E.V.S. boats

Object in NYT Home & Garden

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:09:25 -0500

I love reading quotes from NYT and hearing Charlie’s voice in my head. Especially when its things like “Edwardian-Victorian Parlor vibe”. Go Seattle!

Schooner Hindu Back in the Water

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:37:00 -0500

After several months of dedicated effort, the Schooner Hindu was returned to the water in Key West today, very exciting news! I only post this notice because the news has not yet hit the official blog, which I told you to follow some time ago. Judging from the pictures on facebook they are either recovering or still partying, in the grand tradition of Key West and wooden shipbuilders the world over.

The 1925 William Hand bald-headed schooner has been a mainstay in Provincetown, MA for 50 years, and is credited with starting whale-watching tours out of that port. I understand the it has been greatly missed the last couple years, and I am sure it will be warmly welcomed back this summer. It was laid up and neglected in Key West because of some financial misunderstanding or other, until some foolish friends of mine decided to step in and save it. They are remarkable folks, most of the time, and managed to turn the 59’ 11 and 1/2” boat around in record time. Great praise and congratulations are due!

I am sure soon enough you will be able to find much more info on Bonnie Rowan’s blog, svrowan.wordpress.com, which chronicles her various projects and enviable lifestyle. (But if you sometimes just want to run away to the Caribbean, maybe you should not expose yourself to temptation.)

Now maybe they can get to that boat they left in my barn…

A mix of planes, slicks, braces, calipers and other woodworking...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:45:34 -0500

A mix of planes, slicks, braces, calipers and other woodworking tools on display at South Street Seaport Museum, which opened for the public today for the first time in nearly a year. Artifacts from New York City’s maritime past were on display, along with objects of contemporary art and design, including furniture, clothing, and photography from New York City. The exhibition was organized by staff from the Museum of the City of New York, which recently took over the flagging maritime museum.

This mix of interpretive priorities is very exciting, from what I hear the opening last night was a collision of two communities that should be mutually inspiring but rarely intersect: salt dusted sailors and maritime historians, and glossy and bearded young creatives. I hope for more in the future.

This display and several others were put together by Wendy Evans Joseph and Chris Cooper of Cooper Joseph studio. Very cool work.

Image stolen from coverage by WNYC. Read coverage by NYT here.

“Whats this? It’s dark, Schettino? It’s dark...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:02:00 -0500

“Whats this? It’s dark, Schettino? It’s dark and you want to go home?”

Image from Shipmateblog

The New South Street Seaport - Here's What I Know

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:02:00 -0500

Good news! I recently received an invitation to a party for the re-opening of South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan. The goings-on down there have been pretty mysterious for the last few months, but it looks like they will be opening back up after all, though there are still lots of questions. If you haven’t been following this at all, the basic story is this: South Street Seaport was New York City’s maritime museum and tall ship livery, located just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. It closed due to poor management last year, and then was taken over by the Museum of the City of New York. No one knew what that was going to mean for either museum or for the thousand-odd-feet of historic vessels. In November, MCNY announced that it would re-open South Street with 20,000 square feet of new exhibits in January 2012. They hired some new staff, or rather MCNY did for South Street, and presumably they didn’t have much of a Christmas break. Haven’t heard much from them, and I don’t know anyone in the maritime heritage community that is working with MCNY. So I am very curious what this invitation-only, 800-person event will consist of. There is now some coverage of what will be on display, such as an exhibit of photographs of the Occupy Wall Street protests. I also know they have reached out to the on-water arts community in NYC. So, it sounds like they are re-branding a bit as a museum of Lower Manhattan and also intend to show where traditional watercraft land in other cultural movements, all of which is encouraging. As for the ships, who knows. There are rumors that some may be sold, like the 377’ barque Peking, but on that I have no info. A good way to keep tabs on the ship collection is the Save Our Seaport blog.

South Street Seaport is open to the public on Thursday morning the 26th of January, and you should go. Let me know what you find out.

Buster Keaton in “The Boat” from 1921. In which...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:22:46 -0500

Buster Keaton in “The Boat” from 1921. In which Keaton builds a motor cruiser in his basement, launches it, and sets off voyaging with his family, with many tribulations. At the time, motor cruisers were becoming popular among young families like the one portrayed in the film, and magazines such as Rudder and Power Boating were full of plans from which you could build your own.

Keaton’s boat is named “Damfino”, which I imagine is from “Damn Fine”. Compound words were a common way to name a boat at the time. I was reminded of this film the other day when I ran across a reference to a cruiser called Damfino in a set of race results from the late 20s; presumably that boat was named after Keaton’s fanciful deathtrap. It had not finished the race, which is as to be expected.

Costa Concordia Disaster on Daily Mail

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:41:00 -0500

Costa Concordia Disaster on Daily Mail:

It is an enduring part of our long relationship with the sea that big ships inspire complacency, and the sea asserts itself through tragedy. Peace to those lost at Giglio last night.

Miss America VIII winning the British International Trophy in...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:27:07 -0500

Miss America VIII winning the British International Trophy in 1929 at Detroit. The Harmsworth trophy, as it is also known, was for decades the race that defined the world’s fastest boat. The rules are similar to the America’s Cup, in that it is a contest between nations, and all the materials, design, and equipment used in a boat must be from the country of origin. Gar Wood switched from Hoduran to Phillipine mahogany and built the first Miss America to take home the trophy in 1920. He didn’t give it up until 1931.

Miss America VIII defended the trophy in 1929 against a challenge from the British tomboy of powerboat racing Marion “Joe” Carstairs and the Estelle II. Repowered, it won again in 1931, driven by Gar’s brother George, so the trophy didn’t have to go too far.

Just got to have one, right? Well, You Are In Luck. Miss America VIII goes up for auction on January 28th in Kissimme, Florida. It is a shallow-vee single step boat with two historic twin-cam V-16 engines by Indy car legend Harry Miller, and probably does about 95. Turns pretty well even at speed, so long as you have a riding mechanic to ease the throttle on the inside engine in the corners. So pick a buddy and bid!

Autoxylopyrocycloboros, the creation of artist Simon Starling...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:01:00 -0500

Autoxylopyrocycloboros, the creation of artist Simon Starling during its short time on this earth. The work is named for a Greek mythical character of a snake eating its own tail, which was at the time a symbol of rebirth.

Autoxylopyrocycloboros was also self-consuming, but in our time this is an act of total destruction. The little vessel was piloted out into Loch Long, in Scotland, with the boiler fed by pieces of wood removed from the hull until it ultimately sank. The Loch is on the Clyde Estuary, home of the UK’s Trident nuclear submarine base. The piece suggests that the arms of war destroy the idea of rebirth, and make innovation and consumption a one-way journey.

This is one of many pieces I will be featuring in an exhibit of Contemporary Art at ABM next summer. Stay tuned. If you would like to learn more about the ill-fated little craft, watch Simon’s talk here: dictionaryofwar.org/concepts/Autoxylopyrocycloboros

EVSboats boatshop modern break table, $1200. Solid bench table,...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:54:07 -0500

EVSboats boatshop modern break table, $1200.

Solid bench table, for banquets or coffee breaks. Architecture is inspired by a double sawhorse spotted in the yard of R J Marine in Clayton. The table is a slab of salvaged bowling lane, which makes the best work bench tops. Learned that at the Everett Boat Works, where it all came together. Other important sources of inspiration: Ashley Helvey and Myles Pedersen, Chadhaus.

7’ 6” X 38” X 29.5”, can be disassembled for transport.

Adirondack Guideboat by Willard Hamner (not included).

A recent collaborative project between myself and Aleksandra...

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:04:00 -0500

A recent collaborative project between myself and Aleksandra Pollner, a wood and porcelain axe. Aleks and I were introduced by gallerist and photographer Charlie Schuck, who noticed that were both making axes out of decidedly non-axe-like materials, playing with the same themes of materiality and wilderness-art intrusion. So we collaborated, and the axe went on display at Object, Charlie’s gallery and retail space in Belltown, Seattle, on November 11.

It has since been featured at Blanc, a pop-up shop at Sole Repair put on by Join Design Seattle. I am proud to be featured alongside talented friends like Free Time Industries and Iacoli McAllister. We have even had a couple commissions.

The top pictures show my part of the process underway in the shop at The Everett Boat Works. Next, Charlie and Aleks with the axe, then the opening of Object on 11.11.11. At bottom right, the axe on display with a full porcelain and gold version at Blanc.

Mare Liberum - Dory Builders, Teachers, and Water-Life Advocates in New York

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:23:00 -0500

Mare Liberum - Dory Builders, Teachers, and Water-Life Advocates in New York :

Decades after John Gardner, two guys from New York have identified the northeast coast fishing dory as a craft to reconnect people to the water. Mare Liberum has come up with a set of plans and an art-based platform for construction and use of this traditional small craft. Check them out, download the PDFs, build yourself a boat over the weekend.

Coming back into the docks at work, last month. One of the last...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:21:54 -0400

Coming back into the docks at work, last month. One of the last nice boating days of the year, sunny, smooth water. This is my favorite way to get to the office…

The Project Room, where I will be speaking tomorrow alongside artists John Grade and Leo Berk

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:10:42 -0400

The Project Room, where I will be speaking tomorrow alongside artists John Grade and Leo Berk:

As a result of the Wawona project and my collaboration with John Grade last winter/spring, I was asked to sit in on a talk about the sculpture as part of the Authorship Project at PR in Seattle. It should be interesting, I will be providing background on Wawona and drawing connections between John’s work and the wooden boat scene: craft, time, adventure, etc. I may also use the forum to explore the concept of contemporary art in history museum settings; after all this piece is going up at the Museum of History and Industry. Should be fun. 6pm.

Cocktail hour at Boyden Road with my parents. It is always like...

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:00:23 -0400

Cocktail hour at Boyden Road with my parents. It is always like this in summer. Getting a bit cold for martinis in the yard now, time to switch to red wine by the fire.

Mark Dion's "Oceanomania" exhibit at Monaco

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:09:28 -0400

Mark Dion's "Oceanomania" exhibit at Monaco:

Conceptual artist Mark Dion has put together a fascinating exhibit of contemporary art and mysterious ocean treasures for two Monaco museums. One part wunderkammer and one part art gallery, the show explores the wonders of the sea and our perceptions of its depth. For treasure, Dion draws on the collection of the Institute Oceanographique, and the art is displayed at the Nouveau Musee National de Monaco.

Because you were going to Monaco anyway…

The treasure house of Ken Meahl, outside Buffalo, NY. I and two...

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:09:40 -0400

The treasure house of Ken Meahl, outside Buffalo, NY. I and two others from ABM attended the Niagara Frontier Antique and Classic Boat Show at the Buffalo Launch Club this past weekend, and on our way out of town we stopped to see Ken and his collection at his home. He gave us an enthusiastic tour of wonderful things. He is 80 years old and functionally deaf from a lifetime of car racing, so we mostly listened to his stories. A wonderful character.

He has some great stuff, including a one-of-a-kind Western Fairliner (above right), one of the most wildly streamlined wooden runabouts ever designed. The stern is torpedo shaped, making for a beautiful boat but not the greatest planing surface. And many, many outboard motors. The room pictured below right are the ones he has finished, but does not have room for in the main showroom. Much of this collection is for sale, if you would like to buy anything and give it to the Antique Boat Museum, be in touch.

A few snapshots from the Boatel, on the rainy morning of Sunday...

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:13:00 -0400

A few snapshots from the Boatel, on the rainy morning of Sunday 8/14. Everyone was soggy, boats were sinking. Eventually thing stabilized and the sodden crew bundled in blankets and went to mess down the road.

At the upper left is a mid-60s Chris Craft cruiser, which was wooded and fiberglassed at some point in its life; pretty sure that boat was never sold in a natural finish. Connie sold it to Swimming Cities, so it will probably become the beating heart of a junk raft somewhere. A fine end for a boat that has had such a long, unlikely life in New York waters. Its almost a natural evolution.

NYT - Boggsville Boatel and Boat-in Theater

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:45:38 -0400

NYT - Boggsville Boatel and Boat-in Theater:

Contemporary artists have taken notice of the waterfront, even in New York, the most lubberly and inwardly-focused of all the coastal cities. Connie Hockaday’s Boggsville Boatel is a new way to experience the funkiness of waterfront culture out in Far Rockaway, Queens, and, by virtue of the age of the boats involved, ot touch a former culture of recreational boating. She has strung together a flotilla of old cruisers, houseboats, and fishing boats, put them up for rent, and called it a “Boatel.” Who’s to stop her? This is the border of the sea. She has gotten a lot of press, from NYT to NPR.

The project is part of Sea Worthy, the collaborative series of exhibitions I warned you about this past spring. I went down to see it over the summer, and Connie ended up buying me breakfast. Hopefully we can work together in the future, there will be some contemporary art at the Antique Boat Museum soon. Not surprisingly, when I visited the Boatel on Sunday morning it was in a drizzly a post-party haze, with folks from other projects that turn refuse into floating art. Swimming Cities and Miss Rockaway were well represented, more about them later.

To find out more about the Boatel, visit the page at Flux Factory. You can still book tickets for this weekend, Connie has leant the place to Swimming Cities for a fundraiser for the India Raft Project. Take a look here.

I took this picture of #22 in early summer at Lake Ozonia in the...

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 13:07:18 -0400

I took this picture of #22 in early summer at Lake Ozonia in the New York Adirondacks. I moved back to the North Country from Seattle in June. This tumblr feed began as my business website, which seemed no longer necessary, because EVSboats is dormant. I made these changes to become Curator of Watercraft at the Antique Boat Museum, up on the St Lawrence River. My fleet has gone from 2 boats to 350.

I miss the public journal, though, and I miss the opportunity to share my experiences and insights about boats and boating. My job has much greater interpretive impact, but this platform has advantages, too. And its fun. So, I am back. Sorry for the lapse.

In coming days I will be catching up the feed by putting up pictures from the summer, about the boat museum, life on the river, etc. Along with, more interestingly, people and things I have come across related to maritime culture in contemporary design, art, and other subjects. Should be good. Thanks for reading.