My Workshop

On the Wharram forums, where I have a thread about my build, I get a few comments such as "after seeing your workshop, I'll never complain about mine again!"



However, I work in that workshop every single day, and I'll never complain about it either. There are some 'cons' to it, which I'll admit freely. It's dark, cluttered, and has an uneven gravel floor. I can't run loud saws after 10pm because my wife will be sleeping just above the saw.

But with those detracting factors in place, there is still a pile of redeeming qualities to my choice of build location:

It's a huge, (30x50) nearly open space, save for two support columns. It's indoors and protected from the elements. It's extremely convenient to my main living space, just up the stairs. I didn't have to build a shed, barn, or tarp/pipe shelter. It gets residual heat from the furnace. It's got electricity and plumbing. It's got a slew of overhead beams just above the build, which will make turning the hulls in place possible with just a bit of rigging. It's wired for high-speed internet, phone, and cable TV (if I watched TV, that is.) It's got everything I need to build the T30, and then to get it out the door and onto a trailer. What else could I ask for? (Besides a solid floor!)

They say Tiki boats are designed for "flexi-space." To me this means that you can re-configure the space for different uses. Your Pod bunks transform into a dining area when you reach port and drop the hook. The gear tramp turns into a shower stall with the hanging of a solar water-bag, etc... So then is my shop going to be "flexi-space." I configure the tables for one set of jobs, and when done, move them to the next positions for the next jobs. The tools are all portable, everything can be moved around to fit the tasks at hand.

And when the build is complete, the space will revert to it's old condition, and you would never know boats were built there. The house's next owners, when we eventually move out, will see only a wide open space suitable for whatever they want to use it for. It's completely temporary, leaving no trace. Even the flourescent light fixtures are hanging with bailing twine.

If I were in the business of buiding boats or even if I considered myself a 'woodworker' of any sort, then maybe I would bemoan the work-space and build a more permanent one. But Wharrams, in particular, carry the "transitory spirit." They seem to be designed to build on a tropical beach of you wanted, and sail off without fuss or a mess.

So, then, will be this workshop.