Month: December 2008

Chris Perkins Oughtred Stickleback canoe, Storer Raid cruising dinghy and weblog

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Chris Perkin’s Stangarra, built to Iain
Oughtred’s Stickleback drawings

Chris Perkins has kindly sent me this collection of photos of his beautifully-made Stangarra canoe built to Iain Oughtred’s Stickleback plans. The quality of Chris’s boatbuilding work is widely recognised, and some readers may remember that he won the 2007 Watercraft magazine competition.

Competitive types may be secretly pleased to hear that Chris, who is one of nature’s gentlemen, has forsworn entering any further boatbuilding competitions. But some even more important news is that his Stickleback project is to feature in the next two issues of Watercraft magazine, which will be well worth looking out for on the news stands.

Chris’s message was also a reminder to me that I’ve been meaning to link to Chris’s weblog about his building projects, StrathkanChris’s Little World. The list of boats that have come out of his green shed is becoming more and more impressive. The latest project featured on his weblog is an example of Michael Storer’s solo open cruising boat, the Raid 41 – see the photo pasted below.

See the Iain Oughtred plans catalogue here.

Also, kits to build some of Oughtred’s designs are available here and in the USA from Jordan Boats.

John Welsford starts making sawdust on his Pilgrim cruising dinghy project

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John Welsford cuts out the transom for Pilgrim

It’s always useful to see how the professionals do it, so I’m pleased to link to John Welsford’s diary recording his work on this new cruising dinghy, Pilgrim.

The key points in the latest entry are testing an unknown plywood, including a routine previously unknown to me that involves burying it in mashed potato, marking out using a house-builder’s roofing square (clearly his equivalent of the dry-wall square) and a flexible batten supported by tins of food, and cutting out with an electric saw.

On the latter point, I gather he uses a veneer blade, and I must say the results are impressively free of splintering.

To read the this entry at John’s website, click here.

Nick Smith’s Lisa gets her sole boards

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Lisa’s sole boards and engine

Hampshire boatbuilder Nick Smith has just sent us his latest update on his current project, a 17ft motor launch named Lisa.

‘Hi Gavin

‘Lisa’s sole boards are finished and fitted; the next job is the engine box.

‘The boards have gone in better than I could have hoped. They’ve left a sitting height of 16 inches – not bad for a boat of this size, bearing in mind there are always ergonomic compromises. The ideal height, for a dining chair for example is 18 inches, but I have to proportion everything to look sweet to the eye, for as they say, “if it looks right, it is right”.

‘The sea cock is easily accessible and has the Fisherman type of strainer: the top can be unscrewed and easily cleared of any blockage, like weed or mud for example.

‘It’s been a slow couple of weeks, with lots of bits and pieces and trying to get as much varnish on as possible, the weather doesn’t help at this time of year.

‘Thats it for now Gav, I’ll send some more when there is something else tangible to see.

‘Nick’

Thanks Nick! We’ll look forward to the next stages – I’m sure you’ll put me right, but, notwithstanding the little issue of varnish, from where I’m sitting there can’t be many more to go before the big day.

Nick has sent us quite a few photos of the Lisa project over the past few weeks.  If you’d like to see all our posts about his work, click here and scroll down the page. If you don’t already know him, Nick comes from Devon and specialises in new builds in clinker and carvel for  sail, motor and rowing power from 8ft to 28ft with a special emphasis on West Country style and design, and also takes on repairs and refits from 25ft to 50ft. He can be contacted by email at nick_smith_boatbuilder@yahoo.com and by phone on 07786 693370.