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Come See Us at Open Studios!

Been wanting to see more about what The Brickyard is all about?  Come see us at the Lynn Museum, for Lynn’s Open Studios from 10AM to 2PM Saturday the 23rd!  We’ll have several of our boats there and people to chat with about all the fun stuff we’re into!

Here are all the details, this is a city-wide event with trolleys and everything!

See you then!
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The Whaler Project – No Words Needed!

Well, folks, this video just about says it all. This is Jaleel, the young man who said, last year, “I can’t believe I built a boat!”, driving the boat he worked hard to save over the last 6 weeks – the first he’s driven, but not only that, the first he’s ever ridden on and the first he’s repaired and restored. Today it was “no words needed”.

Jaleel has been there every step of the way on this project, so he saw what we started with, and what it took to get to this point.

So what did we learn? A whole host of things –

We learned a little about buying a used boat – how to evaluate it, how to survey it to make sure it can do what we need, how to negotiate a fair price.

We learned how to set objectives and make a plan. We learned how to pace and time the work, how to decide what needed to be done, and what could wait for winter..

We learned how to tear out the old woodwork – but keep it organized so we can rebuild it.

We learned how to run a seriously powerful pressure washer, how to scrape, sand and paint the old deck.

We learned some woodworking skills – running the chop saw, the table saw, the bandsaw and even a little work on the CNC router, to rebuild the woodwork.

We learned some electrical work – rewiring the trailer, checking the controls on the outboard, and putting in a custom switch and panel for the running lights, using the Glowforge laser cutter to engrave the mounting plate.

We got to freshen up the motor, a 1984 Johnson 35hp outboard, replace a few parts and then tune it as we ran our tests. We learned about packing and greasing trailer wheel bearings!

We even got to use our vinyl cutter to letter the hull!

Oh, not to mention, we learned a whole lot about small boat handling – safe launching, operating, and loading it back on the trailer at the end of the day. Not a bad summer break!

Join us for the Official Launch of our Boston Whaler, the Adeline T!

We’ve run the boat a few times to get it tuned in, but you should join us for the official launch on Friday, August 23 at 4PM at the Blossom Street boat ramp, right by the ferry!

Help us out!

Please help support our next build, coming up soon! Donate here, on our website, or drop a check in the mail to:
The Brickyard Collaborative
589 Essex Street #207
Lynn, MA. 01901

Hope to see you soon out on the water!

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Our July Project: Progress!

Well, folks, as they say down Maine, she’s stahtin to look like a boat!

If you’ll remember, we picked up this tired, but beautiful vintage Boaton Whaler as a project boat, destined to provide support for the Kayak and Sail Lynn team as a “rescue and recovery” vessel.  She looked like this:

Some serious elbow grease (along with some mechanical help) got the boat cleaned up and ready for scraping, sanding and painting.
The original (solid mahogany) wood structures had to be scrapped and re-built from scratch in our woodshop – a fun project all of it’s own.  Don’t worry, we’ll be re-purposing that lovely stock for months, maybe years to come!

…and here’s what she looks like today:

The 1984 Johnson outboard needs a little love and a tuneup, and then we’re ready for the launch!

It’s a fun project – involving sanding, paint, electrical and mechanical work, along with woodworking and finishing, not to mention a whole lot of spacial thinking and problem solving.  We put in over 30 hours over the last 3 weeks, in spite of busy Summer schedules, and have a true treasure to show for it.  Where else could you go to get the chance to restore a boat like this on your Summer break?

Next up, the launch!  Stay tuned…

Coming up in the Fall, look for our next build!  We’re going to tackle the classic “6-hour Canoe” – (spoiler alert, it take just a bit more than six hours…) once school gets back in session.

Want to help support us?  Of course, this stuff costs money, and we need your help!  Not only are you supporting the Boatbuilding at The Brickyard, but all our boats go to Kayak and Sail Lynn for use by the kids of Lynn and Lynn’s Vets and disabled Vets!  You can donate here: Donate, or simply send a check to The Brickyard Collaborative, 589 Essex Street, #207, Lynn MA 01901.

Thanks, as always, for the continued support!
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A Boston with a Johnson: The Rescue/Recovery Boat Project

One of the things we’ve been looking for is a smallish, but rugged and stable utility boat for Kayak and Sail Lynn for “R&R” – rescue and recovery, and general towing and safety.  Thanks to some kind support from friends in Beverly we got hold of this sweet, ’60s vintage Boston Whaler 13′ with a solid trailer and a nice, strong Johnson 35hp outboard, in need of some basic TLC.

…and so it starts!  After some close inspection, we stripped the rotted woodwork and pulled the outboard off and started scraping the deck.  Here’s where we are so far:

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We’re doing a power-washing today, then it’s sanding, priming and painting with “Boston Whaler Blue” from George Kirby Paints in New Bedford.

Some views of the power washing action:

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Stay tuned, the next steps will be to fabricate new woodwork and give the outboard an nice tune-up.