Marc LaFrance

Male

Orlando, FL

United States

Profile Information:

I am:
A home builder
What boat (s) are you building or do you own?
I am currently building a Tiki 30. I have built a Kauffman and Ladd Pilot Cutter, a "36 'Benford Ketch" and a Sam Devlin "Winter Wren" which I currently own.
Country, City, and State?
Orlando, Florida, USA
About me or us?
I am not currently a professional boatbuilder, but I have built some other boats professionally and done boat repair in the past. I received my plans for thr Tiki 30 in Feb. 2010 and began part time construction in mid March.
Looking to?
Learn from and share with other wharram enthusiasts.

Comment Wall:

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  • john james

    Right of course Mark all those raw holes got to be treated against rot and bugs,file:///Users/johnjames/Desktop/DSC09970.jpg wonder if G flex would maybe be the answer a simpler solution

    Oct 27, 2015

  • john james

    Hi Mark looks like you're going to be a launching soon. I am puzzling over the tabernacle full-size patterns in sheet#4 --I am wondering if most of this mysterious construction  kind of telescopes into the mast---two side layers of 12 mm hardwood with the grain going up-and-down and one layer of16mm  layer I don't understand what they are talking about here can you help me

    Nov 10, 2015

  • Jan Martin Nordbotten

    Hi Marc, 

    Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!  After Grace spent 10 years on land at my brother's farm, me and a friend have spent the last 3 years getting her back into great shape. We are currently enjoying her as a daysailer and weekender around the West coast of Norway: 

    It would be fantastic if you could share some of the history of Grace from the time you owned her. Some questions I have in particular is: 

    - Where and when did you sail her?

    - The current rigging deviates a bit from the drawings (shorter boom, longer mast, a bit "ad hoc" topmast). Are these modifications later, or did you build her with this rig? 

    - The interior has clearly been rebuilt several times, what was the original interior you fitted her with?

    - How long did you own her?

    Also, feel free to supply any details from the construction of the boat.  The hull and deck have kept really well through the years (maybe not surprising due to the mahogany/epoxy combination), with only minor work needed. However the through-deck supports for the rail were all rotten and had to be replaced. It is really satisfying that these were constructed so that replacing them was actually relatively easy. 

    Pictures are always great.  Feel free to send these also directly to my e-mail address (jan.nordbotten@uib.no); pictures tend to lose a bit of resolution when posted on message boards. 

    Best regards, 

    Jan

    Jul 8