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Giacomo
Bob Bartram modified his Penobscot 17 by omitting the side seats from the after thwart forward, thus opening up the interior. Another interesting modification is that he has led the main halyards aft through a PVC tube, so that he can raise and lower the mainsail from the helm. Bob writes, “I really enjoyed building this boat, which I named Giacomo after my wife's father. Your instructions and guidance were excellent. It was the first boat I ever built and it was a joy. I'm not really a great sailor, I learned to sail off the north coast of Africa in 1968 and until I launched your boat in 2007 I had never sailed in all that time. Most of it came back right away but I'm sure it was your design that allowed me to get back on the water and enjoy myself. Thank you.” For his next project, Bob is considering the Bay Pilot 18, or a cat boat. September 23, 2009.
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Aurai 17.
The Penobscot 17 is now available, slightly modified, from Callisto Sailcraft as the Aurai 17. Tom Barrows built a P 17 for his own use, and liked the boat so much that he is now having them built professionally for sale in the US. He says, “Callisto Sailcraft is now ready to begin shipping its new Aurai 17. The Aurai 17 is a perfect adaptation of the Penobscot 17 by Arch Davis Design, the purity of its lines rendered in the traditional Whitehall family. Its beautiful hull is handmade in Europe by artisan craftsman using the
finest grade materials. The Aurai is finished and rigged by Callisto Sailcraft's small team located in Port Townsend and Wenatchee, Washington. A tremendous amount of energy, time and passion goes into each boat as Callisto Sailcraft endeavors to bring joy into the lives of others through the charm of its hand-crafted wooden sailboats.”You can contact Callisto Sailcraft through the link on our home page. September 24, 2008.
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A Penobscot 17 Down Under.
Wayne Worland, of Nerang, Queensland, Australia, launched his Penobscot 17 in 2005. He recently sent some photos. He writes:“Thank you for the very detailed plans and manual for the Penobscot 17. My Dad Clarrie and I took approximately 14 months to build her. This was our first attempt at boat building and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience as much as we have sailing her. “All timber except for the spars and gunwales is kiln dried hoop pine with hoop pine marine grade ply for the planking etc. We were fortunate to acquire an old 3” x 10” x 22' oregon [douglas fir] beam from a demolished church, from which the spars and gunwale trim etc. were cut. The photos include shots of the oregon spar transport brackets Clarrie made. “Neither Clarrie nor I had sailed before undertaking this project and we have found this boat extremely kind to sail. Your design certainly turns heads, and the resulting conversations at the boat ramp cause great delays in making it onto the water each time we go sailing. Meanwhile a very proud Dad deservedly laps up the attention. “Thanks Arch for sharing with us your obvious talents. We most certainly could not have undertaken such a project without you.” October 11, 2006.
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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.
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A Sand Dollar Is Launched.
Ken Hall, of Council Bluffs, IA, has named his Sand Dollar Sea Story.He writes, “I am pleased with how it turned out, and it sails well. As you will recall, we upsized the sail area to account for our generally light local winds and my not-so-light waistline. With the longer boom, I decided to use an aft mainsheet ‘horse/traveler’ arrangement to make it easier to move about when tacking. I am still tweaking-in the best spot on the gaff to secure the halyard, as well as fighting a sticking problem with the gaff jaws not wanting to rotate from the starboard tack to port.” This seems to be a common problem with the high-peaked gaff of a gunter rig, although it does not seem to affect the set of the sail unduly. We have suggested rubbing some paraffin wax on the jaws to provide some lubrication. Ken has clearly done an excellent job on Sea Story. The varnished molding along the bottom edge of the sheer strake looks particularly well against the dark hull color. He says that he is now considering a bigger boat, and is looking at the Penobscot 14.
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A Laughing Gull’s Maiden Voyage.
Pete Hall, of Sanford,N.C., sent us these photos. He writes:Arch, here are some pictures of my Laughing Gull's first taste of salt water (a big gulp). Photos taken on Taylor's Creek in Beaufort, North Carolina, while the Beaufort wooden boat show was going on. We had to tack up a fairly narrow section of the creek to get near the Maritime Museum where the show was going on. Proceeded to dump the boat in full view of all builders, owners and sailors. But true to your design she came back up quite easily, drained and we skulked back down the creek. The next day we took her out in more open waters over to the Shackelford Banks. Dumped her again just off the beach in 20+ wind. No problem- just hauled her high and dry on the beach and waited for our clothes to dry. On the way back home decided to skirt the leeward side of the marshes rather than sail into the chop. Sailed most of the way back where very few boats can go - in 1 to 1 1/2 foot of water. Board up, rudder fully kicked, broad reach, once again no problem. I would have preferred slightly calmer conditions for her maiden voyage, but had great fun in a very able little boat and learned a lot in short time. Thanks. May 18, 2005.
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Jiffy V-22 Progress.
Dale Baily, of Longview, Washington, sent us these pictures of his Jiffy V-22. His next project is to build the dash and control panel, a table and seating, and a small galley. He writes, “The electrics are a bit of a challenge, but I’ll get it. I’ve bought a Yamaha 115 HP four stroke. I hope to get it out the door by September.”Judging by the photos, we can be sure that this work will be done to a very high standard. Clearly, any professional boatbuilder could be proud of work like Dale’s.
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One Builder – Two 14s.
Not content with having made a beautiful job of his Penobscot 14 Exact, Ted MacKinnon, of Birmingham, MI, went on to build a superb ACE 14 - as you can see. His Kachina incorporates several creative features, including fore and after decks which are removable for access to the compartments below.Ted writes, “I got her in the water here at Presque Isle recently, and after some tuning and adjustments have been able to determine that she is a very good sailing boat, with lively performance, good stability and responsiveness. You will be glad to know that I got a ‘Best Sailboat’ award at the local boat show; and that there was a gentleman from Alpena there who had built your Jiffy 9-7 – he also got a first in the dingy classification.” With her varnished deck and perfectly setting sails, Kachina makes a pretty picture indeed – one of the best we have of this design. We hope Ted gets plenty of good sailing this summer. He should have another boat to choose from next summer – he is now building a Sand Dollar. Perhaps this is the time to let slip a secret. A new design is in the works, with the prototype just launched, and plans due for publication in the fall. We feel that we had better get busy – Ted will probably be done with his Sand Dollar before we know it, and looking for his next project! July 23, 2003.
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If you would like to see your boat featured here, send photos and a description of your project to Arch Davis Design, 37 Doak Road, Belfast, ME 04915. We would love to see them - we are always looking for good picture of boats under way!
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