Tag Archive for boatbuilding
In 1944, artist Harlan Hubbard built a shantyboat on the banks of the Ohio River near Cincinnati
In 1944, artist Harlan Hubbard built a shantyboat on the…
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People ask all the time about how the shantyboat was built
Now, all of the shantyboat build process is available on…
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Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil #art
Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil…
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Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil #art
Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil…
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Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil #art
Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil…
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New refurbished #shantyboat life ring. Thanks Benzy!
New refurbished #shantyboat life ring. Thanks Benzy! via Instagram
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#ShantyBoat last minute work above and below.
#ShantyBoat last minute work above and below. via Instagram
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#ShantyBoat ToDo list with 4 days to go.
#ShantyBoat ToDo list with 4 days to go. via Instagram
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What happens when the #ShantyBoat key breaks off in the ignition when it is still in the boatyard’s lift sling?
What happens when the #ShantyBoat key breaks off in the…
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We put new drain plugs in the #ShantyBoat motor well. Was this why it didn’t leak for the first time?
We put new drain plugs in the #ShantyBoat motor well.…
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Preparing the Shantyboat
We've been working like mad to get the boat ready…
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Excitement! First time the ShantyBoat was afloat and the motor well didn’t take on water!
Excitement! First time the #ShantyBoat was afloat and the motor…
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ShantyBoat with fresh coat of paint headed for the Tennessee River in one week.
#ShantyBoat with fresh coat of paint headed for the Tennessee…
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Shantyboat looking good and almost ready to depart.
#Shantyboat looking good and almost ready to depart. via Instagram
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Freddie Mercury goes back on the #shantyboat.
Freddie Mercury goes back on the #shantyboat. via Instagram
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Last minute #Shantyboat todo list. We leave in one week.
Last minute #Shantyboat todo list. We leave in one week.…
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Newly fiberglassed, epoxied, painted, varnished and sealed #shantyboat motor well. Will it keep water out NOW?
Newly fiberglassed, epoxied, painted, varnished and sealed #shantyboat motor well.…
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Tired of the shantyboat corner being dinged up on docks and piers so now we have rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Tired of the #shantyboat corner being dinged up on docks…
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Bad idea makes good. Fiberglassed #shantyboat motor well
Bad idea makes good. Fiberglassed #shantyboat motor well. #NowhereToGoButForward via…
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Messed up #shantyboat corner now fixed. #WeWillAlwaysHaveSavanna #ILeftMyRubRailInIllinois
Messed up #shantyboat corner now fixed. #WeWillAlwaysHaveSavanna #ILeftMyRubRailInIllinois via Instagram
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I guess the customer service training at West Marine doesn’t include a caution against referring to customers’ boats as “that silly boat in the harbor.”
I guess the customer service training at West Marine doesn’t…
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Heavy felted fiberglass. Bad ideas on the #shantyboat
Heavy felted fiberglass. Bad ideas on the #shantyboat via Instagram
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Lifting the #shantyboat with a house jack to move the cribbing. What could go wrong?
Lifting the #shantyboat with a house jack to move the…
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I think I got a little sun over the last few #shantyboat work days.
I think I got a little sun over the last…
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A Crazy Plan to Launch the Shantyboat in the Ocean [Video]
We launched in the Santa Cruz Harbor yesterday and pulled the boat…
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Benzy on the roof of the #shantyboat
Benzy on the roof of the #shantyboat via Instagram
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Roof work on the #shantyboat at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor.
Roof work on the #shantyboat at the Santa Cruz Yacht…
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Roof work on the #shantyboat
Roof work on the #shantyboat via Instagram
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#shantyboat workday at the Santa Cruz Harbor.
#shantyboat workday at the Santa Cruz Harbor. via Instagram
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One of the most fun parts about being in the #shantyboat on the river is losing control in a wind and damaging the boat against docks and whatnot. We are fixing things so we can have more of this fun.
One of the most fun parts about being in the…
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Sanding the hull of the #shantyboat in preparation for new bottom paint.
Sanding the hull of the #shantyboat in preparation for new…
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#shantyboat on blocks in our worksite at the Santa Cruz Harbor.
#shantyboat on blocks in our worksite at the Santa Cruz…
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The ill-advised madness of reseating the leaky #shantyboat motor well.
The ill-advised madness of reseating the leaky #shantyboat motor well.…
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The #shantyboat gets a visit from Phil and One-eyed Jack while we wait for the boat lift
The #shantyboat gets a visit from Phil and One-eyed Jack…
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When your #Shantyboat Motor won’t start after you get in the harbor, you use your #BoatUS towing
When your #Shantyboat Motor won’t start after you get in…
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Old habits. #shantyboat
Old habits. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Harbor lyfe in the #shantyboat
Harbor lyfe in the #shantyboat via Instagram
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#shantyboat visits the harbor beach in Santa Cruz on the way to dry dock.
#shantyboat visits the harbor beach in Santa Cruz on the…
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Your average house doesn’t rattle down the road at 60 mph 5000 miles a year. So the #shantyboat doors and windows tend to need a little maintenance and repair.
Your average house doesn’t rattle down the road at 60…
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Important #shantyboat business at the end of the workday.
Important #shantyboat business at the end of the workday. via…
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Breaker box on #shantyboat now with grounding strap!
Breaker box on #shantyboat now with grounding strap! via Instagram
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Upgrading the #shantyboat.
Upgrading the #shantyboat. via Instagram
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Have we repaired the hull yet? No. Aesthetics comes first on the #shantyboat. Painting windows with a delicious old green.
Have we repaired the hull yet? No. Aesthetics comes first…
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A Tangle of Wires, Shredded Tin, and a Descent Into Madness
Just a few weeks until we leave! Aaaa! Panic! Electrical…
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On the #shantyboat our precision work often achieves tolerances as fine as a 1/4″ or more.
On the #shantyboat our precision work often achieves tolerances as…
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Here is what electrical work on the #shantyboat looks like. Hours under the deck.
Here is what electrical work on the #shantyboat looks like.…
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Because the old system of 9 wires going into a crowded junction box was giving me nightmares. #shantyboat
Because the old system of 9 wires going into a…
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What the hell are we doing?
Well, there is some beer drinking, some power tool noises,…
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#shantyboat hijinx during a “work” day. I think we got “drink beer” and “make todo list” accomplished that day.
#shantyboat hijinx during a “work” day. I think we got…
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Secret 110v plug in for #shantyboat shore power when we are docked in marinas.
Secret 110v plug in for #shantyboat shore power when we…
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Secret 110v plug in for #shantyboat shore power for when we are docked in marinas.
Secret 110v plug in for #shantyboat shore power for when…
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Secret 110v plug in in #shantyboat for when we are docked in marinas.
Secret 110v plug in in #shantyboat for when we are…
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24 Hours
Tomorrow morning early we pull out of Santa Cruz towing…
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Dry Docking the Shantyboat
In preparation for our journey to the Mississippi River in…
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24 Hours and Gory Details
Just 24 hours and just over $1000 to go on…
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Readying Shantyboat and Other Trip Details
So while the Kickstarter has been doing its thing and…
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Introducing Freddie
You remember last year when we were on the river…
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The Joys and Heartache of Saying Goodbye
With days left before our departure for the Secret History…
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Odds and Ends We Still Need
This is like a Secret History scavenger hunt whose items…
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Shantyboat on the Mississippi
In July, we are bringing the shantyboat across country to…
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Beginnings
In 2005, I set out on a punk rafting journey,…
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What the #*@&% happened?
You must hate me. Last I left you with “Walls…
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Roof Rafters – The cabin takes shape
When we disassembled the Hollister chicken coop, we got a…
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Cabin Framing, More Mistakes Were Made
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s not being…
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Cabin Wall Framing. Finally.
Whew, finally. We get to constructing the cabin walls. This…
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New Boat Vocabulary Word: Coaming
One of the smarter things I’ve done on the shantyboat,…
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A Collection of Photos from a Non-Shantyboat River Float
I took a two-week break from building the shantyboat to…
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Bow Eyes and Stern Tiedowns
Sometimes little things can be a big headache. And sometimes…
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The Cabin Has a Floor
Let’s put in a floor! This is the floor that…
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Obsessive woodworking, top side
With both decks on, I could be an obsessive woodworker…
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Installing the aft deck
I put the aft deck on. Thought you should know.…
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Motor Well, A Mini-Project Unto Itself
Oh, the motor well. Seems simple enough. Build a box…
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Protecting the Bilge
Water is the enemy of wood longevity. Protecting the wood…
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A Front Deck and Photos of an Adorable Puppy
First off, now that the boat is upright, I made…
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More Cabin Planning
If you’ve been following the blog, you know that one…
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A Bunch of Questions
Here’s a big pile of questions that occur to me.…
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A Big Flippin’ Deal
For months I’ve been wanting to flip the boat hull…
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Fancy Pants New Renderings
There you go. 3D rendering doesn't make anything more real,…
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Thinking About Cabin Construction
Now that the boat is ready to be flipped, I’m…
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Welding the Trailer
Timeline: Less than a week before the boat flip! The…
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And now back to the trailer
Remember the trailer? This one, the one that almost killed us?…
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The Talented Mr. Johnson
For a while now, my cousin Brian has been wanting…
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Those Troublesome Skegs, Finishing Touches
So the skegs are mounted, but the carriage bolt countersinks…
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Those Troublesome Skegs, Mistakes Were Made
So the skegs have been cut, spliced, drilled, countersunk, stained,…
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Those Troublesome Skegs, Bolt Holes and Finish
Here we drill all sorts of holes in our newly…
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Those Troublesome Skegs, Scarf Joints
I had to turn 14 foot pieces of lumber into…
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Those Troublesome Skegs, Part the First
When we built punk rafts and floated several big rivers,…
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Hull UV Protection
Fiberglass over plywood is ridiculously tough. There are wood and…
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Fiberglass Finish Coats
After the fill coat, the texture of the fiberglass cloth…
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Fiberglass Fill Coat
At this point, we have the fiberglass bonded to the…
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Fiberglass Bond Coat
Okay, so let’s review. Fiberglass (of more accurately glass-fiber reinforced…
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Fiberglass Seal Coat
We fretted over fiberglassing the hull so much, we put…
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Hockey Puck Manufacture (or Epoxy is Stressful II)
Did I mention that epoxy is stressful? To recap: You…
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Opinions are like assholes…
Everyone’s got one. Every now and then I’ll ask a…
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Hull Finish Work (or Correcting Mistakes III)
I like to joke that I bring Old World Craftsmanship…
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Hull Ends
Oh god, at the end of every work day when…
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Sheeting the Hull
It looks easy, right? What could go wrong? Four rectangular…
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Correcting Mistakes II: The Usefulness of Square Corners
When we went to put sheets of plywood on the…
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Correcting Mistakes I
Today, the chickens come home to roost. Remember that pesky…
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Cross beams
This was an exciting day because for the first time,…
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