Life on Easy Street

[Brent Swain]

I've been on this site for a while so I guess it's time I introduced myself.
I'm Brent Swain. I bought a 36 foot ferro cement hull at the ripe old age of `19 , finished her off and set sail for New Zealand at the ripe old age of 23. I spent two years cruising the South Pacific in her before she blew aground and broke up at Beachcomber island in Fiji. I shipped home what I could salvage off her, built a 29 ft steel sloop and sailed back to French polynesia for the winter. I cruised BC waters for the next ten years , and after designing and building steel origami boats for others I built my current boat "Easy street "a 31 ft steel twin keeler. I sailed her to Mexico, and two trips to Tonga and back to BC as well as 20 years of cruising 11 months a year in BC. All has been
I work about a month a year helping others get their dream boats together, and cruise the rest. Money problems are easily solved by minimising the amount you need.
I wrote a book on origami metal boatbuilding which along with sale of plans ,subsidises my cruising.
Brent

[Wukong]

I started reading the origami site several months back and became so enthralled that I read the 8400 or so posts at that time. I bought your book and it was well worth the money spent.

I enjoy your "take no prisoner" defense of your boats.

[bluvisicf1]

Hi Brent,

I'm interested in building a trailerable sailboat of about 32 feet in length with twin keels. Do you know where I can get some plans for study with basic illustrations? Thanks in advance. Bob PS. When I registered, I said it was alright for members to send me emails.

[northerncat]

why the louis riel bit?
sean

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Brent,
Welcome aboard!!
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[GordMay]

Brent’s interesting website, Origami Magic
Boat Building Magic - The "Origami" Method
Goto: Origami Magic

Michauel Kasten also offers his insights into Folded Plate (“Origami”) boatbuilding (and more) at:
Frames First... or Plates First...?
A Discussion of Metal Boat Building Methods
Goto: Frames First or Plating First...?

and:

From the Metal Boat Society
Special Issue on Framing Metal Boats ~ Metal Boat Quarterly (Fall 1996)
Goto: MBQ Back Issues

Including:
Editorial: Metal Boat Framing? You Bet! – Michael Kasten
Why Framing is Used – Thomas E. Colvin
"Frameless" Assembly – Gary Noble Curtis
Swain's "Folded Plate" Boats – Book Review by Pete Silva
Perelandra's Progress: Vanuatu – LeCain Smith & Sheila Moir