Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Modern and plywood boatbuilding and plans
Frankly, I can’t imagine why anyone would /not/ hanker after something like this. With that hull and sail I suspect it will go like the clappers…
If anyone I know buys it, can I come for a ride please? Click on the image and enlarge it for details.
My thanks to Fowey boatbuilder Marcus Lewis for this one!
A crowd of around two hundred people joined the Boat Building Academy’s class of March 2015 at their student boat launch at Lyme Regis harbour in December.
The first boat built by the students during their 38-week training, to be launched was an 18ft7in electric motor launch named Barbara Anne.
Designed by Robert Steward, Barbara Anne’s hull is cold moulded using three layers of marine plywood and one outer layer of mahogany veneers. The outer layer of veneers were laid fore and aft to simulate carvel planking which were later bright finished. She has a laminated mahogany stem, sapele backbone structure and has been fitted with a Marlin 5 single drive (5 KW/48V) electric inboard engine.
Commissioned by student Mark Turner and built by Mark and the class, she will be enjoyed on the Thames. For those unfamiliar with the Academy’s methods, a range of boats selected for their educational value are built as part of the course, and are owned by the student(s) who pay for the materials
Mark joined the Academy from Buckinghamshire, where he worked as a financial director and controller for 20 years. Enjoying sailing, rowing and diving, and keen to change to a more practical line of work, he decided to join the 38-week course to learn skills for a new career in the marine industry.
Mark originally planned to build a sailing dinghy as part of his training but on a visit to Thames wooden boat builders, Henwood and Dean he became inspired by the river motor launches he saw and so decided to build one for himself.
Mark came across lines drawings for Barbara Anne in a magazine found in the Academy’s collection. Apart from modifying the plans to include an aft deck and enclosed lockers, he chose to remain faithful to the original design.
Peter Tysall from Ilfracombe worked alongside Mark on the build as well as working on the each of the other three boats built by the class. Before coming to the BBA, Peter completed A-Levels in media studies, art and design, and English, and spent time working and travelling around Europe, Indonesia, Morocco, Jamaica, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
He loves to surf and sail and has worked aboard several different sailing yachts as a deckhand. Enjoying this work and wanting to learn further skills to start a career in the marine industry, Peter
decided to take a course at the Academy.
Mark has now returned home to Buckinghamshire where he will work as a boat builder on the Thames, and Peter is exploring options to combine his new skills with further travel.
See Barbara Anne’s build diary here and for further details about the Level 3, 38-week boat building, maintenance and support course, click here.
If like me you were a little intrigued by the photos of the steam launch recently completed by Douglas Marine, here are some more photos and details provided by assistant manager Andrew Bedwell.
Built for a private customer, she’s 8m long and is based on the Selway-Fisher Snow Bunting design, modified by Selway Fisher. Her hull was built by Farrow & Chambers, which closed down shortly after the construction of the hull and it was at that point that the owner engaged Douglas Marine to complete the build, including work to construct and fit all the internal furniture, equipment housings and canopy roof.
The owner designed, sourced and installed the steam engine installation himself, with Douglas Marine’s help providing various mountings, housings and bespoke machined parts.
The detailed design and planning work for the fit-out and timber machining work was done in-house by Douglas Marine using a mix of traditional boat building materials and techniques and modern materials, with the aim of minimising maintenance. Finishing methods included epoxy sheathing and coating, traditional single pack coach painting, two-pack spray painting and traditional varnish work.
To put the final touches to the project, Douglas Marine also arranged specially tailored upholstery, a flat trailing cover and an all-round cover to allow the customer to enjoy boating in harsh weather.
Thereare photos of the build and more information here.
Douglas Marine is currently recruiting: see the earlier post for information.