Cradle Boat Project (long, with pics)

[Frank Hagan]

I decided to build a cradle for my grandson, to be born around Christmas this year. The design I settled on was a dinghy, built in a "sort-of" traditional manner with copper roves and rivets, from Jordan Wood Boats (he advertises in Wooden Boat Magazine - http://www.jordanwoodboats.com). Just like a real boat, you build a strong back first, and then lay the stem and stern post, transom and keel.


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_sback.jpg

The planking comes next, and this is where my first problem started. It is difficult to plane red oak this thin and keep it in one piece ... the porous nature of red oak makes it easy to split. The plans call for white cedar, which would be a much easier wood to plane this thin, and then keep it from splitting as you bend it and fasten it with silicon bronze flat head wood screws (another bow to tradition that I'll never make again!)


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_plank.jpg

The rivets presented a problem for me too, and I think I have them inside out ... the flat head of the rivet should be on the inside, and the rove pounded onto the outside. Too late! Riveting boat planks together is just another reason I'm a thoroughly modern boat builder! Give me epoxy from now on! But enough complaining, the bottom planks were easier ... 1/2" thick instead of 3/16" like the sides, and not much bend.


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_bottom.jpg

The plans include both rockers which attach directly to the bottom of the cradle, and davits to suspend it. The construction of the davits is pretty straight forward, but I think the plan's rigging is a bit of overkill. I think I could hang my Potter 19 from the davits! But here are the finished pics:


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_side.jpg

http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_rearq.jpg

http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_frontq.jpg

http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_fecu.jpg

For the rigging, a bridle is made to attach to the stern quarter knees with figure-8 stopper knots underneath, with a bronze double block riding on the bridle. A bronze eye strap is positioned under the davit head, and the line is attached to it using an anchor bend. The line is rove down to the block, up to one of the sheeves in the davit head, down to the other side of the double block and back up through the other sheeve in davit head, then down to a bronze cleat to be made fast, so as baby doesn't crash to the ground.


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_rig.jpg

All in all, its been a worthwhile project. My wife has made some great bedding for the cradle, and I'll post pictures of it with the bedding when the battery on the camera recharges!

The finish is 4 coats of BLO, followed by a 1# cut of garnet shellac applied with a pad, followed by 4 coats of Target Coatings' "Oxford ULTIMA Spray Lacquer" in a satin finish.

[Mark Valsi]

AMAZING !!!

[Corey Hallagan]

That is just plain cool! Congrats on both the baby and the beautiful cradle!

Corey

[Shelley Bolster]

What Mark said.
AMAZING !!! That is by far the neatest cradle I have ever seen.......the craftsmanship is wonderful! Thanks so much not for only sharing the finished project but the progress pics as well! This will no doubt be passed down to many generations to come! :D

[Frank Hagan]

My wife calls it the "million dollar cradle" ... but you always need tools to complete a project, don't you? ;)

I ended up buying a DeWalt 735 planer and 621 router during the course of this project, as well as an "old iron" drill press I found on an auction site. But hey, I got a good deal on all of the tools!

[Karl Laustrup]

BEAUTIFUL!


What a great project and design. An heirloom it will be.

Karl

[Brett Baldwin]

That is a great piece. This baby sure will be getting its sea-legs early in life. It may have been a pain in some aspects but I suspect you find it all worthwhile now and even more so when the new occupant arrives.

[Bruce Page]

Frank, that is definitely going to be a precious heirloom!
I’m a little disappointed that you finished it with a couple of weeks to spare.:confused: :confused: It was right down to the wire when I made my granddaughter’s cradle...:rolleyes:

[Chris Barton]

incredible!

[Jim Dannels]

Very nice work, and thinking outside the box at that!
Awesome!

[Vaughn McMillan]

It's already been said in one way or another, but here's the Reader's Digest condensed version, Frank:

Beautiful, Amazing Heirloom!

- Vaughn

[Bob Noles]

Frank,

What can I say that hasn't already been expressed?

That has got to be the most awesome cradle anyone has ever seen.

You deserve an award!

[Jim Becker]

Beautiful work. Although I'm not a boater, I always enjoy seeing this style of cradle...they look great, have style and are very functional! Bravo!

[Jim Dunn]

Fantastic and all the above. Such wow wonderfulness work. Wonderfulness, I don't think anybody else has used that word:)

Jim

[lou sansone]

gee I live a sheltered life. never seen one of those before ... real nice
I wonder if the kid will like boats when he grows up.

very nice work
congrats on the grandson as well
lou

[Frank Hagan]

Thanks everyone for the compliments. Digital pictures are so nice ... low resolution makes everything look better! (I am happy with the project, but I'm sure most of you would be able to pick out the mistakes if you looked at the cradle in person ... but I guess that's what sets it apart from the store-bought variety).

My daughter and son-in-law both sail on Lake Chautauqua in the summer, and he used to teach sailing to kids here in Ventura. So they are tuned in to the boating world. I can't take credit for the design though; Warren Jordan, who also sells "real boat" plans, has several cradle designs on his web site. I like the designs a lot.

Here's a couple of pics of the bedding my wife made ... a 1" foam mattress covered with a marine vinyl cover and a nautical stripe sheet, along with the star field bumper pads. I think it sets off the cradle nicely.


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_bed1.jpg


http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/tn_bed2.jpg


My wife feels I should sign it ... I don't have one of those fancy branding irons, so I guess I'll use the sharpie felt marker routine. Is it too late? I think that should have been done prior to using the shellac and lacquer. Any suggestions on this?

[Christopher Pine]

I do sign my work most of the time...If this was mine I would also in an out of sight area embed a penny (current year).. This is how I date the project.. I know other have there own medalions made for this...

Great Project! Beautifully done!

Chris

[tod evans]

very impressive! four stars frank.

[Jerry Clark]

Well done Frank, thanks for sharing. :) You can still sign it and shoot a little lacquer over the signature.:rolleyes:

[Dave Richards]

Nice work Cap'n Grandpa. She looks very seaworthy. Actually, you have the rivets installed correctly with the roves on the inside. For the cradle I built, I did take my Dremel tool to the rivets and smoothed them off over the roves so they wouldn't snag anything.

What wood did you use for the center layer on the davits? They look nice with the contrast.

[Frank Hagan]

Its mahogany, although I'm not really sure what variety. It isn't as soft as the phillipian mahogany I've used in the past. It actually has a bit of personal history to it, as its the wood salvaged from the book cases in her grandmother's house, where she used to play as a child.

I used a dremel and then the ROS on the roves on the inside ... they still had little sharp parts on them after pounding on them. I just figured no one in his right mind would use those around a baby ... so I must have them backwards. So its good to know I did it the right direction.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Grandpa Frank......that's is truly an outstanding cradle! As said by others....sign and date it!......It'll be in the family for many generations to come! Excellent!

[Dave Richards]

Frank, the mahogany works well there.

Ken's right. You'd better sign and date it. I used pennies dated 2004 placed over the ends of the rod used for the sheave in the head of the davit. At the time I was looking for them, early in 2004, they were hard to find but I got four shiny ones.

[Gail O'Rourke]

Frank, This cradle is gorgeous. Please get some hi res pictures and submit them for publication. To combine, your families interests with your passionto woodwork for a newborn child...there's is nothing better.

Thanks for the inspiration.

[David Duke]

Really a cool project Frank, we're expecting our first grandchild in March and I can appreciate the excitement your experiencing. I have just completed the woodwork on a crib an anticipate many kid projects in the future.

[Keith Burns]

Frank, that is absolutely the most amazing piece I have seen in ages. Very inovative and well done !

[John Shuk]

It is beautiful. You did an amzing job with it.

[John Bailey]

Frank,

Great project, and I think, yes, the kid will like boats.

John

[Tyler Howell]

Well done Skipper!
Checking your knots here!:D Is that a bowline with 2 half hitches?
Gotta be ship shape.:cool:

[Frank Hagan]

Well done Skipper!
Checking your knots here!:D Is that a bowline with 2 half hitches?
Gotta be ship shape.:cool:

Yep, had to consult with Rigger's Apprentice to find out how to make a non-slip bowline. There wasn't enough room in the eye of the double block to make an anchor bend, which is a more secure knot. All the really secure ones require the line to be rove twice through the eye. So the bowline with two half hitches was it.

I did use anchor bends on the rigging that is rove from the eye strap under each davit head. I tugged and yanked on it quite a bit to make sure it wouldn't slip. The line is "buff polyester", developed initially by English Braids for use on tall ships and reproductions of traditional sailing vessels. It looks like three strand manilla or hemp rope, but like all synthetic line, is prone to slip more. All of the knots in our "inventory" are really from the days of natural fiber rope, so they can slip.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Frank that is absolutely beautiful. That will be a heirloom.

[Jim Fancher]

My wife calls it the "million dollar cradle" ... but you always need tools to complete a project, don't you? ;)

I ended up buying a DeWalt 735 planer and 621 router during the course of this project, as well as an "old iron" drill press I found on an auction site. But hey, I got a good deal on all of the tools!

The tools were paid for with that one project. It turned out great!

[Frank Hagan]

Thought I would post a follow-up ... and the biggest gloat of all.

That's the mother-to-be on December 20, unpacking the cradle. And the finishing touch, little baby Matthew in the cradle (the picture is dark and a little fuzzy, due to low light conditions).

On my boat-building site, I announced his birth is typical boat builder fashion:



Just this morning, December 22, 2005, at 10:50 AM ET in upstate NY, the Matthew Lefler was launched. While a small craft, with a displacement of 7 pounds, 7 ounces and only 20 3/4" LWL, the Matthew Lefler nevertheless made a big splash with those present.

Under construction for the past 9 months, the Matthew Lefler was found to be in good condition, with all on-board systems working fine, according to a survey by an expert just after launch.

The builders assert the craft will continue to grow now that its out of the boatshop, and have stated they will allow the alternate names, such as "grandson" and "cutest baby in the world".


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[Frank Chaffee]

How very wonderful Frank.

It is apparent that the young craft enters the waters of life with many advantages.

Congratulations to all of you who contributed to this fine launch.

Frank Chaffee

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Must be some mistake here Frank! I see not a vessel but an up and coming some times gale wind force and always the Captain of what ever craft he's in regardless of how little experience this mate might have! Congrats on both the grandson and the cradle! Life is truly good!

[Carl Eyman]

And the seas of life calm! But if not may he remain on an even keel and navigate with expert seamanship. Congratulations.