Wooden Boat Repair Design/Commission Teaching About Eric Hvalsoe Contact
-Eric Hvalsoe, February 2009
... WoodenBoat Magazine’s 'Small Boats 2009'
The backstory ...At the 2007 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival I tapped Associate WoodenBoat Editor Tom Jackson on the shoulder and said … “Heck, if you are doing an issue on small boats, how about including something about the Hvalsoe 13 and 16?” .
In March of 2008 I received a phone call from Port Townsend writer Shelly Randall, who had been given the assignment. Great news! Eventually she decided to focus on the Hvalsoe 16, a traditional lapstrake rowing and sailing dinghy, as the focus of the piece for the next annual Small Boats edition from WoodenBoat Magazine. I hoped that Shelly would share my enthusiasm for the design, while Shelly hoped for the ideal weather window to get out on the water, test the boat and practice her photography. She stopped by several weeks later. We first met here at the shop and office, looking through many photos and previous articles, the story of the Hvalsoe 13 and 16 goes back to the early 1980’s. A few days later I met Shelly at the Center For Wooden Boats in Seattle with my own HV16. The wind was blustery and I put a reef in the spritsail. Shelly steered the 16 through hard puffs like a champ, and got a good gauge of rowing the boat in adverse conditions. Shelly is a good boat handler, and a good listener. I enjoyed working with her. To read exactly what she had to say about the Hvalsoe 16, get a hold of the 2009 Small Boats Issue from WoodenBoat magazine.
Drop me a line at (206) 533-9138 or hvalsoboat@msn.com if you are interested in purchasing a set of lines and construction drawings, or want to know more about commissioning one of your own.
You can learn more about the HV13 and HV16 here on this website. And there's a bit about the process of commissioning a new boat here.
- Eric Hvalsoe, November 2008
... For Sale: HV 13 (No. 11)
We have one unfinished boat for sale here at the shop, the Hvalsoe 13 seen sitting on the floor in the photo to the left. It is the same Hvalsoe 13 featured in our floorboard installation video above. The boat is well along. She is fitted with a centerboard trunk and after installing oarlock pads all that remains is spar work, paint, and varnish. HV 13 hull No. 11 was planked and framed by boatbuilding students under my watchful eye at The Center For Wooden Boats here in Seattle. She is a beautiful new boat with excellent workmanship. As a class built hull, she is available at a significant savings over what is required of a new build commission directly out of the shop. Planking is of course clear, vertical grain, Western Red Cedar, with steam bent ribs of White Oak. For pricing give me a holler, Hvalsoboat@msn.com.-Eric Hvalsoe, March 2009
Update: HV 16 (No. 3) purchased, finish work underway.If you've visited the site recently, you'll notice that we used to have a student-built Hvalsoe 16 for sale. It has been sold to a gentlemen in Canada, and finish work is underway here at the shop. She features an Apitong keel and skeg, African Mahogany Transom and Honduras Mahogany stem. Watch for more updates and photos here on the websites. Like the HV13 still for sale at the shop, this boat was planked and framed under my direction during an intensive CWB seminar. A very nice boat. I can't wait to go sailing with the new owner, and to hear of her adventures in the years to come. -Eric Hvalsoe, March 2009
... Steam Bending
You caught me red handed splintering a couple of frame pieces at the end of our video. What happened? In the art of steambending, less can sometimes be more, and these pieces were in the box for too long. The leftover White Oak frame stock was relatively dry – but with turps and linseed oil, and just enough steam, still capable of conforming to the shape of the bilges. Dry as it was, this stock would not be desirable for bending through the tight curves of a new hull.
A traditional boatbuilder needs fresh bending oak, the wetter the better, with plenty of moisture between the cells to become superheated. Straight grain is important as well. A very rough gauge for steambending is one hour per inch of thickness (15 minutes per ¼ inch). Too long in the oven and the wood will fall apart. The somewhat dry cedar floorboards slats were also steamed, but only for six or seven minutes, far less than the hour per inch rule of thumb.
...That Time Of Year
Now is the time to schedule repair, refinishing, or any kind of refurbishment of your wooden vessel, or to commission construction of a new craft for the 2009 boating season. Let's discuss your budget, maintainence defered can lead to increased damage and cost. For a few more comments about repair and maintainence visit here.
-Eric Hvalsoe, January 2009
... Mountains Majesty
I am thrilled to share a note from my friend Denis, who took HV 16 #4 home to the Idaho mountains for his first season on the water, here are some of his comments and spectacular pictures. Thanks Denis!
HV 16 among the Sawtooth Mountains
Annual Sailing Report For Eric Hvalsoe
The ¼ inch of ice on Stanley Lake ended a great season of sailing in the mountains of central Idaho, on Dec 5, 2008. A highlight of the season was Thanksgiving Day week when we sailed on Redfish Lake until about sunset then played ice hockey on Little Redfish Lake as the sun sunk below the Sawtooths.
The sailing events often began with a row on glassy clear water then a dance amongst the devils of wind. Occasionally we enjoyed up to an hour of steady winds of 5-10 knots, but the general rule was a short ride on a gusty devil then coasting along with but a whisper of a breeze.
A style of riding and rowing the HV-16 evolved from my awkward stumbling to a somewhat smoother and claimed by observers ... ”looking good” …style.
The push stick became a standard, and the 200+ lb skipper hovered around the main thwart, sitting or standing. The Admiral (Stable my dog) took up a down coat padded spot in the stern. As per the following photo, white spots are snow graupels that typically showered us ahead of wind gusts.
The rowing setup works fine, when Dana and I tandemed all went well once a cadence was in place. In our case more room in the stern is a good trade off for having only the single wide main thwart.
The spiral lash for the main sail onto the mast remains. I figured out a combo of tensions on the downhaul and slack in the spiral lash to give me good sail trim, with nice standoff of the main from the mast.Interesting that quite comfortable control was maintained even in some fairly quick winds, and not much need to reef. When the wind gets to that point on these lakes its best not to be out there. Reefing has little benefit when the wind blasts are coming straight down the mast then twisting as they run away!
Just like windsurfing!
The sheet lead that seems to dominate my style: Cleat off on portside, run through the clew grommet, through turning block starboard quarter, than forward to either the cleat on the rear of the centerboard trunk, where it runs free or can be jambed … OR forward to the cleat on top of centerboard trunk. The latter works well when sitting on main thwart or standing just behind main thwart…
We are having a great time with Tarn HV-16 2007 …learning … experimenting …thanks for building it for me.
- Denis Norton, January 9, 2009
Stanley Lake, Idaho
...09 Classes scheduled
Lofting and lapstrake classes with the Center For Wooden Boats are scheduled in May August and SeptemberLofting is a fascinating process, essential for building many designs, and for a lot of folks is much less intimidating to learn in a classroom setting. We will also build another beautiful double ended Lake Oswego Boat (interested parties will have the opportunity to take this one home).Even more exciting, the lapstrake workshop will take place at Cama Beach State Park, where CWB operates a livery, boatshop, and boathouse hosting many activities during the summer months. Complete with quaint beach cabins, a general store, and other amenities, Cama Beach is situated on sleepy Camano Island, north of Seattle, looking across Saratoga passage towards Whidbey Island.It is a great spot to immerse yourself in boatbuilding, and otherwise just hang out.
Lake Oswego boat at CWB
…Plans!
For the ambitious homebuilder, plans of the Hvalsoe 16 are now available.The package includes sheets for lines, general construction, sail plan, and construction details with materials list. Some lofting is recommended. $120 US for full set of drawings.
... Topsides Refinished
The Douglas Fir topsides of this lovely Kutter class sloop had areas of peeling varnish and severe water damage, she came back beautifully with careful sanding and fairing.
Santa Rosa decking with Cherry coaming finished in a medium gloss for Nord Vinden, a miniature pocket cruising yawl
-Eric Hvalsoe, December 2008
... Atkin tender "Vintage" completed
After finish shaping and sealing quarter knees, breasthook and rubrails, I handed Vintage over to the pround new owner, Dave Clemmer, for final varnish and painting. Dave is a hands on guy, as evidenced by the fine work he has done on his Chris Craft Constellation.
Vintage has been a challenging little project, including a relatively complicated backbone, very noticeable tumblehome moving aft and full sections forward, and lot of volume to cover with the prescribed 9 strakes (nine planks each side). For the beginning of the story check the Archive.
Here is the main thwart and daggarboard case. The purpose of the knees is not so much to hold the seat up, as it is to stiffen the top, or 'sheer' of the boat. The knees are notched to recieve the inner gaurd rail, so this whole business is assembled, prefinished and installed in the boat before the inner and outer rails are rivited in place. In the top corner of the picture you can just see the forward seat, or thwart in boatbuilding nomenclature. As the mast passes through here, this thwart is reinforced with a mast partner or doubler, and the doubler is carefully morticed into the adjacent stringer, called the seat riser.
In the two pictures above, you first see me boring keel bolts after setting up the molds and much of the backbone. The second picture illustrates establishing the plank lines with temporary battens, these lines will later be picked off the molds when patterning the Red Cedar planking stock.
Planking and lift off!
The last plank, called the sheer plank, is Meranti, a high grade of Mahogany broadly speaking in the Philipinne family. Meranti was also used for transom, thwarts, daggarboard case. knees and gunwales.
Here is a nice picture of the backbone detail forward with stem, forefoot, mast mortice cheeks and keel doubler. You can also see the reinforced and morticed seat riser.
For many more images, link to Dave's flickr account
http://flickr.com/photos/26841566@N04/sets/72157605185819020/
And look ahead to more pictures of the finished product on this site!
- Eric Hvalsoe, July 2008
... Hvalsoe 16 #4
No. 4 with a reef tucked in
The Friday morning between Christmas and New Year's I was buried head down on some detail or another of the newest Hvalsoe 16. I had just pulled an all nighter - in the world of boatbuilding, pretty well obligatory before launch day. My clients, Denis and Dana, stuck their heads through the door right on schedule, 8:30 A.M.
centerboard trunk
Eric and Denis ready to launch
I liked the two of them right away. Over the phone and through email Denis had been kept up to date on construction and participated in a number of decisions about the new boat. I like working this way with clients. Denis and Dana were really excited to see thier new 16, named Tern, and voiced much appreciation for the work and care invested in the project.
After going over a few details, we hitched up both the new boat and my own HV 16. A small launch party congregated on nearby Lake Ballinger. It was a raw, blustery Pacific Northwest day, the sun blessed us by midmorning. Denis, Dana, and I had a wonderful sail. Denis has begun sailing relatively recently, and after a few pointers, he really began to get the feel of the 16. Tim was on photo picket duty in my boat, Elysium.
Hvalsoe 16 on the beach
At the end of the day I was left with an empty shop bay, a fine bottle of wine, a restored bank account, and the satisfaction of a job well done for good people. This boat I am sure, will be much used and enjoyed.
- Eric Hvalsoe, January 2008
HV 16, from under the foredeck looking aft
Rolling over the HV 16.
Hvalsoe 16's numbers 1 and 4, Lake Ballinger, December 2007
Jim Simpkins has very generously donated his Hvalsoe 13 to the Center For Wooden Boats.This pretty little lapstrake boat is about 15 years old, in great condition and includes a sailing rig.You will see her in the livery this summer.
Remember, CWB runs on a high percentage of volunteer labor – so if you would like to help maintain these beautiful boats, then find out how to contribute volunteer hours at CWB.
- Eric Hvalsoe, November 2007
A later summer evening at the Hvalsoe shop in Shoreline, Wash.
"Building and restoring lovely wooden boats since 1981."
( Rabinowitz, Becker, Loken)
