Fowey boat builder Marcus Lewis has got in touch to show us these photos (top) of the latest clinker-built Fowey River sailing dinghy that he has built.
‘This is number 61 in the long established local class. It was built in the spring and launched a couple of weeks ago.
‘Named Puffling, she is built of Canadian spruce with mahogany sheer strake, thwarts, gunnels and steamed oak ribs, all rivetted together with 1300 copper rivets.
‘She was built for champion Dart 18 catamaran sailors Kim and Sarah Furniss, who live near Fowey, and have now decided to sail something more sedate but still challenging given the fickle winds and frustrating tides of Fowey Harbour.
‘They have already raced Puffling successfully already in the Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon races.
‘My latest project is a 14ft Mayflower dinghy, which is gunter rigged and with a steel centreplate. These were formerly built by Skentlebery’s in Plymouth, (there’s an article in Classic Boat magazine in January 93 for those with an extensive collection).
The company has licensed me to build them, and am building one ‘on spec’, hopefully in time to show it on the Wooden Boatbuilders Trade Association stand at the Southampton Boat Show. If any reader’s in the market for a newly built gunter rigged dinghy of about this size, I might be well worth getting in touch with Marcus right now – his website is at www.woodenboatbuilder.co.uk.
You should be glad that there are still people around who order boats like this, instead of going for the cheap fibreglass stuff.
I think Marcus is very glad, and so am I. They look great from the windows of my little plastic boat (which is what I can afford)!
Gav
Yeah you're right, it's mostly the plastic stuff which is available. But when oil gets rare there will be a revival of wooden boats. I'm just restoring an old mahagony motorboat from the 60ies, wonder what it will cost in the end.