Bernard Wilson - Master wooden Boat Builder.

for 50 years from about the 1940s through to the late 1980s triabana was a major boat building center in Tasmania mainly of fishing boats but also yachts the dry climate of the East Coast allowed for building boats out in the open boat Builders included Neil Drake and Michael Drake Jim and Dave Jones Malcolm Ferguson John castle and Dean and Bernard Wilson and Bernard Wilson has become a legend in his own lifetime I interviewed him about 10 years ago for the crayfishing DVD crayfishing around Tasmania I had a chat with him again a few weeks ago about boats he had built anyway we'll start off a little bit I did on the boat building 10 years ago for nigh on 200 years Timber fishing boats were built anywhere and everywhere they were built in shipyards and backyards in paddocks and sheds and by rivers and creeks they were built by experts and amateurs by sawmillers and farmers there were fishermen who built boats I think I'm building about 14 then they're all together they were boat Builders who went fishing I always wanted to go fishing but Dad said I had to learn the trade first finally crafted vessels were created with the most basic of tools they were not designed with the aid of computers nor even on paper in fact no drawings or calculations existed they were developed from a half model carved by the Builder using long experience and a Keen Eye boat building skills were learned quickly and on the job with little ceremony and a minimum of instruction like the plankin I said oh geez I said that's that's pretty technical stuff and he showed me one or two and then okay it was all right from there he had to cut the camera and the Cork and seam in it and everything like that Bernard Wilson as being both a boat builder and a fisherman with 18 substantial boats to his credit the largest being the 70-foot Susan's Pride he is the most experienced wooden boat builder in Tasmania today yes I've built my last boat there's the memory so I've had her about that 14 year old I'd say just to go out and catch a flathead or a cray and take the grandkids out and every second year we go to the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart to have a look at the boats and see what's about and the grandkids love it they stay on the boat and that's their that's better than Christmas the young one said so that was Bernard 10 years ago now at a sprightly 88 he and Elizabeth have moved into a unit and try a banner he keeps himself busy at the men's shed and in his own shed he began boat building at a young age I started when Dad was building dingage and Stanley I used to Ulta dolly for it while he rose the nails up and I was about probably 10 9 or 10. and then sort of went on from there Bernard's father Dean Wilson was also a prolific boat builder he built 27 boats over 20 foot long the largest was a 78-foot Cindy Hardy for Max Hardy of Stanley I interviewed Dean for the book craft and Craftsman of Australian fishing and here I am interviewing his son 40 years later for this little video Ted promised he'd build me a boat when as soon as I finished my apprenticeship so it came down here and we built the Kalua 28-footer and I've worked out for a oh two years I think and I sold that and built a 46 footer the canopy there were and yeah that was the first boat I built on my own I sold it to Bob Yang at Down Alley and he went scalloping in Melbourne weather and then came back here and he sold it to uh uh Paul Morton and she fished up at Flinders Island for a while till I wrecked her up there dad had moved to Smithton to build the Cindy so I went up there and built a house for him and then I built the Shearer label I was up there a fish Turf for about five six years I suppose and then I sold it to Rocky Dale and they fished out of Dover for a fair while and then his son took it and then eventually he was sold to uh Chapin Apollo Bay and now she's back here as a sort of a derelict motor Cruiser after that yeah I built the Tower for Robbie Walker and then we moved back to tribuna and what did I built after the Tara linga that's right linger and then conquista and the broken and then we did the brexit rolinga that was for Wilson was it yeah Peter Wilson yeah tell us about hers you had a very ball Stern yeah very full Stern he wanted a pretty solid sort of boat because he was counting 10 out of poor Davey and he used to run it to Brisbane and how about and she had to be a good carrying boat the conversation turned to the Bronwyn which Bernard had built at Smithton years before yeah I built her for Dusty line and he came to me and he said uh I want about 40 4 45 foot boat built he said can you can you do it for me and I said yeah I suppose I can so I went back to Smithton and built that but he had the I think he had the kale in the stern post and a bit of other Timber that he'd bought and he said I've got 7 500 pounds he said I've got two kids at high school and he said I've got to live so he said can you do it for that so we sat in and built it hydrological Mac amphi so he hit me build it up there and we just built the hell Allen deck for that price here I think I had four months up there that was pretty quickly yeah we we worked very hard on it so with using green Timber you'd have to allow a lot for a shrinkage wouldn't you no celery doesn't shrink much so it was uh we didn't have to allow much but the problem later was that the Keel and the stone post swelled and sort of pushed the bit of the planking away from the the other Timber and he had a few problems there for a while so they stopped the legs well we didn't have any difficulties really that we could get the timber that was readily available we just ring britons and load of it down there and pretty quick time when we wanted it and just playing a bit ahead and you could sort of organize things so things kept flowing pretty good yeah what's your favorite Timber to work with oh humans the best but it's sort of unavailable now but celery is pretty good to work with yeah it's a bit harder than celery but uh human but it's good Timber you're still able to get it no not now no I've sort of helped Mark Gilliard and Nelly his partner bill that I've helped him set it up and put the ribs in and I started the planking for them and then they carried on then I put the bottom of the well in for it and uh I built the Wheelhouse and I thought it was my contribution to her yeah and now he not only helped build the boat but to help fish it as well and raise a family quite a woman it must have been pretty busy for a few years as a photo of you with with five boats in the yard isn't it yeah yep yeah what was going on at that time uh yeah I was building the boat when then I think Mark was building the Gallifrey Mick Drake was building the uh thalassa and the conquista was still in the yard that I'd started for Martin back foreign Malcolm Ferguson was working women they'd started to build the Karina up there as well back in the Goodale days yeah and we were flat out was a pretty big job that she was 60 foot that sort of modeled off the brexit but uh the max got uh Tim Parker to alter a few things when he drew the plants up for it we built that for Max and there's quite a team of us on there was a five I think working on that all the time for how long uh we built her over uh two years I think it was because I did with the fishing in between so did you have trouble getting good kills no not at that stage no would uh britons could cut up to 56 foot I think was the maximum in the shared up there that uh no we didn't have any trouble then we'd just order it and tell us when it was ready yeah did you have difficult owners a few yeah without mentioning any names can you mention any incidents uh no just general sort of things but uh someone want staff put in special places and it wouldn't fit and all that sort of stuff yeah so you did a fair bit of fishing yeah what did you prefer and why oh well it was just a break from H really it was a pretty good life while I had it there it took a bit of fishing and then come back to the work ashore on the boat one of the larger boats built by Bernard was a break sea for Les and Dennis McLean well we went to see Bernard about building the brakes here he said yeah he can build it and um we went back and told them you know what was going to do and we wanted the money and that and they said who's going to build it we said Bernard Wilson it was built on a handshake with Bernard oh that was a pretty long job and we stretched her out I suppose it was over three years I would do a bit and then I'd go fishing and Denison laser go fishing then we'd get a get back to it and do a bit and we got it done in the end yeah and burn is that type of bloke many is the weekend you come back to work and I said what are you doing back here Bernard he said I'm filling my time in because people used to come and talk to him and I didn't care I'm fitting my time in what's that say about Bernard Wilson yeah if we didn't get a run a day a plank a day right around the break she's 60 footer we were getting a bit slack so he would have to do 54 planks that's that's a month 54 planks up the break see so it was a runner day and yeah just uh yeah anyway boat launchings were a big day in little triabana when I was launching the fishing boats in town it used to be a big event that he used to put them uh they had a bit of a dirt ramp there and they had homemade trailers yeah it was a special event at triabana yeah a fair few years to turn up but you were too busy to take any notice of it really would you that that was afterwards you sort of realized that how many had turned up and but when when they when we started building the bigger boats like the Breakthrough the one we had and and the Susan's Pride 60 to 65-footers hours of 60. and we had to take him to the slip yard what about launchings any drama in launchings a bit of drama with the uh brexit we had it all set up ready to come out and that night it rained what a burner say about three three three oh 30 mil or whatever what three inches yeah and uh we got got Elliott uh the laundry boats Elliot's launched the big wax but the the smaller 40 put us were launched like I said in town on the homemade trail but when we launched the brake sheet it was the first one Elliot's we we had to get get her out of the paddock we built him in all the boats were built in the paddock because the weather was pretty good at tribana building boats outside anyway we had we got that much rain Elias tried to get the machinery and a couple of uh you know the low loader and a couple of cranes and all that sort of stuff we all got bogged out so we'll sort of cool to hold then for that day and the next day uh Lionel who's in charge of all the launchings and he was a master he uh he said we'll have to build a road so they were really good just try a banner uh uh we had John Cena on the bulldozer and and uh another Tracking Company they brought all the all the rocks in and uh so we put a road under to get her out the paddock because that in that year our first payment was in August and this was in February or something that we had to get out of the panic get finished building it and uh to pay the bank back yes to pay the bank back so it had to come out of the paddock so uh they all got behind us behind me Beyond me brother they just so they all got behind me yeah we can do this and they did but it cost us ten thousand dollars and then we got her under the slip and everything was right then but uh a terrible couple of days to get her out of the paddock what's the best boat you've builty I think uh it's a toss-up between the brakes here and the broken I reckon yeah and why is that oh just the the way they were you know the Timber and stuff that went into them and and how they turned out yeah so what's your favorite boat I'd have to say the Shirley she was my favorite little boat yeah and why was that oh just I don't know it was just a nice little boat to work it was a good boat and earned me a fair bit of money well that's Susan's Pride she was a feedback wasn't she yeah she was 65 foot yeah and uh that give you any particular difficulties no no she was just a big vote every Timber yeah I um went up to try Atlanta one day and I I saw this um bowed out in the middle of a paddock and um on a closer inspection it was the brake C and uh I took one look at it and said now that's what I call a boat and I think that was the start because once that was imprinted in my brain that was the stone then of course I met Dennis and uh and burn it and and I'm positive that was the start of me building the surgeons Pride yeah once I seen that I was gone I went up and saw Bernard three years prior to building the boat and at the time I had the king's pride and I sold that and then went up and saw a Bernard again and at the time he was building the relinga and after he finished her we started on the Susan's Pride yeah and um yeah I'll never forget that was about five semi-trailer loads of Timber came down and um took us three and a half years working on the boat and that was nearly every day yeah and it just goes together you know a bit at a time and uh yeah he's very good Bernard you know really nice fellow and um it was a good exercise really it teaches you a lot of patience and it was just good working with him I just think he was a professional at what he did you know always started he was always the first one to start last one to finish yeah you know he's a real gentleman and a very good worker yeah he led from the front oh absolutely yeah I'll never forget the the plans the plans were done in Sydney and uh when they arrived I took them up and and then open them up and had a look at them and he said that's not the boat rolled him back up put them up on the shelf and pulled the model out and built the boat yeah how did you calculate that you'd sit on her water line when you put everything in a oh just sort of good luck and guess I think that's amazing but if you made a model and it looked all right and seemed to work out all right but there'd be a lot of experience behind that of course yes I suppose and having a good eye for what you wanted I think Bernard certainly knew what he was doing um in fact he was very fastidious he didn't like anyone um especially drilling holes in the boat unless it was absolutely perfect you know like um very particular and no no not a lot of difficulties so I mean he certainly knew what he was doing and uh I just and everyone else they just did what he said you know because he knew he was right yeah so what about ribbing uh steaming all the ribs can you explain about that exercise yeah well it's very interesting that the um the Timbers growing when it comes down and you steam it so you can bend it and get all the ribs in place and all that and he was he was just marvel said it um but the thing that really surprised me was it must have been all 18 months or two years into the build when we when all the ribs were done and finished there was there's old bits and pieces of the ribs on the ground still there in a big Heat and I looked at him one day I know that they were real real white grayish white color anyway I picked one up and had a look at it and it was as hard to steal um yeah it was it really surprised me you know the steaming obviously affects the timber and gee strong it was it was just like picking up a piece of metal it was that strong you know yeah um yeah so that was a bit of a bit of an eye opener yeah yeah so you can imagine this I can imagine how strong they are you know in about did you have anything to do with the planking uh yes I did yeah I Bernard used to put the Planks on and drill the holes you know and I used to put the nails in and there was tools working on it and I'd put the nails in from the outside and hold the hammer or be on the inside and bend them over so they were nice and tight and I think from memory there was something like 6 000 Nails in the hub yeah and you don't need to um I'd only do uh from memory maybe three to four planks a day maybe yeah because they were you know 50 mil thick big you know big bits of Timber um yeah that was a big job yeah I'm pretty sure that that number's about right or from memory or just in the back of my mind I think there's about I know there's a lot of nails and um uh for memory I was working on that for about at least six weeks it took three and a half years all together one day after you'd go up and you'd work all day and you could sort of hardly see where you're being and that's why I said you learn a lot of patience um but you know I learned a lot of burning really especially with patients because I was a bit anxious sort of bloke you know I like to get in and get it done and get it finished but you couldn't do that because everything you did have to be you know slow and Shore and um and it had to be absolutely right yeah it was a big job to get it from his backyard to where they launched the boat and Elliot's um came up with this massive uh trailer and cranes and lifted it up and got it out there and yes big job though yeah big job caulking the same as with corking cotton or okum was a time-undered method of making planking watertight in the early 1980s there was a trend towards splining seams with Timber which made for a tighter Hull and Superior to caulking Hardy built in the mid-80s was the first boat that Bernard's blind when Max came down he said just behind the top sides and then the Celesta was unassure on the Ocean Beach I think it was yes and Max went and had a look at her on the beach and he came back and he said spline now to write down he said geez I think the first time I saw it was uh Mick Drake was building a yacht for Tim Chesterman a nice blind that and then we as then I said we'd put splines in the breaks these ball works we did that and it turned out real good and then we've done it ever since when we started it I just made a guide up for my electric plane and I'd run that along the edge of the planking and and look get the right level on it and uh would when we put the splines in we'd just feel the same with glue and then tap the supply and then and that did the job and the spine would be what sort of Timber it's the same as the whole yeah celery or Hume whatever the Outlaws yeah yeah and what about fastenings do they change over the years no well we just copper first things yeah yep what's better roving or clenching I reckon clenching so strongest yeah but it just just takes forever to row for yeah stronger and quicker yeah yeah but if it's clinched properly you'd pull the head off the nail before you'd pull it out yeah what do you think of it all looking back I'll do it all again I think yeah so Bernard what do you think of the future it's a dying out I think that's a there won't be many more builder don't they must have got a lot of satisfaction out of it oh it was good when you see them in the water and working and they all turned out pretty good and it is a wonderful Testament to Bernard's ability forethought and experience that he built 20 boats handling heavy Timber and Machinery using power tools fish the coast extensively in all weathers and had no accidents it was all just another day at the office if you had any bad frights or close shaves no no I don't think so you haven't cut anything or broken anything no no oh I broke a gearbox once that's about all yeah in the boat yeah you've had a dream run yeah but it's been good when you when when you can build a boat on a handshake that sells Sonic about the person right when Bernard finally reaches the boat Builders Heaven a place stacked high with great lengths of dry Timber free of heart and sap and where the clients don't interfere he will be long remembered by his staunch and capable vessels which will still be earning their living off the wild coasts of old Tasmania and the boat Builders arts and traditions will continue to be celebrated in the Australian Wooden Boat Festival held in Hobart every second February foreign

Channel: garry Kerr

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Id: N_I5azPDMnY

Length: 28min 6sec (1686 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 30 2023