Echuca/Moama Weekend 26-28 October 2018
The weekend of 26,27,28th October is our weekend away at Echuca Moama.
Echuca is the home to the largest fleet of paddle steamers in the world and includes PS Adelaide, (1866) the worlds oldest wooden hull paddle steamer.
An Historic Gem - The Pedalled Paddle Wheeler "SUNBEAM" circa 1870
Do you know anything about this boat or similar designs?
Adrian Brewer proprietor of "Floataboat)" in Melbourne,has come across a record of an interesting craft that initially plied the waters of Albert Park Lake, and appears to have ended its days on the Gippsland Lakes.
Adrian has asked -
“Wondering if anyone has information on an old excursion vessel called “Sunbeam”.
Check out "The Boatyard"
Looking for a boat? some good ones in the "For Sale or Wanted" section - some FREE.
check it out!
1898 Hobson’s Bay “Flattie” (Bob Morgan)
After a nearly two year restoration my 14’6’’ 1898 Hobsons Bay Flattie “Larrigai” was re-launched at the 2018 Paynesville Wooden Boat Show.
It also appeared the following week at the Geelong Wooden Boat Festival sitting on its trailer. This is the “Larrigai” saga.
Why Build a Wooden Boat?
Why build a wooden boat? Maybe we all have different reasons – but I built mine because I wanted to go fishing on Port Phillip Bay, and I didn’t want to spend the money on a new boat, or take a chance on someone else’s reject
Building the Alma J. (Ken MacMahon)
I built three wooden boats as a teenager – a kayak, a 10’moulded plywood dinghy, and a sailfish. Then, for forty years, my attention was diverted into bushwalking, travel and family activities.
When I retired four years ago I built a nice, big shed and searched for a new boat building project. My main selection criteria were as follows: a construction method that suited my skill level, big enough to be stable and comfortable for an older person, able to be set up and sailed single-handed, easily trailerable, and it had to be a pretty boat.
I eventually settled on a Penny Fee, a five metre long glued lapstrake sailing dinghy designed by Ian Oughtred. I bought plans and a kit from Robert Ayliffe of Straydog Boatworks (South Australia). The kit includes moulds and plywood planking. These were laser cut in Melbourne, so I picked them up directly from the factory. As the planks are cut out of 2400 x 1200 sheets there is a bit of scarfing to be done. Small laser marks are aligned with a string line to ensure the finished planks are the correct shape.
About the Wooden Boat Association
The Wooden Boat Association was formed in 1989 for people who enjoy wooden boats and wooden boat building.
Members appreciate wooden boats for their aesthetic qualities, the beauty of the boats and the materials from which they are constructed, and the pure romance of wooden boats.
In this age of mass production, each wooden boat is as individual as her owner.
Complete an online membership form to join the Wooden Boat Association today!
The Williamstown St Ayles Skiff Project (Jane Howard)
The St Ayles Skiffs are 22 foot row boats that are similar to ancient Scottish craft used for fishing and recreation around the Scottish Isles. The St Ayles Skiff was designed for communities to build and own to encourage community engagement and build skills both in the building and the rowing. These boats are now being built around the world for this purpose. The Williamstown group had its inaugural meeting in July 2016. A core group of 12 women members have been active in raising funds, attending other events here in Victoria (Geelong and Warrnambool), Tasmania and South Australia, and meeting monthly. The commitment by the women to attend on a weekly basis for the build has been phenomenal. The Williamstown build was inspired by the Franklin Women's Build in Tasmania. Their boats (x4 now) are moored on the river and accessible at all times for casual rows and competitions.
In February a small group attended the Hobart Wooden boat festival and participated in the mini raid return to Franklin over four days. This introduced us to people from around Australia, Scotland, England, Holland and New Zealand and gave us an amazing opportunity to see the full impact that this growing sport engenders.We are auspiced by Outlets Community Co-Op in Newport who are very supportive. As part of Outlets we qualify as a non-for-profit group. We have a committee and membership structure. At the beginning of the year the Welsh Church (which built and rows the St Ayles Skiff “Cariad”), kindly allowed us to set up to build our St Ayles Skiff in their shed at Seaworks, Williamstown.
Club Night with FloataBoat May 2017
Another great night at the Albert Park Yacht Club rooms (APYC) – a great turnout.
It was good to see visitors and their model boats from Broadmeadows, the Albert Park Yacht Club with Chris’ and Paul’s twin model yachts, Surrey Park Model Boat Club with a model of the “African Queen” as it looked in the film, and the Lake Illawong Model Boat Club (Patterson Lakes) displaying 3 models which included a vintage model of the pilot vessel “Wyuna” that had been made by Rosey as an 8 year old.
Our club also had models on display from David O’Dempsey, Alex and Stewart Pigdon with their lovely model Couta boat, and Graham Signorini’s giant model of the cutter “Madge”. This last boat is so detailed, I suspect that Graham soaked the original cutter until it shrank to its current size!
Building A Wooden Boat?
If you are building a Wooden boat of any size, building a model wooden boat, - own a wooden boat, or you are interested in building a wooden boat of your own, THIS CLUB MAY BE FOR YOU.
Every member of the WBA has at least one of these interests, and you will find like minded men, women, and the occaisional youngster, willing to share experiences - and if required, offer advice and assistance. Of course we enjoy using our boats together, too.
More information required? Email info@woodenboat.asn.au and we will be in touch.
Call for Contributions
Have you recently had a great day on the water, voyaged from A to B successfully, or completed a small project such as a locker lid or new spar? Our members would love to hear about it!.
Please send a short paragraph and a picture to the Shavings Editor, preferably by email to shavings@woodenboat.asn.au, so that we can include your account in Shavings.
We also encourage members to share their achievements and experiences at club nights. Bring along photos, drawings or examples and feel welcome to talk about these as part of the meeting.
Member login
5 Most viewed pages
Who's Online
We have 177 guests and one member online
Syndicate
Coming WBA Events
| Sat Oct 27 @12:00AM Club Weekend away at Moama/Echuca on the mighty Murray |
| Sun Oct 28 @12:00AM Club Weekend away at Moama/Echuca on the mighty Murray |
| Sun Nov 25 @10:00AM - 05:00PM Club Sailing Day - Werribee South Sailing Day - - Out into the Bay or up the river? The choice is yours… |
| Sun Dec 09 @10:00AM - 05:00PM Christmas Party and Sailing Day, at Albert Park Lake |
Other Events
- Victorian Classic Dinghy Network & Cairn Curran Sailing Club event Sat. 24 Nov, 2018 9:00 am - Sun. 25 Nov, 2018 5:00 pm
- The 2019 Festival of Sails Geelong Sat. 26 Jan, 2019 8:00 am - Mon. 28 Jan, 2019 5:00 pm
- Inverloch Classic Wooden Boat Regatta Sat. 26 Jan, 2019 10:00 am - Mon. 28 Jan, 2019 5:00 pm
- Wooden Boat Festival- Hobart, Tasmania Fri. 8 Feb, 2019 10:00 am - Mon. 11 Feb, 2019 5:00 pm
- South Australian Wooden Boat Festival Goolwa Sat. 27 Apr, 2019 9:00 am - Sun. 28 Apr, 2019 5:00 pm
Wind and weather info for Port Phillip, Western Port, and elsewhere.
Extended forecast for Melbourne
Tides information
Links to Parks Victoria boating guides
Dromana to Blairgowrie; Werribee River to Williamstown and Phillip Island North
Coast Guard SafeTrx
Coast Guard SafeTrx is a Smartphone App for both Android & Apple iOS devices that allows you to have your journey recorded and monitored by the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard 24 hours per day, every day of the year.