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Bentley Steed

Building a contemporary update of the traditional Scottish boat, the oak birlinn

At the start of construction, the supporting frames for the structure of a boat can be seen in a workshop laid along a 16-foot rigidised structure known as a strongback.

A close-up of the supporting structure closes to the front.

A view along the port-side of the boat which is constructed upside-down. The first two strips of oak are shown glued in place, secured with aluminium insulation tape which will not bind to the wood adhesive.

Looking at the mid-section where the curvature of the boat is at its least, we can see six strips of oak have now been glued into place.

Looking along the whole length of the boat, being built upside down, we can now see the dramatic sweep of the curves which give the boat it's distinctive form.

With the sides of the boat completed, the curving of the oak strips reaches its most critical point as the oak is now being formed around the curves on the bottom of the boat.

To ensure all the strips stay in place, the prow and stern of the boat are glued over-long. The keel of the boat is fitted later when the boat is strong enough to hold its form.

Clamps are in place, tightly-wound to force the latest strip to be added to remain in place while the adhesive sets.

The photograph shows the void at the prow, showing how important this forward part of the structure will be in ensuring the boat keeps its shape once on the water.

A clamp secures the final wedge of oak in place as the void at the prow is sealed. Should the boat turn over in the water the sealed chambers, front and rear, will help it float.

With the clamp and wedge removed, the image shows how the oak strips from port and starboard sides overlap to form a rigid seam on which the keel will be fixed.

In forming the base of the boat, the angle of cuts in each oak strip becomes more sharper and more exaggerated, each strip also requiring to be undercut so that it interlocks with the corresponding strip on the opposite side of the boat. At this stage, each strip can take several hours to shape.

The boat nears completion. We can see a four-foot long leave shape which is less than four inches wide remains to be cut, shaped and glued into place.

The rounded form of the hull is apparent. Wider, shorter and shallower than a North American cedar-strip canoe, the Hiberno-Norse influence of traditional Scottish boat forms is apparent.

The final strip is being fit to the highest part of the build which, because it's being built upside down, is also the bottom of the boat. In the image, the small modelling saw being used to cut a very precise angle. The dots are dowels which hold each strip in place to the supporting structure beneath. Once the boat is complete it will be strong enough to hold its shape and these beech dowels will be drilled out and replaced with oak. Beech doesn't like salt water at all but it's easier to cut and shape than oak.

I am looking at the final fit of the final lozenge of oak. Several hours of graft to that final piece into the exact curved shape needed, so that with a tiny amount of adhesive and a swift, light tap of the mallet, it's in.

Image shows all the oak strips in place before the final stages of shaping, beginning with removing the boat from its supporting structure.

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