Fits and Starts

Perhaps smoldering best describes my infatuation with this “next boat”. Yes, it could be added to what’s becoming a long list. Some entries sparked. A few smoked long enough to produce half hulls. Others inspired a gathering of materials. And a couple even made it to the lofting floor. This one however has persisted and demands more. She currently has a set of finished spars hanging in the garage, foils and centerboard case reside on the bench and enough milled Atlantic Cedar for a hull rest in the shed. Pictured above is “Next’s” half hull prompting for clear garage space for lofting. Fingers are crossed. This is getting serious. Last week I installed a garage ceiling heater. Hmmm.

A little background: Near six years ago Off Center Harbor offered a video of Skorri, a 16’ centerboard sloop designed by Paul Gartside . Another double ender! Rob Denny of British Columbia had beautifully rendered Paul’s plan #165 accented with Rob’s added cuddy. Struck immediately, I contacted Rob within days of viewing his craftsmanship. Since then, he has humored me with many emailed replies. What a kind fellow.

So much of his Skorri reminded me of the prettiest thing I’ve ever owned, Luna, my L. Francis Herreshoff “Rozinante”. I parted with her in 2019 after 3 years of cruising her, but family, work and house renovations demanded attention away from that fine boat and she needed a better steward. Luna remains the finest Rozinante I have seen. It is all in the details and Luna had them all as Francis intended. I still hope to cross paths with her again, when life gets freer …

Back to Skorri. She stirred wonderful memories of Luna: her shape, grace, patina and scent of cedar. I reviewed the video now countless times. Her builder continued to email encouragement. After a year of pestering him, I bothered Mr. Gartside to see if he’d draw a 19’ version for me. With some back and forth, our answer appeared in WaterCraft issue 150 for December 2021 as design #257. Interestingly, in short order Paul designed a close 14′ sister #260, “Skraeling”. She’s shown blasting along WoodenBoat’s July 2023 cover. Recognizing a “pinup” of sorts, the magazine’s design editor Mike O’Brien reviewed our boat in September’s 2025 issue. And guess who is featured in Paul’s latest anthology, Volume III. Yep, this boat without a name.

I’ve no idea how many plans have been purchased thus far. Paul says the boat has driven quite a bit of interest. Obviously, I’m besotted. She has my attention. Last winter I made this model to study the hull’s volume.

So, we have a start. Several weeks have been invested this past Spring and Fall fabricating boat pieces. I feel like we’re building backwards. Are we 20% done? Now we only need a hull.

On December 14, 2025 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, Wood Things8 Comments

The Gloucester Light Dory

My daughter has notions of building a rowboat. I wonder where she got that idea? In an effort to help her find a simple and effective build, “Dynamite” Payson’s Gloucester Light Dory came to mind. I’ve seen the design several times in Maine and have been impressed with its docile qualities, simple construction, functional details and elegance. My daughter read the Payson’s “How to Build …” booklet yesterday. However, she didn’t know I’d decided to make her a model as a gift. No push is intended, but maybe it will remind the girl to follow her dream compass.

On August 6, 2017 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, Wood Things5 Comments

Doug Hylan’s Chesapeake Crab Skiff

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!

On July 26, 2017July 26, 2017 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, Wood Things8 Comments

Mikey Floyd’s “Salty Heaven”

This 17′ boat is one of several boats I mulled over before building UNA. Floyd really got some beautiful lines set here. She looks so workmanlike.

Salty800 — Mikey Floyd in his “Salty Heaven”, the original boat.

No laps in the intended clinker construction in this 1/2 hull, but the grace still shines through. Could still be a project down the road. In the meantime I’ve some more wall art.

On July 8, 2017 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, Wood Things9 Comments

Dare I Err?

When will it stop? The symptoms are consistent and persistent, indicating a severe case of “next boat” psychosis: a beautiful design catches the eye, offers a possible solution for some niche of boating I’d like to do or perfect. From there an infatuation develops quickly. Much studying and “rationalizing” time is spent. Once past those tests, I jump wholeheartedly … until, the next one comes along. How I’ve finished the boats I have built surprises me. Thank God there are far fewer lovely designs compared to the loads of uglies never to steal my time.

I was set on the Gartsides’ Lugger, had cut staves for the spars and shaped the boomkin. All was fine until I found he had posted a new design, the Ditch Witch, interesting in concept, but too small. However, it led me to taking another look at his Spartan II, a trailer capable cutter whose dimensions approximate those of the Lugger. Why me?!

To add fuel to the fire, Boat Design Quarterly reviewed the original Spartan. I ordered that issue, read and re-read the feature. Curiosity took hold. I then purchased study plans for Spartan II to which Mr. Gartside graciously added the lines plan allowing me to build another half hull matching the scale of the Lugger for close comparison. A nice enough 2×6 pine board was found for the model’s lifts which were cut, glued, carved, and sanded fair. Details and rig were added.

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Here are some final model pics.

This design is a beauty too. For a whole host of reasons, I’m torn between these 2 boats. As luck would have it the staves already cut for the Lugger can be used for the Spartan. I suspect the cutter is another 25% time investment to build. That wineglass Lugger transom is nice. The cutter has a group of sails that would be fun to play with and I bet she’ll plane. The simple Lugger is one I know and love. Her cockpit is more generous and no compression post in the cabin.

Geez! See what I mean?

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On June 27, 2017July 10, 2017 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, Wood Things11 Comments

Pete Culler’s Concordia Sloop

Another half hull from scraps left over from a previous. The main and jib sheets remain to be added. This 17′ design would make a good camp/cruiser I think.

On February 5, 2017July 4, 2017 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, Wood ThingsLeave a comment

Lugger? Bugger!

There is nothing like self imposed distractions. Winter has a habit of forcing more of them upon me. Is it a restlessness? Perhaps. If so, it seems to have set in early this year.

elev

While motoring LUNA around to the boatyard a few weeks ago, I thought it preferable not to undertake all I was about to go through: the down rigging, packing the trailer, rechecking that, hauling the boat some 80 miles and then providing cover for the cold season (forget the hassles of a flat trailer tire, old tarps, etc.). Such was my mindset when someone suggested looking again at Paul Gartside’s Design #166: the 6 Metre Centerboard Lugger (above). Shouldn’t have done that. Firstly, Gartside can’t draw ugly lines. His catalog demonstrates that. Secondly, this pretty trailer sailer was all it took to get me dreaming of extended cruises along distant coasts. No offense is intended towards UNA, but this other lugger appeals in many ways also. Some quite differently. A couple days on and LUNA was home under wraps. I paused. The bug struck again. Attempting to be rational about it all, I began a list outlining the pro’s and con’s of not just this design, but several others. A quick spreadsheet of the contenders considered size constraints, construction limits, sail area to displacement ratios and naturally that question, “Is she fast?” Further on, an inordinate amount of time was spent perusing WoodenBoat Forum and the myriad of suggestions and opinions. Some were valued. To justify my growing library of design books I flipped back through volumes by the likes of Chapelle, Oughtred, Culler, Gardner, etc. Another few days passed. So many beautiful small boats with history. However, undaunted, this little lugger kept popping to the surface.

I had to do something. You’d guess enlisting “moral” support from fellow sailors isn’t helpful (boy, was that putting gas on the fire!). Right, no firehoses were offered. Any critiques were mere droplets, and only objections to small details or did I even hear them?

I ordered study plans from Gartside and crafted a half hull model at 1″ to the foot.

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I find the study process enjoyable. Maybe that is part of the forever search of the “next” boat. From selecting wood, cutting lifts, laminating, planing, carving, sanding, and finishing, each stage allows meditation. What is the damage anyway? If you choose a nice boat, at worst, you’ve some wall art. Yea, but does it end there?

But what about the Ducker?! I know. I know. She’s not forgotten. Her molds are still hanging ready to be used in the shed.

But then, what have I done? I should have just finished putting the leather ties on the F-1 and stayed out of bigger trouble.

Why has it so far been painless? That’s good, right? … or is it?

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On January 3, 2017July 4, 2017 By eebe4In 1/2 Hull Models, 6 Metre Centerboard Lugger, the build & projects, Wood Things6 Comments

Luna’s Half Hull

I enjoyed carving the Ducker model so much that I wanted to try another. This time of Luna. Here are pics of the early progress. In removing the last bit from the keel I accidentally buzzed off the tail end of the keel. This gave me the “opportunity” to add that corner back as a delineation of what would be the lead ballast per the lines drawing.

botched trailing keel corner and tick marks for fairing

rudder added. cardboard stations beyond.

I’m learning as I go. Too late for this one, but I just rediscovered an old Rudder Magazine article on model making by none other than L. Francis himself, I’d like to do one more. In his description I realized there may be a quicker way to remove the waste wood by not gluing the lifts, tracing the lower lift onto the above lift and separating the individual lifts to work on each separately. Once the majority of the waste wood is removed, the lifts can be rejoined and tuned for the final finish. Rewarding projects. What might be a next go?