Oars from Vendia in Holland

Vendia is not only good for Hulls and Interiors, also oar blades for example can be made easily from it. Light and durable, and very pretty on top of that. These blades were made from 6 mm Vendia pine planks at "de boobouwschool" in Holland, one of the oldest and best known boat building schools in Europe. Bert van Baar, one of the teachers at the school was not only happy about the look and feel of Vendia, but also loved the smell. The sliced veneers take varnish very well, as you can see in this picture.

 

Helsinki International Boat Show 2019 is on!

Helsinki International Boat Show 2019 is ongoing during this week in Helsinki. Boat show offers variety of interesting things to see if you are interested in sailing, boats, fishing or watersports. Association of Finnish Wooden boat builders has also their exhibition full of beautiful handicrafts in the form of wooden boats. One of the exhibitors is Saimaan Puuvene from Rantasalmi.

Jarmo Jauhanen from Saimaan Puuvene has made two boats using VENDIA marineplank and brought these to boats Wäinö and Aino to the boat show. Model Wäinö is based on 125-year-old boat models and is a model created by Saimaan Puuvene. Wäinö is 5 meters long and has width of 1,5 meters. Aino is sister of Wäinö as it is a halfgliding fishing and trip boat.

Plenty of people have visited the boat show and also boat sales have been nice. And no wonder – what would be better place and time to meet boatbuilders and check out the fabulous wooden boats if you dream of having a new wooden boat to yourself for the next summer. Helsinki International Boat Show is still open until February 17.

Perfect Christmas present for boatbuilders - VENDIA gift card

 

What would be a better Christmas present for a boatbuilder than a gift card to VENDIAstore? Now it is possible to buy a VENDIA gift cards for boat building.

You can buy a gift card for the amount you want and it is valid for one year from the purchase of a gift card. With a gift card the recipient can shop in VENDIAstore and buy VENDIA products for wooden boat building. You can order either traditional paper card or electronic gift card delivered via email.

Gift card orders from: vendia (a) vendia.fi

Greetings from the US

We have got nice greetings from the US. The first VENDIA planks ever were shipped to the USA on September, 2018. 

Steve from Blue Hill, Maine has taken a big challenge and is building Sjogin IIIa, a seaworthy daysailer. The first VENDIA planks are now on and Steve has been very pleased with VENDIA and the quality of it. Planks plane like real wood, bend fine and smell good too, Steve says.

He is writing a blog about this building project, you can read it from here >> 

Excited to see how the project goes forward - good luck Steve!

Pictures from Steve Brookman.

Beautiful VENDIA boat on Lake Geneva

We have got greetings from Scottish boat builder Adrian Morgan who was fascinated by VENDIA marine plank already few years ago. Now he has built a 17ft Arctic Tern for a Swiss family to Lake Geneva. The boat is designed by Iain Oughtred. “The Swiss have very strict rules before allowing boats to Lake Geneva so it requires also a lot from the material”, says Adrian.

“Having built boats mainly from solid timber, using VENDIA has changed my mind about laminates entirely. I think for the kind of use these boats get: stored all winter, used in the summer, kept under a cover, solid timber which moves with changes in humidity and temperature, is not as practical,” Adrian continues. 

In addition to good durability Adrian pays also attention to the nice appearance of VENDIA marine planks. “VENDIA also works beautifully, is stable and looks great under varnish”, summarizes Adrian.

And the boat truly looks very nice - as you can see. Nice work Adrian!

Photos by Adrian Morgan.

Helsinki International Boat Show 2018

Helsinki International Boat Show gathered great amount of people interested in boats and boating to Helsinki fair center on February, 2018. There were two wooden boats made of VENDIA marine plank on display - one pulling boat from Miilu-Boats and one traditional wooden boat from Saimaan Puuvene.

Jarmo Jauhanen from Saimaan Puuvene told that many people were interested in wooden boats and it was also delightful to see young couples among the crowd admiring the handicrafted boats. VENDIA marine plank was familiar brand to several people but many were interested in seeing the material in real life. Visitors were attracted by the manageability of VENDIA marine plank. The wooden boat from Saimaan Puuvene was the only tared boat in the section of wooden boats which raised lot of interest, said Jarmo.

Even royalty rides on boats made of VENDIA

Teno Boat from Utsjoki, Northern Finland makes traditional boats to Lapland rivers to be used for salmon fishing and river safaris. The boat is known for its’ long and narrow shape which is ideal for flowing Lapland rivers. The boats are mainly sold to northern rivers around Scandinavia, such as Teno, Tornio, Kemi, Kalix, Alta and Namsen rivers.

In May 2017 Teno Boat has built a boat made of VENDIA marine plank which has been sold to adventure company Sorrisniva to Northern Norway. The boat is intended to use for river safaris in the largest fjord of Northern Europe, Alta river. The landscape on the route is magnificent. You can read more about the safaris from Sorrisniva’s website. We also heard rumours that the king of Norway will get on board to this brand new boat this summer. We believe that such a beautiful boat would offer a pleasant cruise for His Majesty!

Teno river boat can also be made of mahogany VENDIA

VENDIA in Wooden Boat Magazine

VENDIA has been mentioned in Wooden Boat article about marine plywood written by John C. Harris. The latest issue of Wooden Boat Magazine is comparing the variriety of modern wooden boat building materials and VENDIA is one of them. You can read the whole article behind the link >>

”Working with wood is a good way of switching off”

Former lawyer, Ewan from Scotland found that running his own law firm for about forty years was quite stressful way of life and working with wood was a good way of switching off. Ewan had built his first boat in 1986 and now he is building his eighth boat, Kotik. Kotik is a boat model designed by Iain Oughtred and a stretched version of his Wee Seal. It’s a small double-ended cruising yacht with a gaff rig. “I will also install a stove to keep warm in harbour”, says Ewan. He has built different boats in every few years but the favourite is always the one you are building just now. The present one, Kotik, is also the most challenging. 

Picture by Ewan

Ewan will use VENDIA marine plank for the hull. He had read about VENDIA and liked the idea of plywood that had been made without destroying the natural structure of the wood. “VENDIA has proved to be very flexible and the quality is consistently excellent. It is suitable for this boat model because it enables quite tight curves”, says Ewan. 

Picture by Ewan

Picture by Ewan

You can follow the progress of Kotik from Ewan’s blog >>

Mahogany smelling package to Pargas

Michael, studying boatbuilding at Livia Vocational school has started a boatbuilding project in which he will use mahogany VENDIA as a material. In Decemeber a package of mahogany VENDIA marine plank left from our factory to Pargas, Finland. We really look forward to see what kind of boat will be created from the planks. You can follow Michael’s project from his blog: changetowood.blogspot.fi

Kuva: changetowood.blogspot.fi

Doing by own hands is great mindfulness

Would you like to build a wooden boat for yourself and at the same time enjoy the great feeling of doing something by your own hands? Plenty of studies show that doing something sensible by own hands calms and brings good mood and satisfaction. So what could be better way to spend the free evenings than building a beautiful wooden boat for yourself for the next summer?

Last year, in co-operation with VENDIA Woods, Savo Vocational School and boat designer Jarmo Häkkinen, was designed a boat model Niko especially for the first-timers and the use of boatbuilding courses. Niko rowing boat is easy and quick to build even if you haven’t build a boat before. For more information about the boat model and the drawings: venesuunnittelu@gmail.com

VENDIA marine plank is an ideal material for the boatbuilders who are building their first boat. The marine plank is easy to bend and work with and you don’t have to worry about cracking. VENDIA marine plank is also beautiful, durable and knot-free material for wooden boatbuilding.

For more information about VENDIA marine plank can be found in our website: www.vendia.fi

Exercise on the waters

It is one of the most beautiful and hottest days of summer as Niko rowing boat is gliding on the lake Kallavesi. Steady pulls by the oars keep the Niko-boat (designed by Jarmo Häkkinen) and the couple rowing the boat moving fast on the surface of the water. Trip like this gives a perfect chance to admire the beautiful scenery of the lake but it also goes for a good exercise. A single person as well thanks to its adjustable benches could row the boat.

It is time for a short stop in a peaceful bay, which is the perfect place to enjoy the great weather and have a snack before continuing the trip. One might wonder could this possibly be the best way to enjoy a summer day? 

The boat used is Niko pulling boat made of mahogany faced VENDIA marine plank. When looking at the boat on the clean and blue coloured lake you might wonder could a rowing boat look more beautiful than this?

Rowing of a handmade wooden boat on a perfect summer day truly refreshes your body and soul. Niko pulling boat is easy to move thanks to its lightweight (appr. 60 kg) and it is also an easy boat model to build if you are a first timer in wooden boat building.

Have a nice rowing days!

VENDIA at Kallavesj’ 2016 exhibition 1.-3.4.2016

VENDIA will be at Kallavesj’ 2016 exhibition from 1st to 3rd April. On VENDIA's presentation stand you will get to know to VENDIA marine plank and other products from VENDIA product family. Our new product, VENDIA with mahogany face veneer will be also presented. You will find us from the section E10.

New! Previously introduced pulling boat Niko, made of mahogany VENDIA marine plank is presented in our section. Another boat that can be found from section will be Savonian-type rowing boat made of normal VENDIA marine plank by Boatyard Ruotsalainen.

There will be also two other Niko pulling boats made of VENDIA on display at Kallavesj’ 2016 fair. The boats are on view on the sections of city of Kuopio (F1) and Savonia vocational school (D7). On these departments you will get to know the boatbuilding courses where you can build this quick and easy to built pulling boat Niko.

Coming soon! During this spring our product portfolio will grow with mahogany VENDIA marine plank made of completely sliced mahogany veneers. Stay tuned!

See you at Kallavesj’ 2016 exhibition!

VENDIA at Kallavesj’ 2015 exhibition, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Opening hours and other exhibitors: www.kallavesj.fi

Vene 16 Boat -fair

Boatfair Vene 16 Båt assembled 77 000 people interested in boating and water activities in Helsinki 12.-21.2.2016. Wooden boat section had a nice buzz around the wooden boats among the people who enjoying the outlook of beautiful boats and the lovely smell of wood.

At the boat fair VENDIA presented new mahogany faced VENDIA marine plank which attracted a lot of attention. Especially the boat visitors admired Niko –pulling boat which was made of the new mahogany faced VENDIA marine plank. Niko –pulling boat model has been designed and built by boat designer Jarmo Häkkinen. You can contact Jarmo for more information and inquiries by email venesuunnittelu@gmail.com.

Previous blog posts about Vene 16 Boat -fair:

Greeting from Helsinki International Boat Show

Helsinki International Boat Show has begun

Greetings from Helsinki International Boat Show

It has been a nice buzz around the wooden boats in the first days of Helsinki International Boat Show.  The beauty of wooden boats and the aroma of wood have attracted most of the people. It is nice to notice that wooden boats still attracts interest in spite of the grand day cruisers and fibreglass boats that we have. One fair visitor even said that this wooden boat section is the most beautiful section of the Boat Show.

Helsinki International Boat Show will continue until 21st February. Welcome to see the wooden boat section 7a21 and our VENDIA products.

 

See you at the boat show!

VENDIA at Helsinki International Boat Show, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Tickets and opening hours: www.venemessut.fi