Wooden Novices

D

dmj

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26 Jul 2005
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Woodbridge, Suffolk
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We're buying a live-aboard 49ft Dunkirk Little Ship but now what do we do? Where do we find all that we need to know, as total beginners, about maintaining a wooden boat ... What, When & How? Any good, comprehensive books on the subject? <font color="brown"> </font>
 
There are a lot of books available, but for the life of me I cant think of one name!! Wait a wee while and some of the stalwarts hereabouts will awaken and fill you in with the details! Welcome by the way and welcome to the joys of wooden boat ownership! Lets have some details of the vessel, please.
 
I must admit to being in exactly your situation about 10 months ago...

I didn't read any books, but posted lots of specific questions on here and had a huge amount of support and help from forum members.

Good luck!
 
A partial list of books on wooden boat maintenance.

You will probably do better in a secondhand bookshop or on Abebooks.com, since the supply of wooden boat maintenance books IN PRINT at any given moment is rather small.

Having said that, there is one heroic exception and that is to be found on the website of the rtuly excellent American magazine "Woodenboat"; they publish a tremendous range of books but since they are aimed at the US reader you will have to translate some things.

Going back to secondhand stuff, and not of course forgetting the public library...

I would start with Michael Verney's books - almost any of them- "A Complete Guide to yacht care", "Practical Conversions and yacht repairs", "Complete Amateur Boat Building", etc. These are easy to find.

In my opinion the very best book was written some thirty years ago by John Scarlett, the founding Secretary of the Old Gaffers Association. I have managed to lend my copy and forget the title but its the only book he wrote so you should find it OK. It starts with renewing the keel, and goes from there...

There is a book in print now called "Surveying and Restoring Classic Boats" by JC Winters which is not bad - published by Adlard Coles.

The English professional boatbuider's Bible is "Watts and Jurd" ("Yacht Construction", by KHC Jurd and CJ Watts - pub. Adlard Coles, maybe out of print - the writers were the sucessive Technical Managers at Camper & Nicholson. This Book makes more sense if read in conjunction with Lloyds yacht Rules.

There is an outstanding American book called "Details of classic yacht construction - the hull" by Larry Pardey, who is a perfectionist of perfectionists.

Look out for the early editions of Eric Hiscock's "Cruising Under Sail". Also Claud Worth's "Yacht Cruising" and Graham and Tew's (excellent, easy to find, and cheap) "Manual for Small yachts".

Ian Nicholson's "Boat Data Book" is worth having.

I will post some more when I think of them.
 
..and I'm sure Nigel Calder deserves a mention for his Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual which I have read bits of - a useful manual for any boat whatever its construction material!

Where are you /your boat?
 
Congratulations!

No advice whatsoever from me - I'm not that wise - I would like to know which Little Ship if possible though so I can look her up in the book/on the ADLS website.

Best of luck.

Francis Fletcher
 
Re: A partial list of books on wooden boat maintenance.

John Scarlett's book is called Wooden Boats: Restoration & Maintenance Manual. It was published by David & Charles in 1981 and is an excellent reference. Just had a look on Abebooks and there is one copy advertised for sale in the UK, priced £18.
 
Thanks.

I will resist the temptation to buy it myself to replace my loaned copy (the loan seems to have become rather permanent!) since others' needs are greater than mine!

It is a very good book and I always find it cheers me up since it assumes the boat in question is in an utterly ghastly state - far worse than ones own!
 
What you have just let yourself in for...

Ah, you've bought Trimilia. That means at least four of us on here* know your boat by sight and are based on the same river.
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A three cylinder Russell Newbery, decks painted with Coelan, ketch rig, ex big RNLI Lifeboat, nicely converted.

Fortunately you are just a couple of hundred yards away from one of the best wooden boat yards in the country (assume Kim won't mind a plug for Robertsons, as they advertise in the magazine). Which should make things a whole lot easier for you. Speak unto Mike Illingworth; you will not do better.

The secondhand bookshop at your end of Throughfare has quite a good boating section, incidentally. Probably because so many boat owners retire and eventually die in these parts.

(You do realise that the Russell Newbery has a Preservation Order on it!)

Good luck!

* Francis Fletcher, Hoilung, Kestrel, Mirelle.
 
I will have a butcher's at the Tidemill's webcam (fantastic innovation, that, perfect for paranoid owners) and see if I can see her. Shouldn't think it will be long before I get to Woodbridge, with or without Crystal, so I certainly shall.

Hoping everything goes well with the purchase!

/<
 
Nice to meet Dave, Moira, and their very friendly young dog at the Tidemill briefly on Saturday evening. The boat is looking pretty good even before they've started giving her their TLC.

Good luck!

Francis Fletcher
 
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