Beach built boat from Haiti

[rayman]

Here is a little boat built on a beach at Ile a Vache-S-W Haiti. and sailed to West Palm Beach, I think thats in Florida. some 800 miles.
Launched March 2009 landed USA late April 09.
Carried Bahamian and US visas.. Was exhibited at West P.B. maritime Museum and later at Katzen Arts Center-American Uni.-Washington DC. Who knows, might still be there.
Length 21' crew 4
1 at anchor- Hawksbill cay- Bahamas
2 frame 1 bow timbers
3 frame 2 on side, crooked planks are good
4 caulking, looks like seat stuffing from car seats

[rayman]

And a couple more,
1 many hands to the launching
2 painting, note the abrupt tuck-up on the garboard
3 Sipriz Bird- a mythical bird that flew back to Africa to tell relatives of the ships arrival in the new land
4 lines taken off the actual boat after build.

Would you build to these lines and what about the deep forefoot, what would be advantages-disadvantages. This boat is mostly fastened with trunnels (tree-nails) but does appear to have iron nails in the planking.

[rayman]

s'more again,

[Gary Baigent]

Thanks Rayman, wonderful stuff.

[rayman]

Gary, some from Belize, also built on the beaches with very few power tools.
Natty Dreads is a little 16ft. cargo boat. These people build by eye, and after framing, build from the deck down to just beyond the turn of bilge then lay the hull over on its side and plank up. Everything opposite to the western way, although Belize was an English colony untill recently.

[rayman]

some bigger cargo carriers. Notice in the rig pics hoe the jibs are set flying and just bowsed down to the stemhead

[rayman]

more yet. These are very nice sweet lined craft in my eye. They must sail well enough and also earn their owners a living. Very few power boats in evidence.

[Gary Baigent]

Beautiful. You're working on a book???

[Boston]

hey thats some really nice stuff
thanks Ray

[hoytedow]

The ones that landed here were usually overloaded, if they made it. Many either sank in storms or were intercepted by Coast Guard and sent back. During the "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" days there was heavy traffic.

http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-right...ia-10-2-b.html

[rayman]

sorry Gary, no book. I am a bit far away for that. I do like to see the quite different ways of building boats though. I do wonder why the western world thinks "their" way is the only way. Johnny Wray's method of tying "Ngataki" together with #8 wire staples was out of the ordinary and here she is 85 years later and a couple circums under her bum and still as sound as a bell. The skandi method of building flexability into their clinker vessels is certainly different as is a lot of Asian ways of doing things. The Belizean boats still do a lot of trading across several hundred open miles in trade with Cuba and the Haitians are crossing to Bahamas regularly but are spoiling things for themselves now with drug running and people smuggling.
Hoyt, interesting read but the past history of Haiti and indeed the Caribbean in general is well recorded as is your country's grubby dealings with every independant country in the central americas. Please don't get upset, Britains handling of her colonies was no better.
End of rant--no more politics here please.
The little sloop being launched is beach built in the Turks and Caicos Ils. the second is the crew of Sipriz (surprize in Haitian)