Culler wherry

[rbgarr]

A friend just completed a two week course at the WB School and won the boat he worked on! Still alot of work to do but he's got a huge start on it.



We're going to see the boat and celebrate with them tomorrow.

[WX]

That is pretty, will she carry a rig?

[ripley699]

I would think she would carry a rig: if not,,,why the tiller?

But i am kind a newbie so I could very well be wrong.
Rip esq.

[rbgarr]

[Thorne]

Lovely! More pics please...

[Lew Barrett]

Beautiful. I like that.

[Clinton B Chase]

Culler's boats are just amazing. He is the only designer/builder who seems to be able to pull off a beautiful powderhorn sheer. This is a neat little boat. Very salty! One of our boatbuilders took this course and worked on the same boat.

[Steve Paskey]

Just lovely! A few comments by Pete from "Pete Culler's Boats" ...

"In these days of small cruising craft, able to accommodate a small dink shaped like a bathtub, or at worst a rubber doughnut of some kind, it's not often that I get to build a proper ship's yawl -- one intended to be used as such. The design was originally made for the schooner Fiddler's Green. However, the owners of the wooden ketch Stormsvalla also liked the design, and commissioned me, through the Concordia Company, to build her.

Because she is a proper ship's yawl, her construction is in keeping. It is strong, but not overly heavy. The design closely follows that of working yawls of the distant past. Several people, observing her during construction, said "She looks right out of Chapman." Thus, a backboard was fitted and inscribed to the English-Swedish naval architect of the 1700s. I must say that I find his designs most fascinating.

Few may know today what was required of ship's yawls in the days of sail. They had to carry, be very able for their size, row well, and often sail considerable distances. Such boats had to carry stores and/or water barrels, and sometimes even tow them. They had to run out lines and anchors -- once in a while a bower anchor, which took considerable skill. They fished for fun, or necessity. Often they were launched and hauled out in great haste. They often spent long periods of time hoisted up, and, of course, many went to war.

Obviously, requirements are not as stringent now, especially for pleasure use, yet the general design was so sound, nothing new can do any better.

This little craft was designed in the old way, to the inside of plank and perpendiculars of rabbets. By this method she's 10-1/2 feet overall, with a beam of 4 feet 6 inches. Having built a similar working yawl for use on Nashawena Island, I had a good idea of what the weight would be. This one, having a sailing rig with centerboard, stout rudder pintles, mast partners and so on, could weigh more -- perhaps too much. Thus, care was taken in the choice of stock -- though one could not skimp on strength. In spite of the extra gear she weighs 178 pounds, slightly less than the previous yawl.

To accomplish this, I've made her a monument to all the woods it's said you can't get, all of them durable and rather light. The stem is a natural crook of sassafras. The sternpost is chestnut, as are the stanchions under the thwarts. The keel is Sikta spruce, a wood that is both light and stiff. Post knees are hackmatack, and oak i used for wear shoe, frames, and gunwale trim. Maine cedar is used for the planking. I selected Eastern pine for the thwarts, kneed with apple and pear, and locust for the cleats. The thumb cleats aft are apple, and for the hell of it, it's butternut for the centerboard well cap! Spars and oars are of Sitka spruce. Finally, the stern is Philippine wood, used because it was just right, very red and dense. The fastenings are copper and bronze.

Present thinking might consider this a hodgepodge of lumber, yet each wood was chosen for specific reasons -- durability in its function, strength, and keeping weight within bounds. Many ask where I get such exotic stuff. It's around underfoot; you stumble over it at times. It's just a matter of keeping one's eyes open. Small craft don't require much stock, so a little goes a long way. Though the hours putting together always seem to mount up, there is great satisfaction in the work.

The design follows very closely the old yawls of very small size. The boat is burdensome, yet a good sailer using a traditional sprit rig of good area [47 s.f.], with a reef. These little craft are extremely powerful for their size. They can sail in quite blowy conditions under short sail -- this was one of the old-time requirements. The plank, sometimes called the wherry, keel was used to provide a good landing for the centerboard well, and also to allow the boat to sit upright on a beach. She uses wedge deadwood construction aft, and it is considerably shaped. I very much like to see a thin forefoot and heel in any craft -- this is a matter of lofting and allowing enough deadwood to work with. So many boats now have stubby stems and sternposts. In this day and age it's difficult to understand why."

[ripley699]

thank you

[rbgarr]

I saw the boat close up last night and she's a honey.

Geoff Burke, Chocorua Boatworks of Tamworth NH was the instructor for the course and my friend had a great time learning the steps of small boat building from keel construction to finish work. He met people like Maynard Bray, who helped with construction decisions on the somewhat sketchy Culler plans (as they often are ) and made other contacts that he'll find useful as he finishes off the boat (Greg Rossel, for example).

He wants to use the wherry for late afternoon sails from the boatyard where he works.

My friend is a confirmed small boat guy now!

[JC 72]

Beautiful boat. My favorite of Culler's small boats. Fell in love with it when I got the book. What Thorne said, more pics.