Favourite boat yard smells.

After what I've heard about the glues used to hold the laminates together, I've always made a point of wearing a mask when sawing or sanding ply. It's not just wood.

Quite right, I find any 'exotic' wood now gives me alergies. Obvious culprites are Iroko and maranti, since those are in the current build. The glue is also quite toxic...
 
Stockholm tar is much more useful than just to make your boat smell nice. It has been made for centuries in the Baltic area from the stumps and roots of pine trees, and is used as a preservative for hemp rope, which is very apt to rot. Tarred hemp rope, which is very soft and easy to handle, is used in the Merchant Navy for heaving lines ( to throw to the shore linesmen when passing large heavy mooring ropes to the shore when mooring ). To my knowledge not used for anything else.
 
Agreere tarred hemp and tarred marline.... bonzer smell..... still available https://shop.classic-boat-supplies.com.au/rope-cordage/other/tarred-marline/

Huon pine is my other one.....

I bought a ball of tarred marline from Classic Marine at Suffolk Yacht Harbour recently, and they took it out of a steel box, saying they kept it there to avoid stinking the place out!

Likewise I used to know boatbuilders who hated working with teak, because of the smell!

Linseed oil, Stockholm tar, real turpentine, but the smell that always triggers a Proustian moment of recall is the smell of one pot enamel topside paint. It isn’t such a nice smell but it has always meant “end of fitting out - next step go afloat!”
 
I wonder what "Raven Mixture" (or as it was known in real life, Craven Mixture) smells like?
Many, many moons ago I smoked a pipe. Could never stand cigarettes, but a pipe fitted my self-image at the time. There were many, many types of pipe tobacco available. Craven was a pretty common one - I didn't care for it much; too "dry", but it was often available duty free when I travelled. My favourites were "Escudo" and "Royal Yacht" - the latter only when I felt relatively affluent, as it was pretty pricey! Fortunately, smoking was a very brief phase for me; I only used a pipe for a few years.
 
Hmm, there's something very pleasing about the aroma of a Havana cigar, drifting through the moorings on a calm morning or evening.
 
Stockholm tar is much more useful than just to make your boat smell nice. It has been made for centuries in the Baltic area from the stumps and roots of pine trees, and is used as a preservative for hemp rope, which is very apt to rot. Tarred hemp rope, which is very soft and easy to handle, is used in the Merchant Navy for heaving lines ( to throw to the shore linesmen when passing large heavy mooring ropes to the shore when mooring ). To my knowledge not used for anything else.
Horses hooves I am told. Get it from tack shops We ( on the St lawrence Fairway ) use it for the threads on mooring shackles. Stops corrosion & they can be released Ok
 
Many, many moons ago I smoked a pipe. Could never stand cigarettes, but a pipe fitted my self-image at the time. There were many, many types of pipe tobacco available. Craven was a pretty common one - I didn't care for it much; too "dry", but it was often available duty free when I travelled. My favourites were "Escudo" and "Royal Yacht" - the latter only when I felt relatively affluent, as it was pretty pricey! Fortunately, smoking was a very brief phase for me; I only used a pipe for a few years.

Bell's "Three Nuns"... smoked by CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and HW Tilman... if you can find any...
 
someone mentioned the smell of a cigar wafting over a harbour. Just reminded me, in the midst of time (back in the 70's) I recall my Dad smoking his pipe always filled with Balkan Sobranie tobacco in the our Hilyard 9 tonner… the most glorious of tabacco smells mixed with old boat... doesn't get any better.
 
Balkan Sobranie tobacco

My mate used to buy Sobranie "Black Russians" in London in the 'nineties, not to sate a tobacco appetite, but because the gold-tipped black cigarettes were so visually distinctive, women would approach to ask him for one. I definitely remember one such lady telling us it was the filthiest smoke she'd ever experienced. :biggrin-new: I also recall they were a tenner per box, even back then. :hopeless:

I sometimes light a Havana aboard the Osprey on calm days, not to inhale the smoke, but because the luxurious aroma travels far and demonstrates to avid racing crews within sniffing distance, how little effort and attention I need to apply, to keep up with them.

Much less dignified in a breeze, when they're speeding along and I'm out of control. :rolleyes-new:
 
Back in my teens I liked a few Black Russians. Reality was, I didn't like smoking, just the odd flavour wafting around. I still quite enjoy the faint wiff of pipe tobacco, but I am very happy I did not get involved, as are my lungs.
 
Last edited:
Top