Setting Up The Keel and Boats Grow on Trees (Ep. 2) - Two Blokes Build a Boat

In this episode we take delivery of a lovely piece of oak and make the keel. We also make the stem and put all together on the strongback and the GoPro starts to develop a mind of its own.

[@davidbamford4721]

I love that you have planted a hundred or so oaks, following one of the few good things which Henry VIII did. Your workshop speaks of serial tinkerers, and many decades of tinkering.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Yes it's exciting seeing the oaks grow.

[@kelpshake650]

With limited source of information and having no luxury to see and learn this kind of art of boat building anywhere in my country... this video is helping me a lot in understanding and learning how every single part of boat being made.. thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I hope someday I can build this kind of boat too

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

THanks. I really hope you can too.

[@MikeAG333]

This is developing into something of a classic, I reckon.....

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Really glad you're enjoying the videos.

[@robertogarcia5669]

Excellent video. Wood is always alive and only dies when it decays. So not surprised that you can feel the spirit of this boat. It takes a sensitive and receptive person to appreciate it's presents. Thank you, Roberto

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

THanks Roberto. I couldn't agree more.

[@richardsiddon610]

Men in sheds eh? Makes yer proud! Looking good. Thankyou for sharing.🙂

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

A shed is everything!

[@newtonmiller8810]

This is going to be a fantastic journey. Bet the dad jokes start soon! But seriously, thank you for the grass roots approach, really looking forward to the next episode. I was captivated by Acorn to Arabella and watch the Art of Boat Building, now have your channel to follow. Happy little Aussie you have here!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks. There's going to be some interesting ups and downs. Nice to think we have reached as far as Australia!

[@charles11ification]

@@jonsealwoodturning4673 Oi..oi...oi!

[@martyhill6609]

I don't know what's better? Building a boat or watching this boat being built. My blood pressure drops when I watch it.😉

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Great! Advanced warning - things get a bit tricky in episode 4!

[@basinbranch1144]

Wonderful storytelling. I love both your reverence for the wood, tools, and craft, as well as your playful irreverence about modern videos and epoxy. I support your gluing up the stem as appropriate use of technology just much as using a router or dust collector. This takes nothing away from the spokeshave or chisel or the smell of the shavings from your plane. Each in it’s right place to build an heirloom wooden boat.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Many thanks for your thoughts. Yes it's always tricky getting the balance right isn't it?

[@smithnyiu]

The fact that you used modern music while gluing up the bow with a modern adhesive wasn't lost on me. Brilliant.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks.

[@evewilkinson9653]

Brilliant, love the way you are presenting the videos 👍🏻👍🏻

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@danielj5288]

Thanks for this! I needed a new project to follow along and keep me company. I am in the middle of building a Welsford Pathfinder in the lounge/kitchen of my one bedroom flat in London. With the increase in timber prices it's all been taking rather longer than planned (not that I ever expected things to go to plan) because I have to save up every time before I can order a new batch of wood :) Which means I've been living with all my stuff in the bedroom for a year now. I've decided to strip plank the hull with red cedar instead of using plywood lapstrake and finally could afford to buy the planking stock last week. I don't have a bandsaw or table saw, so I built a jig saw table with a long fence and saw blade guide for my cheap jigsaw to cut the strips from fencing boards. The first six strips look alright, but took an hour and I still have 150 to go, by which time my neighbours might either plot eviction or assassination, so I guess I'll wait for a few days without rain and take the enterprise outside (less cedar dust in my bolognese as a welcome side effect). Looking forward to seeing your frames going up and day-dreaming of a workshop :)

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Wow this sounds like real dedication. Good luck with your project - just imagine that feeling when you get on the water!

[@peaterful]

There are carpentry workshops in London where you can rent a bench and use of the machinery on a temporary basis. A friend of mine does this at Blackhorse workshop. Otherwise I'm sure you could find a local carpenter to run it through his machines if there is no risk of metal in the timber. I do this for people (but I'm not near London). Or buy a circular saw with a guide fence, you won't regret it when you compare it to the jigsaw!

[@andyphillips9582]

Listening to Carter USM in the background too - nice !!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you liked that.

[@SeaDog-Si]

Great content, filming and editing. The music choice is also brilliant.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks for the comment

[@Zabessa]

John, I speak with some authority to correct you early on in the video. I am a sailor of some forty years experience with many ocean crossings under my expanding belt added to the fact that I am both an ex professional mariner with multiple certificates of competence from the MCA (or Department of Transport or even the "Board of Trade" if you're as old as you look) PLUS I am certificated by the ROYAL YACHTING ASSOCIATION. The front end of a boat is called the "Pointy End" except in the case of a double-ender when it can be referred to as the "Pointier End". Anyway, excellent video, carry on...

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks for the wisdom. In some places it is referred to as the sharp end - is that frowned upon these days?

[@301greg301]

Great music too!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks - see the music credits for some great musicians.

[@DavePilotCH47]

This is why Old Guys Rock!!!!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks.

[@kwilliams801]

One of the best videos I've seen. The process of starting from a slab of a tree. Growing trees for the next generations of boaties . The juxtaposition of old world craftsmanship with hand tools and modern epoxies, planes , routers, and go pros was great. I built my little boat with plywood and great haste very little craftsmanship involved. So happy to watch this.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Very kind of you to say. Thank you. There's something amazing about floating on the water in something you have built, isn't there?

[@ianwit]

You say epoxy like its a dirty word, its been around for around 90 years probably around the time the bent branch supply started to dwindle. Great production and the inclusion of the Go Pro confusion was amusing.🙂

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks

[@chrisstockman904]

I will be watching! Great videos and a marvellous project. Love the respect for the wood.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thank you very much!

[@SamLanghout]

I was wondering where the second bloke was. Absolutely sick epoxy glueing compilation😂

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

You and me both!

[@lincolngrove2808]

Better than telly. I'm looking forward to tuning in next time.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks

[@WoodWorksFulham]

Vikings would be proud of your nifty axe work

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Tusen takk!

[@alan2804]

Im waiting in anticipation for the next instalment, really enjoying this series of informative and entertaining videos. You’ve already explained a couple or ten things I’ve always wondered about, thanks.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks Alan - next instalment is out on 16th December!

[@alan2804]

Excellent news! Something to look forward to. Quick question on the groove cut in the laminated bow, how do you determine depth and shape of cut of this?

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

There seem to be two ways to do this. One is to do very accurate lofting of the stem. We chose to be a little less committed. We marked the line of the rabbet lofted from the plans. But we didn't cut the exact angle and depth. We deliberately undercut it. That way we could cut the exact depth and angle as we put in each plank. It's a bit more time consuming but allowed us a get out until we could be absolutely sure. I think I would always do it this way from now on. Kinda follows the 'keep your wood as long as possible as long as possible' school of woodwork.@@alan2804

[@alan2804]

@@jonsealwoodturning4673 thankyou very much for your reply and hopefully we will get to see your method in one of the videos. It still puzzles me how a plank can be made to meet the stem with so many angles and curves involved! I hop the mists will clear, ive got a book on clinker boat building by John Leather and currently deciphering the technical names of parts of the boat before i can try to understand the method.

[@paulgreene421]

Looking forward to seeing you progress with your boat. Keep up the good work

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks, will do!

[@andrewknill8652]

Great videos - love the explanations and background to the work and highly entertaining!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Much appreciated!

[@doonhamer252]

Love watching this, especially the Morgan Giles story.. My Brother owned the Morgan Giles 6 meter "Golden Hind 3" In Vancouver BC. I helped to re- fasten her planking Mahogany on Oak with bronze screws (3600). We rebuilt the mast,mast step and spars. We also rebuilt and canvased her decking and cabin top, Refinished her sparten cabin interior.. When he bought her, she had been in rough shape, but still had original spruce mast and spars. She had significant damage to the keel and hull when she was cut adrift from her mooring by yobs. She also had an Atomic 4 fitted , a problamatic motor that I rebuilt, It had in past been run far too hot. Sadly she changed hands to another enthusiast who had doggedly courted him, one who promised the moon and stars to keep her up, and give her the sailing time as a training ship that she deserved. He did not, in fact he put her on the hard in Seatle without any topside cover or proper cribbing under hull. Eventually the yard claimed her for debt owed, and scrapped her for the bronze, lead and motor, and rest chainsawn up, sad end to a historic boat.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

That sounds like an amazing boat and an all too familiar story. Great memories.

[@sailingyorkshireman]

Great episode ! I'm here for the journey 😊

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Welcome aboard!

[@Lanxe]

haha nice work chaps. Keep it up! Great to see all those trees being grown as well.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks. We'll be checking on the trees as the episodes progress.

[@WoodWorksFulham]

I’d watch the next one because it’s great!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks Paul

[@alexandermessier5509]

Another great video, very real, wish I was their

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

We could have done with your help with the riveting in the later episode!

[@richardparsons7012]

I trust you have longer winding sticks for when it gets a bit more accurate? 😂 Thanks for that. Looking forward to seeing her in the water.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

They're a nice simple took aren't they?

[@svlamancha9877]

Great progress guys I’m looking forward to the next one. 👍

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks 👍

[@buildingladygarnet]

Looking forward to watching this. I've also been doing a KZbin series on building a clinker dinghy, it will be fun to see how our boatbuilding techniques compare!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Sounds great, Don! Good luck with your project and look forward to watching.

[@isaacpaulsen1158]

You guys are great! Stellar content.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you like it.

[@iancowan7071]

Love it! Great stuff men, replacing the trees too, great idea. Looking forward to following your journey from my cosy armchair.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Welcome aboard!

[@brianbigland8529]

Wonderful videos. It's lovely seeing you use hand tools that are not seen very often nowadays.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you like them!

[@brucepottorff6870]

Why would anyone watch? Fair question. In my case it's inspiring to watch two fellows my age build something beautiful by hand. It's what I do, albeit furniture rather than a boat. Thank you sirs.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

A lovely answer to Conor's question.

[@listerd93]

Awesome work!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Cubic5]

Nice. I will be watching.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jackrandall20]

Love it.

[@mikefriend7570]

Great work!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Great - just start and see what happens next!

[@juliedouglas2888]

Good vlog...............thanks.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jackrabbit5047]

Much enjoyed. Thank you.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@glenncarvalhal3085]

Very nice! Looking forward to the next video! Thanks for sharing your love for wooden boat building and ensuring their future by planting trees

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

THanks.

[@MoleValleyMaker]

I really felt nostalgic over the hand cranked pencil sharpener, a staple of every classroom. It wasnt until O level technical drawing that we had a motorised one! I know from watching Thomas Johnson Antique Restorations the agony that choosing epoxy can cause but sometimes youve got to do what youve got to do! Keep up the good work.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

I think you've hit the nail on the head there.

[@JCRyderRichardson]

Can’t wait to see you guys sailing the finished boat!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Us too!

[@ageguy5090]

👍

[@raytheron]

Following along with great interest, I am! Oh, and subscribed and a' that!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks

[@peppylongsocks6717]

You guys are hilarious! Great videos! Excited to see your boat grow!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad you enjoyed it. The next video is out on 16th December.

[@ntyhurst]

This is great stuff thank you. Honestly the music is kind of distracting. I like the sounds of the tools. But that’s probably just me. Thanks again. I’ll keep watching.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Really interesting comment. Thanks. I'll try and take note.

[@johnkingston7244]

Very much enjoy these videos, love the use of traditional tools - even to the point of using an axe to rough out the keel when I know there is a bandsaw lurking somewhere! Nothing at all wrong with laminating a stem (grown oak is very hard to get these days, I’m always on the qv for windfall trees as a potential source) but why epoxy? I know it’s the go-to glue for many jobs but my understanding is that it doesn’t really like oak and a resorcinol would be much better. Provided you have fair mating surfaces and adequate clamps, of course! I trust those were bronze screws going into the centre line and not brass? They looked pretty yellow… By the way, this isn’t one of the late, great John Leathers’s designs is it? Can’t remember if you mentioned it in the first video. Already looking forward to the next episode!👍 Oh, and great job planting new oaks, always wanted to do that (plus some pine, larch, spruce etc) but haven’t acquired the land yet…

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks for the comment. I think epoxy will be ok but next time we will definitely use resorcinol. In a later episode we find one of the original boatbuilders who worked at Morgan Giles and he recommends resorcinol. One of the cool things about the project is we learn as we go. The screws are silicon bronze but they do look a bit yellow in the video, don't they? I blame the Go Pro. The design is a Morgan Giles sailing and pulling dinghy from 1950 - very much based on the traditional clinker boat which has its origins in the salmon or seine boat of the Teign and the Exe.

[@jeffreywelch5853]

Boats grow on trees, love it.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Recommend some guerilla planting in hedgerows!

[@joshelmer4987]

Thanks very much ! Rgds JH

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

You are welcome!

[@waynejorgensen4433]

I’ve built a number of boats and have no problems using epoxy when necessary. I don’t like plastic boats but. I’m dam sure the old shipwrights would have used it for difficult jobs if it was available to them.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Agreed!

[@vingreensill]

Very worthwhile stopping by. Your craftsmanship and passion is interesting viewing. Appreciate the respect you show towards timber and the trees it grows in. Trees are precious. The boat already has a spine! Marvellous! I know nothing about housetraining Go-Pros, wish you luck in that little diversion, it looks challenging.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Glad to have you onboard!

[@brianmccusker3852]

Just found your channel, and appreciate your efforts to replace the oak, which boatbuilders have been plundering for years. You need to take some more steps to protect those trees from the deer however. Otherwise you'll have zero growth. Not even Leo talks about growing more trees. He seems to be only interested in cutting them down from the Carolinas, S. America, and Canada. And maybe you can cut back some on the soundtrack. It often distracts one from enjoying your efforts. Otherwise, good luck and happy solstice. I've got to binge your other videos. Thanks again, and cheers.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Some interesting points, Brian. I'm not sure if the footage shows it very clearly but we have put 5 foot tree protectors around the oaks. This has stopped the deer but our real problem is grey squirrels. Once the trees get to about 15 years they rip the bark off them and often damage the trees fatally. They're real pests over here. Happy Solstice to you too!

[@ptrollip1]

Another great vid

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks again!

[@AaronStroud-k7h]

Loving your work fellas 🍻

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Thanks

[@TheUnseenDragon]

I'm so glad KZbin recommended your channel at the start of this project! It's also great to see that your apart of tree regeneration for future boat builders. Only odd part is the music from 13:40 I don't think it quite fits with the mood of the project 🙂. Still, I find this is equally as good as the Tally Ho channel and I CAN'T WAIT for the future updates. All the best!

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Welcome aboard!

[@Pali65]

Excellent! I will definitely build my own boat one day...

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Great - make a start and see where it goes! Look forward to hearing more.

[@seattleboatguy]

Oh my goodness, epoxy resin touched your boat?!?!? You will have to come up with some kind of decontamination ceremony for the poor boat, or it will be damned for all time! I was very interested in all the oak trees you are growing. It seemed like quite a lot of them growing in a relatively small area. Will you have to thin them out over time?

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

yes I think there is a Viking ceremony for that. There will probably be some natural wastage with some of the trees. Grey squirrels are a real problem (they eat the back when the trees get to about 15 years old). By planing the trees reasonably close together we hope to encourage them to grow straight up as they reach for the light - making better and longer planks.

[@basinbranch1144]

You have a remarkable achievement in 3.11k likes from 3.99k views. Unheard of response rate! You MUST be evoking a strong reaction in your viewers.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Seems like a really nice bunch of people too.

[@iainphilip8818]

Not only is it about the pleasure of watching a boat being built, but the fun of seeing a pencil being sharpened and the silly face made at the dreadful thought of epoxy being used. Please keep recording and "publishing".

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Will do. Next one is on 16th December!

[@davidbamford4721]

Do not be embarrassed by using epoxy; it is wonderful stuff, the wonder of the age. Beware,though, its effects on your tender skin. Some people become sensitised to it, and they break out in a rash.

[@Martinreij]

Great stuff guys. I can almost smell the wood. But epoxy????? Really Cheers Martin from the Netherlands.

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

I know ... I know ...

[@richb419]

Hi are you fellows using air dried oak so it is easier to steam bend? It appears that you are using kiln dried oak. Rich

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

The oak we used for steam bending the timbers was actually very green, however the grain ran off on some of the longer pieces which led to some snapping.

[@daleskidmore1685]

Funny to think that, in a hundred years time someone will be saying "GoPro, start recording". As they turn on their laser saw.....

[@jonsealwoodturning4673]

Yeah - maybe they'll just have to think it.