Recent content by Peterduck

Hi Garth, I think that you're talking to the wrong people. Commercial fishermen who do use a lot of galvaised wire rope get theirs from the crane and lifting industry. That's where I went for my standing rigging. They may even put you on to someone who can teach you how to splice wire rope...

If you can measure the outside diameter of the thread and the pitch, you can get the size and thread system from Tracy tools Ltd's website, if memory serves well. They can be found at www.tracytools.com or in real ife in Brixham. They specialise in taps and dies for an amazing variety of...

Magnificent! I'm puzzled, however, at the shape of the foot of both the main and mizzen? Have you any suggestions as to the cause? Peter.

There aren't all that many oak trees here, but we do have millions of eucalypts of a dazzling variety. Offhand, I think that there are something like 400 species to choose from. So I would choose Spotted Gum. Very durable, straight grained, lovely to work and a pale honey colour. Peter.

Actually, you don't need to go for a light timber, as you would with a mast or gaff. Oak would be fine. Don't forget that all the force being applied to the mainsail by the boom is downward. I'll bet that the original builders of fishing smacks didn't fret about lightweight booms. Some...

If 'twere mine, I'd be going with ash, and hang the couple of pounds extra weight. You're not racing at the top level are you? Much better to have a really strong bowsprit which won't let you down when the going gets rough. Don't forget that no bowsprit doesn't just mean no jib, it also means...

Try red oxide metal primer in some out-of-the-way spot, perhaps down in the bilge, and then some enamel over that. I suspect that your biggest problem is not the bleed-through, but getting anything else to actually stick to such an oily surface. Peter.

Yes, I would remove allthe paint and varnish so that you are working with consistent conditions throughout the boat. Drying out is not the 'bete-noir' that many fear it to be. Some planks, especially near the forefoot and the tuck will need steaming or boiling because of the twist involved...

Settle in for a long ride. I would guess that it will take closer to 5 years, but it is all fixable. Don't ask where to start, you've already started. Soft planks can be removed and replaced; don't be too intimidated by that. Deal with the whole by breaking it down into single jobs which...

WoodenBoat magazine recently had an article by Harry Bryan on making your own slick using steel from a broken leaf spring. This included information on tempering the shaped slick. I don't have that issue, as I read copies from my local municipal library. I think that they have an index on...

Ask yourself if the rail is for appearance only, or if someone who you care about is likely to grab it in extremis, hoping that it will stop them from going over the side. A screw, when all is said and done, relies on the strength of the wood into which it is screwed. I would only contemplate...

The appropriate hinge for this situation is one which has a double knuckle, so that when it is folded up the hinge adopts a square 'U' shape. The knuckles are on the underside so that the top surface is smooth, Each knuckle only has to adopt a 90 degree fold, so the combination makes the 180...

Many years ago I had to slip my old ketch during January, as this was the only time that I could get leave from work to do all the work that needed doing on her underwater parts. Thjis is not January in Inverness, but January in Melbourne, which usually includes a few days of 40+ degrees C. I...

Try the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, Sydney. Also the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane. They will very likely have lines plans of older working craft such as the Torres Strait pearling luggers. Having owned a 36ft gaff ketch, I think that it is too small for...

Years a go I saw an ingenious system devised by an American yacht designer whose name escapes me for the moment. I'll try to describe it. A horizontal rod in line with the boat's centreline passes through the upper part of the sternpost. It engages into a slot in the rudder head. Where it...