Full size Lofting

The way it used to be done, and what a fantastic little boat to begin with as we started the full size lofting of a 12 ft Yacht Tender in the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop.
The small craft has more than enough twists and turns to trick anyone into thinking this is easy, but with patience and enthusiasm it can all be shown even if you have no knowledge at all about boats or Lofting.

Full size Lofting at Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop



 

Course Schedule at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

The schedule is now on the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop website and with more than

50 yes fifty courses available from May to November 2014 we are sure that you can find the course for you at the time to suit your own schedule.

 

We have a total of 10 Basic Lofting courses on offer, along with one day fundamentals of Lofting courses to let you try them out.

 

We have a total of 7 Advanced Lofting Courses

 

To compliment our Lofting Course we are also running a total of 10 Boatbuilding/Lofting for small boat courses

 

Our Half Hull Model Making Courses are on for a total of 17 courses for you to learn this wonderful skill and produce your own fine model to take away with you.

 

If you want to further your Shipbuilding knowledge then we have a total of 5 running throughout the year and other courses can be arranged if required

 

Registrations are now being taken for all courses at the new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, here in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

For all courses please call (from outside North America)

 +1 902 522 2400

If you are in North America you can call our toll free number at the following

1-888-743-7845

 

Or by email to

info@sherbrookeshipbuildingshop.com

Courses

Courses at the

Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

 

www.sherbrookeshipbuildingshop.com

 

Our courses are set out all week including weekends so if you cannot make it during the week then the weekend which includes the Friday and Monday on some of the courses can be done. We are set up to help you achieve.

All courses can be tailored to suit depending on your circumstance and requirements and must be booked with a 25% deposit.

 

The Half Hull Model course is a 4 day course that can be arranged during the week or at weekends, call for further details.

 

The Fundamentals of Lofting course is a 5 day course which again depending on your own particular circumstance could be tailored to suit, call for further details on how we can help.

 

Our Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge course is a 3 day course and again could be arranged over a week-end; call for further details and to discuss.

 

“Knowledge not passed on is Lost”

Registrations for Half hull Model Courses

The new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop & Mould Loft

Registrations are now being taken for our Half Hull Model Courses, numbers will be limited so pre-register now to ensure your place in our fantastic new course at the new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, here in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

For prices please see the page on Half Hull Models

 

For all courses please call (from outside North America)

 +1 902 522 2400

If you are in North America you can call our toll free number at the following

1-888-743-7845

 

Or by email to

info@sherbrookeshipbuildingshop.com

 

Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course

Since moving back into the shipbuilding industry it has amazed me at how little training and knowledge is now passed on for many different reasons, and even though the use of CAD/CAM has resulted in huge advancements in the industry, there is still very much a lack of the basic knowledge of actually building a ship and what it entails, you can be a very fine CAD operator although know little about the basic reality of putting the steel together on the shop floor and the higher level of passed down from design then the higher level of knowledge required about the work including how it all goes together in the real world, not the electronic world.

 

I have even worked in places where the basic knowledge of even reading a tape measure has been lacking.

 

This basic knowledge of shipbuilding and shipyards will be very helpful to anyone who has no knowledge of how a ship is built and offers a basic insight into what is expected and required from someone who wants to secure there future in this amazing industry.

They will receive a good grounding in Basic shipbuilding practice and processes

Such as being able to read a shipbuilding drawing

Knowing and learning about how a ship is designed and built and so much more.

To be continued

Lines, Lofting and Half Hull Models

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

After many months of hard work and indeed many years in the making the new unique concept of offering and passing on of acquired knowledge is almost there and ready to take registrations for this year be it the Half Hull Model course or the Basic Lofting course you are interested in all can now be offered in this unexplored part of Eastern Nova Scotia.

All courses could be tailored to suite your particular requirements and should you be thinking of fitting in a course along with some vacation time then we can also offer some very good deals at the local Sherbrooke Village Inn Motel, just two minutes away.

As we move into spring now is the time to be thinking about what the summer can bring and what better way of learning than spending some time in what is a really fantastic location, based right on the bank of the St Mary's River and inside the Historical old Sherbrooke Village, what are you waiting on with similar courses in the U.S.A. at a far higher cost, this is not the type of experience that you can get anywhere else in Canada.

Call or email for further details.

Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course-03

How a bulbous bow should look once finished and lofted and plated correctly

Now this is what is known as a “Bulbous Bow” and as you can see it is put together pretty well the way this type of bow should look when finished and there is a young journeyman Loftsman in this picture port side as we look on the bow.

 

Well believe it or not I have actually worked in a “shipyard” which of course must remain nameless where they launched a ship without finishing the plate work on the bulbous bow, they had too much trouble fitting the plates that they ran out of time and just launched her with a large opening in the top of the bulbous bow, she of course was in no danger of sinking or anything like that but she was a bit down by the head shall we say while sitting in the water.

Lack of some basic fundamental shipbuilding knowledge comes to mind when I heard this story, and so easy to rectify if only some time was spent on training and passing on some of the acquired knowledge gathered around such a shipyard, make you wonder eh!
There is a huge demand World Wide for experienced shipbuilders, not for people who only see the industry as just another job only interested in the wage packet, which is very important of course but welded to the wage packet should be pride in the job and any shipbuilder should be able to stand on the quayside as a ship goes by and say with pride that he or she had helped to built a safe and sea worthy vessel.

The apprenticeship system in some countries as it stands makes no allowance for actual shipbuilding and as explained above this is a gross under sight in my humble opinion, spend some time and reap the rewards further down the road instead of worry about micro managing the build process.

Have managers in place who actually know what they are doing would I am certain be of some help in the quest, shipbuilders who have actually been apprenticed as shipbuilders and have built ships not just any ships but ships to be proud of.

 

To be continued.

sherbrookeshipbuildingshop.com

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop


The website for the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop is now live

visit at www.sherbrookeshipbuildingshop.com

 

Courses at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

Courses at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

Our courses are set out all week including weekends so if you cannot make it during the week then the weekend which includes the Friday and Monday on some of the courses can be done. We are set up to help you achieve.

All courses can be tailored to suit depending on your circumstance and requirements and must be booked with a 50% deposit.

 

The Half Hull Model course is a 4 day course that can be arranged during the week or at weekends, call for further details.

 

The Fundamentals of Lofting course is a 5 day course which again depending on your own particular circumstance could be tailored to suit, call for further details on how we can help.

 

Our Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge course is a 3 day course and again could be arranged over a week-end; call for further details and to discuss.

 

“Knowledge not passed on is Lost”

 

Register now for the Half Hull Model Course

Registrations are now being taken for our Half Hull Model making courses being run at the new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, here in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada

 Spaces are limited so as to allow as much time as required to make your own special model so pre-register now to ensure your place in our fantastic new course at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop.

For prices on our Half Hull Model Course please see the price pages at the top.

For all courses please call (from outside North America)

 +1 902 522 2400

If you are in North America you can call our toll free number at the following

1-888-743-7845

 

Or by email to

 

Sherbrookeshipbuildingshop@gmail.com

 

 

Advanced Lofting Course

Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop and Mould Loft
 



This will be best suited for those who have completed the fundamental Basic Lofting course or have some experience of Lofting.

Although most boat and yacht designs are now carried out on some pretty sophisticated CAD programs even most professionals will agree that it is still best to see the boat layed out full size on the Loft floor. The lost art of lofting a boat/ship continues at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop and you too can further your knowledge on this “Art” by attending one of the advanced Lofting courses on offer at the Shipbuilding Shop.

See the difference for instance between a bearding line and a rabbit line, see how to develop out a raked curved transom or how to set out a nice cambered sheer.

This course would be suitable for someone with a bit of knowledge on the subject or for someone who has done the Basic Lofting course previously at the Sherbrooke shipbuilding Shop.

Bring along your own set of offsets and we will help you loft out your own boat.

Anyone who has attended the Basic lofting course will qualify for a discount on the base price of the Advanced Lofting course.

Basic Lofting Couse

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop & Mould Loft

 

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, located inside the old Historical Sherbrooke Village

By the end of my course you will be able to visualise what the boat should look like and to lay down her lines, and you will be able to talk about plans and not feel intimidated about being unable to comprehend the Lofting process involved in bringing these plans to life full size on the Lofting floor.

 

My Lofting course is a learning by doing process you only need to know how to apply yourself and don’t forget to bring your enthusiasm with you. And there is also quality accommodation on offer along with the courses staying at the Sherbrooke Village Inn Motel a short two minute walk to the “Shipbuilding Shop & Mould Loft” so you and your significant other should you choose can also have a vacation in what is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, a real undiscovered gem.

Learn how to loft your boat at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

When you break it down, lofting is the process of producing the three required views of the hull accurately to scale or to full size depending on the size of the vessel. By this way we can turn 2D into a 3D visualisation.

But that is just the beginning of the process which you can learn throughout the course.

 

The main focus of the course will be to enable you to understand some of the concepts and lofting principles behind boat/shipbuilding and in helping you to develop an eye for a fair shape as it’s not called the art of Lofting for nothing.

 



Registration now open

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, in the Historical old Sherbrooke Village, Nova Scotia

Registrations are now being taken for what will prove to be very popular and limited courses at the new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, here in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

For all courses please call (from outside North America)

 +1 902 522 2400

If you are in North America you can call our toll free number at the following

1-888-743-7845

 

Or by email to

sherbrookeshipbuildingshop@gmail.com

Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course-02

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop taking registrations for this year
 

 

Attending the Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course is a great way to boost your career prospects. Many Attendees will participate to develop themselves in their existing role, while others will attend with a complete change of career in mind.

Employers large and small understand that studying part time while managing work and personal commitments shows determination, adaptability, motivation and a high level of organisational and problem-solving skills – qualities that they value highly

 

It seems to be a common misconception that all “outside trades” can just transfer there skills to working in a shipyard on a new build shipbuilding project.

While the skills are transferable they are with few exceptions not directly transferable. Someone with no shipbuilding knowledge will struggle for some time to be an effective member of a shipbuilding team

 

The basic shipbuilding knowledge course is based mostly on my own experiences in shipbuilding but also on what I have learned from many other sources, as never have I met anyone who knows it all in shipbuilding, many I have met purport to knowing it all and they are a liability who may just be passing on the wrong type of information.

This Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course will only deal with the structural build of a ship

 

If you don’t know or never learn the basics of shipbuilding then how can you develop pride in what you are doing there is so much more to building a ship than just welding two pieces of steel together.

Without the basic knowledge of shipbuilding how can you learn to read a shipbuilding drawing?

 

•         Shipbuilding knowledge = Interest = Ability = Pride

•         Pride in the job results in better work which in turn results in a better end product with lower costs

•         More accuracy = Better quality = Better Tradesman.

 

 

The more technology used and the more automation requires a higher understanding of the whole shipbuilding process which all starts with a basic understanding of shipbuilding

Failure to understand shipbuilding basics will produce someone perhaps doing a repetitive job with no interest whatsoever resulting in poor workmanship standards

 

 

To be continued.

Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course-04

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop, Nova Scotia

Why the need for some basic shipbuilding knowledge can help as a preliminary course before embarking on a career in shipbuilding.

Well most of all you will not be walking into an interview for work in shipbuilding with next to no knowledge and we can guarantee you that having completed our Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge course you will in fact probably be better informed about what is required to be a shipbuilder than the person who is interviewing you.

Learn about basic shipbuilding knowledge including the use of bevels for setting frames, how you do need at least three different bevels to correctly set a transverse frame or bulkhead across a well shaped shell plate or plates, you cannot just accept that the bevel can just be an average over the girth of the frame at the moulded line, believe it or not this I have seen done and continued to be done with the same end result that the bulkhead lay at completely the wrong angle when being mated up to its adjoining unit then everyone stands around blaming one another why nothing fits correctly.

With a little bit of basic shipbuilding knowledge and the production of some more bevel sets this large amount of re-work could have been avoided. 

For experienced shipbuilders to continue to do the same thing I found amazing and shows a complete lack of real understanding of practical shipbuilding, this particular bulkhead by the way was replicated port and starboard on a run of nine ships and was never corrected which must have resulted in some thousands of hours of re-work the one thing that not only costs budget over runs but can cost the shipyard further work and with it job losses so that in the end everyone losses out all for the lack of some basic knowledge on practical shipbuilding.

 

To be continued

Lofting Services

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop and Mould Loft

As part of our Lofting service here at the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop we are also in the position to offer some of the following services and all at very good prices.

Whatever you’re boat/shipbuilding needs in regard to design or lofting please don’t hesitate to contact us, be it your own boat or a boat that requires restoration work with a set of her lines produced first.

I will let you into a little secret here I have been working with drawings/lofting on Mylar for more than 40 years and I use this to loft on as it is consistently very stable so as to ensure an accurate representation of what is being achieved and of course the finished drawing/lines plan or template can just be rolled up and posted off anywhere in the world.

We can loft any boat/ship for which there is a basic table of offsets or set of drawings.

Or we can take the lines off an existing vessel and re-loft her to replicate her original shape as near as you will ever get and all done by a time served experienced Loftsman.

Require moulds or jigs then this is no problem or help with your project in any way, we can produce full size templates or files that you can download by yourself just give us a call or contact through email.

Should you require lofting done on CAD then we can accommodate this as well and have the capability of doing the whole boat or ship for you all at very good prices by competent and experienced designers/loftsmen.

Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop
A fantastic location for knowledge gained
 

Attending the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course is a great way to boost your career prospects should you wish to go on and find work in this amazing industry or you may just wish to know more about the subject matter explained in the course by an experienced Shipbuilder.

Each 25 hour course can be adapted to suit but is recommended to be done over the 5 day allocated period for each course.

Employers large and small understand that studying on short beneficial courses while managing work and personal commitments shows determination, adaptability, motivation and a high level of organisational and problem-solving skills – qualities that they value highly.

So if you want to improve your prospects through getting some or further Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge then the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop is the place for guidance!

Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge Course

Or in some cases a “Lack” of basic shipbuilding knowledge.

 

As someone who has worked in the shipbuilding industry on three continents and having worked on more than Thirty Five new builds, it is sad for me to see the lack of basic shipbuilding knowledge and skills that are being lost for many differing reasons, I am here today to tell you one of the simple ways that some of the basic skills can be passed on.

Experience and knowledge not passed on is gone for ever but it does not have to be that way.

To be continued.

Half Hull Model Course

Building Half Hull Models

 

Half Hull Models are a wonderful way of remembering a boat from the past and a great learning tool helping to demystify all the lines and some of the lofting required in the beginnings of good boat/ship design, it is a very satisfying way of learning by doing and can be completed by almost anyone with a mind to learn a bit and put what they learn into practice

You too can capture a design in three dimensions and have a good quality self made model to take away from the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop.

You don’t need to be an experienced woodworker as we are not looking for perfection just participation.

You will learn some history of the boat you are going to model as well and you are also encouraged to bring along your own boat plans to model if you have them.

The self made model will be a great addition to your office wall or den and will also come with a brass name plate showing the name of the ship and your own name as builder of the half hull model.

Each model will be mounted on an attractive backing board supplied by the Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop along with the brass name plate.

Half Hull Models

Many people who are unfamiliar with the early days of boat and ship design & building may wonder, when they see the half hull models of boats on yacht club and museum walls, "Why only half a boat?" and what was it used for if anything.
In fact originally, the vast majority of boat/ship-builders were also the "designers", although you did not design a ship then you just built the ship. In the 18th & 19th centuries, the experienced shipwright was usually a man with little need for plans or drawings it was all done by skill and the eye of the shipwright so drawing a detailed plan would have been no use to him. The Half Hull model was the shipbuilders 3D way of describing the ship that he could build. Once the half hull model was completed it would be taken to the Mould Loft where the lines and dimensions (scaled suitably) to the full size required for all the lofting and thereby the build of the vessel was carried out.

The interesting thing to observe about the art of half hull modelling and the building of boats or ships is that nowadays, it is the CAD (Computer Aided Design) designing the vessel with an after thought given to the completion of nice half hull models, so the owner can hang a nice model of his or her boat/ship on the wall.

This of course is the complete opposite of its original purpose.

Lofting at The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop & Mould Loft

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop and Mould Loft

So you are thinking about building that boat which you have always wanted to build until it comes down to the lofting of your boat! Just how do you make sense out of those numbers called offsets?

Well you can learn this essential skill now and be shown how to loft by a working loftsman.
Lofting is the most essential skill in the boat/shipbuilding industry, while most lofting is done on a commercial scale and is now almost all Computer Aided Design, for those out with the industry who may wish to build there own boat then this skill is a must have to learn.
How to make sense of all them lines, offsets, buttocks and diagonals is a skill that we are now happy to be able to show you and you can learn the “Black Art” of Lofting in our new courses now being run at the Historical old Shipbuilding Shop at Sherbrooke Village (Itself a living Historical Village)
The Sherbrooke area was once one of the main shipbuilding centres in North America and lends itself very well to the learning of Lofting right on the banks of the St Mary’s river that was once the birth place of so many old wooden ships during the 18^th century.
Lofting (or as I like to call it as well is the Geometry of Boat/Shipbuilding) is the primary skill that you require to be able to build a quality boat of your own.

It is a skill which you can at least learn the basics and once mastered should enable you to start on any boat you may wish to have a go at building for yourself, no more having to rely on the limited amount of boring old “Kit Designed boats” all off the shelf, you will be able to browse through all the hundreds of old boat plans that are available and confidently tackle the build.
Better still there has never been a boat designed which was lofted too much and you will be able to do this along with being better able to read and understand the plans that you are looking at and will have a far better idea of the building process involved no matter how difficult or complex the shape may be.

Now don’t get me wrong Lofting can be pretty intimidating to the uninitiated and it is pretty complex and there are many different ways of going about it, that is why you should use someone who is not just well experienced in the art but with someone who has done it and worked as a Loftsman for a living, someone who can pass on the knowledge in a way which is clear and understandable and may even be fun at times.

You can read as many books on the subject as you like but you will not learn much just from reading about lofting even if you understand some of it the only way to learn about Lofting is by doing.

To be continued:-

Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop

The Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop for courses in Lines, Lofting and Half Hull Models

Welcome to the new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop now open at the Historical old Sherbrooke Village in wonderful Nova Scotia, Canada, and where better to set up a unique new concept in Canada of offering courses in the old traditional skills of Lofting, Half Hull Models and for anyone with a view to working in the shipbuilding industry of today we also have courses in Basic Shipbuilding Knowledge.

The courses are now open for registration and will run from April thru December 2014

This Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia is an area steeped in History and including the building of many fine old ships from around 1820 right up to 1920 a total of 100 years of the fine traditional skills of wooden shipbuilding was carried in and around this area and we are very pleased to be able to introduce some real old skills that anyone with an interest in Boat/Shipbuilding will find of interest, a real hands on history in the Historical old Sherbrooke Village, Nova Scotia.

Just one of the many types of classic old ships built at Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia over 100 years ago



 This Blog will attempt to follow the opening of the new Sherbrooke Shipbuilding Shop and feature the learning and skills courses on offer so join us as we begin this amazing journey.

For registration or initial interest please enquire by email at
sherbrookeshipbuildingshop@gmail.com

or by telephone at +1 902 522 2400