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Stunner😍It is easy to say that in our haste today fiberglass and other artificial materials are so much better. Sure ive had fiberglass boats - just park and foreget.
But theres something missing. Perhaps its connection -.the way the boat moves, the way its connected to the water, the way it was born not in a chemical vat but from the land.
So bit about the boat - shees a traditional 23 foot Ulset boat from near Aspøy in mid norway.
The story goes that farmers would buy a hull - then put in a motor - later as income and time permitted they would build a hut on the front(this one anyway) then they would perhaps make the boat higher - sometimes even longer. This is bourne out by the fact that most of the hull is clinker built whilst the overbuild is carvel.
When i take off the side plates above the deck i can see the original hand rail.
It has 2 masts mostly used for lifting or as part of trolling equipment - the rear has a small sail used to point the boat the right way when fishing.
The engine is a 30hp sabb (not saab) made in Norway - very reliable and very tough (something like 800lbs i believe) Diesel using something like 3 liters/hour.
The steer house is smallish with not enough room for a pilots seat so ive had to improvise - the cabin though has just enough room for 2 benches just wide enough to sleep on.
I paid way over the odds for the boat - i just took one look and felt this was it.
But ooh my did i have to do some work .
The seller was a bit cagy - wouldnt allow me to inspect the boat on land - i noticed water marks inside the hull way above the current levels but ----- sooo many goodies.
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These boats were mostly made with iron klinker nails - they rust - they did - the boat leaked like a sieve.
Against all the advice "from people who should have known better" i replaced most with stainless steel coach bolts and nyloc nuts.
The engine i got a friend in desperate need of a holliday to rebuild - since then ive had to rebuild a good few bits but shees funnnnnn - i go for 3/4 day trips up the fjords - 8 or more k out to sea - all kinds of adventures.
Because very few seem to want wooden boats i now have 3 in the garden .
