Doug Hylan has a number of beautiful designs. Not the smallest, but certainly one of the prettiest, is this little 15′ plywood constructed skiff. Off Center Harbor featured the boat awhile back here. I built a 1/2 model … Go figure. This would be an excellent boat for teaching how to “simply mess about in boats”. I think I will. Get it?
In the meantime, we have some more wall art.
Now, back to work!! Slacker!
Can we learn to make a living from fishing? Simply. Sustainably. Under sail.
Stories of my Railroad Journeys
Fix your hearts or die.
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A record of, and ruminations on, the building and enjoyment of my boats.
A record of, and ruminations on, the building and enjoyment of my boats.
A record of, and ruminations on, the building and enjoyment of my boats.
A record of, and ruminations on, the building and enjoyment of my boats.
A record of, and ruminations on, the building and enjoyment of my boats.
Lingering Lunacy 
Hylan draws some pretty boats- I am a fan of his peapod, the PC18, and this crabbing skiff in particular. The Hylan Crabbing Skiff and the Chesapeake Marine Design Windward 15 (stretched to 16 by Jim in NYC- CRICKET) are the better modern interpretations of this type, IMO. Both are lovely boats, hmm so sweet.
Nice model, I prefer the leg O mutton rig with the sprit-boom however.
Leg-o-mutton rig doesn’t fit inside the boat. They’re all compromises of various sorts. I think I’d prefer the balanced lug offered in the Little Crab.
I’ve never really understood the requirement that a rig should or needs to fit inside the boat unless it’s being kept on the mooring with a snap-down cover over the whole boat. Strike the rig and have it hang off an end here or there is sufficient enough for me- for either rowing or towing.
Regardless, my Leg-O-Mutton preference is purely for the aesthetics of it. Just looks right to my eye, but nothing wrong with the lug either!
Love your model-making, but very interested in your Ducker project. I’ve sailed both a York and a Greenbriar… lovely boats. Bought the plans for the bigger Chapelle boat from the S.I. We’ll see…
No accounting for taste as they say. I do appreciate the smaller “sticks”. Another route may be a free standing mast and sail like the l-o-m, but add a boom, vang and mid-ship sheeting. Now I’m complicating things.
Ducker is not forgotten, but also not on the horizon any time soon. I keep throwing other distractions in its way. A traditional build would be enjoyable I think. Are you going to build?
Deciding– wondering if it has a place in the quiver beyond the meditative build aspects of it. I would like a fun fast daysailer. Do you have other recs for a fun fast dayboat?
I have a pulling boat that needs to come first, however, a Piscataqua River Wherry stretched to 17. Additionally Lillistone’s Fleet so I can putt-putt up my wife and I to the upstream river sandbars when we don’t feel like rowing and want to drink cool wine in the summer sun sitting on the river sand.
Yes, boats for all occasions because where would you rather be? The Crab seems to have sifted to the top of such list. Could be motored. Simple build. Single sail simplicity and must row well enough, if not so great. Oh wait, how about Gartside’s “Riff”? A beauty of another stripe.
I am happy to offer a gratuitous push in the direction of Hylan’s Crab. *Push*
Noted … and felt.