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Thread: Tally Ho

  1. #1
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    Tally Ho

    Apologies if this has been posted previously, but my search of the forum found nothing.

    I've been watching this series for a number of weeks now and found it fascinating. It covers the restoration/rebuilding of a 100 year old sailing yacht. The scale of the build is huge and I can't imagine the cost of the timber. To think that back in the day all this was done by hand makes me really appreciate the skills of the time. We truly do stand on broad shoulders.

    Hoping you folks will enjoy

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-...hBnDSay7nmphUA
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  2. #2
    I'm with you on your thoughts on the old ship wrights. I just a bit ago found that the 17th century Ships of The Line had sides over 40 inches thick. No wonder Merry Old England was nearly deforested!

  3. #3
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    And those old wooden transport ships were only considered good for five years. In one of his letters to his Daughter, about making a trip to France, Thomas Jefferson wrote to her telling her to not book the passage on a ship any older than 5 years old. I remember other instances of reading about shipping specifications on ships older than 5 years, but can't quote the source from memory.
    Last edited by Tom M King; 04-15-2019 at 12:29 PM.

  4. #4
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    This is quite a labor of love. It would be easier to build a boat from scratch, but I'm not knocking what he's doing- I think it's great to see boats get restored. I guess I should word it different- this is even harder than building one from scratch.

    Where I live, there is one of the oldest haul-outs in the Caribbean- the Creque Marine Railway on Hassel Island. I am President of the St. Thomas Historical Trust, and it's one of our projects to try to restore some of the equipment left there from the days of sail and of steam. There is a huge steam engine that would drive a winch to haul boats up the marine railway, and there were huge lathes, drill presses, and the likes that would run off leather belts from that and a smaller steam engine. Prior to that, they would haul boats out with mules and manpower, or careen them in Careening Cove, nearby on the same island. They did quite a bit of work there, and with Charlotte Amalie Harbor being the busiest Caribbean port in the sailing days, it was always packed with sailing ships. Imagine what these guys had to do with little resources. If they needed a special part, it had to be shipped from the mainland.

    Sadly, the building that houses the old steam engine and winch was very badly damaged in the storms, and it's just about beyond repair now, so efforts are more for preservation of what's left than complete restoration. I'm glad to see someone preserving a bit of sailing history, and it would be amazing for her to race again.

  5. #5
    I love watching this stuff! I could waste an entire day, and almost did before I shook myself from the trance.

    Thanks for sharing, Rob!
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    I love watching this stuff! I could waste an entire day, and almost did before I shook myself from the trance.

    Thanks for sharing, Rob!
    But why aren't you in Key West yet?
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by James Waldron View Post
    But why aren't you in Key West yet?
    I wish! Looks like May 5 is blast off from Cape Canaveral. Except we'll be going a bit slower.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  8. #8
    I like this kids style.

    I have been doing things the hard way all my life to the point of it isn’t the hard way I’m really not interested.

    I also really appreciate saving something when he could just as easily start anew. In my book romance trumps practicality and if there is a high price to pay.

    Good on this guy. He is living life to its fullest even if only while undertaking this project. Imop that’s the stuff that makes everything else about being alive worth enduring.

  9. #9
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    Revisiting this thread. I’m so glad others have found it interesting. As a younger man I envisioned a similar quest, but was re-directed by love, family, and career (NO regrets). My quest was different, but no less fulfilling.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  10. #10
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    Resurrecting this thread. A friend recently told me about this build and I have been binge-watching the videos. Just getting to the deck trim and internal fitting. I saw some sneak peaks where it looks like this build is still going - maybe nearing launch but haven't made it that far. Very interesting, some good work being done, a very cool project all in all.
    Regards,

    Kris

  11. #11
    The hard part with huge projects like that is the old adage - You get 95% done and you still have 95% of the work left to do.

    "Finishing" a project like that to the point of "Done" is a massive ordeal.

  12. #12
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    I am way behind on Leo's progress. Our daughter and SIL give me updates from time to time. The episode where he tells of death of his former host in Sequim is the last one I watched. That one is sad. He put his influence to good use by encouraging his contributors to help that family, which is touching. If you are interested in Tally Ho you might enjoy the writings of Edgar J. March about Pilot Cutters. I wll check the rules for "Fair Use" and post a few paragraphs.

    Here is a description of the kind of work Tally Ho's type of boat was used for. I think it is the first episode of Sampson Boat Co. where Leo talks about Pilot Cutters and their influence on Albert Strange's design.

    IMG_1924.jpg
    Last edited by Maurice Mcmurry; 03-15-2024 at 8:38 AM.
    Best Regards, Maurice

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by John C Cox View Post
    The hard part with huge projects like that is the old adage - You get 95% done and you still have 95% of the work left to do.

    "Finishing" a project like that to the point of "Done" is a massive ordeal.
    True story there. The amount of detail work is enormous. The quality of the woodworking remains very impressive as does the quality of the timber they source. . I would love to have some of their offcuts for small projects. I'm happy to say I've seen every episode. We didn't get a new one last week and I'm looking forward to one dropping tomorrow. They should be installing the top mast and rigging soon. I predict they'll launch later this year.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  14. #14
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    I too have watched Tally Ho from the first episode and along the way learnt new tricks to do things. His skill with a chainsaw matches his skill with planes and chisels and that boat is an excellent testimony to him. I honestly thought he would never finish it but six years later he has proved me wrong. What the project has done is demonstrate Leo's project management skills and there are lessons to be learned there for anyone.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  15. #15
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    Episode 28 is part of the motivation for my efforts to make small quantity's of black locust timber available. In episode 18 Leo talks about Pilot Cutters in detail. The weather on the day of the 1927 Fastnet race sounds similar to the weather John Long encountered in Pallas Christmas of 1820.
    Last edited by Maurice Mcmurry; 03-16-2024 at 8:14 AM.
    Best Regards, Maurice

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