Generations bond while stitching and gluing
Issue 117: Nov/Dec 2017
When my grandson Ryan was born, in 2007, I was reminded of the fact that I never knew my grandfathers, as both had passed away before I was born. That drove in me the desire to establish a relationship with Ryan that would transcend the routine and the mundane. But how?
What if Ryan and I built a boat together?
After discussing this idea with his mom and dad and obtaining their permission, I set out on a boatbuilding adventure with Ryan.
The boat we built is an Eastport Pram, a kit boat from Chesapeake Light Craft. We purchased the full kit, which included, in addition to the makings of the boat itself, the centerboard, rudder, mast, and gaff-headed sail. We chose this model because, once we had completed our joint boatbuilding project, my wife and I were planning to use the pram as a dinghy for our Catalina 400 Mk II sailboat — 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, it would fit quite nicely along the transom. The kit was delivered to our home in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, in November 2014, and we began work the following January.
Ryan was 7 years old when we started our project and 9 when we christened the completed craft. In 2014, Ryan had started a club of sorts that included his immediate family and his grandparents among its members, so he and I decided we’d name our boat Ryan’s Club.
Ryan took to the work easily. He’s a quick learner and an enthusiastic worker. The Eastport Pram is assembled with the stitch-and-glue method, so we began by stitching together the hull’s wooden planks with wire before gluing them with an epoxy mix. After the epoxy had cured, we removed the wire stitches. We worked in the basement to complete the rough hull and in the spring of 2015 moved our work-in-progress to the garage.
During the remainder of 2015, despite school, karate lessons, and interruptions due to a wide range of unrelated and unanticipated events, Ryan and I found time to epoxy, sand, glue, sand, screw, sand, measure, sand, seal, sand, prime, sand, paint, sand, and varnish until we were finished. Ryan likes green and I like blue, so Ryan’s Club is Forest Green inside and Ocean Blue outside, all painted with a high-quality one-part epoxy. We finished the seats, mast, centerboard, rudder, and spars for the sailing rig to a high-gloss with four coats of a high-quality varnish. We installed a white gunwale guard around the entire perimeter to minimize wear and enhance our boat’s looks, and fitted two pairs of oarlocks to make the boat easy to row comfortably with either two or three occupants.
We both put our hearts and souls into this project and built a lasting personal relationship in the process. We completed Ryan’s Club by Christmas — an accomplishment we’ll both always remember. All that remained to do was to christen our craft.
April 17, 2016, was a beautiful warm sunlit day in Dredge Harbor on New Jersey’s Delaware River. When the time came, Ryan’s sister Ava accepted the honor of christening Ryan’s Club with Ryan while his other sister, Sofia, and his parents and grandparents looked on with pride.
After the ceremony, Ryan, Ava, and I rowed Ryan’s Club out into Dredge Harbor. She is sleek and moved through the water effortlessly. Drawing only about two inches, she offered little to no resistance to the pull of the oars and cruised high and free through the calm water.
Ryan has often expressed an interest in following a career that involves building. My hope is that our boatbuilding project helps him to mold his dream and move it forward. Who knows where it will lead?
A grandfather can only help, hope, and dream with him.
Inspired to build — Ryan DiBartolomeo
I wanted to build something really, really bad. When my Grandpop told me that I was going to build a boat with him, I was definitely down with it!
I always had lots to do, but I always found time to get into the work of building the boat. I remember when it was only a pile of wood planks and sticks. It’s now Ryan’s Club, named after my family club. I never thought that my club would become famous!
When the boat was finished, I wanted to take her out on the river, and we did, on the day of her christening. It was great!
First, I wanted to be a firefighter, then a policeman. Then it struck me! What I really want to be is a builder! I put every LEGO set I could find on my wish list. I’ve got most of them, but not all.
Building this boat has really helped me think more about being a builder.
Resources
Chesapeake Light Craft makes and sells kits for dozens of small craft, from rowboats and sailboats to canoes and kayaks. — www.clcboats.com
Frank Falcone is a civil engineer, a retired U.S. Navy captain, a licensed U.S. Coast Guard captain (6 pax), a college professor, and a lifelong sailor. He currently serves as the commodore of the Catalina 400/445 International Association. Frank and his wife, Linda, sail their Catalina 400 Mark II, Silver Eagle, on Chesapeake Bay and are fortunate that they can spend time with their daughter Wendy, her husband, Dave, and their children Ryan, Ava, and Sofia.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
