In 2019 I followed my wife in her career all the way up to Denmark, I found ourselves without a community and optimist about investing time in new friends. The best time investment we did was with Hall16, which returned a great deal of a network and friends. One of them donated SKRAKUNGEN, a baltic cruiser, that now we can play with.
The boat is 8.2 meters long and 2.6 wide, 3.5 tons heavy and made out of wood (Oregon pine for the hull, oak the keel, mahogany the interior). We purchased the boat in exchange for a plate of shrimps, to be exchanged in a specific place in the Øresound. What matters is the journey to the maiden voyage, and step by step, picture by picture you can have a look at it here. She has a Facebook page too!
In Denmark there's a place called Hall16. You can find it in a town called Helsingor. The place is famous for a Shakespearian's play "Amleto", which take place in the castle on the waterfront. The city was an industrial settlement for many years until its decline in the 90's. They made ships in the downtown area (next to the castle, blue arrow in the picture). Big ships. Ferries kind of things.
The city administration is figuring out what to do with this big space, and one cultural association claiming some attention is Hall16. Hall16, currently is operating inside this space and allows its members to fix old wooden boats to maintain the naval heritage of this country, which, BTW, is pretty great. How great? It's the forth country by coastline length. That's is simple math. Just 4th. Back to Skrakungen (Swedish for an aquatic bird that looks like a duck). It was passed on to us in barebone conditions, except for the paint on the deck, a very classic marine green color, typical of ancient vessels of this region (especially Holbæk).
In the 12 months we had, we oiled the hull, deck and the interior (many times), with linseed oil. Replace some planks below the waterline, rebuild the engine, cut the mast open and glue it back together, replace chain plates, fix the riggings, and redo the covers for the bedding. The engine's instruction manual was in good condition though.
The process was painfully slow and the local community of experienced sailors, was priceless for teaching us how to keep the work as traditionally accurate as possible. There is beauty in using products that do not require gloves, or solvents (linseed oil and wood).
The boat is now on the water (2020), and we are planning to sail it in the summer and for a few regattas, above all the Øresund regatta.
Linseed oil is remarkable, and I believe it is vastly underrated as commodity for house hold applications. Let me explain. It is an oil that comes from plants: plants that are used in the textile industry and produce an edible seed. That seed can be transformed into an oil that has the quality of "drying". In reality it does not dry. It oxidates. It binds with oxygen and change structure. It heats up during this process and gain about 5% in volume. It remains flexible, water resistant and water repellent. Heat, UV rays and oxygen accelerate the "drying" phase.
It is mixed with tær (Pitch in English) to help wood under the water line or with the steel ropes above the water. Mixed with beeswax, is used to seal small holes for waterproofing. It retains elasticity while keeping the shape.
Mixed with Titanium Oxide (or any other pigment even in fine arts) is used to paint inside or the outside of the boat or any surface. This painting material is used on wood for coloring and protection as well as steel. It has the capacity to prevent rust forming on metal alloys.
If the oil is given approximately 7 times on wood, the surface closes and become fully waterproof. Before this threshold, the wood retains some ability to "breathe". When I use it, I don't need to wear a mask (not volatile) and is not toxic, nor corrosive. It is safe to use, dispose an if pure (no additives) it can be used for food safe applications like oiling a cutting board. I love to not have to dispose of aggressive solvent every time I paint something.
I find it to be a quite magical product and it is now one of my favorite tools ever!
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