Stirling and Son develops a new 9ft dinghy

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The new 9ft dinghy from Stirling and Son – the lower
photos show the materials and moulds

The Stirling and Son boatyard down at Morwelham near Tavistock must be one of the most picturesque anywhere – I enjoy the photos Will Stirling sends us for their setting almost as much as the boats.

Here’s what Will has to say about the dinghy in the photo.

‘Dear Gavin,

‘The dinghy is to go to Northumberland – but I can build another with a lead time of approximately six weeks.

‘She is 9ft long of mahogany planking with an oak sheer strake. All other timber in the boat is oak with copper fastenings.

‘The shape is a very stable one, as I’ve had had some near-capsizes getting into dinghies in the past. She has a mid-19th century shape with the bold forefoot and relatively full bow, while she is finer aft with a shapely transom.

‘After building this dinghy I have set down the shape in a full five-page A2 draught with A4 offsets, scantlings and materials list. I am to build the next dinghy from this draught and then make full size mould templates with the planking lined out and a little colour booklet with photos taken along the way. I will let you know when that is all prepared, probably in a couple of months.

‘Best wishes

‘Will Stirling’

I think that booklet might interest quite a few budding home boatbuilders, and when it’s ready I’d like to put up a post about it here Will!

See the Stirling and Son Wooden Shipbuilding and Repairs website at http://www.stirlingandson.co.uk or contact the company at 01822 614 259.

PS – If like me you’ve been admiring Will’s trestles, see some handy trestle plans here. Ok, they aren’t Will’s plans but they look quite similar.


Free plans for making a handy dinghy trestle

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Dinghy trestle built to Steve Blackman’s instructions

The Home Built Boat Regatta group includes some pretty handy folks, among them Steve Blackman, who enjoys refurbishing old plywood dinghies. Just now I gather he’s working on a Heron that I gather may be ready for the Lechlade Raid and the Beale Park Thames Boat Show.

A few days ago his instructions for building a trestle appeared online on the HBBR website, and I thought they were so useful I should share them. Trestles like this are useful in boat parks, when painting and also when building in stitch and glue, or traditional American flat-bottomed skiff style.

Rowland Hilder, marine artist

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Untitled watercolour by Rowland Hilder

As someone who lives in the Low Weald of Kent, I think of Rowland Hilder as a painter of landscapes that look as if they portray the fields around our house. But I’ve recently come to realise that Hilder was also an accomplished marine artist. Click on this link to Baron Fine Art Gallery to see some more examples.

For more examples of art, photography, songs, poems and culture generally at intheboatshed.net, click here.