Sampson Boat Co

113. Deck Blocking!

In this episode we follow Pete, Richard, Rowan, and our new crew member Jake, as they tackle a whole range of different tasks. The biggest ongoing job is the deck blocking, which is essential to receive the nibs of the deck strakes and also for bolting various deck hardware down to.

Pancho visits us briefly to watch some boats get moved around the yard, Richard works on the cockpit area, the deck stock gets processed, and I discuss possible changes to the video format.

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Dear Patrons - a question!

Dear Patrons,

I just wanted to write a few words to update you on the latest behind-the-scenes news!

Firstly, thank SO much for supporting this project so generously - every single bit really does make a huge difference.

Moving to Port Townsend has been a huge change and took a lot of work, but I feel like we are finally settling in to a good routine and flow now, and it feels like we are picking up the pace of progress. However, as the project gets more com...

112. Sampson Posts!

In this episode I make and install the Sampson Posts (otherwise known as Samson Posts or Bitts). Lots of big joinery and visit from Pancho makes for a fun week.

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Music; 

Hoedown - Audionautix

Supreme - John Deley and the 41 Players

Prelude No. 1 - Chris Zabriskie

Cuban Sandwich - Doug Maxwell / Media Right Productions

111. DECK PLANKING - lining out

It’s time to line out TALLY HO's deck planking - deciding the positions and sizes of all the deck strakes, the cover boards, the king planks, and so on. To figure this out we take a look at a wide variety of different wooden boat decks in the yard, consider the different parts, and then draw the layout on the deck planks using battens. 

I also take a quick weekend break sailing the beautiful schooner MARTHA around the San Juan islands, and we take a look down below and meet her c...

110. CEMENT in the bilge?! / Oak Stanchions

Lots of progress on the boat this week - Firstly, the guys fill the bilge with hot pitch, followed by some cement! Although slightly disconcerting at first, cement is actually a really useful material in boatbuilding. Richard has been working on the Bulwark Staunchions, which are made of White Oak and will support the Bulwarks, a kind of fence around the perimeter of the deck. Pete has been making the aftermost deck beam, or transom cleat, which will support the end of the deck strakes. ...

109. Finishing the Transom, Bulkheads & Mast Partners

We’ve been busy! In this episode, we finish a bunch of big jobs that we’ve been working on for a while. All the athwartship bulkheads are now installed, the Mast Partner has been bolted into the deck structure and carved out to accept the mast, and the final Teak plank of the Transom has been made and fastened! 

In addition to this, I spent some days at our previous location in Sequim, sorting and removing some large piles of timber and catching up with Pancho.  Rowan gets...

108. Mast Partners & Tie Rods

In this episode I make the Mast Partners - a big chunk of Oak that holds the mast in place within the Deck Structure. Pete caps the Bulkheads and installs the tie-rods. Rowan and Richard keep making great progress on the remaining Bulkheads. 

In other news, I’m desperately looking for someone who is regularly importing Canadian Softwood Lumber into the U.S, and has an established Annual Customs Bond in place! If you think you can help, please email info@sampsonboat.co.uk

Re...

107. Bulkheads, bulkheads, bulkheads!

In the last 2 weeks we’ve made a lot of progress on the bulkheads, and the construction process has become quicker and more efficient! As we install the Dug Fir double-diagonal boards, the space inside the boat gets a lot more defined. 

Also… a piece of history in the mail - some hardware from TALLY HO, sent by the grandson of the man who skippered the boat in the 1927 Fastnet race!

In other news, I decide to auction off one of my smaller boats, and Rowan shows us his fav...

The first Bulkhead / layout changes!

This episode sees us getting back to some constructive woodwork! But first - I make some important changes to the interior layout mockup, before Rowan rips it all apart with great enthusiasm. We say goodbye to Patrick and welcome a new  character to the team, and we suffer some inclement weather in the boatyard. Finally after a lot of patterning and cutting, the full-width lazarette bulkhead gets installed in the boat, with the second bulkhead not too far behind. Huzzah!

105. Mocking up the interior

This episode is all about planning for the interior of the boat. First we get hold of some beautiful Douglas Fir and mill it down to be ready for bulkheads. Then we take a look at the new drawings for the accommodation layout, and compare them with the original drawings from 1909. When I am happy with our design, we start to mock up the proposed interior to get a real feel for the space. 

We also get a new small boat for sailing around the bay, and we challenge ourselves to find a ...

Interior layout! / video delay

This weeks video will be released tomorrow. In the meantime, here is the accommodation plan that I have been working hard on (with help) for many months! 

Although I am keeping many elements of the original design, the layout is somewhat rearranged to better suit how Tally Ho is going to be used. A lot of thought and many revisions have gone into this, and I’m really pleased with how efficiently the space is used, and how versatile the accommodation is going to be.

I’ll b...

104. Back to work!

In this episode we finally get back to work on Tally Ho! ….Leo and Pete fair the deck structure with power-planes, Rowan and Patrick pay the bottom-seams, and Pancho destroys anything she can lay her beak on. 

Meanwhile we meet some neighbouring craftspeople, watch some boats get launched, and discover the advantages of a concrete floor… (dolly-skating!)

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Music;

Old Blue - Chris Haugen

Ratatouille's Kitchen - Carmen Ma...

103. New Workshop! ..moving in & TOUR

In this episode we move into our new workshop in Port Townsend - a beautiful old timber frame building next to the big steel shed where Tally Ho is located. 

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Music; 

In the Sweet By and By - Zachariah Hickman 

Sam the Man - The Mini Vandals

Dark Clouds - Dowally

Kick the Can - The Mini Vandals

Disco Climax - An Jone

No new video this week

There is no new video this week, I'm afraid - I just couldn't get it finished on time. Sorry guys!

But moving into the new workshop is going well and it feels great to be joining the wonderful wooden boat community in Port Townsend. Im clearly pleased with this surface-planer/jointer purchase! Now… where to put it?

102. Moving Tally Ho

In this episode we move Tally Ho! 

Before the move we experience a crazy heatwave with record-breaking temperatures, and I have to take some drastic measures to keep the boat cool. Next we take the boatshed down, revealing the lines of the boat without any visual obstructions. 

I also finally introduce the owners of the property where Tally Ho and I have been living for the past 4 years, Raul and Darlene. They tell a little part of their story and we all get a bit emotio...

101. Lead-pouring disaster

In this episode we attempt to slightly enlarge the lead ballast keel by pouring a layer of molten lead on top of it. Before we actually pour I discuss the reasons for doing this and we fabricate a large “pig” to melt the lead in.

Unfortunately when we actually pour the molten lead things do not go as planned! ….and now I’m left with a very difficult decision. 

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Music;

Oh Fire - Carmen María and Edu Espinal

River Radio 92.3 WBPM - Unicorn Heads 2021-07-04 16:05:23 +0000 UTC View Post

On the road!

Yesterday was a momentous day for me - we moved Tally Ho! 

Huge thanks to Associated Boat Transport for making the move seamless and efficient. 

There will be no video today, but I am planning to release one tomorrow (Sunday). This video will be about attempting to enlarge the Ballast Keel, as the videos are very slightly delayed behind reality right now. More info about the move coming up next week.

100. Rebuilding Tally Ho - UP TO NOW!

We look back at all the work that got this project to where it is now, from the very first glimpse of Tally Ho 4 years ago right up to her present condition as an almost fully rebuilt hull. 

I answer a few questions about the project and talk about some exciting plans for the future!

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Music;

El Gavilan - Quincas Moreira

Mechanical Bullride - Chris Haugen

Chocolate Cookie Jam - An Jone

Parakeet - Quincas Moreira

Tea Time - Ofshane

99. Painting the hull!

In this episode, we - you guessed it - paint the boat. This video features some of the most satisfying blue-tape peeling footage ever to have existed!

We also explain how we find the waterline, why we don’t want to varnish the planks, why we haven’t filled the seams yet, and so on. 

Pancho observes, Backtrack snoozes, Patrick and Megan paint a bed-frame.

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Music; 

Movin' Up - Dan Lebowitz

Funk Game Loop - Kevin MacLeod<...

98. Scallop-carving / new crew / guide coat!

In this episode we welcome Megan and Patrick to the crew, and then continue with fairing the hull and preparing to move the boat! As well as organising a new workshop and place to live, we start deconstructing the boat-shed and lofting floor. Meanwhile, I carve the scallops into the prop aperture area that will help to improve water-flow over the propeller. 

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Music; 

Funkorama - Kevin MacLeod

Blue Creek Trail - Dan Lebowitz

Minor Blues for Booker - E...

97. Torture-boards, Plugs, Varnish!

In this episode we work towards sealing up the timber of the hull, inside and out. 

First we varnish the interior of the boat, using a traditional varnish that should hopefully hold up for decades. Then we get a serious workout with some good-old-fashioned “torture-boards”, we glue and trim plugs, and we get a little closer to painting and moving the boat. We have a bit of a change of crew as David and Rowan head back to the East coast, and we get some great help from some loca...

96. Caulking (Corking?!) the Hull

This episode is all about Caulking (or Corking, depending on your location). I start by visiting Port Townsend, which has an unusual number of very skilled and proficient Corkers. We briefly discuss the history of Caulking and we meet Brad from the Port Townsend Shipwright’s Coop, who is putting together a crew to help us Caulk Tally Ho! 

Brad and Paul from the Coop along with Jordan Bard (Bard Boatworks) join us for a Saturday and demonstrate the amazing skill and rhythm of a hi...

Dear Patrons,

This is just a short note to update you with some of the latest goings on, and to thank you for your support.

Firstly, I want to address the issues with the county - in terms of the documentation on YouTube, the whole ordeal seemed to flare up and disappear quite quickly, but in reality it was a long and arduous process. By the time I released the first video about the county issues, I had been feeling increasingly stressed about it for years and felt like I was at breaking point. After...

95. Fairing the Hull / next steps

In this episode we take on the glamorous and exciting job of fairing the hull! We start with power-planes and then use a variety of grinders and sanders for our initial fairing, taking off the worst of the high spots and shaping the outside of the boat into a smooth curve. Fairing can be a surprisingly complex and difficult job, but is essential for the next steps of the project, which we discuss - caulking, sealing, painting, and so on.. 

Meanwhile, Rowan makes a ridiculous quanti...

BONUS; Planking Time-lapse

I took a bunch of photographs from various different angles while we were planking TALLY HO, and intended to create a time-lapse for the previous video - but it was more work than I anticipated and I did not get it finished in time. So I’m releasing it as a standalone bonus video! I hope you guys like it.

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Music; 

Back to Bute - Dowally

94. The Whisky Plank

In this episode we hang the last of the regular planks and start making “shutter planks” - the planks that fill a gap between already fastened areas of planking above and below. These require more careful patterning, but are extremely satisfying to hammer into place if they fit properly - but will they?!

Before we hang the very final plank (the Whisky Plank!) I trim the plank ends flush with the transom, which really visually transforms the boat. Finally the Whisky plank is hammered...

Livestream tomorrow

Join us for a drink! 🥃 Whisky Plank Live Stream - Tomorrow (Thurs 25 March)

@ 1900 UTC ( 1200 PDT / 1500 EDT / 1900 GMT ) 

Watch from Sampson Boat Co YOUTUBE CHANNEL

[High Res] Shutter plank!

Hung the first shutter plank yesterday afternoon - felt good! Here's a photo from this morning in high resolution. 

93. County Problem Solved?! / Goodbye Rosie

Okay, we have a lot of BIG news! These developments only really happened yesterday, so this is fresh off the press, and I was up all night finishing this video.

It seems we might have resolved our issues with the county, but we are going to have to make some big changes - which will be very challenging, exciting, and hopefully positive in the long run!

Also - Rosie has her own exciting news, Pete tells us what he's doing, Rowan tries to remember what he's doing, and chickens get i...

Brief update!

Wow, I’ve been blown away by the amazing outpouring of support and offers of help - thank you so much!

Almost everyone has given sensible advice and good wishes, but I just want to make a couple of important points. 

If you want to show your support this project in any way, PLEASE do so with calmness, positivity and politeness. Anger or aggression will only make this more difficult for everyone. I’m confident that I can find a solution which will be good for the project a...