Grania
These photos came from Bill Raver, of Morro Bay, CA. He writes, “My 16 year old daughter, Amanda, and I built our boat over the past 3 1/2 years. We used okoume ply over doug fir stringers. The stem, centerboard and rudder are red oak, the keelson and thwarts are mahogany, the deadwood is ipe and the rails are capped with cherry. We made our own blocks and sewed the sail using a kit from SailRite. Grania rows beautifully and on the first sail, we experienced winds from very light breezes to 15 knots. She ghosts along nicely in the lightest breezes and kicks up her heels when the wind picks up.

“Grania is named after the 16th century Irish pirate queen, one of my daughter's favorite stories. We visited her castle on Clare Island in Clew Bay and brought back a bottle of Clew Bay water, which we used for the christening.

“Although I have done some woodworking, this was my first boat. Your plans and instructions were very easy to work from, and the project was very satisfying. Building something like Grania together was a wonderful father-daughter project, and we're looking forward to lots of fun times in her.”

March 11, 2010.

Water Bug
Steve Counselman, of Oak Harbor, Washington, bought plans for the Laughing Gull in August, 2009. He writes, “I have finished the boat, which was great fun. Your plans couldn't have been much better, and I look forward to starting a new project, maybe with your Penobscot 14. I hope the boat handles well in big wind and waves, as the Puget Sound can get pretty riled up. . . . And right now the water temps are around 45 degrees.

“I put in a total of 300 working hours, but I made everything from scratch, including four oars, two at 8' and two at 7'. I used five different woods including Ipea (which I rescued from a friend’s fireplace) in the heavy use areas, to a piece of fir driftwood that I made the bow stem from. I found some Yellow Cedar which I used for the seat beams. I used leftover sugar pine and 1/8" doorskin laminated together for my oar blanks. I'll let you know if they survive. For all your west coast fans, you may wish to recommend using Port Townsend Foundry for standard and one of a kind bronze fittings. Those guys are artists when it comes to metal. And they are around the corner from Edensaw Lumber.

“I deviated from your plans by making the front and back seats into hatch covers so as to use the space below for all the stuff you trip on when sailing.”

January 29, 2010.

Grace Eileen Progress.
We last posted pictures of our 30 ft sailboat when we turned the hull over in March last year. These photos show what we have been up to since then. The foredeck and side decks are in place, and most of the interior cabinetry is now complete.

The top picture shows Grace fastening the top of one of the quarter berths. At the same time, we pre-finished all the plywood deck panels before gluing and screwing them in place. The next photo shows me rolling a coat of epoxy resin on one of the side deck panels. The strip of wood in the center of the panel is reinforcing for the headsail sheet track. Two coats of epoxy resin were followed by undercoat, then paint. Before fitting the panels we also pre-finished the sheer clamps, carlines, and deck beams with epoxy resin and varnish. The next photo shows the underside of the foredeck, after fitting the plywood. Doing the job like this gives a very nice, clean contrast of paint with varnish, without a lot of fussy masking and cutting in (not to mention a lot less paint in your hair!).

The last photo shows the boat at this time, with a locker outboard of the port quarter berth, ready for varnishing. You can also see part of the galley (there is another counter with a sink to starboard). Not visible are the berths in the main cabin, and cabinets in the head, forward of the bulkhead projecting above the deck. There is still a little cabinetry to finish, then we will start on the cabin trunk and cockpit.

January 15, 2010.

South Wind II
Joel Jensen, of Falmouth, ME, built his Penobscot 14 in the loft above his garage. He writes, “Last year at this time, I had just started building your Penobscot 14. I worked on the boat steadily, and made good progress through the winter. I did the finish work from June until July, when I was finally able to launch it.

“Building the South Wind II was a very exciting and rewarding experience. I was able to sail her just enough to get the rig set up the way I wanted it before other commitments forced me to put her away for the winter. I have been very encouraged with the way this boat sails and handles. She is quick and responsive. I think your instruction was excellent, and it made building the Penobscot very enjoyable.

"I am a new member of the TSCA [Traditional Small Craft Association], and I am planning to attend the Small Reach Regatta in Frenchman’s Bay this coming summer. I will be proud to tell everyone the boat is an Arch Davis design.”

January 2, 2010.

A Satisfying Project.
Tom Connell launched his Sand Dollar on Lake Simcoe in Ontario, in August. He writes, “I found the written instructions were extremely useful, and also consulted the video frequently, which was also very useful. The tools I found particularly useful were my two planes, a fine handsaw for detailed work, and a compact table saw. My set of chisels also got lots of use. I have very limited woodworking experience, and this was my first project of this kind. I didn't have any major difficulties with this project, but I did learn a lot and also found I had to think carefully about how to get something just right.

“Initial experience this summer suggests that the boat’s duties will encompass messing around by the dock, for early-morning exercise up and down the shore, and for just getting away from it all as needed. It has been equally popular with ‘grannie’ who can launch it on her own and get in a good work-out before others are up, and by the youngsters who pile-in and putter around.

“ I have been very impressed with the boat's handling. I found its straight-ahead speed compares favorably to a canoe, and it maneuvers very nicely. It is very comfortable to sit in, whether rowing or not, and works well with occupants on one, two or three seats. It is very stable, and has no problem with moderate sized waves. It was a very satisfying project all-round.”

December 13, 2009.

An Odyssey.
Peter Sawyer has sent some more photos, and the following account:

“A friend and I just returned from an 8-day, 200 nm camping trip along the north Gulf of Mexico within Apalachee Bay. We left from Alligator Point, FL and made it as far as Apalachicola. For most of the route we had the protection of barrier islands ranging from three to ten miles from the mainland. The boat did really well. There were times when we were taking waves over the bow, but even when she shipped a lot of water it was easy to turn downwind and let it all drain out. We ended up facing serious chop and 20 kt winds on several days in the open areas of the bay, but I never felt uncomfortable with the seaworthiness of the Laughing Gull. For the return trip we faced NE winds, which is where we wanted to go. For three days, we beat upwind, and though exhausting due to the 15-20kt winds with higher gusts, the boat did well.”

Peter reports some problems with the rudder pintles and boom jaws. He comments, “My use of the boat over the past week was pretty extreme given the conditions. We were in a lot of open water with waves that would give a much larger boat trouble. But as I said before, I was really impressed with how she handled everything, and I am now confident that she is a strong boat with great sea-keeping for her size. In the end, the minor problems made the trip a lot more interesting. I met a great many nice folks walking around Apalachicola with the rudder over my shoulder looking for help. Thanks again for the wonderful plans.

November 9, 2009

Kelsey K
This Jack Tar design was launched recently by Jim Kuhns, of Clatskanie, OR. The Kelsey K is powered by a 230 hp Steyr MO236K42 with a ZF63A-20 2.03:1 transmission. Jim reports a top speed about 23 knots, cruising at 15 – 17 knots, although at this point the propeller needs to be adjusted as he is exceeding maximum engine rpm. A larger diameter propeller, or more pitch, should increase speeds somewhat.

It has been a long term project for Jim. He writes, “It has been an on and off project for the last 10 yrs. Fortunately I still like the design and am pleased with the final product. I launched it this July and have been doing some finish work, adding equipment and generally shaking thing down. I will finish the cabinets for the galley this winter and anything else that I haven't gotten done. >P?“I followed your plans with few exceptions, the major one being the curved transom. Most of work was done solo and a lot of the parts were fabricated from scratch. All in all it been a rewarding project, not the hardest one I've ever done but surely the longest.”

Jim reports that the boat trims down a little by the bow at rest. Some adjustment of the waterline and/or relocating some weights should take care of this. He adds, “I found very few issues with the plans and drawing, most of the things I was puzzling over turned out to be detailed on another drawing. Good plans. Thank you.

November 10, 2009.

Emma’s Sand Dollar.
These photos come from Ed Halley, who writes, “My father and I started construction in late January this year and worked on the boat when we had extra time. We completely finished it July 31 just in time for our family reunion this past weekend. We then christened the boat and passed on the ownership to my daughter. The boat is kept at Deep Creek Lake, MD and my daughter proudly rowed and sailed several times this past weekend. The boat turned out beautiful. My father and I are hobby wood workers so I had a shop to use with table saw, band saw, planner and joiner. We constructed the boat using local hardwoods, white oak and West Virginia walnut. The spars are Sitka Spruce.

We learned a great deal in the building process and best of all we spent a lot of quality time together. Your plans and video were excellent in detailing the steps along the way. Several of our lake neighbors have already asked if we can build their families one. The boat we be well taken care of and has already become a family treasure.

November 3, 2009

Carolina Rosio
Peter Sawyer recently launched his Laughing Gull at Alligator Point, Florida. He writes, “The boat is named for my great-grandmother, who as a 15 year old decided to leave her small town outside of Torino, Italy to come to America. She made it as far as Milan before discovering that she had to be 16 in order to travel alone to the US. She spent one year in a convent in Milan before finally making it on board a ship to New York. The boat is named in honor of her courage and travels.

“ The Carolina Rosio sails wonderfully. She was launched in 5-10 kt winds, and I was a bit concerned about the light air. However, on the strength of her ample rig, she proved to be quite the performer. She accelerates quickly and is very responsive to the helm. There is little lee or weather helm and when I let go of the tiller she was content to carry on. She is very comfortable--I put a throwable PFD against the gunwale for my back and put my feet up on the other side. I felt like I was sailing in a much larger boat. The only significant modification I made to the plans was to omit the middle seat and the foot rests. I plan to use the boat primarily for sailing and wanted the deck as clear as possible.

“I want to reiterate my appreciation for the time and care you put into the plans and manual. There was never a time when I felt I did not have a solid understanding of each step. Since my woodworking resume prior to this project consisted of bird houses and two bookcases, the detail was necessary and effective.

October 28, 2009.

Natara
Bob Bridges named his Bay Pilot 18 after his two daughters, Natalie and Tamara. He decided that he did not need the wheelhouse shown in the plans for the climate in Florida, so he replaced it with just a windshield. The result is very pleasing, as you can see.

Natara is powered with a 60 HP Yamaha, which Bob reports, “does the job nicely, even with four people on board.” Top speed is over 32 mph, and the boat cruises comfortably at 25 mph. He adds, “The boat is great – it is a ‘head turner’ wherever we go. The design is great and your help over the past 18 months has been outstanding.”

Plywood for Tamara was Hydrocore from World Panel Products; for solid lumber Bob used Douglas fir. He plans to add a bimini top in the future.

September 20, 2009