Re-creations
The People and Their Boats - completed or in process of being built
"Safe harbors for men and women of the river are those places where the
current is at variance with the prevailing flow, where the river gets
confused, reverses itself, and runs upstream along the bank, slips into
slack water, then moves quietly into the whitewater again. It is a place to
catch one's breath following the maelstrom of the previous rapid, quietly
contemplate the surrounding beauty, or consider the
graceful lines of the riverboat in which you sit. The boatman is in an eddy.
This is a place where an oarsman may ponder the efficacy of his craft and
consider ways to improve its efficiency,
maneuverability, draft, or ease of handling. The boatman has entered an eddy
of evolution, that place where ideas are born and, ultimately, boats are
modified to address the changing demands of the
river (Drift
Boats and River Dories, p. 2)." The primary
objective of the River's Touch is to capture and preserve the legacies of
riverboats that may have been lost but for my recovery of the boats as they
evolved over time, and the recovery of the wonderful stories of the people
behind the boats.
At the beginning of my work I did not anticipate the
interest it would generate, especially the interest in re-creating these
gems as functional, useful fishing and pleasure craft. It is my intent on
this page to share with you some of the boats built from the plans in my
book, each one a unique re-creation of the original boat.
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Paul Bradbury and Friends,
Tasmania, Australia |
16' Original McKenzie double-ender with transom |
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Dear Roger Just a short email to say thank you for your wonderful book, my friends and I purchased your book in the summer of 2010 and then followed on by building a sixteen foot double ender with a transom. I must tell you that making this boat changed us all, it was certainly one of the most satisfying times of all our lives. As a note to anybody who intends to build one of these wonderful craft, we did not alter or change a single thing on the plan and every single aspect worked without a hitch, it was an amazing process. Once again thank you for the wonderful book and the amazing experience and here's hoping that we can live up to the wonderful example of those early pioneers. Yours sincerely Paul Bradbury
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16' Rapid Robert, a.k.a. The Bridges |
Tom Fennenberg,
St
Helens, OR |
Rigged for some serious trolling |
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"I spent almost 2 years in the building of the boat.
I guess with a full time job and around the house projects that's not
too bad. Over-all it was pretty easy with your great plans from the
book. I would have to say the book is one of my favorite ones.
"The frame pieces along with the benches are made from Tulip Poplar.
The frame joints are mortis and tenon so they all line up. The transom
is made from Russian Birch. The chine log is Douglas Fir. The bottom
of the boat is half inch marine ply-wood and the sides are one-quarter
inch mahogany ply-wood. The sheer strips are made from quarter sawn
Oak. The filler blocks are Ash. The bow is both Ash and Oak. The
oar-lock blocks are made from Black Walnut. The oar-lock inserts are
made from Derlin surgical plastic. The bottom of the boat
and continuing up 4 inches on four sides along with the whole inside of
the boat is sprayed with Speed-Liner 1000, which contains 15% Kevlar.
It's 500% stronger than the spray on bed liner used on trucks. |
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14' Rapid Robert |
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Andreas A. Met, Arkansas "I'm not a wood worker so there are many fine details that are rough," Andreas reports, but a casual review of his photos show a fine specimen of the Rapid Robert. He built the boat for he and his daughter, who shares his enthusiasm for fishing. In addition to using the boat with oars, he plans to test its ability under light sail. The Rapid Robert is proving popular to several Arkansas folks. Nice job Andreas. |
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Grahame's 14' Rapid Robert under construction |
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Grahame
Sharples, Australia "I live in the country [not quite the Outback] and have also been trying to preserve old gear and the ways of these rural pioneers." These were his opening words to me as he explained his desire to build a Rapid Robert, in spite of the challenge of converting all book measurements to metric. "The ply I am using is Okume or Gaboon which I believe is commonly used in the US. My frames and hardwood is our native Victorian Ash with some Tasmanian Blackwood for inside trimming. I plan to leave it as a bright finish rather than paint and I am enjoying the whole project. The imperial/metric conversions have kept me busy and thoughtful but I am old enough to build in imperial sizes and I am impressed with the new skills I am learning and the old ones that I have been able to reapply. It's fun." We await the finished product, Grahame!
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Mike Jannausch, Clallum Bay,
Washington Mike is a recently retired physics teacher at Clallum Bay High School and is possessed with the idea of building the original McKenzie double-ender as a cedar strip boat. Early on, Mike wrote, "Well I am back from Michigan and am putting the forms on the strong back. After i get it braced I have to cove and bead all my strips. I then have to decide where to start my first strip so that they are parallel to the boats position when sitting upright in the water. Because to the severe rocker in the boat that becomes the most challenging problem. Once that one is solved then I'm sure there will be others as we go along through the building process." It appears that he solved the "problem." A local friend who has built several cedar strip Nootka whaling dugouts lent some advice. The project has reached a hiatus for the winter months, and I look forward to reporting on the finished product. |
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