36 footer. He is meticulously restoring the boat to its original colors, interior surfaces and finish. This rig is a beaut. Prior to that Chris cruised around in an 18ʹ 1947 Chris Craft Sportsmen.

About 5 years ago, Chris put together the first Maritime Heritage Festival in Portland. He connected with numerous maritime people and organizations and saw the need to bring them all together for some maritime synergy. Voila – the Maritime Heritage Coalition was formed last year in Portland. According to their
website: The Maritime Heritage Coalition is an Oregon non-profit corporation comprised of more than 25 groups dedicated to promoting regional maritime, environmental and native people’s heritage through educational programs such as the Maritime Heritage Festival. Our five-year goal is to build a regional maritime heritage center.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 032 – Captain Wayne Chimenti, Tall ship sailor & Sailmaker, Wooden boat builder/Teacher, Maritime guru - 04.26.12 Feb 24, 2023

This week I interviewed Master Mariner (USCG 1,600 ton all Oceans Auxillary-Sail license), Rigger (master rigger of five Tall Ships) and Sailmaker (owner of Force 10 Sailmaking and Rigging) Wayne Chimenti. Wayne has over 30 years of sail training on 20 different schooners and square riggers – including a 13 year stint as Captain of the Puget Sound based 1913 schooner Adventuress.

Wayne is actively instructing at, and helped found the Community Boat Building Project (Port Hadlock, WA) in conjunction with the NW School of Wooden Boat Building and the Port Townsend and Chimacum, WA school districts.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 031 – News from Pacific NW Maritime Hertiage Council and Other Fun Boat Stuff - 04.19.12 Feb 20, 2023

This week’s podcast is a little change of pace. First off, I talk about the Pacific Northwest Maritime Heritage Council meeting that I attended last weekend in Portland, OR. While there, I was able to reconnect with some friends from the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport (Cheers Les!), Dan Leach from Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle (Hi Dan!) and meet some new folks. One of the new wooden boat enthusiasts I met was Caitlin Shrigley – Outreach Manager for the Oregon Maritime Museum. This museum is located on the 1947 sternwheeler Portland (see pics below) on the Willamette River. Caitlin gave us all an awesome tour after the PNWMHC meeting and included in my podcast is a 10 minute interview I did with Caitlin that day.

Also included in this podcast is an interview with Dan Leach from The Center for Wooden Boats with an exciting announcement about the grand opening of their new facility on north Lake Union.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 030 – Christian Gruye, Head steward 92ʹ M/V Lotus historic wooden vessel - Interview - 04.12.12 Feb 17, 2023

When Christian was a child, her family moved every 2-3 years to follow her dad’s transfers as an USAF pilot. But Seattle was considered the family’s home base. They spent a lot of time water skiing with friends, and paddling about in their Willits Canoe made on Day Island near Tacoma, WA by the Willits brothers. Christian’s dad was the Pacific Northwest Ski Champion for 7 years and helped form the Lake Washington Water Ski Club.

When Christian was 11 her mother got a hankering to buy a mothballed ferry boat for the family to float around on in the beautiful waters of WA state. In 1960 the family purchased the 1909 M/V Lotus Edwardian style wooden vessel for $5,000 – the exact price she sold for new. At the time she was moored on Lake Union in Seattle and in serious disrepair. The boat engine had been stripped to help support the WWII effort, so the family towed her everywhere they wanted to be and lived on her engineless.

Tune in to this podcast to hear the complete interview including how the M/V Lotus survived a recent mooring failure grounding.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 029 – Steve Chapain, Wooden Pocock racing shell and master boat builder - Interview - 04.05.12 Feb 14, 2023

Steve grew up in Minnesota canoeing and water skiing with his family and friends. As a young adult he visited his brother in Washington state, found Port Townsend and decided that was his sweet spot. After moving there, he met Bob Prothero (late founder of Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building) and enrolled at the boat school, so, in his words, he could “fix my own boats”. After graduating, he did a few restoration projects and soon had his own shop and wooden boat repair and building business -Point Hudson Boat Repair. He builds and restores wooden Pocock racing shells here also.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 028 – Carol Hasse, Wooden boat lover, World renowned sailmaker, blue water sailor - Interview - 03.29.12 Feb 10, 2023

Carol had done very little boating, and no sailing as a kid in Camas, WA. But that all changed in 1972 when the family’s doctor and wife invited her to sail with them to the south Pacific on their new 42ʹ Cascade sailboat. Hasse eagerly hopped on board and a few days later they hit gale forced winds of 70 mph and 30ʹ seas off the Oregon coast. But there were few worries for this hearty group who landed safely in San Francisco, and then made their way to Mexico. From there Carol hooked up with other adventurous souls and sailed to many cool destinations (Costa Rica, Galapagos Islands and Hawaii to name a few).

During these early adventures, Carol learned celestial navigation using ye olde sextant, sail repair, and plenty other seamanship skills. And she learned to love the cruising life, sailing on a lot of cool rigs including a Chinese junk, Alden yawl, Jim Brown trimaran and others.

A few years later in 1975, Carol sailed into Port Townsend with some friends and fell in love with the place. With the support and help of fellow wooden boat enthusiasts, Carol helped launch the inaugural Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in 1976. This festival continues to attract thousands of enthusiasts each year!

In 1978 Carol started Port Townsend Sails which has become world renowned for it workmanship, design, and durability of its sails.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 027 – Eric Friberg Nordic wooden boat builder - Interview - 03.22.12 Feb 06, 2023

Eric has a rich maritime heritage. His family moved from Superior Wisconsin to the Seattle area in 1965 so his dad could work in the Seattle shipyards. Soon after, his father built a wooden fishing boat and headed to Alaska.

The boat was a 30ʹ Bristol Bay double ender made for the rough waters of Alaska.

When Eric was just 10 years old, he spent the summer in Alaska fishing with his dad. In his early 20’s, Eric started boatbuilding on his own – making kayaks and other small boats. One of his first projects was a Greenland stitch and glue kayak kit – from England of all places! He learned to Eskimo roll with this boat and spent a lot of time paddling Puget Sound, including navigating the treacherous Deception Pass and getting caught in a gale which tested his rolling skills.

A few years later, Eric stumbled upon the book Norse boatbuilding in North America and became hooked on the Viking method of clinker boat building. Then he found Jay Smith, who he apprenticed under, and shortly after went to Scandinavia to visit the boatbuilding shops and museums. Five years ago Eric turned his part time passion into a full time career and founded North Fjord Boats.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 026 – The Smith’s restore 1929 wooden boat “David B” for floating B&B - interview - 03.15.12 Feb 03, 2023

Interview – Christine & Jeffrey Smith of Northwest Navigation
Christine had dreamed of having a bed and breakfast since she was a kid, and David loved wooden boats ever since living in Maine where he was a deck hand and eventually captained on several wooden schooners with Windjammer Charters. Their passions and ideas blended together and they determined to have a “floating B&B” ala a wooden vessel. At first their plan was to build a wooden schooner, but the economic downturn nixed that idea so it was on to PLAN B – find an inexpensive wooden vessel and restore it.

A friend suggested they meet up with a gentlemen on Lopez Island that owned several wooden boats which “needed work”. They traveled to Lopez Island, fell in love with and purchased a 65ʹ former “monkey boat” built in 1929 named David B. Jeffreys best estimate was that it would be a 2 year restoration project. EIGHT years later in 2006, the restoration was done and their floating B&B company – Northwest Navigation – was launched. Christine has written an exciting book chronicling the David B rebuilding adventure.

Faster Backwards: Rebuilding David B.

Tune in to this podcast to hear Christine and Jeffrey talk about their dreams, the gory details of their restoration project, how their floating B&B works, and other cool topics.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 025 – Tim Lee, Master wooden boat building instructor (former), Savvy builder – Interview - 03.08.12 Jan 31, 2023

Tim took a keen interest in woodworking as a youth visiting his brother in Alaska, and building hickory dog sleds for racing. Then Tim’s other brother took him on his maiden sailing voyage off the coast of Georgia in wooden sail boat. Tim was hooked. Soon after Tim enrolled at the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding, completed the program and began working in boatyards from Alaska to Port Townsend.

As fate would have it, Tim got a call from master builder Ray Speck in 2000, asking him to come teach at the school. The rest is history and Tim is loving it! Tune in to this podcast to hear Tim talk about helping set up a wooden boatbuilding school in Ireland, building a 26ʹ forest service boat, what makes northwest boat building unique, and other cool topics.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 024 – Brion Toss, author, teacher, legendary rigger, wooden boat lover - Interview - 03.01.12 Jan 27, 2023

When Brion took geometry in high school he thought to himself “I’ll never use this crap”. But he soon became fascinated with knots and realized that geometry was his friend. He was super proud of his first two knots (learned from poorly drawn illustrations in an urban survival book) – the sheet bend and square knot. When he showed these knots to a good friend, the friend cracked open his 690 page Encyclopedia Of Knots And Fancy Rope Work, and Brion officially dove headfirst into the world of knots.

In Brion’s own words, he was largely “holed up in the late 60’s tying knots”. First there was the fancy-work knots, then came the maritime knots. These knots led to the wooden boat festivals, which led to sailing, which led to rigging, which led to Brion Toss Yacht Riggers!

If you want to hear some down to earth talk about splices, seizes, lashings, geometry, physics, resolution of forces, humping, hogging, and an explanation for the ditty: “worm and parcel with the lay, turn and serve the other way”, you have come to the right place!

ENJOY!

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 023 – Julia Maynard, Haven Boatworks wooden boat yard (rocks) - Interview - 02.23.12 Jan 23, 2023

Julia took a keen interest in wooden boats while attending The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA and taking the integrated studies “Marine History and Crafts” program which was focused on wooden vessels.

During the program the students learned boat design, lofting, building and heard outside gurus such as designer Bob Perry.

Shortly after college, Julia landed at Mystic Seaport, CT apprenticing under the accomplished late designer/builder John Gardner for a full year. Julia then went on to build a 34ʹ Yawl rigged sailboat with her hubby and sailed to the far seas.

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 022 - Bruce Blatchley on building the 62ʹ wooden rocketship sloop “Sliver” - 02.16.12 Jan 20, 2023

This week I interviewed master shipwright and instructor Bruce Blatchley. Bruce spent a lot of time on the water in canoes as a kid on the east coast. After high school, military service, college, mountain guiding, rock climbing, and building houses, he turned his attention to wooden boats. He first attended the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding, then worked locally in the trade fine tuning his skills. A few years later, he was back at the school as an instructor heading up the school’s “Contemporary Boat” program.

Bruce is overseeing the School’s building of a ’62 wooden sloop “Sliver” designed by Bob Perry of Seattle, WA. The hull is strip planked red cedar with a triaxial fiberglass cloth in marine epoxy overlay. The sloop is being built for a private party and is designed to be fast and easy to single hand – she is a beaut and expected to be launched this year (2012)!

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 021 – Wooden Boat Dan on building the Sassafras wooden canoe - 02.09.12 Jan 16, 2023

In today’s episode I talk about the Sassafras 12ʹ Canoe project I am working on. I'm building it using plans from the book “The Canoe Shop” by Chris Kulczycki.

The first thing I did when I purchased the book was to cut the binding off with my band saw, then have Office Depot spiral bind the book (cost $4.00) so I could lay it open on my work bench.

A couple other things I did a little differently:

I placed the panel layout closer together on the plywood so I can build the boat out of 3 sheets of Okoume instead of 4. To do this, I entered all the diagrammed panel offsets into an Excel table, then used Excel’s fraction capability to deduct from each of the offsets to arrive at offsets that would place the panels closer together on the plywood. If you want help doing this in Excel, just let me know – it’s pretty slick.

I am building the canoe using the Table of Offsets.
I used Chinese knockoff BS1088 plywood at 1/2 the cost of certified BS1088. The jury is still out on this cheaper stuff – the plys are not equal thickness and there are a few stains and surface imperfections. I also increased the scarf to 1 1/2ʺ (4mm ply).I am tracking all my time and costs for the project – this is a first for me!!!

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 020 – Sam Devlin Interview: Wooden boat designer, builder, master – “Yoda” for short - 02.02.12 Jan 13, 2023

Interview: Sam Devlin – Devlin Boat

I have looked forward with eager anticipation to interviewing Sam Devlin someday – and TODAY IS THE DAY.

SWEET! The wooden boat lore surrounding Sam, his designs, and his dedicated boat building customers is far reaching! Two of the interviews I have done this year have been with Devlin builders/followers – Larry Cheek (Podcast 13 link) and Dale McKinnon (Podcast 17 link). If you listen to these interviews, you’ll see why folks love Sam’s boats!

Saying that Sam has boats in his blood, is a bit of an understatement. As an infant, his bedroom had a “Ship” theme complete with curved walls and a sea-berth! Growing up in Eugene Oregon, he spent countless hours in his dads marine shop where wooden boats were being built and sold along with outboard engines, paint, and other cool stuff. He vividly remembers the aromatic smell of Port Orford cedar in those early days at the shop.

Fast forward a few years to 1977: Sam was sitting in the galley of an 1898 tugboat in Alaska, sipping coffee on a break, and looking at the beautiful wood overhead. A crew mate handed him Issue Number One of Wooden Boat Magazine – Sam knew at that moment he was destined to be a wooden boat builder.

Sam’s portfolio of designs/plans includes over 80 boats from 7ʹ to 48ʹ (these are just the ones listed on his website), not counting several hundred floating around in his head that he hasn’t put to paper yet. If you have an idea for a boat, talk to Sam – he will blend it with his extensive knowledge and design a dream boat for you.

Sam is also a pioneer of, and exclusively uses the stich and glue method of building?. The resulting product is, in Sam’s own words “... a vastly superior approach when compared to traditional boat assembly methods and delivers stronger, better boats.” Using this “composite” method of building, all wood surfaces are coated and bonded together with epoxy for a stiff, light, rot resistant monocoque hull, with no bulky frame members inside the hull.

If you’d like to contact Sam, call (360) 866-0164 , or you can email Sam at Sam@Devlinboat.com. Sam is located in Tumwater, WA and his website is DevlinBoat.com. Thanks again Sam for taking the time to meet with me and give a private tour of your shop and boats! It was a blast and I wish you the best in your business

HOWB 019 – Tacoma Sea Scouts learn on wooden boats: Interview of Captains Tom Rogers & Bud Bronson - 01.26.12 Jan 09, 2023

Interview: Tom Rogers & Bud Bronson – Tacoma Sea Scouts
Am I the only boater that didn’t know the Boy Scouts have had a Sea Scout program since 1912? That’s right - 100+ years! The Sea Scouts take youth ages 14-21 and use maritime activities to teach leadership and values. Both the Odyssey (a 90ʹ 1938 wooden sailing yawl) and the Charles N Curtis (a 78ʹ wooden power boat built in 1931 for the Coast Guard) are based in Tacoma, WA and are the platforms used by two salty Captains – Tom Rogers and Bud Bronson – to teach Sea Scouting. The youth receive leadership training and learn about navigation, mechanics, seamanship, and engineering through hands on experience, classroom time, and on the water cruising.

Click here for a cool video history of the Charles N Curtis.

Tom and Bud were gracious enough to take me on a tour of both the Odyssey and the Charles N Curtis, and sit down for a 40 minute interview to share their story on this episode.

HOWB 018 – Rivers West Small Craft Center (Portland OR) - Chuck Stuckey - Interview - 01.19.22 Jan 06, 2023

In 1984, under the inspiration of the late author, educator, and waterway explorer Sam McKinney, RiversWest opened its doors in Portland, OR and began to offer camaraderie, classes, and cheap boatbuilding space in a large shed near the Willamette River at Oaks Park. In 2006, RiversWest realized its longtime dream of an on-the- water location and moved to Pier 99 on the North Portland Harbor channel of the Columbia River.

Their mission is to promote the use of small sustainable craft that can be rowed, paddled or sailed, and are environmentally friendly.

I met with Chuck to discuss his background with wooden boats, and why a bunch of (mostly) retired guys gather in a cold shop to have donuts and coffee, and commiserate over epoxy, okoume plywood, and bronze castings.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 017 – Dale McKinnon - Wooden boat builder, Long distance rower (800 miles AK to WA) - Interview - 01.12.12 Jan 02, 2023

Starting with competitive swimming (including trials for 1964 Olympics), then moving on to sailing, skiing, diving and cycling, Dale has always been adventurous and an ultra active athlete. But after a skiing accident in 1999 that shattered her left leg, Dale was looking for her next adventure – something with low impact to the lower body, but still a great workout.

In Dale’s own words, here’s what happened next: “.... a few weeks later (after skiing accident), I stopped by my friend James’ house and he had plans for a dory spread out on his kitchen table. He showed me a photo of the boat’s designer rowing in a sliding seat rig in the boat, and for some reason lights and bells went off in my head. I had to build this boat, and I knew that rowing it would take me into old age with a relatively healthy body. No jarring, but a lot of exercise for the major muscle groups. And... I’d be on the water...”

Dale has dories in her blood. Her father is from Gloucester, MA and told Dale many stories of fishing and surviving tall seas in traditional planked dories. Dale did her dory research and went on to build several Sam Devlin designed wooden boats, including the 20ʹ dory “Bella” that she solo rowed 800 miles from Ketchikan, AK to Bellingham.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 016 – Tug Buse, Wooden boat builder, Long distance sailor, Historian - Interview - 01.05.12 Dec 30, 2022

Michael “Tug” Buse grew up on the water. In fact, looking west from his parents’ Warm Beach (WA) home dining room, all you see is Port Susan bay and Camano Island in the distance. Beginning at the tender age of 10 months, Tug was getting sea legs on his parents’ wooden tugboat, the “Maggie B” while cruising around Puget Sound.

Buse always wanted to build a little sister for Maggie B. He wanted a boat that was his very own but closely related to his parents’ tug. Tug purchased plans for a ’14 sailing pram from the same renowned Seattle naval architect that designed the Maggie B – William Garden. The pram was designed to be easy to sail, stable, and rock solid on the water. He took Garden’s plans and built “Adventure” during five summers, finishing her in 2008 after a total of about 2,500 hours. She is a striking boat with a stout 6ʹ beam, cedar strip planking, a small cuddy cabin, and sitka spruce spars.

When Tug moved to Sioux City, Iowa to be a college professor at Morningside College in 2007, he felt landlocked. After doing a little research he discovered that the Missouri river system in his back yard was connected with other rivers to the south and eventually emptied into the Gulf of Mexico. Next, he discovered the intercoastal waterway, a mostly protected 3,000 mile long waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that could take him east along the gulf, then as far north as Maine to his alma mater, Bowdoin College. It was then he began planning his extraordinary journey.

The rest “is history”, as they say.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 015 – 1890 Elmore wooden tug boat owners Dee & Sara Meek - Interview - 12.29.11 Dec 26, 2022

This week was an interview Dee & Sara Meek of Oak Bay, WA. The Meek’s have the distinct privilege of owning the 68ʹ, 1890 wooden tugboat Elmore. They purchased her in 1990 after Dee read an article about a couple that had turned a tugboat into a live aboard. He convinced Sara they should buy an ocean going tug to live on.

Shortly afterwards they found the Elmore on the Snohomish River in need of extensive cleanup and repair.

They figured one year would be enough time to clean up Elmore and get her ready to live aboard. After eight years of commuting 4 hours to the boat and working all weekend, they finished her up. Talk about perseverance!

The Elmore has a fascinating history including ferrying passengers and freight to the Alaska Gold Rush in 1898 and being stripped of all machinery in preparation for being scuttled in 1982 before she was rescued by Dave Updike of Seattle. Click this link to view the Complete History.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 014 – Jake Beattie, Exec. Dir. Northwest Maritime Center - Interview - 12.22.11 Dec 23, 2022

This week is an interview with the exec. director of the Northwest Maritime Center and Wooden Boat Foundation – Jake Beattie. Jake began sailing an El Toro's when he was seven years old, spent time sailing the San Juans on his family’s sailboat, and then went off to college. After college he decided to “volunteer” for 2 weeks on the Tall Ship Bounty back east. One and a half years later he finished that “two week stint” and then moved onto the Tall Ship Denis Sullivan for several years. After that Jake became a Seamanship Instructor with Outward Bound, worked on freighters and tugboats and then spent 6 years at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle. While working at the CWB, he lived on the north end of Lake Union and his “commute” consisted of sailing or rowing across Lake Union while stressed out motorists were crawling along Interstate 5! (I’m a little jealous Jake – hahaha)

Jake moved to Port Townsend and started as executive director of the Northwest Maritime Center in January of this 2011. Jake’s a firm believer that “if you gain competency in a physical, real world setting, the skills you learn will have a profound impact on your life”. Best to you Jake!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned may be outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 013 – Larry Cheek - Wooden boatbuilder, author, and journalist - Interview - 12.15.11 Dec 19, 2022

This week I interviewed Larry Cheek of Whidbey Island. Larry is originally from El Paso Texas and had never even seen a boat growing up miles from water. But after moving to the Seattle area as a seasoned journalist, Larry was given an assignment in 2002 by Sunset Magazine to attend and write articles on two wooden boat festivals – Seattle and Port Townsend, WA. Larry attended both shows and got “hooked on wooden boats” by the craftsmanship, charm, and fascinating people. Thus began Larry’s wooden boat journey.

Larry quickly got his hands dirty by building a 14’ Artic Tern from a Pygmy Boat kit. Next he built a cedar strip kayak while in a boatbuilding class at the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding. Boat number three was a 13’ Sam Devlin designed day sailor, which Larry aptly donned “Far From Perfect”. It was the experience of building this boat that drove Larry to write the insightful and transparent book – “The Year of the Boat” – chronicling the character building process of boat building. In the book he describes how he had to deal with his own personal inadequacies, impossible struggle with perfection, and test of patience to build this boat.

Boat number 4 – a Sam Devlin designed 18’ pocket sailor “Nil Desperandum” – was completed and launched this year. Larry is officially “hooked” on wooden boats!

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 012 – Bill Mahler, (former) NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding - Interview - 12.08.11 Dec 16, 2022

This week I interviewed Bill Mahler, (former) director of the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding. Bill tells me the story of how the school got started: After building wooden boats in the Puget Sound area for more than fifty years, master shipwright Bob Prothero had learned a lot about the business that wasn’t in any textbook. It was his dream to find a way to pass this lore along to new generations of wooden boatbuilders and help keep his craft alive. He came to the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle and founded the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in January, 1981.

You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 011 – Marty Loken, Wooden Boat Aficionado, Builder, Restorer, and Rescuer Extraordinaire - Interview - 12/01/11 Dec 09, 2022

This week I interviewed Marty Loken who owns the Island Boatshop in Nordland, WA (the boatshop is now closed and Marty is "retired"). Marty grew up around boats in Ballard, WA and from a young age, followed in the mentality of his dad – if you want a boat you simply build it. Marty was busy building his first wooden boat – a small pram – when he was 10 years old. Over the years he has refined his skills as a master builder. But he is also super passionate about rescuing old wooden boats – saving them from the landfills and chainsaws and restoring them to new condition. Over the years, I've personally witnessed Marty restoring and building dozens (if not hundreds) of boats! Each one is a work of art :D

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 010 - Highlights of 2011 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival - Wooden Boat Dan - 11/23/11 Dec 08, 2022

The second weekend of September this year I attended the PT Wooden Boat Festival for the 12th time. It was a blast as usual and the weather was sunny and HOT! And PT rarely gets HOT. On this podcast I share the highlights of the day I spent there with my son Josh.

If you've never been to the Festival, its high time you go!!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 009 – Rich Kolin, Boat Builder & Designer, Mentee of John Gardner and Pete Culler - Interview - 11/17/11 Dec 08, 2022

This week I interviewed Rich Kolin who lives on Camano Island, WA. Rich began building boats as a young lad in California under the tutelage of influential builders and designers John Gardner and Pete Culler. Eventually he moved to the northwest where he continued to hone his boat building and designing skills, began teaching classes and wrote several books. Oh, and did I mention he learned the art of carving along the way!

One of his most popular designs is the Heidi Skiff of which he wrote a book - Building Heidi (available on Amazon).

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 008 - Eric Harman, Traditional Wood Canvas Canoe Builder and Restorer - Interview - 11/10/11 Dec 08, 2022

This week I interviewed Eric Harman of Harman Canoes located in Oso, WA. Eric builds wood canvas canoes following proven North American methods developed in the late 1800’s. Eric tells the story of how he fell in love with canoeing in the 1970’s, built a cedar strip canoe, and then found his first wood canvas canoe and never looked back.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 007 - Jay Smith, Expert Nordic Boat builder; Apprenticed in Norway - Interview - 11/03/11 Dec 08, 2022

Today's interview is with traditional Nordic boat building expert Jay Smith. He is the founder of Aspoya Boats in Anacortes, WA . In his youth, Jay lived in Norway several years and apprenticed with a veteran Nordic boatbuilder there learning the trade from the bottom up. Since then, Jay has been building and teaching others the traditional art of clinker (or lapstrake) boatbuilding. This building method dates back to about 1,000 AD and is generally attributed to the Vikings.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 006 - David Roberts, Owner Nexus Marine Corp., Veteran Wooden Boat Designer & Builder - Interview - 10/27/11 Dec 08, 2022

David has been building and design beautiful and functional wooden craft for over 30 years in Everett WA at his company Nexus Marine. Tune in for this fun interview with David.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB Intro - LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE FIRST! - 12/04/22 Dec 04, 2022

December 4, 2022

On this episode I explain the history of the HOWB podcast from 2011-2018, why I took the show off the air, and why after a 4 year haitus I am republishing all the podcasts.

My plan is to put 10 episodes up right away (December 2022), and then republish 1 episode per week on Friday mornings (note: I may add more than one per week - but one is the minimum :D).

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 005 – Corey Freedman, Skin Boat Expert & Instructor - Interview - 10/20/11 Dec 03, 2022

Interview with Corey Freedman – Skin Boats

I had a fascinating interview with Corey. He tell’s how he became interested in boats during his youth in Massachusetts, how he saw his first “skin boat” in a museum, and how his life and career were never the same after that. Corey’s website is Skin Boats, and his phone number is (360) 299-0804.

On another note: I was able to locate the owner of the “Spirit Canoe” (listen to HOWB #002) that I sold in 2008. The owner paddles it on the Hudson River in NY and loves it. I am really happy to track it down since I put a lot of blood sweat and tears into that boat!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 004 – Dick Wagner Interview: Story of Center for Wooden Boats Seattle birth in 60’s - 10/13/11 Dec 03, 2022

This week I sat down with Dick Wagner and recorded a fascinating interview of how the Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) idea was birthed in the 1960’s and how Dick and his wife nurtured and brought the concept to reality during the ensuing years. Dick talks about his passion for boats: “a boat is a functional form of art”! He describes how the Center for Wooden Boats has touched the lives of the disabled, underprivileged, and youth of the area, and how the CWB has become a model for wooden boat centers around the world. Don’t miss this insightful history and story of the CWB!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 003 – Les Bolton of GHHS, Pirates of Caribbean, Lady Washington Tall Ship Story - 10/06/11 Dec 03, 2022

In this episode I interview Captain Les Bolton – the executive director of the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport (GHHS). In 1989, GHHS completed the construction of the replica 112ʹ brig rigged wooden sailing vessel “Lady Washington”. In 1758, the original Lady Washington was the first American ship to sail to the west coast of America and began trade with the natives and islanders. Les talks about the history, construction, and maintenance of Lady Washington, how she was used in the 2003 movie – Pirates of the Caribbean – and other fun stuff GHHS is working on.

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You can email me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated.

HOWB 002 - The Story of the "Spirit Canoe" - 09/29/11 Dec 03, 2022

In this episode I talk more about my new podcasting adventure; the equipment I am using; why I think wooden boats are the cats meow; and share a true and moving story of the “Spirit Canoe”.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

HOWB 001 - Why I started a wooden boat podcast - 09/22/11 Dec 02, 2022

On this my very first episode, I explain why I wanted to start the worlds first podcast on all things wooden boat!

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.

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