You can feel the season changing, though the evidence is slim. I have reports of sailors in the Northern Hemisphere testing the waters for the first sail of the season. But here on the Oregon coast, where seasons bleed slowly into each other, spring is still in the offing.
Boat repair, renovation and even new construction has been lively this winter, which we hope is a harbinger of better economic times. The Oregon coast could use an uplift.
Tiding things over, this installment of Dorymans Boatyard is essentially a sales pitch. To start things off, Im selling the quintessential sail-and-oar boat, Saga, the William Atkins Valgerada. What can I add to all Ive said before? She is a wonderful, capable and beautiful craft. A lot of love has gone into her refurbishing, both of my own and many friends who have contributed. Its not easy when one has to part with a good friend and I hope she finds someone to love her as I do.
As you might suppose, the boats in Dorymans boatyard are currently among the favorites in a long life of boat ownership. It has taken many years of gleaning the best of the best and hours of hard work to bring them all to a state of perfection. A case in point is the Culler "Good Little Skiff" Paku. What a wonder of simple beauty! The perfect combination of mahogany framing and cedar planking, trimmed in mahogany just as the Good Captain intended. Weve spent many happy hours rowing this skiff in tandem, an accent to the beauty of nature.
Perhaps the closest to my heart is the cruising dory, Mistral. She is the embodiment of my soul and represents years of personal design and sweat. Please indulge me if I insist she is the best sailing dory on the planet. Thirty-six feet of pure comfort and efficiency. I once imagined her living free on the Salish Sea and even as far north as Alaska. My sincere wish is that someone will realize that dream for me.
If youve dreamed of owning an Enterprise racing dinghy, I have just the one for you. This boat is forty years young and has been in the same family nearly all its life. Anyone who has ever sailed an Enterprise from England will tell you, they are hard to beat. Contact me and well make the deal of the century.
Before I forget, I might mention the Doryman mellonseed. This boat is not yet for sale, since she is not finished. But I thought you might appreciate an update. Since we last saw her, the decks have been installed, the rudder hung and a tiller manufactured. Currently Im installing her cockpit coamings and still trying to decide whether to build a foredeck hatch. Please note the hand-carved wood cleats. I can think of few more meditative recreations than making an attractive cleat. A great use of all the scrap hardwood that seems to accumulate around a boat building shop.
A major focus this winter has been the Stone Horse, Belle Starr. She is tightly wrapped in tarps, under a temporary lean-to, and photos are difficult, so youll have to take my word for her improved condition. Hopefully she will hit the water this spring and I promise youll hear all about it.
For now, Id like to point out to my friend Webb Chiles, who is considering installing oarlocks to his new boat, that its easy. He had some concern about how long his oars need to be. For a rowing vessel, I like to double the beam, but for a larger boat, one must consider the distance to the waterline from the shear, so an oar might be a bit longer. Longer is better, since the sailor will likely be rowing with one oar alone and steering with the rudder. I know there has been a lot of discussion lately about sculling oars and Chinese yulohs but Ive tried both and nothing is simpler and more effective than the ancient oar. Even the five ton Mistral can be propelled at two knots with a single oar. For Belle Starr, which has a beam of just over six feet in the cockpit, the oars will be thirteen feet long. You will note the oarlock is larger than you might find in your neighborhood chandlery, since the loom of such a long oar will be thick. An old, cast-off competitive scull works well.
If you see something here that sounds intriguing, please drop me a line: mbogoger(at)gmail.com
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