Joel White's 18" Shearwater

[Brumenschenkel]

I am wondering if any Forumites have built this design in plywood and if so what their impressions are. Are plans available and from where?

[Clinton B Chase]

Plans tricky to get but I got them from Brooklin Boat Yard. They are nice plans...I have seen the boat a lot and been in one once. It is a great boat. Not very fast under oar or sail, but pleasurable and seaworthy to be in. The owner of hull #1 is active with the TSCA in Maine. You could look him up...he also sails in the SRR. I can't remember his name...John, I think. ANyone remember his last name? I recall him saying that the boat sails better than it rows. Two up, it rows just fine. My first impression when I saw the boat on the water was that it was not as elegant as the smaller Shearwater and an extra plank on the side would give it a finer look without adding too much work to plank the boat. My other impression is that a yawl version of the boat would be very, very fitting.

Cheers,
Clint

[Canoeyawl]

There are two that I have sailed with on the west coast.
One is Joel's stretched version,rigged as a yawl, the other is built as per the original plans.
Both are fast and weatherly for such a small craft.
I have pictures - no time to post them today

[Brumenschenkel]

Thank you for the leads, and I would love to see some images if you get the time. I will probably stick with the smaller version but enjoy considering my options. I sold my Beachcomber Alpha dory last summer and now I am boat less and looking for an quicky interim craft to get me back on the water next summer. I have a heavier project in the works but won't be launching anytime soon. The 16' Shearwater should be car topable with al little ingenuity. I love the simplicity and versatility of the design.

[Ben Fuller]

Plans tricky to get but I got them from Brooklin Boat Yard. They are nice plans...I have seen the boat a lot and been in one once. It is a great boat. Not very fast under oar or sail, but pleasurable and seaworthy to be in. The owner of hull #1 is active with the TSCA in Maine. You could look him up...he also sails in the SRR. I can't remember his name...John, I think. ANyone remember his last name? I recall him saying that the boat sails better than it rows. Two up, it rows just fine. My first impression when I saw the boat on the water was that it was not as elegant as the smaller Shearwater and an extra plank on the side would give it a finer look without adding too much work to plank the boat. My other impression is that a yawl version of the boat would be very, very fitting.

Cheers,
Clint

That would be John Silverio. Like most boats of that size it is a little big and heavy for optimal rowing as a single. This is the design that Brian Schulz did as a SOF for two people for a Baja cruise. The original was designed for a couple with two young riders. The original owners also said that a small mizzen would help in reefing the lug in open water.

[davebrown]

i agree with clinton's three strake vs. four strake comment. to the designers, this comment might be way off, but i wonder how the stretched shearwater compares to an 18 ft gunning dory...i recall that gardner's were four strake boats...

[Canoeyawl]

Here's one just exactly as Joel drew it.
This is the view we usually get, It is difficult to keep up with it...!
http://www.gunkholing.org/Images/clarke%20(452).jpg

[Ben Fuller]

i agree with clinton's three strake vs. four strake comment. to the designers, this comment might be way off, but i wonder how the stretched shearwater compares to an 18 ft gunning dory...i recall that gardner's were four strake boats...


What I think you will find is that the stretched Shearwater has a longer waterline and a wider flatter bottom making it a better sailing boat. To get this design Joel basically inserted a flat bottom in his Oselver based Shearwater, one of the reasons to keep the number of planks down.

[Ben Fuller]

Here's one just exactly as Joel drew it.
This is the view we usually get, It is difficult to keep up with it...!


This is a really nice solution to the general traditional boat issue: enough power for going up wind with out hiking, leads to not enough power off the wind in light to moderate conditions, at least not enough to get the best performance out of the boat. I have a old Blue Jay spinnaker kicking around and I wonder if I could not set it using oars as a bowsprit ( where they usually get stored anyway) for additional amusement.