Reflections on building a Windmill - Part I

I think it is infinitely more practical, and inspiring, to view wooden boat building as a goal. Building a boat is all about decisions, how to work it into your life, finding meaning, purpose and fulfillment and about knowing yourself. There is one pivotal decision which must be made early on: the choice of which boat to build.

Our decision to build the Windmill was strongly influenced by the types of decisions we would have to face both as boat builders and as sailors. The Windmill was designed as a wooden boat. It was a proven design, with a continuous history, a national class organization, and a strict measurement rule. The Windmill presented us with a set of perimeters within which to make informed and intelligent decisions.

Now, for a first-time boat builder, the goal of building a Windmill was a realistic objective. Here was a boat that could teach me about wooden boat building, an honest boat, a boat that would reward my best efforts. Since I had never built ANYTHING or owned any woodworking tools to speak of, at age 39 this was a momentous decision. (The old biological clock was ticking; if I waited much longer the desire to procreate would not or could not be fulfilled.)

The desire had been nurtured by a subscription to Wooden Boat magazine. The fantasy began to get real when I found a soul mate in Jim Waller, and we found others in our sailing club with the same nascent dream. From this shared vision came commitment and community. On reflection, this was the single most significant aspect of the decision, since it largely determined the outcome. Building a boat takes longer than twice as long as you think it will take. The community, the shared dream, the shared talent and skills sustained all of us throughout the building process, and it continues today on the water. Without a committed friend and fellow dreamer, I for one could not have built a boat (I am not kidding about my lack of woodworking experience or ability). The fact that Jim and I were joined by several others provided the critical mass and momentum to get underway, plus it gave us the potential of an instant fleet.

There are many stories about our experiences in building nine boats. The important story for me are great memories, good times, lasting friendships and an abiding sense of having accomplished something worthwhile. Three years ago, October 1987, I launched #5101. Three years of Mid-Winters, club races, Nationals, local regattas, Districts and three years of new and deepening friendships. Three years of enjoying a boat that I built. Frankly, it is deeply satisfying to sail one's own workmanship.

The choice of the Windmill as the boat to build was the second most important aspect of this decision to build a boat. Not only was it buildable, it is a good boat and a one design class boat. We have something of recognized value, not just a pretty boat or a novelty. The national class organization has provided us support and encouragement, and an even greater sense of community.

An equally attractive aspect of the Windmill, along with its strict one-design rule, is the latitude afforded the builder in the construction of the various components. The plans and the builder's manual keep you on the straight and narrow path, but you have considerable freedom in many aspects of the boat. The opportunities to personalize a wooden boat are almost boundless. While there are no tolerances on the tolerances, the design and shape of the tiller, the tiller extension, breasthook, rubrails, choice of woods, thickness of wood, built-in compartments, and daggerboard cap, just to name a few items, can all be personalized. And they were.

The wooden boat approach to Windmilling is the way I like to think about this experience. Boat building was a means to an end Windmilling not an end in itself. I am not into furniture polish or wooden boat shows. I have no personal interest in a subclass of wooden Windmills. I want what the Windmill and the Windmill Class Association offer for the price of participation. Still, it is deeply satisfying to sail one's own workmanship.

The remedy is straight forward and sounds a lot like the ancient Chinese proverb, The longest journey begins with the first step. I found that going back to the Windmill plans and the Builder's Manual usually got me focused on some one thing that I could do. (The Manual is practical and readable. At times, it is down right inspiring!) As a novice woodworker I found reading, and rereading, the Manual the best method to get my head together. Generally this process got me beyond my inertia, cleared the fog between my ears, and gave me purpose. (Let the Manual talk to you. It can set your direction and define a given assignment. Most of all, it can provide you a sense of having someone to help you.)

I am a real believer in the buddy system approach to boat building. Throughout my building program I had the help and encouragement of a teammate. We used the same building jig to build our hulls. After the hulls were off the jig they were set side by side, and we helped each other finish out the boats. In this manner we tackled each step together and stayed together throughout the process. You already know the words: two heads, four hands, one keeping the other going, learning by doing. Learning the tune takes a little longer. From the beginning I needed a partner because I was a neophyte, but as I acquired some skills I began to feel more like a partner. The buddy system approach helped us keep the play, the fun, in boat building. It was a shared experience, and it continues today as a shared memory.

In beginning, I experienced the frequent temptation to get several sub-projects going at once. While building the jig, which I found to be tedious, the allure of getting on to some part of the real boat was constantly pulling me off of the task at hand. We finally made an agreement to stay with THE PROGRAM. This proved to be a wise move for several reasons: it kept the partnership in tack; it kept us (me) focused; each step in the program got completed, with all the details attended to in order; and it provided a continuing sense of accomplishment. It also provided a continuing sense of anticipation as we looked forward to the next step.

Early on we decided to build the Windmill with air tanks, using the weight reduction program (found in the appendix to the Builder's Manual), and epoxy glue. This is the approach to building a Windmill I recommend. The plywood was okoume mahogany, and it was real joy to work with. We got this from Harbor Sales (they were a real joy to work with). All the other boat lumber came from M. L. Condon Company (they were O.K. to work with). The building jig was built with el cheapo lumber obtained locally. The epoxy came from Gougeon (which is my favorite brand of epoxy). The Builder's Manual, of course, was THE PROGRAM.

As the weeks passed into months the dream ebbed and waned. Life sometimes got in the way. After the honeymoon period was over our basic personality traits began to reappear and manifest themselves in our work habits in boat building, just as they do in the rest of one's life. We faced each of these crises periods and persevered. The commitment was renewed, and the discipline was rewarded. Throughout this endeavor we looked forward to sailing our Windmills, which was the ultimate objective. The goal was well worth the effort.

Doug Anderson, #5101, Prince Charming, Fleet 79, Nashville, TN Send him a note Doug Anderson