Category: Techniques

BBA students build a Yachting World Dayboat

Yachting World Dayboat Yachting World Dayboat

 

Photos by Emma Brice and John Palmer

This Yachting World Dayboat was built by Boat Building Academy student Sean Quail, with the help of Charlie Yetton.

Sean joined the BBA’s long boat building course after deciding to make his hobby of woodwork into a career, and went to Lyme after completing his A Level exams – though first he took time out to travel through Australia, Canada and Thailand.

Charlie completed a foundation course at Chelsea College of Art and Design and a BA in fine art sculpture at the University of Brighton, and then worked as an artist’s assistant for a period. He then decided he needed what he called ‘real’ skills – and chose boat building and carpentry as the area in which he was most interested.

The Yachting Day Boat was originally designed in 1949 by G O’Brien Kennedy; Sean’s was constructed using oak ribs, spruce planks and mahogany-veneered plywood.

This is the second YW Dayboat to be built at the academy – see Locky McKenzie’s build, click here. On Sean’s boat, the plank lines were tweaked a little, and the Highfield
lever was left off the forestay in favour of tensioning the rig using the jib halyard.

To view Sean’s weblog of the Dayboat build click here.

I gather Sean is now living and working in Hampshire.

PS – If you’re interested in what the BBA can teach and might consider one of its short courses, take a look at its 2012 short course programme.

Nick Smith 16ft motor launch planked up

Nick Smith motor launch for 2011 - batten shows optional sheerline Nick Smith motor launch for 2011 planked up

Traditional boat builder Nick Smith has sent in this photos of a new 16ft motor launch that he has been working on.

The boat has now been planked up – in the first a batten shows where the sheerline will fall if a buyer prefers an open boat: the second illustrates where the deck would lie if finished off with a half-deck and cuddy.

Nick will be off to the New Forest shortly to source green oak for the timbers; the boat will soon be steamed out and rivetted up – see a video of Nick and helpers steaming out an earlier boat.

Two earlier posts relating to this boat are here and here.

Nick comes from Devon, learned boatbuilding the traditional way 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. These days he’s based in Hampshire, and can be contacted by email at nick_smith_boatbuilder@yahoo.com and by phone on 07786 693370.

Salt pans at Guerande, Brittany

Salt pans at Guerande, Brittany

Salt pans at Guerande, Brittany Salt pans at Guerande, Brittany Salt pans at Guerande, Brittany

Salt pans at Guerande in Brittany

They say we’re made of sea-water, so I suppose one could say these fascinating drying salt pans at Guerande in Brittany are concentrating some aspect of mammalian life, in a sense.

Another curious thought is that these muddy and distinctly un-glamorous bird-poo splattered puddles are the source of what I understand is some of the world’s most highly prized sea salt – and they’re just a stone’s-throw from some of the most expensive and glamorous holiday beaches on Europe’s Atlantic Coast. As they say, it’s a funny old world.