Building 72' schooner in Viet Nam

I know this is a trawler forum but I have been following this build of a 72 foot wooden schooner in Viet Nam.* The building techniques would be the same (most of them) for a trawler so I figured why not post the link.* The builder, Luke, does a nice job with pictures and narrative.* The project is*financed by a Scotsman, Derek, and his*wife Mary.** The link is for page 12 of 23 pages so it's along thread.*

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?103895-Building-72-schooner-in-Viet-Nam/page12

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-- Edited by Larry M on Tuesday 20th of March 2012 02:29:27 PM

Larry,
As a wooden boat nut myself , have been following that thread for ages.
He is doing a fantastic job isn't he.
The fact that he also devotes enough time to keep the build thread with great descriptions of different techniques and the photos is pretty amazing.

It is going to be a fantastic boat and a work of art.

Very interesting. Thanks.

Tidahapah wrote:
Larry,
As a wooden boat nut myself , have been following that thread for ages.
He is doing a fantastic job isn't he.
The fact that he also devotes enough time to keep the build thread with great descriptions of different techniques and the photos is pretty amazing.

It is going to be a fantastic boat and a work of art.

Click to expand...

Benn:* You're right it is a work of art!* I can't imagine a project like this.* I'm looking forward to follow it to it's completion.

One of things I like about Luke*is when someone asks why he did something/somehow, he takes the time to explain*why.*

Absolutely Fantastic, to say the least

Where in Vietnam is this being constructed ?

Vung Tau ?

I've been following this for a while. This project is even more epic than Hendo's. Now that's saying something.

If you go back a few hundred posts, he explains where it is exactly, but the name escapes me.

Larry M,
Thank you so much for posting this. I have seen it before though ... probably on BoatDesign.net. I'm amazed it didn't take any time at all to load up in my computer. Id'a guessed it would have taken a long time but no .. it didn't.

From the text I gathered they primed the planking w epoxy. Would that be like EPES ?

I wonder if the rest of the boat was finished w traditional oil based finishes or poly this or that?

They say the hull planking is fastened w "lag bolts". I don't see the bolt shanks and nuts on the inside so I'm thinking they used lag screws.

For this type of craft her hull goes rather flat all the way aft. Most are more V shaped.

What I'm most impressed w is the tightness and fit of all the wood pieces. It reminds me of the fit of the stones the Inca builders managed to achieve. I'm sure they needed to put a lot of effort into making such perfect fitting joints. They just didn't whack'em out. Normal effort and lots of time would'nt have achieved this either. These guys had to REALLY CARE about achieving all they can to make their work this perfect.

It's mind bending to realize that all boats were basically built this way 150 years ago but w/o all the power tools. All cutting and forming by hand. And lifting by ropes and pulleys and levers and ??? No forklifts and cranes. We think of this as being so extraordinary now but it used to be commonplace.

About midway thru that thread there is a link to another boat project

Nigel Irens 50' schooner

I am amazed at this kind of craftsmanship. It blends the old woodworking trades with modern carbon fiber, etc. for the best of both worlds.

I was lucky enough to be in Vung Tau about 6 years back for work and a local took me to this ship yard just for a look. It was amazing. The thing that has stayed with me was the friendliness of the craftsmen and the AMAZING colors of the timber they were using, photos dont do the rich reds justice. It was almost heartbreaking to see them painting over it...

what an awesome thread. Its a shame we wont be able to see how she progressed anymore.

21 metric tons. How many thousand pounds?

The keel is like a trawler in a way and that is that it's deep aft and tapers down to next to nothing fwd. Being a sailboat one would think the center of pressure on the sails (and the hull) above the WL would match the lateral resistance of the keel below the WL. She is no doubt optimized for balance under sail but under power it would seem to me that the bow would fall off sharply to lee.
As I recall in the early 1800s schooners of this type were common.

Beautiful build.

I found this thread and spent much of the past couple of days reading through it and watching in amazement as that beautiful boat took shape.

Now, upon reaching the end and finding it's closed due to a medical issue with the OP, I'm really saddened by what he's going through in France.

Best of luck Luc.

Interesting to find this thread here on the trawler forum!!

The boat is being constructed using the same drawings as a schooner called "Tree of Life".

I was lucky enough to Captain the the 'Tree' on a 3 1/2 year circumnavigation.

Luc contacted me several times over the last few years to ask advice on how the 'Tree' was configured, pro's con's etc.

I have not heard from him for a while now, I hope he is okay.......

This is us off Auckland.

The correctly uploaded photo

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