The Stone Age built in 1974 in Nanaimo, B.C.
LOA: 60'
Beam: 14.5'
Darft: 9'
Registered Tionnage : 36.44
Power: Twin Mercedes OEM 636
Sail Area: 2,225 Square feet.

Fuel: 500 gallons, Water: 250 gallons (yes, we have a watermaker)


Stone Age is a Jim White Designed ferro cement sailing vessel.   yeah, I know - Ferro Cement??  Are you nuts? ..  Well, iguess in answer to both..  Yes.  She's cement.  and yes, I'm a little nuts.  but i also know a little about them - John Sampson was a very good friend  - may he rest in peace - and he taught me a great deal about how to properly construct one.  And what to look for.  After I had surveyed this vessel, I told him about her and turns out that he and his wife Pat were very good friends to the previous owners and he knew the boat intimately.  And then asked me why I hadn't bought her yet...  That was the next thing we did. 

   She was the last keel laid at the Nanaimo Foundry in 1974.  After that she stayed upside down for a few years in their storage yard to cure.   The beautiful thing about cement is that the longer it sits, the harder it gets.  AND when concrete is cured in water - it gets even stronger still.    I know - Sidewalks don't float..  But you see concrete floating docks as the norm now..  Hmmmm.....  Here's where the strength of a ferro cement boat comes from.  Her armature (framing) is built starting with 1 & 1/2" &  1 & 3/4" steel pipe as the main keelson (bottom of the keel), strategically placed frame stringers and stations of the vessel.  Then 3/8"  steel longitudinal stringers every 4 inches with 5/16"" steel frames every 6 " welded at all the intersections.  Over that are layers of 1/2" squared woven and intermesh steel inside and out, tied to the main sttel cage armature.  It's a pretty neat sight seeing a ferro vessel , or anything really, before the plaster is poured..    It this steel framework where all the strength comes from on a Ferro boat.  The plaster (special mix for extra salt resistance) is really only there to keep the water out and was poured in one go taking 12 people 27 hours. Then she was laid to rest and hydro cure properly.  

After a couple years of sitting in the yard, the hull was flipped over and the engines installed.   (twin Mercedes 636 OEM diesels).  She was launched and sat in Nanaimo Harbour for about 3 years after that.  Unfortunately, the original builder died and the next owners got hold of her.  Both of them avid sailors and adventure seekers they had some big plans for fitting her out and chartering over the years they would have use of her.  These wonderful folks added the Mast and rigging, fitted the interior with spartan accomodations and used her while they decided what they were going to do with the interior.  18 years later, they decided it was time to move to a smaller vessel and we came into the picture. 

We acquired her in October 2004.   The interior had a plywood sole throughout, two cabins had a bunk set up, and some of the hull was insulated.  Other than that she was pretty bare inside.  Systems we added immediately were

Electrical (12v & 110)
Water and watermaker -  250 gallon tank with hot and cold pressure water. triple filtered through carbon block.
Fuel tanks put in service - 2 - 250 gallon
Propane
All new Garhauer deck hardware
Radar
GPS
Sounder
VHF
Looking for a HAM to install.... VE7YHO

First room we fit out was the galley, then the head.  Then we moved aboard.  Looking back, it was a huge mistake..It's been fun and frustrating..  trying to build and finish the vessel while there were 4 of us living aboard.  I do NOT reccommend this.  As much fun as it's been, building something like this while you are using it is the most difficult thing to plan and accomplish I have ever taken on.  Never again...  Our house in Sanctuary will be finished before we use it...

We did manage to get the third stateroom done farly quickly after that so Kingsley didn't have to sleep in a hammock anymore..  Thing was  - He was dissappointed about it..  He really liked the hammock.   :-)..  We also got Charlottes cabin fit out and the forward storage area in the companionway.  The saloon, dinette and galley are all but the trim done and the mid cabin is now my shop.   It's really nice to have a shop on board - even though it has very limited space. We are blessed to be as well equipped as we are.   Lucy and I are in the aft cabin. 

As far as vessel trim inside - We are going to finish that in Belize with tropical hardwoods.  Better to do it with $6 a board foot teak (Belize)  than $36 a board foot teak  (Vancouver Island - OUCH!)   We have spent the last year on as much safety and sailing equipment as we can to make the trip to Belize as safe as possible.  Including a minor re-fit of the engines. Trim can wait.   

We have built her to live on comfortably yet take a seaway with just a little prep to make her easier to get around on while "dancing on the ceilings."  The "Ceiling" BTW, is the nautical term for the covering boards on the inside SIDES of the hull - not directly above you - on a boat, directly above is called the deck head.    This is where the term came from..  When a sailboat is really working into the wind, she is heeled over quite a bit, thus "Dancing on the Ceiling."

Had we stayed off the boat and finsihed her, we would have left for our 'round the world journey much earlier than now, but (perhaps) missed out on the opportunity that we have now taken advantage of in Belize.   The energy of this wonderful place works in weird fashions...  An engine malfunction turning into the opportunity of a lifetime for us.  We had to take it.   The difference is that we turn left at the Panama Canal this time instead of south to Peru and across the Pacific the long way around.    A really good 'Shakedown' for when we are ready to go the rest of the way.  We are very happy about this change as it gives us (me) the sailing fix we (I) need as well as a new home base to "be from" when we do go the rest of the way around.  We will re- look at this in 5 years or so.  Maybe this trip will be enough.  All I know is we are all very excited about it. 

Funniest part is, we were going to end up in Belize anyway - we were going to go the long way around.  We really like it there..  Now we have this awesome opportunity to help form a super community in a small place called Sanctuary, Belize.  See their website here: http://www.sanctuarybelize.com   We'd love it if you were to join us down there too.. For a visit or for a life change.  If you are interested in any of the developments Eco Futures has going, just drop our name when you talk with them..  The folks at Eco Futures in California will treat you like a King & Queen.  They are super gracious people that are really excited about the opportunities they have to offer in Belize.  Sanctuary is one of 3 super developments They have on the go. 

So here we go on a shakedown sail to Belize to start a new life in a new community.   Sanctuary - Here we come.