'Nolan's Ark' a labor of love that's really something to sea

Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/22/00

By BONNIE DELANEY STAFF WRITER

All that pounding, hammering and sawing that's been going on in David Nolan's basement and yard has earned the Brick man the nickname of Noah -- as in the biblical Noah who built the ark.

STEVE SCHOLFIELD photo David Nolan leans on the hull of the 22 1/2-foot Alaskan skiff he is building at his Brick home.Since January, Nolan and his family -- wife, Tanya, and children, Joshua, 10, Paul, 8, and Jessica, 6 -- have been toiling away on the project. The fruit of their labors, when completed, will be their home away from home. "I've always gone hunting and fishing," said Nolan, who was born and raised in Brick, where the waters of the Barnegat Bay and Atlantic Ocean are familiar and the sea creatures are abundant.

"I worked on the party fishing boats in Brielle when I was younger, and I've always wanted to build my own boat," he added. The new, handmade boat will replace a small boat the family presently owns and uses for fishing in the Manasquan River and the bay. So, Nolan, who works as a communications officer in the Space and Terrestrial Communications branch at Fort Monmouth, decided it was time to build his dream boat.

After reading a book called "A Skiff for All Seasons" by Renn Tolman, a professional boat builder in Homer, Alaska, Nolan decided he would build a 22 1/2-foot Alaskan skiff. This type of skiff is used by commercial and recreational fishermen to set nets and troll, where the nets are pulled behind the boat, moving along at a slow pace.

Known as the poor man's Boston Whaler, the skiff has similar qualities to a Whaler, such as seaworthiness and stability, said Nolan. "It would cost more than $20,000 for a comparable boat," said Nolan, who added that by building it himself, he spent only $25 to buy the book, which included plans, and between $3,500 and $4,000 for materials. The 90-horsepower Honda engine that will power the boat is extra.

The skiff has a 7 1/2-foot beam and is a full 4 feet deep at the bow. It is built on longitudinal frames called stringers, and is made of all marine-grade plywood covered in fiberglass sheathing, which is then set in epoxy resin. "I started the skiff in January, using the basement to loft lines to build the gunwales, stringers, transom and bow stem," said Nolan. Lofting lines means drawing the lines on the wood.

"Most of the nights in February and March were spent cutting panels and spreading epoxy. In April, when it was warm enough to continue, I scarfed the bottom panels and stitched the bottom, which is welded together with fiberglass cloth and epoxy fillets," he said. Scarfing means joining the panels. In May, Nolan constructed the building jig and assembled the skiff. Nolan had lots of help from family, friends and neighbors when it came to turning the hull of the boat over.

"A neighbor who retired as a lineman from the electric company helped with that project," he recalled. "We had a crowd over that day." "He did a fine job on the boat," said George Schneider, another neighbor who lives down the street from Nolan. "I made it a point to stop by to see where he was at with it."

"It was a real family project, too," said Tanya Nolan. "The kids helped sand and spent a lot of time working on it with their father." Once outside, the boat, which sits under Nolan's carport, really started to draw attention.

"I've had an unexpected army of volunteer boat builders and other folks that parade past my house to see the progress," said Nolan. "The mailman is my No. 1 fan, though. He calls me Noah," Nolan said. Nolan said he probably won't launch the vessel until next season. The skiff will have a hunter green hull and white on the top sides, he said. "We're still not sure what we're going to call it yet," he said. "We're still deciding on a name."

When completed, the Nolan family plans to use the boat to crab in the bay and fish for fluke in the ocean.

Published on November 22, 2000

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