Some Articles on My Boats

Recently two came out, one in Small Boats Monthly and the other on the brand new, UK-based Barnacle Bill. Small Boats covered the Calendar Islands Yawl and Barnacle Bill had a piece by a customer in the UK who has built and avidly rows a Drake 17.

http://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/calendar-islands-yawl/

A Calendar Islands Yawl based in Duluth, MN

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http://www.joomag.com/mag/0021558001447415734

The orogonal Drake 17 rowed by me in one of the Small Reach Regattas

Sorry these may not show much unless you have a subscription. Believe it or not I dont read much boats stuff....but these are very well worth he money. Both rags will require good contact and readership. So far the writing is excellent!

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Small Reach Regatta Day 2 in Drake Rowboat

I was a little nervous beginning day 2 on a long reach with a potentially gusty offshore breeze that would carry the fleet 8+ miles to the lunch stop. The cracked mast step was only glued back together last night. Would it hold? This was going to be the same tack that I was on when it snapped. I didnt want to ruin this sail!

While the rowboa

ts and sailboats waited for the whole fleet to be launched and hoist sail for the departure, I

lounged on the floorboards enjoying an egg sandwich made by the caterer who cooks for the event. The food is great and the camaraderie while dining is something I enjoy every year. I saved my sandwich for this moment, laying back on the thwarts in the morning sun watching all the sails around me skitter about waiting for the moment when the lead chase boat would say "every body is in, lets go!".

The sail was east to Flanders Bay where we were to lunch at a bar connecting Ash and Sheldrake Islands (family islands that I arranged for us to have as a lunch spot). The fleet sailed on port

tack on a beam reach for all 8 miles to the stop. It was a hoot to say the least. Drake was right up with all the Caledonia Yawls and other larger sail craft. People were quite surprised to see this long, skinny rowboat pass them or hold position next to boats with much larger sail areas. And to my delight the mast step held.

But this morning was proving something that I try to espouse whenever possible: a rowboat with at least some keel to it can sail downwind quite

fast, but not up wind. And you dont need to ruin

the lines of the boat for rowing and you do not need to add the complexity and drag that a centerboard or daggerboard introduces. Lee boards are simply not necessary for off the wind sailing. Drake has enough stability and keel to even sail without any slippage on a bean reach, and this was a revelation this morning on Frenchman Bay.

The lunch was quick as the tide was eating up the bar -- we arrived a little too late. But the scene was quite spectacular with MDI and Tunk mountain and islands all around. I was the first boat to the bar and the 50 or 60 boats sailing into the bar was just a blast to watch.

The return trip was a 8-mile row to windward, through Sorrento Harbor right by Hancock Point and dir

ectly to Lamoine State Park. Drake showed her stuff by being able to row a steady 4+ knots back to the start line and beat most of the sailboats that had to tack many times to get home. This is what she was designed to do: sail smartly off the wind and row efficiently upwind. If this were a real RAID I would have no doubt t

hat we could be very competitive and with a larger boat for two rowers, probably win. But I enjoy the autonomy, privacy, and relaxation that rowing and sailing alone can bring.

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Michael Storer Talk and Messabout at Clint Chase Boatbuilder

Dana, Clint, and Michael getting things started...

Clint introducing the speaker and asking everyone to share a bit about themselves...

Lots of visuals during the talk...

Including an amateur built rudder and rudder box for a Goat Island Skiff.


On November 1st I was pleased and honored to introduce Michael Storer, an Australian Boat Designer reputed for his simple, elegant, and approachable boats, to a group of 21 members from the wooden boat community in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Some knew of Storers work, others have built his boats, and many knew him as an important name and wanted to learn more about the man and his message. His message was simple: that we can vastly improve our boats by paying a great deal more attention to three areas: the centerboard and rudder foils, the spars and sail, and the hull itself. With regards to the foils, Michael convinced is audience that it is the way they are made -- with care towards fair, accurate foil shape and towards a smooth surface -- that most matters. Michael has taken research in optimal foil design and applied these foils to boats that, without them, would not sail nearly as well upwind and would be much trickier to handle. These foils are flat in the middle, thin for reducing weight and wood use, and closely approximate the hydrodynamics of a true NACA shape, without the expense and fuss and awkwardness of a wing-shaped foil in a square centerboard box or rocking around on a flat work bench during shaping.

With regards to spars and sails, Michaels point was clear that the most important aspect of spars is that they flex and bend in the right way, the right amount. Spar bend is critical to the ability of a sail rig to absorb a gust, reducing heeling and putting the energy into forward momentum. The sail need not be a 600-dollar racing sail, but a simple polytarp will do cut with round to create the draft necessary to create power in the sail. His PDR Oz boats are a case in point. They all sail with polytarp sails, about a $30 dollar investment. And because they all use the same cloth, they can race against each other without the "upping the ante" attitude that has cause racing to be more expensive and less accessible to more and more people around the world.

Interestingly, Michael left the hull out for last. He says the hull is less important because of the way quality foils and spars can make a good boat go faster than it should. The PD racer is a square hull and wide flat bottom. As evidenced by the messabout after the talk, it does go beautifully. Why? Because of the foils and spars, but also because the hull is light. Michael discussed the keys to making a hull light, using light plywood in a hull that is reinforced the right way, using stringers, fillets, butt joints, and interior compartments that create a light, stiff structure with nothing more than 6mm plywood. Fiberglass is heavy and Michael stressed that fiberglassing adds weight with little gain in structural integrity or even abrasion resistance. Most boats being glassed with 6oz cloth do not need it for structure and are not being used in such a way they it is needed to protect the boat from abrasion. Cloth as light as 2-oz cloth will be enough. He said that builders have also succumbed to the "upping the ante" mentality, trying to do things better and better and better than anyone else, ending up with heavier boats and poorer performance.

Australia saw another 25-plus years of wooden boat development that America and Europe did not see because of the way that market forces drove us to Fiberglass boats much sooner than they did in Oz. The result is much further refinement of glued-plywood construction and testing in the small boat racing circuits around the country. We are just now learning here in the States, thanks to Michaels generous knowledge sharing and this trip he has made to the USA.

Afterwards we enjoyed some great rowing and sailing off Portlands East End. Pictures of the messabout can be seen at the WoodenBoat Forum and at Michael Storers own Oz Forum:

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2372819#post2372819
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f169/

Folks will see many of Michaels philosophies played out at Clint Chase Boatbuilder in the Spruce-Composite oars, Birdsmouth masts, and soon foils, tillers, and other components made to improve the performance of customers existing dories, skiffs, dinghies, and utility boats. Please check my website as updates will be ongoing as product development progresses and made available for sale.

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Greek fishing boat in Skopelos Town Harbour

This is just what 1001 Boats is all about, Graham of Port -Na-Storm blog send me an email with a couple of pictures of a small fishing boat hes spotted while on holiday in Greece.

In Grahams own words

" I saw this little Greek fishing boat in Skopelos Town Harbour last year and fell in love.

I don’t know how typical she is or what the type is called.

She seemed different from all the other local boats because instead of the usual double end shape which look almost Nordic, she has this plumb stem flared midships and counter stern, really lovely. I reckon she must have been around 18-20 feet in length.

I’m guessing the rig is Lateen judging by the length of that yard, I’d love to see her sailing."

She certainly is lovely, we have some followers who are much more familiar with traditional Mediterranean boats than Graham and I, so maybe they might be able to comment on the design?

And as a final thought if you have a favorite boat or just one that you like, please send us some details, 1001 Boats dont have to be historic, or expensive, just boats that you like - dont be shy.

Were expecting to feature Grahams beautiful Coot dinghy very soon.

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Fine Lines and Lapstrake Clinker Hulls

I was having a discussion recently with one of my sons about which hobby activity was the most fun. We have far too many hobbies, but flying and sailing are close to the top. Well, we both decided that there was no contest - dinghy sailing came out as number one.

Where I live, the biggest problem with sailing is exposure to the savage sun, but running a close second is being continually doused by water as you drive to windward. Yes, I know that we have a nice climate on the east coast of Australia (at least as far north as we are), but for a large part of the year the water is frequently very cold when it hits a hot body!

Most of the boats that I have sailed have had relatively blunt forward sections, and they tend to bash water into the air when butting into a wave, and the wind blows it back directly over the crew.

Hard to windward with a deep reef tied in - relatively smooth water as we exit the harbour, but we are still getting wet!

There are plenty of advantages in having full sections forward, such as adequate buoyancy when running down waves, and the ability to move forward in the boat while still retaining reasonable trim. In some boats where load-carrying is critical, a very broad bow is essential - for example a praam dinghy

My Alby design - lots of carrying capacity in a short hull

The problem is that the disturbed water pushed up by a blunt boat - at least in a dinghy - consumes power, and as previously mentioned, bashes water up into the wind so that it can wet the crew efficiently.

This is a nice design I built a few years back, but you can see that she pushes up a lot of water, even in light conditions

Here is another good example - a really nice design, but pushing up lots of water.

In both of the above photos, the boats were drawn by exceptionally good designers, and the shape ended up the way it did for important reasons. But it does demonstrate the point Im making about the water.

When I was asked to design Phoenix III, I really wanted to keep the bow fine. In fact, it has become a bit of an obsession with me, although I do change my attitude when necessary (e.g. Alby and Whimbrel).

Phoenix III showing her fine forward sections

My reasons for going down the path of fine forward sections include: -

• Dryness when pushing to windward;
• Reduced pounding - something which is very important in a small and light-weight boat;
• Easily driven hull - particularly when under oars

Paul Hernes in his Phoenix III under oars - he is too busy smiling, and should be rowing faster!

One of my favourite methods of construction is glued-lapstrake (or glued-clinker). This system is only possible if the planks are made of plywood, because natural timber planks lack cross-grain strength and will crack where the thickness of the planks changes from double to single. That is why traditional clinker hulls have lots of closely-spaced bent ribs, and have their plank laps riveted or clench-nailed - the ribs provide cross-grain strength, and the mechanical fastenings allow the planks to move relative to each other as the boat shrinks and swells in changing conditions. Plywood has almost equal strength in all directions, and can be glued at the lap - this produces a strong, stress-skin hull which requires few, if any, internal frames. The glued laps form an integral "stringer" which further strengthens the hull.

A clean and open interior

A wonderful side-effect of the lapstrake construction method is that the laps produce a series of "spray rails" on the external surface of the hull.

Fine forward sections and prominent laps on my Periwinkle design

The combination of the fine lines and the overlapping planks makes for a dry ride in most conditions.

Here is a good example of the effectiveness of the sharp forward lines and the "spray rail" action of the laps. This is another photo of Periwinkle.

As with all things, there are drawbacks. Any boat with fine lines forward (or aft for that matter) needs to be properly trimmed, as they are sensitive to weight distribution.

Here, the crew of Periwinkle is a little too far forward for the conditions. In gentle winds their position would be ok, but I think the big mainsail was driving her down somewhat at the bow. However, she is still going nicely!

Every boat is a compromise, and there is a place for all different sorts of hull shapes. The more more you understand about hull-forms and construction methods, the easier it will be to make a decision about what is right for your circumstances.

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The Planking Begins

After all the fairing required to make the entire hull flow nicely, there were a few more things to take care of prior to the beginning of planking. We had to deal with things that would be inaccessible after the planking was applied. Anything that could be anticipated and easily placed prior to planking removes the need to try and shape things to fit against the inside curve of the hull at a later time.


The appropriately sized diesel engine was chosen, and the appropriately sized engine mounts were built.


The mounts consist of two skid type mounts sitting above the bottom of the bilge.


The picture below shows how the centerboard case sits in relation to the bulkhead that forms the back of the galley sink cabinet.


The entire interior of the aft lazarette needed to be fiberglassed and epoxied, and the final sanding done to smooth it out, ready for paint. Once the planking is applied, this area will only have a small access hole, not something a person wants to have to manipulate fiberglass and sanders through.


Finally the planking could begin....Richard ordered some beautiful 1 x 6 clear vertical grain Western Red Cedar from Specialty Forest Products in Spokane, WA. It is light weight and rot resistant, and thus is desirable for use in wooden boats. The cost of this special lumber was offset by the fact that the waste factor disappeared by ordering it clear and not having to cut around knots, etc as would be the case in a lesser grade or knottier wood.

He ripped it to 1 1/16" width and planed to 3/4" thickness (the dimension from inside to outside of hull). The width of the strips was recommended at 3/4"-1 1/2". It is necessary to keep the strips narrow enough to be able to run each layer of planking the entire length of the boat and have it bend as needed to follow the lines of the hull. The joints are staggered with each layer and epoxy applied to the joint ends.


Epoxy was spread on each long strip and then applied to hull, starting at the sheer.


Massive numbers of clamps were used. Thanks to cheap clamps from Harbor Freight!


Richard decided to start at the sheer, and to work from bottom up exclusively. The theory behind this was that he would never have to be applying epoxy to the underside of any surfaces and working upside down. The hope was that the strips would flow nicely all the way up the hull since it was faired in all directions.


Smear, clamp....

Smear, clamp, repeat....

Still not much room to get around the hull, especially with all the clamps in place.

Notice also that the opening into the building room from the garage at the bow has been widened and heightened to help with access and ultimate boat removal. It will soon be drywalled and taped, and hopefully it will be the last bit of renovation needed for boat removal.

It still doesnt look like it will fit from this angle! But tapes dont lie, right?

After laying several rows, Richard waits for the epoxy to begin setting, then scrapes the gross excess to avoid a killer sanding job later.

A hand sized piece of laminate works great for this scraping.

Another fancy addition to the tools was the OMER nail gun that shoots plastic nails from Raptor. The beige plastic nails hold the strips in place while the epoxy dries. The use of any metal nails, other than bronze, would result in the nails rotting and weakening the hull, or needing to be removed. The price of a gun that only shoots plastic nails was cheaper than numerous boxes of expensive silicon bronze ring-shank nails and the shipping costs required to get them here. Not to mention the labor to sink all those nails.


The planking picked up speed as the learning curve was smoothed out.

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the morning after

Three puppies on Guam, a stop on the campaign trail, and Chuck Wendig recaps the Hugo awards (well worth reading!)...

Danny a non-event gone by and waiting for Erika to come visit. So much for boat projects getting done this week!

Listening to Bruce

So it goes...

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