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1
Building
schooners
1931
Winterton, Newfoundland
A small
number of schooners were also built at Winterton. These were used mainly
for the coastal transportation of goods and fish as well as fishing off
the Labrador coast.
This particular boat was built for P. Janes of Hant's Harbour in 1931.
It was 70 tons gross and was the last schooner built by Amos Piercey of
Winterton, who was seventy years old at the time.
2
Schooner
under construction
1929
Winterton, Newfoundland
Small
schooner under construction at Brook Landwash, Winterton for Josiah
Blundon of Bay De Verde.
3
Boatbuilder,
John Reid and son Charlie
1950 (?)
Winterton, Newfoundland, Canada
John
Reid, a respected Winterton boatbuilder, was part of David A. Taylor's
research. In this picture John Reid's son Charlie is shown watching the
construction process. This is the way that skills and knowledge were
traditionally passed down from one generation to the next.
4
Boat
building students and their instructor (left to right): Stephen Green,
Andrew Green, Chad Ash, Chad Chislett, and instructor, Melvin Green.
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Boat
building students and their instructor (left to right): Stephen Green,
Andrew Green, Chad Ash, Chad Chislett, and instructor, Melvin Green.
This building and teaching project was assisted by Fred Green, and
particularly Alfred Green, who at eighty-four years of age shared a
lifetime of traditional boat building knowledge.
These students were instructed in the traditional Winterton methods of
boat building in 2003, at the Winterton Boat Building and Community
Museum. The project lasted six months and involved the students in all
aspects of building a traditional motorboat. The boat they built is
currently on display at the museum. The process began with tree
selection in the woods near Winterton.
The boatbuilders of Winterton today have inherited an ancient and
fragile tradition which has been handed down by word of mouth, example
and practice, from generation to generation, for at least four hundred
years. A gap of only two generations could see it lost forever.
5
Black spruce
1990 (?)
Canada
All
Winterton boats were built using local trees, both white and black
spruce, balsam fir, and juniper (larch or tamarack). Usually materials
were gathered during late fall and early winter. The boats were then
constructed in early spring to be ready for the next fishing season. Fir
and spruce could be used interchangeably if the size and shape were
correct.
6
White spruce
1990 (?)
Canada
White
spruce could be used for certain knees at the stern assembly or for
timbers (frames).
7
Juniper
(larch or tamarack)
2003
Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Because
of the way in which juniper (larch or tamarack) grew one could
usually find the right shape for a knee (naturally angled section of the
tree formed by the stem and root sections). A number of these knees in
different sizes and angles were required for the construction of certain
types of boats. Juniper would not be used for planking or the boat's
interior because it would make the boat too heavy.
8
Fir
2003
Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Fir,
black spruce and white spruce could all be used for similar purposes.
However, fir tended to be preferred for planking and black spruce
for timbers (frames). Crooked fir trees usually could not be used
because they were boxy. Boxy wood has a dark-coloured imperfection that
would make it more likely to split; such wood was discarded or used as
fire wood.
9
Birch
2003
Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
If
available in suitable lengths and diameters, birch might be used for
keels, keel shoes and the rubbers. Birch is a strong and dense hardwood,
suitable for areas of the boat that would get hard wear.
CM10
Some tree
shapes used for boat building
2003
Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
There is
clear evidence that boatbuilders learned and remembered mental pictures
of hull shapes. They could go into the woods and without actual patterns
find and cut trees that matched the hull shape for different parts of
the boat. This practice continues to the present in Winterton.
CM11
Ralph
Coates' sawmill
1990 (?)
Winterton, Newfoundland, Canada
Push-bench saw mills were used to saw timbers and plank sticks. These
were either water driven or used diesel engines to power the circular
saw.
CM12
Pit saws
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Before
the saw mill round pieces of timber and planks were cut using a pit saw.
The pit saw was operated by two men, one standing above and the other
below a constructed, raised scaffold. A natural hole in the ground (pit)
with supports over it was also used, giving the name pit saw. They would
use the saw by pulling it up and down through a piece of timber, cutting
it lengthwise.
CM13
Model of pit
saw usage
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
CM14
Boats under
construction outside
1960
Winterton, Newfoundland, Canada
Even
though boats were usually constructed in the cold winter months, they
were sometimes built outside.
CM15
The
three-piece mould
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
In
Winterton there were several different methods used to shape the hull
timbers (frames) for traditional boat construction. These were the
three-piece mould, the full mould, and the half-model method.
It has been documented that in the earlier times all the hull timbers
(frames) were shaped out using this three-piece mould. In later years,
builders used the method to obtain the shapes of the mainframes only:
the fore hook, mid-ship bend and after hook. It appears that the later
generation of builders for some reason had not learned to use these
moulds to the fullest extent. One can speculate that some of the sir
marks (pencil marks showing the position of each piece to form different
timber shapes) became indistinguishable because of fading over time. In
any event, once the three main frames were shaped and fastened to the
keel (straight piece of wood running the length of the bottom of
the boat) the shape of the remainder of the hull could then be obtained
through the use of several battens (or ribbands). These were bent around
the three frames and attached to the counter (back of the boat) and stem
(front of the boat), one foot or so apart on each side of the hull.
While the three-piece adjustable mould was widely used it was not
designed to give the shape of the stem or the angle of the stern.
Therefore, the shapes of the boat ends had to be determined by other
means. These shapes were selected by each builder based on memory or
mental templates that came from experience. The choice of stem shape or
the angle of the stern piece to the keel could greatly affect the hull
shape and thus the boat's overall performance. Depending on the stem
shape, whether it was more upright or flared more outward, the bow of
each boat was different. A more upright stem, for example, could mean a
fuller or wider bow. This was one way in which boats of different
builders were easily recognized as they entered the harbor from the
fishing grounds.
CM16
Three-piece
mould
1978 (?)
Winterton, Newfoundland, Canada
The
contemporary use of adjustable moulds in the designing of boats is
thought to be extremely rare. In addition to Winterton and other small
Newfoundland
communities the present-day use of moulds of this kind has only been
documented in coastal communities in Greece, Portugal and Brazil.
This
system of designing vessels, sometimes called whole-moulding, was
originally employed for the design of ships. Documentary evidence
suggests that it probably originated in
Europe around the middle of the seventeenth century.
However, some scholars have argued that the use of adjustable templates
of a similar type can be traced back as far as the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, in
Venice.
The adjustable moulds used by Winterton boatbuilders are virtually
identical to those described in Mungo Murray's Treatise on Ship-Building
and Naval Architecture, which was published in London in 1765.
Furthermore, the terms used by
Murray
to identify the various parts of the moulds are also very similar to the
terms used by Trinity Bay boatbuilders who "build by the mould."
CM17
Detail of
the three-piece mould showing sir marks
1978 (?)
Winterton, Newfoundland, Canada
It is
not possible to determine when, or by what means, whole-moulding came to
Trinity Bay. However, based on the fact that the region's first settlers
came from the West Country of England in the mid-seventeenth century, it
is probably safe to assume that knowledge about how to use adjustable
moulds was brought from England by these settlers or those who followed
them.
The earliest documented evidence of mould use around Trinity Bay is
"An Inventory of the Effects of John Brine, Boatkeeper, deceased of
Trinity 1805." In addition to various woodworking tools and
fisheries-related items, the inventory of Brine's possessions includes
one set of skiff moulds and three sets of punt moulds. While the
inventory doesn't reveal the composition of these moulds, it is possible
that they were three-part adjustable ones.
To watch a Winterton boatbuilder use adjustable moulds to design a boat
is to watch a vestige of a very old system of naval architecture that
can be seen in action in very few places around the world.
CM18
Using
three-piece moulds to mark timber pieces for shaping
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
In 2002
an Italian gondola builder visited the Winterton Boat Building and
Community Museum. He was delighted to find that Winterton's traditional
technique of building boats using moulds was the same as the method he
used to build gondolas.
The matter-of-fact, take-it-for-granted approach to boat building was
typical among the fishermen/boatbuilders of Winterton. They went about
boat building in a traditional way. That is, they acquired knowledge
that was passed on to them by the previous generation, mainly by
word-of-mouth and observation and imitation. For example, boys watched
and helped when their fathers were building boats, and gradually
accumulated the knowledge needed to build fishing boats in the local
way.
In Winterton, distinctive construction techniques and variations of boat
designs emerged. Consequently, fishermen could readily distinguish
Winterton-built boats from boats built in other communities.
Winterton boatbuilders paid careful attention to the conditions in which
a boat would be used and modified their designs accordingly. For
example, boats that were to be used mainly in the rough waters around
Baccalieu Island (at the entrance to Trinity Bay) were shaped
differently than boats that were used mainly in the calmer waters of the
inner bay.
CM19
Half-model
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
In
Winterton there was limited use of the half-model method, a design
approach more widely used by other boatbuilders. Amos Piercey, who built
a limited number of schooners here, used this approach and there is
evidence of one or two others using the half-model for the construction
of motorboats.
For most boat building the three-piece mould and full mould were much
more popular, probably because these were simpler to use and did not
require scaling or other calculations.
CM20
Diagram of
the half-model cut into vertical slices
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
vertical sections of the half-model represent the timbers (frames) that
determine the shape of the boat.
CM21
Half-model
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
vertical lines on the half-model represent the mainframe sections: the
fore-hook, the mid-ship bend, and the after-hook.
CM22
Diagram of
the half-model cut into horizontal layers
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
By
taking apart the half-model in horizontal sections timber shapes were
obtained. This was done by taking measurements from each section at the
appropriate timber location.
CM23
Using full
moulds to shape boat construction
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Another
method used to pass on hull shapes was the construction of full-size
moulds showing the fore hook, mid-ship bend and after hook. Often a
mould of the counter shape would also be constructed. These were made of
two or three sections of naturally curved wood and were used as patterns
from which actual main frames were to be constructed. In a later
building technique whereby frames were made of steam-bent lathes instead
of naturally curved pieces, such full-size moulds were laid on the keel
and used temporarily with battens until all steam-bent frames were
installed, after which the main frame moulds were removed.
CM24
Changes in
the shape of the boat's hull
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Some
time during the first or second decade of the twentieth century
one-cylinder, gasoline engines became available to fishermen of
Winterton as they did elsewhere in
North America. The coming of the make-and-break engine led to
major changes in boat design. The stern assembly was changed to
accommodate the engine shaft and propeller as well as provide more
bearing aft (at the stern), for the extra weight of the engine itself.
The over-hung transom stern was designed using a new arrangement of
knees.
Before engine power, inshore fishing boats were kept small because they
had to be rowed to and from the fishing grounds. Powered by engines,
boats could be made longer, wider and deeper. Fishermen could fish
further from shore and boats could carry more fish. At this time we see
the development of larger trap skiffs, able to carry more fish and
handle larger traps, and other motorboats used for trawling further out
on the edge (the area where the bottom changed from shallower rocky
ground to deeper muddy or sandy ground), in greater depths of water. The
increased speed and further distances also led to changes in the bow
design. As engines improved and horsepower increased more flare was
needed at the bow of open boats to throw away the spray from oncoming
waves when steaming to windward.
CM25
Stem
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Once
decisions were made on the type of boat and design to be used, and all
materials were gathered, construction began with preparation of the
backbone, which consisted of the keel, stem, sternpost and deadwoods
(pieces used to join the stem and stern pieces to the keel).
The stem was first chopped, using an axe, to get the rough shape and
dimensions. The keel and stern post would also be shaped in this manner.
CM26
Planing the
stem
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
After
the rough dimensions of the keel, stem, and sternpost were achieved
using an axe and saw, a plane was used to smooth and finely adjust their
shapes.
CM27
Stem
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A taper
is cut on the outside faces of the stem.
CM29
Backbone
assembly
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
first knee is bolted onto the keel.
CM30
Backbone
assembly
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
second and third stern knees are attached. These three knees form the
support structure for the counter (back) of the boat.
CM31
Backbone
assembly
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The stem
is attached to the keel with a piece of deadwood.
CM32
Counter
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
counter, built from two-inch planks joined edge to edge using wooden
pegs or nails, is cut to the desired shape.
CM33
Counter
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
counter is attached by bolting it to the top knee of the stern assembly.
CM35
Mid-ship
bend (bottom) and fore hook (top)
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
At this
point a decision had to be made about the location of each main frame
along the keel. This decision would affect the final shape of the hull.
The fore hook was usually placed at the point on the keel that was the
same distance from the stem at the sheer line (top of the hull) as the
width of the fore hook itself. The mid-ship bend was placed at the mid
point of the hull, though some builders liked to move it an inch or two
forward of this mid point.
CM36
Mid-ship
bend (bottom) and after hook (top)
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community
Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The
after hook would normally be placed forward of the counter at a point
that was the same distance from the counter, along the sheer line, as
the width of the after hook itself.
When installing the permanent timbers, each pair would be notched into
the keel to the timberline previously marked on the keel. The timbers
were held in place by nailing them to the keel and with temporary spans
to the floor or pegs driven into the ground.
CM38
Attaching
battens
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The top
battens nailed to the three frames, counter and stem.
CM39
Attaching
battens
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
All of
the battens attached to the stem (front of the boat).
CM41
Finding the
shape for a timber
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
shape of these timbers was usually obtained by using a slim, long, rod
of lead (copper was used here), which would be pushed against the
battens on either side where the timber was to be installed. When the
lead rod was removed it would retain the needed shape.
CM42
Selecting
the correct timber piece
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
shaped lead rod would then be carried to the already sawn slabs of
curved wood. The piece closest to the rod shape would be selected for
making the timber. Laying the rod on the flat surface of the wood the
builder drew lines to mark the timber shape. The timber was then roughly
cut out using a handsaw and axe.
Often timbers were made from one single piece of wood for each side.
However, joining pieces together was not unusual and often necessary for
larger boats. Timber sections were joined by nailing another shorter
piece to one face of each joining timber piece in effect making the
timber twice the thickness near the joint.
CM43
Checking the
fit
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
final fit was made by trying the rough-cut timber against the battens.
CM44
Using a
bench vise
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Each
timber was secured in a bench vise and a plane and spoke shave was used
to bevel both faces.
CM45
Attaching
timber pairs
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Each
pair would then be nailed to the keel, plumbed and the battens nailed to
the new timber pair.
CM46
Placing the
forward timber
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
At the
stem and stern sections timbers were butted and nailed to the stem and
the stern post or the deadwoods joining the stem and stern post to the
keel.
CM47
Timbering
out
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The boat
was timbered out from the mid-ship to the stem. In this case, the
temporary mainframe moulds (fore hook, mid-ship bend and after hook) are
kept in place until all of the timbering is complete.
CM48
Removing the
temporary frames
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
After
all the timbers are securely in place, the temporary mainframe moulds
were removed.
CM49
The risings
are installed and the boat's alignment checked
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A plumb
bob was used to make sure the boat was balanced and aligned. This weight
would be hung from the center of one of the temporary cross boards. The
boat was balanced when the plumb bob hung over the center of the keel.
The risings (long battens, usually two or three inches wide and
three-quarters of an inch thick) were installed. These were fastened to
the inside of all timbers from stem to stern about six to eight inches
below the sheer line. The sheer line would have been established using a
slight batten temporarily fastened or clamped from stem to stern to the
timbers at the appropriate height for the top of the counter, the
mid-ship height, and the stem height. In all cases the height at the
counter would be a few inches higher than at the stem, and at the
mid-ship a few inches lower than at the stem. In many cases these
heights were not necessarily established before construction began but
were determined before planking by adjusting the height of a temporary
batten so that the sheer looked right. This was another example of
mental templates being used as experienced builders remembered and knew
instinctively what the boat should look like to fit the generally
accepted design. Once the sheer line was established the height marks
were then made on each timber, the counter and the stem.
CM50
Installation
of the thwarts
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
thwarts (seats) of the boat were then installed, replacing the temporary
cross boards. This procedure did not have to be fully completed at this
point. Some boatbuilders preferred to wait until the boat was planked,
while others installed some or all of the thwarts before planking in
order to strengthen the structure.
CM51
Installing
the counter thwart
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
There
were generally two thwarts located roughly at the center of the boat,
about four or five feet apart in a small motorboat, to define the
mid-ship room. Two were installed in front of the mid-ship area and two
or three behind, depending on the engine installation. A thwart was also
attached onto the counter of most boats.
Thwarts were made four to six inches wide and one and one half to two
inches thick. Bulkheads (vertical boards from thwart to floor)
would be installed later under the center thwarts to make the
mid-ship room for holding fish, and possibly under other thwarts
depending on personal preference and the type of boat.
CM52
The
breasthook
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A
breasthook, a piece of v-shaped wood that gives support and strength to
the bow of the boat, was then cut from a suitable knee.
CM53
Cutting a
rabbet joint
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A rabbet
joint (groove to fit the plank ends and edge of the bottom plank)
was cut along the stem, the keel and the stern knees including any
deadwoods, all the way to the counter. This rabbet, cut using a chisel,
would be deep enough and angled correctly to accept the bottom edge of
the garboard plank (the bottom plank next to the keel) along the keel.
It would also accept the ends of all planks fastened at the stem, and
the ends of one or two planks below the counter that stopped at the
stern knees or deadwoods.
CM56
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
first plank, called the binding strake, because it tended to bind the
hull together, was temporarily clamped into place so its shape could be
marked along the top batten. This top plank could be a wide board since
it would have a reasonably straight run with minimal twisting compared
to the bottom planks.
CM57
Dividers,
used with the rule staff
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Two
methods for obtaining the shape of each plank seemed to be used by
Winterton boatbuilders. One was the use of a rule staff (a specially
selected flexible batten the length of the hull and about 3 or 4 inches
wide). The rule staff was bent along the hull from stem to stern
roughly in the location of the next plank to be installed. It was
important to allow it to follow the hull shape by laying it evenly on
each timber without twisting it up or down. It was then clamped or
temporarily fastened while a pair of compasses, or dividers, were used
to mark on the rule staff the edge of the last plank installed. Marks
were made at regular intervals with the compasses/dividers
set at a predetermined width thus scribing the plank edge shape on
the rule staff.
The rule staff was then taken to the bench and placed on a suitable
rough plank board where the marks were transferred onto the plank stock
thus showing the edge shape of the next plank to be installed. The other
edge of this new plank was marked by scribing a smooth gentle curve with
a flexible batten usually making the plank wider at the mid-ships and
narrower at each end. The plank width at mid-ships compared to the stern
and stem could be predetermined by measurement of the relative space to
be filled in each hull section.
The other method used was that of tracing one edge of the next plank
onto new plank stock that was clamped directly over the last plank
installed.
From the inside a rough line could then be drawn onto the stock using
the last edge installed. This method would give enough information to
rough out the next plank. Using either method the final edge shape would
be determined by a subsequent series of fitting and cutting until a
satisfactory edge-to-edge fit was obtained.
CM58
Planing a
plank
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
After
selection and marking, the plank board was planed to the correct shape
needed.
Planks were shaped from the rough sawn boards using ripsaws, axes,
drawing knives and a long hand plane. Great skill with the hand plane
was required to finish each plank edge so that it fitted tightly against
the abutting plank on the inside and left a slight seam on the outside
to take the oakum (tarred rope fibers), used for caulking (filling the
boat's seams). This meant that each plank edge would be beveled
depending on the shape of the hull at each point. Thus the edge bevel
was never the same for the entire length of the plank and varied
considerably for each plank. The final fit required continuous fitting
and shaping during which the plank would be held in place temporarily by
clamps, marked for removal of additional material then returned to the
bench for planing. Builders often remarked that one could never have
enough clamps on hand during the planking process. C-clamps were
preferred and various sizes were used.
CM59
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
After
careful sizing, the binding strake (top plank) was nailed to the stem
and all of the timbers. As the planks were added, the battens, which run
horizontally across the length of the boat, were removed.
Planks were fastened using galvanized nails. In the earliest days these
would have been square-cut nails. Ordinary round, hot-dipped, galvanized
nails were used in later years and are still being used today. Nail
heads were countersunk in order to allow fairing (smoothing) of the hull
when all planks were installed. Plank ends at the stem were nailed to
the stem piece as well as to the apron (a deadwood behind and
attached to the stem).
CM60
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
binding strake was installed on both sides of the boat before any
subsequent planks were sized, planed and attached.
Planking began at the top of the boat and worked its way down towards
the crop of the bulge (where the hull shape changed from side to
bottom). This meant the installation of three to five planks on each
side before turning the boat on one side in order to start planking from
the keel up.
While this sequence was common other planking patterns were used
including starting at the binding strake and planking down to the
garboard. Using either method it was important to alternate from one
side to the other as planking proceeded in order to ensure the hull
shape remained stable. Once a particular plank was shaped for a location
on the starboard or port side an identical plank could be shaped from it
for installation on the opposite side.
CM61
Attaching a
batten
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A
full-length narrow batten was then attached around the top of all the
timbers, at the sheer line, on the inside of the boat.
CM62
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
After
the top four planks were installed the boat was turned on its side and
planking started from the bottom.
CM63
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The
first bottom plank, called the garboard, was nailed into place next to
the keel.
CM64
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The last
plank installed on each side of the boat, between the top and bottom
planking, was called the fuller.
CM65
Planking
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The last
section of the fuller fitted and nailed into place.
CM66
Unspun oakum
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The hull
was now ready to have its seams caulked. Bulk oakum, hemp or other rope
fibers impregnated with pine tar, was readily available from local
merchants but had to be spun into long strands of the right diameter for
the process.
CM67
Spun oakum
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Oakum
would usually be spun into strands of about one quarter of an inch for
smaller boats.
CM68
Caulking
iron and wooden mallet
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A
caulking iron and wooden mallet were used to drive the oakum into each
seam. This process prevented the boat from leaking.
CM69
Bulkheads
are installed
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
To begin
finishing the inside of the boat, bulkheads (vertical boards) were
installed under the thwarts.
Before the finishing of the interior began a generous coat of hot tar
might be applied to the inside of the bottom planks, underneath the
floors, to create a more water resistant seal.
CM70
The cuddy
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A small,
decked compartment, called a cuddy, was built behind the stem for
storage of things that needed to be kept dry.
CM71
Ceilings
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
In the
mid-ship room, located at the center of the boat, ceilings (floor boards
running lengthwise) were installed. This area was used for holding fish.
CM72
Shoots
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Shoots
(cross-beam floor boards in the standing rooms) were attached across the
keel and timbers on the bottom of the boat.
CM73
Engine house
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
The engine
house was completed. It is here that a make-and-break engine would be
installed.
The engine house was a simple box-style design located a foot or two
behind the mid-ship room spanning the width of the boat. It needed to be
high enough in the middle section to accommodate the engine height and
had a sliding or hinged top and front.
CM74
Gunwales are
fitted around the stem
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
When the
correct curve was achieved a notch was cut into the stem side of each of
the covering boards so they would fit snugly around the stem.
CM75
Two knees
are installed above the counter
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Two
knees, called stern knees, were installed around the top of the counter
(back of the boat).
CM76
Rubbers are
installed
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Thicker
battens were installed around the top outer perimeter of the full length
of the boat. This last section of the gunwales, called rubbers, provided
extra durability in this area for hauling rope or lines when fishing or
to help prevent damage if the boat knocked into the wharf or another
boat.
CM78
A score hole
for sculling
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
A
score-hole was cut in the counter. This hole was cut in the port side of
the back of the boat to accommodate the sculling oar. This long oar
could be used for steering if the sails were up or when others were
rowing. It was also used alone to propel the boat. Maneuvering the boat
in this way was referred to as sculling.
CM79
Thole pin
and whiff
2003
Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada
Using
oars to row required that hardwood pieces, the width of the covering
board and about a foot or so long, be attached at the appropriate
gunwale location on either side of the boat. Holes were then drilled
straight through them into the covering boards and wooden pegs, called
thole pins, were driven into them. A looped piece of rope, called a
whiff, was attached over the thole pins. When rowing, each oar
was hooked through the whiff. An extra supply of thole pins and
whiffs were kept on board as these would experience a great deal of
wear. |
