Tag: Sailing boat

Dylan sails his Duck Punt for the first time – and loves it

Keep Turning Left sailor and film-maker Dylan Winter has launched and successfully sailed his new Duck Punt for the first time.

He’s absolutely delighted with the little sailing canoe, which slips along as nicely as those made by earlier Duck Punters on the Essex coast. And there is the added bonus that he seems to be able to sail and film at the same time without falling in – which I’m pretty sure is what would happen to me if I tried the same trick.

Here on the upper floors of Intheboatshed.net Towers, we’re cheering for several reasons.

It’s always great when someone successfully builds a little boat and enjoys it on the water, and the news seems even better when the builder is in the UK. Round here, amateur boatbuilding projects are nothing like so frequent as they should be, given how much water we have to play with.

I’m pleased, too, that the little Duck Punt shows clearly how effective narrow, flat-bottomed boats can be. The British tend to believe all boats must be round bottomed to be any good, and that therefore building a boat is just too complicated to be worth considering. Dylan’s little punt gives the lie to that myth, just as did all the other duck punts that came before it.

Still more than all this, the project is a tremendous example of cheap and simple sailing.

Here’s Dylan’s page linking to his Duck Punt film; links to John Milgate’s original plans are also available on his website.

PS – Fans of Dylan’s adventures should bag a copy of the latest issue of PBO magazine, which includes an excellent feature-length article by the man himself.

BBA December 2011 student launch – first two photos

Michael Tyler’s catboat 'Lucie' at the BBA student launch December 2011 David Campbell (waving) in his Caledonian Yawl at the BBA student launch 7th December

The Boat Building Academy staffer Emma Brice has kindly sent over a couple of photos she took at this year’s somewhat wintry-looking student launch. I hope it wasn’t too cold down at Lyme!

The catboat above left was built by Michael Tyler; the Caledonian Yawl above right was built by David Campbell.

I gather the Academy’s tutors were particularly pleased to finally launch Gary Thompson’s Haven 12 ½ built during the September 2010 course – it couldn’t be launched in June because of strong winds.

Thanks Emma!

 

François Vivier’s brilliant Pen-Hir small sailing cruiser

Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser

Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser

Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser Vivier Pen-Hir coastal sailing cruiser

François Vivier’s sailing cruiser Pen-Hir

Many of François Vivier’s revered ply and epoxy boat designs draw somewhat on the traditional boats of the Breton coast. We had a priceless opportunity to appreciate how attractive and well worked out they really are this summer when we were invited over for lunch with him and his charming wife Veronique.

That meeting over a lovely lunch was a great pleasure for both Julie and I. François’ English is excellent and his conversation is marked by strong views and clear, well argued and original insights – they’re just as well made as his boat plans themselves.

Looking at his own coastal sailing cruiser Pen-Hir as built by his son’s boatyard, we were struck not only by attractive and well made the boat was, but also by how well everything is worked out.

For example I often joke about the ‘long things’ that make life difficult in most small boats – the boat hooks, the unused spars, the odd oar or sweep, and so on – but I was impressed to find that François hadn’t just found places for them on his boat, but had designed-in spaces for each one that meant they could be kept accessible but out of the way and secure.

The smart equipment was good too. I particularly liked the diesel cooker that doubled as a heater, and the electric outboard. It was only a shame that it was too windy to go sailing – and boy was it windy. We’d heard stories about how the French will sail in any sort of weather, but from our experience they aren’t true – at least not at Pornichet, for no-one else was out on the water that day either.

I was interested to learn that François has been involved in establishing a new French boat building school, and very much look forward to learning how it goes in the coming years.

More information about the Vivier Pen-Hir design and many more photos can be found here.