The believed abstraction of a 12 foot clinker dinghy.

[Mike1902]

Hello fellow WoodenBoat enthusiasts,

This is my first contribution to the forum,so here goes.

I was given a 12 foot clinker dinghy.The original intention of the previous owner however was to sell it, (when he got around to it), as he had no time to work on it .We had talked about this dinghy over the previous weeks as he new of my interest in wooden boats having partially restored a 1902 Bailey yacht.With curiosity piqued I went and had a look. The dinghy itself had been left outside in the elements uncovered for a number of years and upon closer inspection revealed a number of rotten areas especially around the transom.The extent of the deterioration came as somewhat of a surprise and somewhat of a disappointment to the owner that he had let it get that way,so much so that he said that I could have it, if I could save it.

The shape and volume of the dinghy was what caught my eye,"it's got potential" the voice inside my head was telling me (how many of you have heard that same voice to the detriment of bank balances,relationships etc etc) but it was free. I told the owner, that upon further inspection if it was going to be more than I needed, then I would gift it on.

I haven't,it's well ensconced in the workshop.Let the fun begin. So here are a couple of pics as found.I will regale you with the resurrection of this dinghy over the coming weeks,months, probably years.

[skuthorp]

Well I like her lines, and I reckon she would have carried a deal of canvas and been quite quick. Bit small for a working boat, she's the same length as my ply racing dinghy but wider and heavier of course.
Is the centreplate still in her? Is the pulpit on top of the original mast fitting? I note the pin rail and expect she would have been a gaffer. Have you found any ID plate or stamped hull number?
I do hope someone can come up with her original class.

[Peerie Maa]

Well I like her lines, and I reckon she would have carried a deal of canvas and been quite quick. Bit small for a working boat, she's the same length as my ply racing dinghy but wider and heavier of course.
Is the centreplate still in her? Is the pulpit on top of the original mast fitting? I note the pin rail and expect she would have been a gaffer. Have you found any ID plate or stamped hull number?
I do hope someone can come up with her original class.

Welcome to the Forum.
Deffo not a working boat. That is batten seam clinker ply. Probably glued ply.
Clean her out thoroughly and search for any failing paint. That will help you to determine the condition of the planking.

[epoxyboy]

Frostbite?
https://www.sail-world.com/Australia...?source=google

Pete

[timo4352]

Looks pretty good from here...

[Peerie Maa]

Frostbite?
https://www.sail-world.com/Australia...?source=google

Pete

Nah. If the Frostbite is a One Design the transom is the wrong shape.

[Mike1902]

Well I like her lines, and I reckon she would have carried a deal of canvas and been quite quick. Bit small for a working boat, she's the same length as my ply racing dinghy but wider and heavier of course.
Is the centreplate still in her? Is the pulpit on top of the original mast fitting? I note the pin rail and expect she would have been a gaffer. Have you found any ID plate or stamped hull number?
I do hope someone can come up with her original class.

Her original design is a mystery.All the previous owner could tell me was that a small number of these boats were built in the seventies in Tauranga New Zealand by the designer.There is no ID plate or hull number.

The dinghy is 12 feet in length with a beam of 6 feet.The rig is gaff main and jib.The centreplate is made from 1/4 inch steel.

[Mike1902]

Welcome to the Forum.
Deffo not a working boat. That is batten seam clinker ply. Probably glued ply.
Clean her out thoroughly and search for any failing paint. That will help you to determine the condition of the planking.

Thank you for the welcome.

You are indeed correct about the batten seam clinker ply construction.The seams were glued with resorcinol with 1/2 inch screws every 4 inches.

To bring everyone up to speed,I acquired the dinghy just before Christmas last year.It spent a little time hanging off the workshop ceiling before the Covid lockdown came into force here in NZ.Then with not much else to do during that time I retreated to the workshop and proceeded to strip the boat right back.

I intend to place a daily post on this forum to show the progress I have made so far until I am up to date.

Cheers.

[Mike1902]

Looks pretty good from here...

It's a great little boat.The photos don't give her justice.She is quite voluminous though low freeboarded amidships.I intend to use her for camp cruising and participating in the odd race at the wooden boat regattas.

[Mike1902]

Nah. If the Frostbite is a One Design the transom is the wrong shape.

She definitely has a new transom now.I will post updates over the next week showing how this was done.

[scoutabout]

Great little boat - looking forward to watching and learning.

[johngsandusky]

Welcome aboard!
That's a big little boat.

[willin woodworks]

looks good from here...

[stromborg]

There are some nice touches on that hull. Looking forward to seeing her rigged up.

Is there a thwart missing? Where does one sit to use those oarlocks?

[Mike1902]

There are some nice touches on that hull. Looking forward to seeing her rigged up.

Is there a thwart missing? Where does one sit to use those oarlocks?

There is no indication that a thwart was fitted and I'm picking that one must have sat on the platebox to use the oars.

I intend to build new centreboard and housing which will incorporate a seating arrangement for rowing.
The oars that came with the boat look a little short for the beam,would have been an interesting sight watching someone row it.Extending the oars will be another exercise that I look forward to.

[Mike1902]

Getting the dinghy into the workshop was the next challenge,a challenge because my workshop is on a hill with limited access.

There are many windows but only one door which has an opening width of 820 mm (32").With the help of a few mates the dinghy passed through with millimetres to spare.
I had pre measured this of course and once I had removed the rotten bowsprit I new it would be close.

I now have to keep this in mind when designing the new attachments ( bowsprit,coamings etc) so I can get it back out.Removing the door frame is an option if I need a few more mm.
IMG-2251.jpg
As my father says "we will panic when we get there".

[Mike1902]

As you can see in this image (apologies in advance for the contemplation pose for dramatic effect) there are holes in about 5 or 6 strakes either side of the keel.The lower area of the transom was also a little soft.

IMG-2252 (1).jpg
I decided to replace the transom anyway because I thought a)I didn't need an outboard recess, b)it was to heavy, c)it was ugly.
Then the deconstruction began,deck off,centreboard case out,most of the laminated ribs and floors.

I removed all of the paint inside and out to see what else may be hidden below the coatings.
I had rigged up a pulley system (since improved upon) so I could rotate the dinghy to reach it at all angles for ease of work.
IMG-1526.jpgIMG_1548.jpgIMG-2254.jpg

[Woxbox]

Cool project. Looks to be inspired by New England catboats. I'd be thinking of the Beetle Cat rig for her. 100 square feet on 12'4" by 6' hull weighing somewhere above 400 pounds.

[Breakaway]

The sailing version of John Gardners, FATBOAT?

Kevin


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mike1902]

The sailing version of John Gardners, FATBOAT?

Kevin

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

This boat is even fatter than the 13'7".

[Mike1902]

Cool project. Looks to be inspired by New England catboats. I'd be thinking of the Beetle Cat rig for her. 100 square feet on 12'4" by 6' hull weighing somewhere above 400 pounds.

Thanks Dave.Yes she certainly has the Catboat proportions.

I have toyed with the idea of a Cat rig along with a few others but I think I will be going with a balanced lug for camping and a gaff cutter rig for racing and general thrill seeking.

The image below is one I drew up calculating C of E's and CLR of a new rig using the current gaff main and jib.The shaded red area of the jib is the current sail in it's original position.
I have moved the tack of this jib back to the stem head,moved the mast a little aft,added a bowsprit and jib which will protrude 4 feet beyond the stem,then added a topsail to completely over power everything.
The centreboard I have moved aft also to balance everything.The new plate will have the profile of a Spitfire wing and I will probably readjust it's position.
The hull profile is in scale after a lot of measuring.

Now this is just a concept,plans and ideas change on a regular basis and usually come full circle.
The thing is,I like lots of sails and strings to pull.

I would be interested in opinions on this current plan.
IMG-2257.jpg

[Chris249]

It doesn't look a million miles away from the Logan Silver Fern class.

[stromborg]

Hmm. 12 foot dingy with a topsail?
Thrill seeking indeed. Looking forward to the video. Though I suppose with that much beam she'll stand up to a lot of canvas.

[Peerie Maa]

Hmm. 12 foot dingy with a topsail?
Thrill seeking indeed. Looking forward to the video. Though I suppose with that much beam she'll stand up to a lot of canvas.

You are not familiar with the Balmain Bugs then?

[stromborg]

That is a new one on me. Fine for Sydney, but our local water temperatures are far below theirs. Over-canvased boats had more appeal when I was younger, back when I was more than willing to don a wetsuit mid-summer to go out Laser sailing. Now I'd rather stay in the boat.

[Mike1902]

It doesn't look a million miles away from the Logan Silver Fern class.

I've even had someone say that it looks like a butchered X Class.

All in all,it is what it is and with that beam and that sheer she shows a bit of character,it's what caught my eye.

[Mike1902]

Hmm. 12 foot dingy with a topsail?
Thrill seeking indeed. Looking forward to the video. Though I suppose with that much beam she'll stand up to a lot of canvas.

Ah yes, I'm definitely counting on that beam to help me out,that plus a hefty crew depending on the day.Will be an interesting exercise,one that I'm looking forward to.

[Mike1902]

Well after the paint was removed I took stock of the needed repairs.

The rot was mainly contained in the aft area by the transom where fresh water had been allowed to pool.Even though the bung had been removed, dirt and debris had blocked the hole.
There were a couple of soft patches up by the centreboard case but other than that I was pleasantly surprised by the overall condition... of the hull.
The deck however was a right off and I've already given my view about that transom.

So off it came.
IMG-1715.jpgIMG-2259.jpg

[Slacko]

The first 2 photo's she looks pretty chunky and heavy.
The photo of her being carried through the door shrinks her considerably, then the bare hull shows her true potential.
Enjoy the process. I'm looking fwd to the sailing photo's.
I was looking at a Wagstaff 4.4 at the club yesterday.
Nice, powerful fast two man trapeze skiff from a known designer, but only 3 got built as it didn't take off as a class.
It raced in the open dinghy class against the 420's, lasers and other random bits and bob's.
This one is most likely a similar story of a nice design that didn't break into the mainstream.

[Mike1902]

The first 2 photo's she looks pretty chunky and heavy.
The photo of her being carried through the door shrinks her considerably, then the bare hull shows her true potential.
Enjoy the process. I'm looking fwd to the sailing photo's.
I was looking at a Wagstaff 4.4 at the club yesterday.
Nice, powerful fast two man trapeze skiff from a known designer, but only 3 got built as it didn't take off as a class.
It raced in the open dinghy class against the 420's, lasers and other random bits and bob's.
This one is most likely a similar story of a nice design that didn't break into the mainstream.

She looks to have been designed as a fun character dinghy with no intention of racing.A safe beamy family dinghy.
She will be a great camping boat with good volume for it's size and a safe conservative rig (balanced lug I think).
There will however be a sport option.We will see how that goes.

[Mike1902]

The idea of a false floor and open transom was a fleeting moment.

I made a rough pattern out of core flute material so that I could adjust the shape to a point where the look was appealing.

Curved transoms look great but I did not want to start cutting into the strakes along each side to accommodate this.
With the pattern I was able to establish the fact that I could curve the top edge while keeping the perimeter on the original transom plane.
I also moved the bottom edge inwards slightly to create more aft rake.
IMG-2260.jpgIMG-1731.jpgIMG-1730.jpgIMG-2261.jpg
When I obtained the desirable curve, measurements were taken for the construction of a jig.

[Mike1902]

The jig consisted of a panel of MDF for the base.A wedge shaped piece was placed centre,the thick end measurement equaling the deepest part of the transom's top edge curve.
The coreflute pattern was then placed across the wedge to establish the transom perimeter which was then drawn onto the MDF.
IMG-1738.jpgIMG-1737.jpg
A batten was then bent across this wedge to establish the landing for the panels that made up the transom lamination.
The landing surface was planed until a fair curve was reached across and down the length of the wedge following the drawn curve of the transom.

[Mike1902]

The panels I made from recycled Kauri floorboards.
Kauri which most of you will know is a New Zealand native timber that was used extensively in the boat building industry back in the day.
The qualities that this timber possesses across the board (excuse pun) for boat building is, I think, unparalleled.
IMG-2264.jpgIMG-2263.jpg
I made up three panels.Each panel was 6mm (1/4") thick and by area enough to cover the jig.
The first panel was laid over, then each subsequent panel was made a little smaller in area to allow battens to be fastened around the edge.
IMG-1741.jpgIMG-1742.jpg
After first dry fitting, thickened epoxy was then liberally spread over the panels.The curve of the panels combined with the stiffness of each panel created enough pressure to ensure a good lamination when fastened.
IMG-1746.jpg
The best panel which would be viewed from astern was left till last as this will be bright finished.The inside face will be painted.

[Mike1902]

So this is what I ended up with after removing it from the jig.

.IMG-2265.jpgIMG-1754.jpg

I checked the symmetry of the hull at the aft end to make sure nothing had moved or twisted and was happy with the result.
The next step was to scribe the transom in.The beam measurement at the most aft point of the sheer was my datum. Transfering this measurement to the transom piece I then placed my coreflute pattern square and even off these points and drew around it.
I knew this line would be slightly larger than the transom opening also allowing for the land angle from inside to out.After cutting out I placed the transom inside the boat and started to scribe in, slowly moving the transom back toward the stern as it was trimmed.
IMG-1765.jpgIMG-1769.jpg

I reached a point where the land of each strake was nestled against the transom quite nicely.This created more aft rake which I liked.This can be seen by the skeg protruding past the lower edge of the transom.
After a few minor adjustments I fixed it here with a thickened epoxy mix and small screws.
After curing the strakes were trimmed flush.
IMG-1797.jpg

The next step was to measure out the lands for the new hood ends of the damaged strakes.

[Mike1902]

Before removing the damaged strakes I transferred the line of each lap to the transom edge.I checked the symmetry each side of the keel to make sure it looked ok.

I then cut the strakes back staggering the joints which will be scarfed.Now at this point I will raise the question of the close proximity of the scarfed joints.If the dinghy had been constructed of solid timber with riveted and roved laps I would not have attempted to do this.It is however ply with battened seams and with scarfed joints will be a very stiff part of the hull when complete.The stern sheet framing will also follow this line of joints.All will be revealed later in the thread.
IMG-1819 (1).jpgIMG-1828.jpgIMG-2269.jpg

The lands pictured were later trimmed further as each strake was fitted to create a fair curve and run.

I then proceeded to form the 8:1 scarf joints.Using the plane and following the lines of the lamination in the ply was straight forward to create the taper on the bench.
In the dinghy it was a different story as I had to form the taper under each lap.This I did with a multi tool,then finished with a broad chisel.I placed a block under the work to support the edge as I went.
The 4mm ply sitting on the hull was a piece that I managed to score off a friend just an hour before covid lockdown here in NZ.There was just enough to complete the job while we were in isolation.