dinghy – Page 11 – intheboatshed.net

Small motor launch Louise built by Nick Smith complete but for her varnish

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Hampshire-based boatbuilder Nick Smith wrote this week with photos of his current motor launch building project Louise. Here’s what he has to say:

‘Louise will be launched in the spring, as the owner will be doing the varnishing over the coming months. Normally I would be a bit reticent about this, but having seen my customer David Eschbaeschers’ varnish work and woodwork on his steam launch I was confident she would be finished to a high standard that would be as good as I would do it.

‘Louise to my eye has a more ‘motor dinghy’ look than the last project, Lisa, which is more ‘motor launch’ – the one foot difference in overall length has seen to that, together with the fact that Louise is narrower and has a flatter sheer.

‘I’m very pleased how she has come out and so are the owners, they will be dry sailing the boat and go all over the country’s rivers and estuaries through the season.

‘Thats it for now. After a break I will be starting a restoration job on a 15ft clinker launch my oppo found under an oak tree at Beaulieu. So will keep you posted on that one.

‘Nick’

Nick wrote again a couple of days later with a photo of Moiety, a boat he built 17 years ago.

‘Moiety’s owner has sent me these pictures of the boat at The Thames Traditional Boat Rally at Henley this year. I originally built and planked Moiety in 1992 and fitted her out six years later, so she was completed in 1996, so the hull is 17 years old but the completed boat only 13 years old. She is 16 foot 4 overall with a beam of six foot four, and a lot of boat for her length.’

Moiety at this year’s Thames Traditional Boat Rally

Thanks Nick – I’m looking forward to hearing about the restoration job.

For more photos of Louise during her build click here.

For photos of the previous build Lisa click 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 phone on 07786 693370.

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The steel-built Forest & Stream skiff makes further progress

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Over in Germany, Hans-Christian Rieck has written with news and photos of the steel-built Forest & Stream skiff he’s making with some unemployed kids.

I should explain that steel-built dinghies are common on the German and Dutch coasts, and that many sea-going and coastal barges are equipped with them.

Here’s what he says:

‘Hello Gavin,

‘As you can see in the pictures, the boat is now in her normal upright position and we are starting the interior work. You can see the bulkheads for the bouyancy are in place and are awaiting welding. The frames are still with their metal profiles which keep them at the right distance, but the welding will soon be over and they will then be removed.

‘I think within the next two weeks the metalworks wil be over an then the painting an the woodwork will start.

‘Yours

‘Hans-Christian’

The boat behind the skiff is a 5m motor punt project completed some time ago.

Thanks for the photos Hans-Christian!

For more on the Forest & Stream skiff and for the free plans Hans-Christian is working with, click here.

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Sketches for a sailing 15ft Julie skiff

Sketches of the proposed sailing version of the 15ft 8in Julie skiff. Click on the picture for a larger version on the drawings

I’ve been away for a few days, and took the opportunity of a couple of quiet days to noodle these initial sketches for a sailing version of the Julie skiff.

The hull remains the same as the rowing version, but is half-decked and fitted with two standing lugs, much like those many readers will have seen fitted to Onawind Blue. The sail area is 100sqft or so divided two-thirds and one-third between the mainsail and mizzen respectively. I think that’s probably quite enough for a narrow hull like this, but also that it could be quite some fun on a windy day. I should add that it’s rather a one-man boat despite its length – I suspect that it will perform best with a crew of up 300lbs.

What do you say? Is anyone out there in intheboatshed.net reader land interested in this boat? Polite answers please either to gmatkin@gmail.com – or if they’re really clean to the comments link below!

For more on the Julie skiff, click here, here and here.

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