16’ TUNEJOLLE

A long time ago (2006), I spent a Fall working in a small village tucked into the north edge of a Fjord an hour south of Bergen on the west coast of Norway. It was a transformative experience. The boats, culture, and topography were all stunning. I left there, eager to apply a little of what i learned into my shop here in Wisconsin.

Through some luck, I was able to document a 16’ Tunejolle. I’d long wanted to build a Scandinavian boat was suitable for the inland waters of Northern WI and for the waters up here where I live in the shadows of the Apostle Islands on lakes Superior. This was it.

The lapstrake planking, at 7/16” thick, shoulders the strain and stress when underway. With only three sets of sawn frames in the entire boat, this eliminates lots of extra weight, along with a thousand little intersections for water and debris to accumulate. The frames and stem are carefully built from grown Tamarack root stock, making for an incredibly strong assembly.

The backbone is all Wisconsin White Oak, milled and air dried by me here at the boat shop. The seat arrangement is set up for the possibility of two rowers (faering translates to “four oaring” in Norwegian), though one person rowing is plenty enough for her to easily get to hull speed, and the stern sheet area is a comfortable nod to being a recreational boat.

The floorboards are a traditional crossed planked pine. They fit snugly in between the frame bays, but easily come out for cleaning and maintenance. The transom angle is such that it can carry a small outboard or electric motor. All fasteners used are copper and silicon bronze.

The finish is a combination of linseed oil paint, a solvent free Swedish product that functions extremely well and looks very at home on the hull of this boat. The bright-work is a combination of pine tar and linseed oil, finished with a tung oil based marine varnish for durability and so that it won’t become tacky in the sun.

Cost: $15,500.00

*Standard with all boats are a set of oars and a buff three strand spliced bow painter and two docklines.

**Optional and encouraged- a custom Sunbrella vented marine canvas cover. This has snaps along the sheer, buckles at the stem, and removable straps for trailering. Available in a wide palate of colors. $1,200.00