Sampson Boat Co

92. County Issues / Sheer Strake

After the snowstorm last week, we start this video with Tally Ho full of snow! But it quickly melts and we get back to the business of cutting and hanging planks. I make some blocks to go between the sheer strake and the beam shelf in the bow, and then pattern and make the sheer strake (the very top plank) from Angelique. 


I also receive a large and worrying envelope from the Clallam County (our local county council) ORDERING me to stop making videos and receiving donations online! C...

Pancho has a message for you!

She says that the next video is not ready yet but should be released tomorrow! 

91.2 Planking the Hull (Part 2)

In this second part of the video we continue to hang more planks on the boat, getting closer and closer to closing up all the gaps and making the hull watertight. We discuss more questions that have been asked about planking, and an adventurous chicken closely inspects our work. Matt explains the new Butt-Block clamp, Pete talks about Whisky planks, and Pancho struts her stuff in the snow.

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I Have a Reservation - TrackTribe

Staycation - Corbyn Kites 

Jazz Me Bl...

A question for you! ...Pt.2 release day?

I'm releasing ep.91 in two parts! ( PART 1 BELOW )

This is partly because there was just so much footage to edit that I couldn't get it all finished in time. Also, the longer videos take so long to upload and process that it just makes the whole process more difficult. 

And - full disclosure - it does also mean that I will receive more funding from Patrons this month (which will help for buying a lot of Teak very soon!)

I should be finished with the second part soon, so...

91. Planking the Hull - Part 1

After 5 long weeks, it’s time for a planking update! 

There was so much footage to work through and edit, and so much information to cover, that I’m making this episode in two parts.  

In this first part, as well as catching up with the planking progress, we strength-test the copper rivets - initially using a very dodgy forklift/lead setup, and then subsequently on a 250-ton hydraulic ram! 

We also discuss plank widths and caulking / corking bevels, Rosie ...

No planks in this shot, but...

...if you look really closely, the rivet-heads will give you a clue as to how far along we are! 

Any guesses on how many planks we have left to hang? 

A happy and efficient riveting team!

Proof that working on wooden boats makes life better!

90. The Rig & Sailplan

In this episode we start by looking at sailing yacht rigs in general - we discuss some of the most common types of sails and rigs and how to tell them apart, with help from some examples in Port Townsend. Then we have a closer look at Tally Ho’s original sailplan before meeting some of the people who have been involved in planning her new rig. 

We have to do some detective work to determine the changes that were made to Tally Ho’s rig in 1927 - the year she won the Fastnet race...

Another plank going on..

We have a way to go yet, but the gaps are closing and it feels great!

No video this week - sorry!

I’m afraid there is no video this week - sorry guys!

I was hoping to do a video about the work I’m doing on planning the rig, but I actually got really sick last week and was unable to do any work for a few days, including filming or editing. The good news is that it’s definitely NOT covid, and that I do seem to be on the mend now. 

The rig video should be out next weekend. In the meantime, planking is going very well and I’m going to try and publish more frequent upd...

89. “Hey Pete, what are you doing?!”

Well, what IS Pete doing?! 

In the last video we got to know part of the crew a little better, and now it’s time to learn a bit more about Pete Stein’s story. We start the New Year by taking his boat out for a sail with the whole crew, before getting back into planking Tally Ho. In between cutting out and hanging planks, Pete shows us his own workshop and tells us a bit about his train-riding days, including a pretty wild accident that changed his life for ever. 

In ...

88. Christmas Planking Special!

It’s holiday season, so happy Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, or whatever!

As Saint Nicholas screams overhead in a pandemic-proof jet-powered sleigh, the Tally Ho crew are are merrily cutting planks and pounding rivets. In this episode we get to know the voluntary crew a bit better as we learn new things about Clench Rings, Butt Blocks, and Bucking Irons (it may sounds dirty, but I promise these are legit boatbuilding terms). On Christmas day we have 31 planks on the boat!...

Merry Christmas / high res image

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

No video today I'm afraid. I'm working on it right now and aiming to get it published tomorrow. 

In the meantime here's a high resolution image of Tally Ho in snow, last Monday.  

87. Choosing the Auxiliary Engine

I can’t put it off any longer, a final decision has to be made about Tally ho’s engine! 

In this episode we start by looking back at the boat’s early Paraffin engines, and then go on to discuss some of the options for a new “power-plant”. Vintage or modern, new or used, diesel or electric or paraffin or... nuclear?! There are a lot of options, and each one has good and bad attributes, but in the end I come to a decision which I hope is going to give all the reliability an...

86. Planking Tally Ho!

In this episode, we start to get the “hang” of the planking! The first quick job is to put the Stopwaters into the centreline seams - softwood dowels which will swell up and prevent water ingress. Then the first Angelique Garboard is hung, and is quickly followed by more Topside Planks and Broads. 

Meanwhile, I jury-rig a circular saw to cut rolling bevels, which helps speed up cutting the planks out. The other guys get into the swing of riveting, with the help of a homemade �...

HIGH-RES PIC

Planking is going great so far!

Here's another printable high resolution picture for download. Happy thanksgiving!

85. Fitting the first new planks

After a much-needed week off, we head back into the yard and begin the next stage of the rebuild - making and fitting planks! The last stages of the lining-out are completed first, and then templates are made and transferred to the wide boards of Wana that make up our planking stock. After the planks are cut they get various bevels before being hung and fastened to the boat! 

Meanwhile all the planking marks are transferred to the other side of the boat, the knees get one last poli...

Using dividers is...

Using dividers is much easier with a wooden rule. Today I’m making some last marks on the frames to determine topside planking thickness at different stations. Back to work properly tomorrow! 

[HIGH RES] Knees and Breasthooks in the bow

Hi guys, 

I thought it would be nice to publish high-resolution photos of the progress on the boat from time to time. I hope you enjoy this picture of the inside of the bow with the hanging / lodging knees and breasthooks installed. 

This picture can be downloaded and should be high enough resolution that it could be used as desktop background or screensaver, or even printed out and mounted. It is not behind a patron paywall, so anyone can access it for free - but it is ...

84. Finished installing Knees and Breasthooks

At long last all the bronze hanging knees, lodging knees, breasthooks and floors are fastened into the boat! In this video we show the final parts of the process, including some welding of the most unusually shaped knees. We also do some more preparation for planking - planing more of the huge boards and finishing the line-out. In other news, Backtrack gets some slick threads, and Pancho shows a hint of halloween evil… 

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To see more sneaky pictures of progress on Tally H...

ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hi guys! 

Some of you have seen this message before but this will be new information for some new patrons!

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I’ll be releasing a video tomorrow (Sat 31st Oct). I usually release 2 videos per month but this will be the THIRD video in October. 


If you have not set a monthly limit on your donation, this means you will be charged your pledge x3 (instead of x2). 

If you don’t want to be charged for the 3rd video, follow these instructions to s...

83. Finishing Casting & Floors / Plank Stock

We have finished casting! 

In this episode, the final lodging knee is cast by Daniel - his first time pouring the molten bronze, and not without a little bit of fire & chaos! 

After a celebration, we work on installing the last of the bronze floors, planing the planking stock, and riveting the first lodging knee into the deck frame of the boat. 

Backtrack, like the rest of us, is unimpressed with yet more grinding. 

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To see more sneaky ...

82. Fitting Hanging Knees

In this episode, we focus on the fitting, shaping and polishing of the cast bronze Hanging Knees. We cast the last Floor, and production is speeding up in the foundry, with an average of two pieces being made every day!

Meanwhile, Matt makes THOUSANDS of copper rivets for fastening the hull planking, and Pete fastens more floors into place - taking advantage of different fastening techniques in the areas where bolts cannot be used. 

Rowan returns to the project, and tries - u...

81. Pouring Bronze / Fastening Floors

Having poured all the smaller bronze Floors, we have to build a bigger flask in order to cast the largest ones. Packing these big moulds isn’t without it’s setbacks, and we experience the frustration of having the sand collapse onto the ground after a whole day of shovelling and ramming.  Eventually we make a successful pour, and after this piece is ground and finished it is bolted into the boat alongside its siblings. 

Meanwhile, the last of the patterns are made - includ...

80. Cutting for Propeller / Boring for Prop-Tube

Cutting the Prop aperture and boring out the hole for the stern-tube are intimidating jobs - you only get one chance to get it right. But it’s easier to tackle these tasks before the planking goes on, and I’ve had the help of a shipbuilding engineer to work out the best shape and size for these alarming new holes.

Also in this episode, I finally make the template for the final shape of the transom, and Pete fairs it into the rest of the hull very nicely - more-or-less completing the...

79. Custom rivet press machine! / hanging knee templates

In this episode I start thinking about the plank fastenings for Tally Ho. Using copper rivets is the strongest and most authentic choice, but they are not available to buy in the size I need. Just as I am trying to work out the smartest way to make the rivets, we receive a mysterious box in the mail, from a fan. Amazingly, someone has custom-fabricated a machine for making copper rivets out of round bar!

We also work on making all the patterns for the hanging knees, which will be cast i...

78. Lining-out for Planking

In this episode we calculate the locations and sizes of all the hull planks, based on the complex shape of the hull. I’ve never done this before, so we get some help from the Lead Shipwright on the Western Flyer Project (Shipwrights Co-Op, PT).

I’m also very excited to welcome two new members to the team - Rosie, who is going to be in an apprentice-style role, and Charlie, who is going to be helping out with video production!

We also continue working on the floors, fairing the...

77. Basic Boatbuilding Terminology

In this episode we take a look at the names of the basic parts of a wooden boat. Hopefully this will help people who haven’t had much experience with traditionally built vessels to better understand what we are doing on Tally Ho! 

After that I start working on the hanging and lodging knee patterns, creating a jig to taper stacks of plywood for the laminated arms. Pat’s wife Bonny helps us out with some grinding whilst Pat casts more floors at Port Townsend Foundry. Clark fits t...

76. Finishing the Transom / More Floors

In this episode I focus on the final install of the transom, using a couple of old tricks to ensure that it stays watertight. The planks get bolted to the sternpost and eventually fully plugged and varnished. 

Pat keeps busy at the Port Townsend Foundry, casting more Floors in Bronze. Clark fits the Floors into the boat - grinding, sanding and polishing them to ridiculous perfection!

Meanwhile, Pete works hard on fairing the Rabbet and beginning to fair the outside of the fra...

More floors!

Slowly but surely, the floors are going in...