Seldovia, Alaska, June 2006

I love old boats especially hand built wooden ones. This boat is built with Lapstrake and rivet construction. It's painted on the outside and oiled inside with Linseed/Turpentine/Pine Tar on the inside.  This one had a beautiful knee supporting the transom cut skillfully from a natural crook to follow the curved grain. He probably cut it from a curved branch or stump.

I just finished reading a book about Dories so I was delighted to find this classic 16ft Swampscott Dory of New England design. I found the owners and they let me row it around the harbor. What a treat! It's very stable and rows nicely. At12 years old the boat was constructed with copper rivets and Douglas Fir. The Garboard (plank adjacent to the floor) is maine plywood probably because of it's width and strength needed for trailering. The owner estimated it's weight at 175lbs. These Dories were invented in Swampscott, MA in the 19th Century. It was built by Mike Balogh, a local master boat builder who died a few years ago.

Seldovia has a nice cleaning station.

Fishing off the bridge seems to be the main attraction in Seldovia.

I took a walk down to the boat yard and found this lovely double end classic which has seen better days. What a beauty!

Walking through town led me to a scenic beach at the end of the road.