Waterproofing The Boat Hull With Cotton - Episode 263 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- You've been waiting, and now it's here. Caulking the hull of this wooden boat. It's not mysterious, but it does take practice, and Arabella's dynamic oak planking edge-set on its inboard edge makes it so we have to be very careful with the amount.
If you're able to come this weekend for the hull-fairing (tortureboarding) cookout and work party, RSVP HERE: forms.gle/YTrz...
Overcaulked, a wooden boat can break frames or pop planks. It's an extreme result, and not likely to happen, but we're proceeding with caution and good advice from Larry Pardey and Bud McIntosh, as usual. "Details of Boat Construction" and "How to Build a Wooden Boat" came off the book shelf frequently at the start of this build, and still come out from time to time.
After caulking, seams are painted with regular topside paint above the waterline in order to protect the cotton, and also to hold it in place. It's driven in there pretty well, but the paint really does help to hold it in place for all our other steps.
Thanks to all the volunteers who made bungs and came to bung the boat over a few days. A few thousand went in, and it was quick and efficient. Thanks!
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Acorn to Arabella is a wooden boat building project taking place in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve started as an amateur wooden boat builder building a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and beyond-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that classic wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY boatbuilding project will continue well past launch, when he and the crew will travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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As much as I like the video's where a lot is going on and all the work done by everyone is shown, it is a real luxury to sit back and watch Steve explain for almost half an hour his process and decisions, and showing the careful and methodical way he does things. Ben's music is the icing on the cake (or should I say cotton in the seam?).
Thanks so much!
What a nice comment. I feel the same and couldn't have said it better! 👍
Ben does a GREAT job with curating (and does he play or perform or write it as well?) the music. Bravo!
Agree wholeheartedly. Like going back to the early days of A2A. Total pleasure to sit back and enjoy your calm, patient manner and watch you work.
Couldn't agree more!
Other thing is, I'm sure the endless comparisons with Tally Ho are exhausting. As an arm chair enthusiast, I like following both projects and the differences in your approaches. I know you work with Bob and other experienced shipwrights and that while this may be your first boat, you're drawing on the experience of a number of experts. Great work Steve
Cheers, Robert!
To me, they have different approaches, both extremely sound by the way, with both having an amazingly high standard of quality. They kinda are the two closest to each other in style and appearance so that's cool.
I give credit to this build Steve had a dream and is from Massachusetts and busting his chops and the US will always be his home Port.. Tally Ho when done will leave the US and be from the UK even though the new boat was done with American people.. Plus T.H. seems to be now a YT show with a Ton of bucks pouring in from it's subs.... Steve is hands on T.H. is a production company now.. Hopefully he will remember the boat was made in America ?? Be Well..
I think you need some pro corkers to come in and nail this quickly to keep ahead of your schedule…looking good! Thx, Andrew
@@MegaBait1616 Well, it is called the Sampson Boat Company :)
Steve is so modest in explaining everything. Even though he clearly knows a LOT about the process he is humble and promotes other expert sources as well. A sign of a true expert 👍🏻
The amount of research, and home work you have done to gain the knowledge this far is...., just incredible to me you sir are an inspiration.
Thank you very much, Matthew!
Love the throwback feeling of this, to just Steve working on his boat and patiently explaining to us how & why he's doing it like this. While seeing the project grow to having such an amazing team of boatwrights, other staff, and volunteers in the yard has been glorious - seeing a day of "one man and his boat" is really lovely.
You have to respect and admire the boatbuilders of yesteryear who did everything without the aid of powertools.
Indeed.
Absolutely!
Indeed - and then think about making a watch, from raw materials with only hand tools, or the stone carving on a mediaeval cathedral...
I share the sentiments of a quick scan of the comments here. Love listening to someone who learns something and then puts it in to practice and then makes adjustments based on personal preference while following the guidance of many who have come before.
I own a remodeling business and my son has worked for us for 4 years. It’s so cool to watch someone take knowledge in and then put into practice on their own and see how what you taught them comes out through their eyes and hands.
Thanks for your thoughts, Jerome!
I can't get over how beautiful it already looks. Those lines - mesmerising.
It's mind-altering to imagine that this is the process that practically ALL floating vessels went through for hundreds of years. It is humbling the effort our ancestors went through, the knowledge they accumulated and passed on.
Thanks for sharing this thought! It is interesting to contemplate.
Just rolled up a big fat doobie in your honor. Actually, it was a very small amount of legal Michigan, USA weed. Beng Beng OG for those interested. I'm not going anywhere tonight.
As a math major in college, I so admire Steve's ability to communicate how mathematics applies to his boat.
Seams About Right!
I admit, I... foolishly, for a second, questioned whether or not Steve knew what he was doing with the whole caulking situation. lest I be reminded once again of the truly outstanding level of research and thought he dedicates to this life work of his. i am once again humbled and thank you dearly for it, Steve. I will take this as a lesson to always, always, do your homework.
What a relaxing video! Steve taking time to provide the basics of caulking, then demonstrating how he goes about the chore. Ben's music... Enthralling. Maybe Ben should put out a CD.
Thanks! Also, check out Ben’s music, which he distributes on bandcamp… link is in the description!
Happy A2A day everybody from Plymouth U.K.
Happy Friday, Phil!
The first episode i saw was when you poured the keel. Back then i thought you guys were crazy. Still not sure if you arent, but this has been a multiyear project of determination and love. I cant wait to see Arabella hit the water and her sails full of wind.
Maybe… crazy AND focused? Hahah
Episodes come booming in every Friday on time and are always informative and authoritative. That's called professionaliam and reflects every aspect of what goes on in the shed. Well done.
Thank you very much, Charles! That means a lot to us.
It is so impressive to me to see the huge amount of curvature near the stern, it really hit home once the hull was faired. I love those sweeping views of the hull, it really highlights this.
Thanks!
Steve it's nice to hear your research and sound reasoning for your processes. As a young boatbuilder I was gifted a set of caulking irons by a retired shipwright but no mallet, I used a carpenter's mallet throughout my career and none of the vessels I caulked sunk! I am now long retired and have passed on those irons to a new apprentice at our local boatyard and hope they continue to be used for generations to come.
I really miss not hearing Steve go through his plans for how and why he chose to certain build features. It was great to hear him explaining this again.
My two cents about Caulking? Better you than me. I see Bob made the boat write credits! Very cool. I can't imagine that anyone could be watching Arabella come to life without watching Victoria being built. Both are two of my favorite channels to watch for sure!
Aw shucks Dwayne, thanks! We’re so glad you’re here every week!
Still amazes me every time I have a question steve explains it in detail. I don’t even have to ask the question awesome video!!
Ha! Awesome, thanks!
I just wanna say thank you ben you do a great job with your edits and music
Hip hip for Ben! We’re so grateful for him.
Such a great explanation of caulking. Also great to see Aaron finally get recognized for all his contributions.
GM Steve,
I think about the first time I stopped by and saw you guys and said how crazy you were and the drive you had to take on such a momentous task. Steaming the frames was fun, stripping Victoria was not...lol. It looks great. Congrats to you and the crew.
Cheers, Paul! Best of luck with your surgery, we’re rooting for ya!
The skin is the largest organ of the human body. On a boat, it's the hull. Although the wood has been harvested, it's still interesting to remember it still has characteristics of a living thing. Great video! DD
Each time I start up an Arabella video I immediately smash the like button. Don't even need to see it to know it's great!
That is a major milestone achieved! Arabella should be watertight! Steve, your patient explanation of all the considerations just to start the work speaks volumes!
Ben is a pro and will have a helluva resume when this project has sailed.
He’s the best. -Anne
This A2A project is a national treasure. Seriously.
Thank you so much, that’s very kind
Steve, I appreciate your full detailed explanation of how you have approached the procedure in packing the cotton with respect to the gap of each individual joint.
Great explanation of the caulking Steve, and of the balance between timber expansion and all the other considerations. I learned a lot listening to you explain things there!
What a great video/episode! For a man who is not a formal shipwright and who has never sailed, Steve is to be commended for his knowledge and understanding of wood and the principles involved in both! Coming from a framing and home building background, I agree with Steve regarding his comments on the caulking mallet. It seems kinda awkward just to look at it. But I’m sure there is a reason to it’s design. It seems like it requires the user to kinda use their shoulder when packing the cotton, as though you are just pushing it into the seams, instead of using your forearm and wrist as you do when you’re driving nails. But because he understands what is needed in the caulking process, he has decided to use the tools and processes he is comfortable with to achieve the same purpose. Great job, Steve!
An amazing amount of work goes into Arabella. I’ve been watching this journey since day one. Fascinating!
hello from "Geneva lake" (EUR).
Joining the planks : Thank you for the explanation for the good angle(6°). So interesting on that particular subject.
Bon courage and stay safe .
Thank you!
I've seen guys working on Tally Ho using the caulking hammer inverted, swinging the head under their wrist and up onto the chisel. Maybe try that? Keep up the awesome work.
What a treat for all of us armchair boat rights! Steve you have such a calm demeanor when when sharing the calking tips and secrets. I can easily see you in your past teaching profession. Now that I am, as my nephew calls me, the “old silverback” of our family, I can greatly appreciate the Zen like calmness that calking a hull could create. If only I was in your neck-o-the woods, I would be at your boathouse daily, marveling at what you are creating, along with the merry band of volunteers, and hopefully you would allow this old builder and cabinet maker the chance to make a bit, or a massive pile, of shavings and sawdust. You truly amaze me.
Stay on the path you have chosen. Never stop learning and sharing your wisdom as you go through this life.
All the best.
Thanks for the kind words, Bart!
What a beautiful sailing vessel.
Amazing hard work . ⛵️
Always look forward to Friday after work to just sit down with a coffee and wind down watching Arabella coming along nicely.
The more I watch how complex building a boat is with modern tools, I'm convinced that shipwrights from viking Era all the way to Victorian Era were actually wizards
Thanks for the illustrations and explanation on the three ctton caulking methods and confirming option 3. Ditto for the expansion and contraction % i.e.1/8" to 1/4" for cedar and oak.
Happy torture boarding this coming weekend! Wish I was there...
Aw we wish you could come too, Mathijs. Cheers to you, thanks for being here every week. -Anne
"seams about right" love it.
Very chill vibe on this video. Well done Steve and Ben.
Friday once again, enjoyed the episode today. Can’t say that I would want to be a ship yard worker. However, I so admire Steve’s ability and talents for woodworking. Steve will get it done and I sure don’t think just anyone could do this project.
I first saw fire and pouring lead. Been following ever since. Crazy build.
28:35 "Seams About Right" Most awesome credit yet!
Ha! Thanks!
Been looking forward to this. The sealing of the hull. Looking forward to seeing it all sealed and painted. Everything is really coming together nicely. Launch day will be epic.
Oh boy it's Friday again 🎉 Happy Friday!
Happy Friday, Harold!
Steve is all the teachers I never had
Just from the northwest coast of Spain, a place where even today traditional boats are build, following you from the very beginning my deep admiration for your work and caracter.
Been there on 2 trips. One of the most beautiful regions of the planet. Your seafood dishes are spectacular as well. Hope to go again sometime.
Thank you for watching and for telling us where you’re watching from. We love to hear it.
@@HansWeberHimself Waiting for you! and maybe some day Arabella would sail around Cape Finisterra.
Good morning, 'bella fam! Happy Friday! ☕
Happy Friday, Ryan! 🙌
Thank you for the detailed caulking explanation. The "Why" is so often overlooked in pursuit of the "What" and the "How" that we think we understand but like high school algebra, we think we know it all until the midterm exam, when it sometimes seems our brains get a memory wipe. Caulking is a critical element of boat construction and adds a great deal of stiffness to the hull, so hearing and seeing it done in detail like this is good for my soul. The absolute best aspect of watching these videos is the way Steve looks to the experts for advice when he needs more information, rather than faking it. I'm sure Arabella will have a long and happy life because of the care he's taken with the finer points.
The science and art of wooden boat building.
Excellent episode! I can hardly watch to the end being excited to go to my boat shop and work. Very inspiring!
It shows in your work, Bob!
Oh my goodness Bob. Thank you!
Good morning A2A from Norton MA Good to see so much progress!!
Happy Friday, Bill! See ya this weekend?
Looking more and more impressive... Just hoping KP is progressing in feeling better! The boat is more and more a work of art
Another great video! I learn much with each one. I'm delighted (as I'm sure are many others) to see the bigger and smaller projects zipping along with each change of the day! I'm grateful to Anne, Ben, Steve, PK and crew for careful, honest and extremely well done presentations of the weekly activities. This is more personal in approach (at least in my opinion) than a couple of other boat projects I also follow. Thanks to you all, stay well and stay safe!
Cheers, Randy!
because of course there's an entire special mallet for caulking. Another great ep, and less than 3 months to go!
With jobs in boatyards being so specialized (there were people who only did caulking, only did pitching, only did fastening) yeah of course they’d come up with just the thing for consistent use for days and years of caulking. -Anne
Been waiting a long time to see cotton go in to the hull , such a pleasure to be able to watch this whole process from the other side of the world , greetings from Geelong , Victoria , Australia
Cheers, Paul!
Will miss the Friday videos when it is launched. Hope you will keep them going with its adventures.
We will continue the videos after launch! I hope you follow us.
If the videos are continuing I will follow. Best regards
i'm scared of having A2A withdrawal symptoms.
@@AcornToArabella Will you continue the videos during all of your sailing adventures? I sure hope so! Would love to see you and Arabella around the world!
@@AcornToArabella All the final fit out, rigging, balancing....testing.....sailing lessons....on and on...different adventures.
Good morning crew. Another great Friday to view progress on our lady, Arabella. Thanks for the video
Happy Friday, Tom!
It’s been amazing to watch Arabella come together over these last several years. Looking forward to a successful launch, and the journey ahead.
Cheers, James!
Amazing careful and critical hard work, Kudos
I can only admire the dedication and patience that goes into the numbing hours of caulking and long boarding
Thank you, Joe!
Good Morning everyone! Looking good
Loads of work going on around Arabella and great to see the calming getting done. It’s been a long time since I first watched someone calling a portion of decking that was being repaired.
Getting close. And looking great.
Fabulous, Steve ... I can see the mix of confidence and concern in your face. So many details. You're a pro!
I've been following since pouring the keel. What a journey it is . I love how you drive into these old books.
Btw laat week I saw the free movie on CZcams about Paul Erling Johnson. A boatbuilder post war. It was beautiful.
Maybe you ve seen it already.
Cheers.
Wonderful, thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks for the cork/caulk explanation. I can envision the next owner of Arabella having all of these videos indexed with a table of contents as the best owner's manual _ever_. Also, the music at 15 min is perfect for the meditative nature of caulking. Great job!
Thanks!
The progression of this episode was seamless. 😉
Good morning everyone at A2A. Great job on the caulking. I know it's tedious work. Take care and have a wonderful week. See you next Friday!
Happy Friday, Patty!
Got a chance to stop by the boat house today with my brother (4/28). I've been following your progress for about the last year and have to say Arabella is more impressive when seen up close. What you have accomplished is truly amazing. Kudos to you and all your crew and volunteers. I left a fun fact for you in the visitor's log that is based on information I got from my 97 year old mother. I hope her memory is correct! :)
Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words!
Great explanations Steve, I have no idea how you keep your arms up that long. Some lovely compositions, Anne. And silky smooth edits Ben.
Ooo that’s all Adin in this episode, and thank you! -Anne
Thanks Steve. Quite a few variables.
Caulking is about patience. Patience is caulking. Great army of volunteers. Mike 🇦🇺
Good Morning Granby!😊
Good morning Akiva 🐺 and Crew😸😺
Wow. A couple thousand bungs! And Ben's music was great listening!
Back from Bordeaux(again) great catching up after unpacking....cheers...rr Normandy, FRa.
Hooray! Happy belated Friday, Richard. 😊
I have been watching this series for years. I wondered how they were going to get the hull smooth. Now I know.
We have arrived!
I just got in the mail the posters and another t-shirt. All good things. The posters I am going to get framed.
Hooray! Glad you like them and thanks for the support, Kelly!
I enjoyed this video. a great task and yet doable. thanks for taking us along on your build.
And thanks for being here!
Great video !
Thanks! 🙌
It was interesting to hear the discussion about Pardey's options for the length of plank-plank contact vs. caulking depth. You chose to use minimal contact at the back of the planks with a deep caulking channel - Pardey's option (c). And yet when you first started planking you talked (Episode on the 1st broadstrakes) about Pardey's option (b) 1/3 tight contact and 2/3 open.
Why is this such a soothing video. Great watch and as always Steve's explanation of his decisions and process is thourough and enlightening.
That’s so very kind, Tim!
Awesome episode
Another great A2A Update. The boat is looking so so good now - amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Love your guys' hard work.
Well I must say that things are coming along swimmingly, well done everybody.
May I ask? How's your mum Steve?..
She’s doing pretty good. The chemo has been fairly effective, and we’re glad she’s not suffering too badly from side effects. Thanks for asking! -Anne
@Acorn To Arabella thanx for replying, bless you 😇😇
All I gotta say is WOW!!! Such an incredible adventure.
🥲 SO happy! You are so far along.
Yet, SO much more left.
💙
Vids on this awesome channel feel like 5 minutes, and my own project feels easy afterwards.
Aw shucks, thanks so much. What’s your project?
Good morning from tasmania Australia
Good morning!
I loved the pace of this video. So nice to just relax and watch you work. I know it's not relaxing for you, but you hide it pretty well.
Thanks again for another great video.
Thanks for those kind words, Shaun!
After shes been in the water for a couple of years, it'll be interesting to see how the planks have faired.
After all these years of watching, I finally set up a Patreon account to make a donation. I timed it. It took me four minutes and 12 seconds. Who can beat that time?
Clever, and thank you very much, David!
Happy to see Steve using a regular carpenters mallet to set the caulking. Use the tools that you know. I’m sure there is a value to a caulkers mallett, but I have never understood how.
IIRC, Leo or one of his caulking crew on Tally Ho explained it in one of their caulking episodes. It’s been awhile, but I think the design is supposed to make it a bit easier physically if you’re swinging the mallet all day, every day. Leo hired some pros and there’s definitely a difference in how fast they move compared to Steve!
The caulking mallet imparts far more force for the effort expended, than any other type of hammer or mallet.Which is what you'd expect from a tool specifically designed for the job. The boats I used to caulk were far bigger, the planks thicker and we'd whale in four threads of oakum as hard as we could. Believe me a good mallet is the only option. The Iron is properly held in the hand with the thumb and forefinger on the seam, so it is your wrist and pinkie that are smashed to a pulp during the learning process.
The weight of the mallet matters when caulking most boats, both for the comfort of work and the assurance that the cotton gets to where it needs to go. For other planks, types of bevels, etc on other boats, a carpenter’s mallet would not do the job. -Anne
A excellent start to a day... as usual thank you.
And thanks for being here!
Awesome video team!
Yah, that "traditional" caulking mallet looks like rube goldberg design! ha ha "Seams about right". Seems like a good idea to make sure most of the salt water reliably stays on the outside of the hull. Oh, and thanks for smashing that skeeter!
We have a real connection to all the love Steve has been adding to Arabella. Great work.
Great stuff as usual
I would almost hate to see all that beautiful oak be covered in paint. But I suppose it needs to be done. The music used while caulking is very Zen-like and I could see he repeated very careful and intentional movements of hammering and inserting cotton to create a very trance-like experience. Likewise, Steve, your humility in admitting what you know and don't know and have skills in and need more practice with is always appreciated.