HARDWOOD RECORD 



Utilization of HardWoods 



From the very first men have beeu buildiug 

 boats with the idea of getting the maximum 

 amount of both comfort and speed out of 

 them. Of course, the two qualities are in a 

 way contradictory, for if we emphasize the 

 coihfort we are liable to end with a house- 

 boat ; while if speed is all we want the birch 

 bark canoe strongly appeals to us. A happy 

 medium, however, is the motor boat, which 

 is rapidly growing into popularity not only 

 as a pleasure craft, but, like the automobile, 

 many business men regard it as an al>solute 

 necessity, and having once tried it in con- 

 nection with their business would not feel 

 that they could well dispense with it, espe- 

 cially when their enterprises are spread over 

 considerable ground and are more readily ac- 

 cessible by water than by land. This mode 

 of transportation appeals strongly to lumber- 

 men, and many lakes and streams near tim- 

 ber operations are "alive" with the little 

 craft. 



At first thought its construction might be 

 considered somewhat intricate, but on closer 

 observation we discover that although great 

 care must be taken in each phase of the 

 operation, yet the entire work is compara- 

 tively simple. This is due no doubt to the 

 fact that the modern factory for the manu- 

 facture of motor boats is a wonder in pre- 

 cision and systematic development. And 

 thereby hangs this tale. 



First of all great care is taken in the choice 

 of the lumber used. In a motor boat every 

 piece is not only called upon to bear its full 

 share of wear and tear, but it is also quite 

 conspicuous and so must be of the best grade. 

 The lumber which is stacked at one end of 

 the factory usually begins its trip through the 

 plant by being split into narrower pieces 

 by means of a buzz saw. It then passes 

 through the planer, and if necessary its edges 

 are smoothed off by the buzz planer. Next it 

 is carefully guided through the shaper. 



A notable fact in the well organized plant 

 is that every board is made an exact dupli- 

 cate of a numbered model, which has served 

 the same purpose before. The advantages of 

 such a scheme are apparent. Every board 

 in the boat is fashioned after a standard 



ARTICLE VII. 

 The Manufacture of Motor Boats. 



which has already ' ' made good. ' ' Every boat 

 turned out is uniform and every part in it 

 can be immediately and exactly replaced. 

 Thus delay in securing repairs is reduced to 

 a minimum and certainty of adjustment is 

 assured. 



The first step in the actual building of the 

 motor boat is to place the keel on the form 

 or model boat. This keel is made of two by 

 three inch straight grained clear white oak, 

 although the shaft-log which is attached to it 

 is made of oypress, fastened between strips 

 of oak. The transom or rear end of the boat 

 is also fastened to the keel, and is made of 

 oak usually in two pieces which meet in a 

 broad " V. " 



In the meantime the ribs have been planeil 

 down to the exact shape of their model, and 

 have beeu steamed so as to be easily bent. 

 Some boats have been made in two sections, 

 one rib running from the coaming on each 

 side to the keel — or in other words, the boat 

 is built in separate halves, which are then 

 fastened together. It is not necessary, how- 

 ever, to build a boat in this way, for a single 

 rib may run from one coaming to the other, 

 being bent over the keel. It is true that al- 

 though the first few ribs sometimes crack 

 when they are bent at such a sharp angle, as 

 they are fastened at both ends, this does not 

 matter very much, for they are still stronger 

 than two separate ribs. 



With the exception of the two pieces of 

 cypress used in the shaft-log all the wood 

 employed in these parts is oak. However, all 

 the planking is made of the best Louisiana 

 red cypress. The planking process is perhaps 

 the most difficult part of the whole operation. 

 These planks must be fitted along the stem 

 and keel so that each calking seam will be 

 uniform throughout. This is absolutely neces- 

 sary, for if the seam is such that in some 

 places the calking will be driven through 

 while in others there will be no room for it, 

 the only possible result will be that the boat 

 will leak^which is exactly what it must not do. 

 After the planks have been nailed in 

 place, the boat is gently slid off the form, 

 which is again used in building up- the 

 next one. The boat itself is now placed 

 upon a stand, and all the nails are coun- 



A NK.VT PLEASUKE CRAFT, 

 ter-sunk and clinched. As might be imag- 

 ined, the craft at this time is in a very 

 rough condition, but after the entire out- 

 side hull has been jjlaned down, the coun- 

 ter-sunk nail holes plugged up with putty, 

 and the whole boat thoroughly calked and 

 sand-papered, it begins to assume a more 

 seaworthy appearance. 



The next step in the process is the fin- 

 ishing up of the interior, which has previ- 

 ously received its first coat of paint. Con- 

 siderable remains to be done here for the 

 clamps must be carefully fastened in 

 place, the engine bed made safe and 

 strong, the flooring securely laid, and the 

 decks, covering boards, coamings, seats, 

 coiling and other parts fitted, bent and 

 put into position. The lockers containing 

 the batteries and other electrical equip- 

 ment, and the paueled bulkhead in the 

 forward end of the cock pit are also put in 

 position. The entire interior, with the ex- 

 ception of the seats and flooring, is made 



SIDE VIEW SEMI-KXOCKDOWX. 



