Shantyboat
The floating heart of the project—its construction, its quirks, its journey. A home, a vessel, a work of art on the move.
-
Cleaning Tasks
What wonders to behold in our cabinet of curiosities?. . . Answer: Mostly rusty cans, cheap beer, and rat poop. Now empty shelves and a daunting cleaning task.
-
Props to Me
What did global capitalism bring me today? Something that gets us one step closer to the river. Over the years, we’ve left a few propellers behind—Sacramento River shallows, low driveways, maybe some questionable navigation choices. This time, we’re thinking ahead. No more scrambling for replacements in tiny marina shops. Now we’ve got a backup Mercury…
-
-
You Forgot? Felton Remembers.
Mr. and Mrs. Goodman prepping to float down highway 9 in the Felton Remembers Parade.
-
It’s Christmas in Shantyboat Town
Midwest thunderstorm and hail weather catches up to us in the Pacific Coast mountains on Christmas Day.
-
Summer Work Day
Shantyboat maintenance/repairs before a late summer outing. Replacing rub rail and some sizable dings in the hull.
-
In 1944, artist Harlan Hubbard built a shantyboat on the banks of the Ohio River near Cincinnati
In 1944, artist Harlan Hubbard built a shantyboat on the banks of the Ohio River near Cincinnati. He wrote that he scavenged 12×3 timbers from a building being demoed to build the hull of the boat. A common building style in the area that I’ve noticed is 12×3 floor joists set into the brick on…
-
People ask all the time about how the shantyboat was built
Now, all of the shantyboat build process is available on the Secret History website. From hull framing, sheeting, fiberglass, to cabin framing to finish
-
Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil #art
Secret History stencil on the front of the #shantyboat. #stencil #art via Instagram
-
New refurbished #shantyboat life ring. Thanks Benzy!
New refurbished #shantyboat life ring. Thanks Benzy! via Instagram
-
#ShantyBoat last minute work above and below.
#ShantyBoat last minute work above and below. via Instagram
-
-
What happens when the Shantyboat key breaks off in the ignition
What happens when the #ShantyBoat key breaks off in the ignition when it is still in the boatyard’s lift sling? via Instagram
-
We put new drain plugs in the ShantyBoat motor well
We put new drain plugs in the #ShantyBoat motor well. Was this why it didn’t leak for the first time? via Instagram
-
Preparing the Shantyboat
We’ve been working like mad to get the boat ready for the Tennessee River. We pulled the boat into drydock at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard. Out list of things to do would take two pages if we weren’t willfully ignoring the minor things.
-
Excitement! First time the ShantyBoat was afloat and the motor well didn’t take on water!
Excitement! First time the #ShantyBoat was afloat and the motor well didn’t take on water! via Instagram
-
ShantyBoat with fresh coat of paint headed for the Tennessee River in one week.
#ShantyBoat with fresh coat of paint headed for the Tennessee River in one week. via Instagram
-
Shantyboat looking good and almost ready to depart.
#Shantyboat looking good and almost ready to depart. via Instagram
-
Freddie Mercury goes back on the #shantyboat.
Freddie Mercury goes back on the #shantyboat. via Instagram
-
Last minute #Shantyboat todo list. We leave in one week.
Last minute #Shantyboat todo list. We leave in one week. #NoRush #WeGotThis #BusyAsBees via Instagram
-
Newly fiberglassed, epoxied, painted, varnished and sealed shantyboat motor well
Newly fiberglassed, epoxied, painted, varnished and sealed #shantyboat motor well. Will it keep water out NOW? #ThingsThatShouldntHoldWater via Instagram
-
Tired of the shantyboat corner being dinged up on docks and piers so now we have rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Tired of the #shantyboat corner being dinged up on docks and piers so now we have rubber baby buggy bumpers. via Instagram
-
Bad idea makes good. Fiberglassed #shantyboat motor well
Bad idea makes good. Fiberglassed #shantyboat motor well. #NowhereToGoButForward via Instagram
-
Messed up #shantyboat corner now fixed. #WeWillAlwaysHaveSavanna #ILeftMyRubRailInIllinois
Messed up #shantyboat corner now fixed. #WeWillAlwaysHaveSavanna #ILeftMyRubRailInIllinois via Instagram
-
“That silly boat in the harbor”
I guess the customer service training at West Marine doesn’t include a caution against referring to customers’ boats as “that silly boat in the harbor.” #shantyboat #WestMarine via Instagram
-
Heavy felted fiberglass. Bad ideas on the shantyboat
Heavy felted fiberglass. Bad ideas on the #shantyboat via Instagram
-
Lifting the shantyboat with a house jack to move the cribbing. What could go wrong?
Lifting the #shantyboat with a house jack to move the cribbing. What could go wrong? #SketchyIdeas #DesperationIsTheMotherOfInvention #911onSpeedDial via Instagram
-
I think I got a little sun over the last few #shantyboat work days.
I think I got a little sun over the last few #shantyboat work days. via Instagram
-
A Crazy Plan to Launch the Shantyboat in the Ocean
We launched in the Santa Cruz Harbor yesterday and pulled the boat out into dry dock, the shantyboat’s only second voyage in the Pacific Ocean.
-
-
Roof work on the #shantyboat at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor.
Roof work on the #shantyboat at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor. via Instagram
-
-
#shantyboat workday at the Santa Cruz Harbor.
#shantyboat workday at the Santa Cruz Harbor. via Instagram
-
Losing control in a wind and damaging the boat against docks and whatnot. We are fixing things so we can have more of this fun.
One of the most fun parts about being in the #shantyboat on the river is losing control in a wind and damaging the boat against docks and whatnot. We are fixing things so we can have more of this fun. via Instagram
-
Sanding the hull of the #shantyboat in preparation for new bottom paint.
Sanding the hull of the #shantyboat in preparation for new bottom paint. via Instagram
-
Shantyboat on blocks in our worksite at the Santa Cruz Harbor.
#shantyboat on blocks in our worksite at the Santa Cruz Harbor. via Instagram
-
The ill-advised madness of reseating the leaky shantyboat motor well.
The ill-advised madness of reseating the leaky #shantyboat motor well. via Instagram
-
The shantyboat gets a visit from Phil and One-eyed Jack
The #shantyboat gets a visit from Phil and One-eyed Jack while we wait for the boat lift. #latergram via Instagram
-
When your Shantyboat Motor won’t start after you get in the harbor
When your #Shantyboat Motor won’t start after you get in the harbor, you use your #BoatUS towing via Instagram
-
-
-
Shantyboat visits the harbor beach in Santa Cruz on the way to dry dock.
#shantyboat visits the harbor beach in Santa Cruz on the way to dry dock. via Instagram
-
Your average house doesn’t rattle down the road at 60 mph 5000 miles a year
Your average house doesn’t rattle down the road at 60 mph 5000 miles a year. So the #shantyboat doors and windows tend to need a little maintenance and repair. via Instagram
-
Important #shantyboat business at the end of the workday.
Important #shantyboat business at the end of the workday. via Instagram
-
Breaker box on #shantyboat now with grounding strap!
Breaker box on #shantyboat now with grounding strap! via Instagram
-
-
Aesthetics comes first on the shantyboat
Have we repaired the hull yet? No. Aesthetics comes first on the #shantyboat. Painting windows with a delicious old green. via Instagram
-
A Tangle of Wires, Shredded Tin, and a Descent Into Madness
Just a few weeks until we leave! Aaaa! Panic! Electrical work, roof work, and plans for a decent into madness.
-
On the shantyboat our precision work often achieves tolerances as fine as a 1/4″ or more.
On the #shantyboat our precision work often achieves tolerances as fine as a 1/4″ or more. via Instagram
-
Here is what electrical work on the shantyboat looks like. Hours under the deck.
Here is what electrical work on the #shantyboat looks like. Hours under the deck. via Instagram
-
Electrical nightmares
Because the old system of 9 wires going into a crowded junction box was giving me nightmares. #shantyboat via Instagram
-
What the hell are we doing?
Well, there is some beer drinking, some power tool noises, some sitting around talking. So, we must be working on the shantyboat to get it ready for the Tennessee River!
-
Shantyboat hijinx during a “work” day
#shantyboat hijinx during a “work” day. I think we got “drink beer” and “make todo list” accomplished that day. via Instagram
-
Secret 110v plug in for #shantyboat shore power when we are docked in marinas.
Secret 110v plug in for #shantyboat shore power when we are docked in marinas. via Instagram
-
Secret 110v plug in in #shantyboat for when we are docked in marinas.
Secret 110v plug in in #shantyboat for when we are docked in marinas. via Instagram
-
24 Hours
Tomorrow morning early we pull out of Santa Cruz towing the shantyboat. The journey has not yet begun, yet I’m so tired I could lay down my paintbrush and take a nap right now. This kind of tiredness is big the kind of tired fixed with a night’s rest, but the kind of tired from…
-
Dry Docking the Shantyboat
In preparation for our journey to the Mississippi River in a few days, we had some work to do on the shantyboat. The hull needed painting and the motor well needed to be resealed so we needed to put the boat up in dry dock.
-
24 Hours and Gory Details
Just 24 hours and just over $1000 to go on the kickstarter! We’re almost there. So close, we can taste it.
-
Readying Shantyboat and Other Trip Details
So while the Kickstarter has been doing its thing and we’ve been trying to promote it and talk you into sharing it with your friends, family, strangers, etc. (It’s not too late!) we’ve been hard at work making sure the expedition will be successful. Every weekend for the last several months Jeremiah, James and I…
-
Introducing Freddie
You remember last year when we were on the river with Mr. Johnson? We got him a friend. We want to introduce you to Freddie.
-
Maiden Launch (vintage remix)
The shantyboat Dotty’s maiden launch. Dropping a completely untested boat into one of the largest rivers on the continent.
-
The Joys and Heartache of Saying Goodbye
With days left before our departure for the Secret History expedition, we hosted a launch party at the boatyard. We invited all the people who’ve worked on the boat over the last two years and who’ve supported the project.
-
Odds and Ends We Still Need
This is like a Secret History scavenger hunt whose items include your local paper and old people.
-
Shantyboat on the Mississippi
In July, we are bringing the shantyboat across country to launch in the Mississippi River on an art and history expedition: Thanks to espressobuzz for the historic photo A journey to rediscover the lost narratives of river people, river communities, and the river itself. Secret History is an anthro-historical artist’s journey through the history of…
-
What the #*@&% happened?
You must hate me. Last I left you with “Walls take shape” and then radio silence for six months. Did I lose interest in the project? Get tragically killed by a falling jet engine? No, I’m not dead and the project is moving along albeit a little more slowly. I started grad school. Which means…
-
Roof Rafters – The cabin takes shape
When we disassembled the Hollister chicken coop, we got a bunch of beautiful old 1×12 redwood siding, a shitton of corrugated metal, a handful of old dimensional redwood 2x4s, and finally, a dozen or so roof rafters, complete with birdsmouths. True they were old and some were a little worse for wear, rotted at the…
-
Cabin Framing, More Mistakes Were Made
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s not being good as things. But given my delightfully blinding optimism, I plunge on ahead anyway, learning a ton with each monumental goof. You remember the cabin framing looked like this. That’s more or less an eight foot wall, with maybe 1 foot 8 inches below the…
-
Cabin Wall Framing. Finally.
Whew, finally. We get to constructing the cabin walls. This is the fun part for me. As a former carpenter, framing construction is well-within my comfort zone. Initially, it looked like it would be easy as pie. I planned to simplify the standard stud construction to reduce weight: (single) sole plate + studs + (single) top plate +…
-
New Boat Vocabulary Word: Coaming
One of the smarter things I’ve done on the shantyboat, was to add a coaming around the edge of the cabin. A new vocab word for me as I slowly get all nautical during the one plus year shantyboat build: coam·ing /ˈkōmiNG/ Noun A raised border around a ship’s hatch serving to support the hatch…
-
A Collection of Photos from a Non-Shantyboat River Float
I took a two-week break from building the shantyboat to float the Sacramento River. I post this here, because floating on these big rivers is where I got the craving for living on a shantyboat. Some of my favorite times are from drifting aimlessly in our DIY raft during hot summer days. These rafts were…
-
Bow Eyes and Stern Tiedowns
Sometimes little things can be a big headache. And sometimes big headaches can turn out not to be that big a deal at all. And so it was with the bow eyes and stern tiedowns. Here’s the idea, I have a trailerable shantyboat. It is really really nice if when I am towing down the…
-
The Cabin Has a Floor
Let’s put in a floor! This is the floor that will be inside the cabin. Remember the beautiful old redwood I got from the chicken shed that Jen, Kai, Alex and I salvaged last year? I wanted to use these thick 1x12s for flooring in the boat. The also have the advantage of putting some weight…
-
Obsessive woodworking, top side
With both decks on, I could be an obsessive woodworker again. First I shimmed up any really large gaps with thin pieces of wood, epoxying them on. Then I routed all the edges. Once I sanded down the bumps and the previous coat of fiberglass, there were still some larger structural gaps that I wanted…
-
Installing the aft deck
I put the aft deck on. Thought you should know. There were some awkward places in the aft section of the boat where the stringers didn’t quite line up. One stringer dipped lower than the rest. So I had to add on little thin wedges of wood to the tops of the members. I am…
-
Motor Well, A Mini-Project Unto Itself
Oh, the motor well. Seems simple enough. Build a box that bolts to the back of the boat, upon which the motor clamps. I’ve been working on the motor well since the days of the Troublesome Skegs and before the Boat Flip. Turns out that though this earns only a brief paragraph in the Glen-L…
-
Protecting the Bilge
Water is the enemy of wood longevity. Protecting the wood inside the boat, especially in the bilge is critical. Here’s the plan, slightly ridiculous in it’s conservatism. Two coats of Copper Napthenate (Copper Green) to prevent bacterial and fungal decay. Two coats of water-based exterior latex primer. A coat of water-based exterior latex paint. First though, I wanted…
-
A Front Deck and Photos of an Adorable Puppy
First off, now that the boat is upright, I made Hazel a ramp so she can go in and out of the boat while I’m working. Next, I put the front deck on. There are probably things I need to do under there that would be easier without the deck, but my excitement trumps good…
-
More Cabin Planning
If you’ve been following the blog, you know that one place that I’m diverging from the Glen-L Waterlodge plans is in the cabin. While I have been true to the plans while building the hull, I am increasingly going off into the wild blue as I design and build the cabin. The original plans called for a…
-
A Bunch of Questions
Here’s a big pile of questions that occur to me. Solutions will no doubt present themselves, but in the meantime they are open questions. I’m not sweating the answers, but just want to remember to keep them in my mind for now. Q: How will the winch be mounted on the trailer? Q: How will…
-
A Big Flippin’ Deal
For months I’ve been wanting to flip the boat hull so I can start working on the topside. This is no easy feat as the thing is 8 foot wide by 20 foot long. It will take at least 12 people to flip it safely and lift it onto the trailer. I originally planned it…
-
Fancy Pants New Renderings
There you go. 3D rendering doesn’t make anything more real, but it does help me understand some of the challenges I’ll face when I start constructing the cabin. New rendering, now with more Hazel dog!
-
Thinking About Cabin Construction
Now that the boat is ready to be flipped, I’m thinking again about the cabin. Here’s the plan, in general, for the completed shantyboat. I’d been giving some thought earlier to the cabin layout, but finally sat down and planned everything out using real measurement. In clockwise order from top left: Small galley with 2-burner…
-
Welding the Trailer
Timeline: Less than a week before the boat flip! The trailer needs several repair welds to make it safe. The clock is ticking. I got a recommendation for a welder from the same awesome friend at the lumberyard who sold me the skids. I called the guy on an odd Thursday that I was playing…
-
And now back to the trailer
Remember the trailer? This one, the one that almost killed us? We left the shantyboat hull pretty complete. Now that the boat is ready to be flipped, we turn our attention back to the trailer. It is really a rusty, janky old thing. I’ve owned it for fifteen years or so, or sorta owned it since…
-
The Talented Mr. Johnson
For a while now, my cousin Brian has been wanting to introduce me to Mr. Johnson. He’s had Mr. Johnson living with him for a time and thinks he’ll be just the person to help get my shantyboat project going. I’d been thinking about powering this little craft, particularly as I put the finishing touches…
-
Those Troublesome Skegs, Finishing Touches
So the skegs are mounted, but the carriage bolt countersinks are still there. Let’s fix that. I bought a hardwood dowel of the same diameter as my countersink holes. Happily, the grain ran crossways the length of the dowel, making sweet little plugs when I cut little coins off the end. A story in pictures.…
-
Those Troublesome Skegs, Mistakes Were Made
So the skegs have been cut, spliced, drilled, countersunk, stained, and finished. Now we only have to mount them. Easy, right? Ahem. I looked for a long time to find just the right sealant and adhesive for the skegs. They get bolted down of course, but you have to seal them really well, both to…
-
Those Troublesome Skegs, Bolt Holes and Finish
Here we drill all sorts of holes in our newly made skegs and finish them. You know, it really helps to have the right tools. And you know what helps having the right tools? Money. I don’t got none of that, so I have to make do with the tools I have. And sometimes that…
-
Those Troublesome Skegs, Scarf Joints
I had to turn 14 foot pieces of lumber into 16 foot lengths for the bottom skegs. To do this we use a scarf joint. According to wikipedia: The joint is formed by cutting opposing tapered ends on each member which are then fitted together. When working with wood, this gives better long grain to…
-
Those Troublesome Skegs, Part the First
When we built punk rafts and floated several big rivers, we powered the rafts with canoe paddles and our own arms. Though the big innertubes that floated the rafts provided so much flotation, they drew no more than a few inches of water, it was still like pushing a truck. After a long day of…
-
Hull UV Protection
Fiberglass over plywood is ridiculously tough. There are wood and fiberglass boats still around after 50 years. However, fiberglass has an Achillis Heel — sunshine. Fiberglass rapidly degrades with exposure to UV rays. Thus, it is recommended to paint or varnish fiberglass with something offering UV protection. We wanted the boat to show off it’s…
-
Fiberglass Finish Coats
After the fill coat, the texture of the fiberglass cloth was still visible, so we embarked on a series of finish coats. I think we finally put three more coats on after the fill coat. The Finish Coat, the Aren’t We Done Yet Coat, and the Good Lord Please Let This Be The Last Coat. …
-
Fiberglass Fill Coat
At this point, we have the fiberglass bonded to the boat with a layer of epoxy. The texture of the cloth is still quite visible, so we have to add enough epoxy that it is invisibly hidden. Since by now we are grizzled veterans of fiberglassing, the work was not so stressful and only required…
-
Fiberglass Bond Coat
Okay, so let’s review. Fiberglass (of more accurately glass-fiber reinforced plastic) is a composite laminate of hardening plastic goo reinforced with Ziggy Stardust-esque silvery spun glass fabric. We have already applied the “seal coat” and need another several layers before we’re done. I found the Glen-L instructions for applying fiberglass for you. This is pretty…
-
Fiberglass Seal Coat
We fretted over fiberglassing the hull so much, we put off beginning with this step for weeks. We read and reread our instructions from Glen-L, Ken Hankinson Fiberglass Boatbuilding book, and anything else we could find. We went over scenarios and thought of terrible things that could go wrong. We thought it would be so harrowing…
-
Hockey Puck Manufacture (or Epoxy is Stressful II)
Did I mention that epoxy is stressful? To recap: You have 15 to 30 minutes to get a bucket full of epoxy mixed, applied, and secured down before it turns into a rock-hard mistake that must be laboriously chipped, chiseled, and sanded off. Add to that, less than ideal conditions of 95°F days and adding…
-
Opinions are like assholes…
Everyone’s got one. Every now and then I’ll ask a boat-related question on a public forum or email list. It sure isn’t a problem getting people to weigh in with their opinion, that’s for sure. The challenge, actually, is picking through the dross of misunderstanding, inaccurate information, speculation, and completely made-up answers to find the…
-
Hull Finish Work (or Correcting Mistakes III)
I like to joke that I bring Old World Craftsmanship to my work. Old World like Neanderthal, the fine kind of workmanship you get from precision woodworking tools such as heavy clubs and sharpish rocks. One of the things I like about building is all the layers of increasingly fine-tuned craftsmanship one brings to a…
-
Hull Ends
Oh god, at the end of every work day when we are high-fiving each other, we are always marveling at just how much more boatlike the boat looks. But today, for reals, at the end of the work day, the boat doesn’t just look boatlike — technically if you dropped it in the water, it…
-
Sheeting the Hull
It looks easy, right? What could go wrong? Four rectangular sheets of plywood lined up together on a horizontal surface made to fit them, screwed down on all the edges. But as soon as we started sheeting the bottom of the boat, we realized this seemingly simple task would be more complicated. How do we…