ll hail to those heroes who keep the old trades alive. Some of these, such as boatbuilders like Luke Powell, are on the front line. They are well publicised and rightly so. Others toil in the background, but their efforts are equally important. If you’re constructing a working vessel with sawn frames and meaty planking to any sort of budget, you won’t get far without spikes. And you’ll want proper ones, not shop-bought rubbish. You’ll be needing custom-forged chain plates, sheet horses, throat cranes, iron knees and all the rest of the blacksmith-produced hardware without which a traditional boat can never
