Tag: Nick Smith

Nick Smith starts planking his latest 20ft motor launch project

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Nick Smith’s building a new copy of the 20ft motor launch Bamboo Viper he made some time ago.

The latest boat is for a customer who lives on Hayling Island and will be 20ft 4in overall. She will have a Yanmar 15Hp inboard, and khaya mahogany planking on New Forest oak.

The earlier photos reveal how he set out the plank runs for the new boat, while the rest show planks going into place – in another few days it will be time to get his gang together to steam out the ribs.

But first he’ll have to drill holes for the rib nails, mark the bilge level inside, prime the inside, spike the nails, and get a good stock of straight-grained knot-free green oak for the frames, and, of course, set up the steam box.

The photo of Bamboo Viper below shows what the finished boat will look like.

Nick Smith west country style motor launch Bamboo Viper

Bamboo Viper built by Nick Smith – the new boat will be very similar

Click here for more posts relating to Nick’s impressive old-fashioned motor launches.

Nick, who is a WBTA member, 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.

16ft Nick Smith motor launch Louise launched at Queen Anne’s Battery, Plymouth

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Louise

Regular intheboatshed.net correspondent and traditional West Country-style boatbuilder Nick Smith has written to tell us that Louise, the 16ft boat he built last year for David Eschbaeschers has been launched and pronounced a success. She certainly looks just the job to me!

David reports that she’s a little high in the water in these photos but says that he has ballast ready for this purpose. Apart from that, he says: ‘She’s a goodun and was much admired down at Queen Anne’s Battery.’

Click here and scroll down to see the series of posts during last year which followed Louise’s build in Nick’s workshop.

Nick will be exhibiting at the Beale Park Thames Boatshow (click here for more posts on the show) and Louise will be one of the boats he’ll be showing, along with some larger examples, and maybe one or two smaller ones.

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.

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.’
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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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