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What's
Happening?
Apprentices and Wednesday night volunteers build a Norwegian
Pram!
(click on pictures
to enlarge) |
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With great
excitement, we finished our
first
Norwegian Pram in June 2009.
A
pram is
a boat with transoms
at both ends, thus giving
maximum capacity for the
length.
Prams were popular for
errands
and light fishing on
the south-coast of
Norway and
the fjords
around Oslo.
They are built by
eye around
a bottom
plank that is bent
into shape by shoring
it
from the ceiling. At
UBB, we
have a very high
ceiling, so
our first step
was to build a framework
for shoring. Mark
Hanson
of the
North House Folk School
in Grand
Marais has built many
of these,
and generously
helped get us started with station
heights and rules-of-thumb for shaping
planks. Note the
fancy lap
clamps created by
UBB instructors Brian
Thorkildson
and Phil Winger. This has really been a fun project! Our apprentices have been splitting their time between the pram and a Wee Lassie canoe. Then, when our crew of adult volunteers come in on Wednesday nights, they help move both projects along. This boat, together with a longer 12 foot version built at Boys Totem Town are listed for sale on our boats for sale page. These are great boats and great projects for the youth. If you are interested in commissioning one, see Commission a Boat. Swedish Pram -- Not to be accused of cultural bias, our apprentices followed up the Norwegian Pram with a 10' Swedish Pram, a flat-bottom boat built using the same method. There is more information about this boat on our Boats For Sale page. 
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Maserati of Canoes -- In the winter of 2009, Phil and Brian designed an elegant skin-on-frame canoe patterned after the Guide design by Karl N. Ketter. The lashed frame for this canoe is a work of art. |
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There are currently 4 boats under construction, representing a nice variety construction methods and skills. At this time, more than half of our project partnerships are off site, that is, at their schools rather than in our shop in the Midway Shopping center. Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, MinneapolisIn September of 2007, we began a partnership with Cristo Rey, the Jesuit's latest in a series of highly regarded private college-preparatory schools designed to serve low-income families. Each student gains workplace experience and earns the majority of their tuition through a corporate internship program. Last year, students there built two 11-foot Mississippi River Skiffs, two pairs of spoon-bladed oars, and a 16-foot skin-on-frame canoe. This year's students have nearly completed a skin-on-frame solo canoe.
Skin-on-frame construction descends from
Inuit culture, but
is
also found in several
other
cultures around the
world.
The
Inuit
used driftwood and
lashed their craft together with
seal
sinews, carving it as needed with a
crooked knife,
and
finally skinning it
with
the hides of seals
stitched together.
Since we
didn't want
to kill any animals in
building these
boats,
we'll be using
synthetic
cordage and
skin, but otherwise
the
construction
remains true to
its
origins. BTT has partnered with Urban Boatbuilders since 1998. They are part of Ramsey County Juvenile Corrections, and partnered with the St. Paul Public Schools. It is a residential, rehabilitative facility, focused on successful reintegration. Over the years, BTT residents have built a huge variety of boats, ranging from simple rowing skiffs to large electric launches. They have nearly completed the boat they started this fall -- a rowing/sailing kit boat from, Chesapeake Light Craft called the Skerry. This great little boat will be available for sale, with proceeds going to help support more boat building projects at BTT. See: Boats for Sale The next project on the Boy's Totem Town agenda is a Norwegian Pram, to be built onsite at BTT. UBB Apprenticeship ProgramUBB's apprenticeship program now in its fifth year. Apprentices are recruited from our project partners. They are students who demonstrate proficiency with woodworking tools and techniques, and are willing to make a commitment to the continued development of these skills. This is an after school program designed to provide workplace experience to youth considering the trades. This year marks a few notable changes. In addition to boatbuilding instructors Phil Winger and Brian Thorkildson, volunteers Bob Anderson and Greg Lindberg have been coming on Wednesday afternoons while Phil goes off to Christo Rey. This helps grow the relationships between youth and adults and has been a rewarding experience for all. Brian continues to foster creativity and skill development. Under his guidance, our apprentices have built a portable forge fired with MAPP gas, with which they temper the steel blades for wooden planes and spokeshaves they've made by hand. He has also taught some basic timber-framing joinery through the construction of a couple pairs of stout sawhorses, all while building and restoring several boats here in the shop. Some apprentice- built tools: 
As of this writing, there are five apprentices, with three applicants in the interviewing process. In addition to working on the Norwegian Pram and a Wee Lassie, they have been building shop necessities and commissioned smaller projects such as spoon-bladed oars, canoe paddles, block planes, and spokeshaves. Soon, they will begin planning for the 80-mile river trip in July. Here are some pictures of a Wee Lassie project:
Please see a more complete description of the program at the Apprentice Page: http://www.urbanboatbuilders.org/Apprentices.htm Wednesday Night Open Shop
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Two of these light-weight canoes were built for our river trip and performed beautifully.
They are now listed for sale on our Boats For Sale page. 
