Sampson Boat Co

51. Assembling the Bow Timbers

In this episode we finally dry fit the purpleheart bow assembly timbers. In other news, we come up with a short-term solution to a damaged Babbitt bearing in the Ship-saw, and we remove Tally Ho’s Transom. We say goodbye to Jack and Joe, but meet two new volunteers, Renaud and Rowan. The chicks are growing up and I nearly drop a big timber on my head. 

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2019-07-06 16:28:08 +0000 UTC View Post

50. Cutting the Stem / Bow Timbers

…in which we finish the templates for the bow assembly and cut out all the pieces with the chainsaw jig. Meanwhile, I have to deal with a damage to a power-plane, the Shipsaw, a chainsaw, part of my camera, and my wallet! Jack and Joe lose their minds organising all the fastenings in the workshop, and I get to do a bit of amateur furniture-making with a mirror-stand for Cecca.  We plane everything in sight, and eat our lunch on a very expensive boutique purpleheart table. 

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49. Removing the Bow Assembly

After a holiday on a beautiful aluminium yacht in Turkey, Cecca and I head back to the US, where Tally Ho is waiting. I get two new volunteers, Joe and Jack, who start off by making Frame Templates for the bow. In preparation for the new Bow Assembly, we cut the old Frame Heels and Hood End Fastenings, spring out the planks and frames in the bow, and remove the old Stem and Forefoot.

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48(Pt2). Leo's Story (RORC Presentation)

This week we continue with the 2nd part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club presentation. This part of the talk focuses more on my own story before I began working on Tally Ho – from spending my late teens travelling abroad and busking on the street, to my first sailing and boatbuilding experiences, and my journey in a 1947 Folkboat from Cornwall across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.

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48(Pt1). History of Tally Ho (RORC presentation)

This episode is a little different from usual – it is part of my recent presentation about the Tally Ho project at the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London. In this part of the talk I explore Tally Ho’s history, beginning with her designer Albert Strange, leading on to her Fastnet Race win of 1927, her collision with a reef in the 1960s, and her transformation from classic yacht to commercial fishing boat and back again. 

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May 2019 Update

Hi all!

Time for a quick update - 

I left the US nearly a few weeks ago now, and have spent a lot of that time in the UK, where I have been spending quality time with Francesca and family and friends. As well as a big family gathering over Easter, we spent some time visiting some old friends who live on the banks of the Rio Guadiana (which runs up the southern part of the Portuguese-Spanish border). This was one of the first places I ever visited on a boat, when I was just le...

47. Frame-Raising Party! (Part 2)

Now we enter the final week of intensive Frame Production, with the team of volunteers going at full swing to finish reframing the entire stern of TALLY HO before our deadline. Spirits are high, and we celebrate by throwing a party in the workshop, and then organizing a very small dinghy regatta in the nearest bay. The fully-framed stern of the boat looks amazing, and it’s time for a short break - so after all the volunteers have left I pack up my own things and head back to the UK for a co...

A FULLY FRAMED STERN!

For those who are wondering, the frame-raising ended a week ago, and was a great success. However, I’ve just travelled to 🇬🇧 for a visit, and the prep and the journey has been so busy that the next video is going to be delayed until next weekend - sorry! But it should be a good one 🙂 thanks and big love to y’all x

46. Frame-Raising Party! (Part 1)

After weeks of hectic preparation, we begin the big push to re-frame the stern of Tally Ho! For these 3 weeks, we have 10 people (including myself) working full-time on the boat;

Kirt (USA), Finn (UK), Arnaud (Belgium), Thom (UK), Pat (USA), Max (USA), Robert (UK), Glenda & Bill (USA).

After a few days spent training all the new members of the team, we get into full-swing frame production, and are able to achieve our goal of getting one pair of frames made and bedded per day! ...

New Frames!

Hi all!

Just a quick update! 

Things are going well here - we are two-thirds of the way through our “frame-raising” party, and are on-schedule with our goal to make and install all of the frames for the stern part of the boat. After the training period, we have been making and installing an average of one frame per day, which I am extremely pleased with! The current team here is amazing, and I am so grateful to all of them for getting involved in this critica...

45. Bedding and Bolting the Stern Assembly

Before the rest of the volunteers arrive, we have to get the huge timbers of the Stern Assembly bedded and fastened into the stern of Tally Ho. First we drill the holes for the bolts, using a 6’ long drill bit in a custom-made jig. Then we lift all the pieces with jacks and ropes, and fill the gaps with Tar and Felt. When they are back in place, the bronze bolts are driven through and tightened up, and lo and behold – the Stern Assembly is ready to accept new Frames, just in the nick of t...

44. Installing the Stern Assembly

With the deadline of the “Frame-raising party" looming, the race is on to try and get the Stern Assembly into the boat! With a strong team now, we are able to lift most of the pieces by hand, but have to make use of hydraulic jacks to lower the Sternpost Tenon into the Mortise. 

We also make improvements to our Treenail making process, build a new frame (16a), and I take a trip to the Port Townsend Shipwrights Coop to thread Silicon Bronze bolts with one of their machines. <...

Royal Ocean Racing Club talk, April 23rd

On April 23rd I'll be holding a talk and slideshow in London, at the Royal Ocean Racing Club - the historic club which was founded in 1925 as a result of the first ever Fastnet Race, just two years before Tally Ho won it. 

I thought I should tell you guys before I share it on all my other social media so you can book tickets if you are interested - I don't think there is a very large capacity. Click the link above to reserve a ticket (Cost - £10).

Hope to see you there!

43. Building the Stern Assembly

The yard is full of deep snow, but we have no time to spare! Finn and I cut out all the remaining Stern Assembly pieces from the huge Purpleheart timbers, and then use power-planes, hand-planes, chisels, and a new router sled, to shape them to match the templates as precisely as possible. Then we have to try and assemble this extremely heavy and expensive jigsaw! Once they all fit together, we use the forklift to hoist the whole Stern Assembly upright so we can check all the joinery from both...

42. Cutting the Stern Post – and some BIG plans!

This episode, while the team keeps on building new frames, I make the templates for the Stern part of the Centerline, from the lofting floor. The ShipSaw gets some love and affection, and the framing of the centre-section of the boat is completed! Kirt and I talk about his really exciting idea about speeding up the next phase of the project, and despite a snowstorm, I make the first few cuts on the Sternpost timber with the Chainsaw Jig.

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41. New year, new team, new VISA, new timber!

This episode, after a little work on the frames, Cecca and I take a trip to Vancouver for my VISA interview at the US consulate. When we get back to the USA Cecca has to head back home to the UK, but we start building a new team with three guys who arrive to help out – including one who has been here already. We get the huge Purpleheart timbers for the rest of the centerline delivered by truck, and we discover a very old bullet embedded deep in one of the pieces of Live Oak framing stock. A...

January Update

Hi!

This is just a little update to keep you guys in the loop on the latest activity here!

This past week has been very different from usual. I haven’t talked about it publicly, but I have been going through a Visa Application for the past 6 months or so. I previously had a visa which limited the amount of time I could spend in the US per year, and which also meant that I couldn’t earn money here. After lots of time working on the application, getting references a...

40. Buying Centreline Timbers!

This episode, I start by installing and running a new helical cutter-head in the planer thicknesser, before making a pair of oak frames with the help of some volunteers, and notching those intermediate frames into the keel timber. Then I take a trip to Port Townsend, where I visit the Western Flyer, a historic fishing boat which once took John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts around the Gulf of California. Finally I visit Edensaw, to buy the huge purpleheart timbers which will mak...

39. Intermediate Frames, a Storm, and a Christmas Tree!

This episode, we continue replacing frames, starting now on the intermediate frames in-between the station frames. Washington is hit by severe wind and power cuts – will the boat-shed survive?! 

Brad is still helping out, and we are joined by a young guy from Illinois who is keen to help out and learn a little about boatbuilding. 

In other news, we get a Christmas Tree in the loft, and make some improvements to our bunk-room. 

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38. Losing a Finger / Framing Progress

Well, I’ve done something very silly and cut the end of my finger. Why would I do that, you may ask?! Well, it was all going a little too well, so I thought it was time to add a little drama to this project! In other news, making and installing the new frames has been progressing pretty well, and we have now replaced every station-frame in the centre section of the boat! We also finished the “roller-furling” roof on the new covered area beside the boat. Eventually, Ben and Steve had to lea...

An Update (and an injury)!

Hi everyone!

Newsflash ; I injured a finger recently. It's fine really, I just chopped the end off my middle finger on my right hand (about 1/2 inch). But I thought I should let you guys know. In fact, that's why I had to release the interview video last week - I was unable to edit a normal video like I usually would. 

I can't actually tell anyone how it happened right now, but it was basically just a silly accident, and my own fault. Luckily I have insurance. I was a bit annoyed ab...

Working on the rain-cover!

Making some progress on the roller-furling rain-cover! After much noggin-scratching, we decided to place the “furler” at the bottom. Obviously it’s not quite finished yet.

37. The Mind of a Boat Builder - Presented by SV Seeker

I thought it was about time you guys got to know me a little better. This video - edited and presented by Doug at SV Seeker - is a series of questions and answers about my background, my work, and the Tally Ho project. I talk about my motivation for taking on a project like this, and the various challenges that present themselves along the way. Please note that this was filmed a few months ago, so there are a couple of details that are out of date. Thanks to Doug for making this happen.

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Crisp and Clear!

It’s a lovely frosty Sunday morning in Sequim.

Listen to my interview, on the "Around the Buoy" podcast!

If you follow the link, you'll find a podcast from "Around the Buoy". They just released it today, and there's a half-hour or so interview with me about the Tally Ho project, and about some of the things that I did before that. 

I hope you guys enjoy it!!

36. Developing a Team!

This episode I welcome Francesca back to the workshop and introduce a couple of volunteers who are going to stay here for a while to learn some boatbuilding and help out with the project. But before they arrive, I have to replace the huge roof of the shed over the boat, and make some improvements to the workshop kitchen, with a bit of furniture joinery. Then I show the guys how to fit a pair of new frames, and we also cut out all the pieces for the next set on the shipsaw. Now we have four pairs...

Replacing the shed roof today!

35. Back to Tally Ho! Back to work!

This episode I return to Washington State USA, and get back to work on Tally Ho! First I give a brief tour of the project, and a little overview of the work done up until now. I get the ship-saw set up again, and then get on with cutting a few more futtocks and assembling another couple of frames. I also talk about my plans and ideas for the future of the project, and how I’m going to try and speed things up!

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34. Two Amazing Projects / Old Boats get New Lives

**This is the last of my UK weekly posts - I will now be going back to work on Tally Ho, and posting a video every other Saturday!**

This episode I visit two incredible projects that are both happening in Cornwall UK. They 

are both giving new life to traditional wooden fishing boats, but they are doing so in very different ways!

Charlotte and Jess have rebuilt and converted their wooden fishing boat into a motor launch with a banquet table, and have started a business taking ...

33. Meeting a Master Boatbuilder / 1905 Pilot Cutter

This episode I visit Chris Rees, a very experienced boatbuilder who was behind various impressive projects including the enormous 3-masted lugger Greyhound and the replica fishing lugger Spirit of Mystery (which was sailed from the UK to Australia by Pete Goss as a tribute to the fishermen who undertook the same trip in the 1850s). He shows me around the boat that he is currently working on - a 1905 Pilot Cutter named Letty - and also tells me a little a...