'Baby Blues' is a minimalist wooden boat made for maximum miles and year-round cruising. Dreamt up by the prolific Phil Bolger of MA, hand built by the adventurer Bernie Wolfard of OR. Join us as we cruise around the Puget Sound. 🎽🗺🐋
Awesome boat! It reminds me of the big flat-bottomed plywood motorboat my father owned when I was little. He'd pile all the kids in, and we'd cruise great South Bay off Long Island, N.Y., The cabin of that old boat was mostly occupied by a converted automobile engine though! Being able to cruise the shallowest of waters and beach the boat at will really opens up allot of interesting areas, and the long, narrow powerboat is very efficent!
Hi, I love the adventures that you do with your family. Our kids grew up boat camping on the Columbia River. Two of them are currently in the west Indian Ocean, circumnavigating the globe. One comment, where are your kids PFDs?
Bolgers designs are not my cup of tea......but your boat is definitely growing on me. All season capable, economical propulsion. Scary flat bottom design in "open" seas though......any ballast? Motor HP? Well done videos!
Phil's design's are definitely open-minded and unapologetic! We have a 25hp Mercury motor. No ballast, just two shallow chines along the bottom. The design might seem unstable, but flat-bottom boats are actually very sea worthy. We've been all over the Puget Sound and explored inland as far as Lake Chelan and can attest to this stability firsthand. This video goes into more detail: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rj-pOnziPpg.html
Great idea and concept! The entire lake and views become your own. And the cabin is practical for the other 320 days of the year for the view without grief.
The design might seem unstable, but flat-bottom boats are actually very sea worthy! We've been all over the Puget Sound and can attest to this stability firsthand. Check out this video if you're interested in learning more: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rj-pOnziPpg.html
I was stationed on whidbey island in 1980 at the naval air station . Omg has it changed, well nothing stays the same . Back then I could have purchased an acre of land for 5 thousand dollars. Good for you two exposing your kids to a great adventure .
Love the vid, we love sailing to Langley. Its the place my son declared the island is now (his name) island and no longer Whidbey Island. We are selling our Everett sailboat now and mooring further north but if we see you guys around we will holla.
NO ONE out here calls it “the” hood canal. It’s just Hood Canal. Puget Sound is either called just that, formally, or simply, the sound. Never “the puget sound”. Just a little insider tip.
Hello and welcome to the area! The airbnb was in McLane Cove. I kayaked to Harstene Pointe Marina and Beach the first day, then north to Fair Harbor Marina and Stretch Island the second. Get out there and you'll be even more inspired, guaranteed :)
I was a speaker at the 2023 festival, where I gave a talk and slide show about my friends, BC boatbuilders Allen and Sharie Farrell, whose story I told in my book Salt on the Wind. Really enjoyed being there. Thank you for a chance to remember what it was like.
It is of the same 'State Series' as the Tennessee, but adapted for a builder who was in a wheelchair. And yes, we love taking her out cruising on Lake Washington.
Happy that you have Baby Blues back in the water. We hope that the Birdwatcher that we built and you showed a shot of in this video has stewards as good as you and your family. Safe journeys and adventures.
excellent. I just finished my own project..... in the water anyway. A little smaller though at 8ft by 4 ;) I started it as a father son project years ago but he lost interest and so it sat. I found the "rubber dinghy" was too heavy, and too big. So I looked at the partly done plywood dinghy (at half the weight) and cut it in half added a bulkhead so both halves float. We now have a nested dinghy that fits our forward deck with room left to deal with anchoring. The little 3/4Hp motor pushes it just fine.... and it rows so much easier than the rubber one did. So another launch. Maybe we'll see you on the water if we get down south of the 49... so to speak.
I've made the same mistake building my first boat. Now when I start a new boat project I always coat all the plywood with two or three coats of an epoxy wood preserver after I've cut the plywood to size. Assemble boat with construction adhesive and then apply fiberglass and resin of your choice. This will ensure the boat lasts longer.
Very nicely done. Interesting to see how 'easy' (relatively) these ply box boats are to repair. Might be an idea to give the boat an annual going over with a wood moisture meter.
A huge fan of Phil Bolger and Harold Payson. Utter simplicity of design but practical and fun boats. Nice to see such an assortment of wooden boats and the variety of designs. Living on one of the Great Lakes where almost all boats are bleach bottles of similar design it is refreshing and I am envious of coastal boats and their heritage. Thanks for the tour.
I was going to give you a thumbs up until I noticed the kids not wearing PFD’s while underway. Experiential learning has proven unsuccessful with overboard victims. From a former NASBLA safe boating instructor.
I was sharing the RiversWest boat shop when Bernie built your Idaho. I went along for “sea trials” on the Willamette and borrowed the boat to take my 4 year old daughter from Portland, thru the locks at Oregon City and up past Newberg. I love that boat!
Holy Cats! We have only met one other person that knew Bernie. We'd love to talk to you about this sometime. I want to paste contact info here but sometimes that makes the comment ghost. I will try and get ahold of you.
That's a Bolger Idaho I believe. Long and narrow to slice through the water. It doesn't actually plane, it's narrowness means it's slippery and easily driven. I find it interesting that the bench seat only runs down one side. I wonder if that causes the boat to list to the side when underway.
Thanks Adam! We already feel much more confident, and are making some general improvements thanks to the wooden boat forum that should improve lifespan.
You just have to be ruthless ripping out the old ply and timber. Luckily, while it's a pita, with ply etc, not a super hard job just time consuming. Just remember to treat everything and don't stick any carpet etc on top when finished. Some marine carpet you can pull up after each outing to let everything dry out.
Not what you wanted to see, I'm sure. But it's rather to be expected with any wooden boat over time. Good thing you caught it early enough to make a good repair. Isn't it amazing that with all that going on beneath your feet, the boat still carried you happily on so many adventures? You look out for it, so it looks out for you. Cheers!
Gah! I know huh Gary. Im very pleased at how its going back together. She's going to be better than ever and its been worth every dime and drop of sweat.
A few years back, I dropped a "rock anchor" thru the bottom of my rubber raft while in the middle of a fast running river. I discovered then that water will not come up into the boat as long as you keep the speed up.... so just get Ryan to keep her at full throttle and you'll be fine. 🤔
