Progress

With any luck we'll pop her in the water this afternoon and see how much water she makes. I used very little if any mastic in the lands; only at the stems anf around the scarphs (a first for me) so it will be interesting to see whether she needs to take up or not.

The steerboard arrangement is a synthesis of all available information without copying anything in particular. Did the Vikings do it the same way every tie? If they were anything like the boat builders I know, they would have been constantly trying something a little different, rather than sticking to the same old pattern. Hence my take on the rudder arrangement.

Any further back and it would have been impossible to use, the helmsman stuck up in the back; any further forward and it would not have been effective. Nor could the aft stammerung or cant frame be moved from its position supporting the stern sections, so the logical answer was to build a sturdy but separate supporting frame for the steerboard. We'll see. If it doesn't work, then it can be removed, as can pretty much everything in a clinker boat with the aid of a file to release the roves.

And bow on there's nothing to compare to the shape of a faering...

Nearly There...

Twenty eight days down the line and the Woodfish is nearing completion. As this is to be an authentic-ish faering; ie one that might have been dug up somewhere along the West Coast, the finish has been given the Varnol and tar treatment. It's not the yacht-like finish I have been used to, and indeed it took some getting used to. I have to admit that the rich, warm, brown colour is quite appealing and enhances the grain, without losing the character of the superb larch I managed to lay my hands on. That's one teaspoon of bitumen paint to one litre of Varnol, thinned as usual with turps. I reckon a teaspoon per two litres would have been enough as the larch will  darken of its own accord anyway.

The treatment does however pick up any discolourations, notably the water marks where the ends of the strakes were steamed into the stems. It gives the wood an interesting, pre-used look. In fact working on the faering at this stage of the build feels more like a restoration than a new build. The pristine, yachtiness and obsessively sanded finish has given way to a more natural look. And I have been careful to leave the tool marks.

Why? Well, as you have probably guessed the boat is to be part of a collection of Viking-age type boats and needed to look the part. This particular faering dates from the 19th century, but can trace its roots back to the Viking age and that unbelievably lovely Gokstad faering. So, a compromise.

Mattis meanwhile is doing his usual excellent work on the Sula, another Iain Oughtred design, but a traditional Shetland yole, not a (nasty) plywood job. As both stems have rabbets, the strakes have to be made in sections; the garboards in two, the next strake in three, and the last four in two also. Otherwise, how on earth do you fit a full-length strake into the bow and stern rabbets? Was it ever done thus?

There will be four strakes up by the end of this week and believe me, they are close to perfection. What will I do when he departs for Norway on September 10?

Postscript

Just had an email from Ted Phillips for whom I built an 18ft sjekte some time back. He entered the English Raid (East Coast rivers). I like the bit about prettiest boat. Not surprised (no need to be modest here, as I believe Florence Oliver to be the best looking boat I am ever likely to build).

Dear Adrian

I completed the raid ending last Sunday and have attached a photograph. This was taken at the end of a race up the Orwell to Orwell sailing club where the fleet were given a generous welcome including a very formal welcome a hand shake from the vice commodore. Very nice club and very nice people.

Anyway, FO got the vote from the rest of the fleet for prettiest boat so you can give yourself a pat on the back for that.

FO went very well and sailed very competitively in a fairly fresh breeze.

You will notice the outboard bracket I fitted [no holes in the boat] which was very useful for locks, marinas and creeks.

Hope this is of interest.

All the best


Ted

Another Week

It was on 23rd June that I set up the keel of the faering and today the gunwales were riveted home, completing the shell. That leaves all the fiddly, time-consuming bits now, as well as the mast, yard and oars. Oh, and also the steerboard which I have mocked up for size.

The sheerline has been modified slightly, lowered amidships to make a more pleasing, less chunky profile, to my eyes (and Mattis') at least. It's in keeping with this faering's extra length, vs the Woodfish plans on which it is based. It's a nice balance building to plans, but allowing yourself the freedom to depart them when you feel like it. Otherwise it's just painting by numbers - or building in plywood (but let's not go there).

I did use some of the stuff to make templates, and the mocked up steerboard. Apart from that it's just superb old larch from Perthshire, 150 years old and without a single knot in 32 boards. Well, there's one, and that's it. And boards that averaged 20 inches wide and 18ft long. When will we see the like?

So, here's some photos and I'll do my best to explain anything to those who are curious. Problems? Just the usual ones: trying to make fag-paper fits between frames and strakes that have changing angles and bevels. Nice when it works straight away, without endless fiddling and paring.

That's it for the weekend (a long one).

Meanwhile Mattis has been busy in his meticulous way, fitting the garboards to the Sula.

Although we achieve more or less the same results, our methods are often different. He put the garboards on with the keel set up and braced, whereas I do it upside down on the bench. He used a router to cut the slot, whereas I used a skill saw.

He is a little more obsessive about keeping to the plans; I like to let things take their course (that's my excuse at least). I curse when I split a plank; he swears when his rivet line is a few mm out (although I think I've got him using imperial measures for some things).I think we make a good team. Whatever, it's a pleasure to work alongside such a craftsman. Pity he's off to Norway at the end of the build...

Week Four

Too knackered to post more than a few photos of the faering at the end of a busy week both in and out of the shed. But strake three's aft sections are now up and riveted in place, and the frames have been fitted, the aft one dry - that's a job for tomorrow.

No margin of error in the hood ends. I wonder if the time-served old Norwegian faering builders had sleepless nights? Certainly not, as I once saw a grainy b/w video of a bunch of them putting an oselver faering up in what looked like ten minutes, and they certainly did not look in the least stressed; rather they looked bemused that anyone should want to capture on film what they had been doing routinely for years.

If anyone can track that video down, let me know. My copy was lent to me by Iain Oughtred, the designer of this faering. Must ask to borrow it again, if no one knows where it came from. YouTube?

So, here are the latest photos.

Meanwhile Mattis is making great progress on the Shetland Yole Sula. Maybe get him to post something about the joys of yole-building. Very few if any bad words emanating from his side of the shed, so must be having fun...

Faering Week Three

Slowly but surely, the faering is taking shape. The lovely thing about a faering (or one of the lovely things) is that with three strakes you're a third planked after fitting the garboards, and after strake two goes on you can kid yourself that it's only a matter of days.

On the downside, those three-section garboards take nearly as long as two ordinary strakes, maybe three as there is absolutely no hiding place when it comes to getting them to fit the keel and stems perfectly. With no false stem the fit has to be spot on, which is why those scarphs are so vital - the other reason being that they allow much more efficient use of timber. See how that section above came neatly out of the flared end of a board?

With the garboards now fixed, the fore and aft sections of the second strakes were cut from patterns I made when I built the first Woodfish in 2006 and although they are not accurate enough to trust alone - besides this faering is 16ft as opposed to 15ft 4in - they do serve as a pretty close approximation of the plank shape. There is a lot left to eye despite Iain's detailed plans. For example, I have given the stem more of an up turn as the owner wants to mount a dragon's head, which means a bold, forward stare; not one looking downwards. I think I'll modify the sheer too, which means altering the top strake a bit. Sorry Iain; that's what comes when you work with solid timber.

The frames are in too, which helps define the shape and was the reason why moulds three and five were not necessary. The frames go into the garboards, and from then on they dictate the shape at those stations. The cross pieces are also fitted, notched over the frames and held temporarily at the centreline by a lashing.

It took me a day to fit and nail that lot up and tomorrow I plan to fit the forward sections. Slowly, slowly does it as a millimetre out at the stems and it shows. NB the after sections are fitted first or the scarphs would point the wrong way.

I have also decided not to use any mastic in the lands, which calls for close fits all round and as I am using copper nails not screws, there's only one chance to get them into the hood ends. All for the sake of authenticity. The owner also wants me to use gun blue on the copper to make it blacken like iron. Jury's out on that one, but early experiments are hopeful.

All the while I am aware that this is not the traditional way to build a faering but then, as I have said before, I'm not Norwegian with a lifetime's experience behind me, in which case I would be half finished by now (three weeks for goodness sake) my only tools being an axe, some sticks from the ceiling and a pile of pine.

Now one thing I can say is, to hell with knotty pine, my larch is the finest I have seen since I began building boats. Just one know in the whole boat so far. Where from? I'm keeping it a secret...

Faering Progress

The backbone and garboards of the faering are now nearing completion. The garboards are in three pieces which makes it slightly easier to get them to fit closely along the keel, but also involves six separate operations. So it's probably slower, but surer. And more timber efficient, certainly.

Crucially it has meant I could use some pieces of larch that normally would have languished in the shed; notably two arrow-shaped sections from a board that perfectly matched he scimitar-like fore and aft sections of the garboards.

Thus wastage to date (and it would be a crime to waste a square inch of the superb larch I have seasoning) has been minimal. Whilst it wold have been nice to build in the traditional way with time-worn sticks from the roof to spread the strakes; alas, I have not the experience and rely thus on Iain Oughtred's detailed plans, from which I have made six moulds and three templates for the strakes (three a side).

Three garboard sections per side, scarphed using the curious but logical stepped scarph,  means steaming two fore and two aft sections into the stems, With no rabbet, just a bevel on the planks, there is little room for error. Simple, yes, but you have to take your hat off to the old viking builders. I bet their joints were fag-paper thin (if tobacco had been available).

Again, I marvel at the efficient use of timber; the entire side of a faering could be got from a single wide plank, presumably of oak riven, not sawn. As for steaming the tricky fore and aft sections, I have seen an old b/w film where the men of Os clamp them into wooden moulds, which are infused with steam - I use a plastic bag to get them to twist up into the stems.

Next stage (the photo below was taken during the build of the first Woodfish) is to make and fit the frames to the garboards which will set the shape.

One thing I had been asked to do, for authenticity, was use iron rails. This I had to refuse, so as a compromise I have been painting each of the exposed nails and roves with gun blue, a selenium dioxide (I am told) solution used to blue the steel of shotguns. It seems to work and the copper looks a bit like black iron.

He also wants a steerboard, which should be fun...

Back to Work

It's been almost a month, during which time my Vertue Sally has been gven a 75th birthday makeover, the Tammie Norrie was finally delivered to Glen Affric, the Land Rover gave up the ghost; we sailed through the Sound of Harris to the remote Monach Islands... and much more besides.

Sally spent a day on legs in Loggie, where she had a fresh coat of enamel and antifouling, decks repaired and repainted and much more besides. Her mast, which had been out for over a year, is now back, freshly varnished (10 coats plus two of Hempels Woodseal Primer, alas, now discontinued). She now has a chartplotter, as the old GPS (circa 1990 something) refused to acquire any satellites. And that's the truth.

Sally refitting in Loggie Bay

There's a new (well I say "new", when it dates from 1997) 300 tdi Discovery in the drive, and already showing idiosyncracies, which is maybe why the last owner decided to part with it. Squealing from the fan belt tensioner is only the least worrying symptom. We'll see...

There's been a bit of boat building too: the opening stages in two new boats for delivery in the Autumn. The first is an Iain Oughtred Sula, a 17ft Shetland yole, one of a very few that Iain designed from scratch for solid wood construction, and the other is a 16ft Woodfish faering, again designed traditionally.

Which means two boats building side by side, a first for Viking Boats (but don't expect it to be a regular occurence).

The Shetland boat will be built using larch, almost exclusively for centreline and framing, while oak is the  material of choice for the Woodfish, but planked in larch, of which I have a superb stack seasoning.

The Woodfish will have a square sail, though not of my making, and a steerboard as the owner is very much into Viking boats and wanted something to  represent the recent Ardnamurchan find, so a faering sounded like the best equivalent without going into huge expense recreating a boat from scratch.

In the workshop are two sets of stems, waiting to be scarphed to their respective keels. The Sula is a bigger, far chunkier workboat, while the faering is a delicate, slip of a thing.

Mattis will be back in July, fresh from a stint at Kai Linde's shop in Norway, fired up and ready to put his considerable skills to work on a boat close to his heart. While he will be working on the Sula, I will tackle the faering's delightful structure, possibly the most efficient use of timber I can think of in a boat. Nothing wasted.

So, a busy summer ahead. Just hope the weather stays like this (generally superb, dry, sunny) and we don't get hammered like they are in the South. Makes a change.