Island Cutter

Oi "Brethren", My plans may have freed up and I am looking forward to attending... might even meet up there with Matusalem. 'Cutter

Happy Birthday!

Yep, same here... A Scorpio born under a Full Moon... in its native sign of Cancer, no less. Seems to explain my love of the Sea and Nautical History... and why I am only "Flowering" now in my Middle Ages... or is that in THE Middle Ages?

Thanks for starting this thread. I was always curious about the Moon's phase at my birth... now I know.

Great news! I was a bit concerned as the PIP event will be the final leg of nearly a month-long journey for us... November will mark the "Fiftieth Anniversary of my Nativity" and the plan is to tour every Pirate nook and cranny that Eastern Seaboard has to offer. To make it even more of a challenge, we have converted my aging, Diesel "short bus" to run on Waste Vegetable Oil and see how far we can get "dumpster diving". There seems to be a Pirate Themed Faire in Florida almost every weekend through November, ending with PIP. We plan to party like it's 1699! All goofiness aside, we are looking forward to PIP and meeting all of these Good Pyracy Pub People in person. We have strong skills and are not afraid of a little hard work to help may the event successful. Let us know what we can do. 'Cutter & Co.

I was planning to drive down to PIP from NY with a friend. We are not members of a recognized crew and I am wondering how we might (and IF we might) be able to secure a small campsite. We can't really afford to stay at a hotel for the duration, so we where sort of depending on "roughing it". Any information would be appreciated. 'Cutter & Co.

Smooth on makes a lot of molding and casting products Smooth on

I just got my pair of Buckle Shoes today. I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical, but I am VERY pleased with my order. They do run a bit small as noted. I am a full Men's size US 10 and the Mediums fit perfectly. They are also surprisingly comfortable right out of the box. I will certainly recommend to others who are getting started on their kit.

I highly recommend finding a copy of "the Dory Book" by John Gardner. It is THE definitive work on the subject, IMHO

A good and proven design, that one ...and one that certainly has more interior space than the Flatner. As you noted, it's best use is as a rowboat (even better with a "kicker" off the transom... [heaven forbid ]. Hey, the more and more different boats, the better... as long as we get out there!

Here is a copy of the lines as taken from John Leather's "Spritsails & Lugsails" So far, the earliest known written reference to the "flatner" is from c. 1719 it was considered an "established" design by then, so there is a good possibility that the design was known during the GAoP.

With a nod to sorting out what’s what so far with this project, I thought I would share some of my ideas… My primary interest as a sailor is to share my enthusiasm and see that others have an opportunity to also share in the fun. Secondly, I really love the look of traditional wooden vessels and want to promote their rediscovery and reintroduction to recreational sailing. Furthermore, as a boatbuilder and consummate "do-it-yourself", I want to encourage others to give boatbuilding a try for themselves. The design that we settle upon should be capable being built be a first-timer; it should be simple enough to get a serviceable boat completed in a reasonable amount of time; and it should be relatively inexpensive to build from commonly available materials... and oh yeah, the design should be from our chosen time period or at least be a convincing interpretation. With all that said, I want to make a workable set of free and downloadable plans available so that any determined person or group can get started on a boat or two of their own. A “knowledge cooperative” would be set up so that we can share what we have learned and help the next round of builders in completing their own boats. Additionally, full-scale paper templates and pre-cut wooden parts (and full kits) would be available for a reasonable fee, if a builder wanted to get right to the assembly phase and have a finished boat in less time. For those not inclined to build a boat, you are not out of luck. I still plan to bring one or two boats down to Cayo Hueso and make them available for anyone to enjoy. I envision a time when a fleet of these little boats is darting around off the beach at Ft. Zach… all generally similar, but each very uniquely representing a crew and her proud builders. This project is still in its formative stages and I strongly encourage anyone interested to share their thoughts and ideas. Prior boating or building experience is not necessary, just interest and enthusiasm.

Oi Joe... what are ye sailin'? Sounds like you're livin' my dream. These may be a bit big as far as traditional tenders go, but they will come in handy for explorin' the mangroves and gunk-holing around in the Keys. I am working on getting hold of a set of plans from the Watchet Museum in the UK, and there are other plans and images on line. I'll compile all of this and make it available.

currently researching if the flatner has a period counterpart (or was in fact in period... probably in lapstrake form) but yep, basically like a Flatner.

Greetings M'lady, I have been searching for the very same information and have found very little. Most of the GAoP information is very "Anglo-centric" and it is my theory that since fashion was well, "in fashion" at the time, discussions about wooden shoes would be on par with a modern fashion magazine article on canvas boat shoes... that is to say, nearly nonexistent. That said, I believe that much of Northern Europe's common folk were familiar with them and many probably wore them at some point. I have seen some of the old "Bargees" in Rotterdam wearing ancient looking pairs of these things and walking about on deck as if they were in tennis shoes (sneakers here in the Northeast). I can't say that they would be very practical on a rolling deck at sea, but the would be great to take along for once you got on shore... and they float ( which is possibly one of the reasons that they are not found in shipwrecks ) There is positive evidence for their use for centuries before the GAOP, and a stream of evidence right afterward, right through to our present day. They might have gone out of fashion during the time period, but I doubt that they went out of use. Still searching for that hard evidence, though. BTW: I worked in the Wooden shoe Factory in Holland (Michigan) in the early '90's Making wooden Shoes Wiki - Clogs You can't beat there prices... Nelis Wearable Clogs On this page there is also a link to a book on the history of European Wooden Shoes. If it wasn't $70.00, I would by it now.

Great News! I'm looking forward to meeting you, as well as the rest of this great crew in person.

I have read that same thing in a number of sources. It seems to have been somewhat common to bring along the "small boats" in knockdown form. I remember something like this being mentioned in Drake's manuscripts.

That reminds me... I don't know if I officially stated that I plan to be there! so that is: The Zeewolves, represented by Island Cutter (and probably one guest) with Independent Pyrates camping on the beach preferably to windward of Mr. Tudor (no offense Stynky, just taking your name at face value! )

I'd be very interested. Right then... I'll have one ready-cut, but unassembled. This could be some real fun. I have been researching some historical precedent for the dory design in the GAOP and have come across several things of interest... This needs some further investigation, but the Somerset or Watchet Flatner boats were developing at this time. British Dory - aka: Somerset Flatner In fact the "dory design" seems to have been simultaneously developing in a number of places through out the world... The use of the sawmill and its ability to quickly produce relatively inexpensive, wide planks had a direct effect on the design and construction of workboats, and the dory is one of the many results.