Rudy Woodcraft

I always enjoy having people participate in their own projects, and this was fun on two different table projects, started in this video. My daughter and son-in-law helped design the legs for their dining table, and my neighbor Dylan worked with me on a side table he and his wife Abbie want. Dylan owned the largest of the oak trees that came down last year in our neighborhood, and which we saved some sections of, got them milled, and stickered. These also turned out to be the last projects from my well-loved woodshop, which I designed and built six years ago, and the first in the new one, a pole barn I've been working on. So I'll do some videos on the building and teardown of the old shop, and some of the fun milestones in building the new one as these two tables get completed. Here is the video of the oak milling/stickering project: https://youtu.be/pu4dOyteH04 Part of the series Woodworking by Doug Rudy

In the early part of the year, with water levels high, the large though shallow northern part of the reservoir is a great place to sail. We took advantage of the warming weather to get out and enjoy it. The breeze was gusty--prolonged 20 at times--a fine sunset sail. Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

Very early spring, first sail in Grace of 2022. Shot with the iphone, just a quick video. It was a treat though launch at the only available ramp was a challenge...too shallow to put the fins down, and had to tilt the boat on/off the trailer. But it worked out, and I got to meet some cool sailors in the process and help 'em back onto the dock! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

A close encounter with a gator and a delightful sail at a new stop for me, Lake Lanier, wraps up this trip with the homemade/home-designed sailing kayak Nomad. I was also able to visit and support the great private air museum Fantasy of Flight, and to write a new tune. Writing music takes time at least for me and once again this trip provided it. Hope you enjoy the tune. Part of the series Sailing These Homemade Boats, and Sailing Nomad by Doug Rudy

Loved exploring new areas in the lower keys, as well as returning to favorite spots in the upper keys. In this part of the trip Deb joined me. Although it was consistently very windy, some delightful sailing and paddling, as well as an overall fine time in the keys together. A bit of reef snorkeling and sunset on the America 2 schooner rounded things out. Part of the series Sailing These Homemade Boats, and Sailing Nomad by Doug Rudy

One of the great experiences with the home-made home-designed sailing kayak Nomad was having a pod of dolphins join the bow wave for a bit in alligator bay. St. Mark's wildlife refuge is a wonderful place; got in some paddling there. A bit of a scary sail in San Carlos Bay off the causeway to Sanibel Island, and a great sail on one of my favorite places, Estero Bay Next episode: https://rumble.com/vyfum7-sailing-nomad-florida-keys-buttonwood-sound-florida-bay-cudjoe-key-sugerloa.html Part of the series Sailing These Homemade Boats and Sailing Nomad by Doug Rudy

An enjoyable mid-winter-in-Ohio process to go through the gear, some basic maintenance, and pack up to head south to summer. Also, this will be a move--the boat leaves the place we've lived for more than 20 years, and at the end of the trip, should go to the new home in the pole barn we've built over the last year to join Cosmo, the new woodshop, and eventually Grace. Part of the series Sailing These Homemade Boats and Sailing Nomad by Doug Rudy

In the middle of this trip w/ the home-made home-designed sailing kayak Nomad, but here's a preview--sailing in Alligator Bay on the Florida gulf coast, met up with some dolphins who rode the bow wave for a bit. A real treat for me! Part of the series Sailing These Homemade Boats and Sailing Nomad by Doug Rudy

Looking back on 2021 this ranks as one of my favorite daysails. Its probably the last video from the 2021 sailing season, and I hope to get some boatwork done and get some videos on that. Sometimes the breeze is tricky, even nasty, and sometimes the breeze is delightful, friendly...this was one of the latter. As always thanks for watching and I appreciate comments and questions! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

On a gorgeous 9/11 morning my nieces who had stayed over with us for their parent's anniversary getaway went sailing. Grace is a home-made sailboat of my own design, and Katie and Stephie hadn't been out on it before. They are great company, and did most of the camera work on this outing. I enjoyed the time and hope you enjoy the video! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

As the cold and gray unicloud closes in here, I enjoyed putting together this video of a late-summer sunny day's sail on Grace, my home-made home-designed sailboat. The breeze was (as usual for this past summer) gusty and challenging. Since I bought a second GoPro thinking I'd destroyed mine, I've experimented with using it in different ways, and this time tried putting it on the tiller. I enjoyed the perspective. A number of people have asked me about how the boat stays so apparently stable, and one thing that is clear from this perspective is how much moving around and luffing the main goes on during a gusty day like this. Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

I continue to be delighted with the homemade/home-designed sailboat Grace, a really forgiving solo sailing boat in conditions like this, but the ability to also take a few people out, or easy conversion to rowing and motoring as well. In the video I tried to maintain the overall structure of the sail as it was a fairly short daysail, as I experienced it. I tend to think of gusts coming horizontally along the surface and its nice when they do but on this day I could almost see them spinning and curling sideways as they travelled forward, and that means change of direction and velocity all at once...fun challenge! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

The process of going from tree, to rough boards and an idea, to useful stuff people enjoy never gets old for me. With reminisces about designing and building my first boat, and a preview of the new shop we're building, a fun project. The hickory is from our yard, milled at home and stickered at my dad's barn. The bench is for a specific spot in the kitchen of my son and daughter-in-law's first home. And most enjoyable for me, they wanted to learn woodworking, participating in the build. Hope you enjoy the process with us, and for some maybe a bit about woodworking that is new for you. We discuss and show use of the thickness planer, power planer, joiner, biscuit cutter, router, and of course table saw, as well as a discussion on epoxy. Part of the Woodworking series by Doug Rudy

A couple of projects to improve the trailing rig for long road trips, like my hope of sailing w/ SV Seeker before she leaves Oklahoma and heads out to sea, or the Elbow Run, or...whatever. And a nice sail, out in late July with a lively breeze from the north/northeast. The use of the "movers blanket" for bags for the fins came out really well I thought, thanks to my wife's sewing expertise. The tarp tie-down straps were from the Better Boat company--check 'em out. I did a video with more focus on our interactions here: https://youtu.be/1QljC6-Z31c Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

With a number of large oak trees coming down in our neighborhood, I decided to try to get some milled. Since I have such great neighbors, it turned into quite an adventure. In the middle of it, my 40+ year old table saw motor burned out, and with so many projects and years behind it I decided to try to repair it. On-site milling of urban timber can be a great source of lumber...and exercise! Wrapped up with turning a plate from the oak, just to get a first look at the gorgeous quarter-sawn oak grain... Part of the series Woodworking and Woodturning by Doug Rudy

An enjoyable sail, and more experiments with different views from a second camera, on the home-designed homemade sailboat Grace. Its fun for me to see these different perspectives, and I hope you enjoy them as well. Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

Some of you enjoyed the second camera's view from the gaff peak--I experimented with a camera on the boom this time. And partway through realized I could sail and had a "hands free" camera I could talk to, and decided to talk through some of the sailing basics, the way I learned them as a young kid from my uncles who sailed sailfish, thistles, and highlanders while I was growing up. Some of these terms and definitions may not be correct by every book but this and the points of sailing was what I learned and enjoyed talking through them while under sail. Hope you do too, even if you are a veteran and not a beginner sailor. Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

You can see in the original build videos how the cradle for Grace was made--it has worked really well for trailing the boat, launch/recovery, protection from violent road conditions: https://youtu.be/zUjOFE2QOTE I had a vague thought that dual-use of the trailer as a flatbed would be nice, and so in this video took the first pass at making a lift system: https://youtu.be/R8EdyCSc-JU But with things heating up about building a pole barn and smaller house on a bit of land I wanted to improve the system so it wasn't so dicey and scary. Pretty happy with the result! Part of the series Building Grace by Doug Rudy

Having thought I'd finally destroyed my GoPro I bought another, but it turned out the first was salvageable. So on a foggy morning I took this little sail, trying out a view from the peak of the gaff with the second camera. I enjoyed the views as the fog steadily lifted. I also enjoyed making up a little music to go with the foggy views... Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy.

I enjoyed this project, using my brother-in-law's home-milled ash slab to make a live-edged bench, which can also be used as a coffee table, and also from the remaining wood a bowl. Also, my lathe needed a repair, a "what would Doug Jackson do" moment, which worked out well. Part of the series Woodworking Wood Turning by Doug Rudy

An enjoyable sail on a nice early summer day. Launched onto a portion of the lake I haven't sailed Grace on before. Typical Ohio inland lake sailing breeze, with constant shifts in velocity and direction, and a fun chat with a fisherman too... Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

An enjoyable sail with the typical Ohio inland lake changeable breeze--solo for a while, including a look at an interesting boat (I call it a ketch but as you may notice it is a yawl), and then a view from shore as I picked up Deb, something some of you have asked to see a bit more of. It was a bit chilly so we found a spot to anchor up an inlet for drinks and a snack... Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

After the Florida trip it was time to refinish the exterior hull, including adding glass/epoxy around the daggerboard trunk opening, like in Grace. Also, a first for me, Anthony from Better Boat asked me to review some products so I'll show using their epoxy and marine polish on Nomad. Thanks Anthony! Here are some links to Better Boat and those two products specifically: Our website: https://thebetterboat.com/ Epoxy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085YDYR6J Marine wax: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFB2LTN Wound up taking a short early summer sail on Nomad too, with record-high water in the reservoir...very fun. Part of the series Sailing Kayak Nomad and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

An enjoyable sunset sail with the early spring blossoms out, and first time using a technique to hoist the rig out of the way while anchored for a picnic. We'll get some woodworking videos in soon too! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug RudyAn enjoyable sunset sail with the early spring blossoms out, and first time using a technique to hoist the rig out of the way while anchored for a picnic. We'll get some woodworking videos in soon too! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy

Just a short sailing video--not long after returning from the Florida trip, on a chilly very early spring day, took Grace out for the first sail of 2021. The breeze was forecast for very light 5-7 and turned out to be much better more like 8-12 which is pretty ideal for me in that boat. Nice to get Grace back on the water this year! Part of the series Sailing Grace and Sailing These Homemade Boats by Doug Rudy