Lawrence E. Long's Page

"Sam: From the looks of it my suggestion would be to replace the whole transom.  Make new frames and install them just a 1/4" or so ahead of the existing frames while keeping the rotted transom in place for stability.  After all…"

"Fab:  Your calculation is correct.  I agree a 10 ft would be a little long- thats why its an approximation.  You can always shorten them-  Rough out the oars  and see how they seem to fit.  Another factor is how far…"

"Fabrice:  The length of the boat(Freestone) is not that important.  The distance between the oarlocks determines the length of the oar.   Shaw and Tenney here in Maine have been making oars since 1858.  Go to…"

"Randy:That is a spectacular job of restoration/resurection.  This is what is called a plank on frame build.  Each plank(strip) has to be individually fit to the next one- not an easy task.   How many block plane blades did…"

"Dorf:  Been converting a utility trailer to a boat trailer so am a little late to the game here.Grain runout- no matter the species will get you every time on a piece under bending stress.  The grain runout in your photo predicted the…"

"Ben:   Beautiful job of restoration.  Sanding 3/32" WRC must be like brain surgery-a little too much pressure and your done.  How many coats of varnish did it take to get that finish? Good luck"

"Phil:  Not too far from me is a local 1 man sawmill.  This family has been working here for more than 3 generations.  At one time they had a tidal sawmill.  At a narrow spot into a back bay the "doors" under the mill…"

"Dorf:  Thanks for the kind words about the peapod.  One other chore these boats had was delivering mail to light house keepers.  What would the US Postal Service say today if you requested delivery 2-3 miles off shore?  As to the…"

"Jake: Don't use maple for anything on a boat. Not rot resistant,heavy and gets a "blue stain" fungus.  Worse than red oak. Good Luck"

"Mike:  If I had your skills and access to the equipment I would not hesitate to modify a utility trailer. The 5'x8' was about $600, winch,spare tire etc will add less than $200.  _ much cheaper than a "real" boat…"

"Michael: I am in a similar situation needing a trailer for a 13' peapod about 54' wide at the gunwales and about 170Lbs.  Used boat trailers around salt water here in Maine are usually in bad shape- unless galvanized. …"

"Collin:   Good to see you are reviving a 30 year old boat.  I agree- that "tractor seat" looks like hell.  The seats could be attached to stringers  running between the frames. My little skif is about 11 'x…"

"Sam:  All of us are a little crazy in varing degrees.  Having never done a "rehab" my advice   is limited.  The real pros- Randy,AJ, and Hanson  will have better ideas.   Get an ice pick  or…"

"Kurt: My fiberglass experience is somewhat limited to drift boats and canoes.  I would look for standard fiberglass  in regular weave or in biaxial.  The biaxial  has strands at 45 deg,  fits well around curves- like…"

"Juan:  Don't worry about the english-mine isn't that good  either.  Welcome to the forum.  Beside Rogers book there are two sources I am very familiar with, having built a boat from each.  Both sources…"

"Christopher:  After you get the oars with either leathers or wraps a classy looking stop is the turks head knot. 3/16 or 1/4" would make a good one.good luck"