Category: Techniques

Christer Byström offers free plans for cute small round-bottomed boats

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

bridget

Christer Byström’s Bridget

Christer Byström is someone who has taken his boating dream in his own direction and made a success of it.

A big theme has been very small sharp bowed boats: beginning with building Phil Bolger’s tiny Queen Mab design, Christer has gone on to build several small boats using the strip planking technique. My favourite among these is his Bridget, which he designed for his daughter and which takes its rig from an Optimist. I should add that he has also designed andbuilt at least one larger boat.

But what everyone really needs toknow about Christer’s boats is that he makes the plans available for free. Check them out at his free plans website.

Nick Smith motor launch project Lisa out in the open at last

Lisa is on her trailer, waiting for her varnish to harden. Now she’s out of the workshop, it’s nice to finally see photos where the photographer can step back and get a much clearer and generally better view. Built by traditional boat builder Nick Smith

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

2009_0115lisatrailer0040-470

2009_0115lisatrailer0048 2009_0115lisatrailer0044

2009_0207lisashipinnloft0034

Hampshire boatbuilder Nick Smith has just sent us his latest photos of the newly completed 17ft motor launch – here Lisa is on her trailer, waiting for her varnish to harden. Now she’s out of the workshop, it’s nice to finally see photos where the photographer can step back and get a much clearer and generally better view.

Nick has sent us quite a few photos of the Lisa project over the past few months showing many of the stages of this traditional clinker boat building project. If you’d like to see all our posts about his work, click here and scroll down the page.

If you don’t already know him, Nick comes from Devon and specialises in new builds in clinker and carvel for sail, motor and rowing power from 8ft to 28ft with a special emphasis on West Country style and design, and also takes on repairs and refits from 25ft to 50ft. He can be contacted by email at nick_smith_boatbuilder@yahoo.com and by phone on phone on 07786 693370.

Is anyone building the stitch-and-glue intheboatshed.net skiff?

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

cutting-coordinates-sheet-3

The intheboatshed.net post offering free plans for the Julie skiff has been the most popular individual element of this weblog for some time. It’s been viewed by thousands of people and, naturally, we’re delighted at all the attention it has been receiving.

But although we’ve heard that various people have planned to build it, we’re not aware of anyone starting a Julie skiff project, let along finishing one. Is there anyone out there building this boat? If you are building this spring, please let us know at gmatkin@gmail.com – We’d be especially grateful for reports of how the building goes, and for photos of both the building and the completed boat that we can post here at intheboatshed.net.

I’d also be very pleased to receive any photos of models anyone may have built. Both Ben Crawshaw (thanks Ben!) and the designer have had a go, and in any case it’s always good to build a model before building a boat like this.

In case you’re wondering, I do still intend to draw a couple of traditionally-inspired sailing rigs, a more traditional chine-log version, and also a 17ft version for two rowers. It’s just that I’ve been very busy organising both a small folk festival and a wedding. In addition the usual ups and downs of work, music making and family life, they’re more than enough to keep a chap busy, I can tell you!

Don’t miss out on something good – subscribe to intheboatshed.net for a weekly newsletter