Bowsprit Step / Turning Lignum Vitae on a lathe 

Hi, his name is Leo and he's a boat builder and a sailor. A few years ago he bought a very old and quite famous wooden sailing boat for the price of $1 and since then he's been rebuilding that boat from the keel up with the help of a lot of amazing people. We've been following his journey on RU-vid ever since.

Noodling is actually a VERY critical step for all woodworking projects. It’s nothing to joke around about.

He's Leo. Leo's a boat builder and a sailor.

Man I’m so lost here, if only there was some sort of iconic intro explaining what was going on

I love the way Erica neatly pocketed the bribe while seamlessly reassuring the Duchess. Could there be an Oscar on the way for that performance?

Absolutely no compromises with the quality of anything this build. I never tire of calling it the gold standard of RU-vid boat building.

It made me so happy to see Bob NOT lining up the screw slots! I work on classic wooden racing yachts and we always have to line up the screw slots perfectly but it really hurts me to be forced to choose whether to leave a screw either very slightly loose or over-tighten it thereby compromising the integrity of the connection or the timber the screw is threaded into just for aesthetic reasons

I am continually amazed at how each addition to Tally Ho is not only incredibly well designed for efficiency, but is also a piece of industrial art. The level of craftsmanship and precision is nothing short of incredible. Thank you for sharing your journey and showcasing the wonderful team of artisans you have attracted to this project. I hope to someday see Tally Ho in person. 👏👍

Bob's a fixturing genius. Love his work.

Bob: Noodling Erika: Wiring Patty: Hatching George: Boxing Leo: Plumbing

I wait for Leo to post, since almost the beginning, It is the highlight of my second Saturday night, fortnightly!! It is gobsmackingly BRILLIANT. honestly, this is way past any other wooden boat project. his STANDARDS are just so high, and he thought he was going to do it all himself!!. you all know what I mean.. this is GOOD STUFF.

Literally the only youtube channel that I don't skip the ad read. Such drama and you won't believe the twists. Also, the boat building is pretty alright, too.

I genuinely don't think there's a boat on the planet built as nicely as this one. Well done to everyone involved XXX

I hope Leo publishes a glossary of every part of the boat. A to Z. With sketches and drawings. Many would love to have that.

To the interested: The old intro that we all love, is not possible this year. Tally Ho turned a number that is better not to be said out loud, so we get this fresh style where the cut goes right into the chase. Also I want to thank SurfShark for giving us another episode of the most beloved British Soap. Shall there be many more to come. Btw, the noodeling on that post was excellent. There was a moment where it looked the final install was going in dry, but just at the last turn it squeezed out ridiculously perfect amount. Beyond-pro-level goop job.

Already an absolute treasure to the industry at such a young age, forty years from now we will see Leo (OBE) recognised as a world renowned mentor and coach to aspiring wooden boat builders.

I think the best part of this whole story is how the desire to preserve and rebuild a sailing yacht has actually ended up being an education for those who volunteered, those who have been employed and those whose skills would be lost without these live projects taking place. If you add the educational element for those who are currently engaged in such a build, the sum is much greater that the original idea. That takes some doing! So, from an ex Royal Navy veteran, ‘fair winds and following seas’ to all the crew. W🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

I love that jig with the grinder and the pipe. Very clever. I also love that even when there's not a balderdash, there's still a balderdash.

Leo I find your mix of narrative explanation, field footage, and work set to music really compelling and watchable and it's why I'm always drawn to and still watching your vids. Cheers

I have to say again how much I love your line drawings, they are lovely and informational. Also worth mentioning again that yours are the only ads I do not fast forward through. I talk about this series so much that my wife wants to start from the beginning and catch up, and I am loving seeing the early videos. (The rig to accurately bore the hole for the bow sprint is also a thing of wonder.)

Looking back on roughly six years (!!!) of videos makes me realize there is more effort going into making these boat rebuilding videos than most people would put into rebuilding a boat. This boat rebuilding process is so consistently interesting and entertaining it takes a lot of the glory away from the vast volume of well made videos and all the work it must have taken to make them. RU-vid works with algorythms and I haven't had the time to watch all Leo's videos, so I just scrolled down on the list, opened every video and klicked the LIKE button. If you haven't seen them all either, but you want to support the making of these videos, I urge you to do the same. I've been told it makes a difference.

Again, another great tutorial on wooden boat building. NOW I know what those Sampson Posts are for. Been watching for 5 years and every new video is wondrous. Not just the craftsmanship, but the persistence and camaraderie are smashing. I figure this will be your last boat to build, then it will be a sailing retirement that I hope the library of videos here on RU-vid will support.

Well this... is a revelation. All this time, I'd been trying to do my "Noodling", and my "Figuring", sort of interchangeably. Like as if I were multitasking. Trying to do both things all at once. Being deliberate about progressing from one to the other, as two discretely separate steps, would help my planning & organization efforts dramatically. The end effect should be a major boost in productivity for me. Thank you so much for the advice.

The amazing thing is that you all can still stun me every episode with the quality of your workmanship. You'd think I would be used to it by now.

'Noodling.' Love it. I must be an expert at it.

Oh my god im loving the new season of dutchess of desire.

I have to admit I got very excited watching the posts, bits, knees & roller built for the running bowsprit. Fabulous craftsman doing this work. Can't wait to see the bowsprit installed & operating. Tally Ho is just gorgeous.

Always loved the intro, maby you want to lighten the video but it was something familiar to set the mood. Anyway, beautiful work as always.

Nice they named the bowsprit stay after Bob in honor of his fine work.

That jig for the bowsprit is beyond clever

Everybody on the crew are amazing, simple as. Bob though, like Zael, seems to be a specialist shipwright. He is doing all the really fiddly non-standard assemblies. Very impressed by his contributions, kudos Bob seriously well meant.

Lignum Viteeeee Lovin'♥ Fun Fact: Lignum Vitae has been traditionally used for deadeyes also. And, to this day, it makes exceptionally good shaft bearings for large boats and battleships.

Wow, the Craftsmanship being displayed by Bob is top shelf! The man is an incredibly talented and versatile machinist, as well as a woodworker! Tally Ho is going to be just beautiful, SO worth the wait.

The nearer we draw toward launch day the more excited I get. This is anything but your typical yacht, and Leo has the mind and skill to provide a genuine education with his sailing videos. So many of these boat build/restoration channels lose their spark post launch but I believe this one holds great promise.

That sampson post is a thing of beauty. Somehow the final detail that tipped me over into awe was the sculpted brass plates protecting the endgrains of the posts. Definitely worth a good noodle.

Gotta love the piece of lignum vitae. It’s really special stuff. A shipwright/ boatbuilder friend of mine once gifted me a small piece to play with. I turned it into a small awl. I was especially impressed at how incredibly well it polished simply using a cotton rag whilst I was turning it. It almost looked some kind of resin plastic when finished. Awesome wood. Looking forward to seeing bpw sprit and top mast installed.

The natural forces that are harnessed by the sails to move about also work to tear the boat to bits. Historical solutions like that post are a testament to thousands of years of trial and error sailing throughout the world. In turn such things were critical to open the world for trade and cultural exchange. I'll never ever look at a wooden sailing ship the same again.

not only to i get to watch an awesome boat building project but also a great British period drama, keep it up

I am in recovery mode after a recent surgery, "do nothing for 6 weeks or else" so what do you do? Go all the way back to the beginning of this project and binge watch every episode in order. In one of the earlier episodes after the centre line and frame timbers had been replaced Leo must have come in for some flack as to when does this boat lose its identity and history associated with it. Basically every part of the boat is being replaced with new material, so how can you say this object is still the original Tally Ho! Leo devoted half an episode trying to explain his view and why he believes she is still the same boat, it was deep! I agree with Leo, regardless of how much of this beautiful old lady is replaced, the way the rebuild has taken place ensures she remains the same boat. Think of it like this, when she arrived at Sequim sitting beside the work shop she took up space, she displaced the air around her. All Leo has done, is bit by bit one piece at a time, refilled that space as each piece was taken away and then replaced filling the void it had left. There is no doubt, given how this rebuild has been undertaken, she definitely remains the same boat! Well done mate, can't wait for the next episode, cheers.

That round cutting jig for the bowsprit was dope.

The whole Sampson post assembly looks so solidly built. When all the finishing touches were on and everything was bolted together I got a strong urge to just want to smack it and say "Yeah, that ain't going nowhere".

I'm getting more and more excited to see her in the water as it gets nearer to the end. I've watched since the absolute beginning and it's been such a super fun journey

It doesn't matter what material they are working with the skill and attention to detail is second to none. This weeks film shows Bobs versatility and workmanship. Absolutely top notch.

Lignum vitae is gorgeous stuff and certainly one of the hardest/densest/heaviest commercial [sic] timbers, but there are quite a few weird (and scary!) woods around the world that only get used locally because their properties are too extreme for commercial use. When I lived in East Africa (Kenya) in the late '70s and '80s I was given an unidentified log. It had been in a friend's shed for around 60 years. Nobody knew what it was. 14" in diameter and 5' long, it took four people to shift it; it was as dense as brass. Struck with a hammer, the log actually rang. Under the dust it was a beautiful mottled milk-chocolate/dark-chocolate brown, sparkling with silica. It was like a blend of snakewood and wengé, but even more dense and harder than both. Scrapings and dust smelled of black pepper, and splinters from it turned septic overnight. My regular tools made barely a mark on it; it was fissile, but proved almost impossible to saw, plane and drill. Sort of like African Blackwood with attitude. I was a cabinetmaker (of sorts) back then, and couldn't think what to do with it. As material for woodworking it was (quite literally) useless. My friend said his late father had acquired it and thought it had come from somewhere in West Africa. That's all he knew. For over half a century it had lain in a shed, gathering dust and laughing at the beetles and termites, who couldn't do anything with it either. When I left Kenya I passed the log on to another woodworking pal, who put it in his timber store. It's probably still there to this day. I imagine there are sheds all over the world stacked with slabs of mysterious and exotic timber that are just too weird for commercial use.

Balderdash! Glad i got to watch a short episode of my favorite BBSea drama, along with some beautiful woodworking

This is genuinely the ONLY channel on RU-vid where the sponsor segment is the best part of an episode. Surfshark ought to pay for a figurehead for Tally Ho cast in pure gold. Of The Dutchess of Desire, of course! 😂

I am glad to see that you are using the correct Staedlter Mars 1B pencil for the detailed drawings in accordance with procedure.

I was on the edge of my seat for todays dramatic episode of Dutchess of Desire, and might i say the Dutchess was looking especially ravishing! Well done by all! No boulderdash about it!

Very impressive and high quality woodworking, metal working and design. The finished boat will be museum quality. Congratulations to all the artisans working on her.

Every team member is an artist of a level rarely seen. I am wooden boat builder. This does take my breath away. How on earth did you manage to get all these masters in one team to work on this project? This must be love

fabulous to see the love and skill going into this boat, the attention to detail and making joints such a tight and perfect fit, i cannot help but wonder if boats of this type were built to such a high quality back in the day, especially when you consider the differences in technology, the abundance of materials, while money might have still played its part, materials and labour i guess were much less - i would love to inspect an old boat and see if joints were as clean and how they have lasted - perhaps Leo might do a short film on that subject, that Sampson post is pretty special and the way it all connects to the boat, some very clever building again considering the history of boat building and how the stresses were worked out

Watching Leo trying not to laugh as he does the intro to the Duchess of Desire skit was hilarious. Awesome work by Bob on the Sampson post and modifications to accommodate the bow spirit. Another great video Leo. Thanks for sharing.

Astonishing craftsmanship! Tally Ho long ago crossed the boundary between craft and art. It's a working, floating, sailing Work Of Art!

The detail work (of all kinds) is simply fantastic! What a joy it must be to be a part of the team!!! The Bowsprit Step came out beautifully! Very nice work Bob!

“Boat…..hatch?” “See, you’re getting it!” 😂😂😂

You know Leo your viewing public is gonna demand more B B SEA skits!😂

Bob is an absolute master of jigs.

It seems Tally Ho attracts the best of the best. Bob is such an asset, but so is every other member of the team. I can't fault any. Special shout out to Erika who does awesome work, even though she has to put of with the knuckleheads Patty and Zeal lol

As always, amazing work and progress! Saltheart, Lignum Vitae has a deep history of various uses. It is rare. It just occurred to me that a suitable alternative might be Bois d’arc aka boardark, horse-apple, or Osage Orange. This wood is extremely durable. Native Americans made bows from it. Yesterday I harvested several large logs near a creek on my ranch. It should be noted this this wood’s dust can make one very sick if inhaled over a long period. Thought this wood might be handy to others. Rare but relatively easy to find online. Better yet. Find a horse-apple tree.

The wood work that you all do is outstanding every part is not only a peace of engineering, but also a work of art. Stunning ship, can't wait to see her underway two years from now

Leo I'm constantly pulled to and continue to watch your videos because I find the way you combine narrative explanation, field footage, and work set to music to be so captivating and watchable. Salutations

That pipe/ grinder setup is nothing less than feckin genius !!

It's nice to see that you've added padding to the corners so the serfs don't hurt themselves while working.

Just WOW! I have nothing more than my total respect for all the craftsmanship that is/has been put into this project! …you guys though are utterly bonkers with the theatricals …. Absolutely love it !😊

That knee fitting was a thing of great beauty. I didn’t know what the deck block was and then it all just came together and made sense and is both good engineering and aesthetics. Well done.

Bob: dude's got skills.

Ah, the 10,000 incredible details of this build. Addictive. Sure knew Patty would be a great swabbie. It's getting to where we tune in like the Superbowl to see the add skits.

Poor Bob being interrupted by the tool hooligans ;), seems like a scary part of the ship! Respect to anyone who works with flat head screws.

Even the deck wash bucket is a work of art!😅👍

I live in Cleveland, OH. Have 0 passion for the sea or sailing. Started watching around the start of covid. Enjoyed every second. I've learned so much boating information I'll never use but stayed for the woodworking crafstmanship. It blows my mind I'm getting anxiety that Tally Hos coming to an end! We might need an immediate rebuild from ground up after!!

Hai sodaraku saya sangat terkesan setiap saya melihat cara dan teknik sodara mengerjakan sebuah kapal yang sangat rapi dan pengerjaan yang penuh perhitungan❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

really great video! i hope to see Clifton back working on the boat some day, that dude had a wealth of knowledge

I found myself with a huge smile as soon as I saw the Dutchess sign. Haven't watched the episode yet and am completely happy.

The guy building the bowsprit thing must have built a few in the past judging by the quality of his work.

I can’t wait for this to be finished. Been with you since episode 1.

Brilliant video as usual. I don't know what I am going to do once Tally Ho is finished and the nature of your videos will, of necessity, change dramatically... I suppose I will just have to watch them all again 🙂 Meanwhile - whatever Surfshark are paying you - ask for more... Yours are the ONLY videos I watch where I don't skip the sponsors bit. Tell them that :)

At 10:38, I appreciate that the hammering in of the wood block matches the drum beat of the canned music soundtrack. Great, subtle edit.

Bob does some beautiful work.

The quality never gets compromised. Leo, you are a fucking GENIUS to keep this project going.... SO WELL!!!

That Sampson post ( bits) looks absolutely amazing, very sexy. Great work. I’m currently refitting my own boat exactly where Tallly Ho was constructed

More awesome joinery again/still my friend. The double dovetail at/on the step is the first time I have ever seen one. BEAUTIFUL ! Great jigs and fixtures. They are all worth the time to create them.

Recently discovered this channel and have spent a lot of time watching. INCREDIBLE! Fascinated with the subject matter and persons involved. P.S. These videos are a beautiful juxtaposition of our micro-miniature electronics world > RU-vid! and sailing tech. The mere fact we may watch a wooden ship being built in the recent history older manner is wonderful. When I think of sailing tech being one of the pillars of technological development in civilization since it's coming. I wonder with positive fascination...What wonders may be before us in a world a 100, 500, 6000 years hence? I'm optimistic

Beautiful wood!

Paddy had some real Cans as the duchess.

Geeze, Bob is a master woodworker.

I enjoy your Videos, it is giving me a lot of information that I will be making use of in the future. First project is a large meter long model of the boat I designed. then a six meter of the boat! I will keep your videos as a book so to speak!

As a man from Philly, the Jawn bit was pretty damn funny. Didn't realize that word made it all the way out there lmao

Oh, the Dutchess of Desire! Be still my beating heart! (And the woodwork is pretty good too.)

Another lignum vitae fun fact is that it has only recently been replaced by modern materials as a prop. shaft bearing on submarines because it is self lubricating, long lasting and most importantly for sub use it runs quiet.

I always appreciate the use of jigs and the forethought that goes into making and using them.

Great stuff!

Dove tail on a dove tail… mind blown.

It has been a leap of faith for Leo to take on this task. He knows he couldn't have done it without a team of skilled workers - and large sums of money from generous donors. And of course, he had no way of knowing he would get either. The entire project could so easily have ground to a halt and been shelved indefinitely. If I could ask Leo one question it would be, 'Has it always been your experience in life that people help you when you need it?''

Wow, seriously guys, this boat is on another level. Attention to detail on every aspect. I love it. Keep it up. All the best from the Robinsons.

There goes my theory of it being a cannonball hole from Pirates.

😂 Water soluble salt LOL!! Love Patty's jokes! I highly suspect said salt water may just come from the very nearby OCEAN lol!!!😂😂😂

Every episode I'm like "Oh! 23 minutes! I love the long episodes!". Then what feels like 10 seconds later "Over already!?". 😫

Wonderful week end finish! Watching exemplary craftsman and a few minutes of the Sampson Players performing the Duchess of Desire, part something or other. Balderdash? What fun it was.

It's not noodling. It's "measure twice, cut once." If you don't, you get "measure once, cuss twice"

Uh… What happened to your fabulous intro ? 😢