Nigel Gray
Nigel belongs to: The Coble and Keelboat Society
Nigel was born near Hexham. He has always been interested in traditional boats and has operated a variety of wooden boats for commercial and recreational purposes. He has recently built his own boat in his garage using traditional tools and techniques.
Nigel was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 13 November 2005. The interview took place at the Interviewee's living room and lasted 34 minutes and 25 seconds.
Process of building a wooden boat
"First step is get the drawings, the second step is put the drawings on a screeve board"
First step is get the drawings, the second step is put the drawings on a screeve board, then making your moulds and patterns and then set the moulds up on the keel and the transel and then put what are called ribbons around, which are just temporary batons to keep them all in place. And then you get the first plank, which is the plank nearest the keel, the garboard, get the garboards in, and put the shear streak on, which is the top plank, around the edge of the boat on the outside, and then you put the steamed timbers inside of that framework so, as you saw, put that on, get the oak, steam it and bend it in and hold it temporarily with screws and then as, as , then you can start, you can make a calculation based on the gap that’s to fill insofar as the planks are concerned and you can get the plank widths, and then you can start your planking up, to the point where we’re at today where we’re putting what’s called the shutters in, which are the ones that close the final gap and tighten up the whole boat. And then, the final part of the boat is actually fitting the seats, the thoffs, as we call them, putting the gunnels in, the risers, painting it and putting some brass strip around the keel and the stem just to protect it, stop it rubbing away, you know. And next step’s putting it in the water after that.
Nigel has 22 memories in the memorynet:
Nigel's memories with a Sounds and Smells theme:
Nigel's other memories:
Interest in traditional boats- The Redheugh Bridge
- Process of building a wooden boat
- Sourcing traditional boat building tools
- The adze and caulking irons
- Superstitions
- What does the sea mean to you?
The adze- Caulking irons
- Cotton
- Hand brace and augurs
- Wooden caulking mallet
- Jack plane
- Half model and plans
- Nigel at work in his workshop
- Maiden voyage of the Trevisky
- Boatman's Licence
- Plaque
This memory has these themes:
Leisure | Skills | Traditions
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