DesignKraft
DesignKraft
- 311 A Haines Pl
- Port Townsend, WA 98368
- (360) 301-3794
- lschnick@olypen.com
I provide design and consulting services for vessel owners and other marine trade businesses, on projects that range from new construction, to refits and conversions. A strong emphasis on human factors, aesthetics, safety and appropriateness are of particular concern to me. Projects have included small sailboats and yacht tenders, workboat conversions, power and sail production yachts and one-of-a-kind mega yachts. Services include concept sketches, production drawings, construction details, perspective sketches and illustrations. I can provide assistance with the selection of materials, fixtures, lighting, furniture, fabric and color coordination, and project management.
Les in his office!
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I have my design studio above the shop in a building in the Port of Port Townsend’s Boat Haven (the Blue Moose Café is in the front part of the building…and P.T. Brewing is across the street). I maintain a reference library of many marine suppliers and specifically of interior related products.
I have a degree in Industrial Design, a profession I worked in for a number of years before going to Alaska in 1975. Like many people, I had many different jobs while there, from my own design business, to adjunct faculty at Anchorage Community College, commercial fishing, growing acres of potatoes and raising 200 fryers, designing and building timber frame structures. I learned to sail, with many trips out of Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound. I restored a Bristol Bay gill-netter and designed and built plywood fishing dories.
I arrived in Port Townsend in 1988 to go to the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, staying on to be an instructor for over a year before joining the crew at Admiral Marine Works. I was the department head of Joinery for a number of years where I was responsible for layout, design details and supervising a crew, (of up to 35 craftspeople), building the interiors of yachts. The biggest project was the original 163’ EVVIVA , for Orin Edson, which had a lightweight composite interior. I started a Design department there, serving as the head, until Admiral moved their business to Port Angeles. I stayed in Port Townsend where I had been maintaining a shop for a number of years in the same building where I currently am.
DANAH DIVER!
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DANAH DIVER is a 70’ composite jet-drive support boat for a private owner who likes to scuba dive, make under-water films of his friends feeding sharks. The vessel has a dive compressor to refill bottles, a film processing lab, a galley, and berthing quarters for crew. This vessel needed to be light and fast so all the bulkheads and furniture were made of light weight hollow-core composite panels. This makes furniture building about four times as expensive as using solid panels such as plywood. Townsend Bay Marine was the builder and I was hired to supervise the construction and installation of the interior. The boat was trucked across country, loaded on a ship in the Gulf, and delivered to its owner in Saudi Arabia where it operates out of Jeddah in the Red Sea.
PRESTO!
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PRESTO is a 23 foot skiff of composite construction, for Orin Edson’s Westport 50 meter yacht, EVVIVA. The hull was designed by Bill Garden. Joe Trailer, the captain of the EVVIVA, asked me to work with him to develop this project. The garage on the yacht is short in length and height so the bow of the boat is squared off above the water line and the windshield needed to be removable. The skiff is powered by a Volvo Penta diesel inboard and its outboard drive needed to be raised to its highest position to clear the garage sole. The skiff is used as a tender to ferry owners, guests and crew to shore; as a fishing platform; a water skiing and wake jump board towing vessel; and as a general sight-seeing/exploring skiff. I made full-size mockups in my shop for Orin and Joe to relate to as we customized the human factors and features for their use. The composite hull and deck parts were produced by Westport Marine in Port Angeles. Joe and I worked with Bruce Bastian to convert my drawings to CAD and with a crew of two from Westport to put the skiff together. I hear the skiff is very successful and is the first toy the owner wants put into the water to go off exploring in.
Scapha!
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The Scapha was a 80’s custom aluminum yacht. She has gone through two major rebuilds with John Anderson as the designer and Townsend Bay Marine as the builder. I was hired to develop the interior, design the construction details, work with the owner to select materials, supervise the building and installation on the interior components.
Sockeye!
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Libby and I bought Sockeye, formerly Nestor when we found her here in Port Townsend, in 2002. We took a handful of boat search trips over a period of many months, from Portland, OR to Sointula on Malcom Island, B.C., before we decided on this 45foot troller. We quickly set about giving her our own cosmetic changes, such as: name, color/s, removing gear no longer needed for fishing, new cap rails. Sockeye was in the 2002 Wooden Boat Festival, along with our sailboat, VIXEN, which we also owned at the time.
We were looking for a boat that was in pretty good condition structurally. Having done so much structurally on VIXEN, I didn’t want to have to do this before starting on a conversion. We have had two planks replaced and added about five sister frames each side aft of the sump. I have replaced seven plank butts with scarfed planks, and expect to do more each haul-out in the future. I have replaced some screws in the planking, even though the boat had been refastened before we bought it, and expect to continue to do so at each haul-out, too.
We are well into our conversion of this 63 year old fishing troller, but the list of things left to do is still over-whelming. The main projects accomplished, or in progress, thus far include: rebuilt the pilot house, raising the overhead 3” in the process, and lengthening the house about 3 1/2 feet to allow for a full length berth to port and headroom for a stairway to starboard. Removed engine and fuel tanks and forward water tank; the water tank had been a galvanized, folded and riveted unit, now rusted through and filled with pea-gravel; a new water tank of polyethylene was fabricated and installed. A 10” dia. bow thruster tube was installed before that new water tank was located, as waiting would make it difficult to do so; the hydraulic thruster unit is on the ‘future’ list. The steel fuel tanks where not very old, but showing rust from not being properly painted, and nearly full height of engine room; I had them cut down to counter height, sand blasted and applied an appropriate paint system. The Detroit 6-71 engine was steam cleaned and painted before re-installing; there is a new exhaust system, as well. There is a new intermediate shaft of stainless, with all new bearings and a copper-nickel shaft log. Ten thousand pounds of 100 lb lead ingots were installed in the fish hold for ballast, since there will not be 5 tons of ice there anymore. An attached low cabin was built, leaving walk-around deck and a six foot aft deck with hatches where the trolling cockpit was. Eventually the center portion will be a hot water soaking tub. All exterior surfaces, including the decks with their _” ply overlay, have had a system of epoxy and Nexus cloth applied, plus a paint system and non-skid on the decks. There are all new windows and glass. There is a new electrical cabinet and distribution panels for both 120 vac and 12 vdc. The new hydronic heater, 11 gallon hot water tank, and pump are onboard now, but awaiting the installation process. There are many things done, but not listed, and a lot more to do before Sockeye’s conversion is complete and becomes a comfortable northwest cruising vessel for the many long voyages north that we have planned.
VIXEN!
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VIXEN is a 1950 design by John Atkin; 34’7” on deck, 32’ waterline, 43’ overall, 13 tons, gaff cutter, 1950. She was built by Joel Johnson at Black Rock, Connecticut in 1952 of eastern white cedar on oar frames. Her original owners, James and Jean Stark, circumnavigated 38,000 miles taking five years. William and John Atkin based the hull shape on the Colin Archer lifeboats from Norway. There were a handful of prior owners, the last brought her thru the canal and took her up to Alaska. They brought VIXEN to Port Townsend in 1989 where I saw her for sale at Point Hudson.
In 1990 I pulled the boat and started her rebuild. Five years later she was re-launched with new engine, gear, fuel and water tanks; 100 % re-framed, 50 % re-planked, new floor timbers, major stem and stern post repairs; all new interior, new cuddy cabin, new bow sprit, all new wiring, lights, new running rigging…”on and on” as they say.
VIXEN was in the 1995, 1997, and 2002 Wooden Boat Festivals. We sold her in 2003 but bought a 45’ salmon troller, Sockeye, in 2002, which was also in the 2002 Festival…what were we thinking?
Wily King!
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The Wily King is a custom northwest private fishing motor yacht. John Anderson was the designer and Townsend Bay Marine was the builder. I was hired by the designer to develop the interior and supervise the construction details and installation. I met with the owners often to make decisions about the layout, details, appliances, materials, colors and patterns.