William Garden's Eel in ply lapstrake?

[Adrian Valley]

A thread a while back suggested that Eel would be a good design to build in ply Lapstrake and that a boat had been indeed been built using this method. Does anyone have any thoughts on the advantages of building an Eel in Lapstrake (aside from the looks!).

Any ideas about who might have built this boat and where it is?

[Keith Wilson]

I was one of several people who mentioned a lapstrake eel. I believe I saw one, or a photo of one, years ago, but for the life of me I can't remember where. Eel seems a particularly nice boat to build lapstrake: a straightforward shape with no reverse curves, no real severe bends, and double-ended. The advantages are the same as building any other boat in ply lapstrake:
- Good looks.
- Readily available good-quality materials, although somewhat expensive.
- Stays tight on a trailer.
- Minimal sanding and fairing.
- Only moderate precision required – the planks don’t have to fit as closely as with carvel planking.
- Minimal use of epoxy (if you don’t insist on sheathing everything with glass/epoxy).
- Good strength-to-weight ratio.
- Makes a pleasant sound while sailing.

[Thorne]

Good Eel site here (nothing about lapstrake, though):
http://www.schoonercreek.com/traditional_sail/tr aditional_sail.htm (http://www.schoonercreek.com/traditional_sail/traditional_sail.htm)

[ 11-23-2005, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: Thorne ]

[Sea Frog]

Lovely and original. Still she has some lacustral or estuarian aspect so a clinker hull would add salt at the expense of a tad less speed. How steady is she at sea? They don't tell the LOD.
Have some built her per plans recently?

[Buddy Sharpton]

I only know of a coldmolded bright finished hull boat bulit byRobert Albers in Texas. His web site is www.alberswoodenboats.com. (http://www.alberswoodenboats.com.) Maybe he can tell you of one done lapstrake. He seems to be very knowledgeable about the Eel.

[Adrian Valley]

Thanks for the replies, though I must confess I did have to look up lacustral. Now to the nitty gritty, how would I build it in Lapstrake? I have the Iain Oughtred and the John Brooks books to hand, I am ok at woodwork and have built one John Welsford Light Dory; where to from here? Where do I get scantling info. for a lapstrake build, how many frames do I need, should I build it with stringers etc. etc. Any advise, except, build something else gratefully accepted. Oh and I live in Australia, any useful contacts here?

[willmarsh3]

I looked at the website - a really pretty boat - I definitely want to build Eel. My "Thirty Wooden Boats" has one - Woodenboat plan #90. The "alternate construction" is lapstrake. It looks like the plans include the daysail and the cabin versions also. In Madisonville in 2000 I saw a boat like the Eel that was built with a cabin. The cabin top was hinged in the front so the whole top lifted up. I don't remember who the builder was. Nonetheless a very beautiful boat.

Will.

[Buddy Sharpton]

Bob's Eel was the one I saw in Madisonville as well. He was "living aboard"during the show. His was a slightly enlarged cabin I believe, with his hinged top to make more headroom. He also devised a retractable trolling motor in a well instead of outboard. Quite a beauty with a teak overlay deck, bright hull. Gave me the inspiration to embroider a bit on my Marsh Cat.

[Buddy Sharpton]

Go to the website I listed above that's the boat Glory, that's Bob, lots of construction pictures.

[Adrian Valley]

The retractable trolling motor in a well sounds interesting, I'm not too struck about an outboard hanging off the stern as described at the Schooner Creek Boatworks site. Just checking, but Bob is the very same Robert Alber right?

[Adrian Valley]

Don't you just hate it when you ask a dumb question you already have the answer to in a previous post. At the risk of pestering I think an email to Bob (Robert!) may be in order.

[Y Bar Ranch]

I'm building an Eel myself. Very earliest stages of the process, i.e., making hole in garage mess to fit boat. Garage isn't level, so I'm currently building a level platform on which to build the boat.

To my memory, the plans from Woodenboat do not discuss clinker. They do discuss carvel, cold molding, and stripping. I plan to strip-build it.

Do you have the plans already?

[willmarsh3]

FWIW I have scanned in some pictures from Madisonville in 2000 of this boat. http://www.willmarsh3.net/wg/web_eel1.jpg
http://www.willmarsh3.net/wg/web_eel2.jpg
http://www.willmarsh3.net/wg/web_eel3.jpg
http://www.willmarsh3.net/wg/web_eel4.jpg

I'm sorely tempted to order the plans and build this boat myselff. I'm thinking (probably very optimistically) that I could build her in a year.

Will.

[Adrian Valley]

Thanks for the pictures, it really is a beautiful boat. I'm still keen to explore lapstrake construction though, does anyone have a set of plans out there and if so is it possible to check what info. there is (if any) on a Lapstrake/Clinker build?

[Y Bar Ranch]

Originally posted by norseman:
Y Bar is right.
I have a set of plans...While you have those plans laid out in your lap...on the last sheet it shows how you build the frame by starting with the harpin and working up. And the picture shows the harpin attached to a 2 x 6 at an angle canted outboard.

For the life of me, I can't find on the drawings anything that says how much of a cant the harpin should be at the different stations. Any thoughts on that? The "looks about right" method?

[RandyColker]

Saw your posting about building an EEL which I would like to do someday. You were looking for somewhat in Austalia for help and guidance. In the Sept/Oct 2001 WB Launchings section there was an Eel built by Roger Dahlberg, 1 Hazelwood St., New Farm Brisbane 4005, Queensland, Australia. I tried to contact him, but was not successful. If you are able to get up with him, please let me know as I would like to ask him about the winged rudder that he used.

[Stephen Hutchins]

Adrian, why not contact the designer?

[JimConlin]

To my untrained eye, the stern section of Eel looks bulbous enough, particularly at the sheer, that it'd be a tussle to plank with anything stiffer than say 1/4" ply. Do those who've built it in strip report difficulty here?
Amidships, the hard bilge and tumblehome whould suggest relative narrow lapstrake planking.
Before i committed to the lapstrake construction method, i'd do a partial lofting of the upper waterlines aft and the 'midship body plan to see if i could practically build it.

[Dave Gray]

Adrian, why not contact the designer? I don't think Bill Garden would be too interested in answering. From what I have read he is mostly retired, has donated his collection to Mystic (I think that is right) and works with some local home builders trying out new designs in BC.

[Adrian Valley]

Thanks for the contact in Australia, I will try to track Roger down as I think he may be the person who built one in Lapstrake. I have been in contact with Maynard Bray (Woodenboat) who is fielding Bill Gardens' questions and he asked Bill who confirmed one had been built in Lapstrake in Australia, a beautiful job apparently. He is digging out a photo and contact info. as we speak. He also suggested that I contact Iain Oughtred for his thoughts on scantling info. though I must confess I am reluctant to do this yet as it seems a bit cheeky to me. If Maynard can find the photo I will try and post it.

[John Gearing]

All I have to add are some statements that a brother of a friend sent to me once via email re Eel. He had been a boatbuilder in the Seattle area and in addition to Eel had built another Garden design for his own use. IIRC he said that Eel's hull had a lot of shape to it and would be challenging to a home builder. Not that it couldn't be built....just that it wouldn't necessarily be super-easy.

[Dave Gray]

Tony, are you sure that is a Garden Eel? It looks 4 feet longer and has quite a bit more of a cabin. Perhaps it was stretched from the original plans by the builder.

[Y Bar Ranch]

Looks the same to me. I screen-dumped the Aussie pictures so I can add them to my collection of Eel jpegs.

Mike

[Dave Gray]

Hey Tony, upon reflection you're right, it definitely looks like an Eel. I should have thought of the bowsprit and boomkin being added to the overall length. I have to say that this boat plan is on my short list....

[Les Schuldt]

Yep Tony, it's definitely an Eel.

Mike, here's some jpegs of my Eel for your collection.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kookladoll/my_photos

Les

[tossedman]

Here's the link to the pictures of GWEN.

http://www.yachthub.com/list/slides.html?img=0&de=10549&show=GO

[Y Bar Ranch]

Originally posted by Les Schuldt:
Yep Tony, it's definitely an Eel.

Mike, here's some jpegs of my Eel for your collection.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kookladoll/my_photos

LesMany, many thanks! Invaluable. The shots of the rudder in particular clear up the plans for me.

[Y Bar Ranch]

Les, how did you do your hull? Looks like you split the difference between carvel and strip. Thickness of planking?

Again, thanks for the pictures.

[Les Schuldt]

Mike,

The planking is 3/4 Port Orford Cedar with glued splined seams on oak frames.

She was built by Paul Schweiss in the Pac. N.W. in 1980.