Category: Designs and designers, boat plans,books of plans

Plans for boats, sailing yachts, motor yachts, rowing boats, sailing boats, dinghies, dories, canoes, skiffs, oars, sails – may be free or paid-for

BBA student Shane Butcher builds composite copy of traditional dinghy Barnacle (offsets included below)

Shane Butcher's composite dinghy 'Dreamer' Photo - Jenny Steer Dec 2011 Shane Butcher's composite dinghy 2 'Dreamer' Photo - Emma Brice

Shane Butcher's composite dinghy 'Dreamer' Photo - Emma Brice Shane Butcher's composite dinghy 'Dreamer' 3 Photo - Emma Brice

Boat Building Academy student Shane Butcher built a gaff-rigged 10ft sailing dinghy while on the BBA’s 38-week course, and launched it on the big student launch day in December.

Shane’s previous life was in civil engineering, however he has always had a passion for sailing and woodwork, and to him a change of career starting with a course at the Academy seemed an obvious next step.

Shane’s build was Dreamer, a composite-built copy of a clinker-built rowing boat belonging to the Academy.

The BBA folks reckon that Barnacle’s stem hull is a good general shape for rowing and sailing, and Ollie Rees, who was on the 2010 long course also built a copy of Barnacle, although  he used traditional clinker construction methods.

The BBA has kindly agreed to share a set of offsets for Barnacle for anyone who would like to build their own version of the boat. They can be downloaded here: Barnacle 10ft stem dinghy offsets provided by the BBA. It’s nice to be able to get something like this for free – thanks BBA!

Ship builders of Essex

This is a great little film about the building of the fishing schooner St Rosalie – and very much of its time and people!

My thanks to intheboatshed.net reader Josef Sablatnic for pointing it out.

Stirling & Son makes progress with beautiful Victorian gentleman’s sailing yacht Integrity

Stirling and Son Victorian racing yacht Integrity Bow

Stirling and Son Victorian racing yacht Integrity  Stirling and Son Victorian racing yacht Integrity Port Quarter

These delicious shots of the Victorian-style racing yacht under construction by Stirling and Son have been sent over by Will Stirling, a man who really should be called a photographer, as well as a boat builder, designer and historian.

Here’s what he says:

‘We are fitting her out at the moment in oak panelling. The detail has been taken from photographs of Victorian yacht interiors, with lots of morticing and tenoning to make up the frames, then the different fielded and flat panels, and then the beading.

‘This gives the bulkheads an interesting 3D effect.

‘We have made up patterns for all of the deck fittings and are having them cast in bronze by Ian Major of Major Castings (tel 07897 924 005).

‘Russian hats came out in force last week during the cold snap, which particularly affected John in the yard, as he was fitting the metal work to the spars in a long and drafty shed.

‘Integrity will be launched in mid-May by the Mayflower Marina in Plymouth.

‘Best wishes, Will’

I’m looking forward to seeing photos of her afloat. Stirling and Son is at Tavistock and can be reached via its website, or by phone on 01822 614259. Will doesn’t mention whether Integrity has a buyer, but if you’re in the market for a boat of this kind I guess it wouldn’t do any harm to enquire.

For earlier posts about Stirlings’ projects and plans, click here and follow the ‘Older posts’ links – there have been quite a few over recent years.

PS – I wonder how the Victorian racing yacht Leila’s getting on over by Southwold Harbour? Does anyone know?

PPS – Donan Raven (see comment below) has been in touch to point out that there are some good clips of Will’s workshop included in a YouTube video about the America’s Cup. It seems the directors thought it would be fun to film a traditional boat builder sailing one of the AC speed machines, and Will agreed…