Hanna Plans

[Dave K]

By chance, does anyone know where (or whether) plans for John Hanna's little 20 ft. "Poco Dinero" gaff sloop are available? I have a reprint of the first publication of the plans in an old "How to Build 20 Boats" (actually, I have the original magazine but it's getting pretty tattered and worn). But the plans in that are very small and lots of details are not given, which could (or should) be scaled off the drawings at their normal size. I remember the old Phil Bolger article in "Small Boat Journal" about the "Romantc 20 Footers" in which he, in direct contradiction to Hanna's own writing, claimed she would be a quite decent boat built in plywood (which would allow her to be lighter and tighter and several other advantages). And it is making me curious...

[boatlover]

DN Goodchild. Publication #5323. $5.95(US)

13 pages, and 4 plates.

HTH.

Ed R

[Dave K]

Most of the Goodchild products I have seen are reprints of old magazine articles - not scaled plans. I have the old article, as I mentioned; so would this be scaled plans or magazine-sized pages such as I already have?

[boatlover]

Dave,

I think you are correct that the Goodchild item is a repro of what you already have. (I was on that site earlier the day I posted, and had noticed the POCO DINERO item, so you rang a bell.)

The details that you can't scale off the original article, are probably not so "off-standard" for you to be able to draw them out yourself, working from Chappelle or some other canonical writing on wooden boat construction.

Regards,

Ed R

[Dave K]

I am beginning to think that will be the way to go - no source of plans seems to be forthcoming. Mrs. Hanna was selling plans back about 30 years or so ago, but she is almost certainly deceased by now, and I have no idea if she gave the plans to some museum or whatever. It is mostly things like keel thickness, etc. that I'll need to work on. And most of it can be guessed pretty closely, I imagine - I just hate to mess it up if the right answer is available.

[boatlover]

Dave,

I just recollected that there is a Hanna design in the Bray's book of designs from RUDDER. According to the index of designers in the book, Hannas drawings are at the Calvert Maritime Museum.

Might be worth a try.

Regards,

Ed R

[Dave K]

Thanks - I have that book but forgot the Hanna design and didn't chack the information. Great lead - appreciate it.

[WWheeler]

For everybody else, here's the picture from DN Goodchild.

http://www.dngoodchild.com/5323.jpg

[Dave K]

I wrote to the Calvert Marine Museum and got a reply today. The information in the Brays' book is incorrect...Calvert does not have the Hanna plans. So I am still looking - if anyone has any better information.

[paladin]

Poco Dinero.....Little Money......meant that the boat wuz cheeep to build?

[Dave K]

Supposed to mean that - I doubt if it would be cheap, built the way Hanna specified. Phil Bolger did a column in the late "Small Boat Journal" in which he noted that she could be very economical if done in plywood with most of the framing left out (unnecessary with the plywood panels), that she would then also be lighter and more buoyant and would sail and handle better. It makes one think - she's not a bad shape for just "pooching around" coastally - should be fairly stable and even decently efficient. The cabin is too short and too far forward, but that could easily be changed, and her interior could be quite decent. Years ago (early 50's) there was a page of photos in "Rudder" of a very similar boat, designed by Hanna - I think she is the same design with a few modifications (outboard rudder, etc.) which I would likely make also.