newbie boat, but pretty and useful

[haggis95]

Hey chaps:

I'm new to this forum and an absolute beginner to boat building (though apparently my great, great, great grandfather had a boat yard near Liverpool).

I had a 24' San Juan , but it was too big (4' fin) to launch easily in the prairie waters in western Canada.

I'm looking to build an open cockpit daysailer for myself, wife and 3 kids (I know - I'm already talking an 18 to 20 footer here).

Stitch and glue seems like a great place to start. But I want something that looks better than a shoebox, and is a nice easy sailer.

Maybe I should start with building a couple of stitch and glue canoes, or a skiff, to get my feet wet, so to speak, and then move up.

I love the look of the Caledonia Yawls, and by all accounts they are great sailers, but maybe it would be too much boat to build straight-off.

Any hints, opinions or experiences you would like to share?

[James McMullen]

A CY is every bit as good a boat as you've heard, or maybe even more so. No, it is not too hard for a first project if you are enthusiastic and committed to the cause. TerryLL here on the forum is building one even as we speak.

I say, why start with second best when you can have top shelf right from the get-go? Caledonia Yawl!

[TerryLL]

Actually not. What I am doing as we speak is wasting time posting on this silly forum.

[James McMullen]

Back to the shop with ye, scalawag! Thar's planks to be spiled out yonder!

[TerryLL]

Haggis,

Many CYs have been built by first-time builders. It is not a difficult or highly technical build. Iain Oughtred is a wizzard at designing boats that are drop-dead gorgeous and also easy to build, a rare combination.

All you need is sufficient time and space and a small collection of tools. Power tools are not required, buy will certainly make the build quicker and easier. There is another forum entirely devoted to the CY and other Oughtred designs. Here's the link:

http://boats.duncan.com/cyforum/index.php

There are a number of CY owners and builders here on the forum who can offer guidance.

[tomlarkin]

Spare the bilge and spile the planks!

[TerryLL]

Back to the shop with ye, scalawag! Thar's planks to be spiled out yonder!

Nope. I got a day off tomorrow and have plans to embark on a myrtle quest. My favorite little hole-in-the-wall lumber mill has a big stack of 8/4 figured myrtle that's been collecting dust for decades. I do believe it shall be mine.

[haggis95]

Thanks guys. appreciate the feedback. As much as anything I want something to do in the winter months when I can't ride my motorbikes!

I've also been checking out the Christmas Wherry (http://www.duck-trap.com/newwherry.html) That's a pretty boat too!

[James McMullen]

Oooo! Terry . .Figured Myrtle for your thwarts, perchance? 8/4 means you can bookmatch your side benches.

[James McMullen]

The wherry is also pretty nice, but is a much smaller boat and more of a rowboat than a sailboat. Based on your initial post, I think the CY fits your criteria better, so you should just plan to build that one first and follow it up with the CW for dessert.

[TerryLL]

Oooo! Figured Myrtle for your thwarts, perchance? 8/4 means you can bookmatch your side benches.

Nope. I've got a bevy of lovely weaver ladies down the Oregon coast looking for some myrtle textile tools.

The CY will be plain and functional, no frills. Trex decking, house paint, clothesline rigging, blue tarp sails.

[jsjpd1]

I agree that a CY should not be out of reach to a first time builder and should fit your needs and size requirements. Ours is plenty big enough for our family of four, all our camping gear and a bit of room to spare. It was my first build (not the last though). I started with a fair amount of tools and a medium amount of experience building square objects. If I can do it, just about anybody else can too.





Jim

[jsjpd1]

The CY will be plain and functional, no frills. Trex decking, house paint, clothesline rigging, blue tarp sails.

I like plain and functional, couldn't quite bring myself to go with blue tarp sails though (maybe a nice brown and green tarp, but not blue).

[TerryLL]

I like plain and functional, couldn't quite bring myself to go with blue tarp sails though (maybe a nice brown and green tarp, but not blue).

OK. Blue main, green jib, brown mizzen. Should be a stunnner.

[jsjpd1]

OK. Blue main, green jib, brown mizzen. Should be a stunnner.

Absolutely.

[gilberj]

With a family of 5 (remember kids grow to) I'd go for a somewhat more voluminous hull, something by John Welsford or perhaps the Bay Raider. I love Ian's boats but they don't do a load as well as some others.

[haggis95]

Hmm - some good points to consider....

So do a kit, or source the materials myself?

[biglad]

I started a thread not too long ago called 'Which boat for coastal sailing in Scotland'. My requirements are similar to yours and there's loads of suggestions with good photo's that would suit you.

On the CY forum I've started a thread which compares the CY to Welsfords Pathfinder.

My requirements are similar to yours- I need a boat for 2 adults, 2 kids and a few more on occasions. I also need to be able to singlehand.

[James McMullen]

Blue tarp sails!?! Terry, are you just yanking my chain? I hope so!

The CY has the potential to be a good enough performer that it will absolutely reward genuine sail-shaped sails made out of sail. You can buy a kit from Sailrite and assemble the components yourself to save money. "Sails" made from tarp are more likely to turn your thoroughbred into a plodding, unweatherly carthorse. I think it's a very false economy if you care even slightly about sailing performance.

[James McMullen]

Gilberj, a CY isn't voluminous enough? What? The CY is enormous, much bigger than Rowan, and Rowan will seat five in a pinch.


And by the time the kids have grown up a little bit more, they'll want their own companion boat to sail alongside in. The problem with only one boat is that there's only one who can be helmsman at a time. That's fine for little kids, but by the time they're teenagers, they aren't gonna want to sit still and be a passenger. I can't stand doing that even now. A bunch of small boats cruising in company is about as fun as it gets.

[TerryLL]

Blue tarp sails!?! Terry, are you just yanking my chain? I hope so!

I figgered my comment about blue tarp sails might get a rise out of you. Should we talk about underlayment plank stock and yellow wood glue?

I sewed the sails on my last boat, and I have to admit, I am a much better woodworker than seamstress. My first dory carried a lovely gaff rig that Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails put together. I'll probably go that route again.

[James McMullen]

Whew! You had me worried! Okay, so I'm a sucker, but I really, really, really like these boats and just want them to be be fed and watered properly so they can thrive and grow.

I'm almost as bad a sewer as I am a welder, but I'm too stubborn to give up, even though I'd enjoy it.

[JimD]

The prairie waters of western Canada comprise a lot a water, probably several thousand lakes, small to large. Can you be more specific?

[haggis95]

OK - Calgary's Glenmore Reservoir (in the city - 1km long about 5km wide and has an active sailing club), Ghost Dam (glacier fed artificial lake, formed along the Bow River. 45 km west of Calgary) 13.5 km long and 1.9km wide. Then other reservoirs in Alberta, and the occasional jaunt to Windermere, Salmon Arm, Kootenay etc.
,

[JimD]

Also, once you mention the CY it seems almost all other options get drowned out. Too bad, I think, because there are a lot of nice designs out there. How about a Welsford 6 Metre Whaler, a big, roomy, stable double ender?



Or a Bolger Chebacco with a minimal cuddy? (transoms can come in handy)

[haggis95]

I just googled her! Slurp! There are so many beautiful boats.

[Barry]

How about http://www.tadroberts.ca/services/sm...-and-oar/ratty

just 20', open boat, lots of room. A great sail or oar boat

[JimD]

OK - Calgary's Glenmore Reservoir (in the city - 1km long about 5km wide and has an active sailing club), Ghost Dam (glacier fed artificial lake, formed along the Bow River. 45 km west of Calgary) 13.5 km long and 1.9km wide. Then other reservoirs in Alberta, and the occasional jaunt to Windermere, Salmon Arm, Kootenay etc.
,

My old stomping grounds. If you're in Calgary then the Glenmore is very convenient but as you know its a small, crowded pond and you seem to spend most of your time tacking and dodging the fleet of dinghys. The Ghost can be brutally windy. You want stability and a very managable sailplan. Welsford's 6MW is a design I looked at very closely back when I was still interested in building a rugged, robust, seaworthy monohull. Ever make it east to Lake Newell? Nice spot for small boat sailing, too.

[haggis95]

Hmm - they don't seem to be in business - or at least their website and all links are dwon.

[haggis95]

Thanks JimD: Lake Newell seems good - never been there. That 6m whaler does look good.