S H A V I N G S WOODEN BOAT SHOW UPDATE

Sixth Annual Seattle Wooden Boat Show, Lake Union Naval Reserve Base, July 3, 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

The sawmill demonstration mentioned in the l a s t ed i t ion - - to be conducted by Flounder Bay Lumber of Anacor tes-- is shaping up as a must-see exh ib i t . We're ta lk ing about a couple of 6-7' diameter old-growth Douglas F i r logs , 24' long. These monsters w i l l be sawn to order at the show. That means you t e l l Bob or Er ica Picket t just what sort of s ize and grain you want and watch them saw your stock, for m i l l p r i ce . (This A-1 grade wood w i l l be $1,400/M, a rare opportunity.)

Our annual Boat Show potluck supper w i l l be July 3, 7-10 pm, at the show s i t e . Here's how you w i l l know what to b r ing : Last names s tar t ing with A through G, main course; H-N, salad; 0-T, drink or bread; U-Z, dessert .

This potluck w i l l not feature a cook-off , but we assume that CWB's cu l inary masters w i l l s t i l l s t r i ve for the i r legendary excel lence. The dinner w i l l be followed by a b r ie f general meeting. A Board of Directors get-together w i l l fo l low the general meeting.

The auction is looking l i k e another outstanding event. Auction items w i l l be on d isp lay every day, with the goods to be sold Monday, Ju ly 5, at 1:30. Absentee bids can be made.

Our r a f f l e boat w i l l be under construct ion during the show, with

completion scheduled for the f i n a l day. Alan DelRey, who designed the lovely s k i f f , has made a miniature of the r a f f l e boat, so a l l can immediately see what the $1.00 r a f f l e t i cke ts are provid ing. This boat is so sweet--i t ' s d i f f i c u l t to imagine anyone passing by without purchasing a t i cke t or three.

We have a new angle to our f i lms th i s year. We ' l l i n i t i a t e the F i r s t Annual P a c i f i c Rim Wooden Boat Fi lm F e s t i v a l . We're scouring the seaboards from Adak to Singapore for f i lms on the use, construct ion or h is tory of wooden boats. We hope th i s w i l l become an annual feature, growing each year.

CWB w i l l again operate a food booth, with simple, hearty refreshments. The coffee pot and donuts w i l l be ready when the gates open at 10 a.m., and the menu w i l l improve as each day unfolds.

The evening of July 4, 7-10 p.m., we w i l l have a folk-song concert and fo lk dance. Succulent Lake Washington crawdads w i l l be provided as re f resh­ments. A hat w i l l be passed for contr ibut ions to t h i s hand-clapping,

Newsletter of The Center for Wooden Boats - Vol. 4, No. 4 - July-August 1982 - 25 Cents

foot-stomping event. We're planning a Cajun musical group -- they seem to go with crawdads.

There w i l l be a spec ia l CWB publ icat ion at the Boat Show -- to be ca l led Centerboard. This w i l l be a 32-page tab lo id containing lo ts of h i s t o r i c a l information and photos, including lore on Indian canoes, boat l i v e r i e s , the development of Lake Union, boat bu i lde rs , houseboats and more. This w i l l be an a t t rac t i ve and educational Boat Show keepsake, to be sold for $2.00 per copy. If you can ' t come, you can order a copy for $2.50 postpaid.

This year 's demonstration exhib i ts w i l l include boatbui ld ing, forging, caulk ing, r i v e t i n g , carv ing, steam bending, sai lmaking, oar making, knot work, hal f models and miniature boat bu i ld ing . If you don't understand something, stop at the "Ask the Expert" booth and have it a l l cleared up.

There w i l l a lso be exhib i ts in the d r i l l h a l l . O f specia l in terest w i l l be a display from the Williamson Co l lec t ion -- the premier Northwest photo co l l ec t i on of h i s t o r i c water-c ra f t . Pr in ts from some of these rare photos w i l l be for sa le .

Maritime h is tory comes in a l l s i zes , of course. Northwest Seaport handles the big packages, and t h e y ' l l have an open house during the show aboard the steam ferry San Mateo, tugboat Arthur Foss and schooner Wawona.

For those br inging a c l ass i c boat, why not complete the ambience by dressing in the period your boat was bu i l t ? Perhaps the Great Gatsby w i l l be a l i ve and wel l at the Wooden Boat Show! In the s p i r i t of th i s plan for sa r t o r i a l coordination with our boats, the Coast Guard Museum is lending antique C.G. jerseys for our water tax i rowers.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the show, and, better yet , hope y o u ' l l j o in us to help set up the a f f a i r on July 1 and 2--9 a.m. to dark. That's the real fun part of the show!

- Dick Wagner

NORTHWEST BOAT BUILDER'S DIRECTORY --THERE'S STILL TIME FOR YOUR LISTING!

H i s t o r i c a l l y , not many wooden boats have been completed on time, so it came as only a mi ld surprise when few Northwest boat bui lders submitted de ta i l s (on time, at least) for the new edi t ion of the Northwest Boat Bu i l de r ' s Directory.

With th i s in mind, we have extended the f i n a l deadline for free l i s t i n g s in the Directory to August 15. Please submit the fol lowing information to the CWB if you are a bu i lder , designer, lumber or hardware suppl ier , sailmaker, r igger , fastening manufacturer, too l source, surveyor, consultant, caulker, or someone else c lose ly a l l i e d to the wooden boat industry.

* Name, address and phone of bu i lder /bus iness.

* Descript ion of serv ices , supplies and/or products.

* Spec ia l t ies in business.

* L i s t of boats bu i l t or designed.

* Photos, p r in ts drawings or other i l l u s t r a t i o n s of your work.

The new Directory w i l l be avai lab le th i s f a l l -- more comprehensive and easier to use than the f i r s t ed i t i on . Be sure you're included!

Send your l i s t i n g information to Marty Loken, Directory Ed i to r , c/o The Center for Wooden Boats, 2770 Westlake Avenue North, Seat t le , WA 98109.

S H A V I N G S A publ icat ion of The Center for

Wooden Boats. Issued s i x times a year for members; s ingle copies are ava i lab le for 25 cents.

Editor Marty Loken Writers Chas Dowd, Dick Wagner

E d i t o r i a l contr ibut ions are hear t i l y encouraged. We are espec ia l l y interested in submissions, or at least nominations, for the Owner's Notebook ser ies . Simply t e l l us about your boat -- design, construct ion, performance, h is tory e c c e n t r i c i t i e s , e t c . , and include a few photos if they are ava i lab le .

We're anxious to receive news from Center members -- boatshop pro jec ts , new designs, voyages undertaken or planned, thoughts on the CWB and i t s o f fe r ings , items for sale or t rade, p ro f i l es of t r ad i t i ona l Northwest small c ra f t and so fo r th . Please address a l l submissions to Shavings, 2770 Westlake Avenue North, Seat t le , 98109.

Owners Notebook THE CUNNINGHAM KAYAKS

"When I f i r s t got interested in small-boat c ru i s i ng , I rea l i zed it was going to take a long time to learn enough to bu i ld my own boats. Kayaks seemed a good f i r s t step: quick to bu i l d , inexpensive and a wonderful way to be on the water." So began member Chris Cunningham's fasc inat ion with these simple, techn ica l l y elegant native American c ra f t .

"I b u i l t my f i r s t kayak to my own des ign, " he continued. "It d idn ' t take me long to f ind i t s l im i t a t i ons . " Afterwards, Chris decided he was "pretty presumptuous" t ry ing to improve on designs developed empi r ica l ly

by generations of Aleut hunters, who worked in the harshest and most unforgiving marine environment. As proof of the native bu i l de r ' s sophis t icat ion Chris points to the bow of h is two-man Aleut ian baidarka. What looks l i k e decoration -- two u p - c u r v e d , r h i n o c e r o s - l i k e horns - - i s a way to combine speed with seaworthiness. The horns are actua l ly two stems, the f i r s t and lower one being sharp. The second and higher stem has a sheer s t r inger on each side and widens qu ick ly . When the skin (or canvas, in C h r i s ' s case) is stretched on, i t ' s pu l led t i gh t l y into the v e r t i c a l notch between the two

stemheads. The resu l t is a narrow, easi ly-paddled entry and a wide, buoyant sheer connected by a curving f la re that equals that of the c lass ies t runabout.

Ch r i s ' s research began where most of us begin: in the pages of H.I. Chapelle. Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America, by Adney and Chapelle, i s , at $9 a copy, one of those amazing bargains avai lab le through the U.S. Government Pr in t ing Of f i ce . The Burke Museum on the U.W. campus was next. Chris and two other kayak enthusiasts went through, measuring models, examining lashings and taking photos.

"They had a co l l ec t i on of parts the staf f thought might be an ent i re kayak, but nobody had time to assemble i t , " Chris reco l lec ted . "It turned out to be the same part of three kayaks." He also got an advance look at an unpublished monograph on the Hooper Bay kayak, a project he now has under construct ion.

Eskimos and Aleuts l i v e in a wood-starved land, using driftwood for the i r kayak frames. For economy (and sa t i s fac t i on ) , Chris does the same. Scavenging Edmonds beaches, he s p l i t s pieces out of yellow cedar d r i f t l o g s , la te r reducing them to frames and str ingers on a table saw.

"There aren ' t many middlemen between me and the wood," he g r ins .

Chris bui lds h is kayaks upside down, s t r i v ing for the most authent ic i ty in the underwater shapes where it counts. He character izes the process as "very fo rg i v ing , " a matter of bending and wedging with a l l f i n a l adjustments made by eye. The whole shape is lashed together with seine twine. Chris is interested in regional knots, but points out that Ashley has a very useful "Eskimo S l i p Knot" in h is book.

The o r i g i na l bui lders used anthro­pomorphic measurements: two f ingers here, an armlength and two f i s t s there, e tc . Chris says he hasn' t gotten into that much t r ad i t i ona l technique, but once the h u l l shape is defined, he determines the cockpit s ize and hoop angle by set t ing the boat upright and get t ing in and out of i t , modifying things u n t i l the deck can accommodate h is knees. (The fact that our legs are considerably longer than an A leu t ' s produces a beau t i fu l l y curved cowling on the deck, absent in most of the o r i g i na l s . It may not be anthropomor­phic measurement, but it accomplishes the same end: a f i n a l product ta i lo red to the dimensions of i t s creator.)

Once the frame is f in ished Chris sews the canvas cover on, s t i t ch ing the seams with dental f l o s s . ( " I t 's strong and s tab le , and r e s i s t s abrasion w e l l , " he says, a t i p you won't f ind in Ashley's book.) For watert ightness, he paints the f i n a l surface with airplane dope.

"You have to have loose h i p s , " explains Chris when asked about handling the Greenland kayak that won him two of the three races at l as t year 's Seat t le Wooden Boat Show. "You le t it move under you. If you s t i f f en your waist , your upper body gets out of balance and over you go. I t ' s l i k e r id ing a b i cyc le . Once you get your balance, you can take it for granted. Admittedly, there 's a kind of Zen to i t . "

There's a lot of Zen to i t . I doubt if any small boat enthusiast, a f ter watching Chris don one of h is c ra f t (which are more "put on" than "gotten into") and f lash down the lake, paddle churning, can keep from envying the intimacy between c ra f t , bu i lder , wind and water. - Chas Dowd

YOUR CWB MEMBERSHIP...

This is your museum. We have about 1,200 members now. The support of our membership is the most valuable CWB asset.

Please note the date typed on the r ight side of your Shavings address labe l - - i t s ignals the expirat ion of your Center membership.

If your date is approaching, please renew today. (If i t i s n ' t , please ask a f r iend to j o i n . . . o r send us names of potent ia l members so we can forward membership information. There must be thousands more who want to help bu i ld th is dynamic, l i v i n g museum!)

KEEPING THE COLUMBIA RIVER STORY ALIVE

The Columbia River is the most h i s t o r i c a l l y s ign i f i can t body of water in the Western U.S. What happened on the Columbia spans from explorations of the Spanish, B r i t i s h , Russians and Americans two centuries ago, to the lumber schooners, paddlewheel steamers, s i l k sh ips, wheat barges, hay scows, but te r f l y f l e e t , Coast Guard missions, canneries and boatbui ld ing, In other words, the Columbia River is a microcosm of the West Coast and i t s maritime h is to ry .

Several years ago Rolf Klep decided that the Columbia River story should be to ld with a museum in As to r ia . Rol f , who died las t f a l l , had been character­ized as a naut ica l Teddy Roosevelt. He knocked on doors up and down the r i ve r with a gentle v i s i on and a big s t i ck . With the persistence of Klep and the management know-how of museum di rector Michael Naab, the Columbia River Maritime Museum opened l as t month in a new, 37,000 square-foot bu i ld ing . A l l b u i l t with pr ivate money, and paid for!

This is a major maritime museum, on an in ternat ional sca le . The Columbia River story is displayed with exceptional imagination and s e n s i t i v i t y . Much cred i t goes to exh ib i t designer Max Chance. " I t ' s a reward in i t s e l f just to experience the use of l i g h t , co lo r , texture and space.

As you approach the Astor ia waterfront, you w i l l see a dramatic sculpture evoking the form of waves r o l l i n g over the Columbia Bar, just downstream. That 's the museum. This is a museum of the r i v e r , for the r i ve r and by the r i v e r . Don't miss i t . - Dick Wagner

The "Great Hall" of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, in Astoria, Oregon, includes three traditional fishing boats -- from left, a 26' Columbia River gillnet boat, circa 1911; a 30' Bristol Bag gillnet boat, built in Astoria in 1950, and a 28' Columbia River gillnet boat, circa 1940. The museum, shown below, was built with private donations and is entirely paid for...an amazing feat in these days of tight money. (Photos courtesy of the museum.)

CWB MEETING NOTICE--JULY AND AUGUST Friday, July 16, 8 p.m. -- Chris

Cunningham w i l l give a ta lk on Aleut and Eskimo kayak construct ion. (See a r t i c l e elsewhere in th i s edi t ion. ) Chris w i l l be going to the P r i b i l o f Islands in August to teach th is ar t to high school students there.

Friday, August 20, 8 p.m. -- Marty Loken w i l l show s l ides and ta lk about c ru is ing northern Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands in h is 16-foot Poulsbo Boat, Shine. Marty has discovered some Poulsbo sized coves and beaches that may insp i re others to t ry overnight excursions with small rowing and s a i l i n g c ra f t . Following Marty's ta lk w i l l be an open forum s l i de show on the July Wooden Boat Show. Bring your favor i te transparencies! (Projector w i l l be provided.)

These monthly meetings are informal, soc ia l and informat ional . No boring CWB business is conducted. Everyone's welcome -- please br ing a f r i end . Meetings are always held at the CWB headquarters, 2770 Westlake Avenue North; phone 283-9166 if you need d i rect ions or d e t a i l s .

THE ANACORTES TOUR...

More than 50 CWB members got a f i rs t -hand look at the Anacortes wooden-boat rev iva l during the OARS Indust r ia l Tour May 15. Afoot, in cars and on the Incredible Guemes J i tney Serv ice, small groups bearing maps and schedules raced from sailmakers l o f t s to boatshops to chandleries to lumberyards on a wel l-organized ro ta t ion that made sure that the number of people at any one locat ion never grew too large to s t i f l e give-and-take.

A few quick snapshots may help catch the f lavor of the event:

* I r repress ib le Tony Lovic of Lov ic ' s Sea Craf t , white-haired and voluble, looking l i k e a Mediterranean shipping magnate, explaining that he doesn't "speak the Engl ish too we l l " and of fer ing to speak "French, I t a l i a n , Spanish, German or Yugoslav," a l l of which he handles with ease, if someone would t rans la te .

* Bob and Er i ca P i c k e t t ' s great fence, b u i l t of yellow cedar, each stake shaped by h is 1850 picket-maker (see las t i ssue) , copper fastened, b r igh t - f i n i shed , surrounding some of the most unhappy-looking annuals in town -- a rea l boatbui lder 's garden.

* The c lus ter of decaying boats around Ken Powe l l ' s , Dave Hart ford 's and Vic Cu l ina 's Guemes boatyards.

Why do small boats going to pieces in the net t les look so much more beaut i fu l and d ign i f i ed that cars rust ing to death in blackberr ies? Powel l 's Coolidge designed schooner, nearly ready for the water, and Hart ford 's 50-footer, s t i l l in frame, look even more impressive in the i r wooded set t ings.

* David Jackson's Skagit Sneakbox, a boat almost too pret ty to use, s i t t i n g under the Sophia's protect ive bowsprit l i k e a gosl ing under a Canada goose.

It was a great tour and everyone who attended wants to extend a hearty "welcome aboard" to members of OARS who come to CWB's Ju ly Boat Show.

Oh, by the way, the spaghetti-sauce contest was won by Steve Demopolous of Anacortes. When asked for h is rec ipe, Steve said that "nobody has a recipe for t h i s . . . you just put s tuf f together." That's spaghett i , a l l r i gh t .

- Chas Dowd

Spread the Word... John C i a r d i , poet, teacher and

sometime etymologist, discusses the h is tory of words twice a week on National Publ ic Radio's Morning Edition. Just in time for th i s i ssue 's column he talked about the der ivat ion of the term "dog watch."

Every maritime day is div ided into four-hour watches. Each watch has eight b e l l s , struck on the hour and hal f -hour. Tradi t ion has it that Roman gal leys allowed a regular break in the rowing every half-hour and a change of oarsmen every four. Today's watch system is a vest ige of that ear ly custom. S im i l a r l y , crews were divided into two watches: starbowlines and larbowlines in the B r i t i s h Navy during i t s heyday; starboard and port in American c l ipper ships.

I t ' s obvious that with s ix four-hour watches and two groups of watchstanders the same crewmen were always on duty at the same time, a grim prospect when facing a long voyage.

Enter the "dog watch." Between 1600 and 2000 hours the regular four-hour s t in t is broken into two two-hour • watches: the "dog watches." Presto! Sh i f t ro ta t ion .

There are two opinions as to where the name "dog watch" came from. A popular theory is that i t ' s a corruption of "dodged watch," an avoided watch. The Navy (and Prof . Ciardi) holds out for "docked watch," from dock, meaning "to shorten."

What are the other watches named? According to the WWII Bluejacket's Manual they' re ca l led the midwatch, beginning at midnight, then the morning watch, the forenoon, the afternoon, the two dog watches and the f i r s t watch at the day's end. Natura l ly .

In case you'd l i k e to hear C i a r d i ' s commentaries on our growing language, tune in KUOW-FM around 5:30 a.m. That 's three be l l s in the morning watch.

MAKE A DITTY BAG

CWB member John Foster is organizing a naut ica l sewing c i r c l e . What he has in mind is a regular gathering to learn palm and needle canvas d i t t y bag work, ta lk and pot luck. The bags w i l l be sold to benef i t CWB. C a l l John at 634-3521 i f you're in t r igued.

STATE OF THE CENTER'S NEW SITE

Review of our drawings by the c i t y of Seatt le has been completed and no objections were found to our proposal.

At press time the project was being reviewed by the s ta te .

This is also a period during which publ ic comments are being reviewed. If no s ign i f i can t object ions are ra i sed , our permits for s i t e development w i l l be issued by September 1.

Calendar Northwest events of interest to wooden boat owners & enthusiasts...

July 3-5

SEATTLE WOODEN BOAT SHOW Naval Reserve Base, Lake Union Information: 283-9166

July 16

CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS MEETING Seattle; Chris Cunningham discusses Eskimo and Aleut kayaks. 8 p.m. Information: 283-9166

July 31

PULL AND BE DAMNED REGATTA Bowman Bay, near Deception Pass Information: 293-2369

August 14

ROUND SHAW ISLAND ROW South Beach, Shaw Island, 11 a.m. Information: 378-2336

August 20

CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS MEETING Seattle; Marty Loken offers slides on Puget Sound beach-camping excursions. Bring your own slides of the Wooden Boat Show; 8 p.m. at CWB headquarters. Information: 283-9166

August 28

GREAT CROSS-SOUND RACE Alki Beach, Seattle, to Winslow, Bainbridge Island; noon start. Information: 842-4202

August 28

BELLINGHAM MARITIME FESTIVAL Including rowing regatta and show of old boats. Information: 676-6980

September 3-5

CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL Inner harbor, Victoria, B.C. Information: (604) 385-7766

September 10-12

PORT TOWNSEND WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL Point Hudson, Port Townsend. Information: 385-3628

HALFWAY HOUSES FOR WOODEN BOATS

Would you l i k e to adopt a boat? We need temporary homes for some of the Center 's boa ts . . . u n t i l the new Lake Union s i t e is ready to accept the f l ee t .

For more information, please c a l l the CWB, 283-9166.