Oxfordshire-based Philip Burton is building a Julie skiff – and once it’s done we’re naturally very much looking forward to being able to call by to see it in action on the river. Here’s what he says:
‘I have spent the last few months building my first boat which I choose to be a Julie skiff.
‘I live in Oxford uk and I’m sure you will be aware that the river Thames runs right through our beautiful university city, so I’m really looking forward to getting the boat in the water very soon.
‘I am very impressed how easy it was to follow your plans and the basic hull came together relatively quickly, and I learned a lot about stitch and glue and fibreglass techniques.
‘I used 6mm marine ply and I was quite surprised by how much it weighed, and also how much it blunted my planes and chisels. But I guess that’s the price to pay for using ply that will last a long time in wet and soggy conditions.’
Julie looks a bit like ‘Maisie’ a flat-bottomed rowing boat my Dad and I built in the 1970s when I was 11. She was planked in T&G softwood and of a similar basic design.
One thing Philip hasn’t included here is the shallow well with drain holes I included up in the bows. It’s there to give you somewhere to put a muddy anchor and line!