Splashdate: July 6, 2017:
This is a 50-second video of Tim and Jack picking up about 7 tons of Silver Oak logs from a friend.The logs from this beautiful tree would otherwise have gotten cut up into little pieces and hauled to the local green waste. What a waste that would have been!
Instead, we are turning this tree into working sailboats like Splash, Tiny Houses, and gorgeous furniture! Wooden boats rule! We’re building the 37-foot Splash AND putting the lumber mill together simultaneously; sometimes we feel like one-armed paperhangers!
Silver Oak requires special handling, though. The dust and chips can be a serious skin irritant. I found out about this the hard way:
I made the incredible mistake of “bucking” a Silver Oak log (cutting a log shorter) wearing shorts! Needless to say, the chainsaw threw quite a bit of Silver Oak dust and chips up the legs of the shorts, and about a day later I had a horrible case of what looked like Poison Oak all over my nether regions. I had to take baths and put on lotions and stuff. I’ve always worn long pants and a cartridge respirator ever since, any time I had to work with Silver Oak. Once it’s dried and incorporated into a boat, or piece of furniture, or a hardwood floor, there are no problems with skin sensitivity.
Moving a 2-ton Silver Oak log onto our crane:
Click on the blue text below to find out more about our “Splash” project:
Splash, a sustainable 37-foot sailing fishing boat:
Click on the blue text below to go to our “Boat Rides and Rewards” page and find out more about getting a ride on “Splash” in Hawaii, learning how to fish Hawaiian style, or signing up for a boat building or fishing internship: