Specs

LOA 15' 6"

Beam 5' 2"

Anticipated Hull weight 150-200 lbs

Displacement ~520 lbs

Here are some screen shots of the CIY model with lapstrake planking. The garboard is actually stitch-and-glued to the bottom, glassed, then the rest of the planks are plywood lapstrake with no fiberglass required. The bottom exterior is definitely oriented towards a lot of beaching as this is a sail-and-oar dinghy with an emphasis on sailing.

The waterline shows quite a bearing aft which should allow for a good planing when the wind is up and the crew is sitting aft and hiking out.

Now that the hull is complete, I can begin thinking about how to layout the interior structure with CNC cutting and kit building in mind but also so that the boat can be scratch built from just the plans or full size patterns.

I'll also sketch the rig but I bet folks know what the rig will be since its implied in the name. The CIY is named for the over 365 islands that dot Casco Bay. These islands and the sailing around them are the intended waters for this exciting boat.

The plan is to find a willing boat builder out there to build the first hull. I will sell the kit at my cost. Its a great way for someone to get into the boat they want for significantly less than what will be the retail cost.

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The Calendar Islands Yawl 16

A Sail-and-Oar Dinghy for one or two people

The CIY 16 began as a 19 x 6 1/2-foot daysailer design with a deck and coaming with a bit of Herreshoff flavor. A friend who sails the Goat Island Skiff design by Michael Storer wanted a similar boat -- singlehanding, lightweight, lug rigged sail-and-oar dinghy -- but with a hull shape more amenable to Maine waters. I immediately thought of my CIY lines that I had drawn years ago and that had been sitting untouched and in need of inspiration. I had already put the lines into the computer so I scaled them down and reworked them to make this hull. The specs are:

LOA 15 1/2'

Beam 5' 1"

Displacement ~522lbs

Depth amidships 1'9"

DWL is 3'10" x 13'2"

Cp is 0.54

The hull has a wide plank keel for rolling the boat up and down the beach. The skeg is there for tracking under oars, but the cutaway allows the stern to come through the wind when tacking. The lines are fairly straight forward and full aft. In a breeze she will plane. Yet trimmed on her DWL, the transom is out of the water and the stem is in the water and she'll row fine with 10' oars so long as we keep her light. Construction will be 1/4" plywood: bottom and garboard stitch and glue style, with lapstrake sides, about 5 strakes total for topsides.

It's always fun designing something really new. The next steps are to put in all the planks in the model so look forward to that post. I'll be looking for someone to prototype the boat. Let me know if you are interested. Stay tuned!

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A great week of learning, teaching and boat launching last week at The Landing School where I instruct in the Wooden Boatbuilding Program. These students just launched a Joel White designed Maine Coast Peapod. It performed great at the launch last Friday. We enjoyed a jaunt in the Kennebunk River during a small craft advisory. We ducked out into some of the swell, three of us aboard, to see how mannerly a Peapod is in these conditions. Even I was struck -- again -- by how well behaved a sea boat the 'pod can be, whether bow to or stern to the waves. We turned around and rushed in with the swell and tide as the regular Fall start students watched on and snapped photos.

With most of my work in plywood, CNC cutting and making boat kits, it is a joy to help students learn to build a boat in solid wood and one that does not depend on epoxy for holding it all together or fairing over mistakes!

Finer points of final assembly.

Check out the Programs at The Landing School on the Rocky Coast of Maine.

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to The Compass Project in Portland, Me is building a DSD with a group of kids and they are doing a great job.

The boat is built like dories have always been built, using the bottom to erect stem, frames, and transom, then turning over the boat upside down on a strongback. Everything is plumbed and braced then planking begins.

Here the garboard has been installed and the sheer clamp is being fit. This is the only departure from traditional dory construction, the incorporating of the clamp helps tie together the frames into plumb and lock in the ends of the boat. It is a bit of a 3D puzzle!

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My friend and fellow boatbuilder in the Northwest, James McMullen, created a very useful set of drawings to help people learn how to use our favorite sailing rig, the Lug-Yawl. For sail & oar boats you cannot have a more versatile and fun rig for your boat. Clint draws these rigs into most of his designs, such as the Calendar Islands Yawl or the Goat Island Skiff with a mizzen. Please look at these drawings and imagine how this rig could fit into your own sailing.

Now that you have seen these diagrams you can also see how useful the mizzen would be for switching from sailing to rowing and vice versa. While the mizzen is hauled in, the boat will keep herself pointing into the wind so the sail can be raised and lowered without filling and causing the boat to fall off one way or the other. I have found the mizzen useful for stopping and taking a break or for restowing gear or for dealing with safety matters. In these cases, it is best to learn to "heave-to" so that your boat doesn't lose too much ground. That is one drawback of lying head-to-wind under mizzen: you need to have plenty of leeway...no boats, rocks or land to get blown down upon. The advantage of heaving-to is that you don't lose too much ground at all. We make light, strong Birdsmouth masts and spars and have intimate knowledge of the Lug-Yawl.

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This video was made by Voiles et Voiliers in 2010 after my visit there to meet and sail with my friend Francois Vivier. 
We sailed from Pornichet to the Gulf of Morbihan in his 25' gaff-sloop called Pen Hir  
and for 3 days sailed in company with thousands of boats during Semaine du Gulfe Morbihan. It
is an experience I will never forget and I cannot wait to return. 

Enjoy! You will see me at about 4:00. I don't remember what I said; if you speak French you can remind me!

You will notice all the Vivier boats sailing everywhere. That was not staged...there were simply so many Vivier 

boats that we were able to see the entire design catalog sailing and rowing, from 12' dinghies to 50' traditional

yachts! 

I have had a few complaints that the video did not load, but it seems to work. Give it time or check your connection.

Voiles et Voiliers 

La voile-aviron expliqu�e par Fran�ois Vivier by voilesetvoiliers

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For the first time in my short design-build career, I am finally in the stage I have longed for, that is, to be working on mk II and mk III+ versions of already successful boat models. Thus the blog title, "Sneaking up on Perfection". This is certainly the case with the Echo Bay Dory Skiff (EBDS), my first kit, based on a design a friend had drawn 26 year ago. I've built many Echo Bay's with families, corporate teams, and students. When it came time to start the kit business, it was obvious to begin with the EBDS. At that time, I had no idea how powerful 3D modeling programs could be and it didn't matter, I was a long way from knowing how to draw a line segment in 2-dimensions!

The original Echo Bay (left) at 26 years old and the mkIII version as a kit (right). 

The EBDS is the last of my boats to get modeled in the computer. After a couple weeks of side-work, I have just finished the new model. The improvements are:

• improved sheer for aesthetics and sailing purposes
• slightly longer (now 11' 10" LOA)
• increased freeboard (about 1")
• more interior options: enclosed plywood tanks for flotation and 2 different solid-wood thwart arrangements.
• improved sprit sail shape and new lug rig option
• dedicated oar plan for the EBDS
• paper plans will be available as well as full size patterns (FSPs) and a plywood kit

The new lug rigged option

Next step is to break the model apart and develop the 2D geometry. I'll start by unrolling the planks and flattening the bulkheads, frames, and other hull structure. This process of generating 2D geometry takes very little time (maybe 2-3 hours). The time consuming part is drawing the plans for how to make these parts from scratch and drafting the construction drawings so she can be built as designed. This will take another couple weeks of side work. Then the CAD files for cutting on a CNC machine will need to be made, another couple days of side work. 

This model shows the standard solid wood thwart arrangement, but a plywood (flotation) tank option is a new addition.

Phew. A lot for a 12-footer. But on par for creating what will be the best 12-foot sail and oar skiff the market has seen for a long time, perhaps ever! But this photo shows why I do it: adventures with the kids.

A recent outing in the EBDS with the skipper (the one in the stern).

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Report from the Small Reach Regatta 2013

Beautiful weather, wonderful people, and a humbling location

Hog Island, Muscongus Bay, Maine

Elyssa tied up on first night at Audubon docks, Hog Island.

Waiting for the "go" word from lead chase boat as all the boats get underway. This morning we were in rowing mode and hanging out with the rowers, my usual crowd.

The fleet sets off with sails flying.

A typical lunch at the SRR. Boats galore!

Here is video shot as we beat out of a narrow channel in 15-20kts after lunch, day 1.

Going downwind afternoon day 2 in the Yawldory, wing-on-wing.

The downwind view from the Yawldory sitting in the bow seat at the end of day 2.

A great shot of the sleek and traditional, the 22' Yawldory.

Another favorite, the Myst by Don Kurylko.

Day 2 lunch spot and a napping participant. Can it get better?

The SRR participants are treated like royalty by the Hog staff and volunteers. Great food.

This is what every meal looks like, great food and great company.

It's not all about boats (but almost). It is also about enjoying a walk around Hog Island, birding and breathing the same air the spruce, moss, and lichens breath.

We also do a lot of helping each other. Here I am caught in the act of discussing lug reefing with a fellow lug nut.

A typical lunch stop (day 3) includes a skippers meeting and logistics to discuss the haul out procedures for 57 boats at one ramp in little Round Pond!

Heading back into camp.

A Caledonia Yawl being hauled in Round Pond on the last day.

A loon saying goodbye, until next year.

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Small Reach Regatta 2013

Sailing and Rowing Elyssa, a 22' dory in Muscongus Bay

Hog Island, Maine

This year's SRR is much anticipated. After several years at Lamoine State Park, the venue has moved to the Audubon Camp on Hog Island. I'll be crewing a 22' boat for which I built the spars, Paul Rollins built the boat, and Roger Long designed the boat. She is called a Yawldory and is named Elyssa by owner Susie Downs.

22' Yawldory Elyssa getting prepared for the 2013 Small Reach Regatta

This year we have 57 boats registered! They range from 15' to 22', all boats that can row or sail, most trailerable. Boats in my catalog that would be perfect for the SRR include the Caravelle Skiff (14'), http://clintchaseboatbuilder.blogspot.com/p/daysailers.html (14'), Deblois Street Dory (18'), and the http://clintchaseboatbuilder.blogspot.com/p/rowboats.html (17'). The Goat Island Skiff (16') is also a great choice. The key features are that the boat be safe and seaworthy, at least 14', and be able to row or sail depending on conditions.

Having Elyssa in the shop has been a great learning experience. I've wanted to gain more hours sailing a sprit-ketch rigged boat, and this will certainly satisfy that requirement. The company is great, the weather is forecast to be nearly perfect, and we have new, exciting cruising grounds to explore. Check back in a week for the report.

Location of 2013 SRR

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Jewell Wrapping Up

French and Webb is in the final couple weeks of the Jewell project. I look forward to getting up to Belfast to see her. Judge for yourself: how does she look from where you sit?

Jewell nearly ready to launch. That sheer has me feeling very happy.

Rigging

The rigging is the latest project and I've been fielding some questions. Sorting out rigging takes time. My approach is to get her rigged so she is functional for sea trials. I don't spend a huge amount of time on eye splices, aesthetics, and making things perfect until sea trials are done. An example is the mizzen on Jewell. The boom is to be lashed to the sail at the clew. At the heel of the sprit is a rounded slot. A couple ways to rig this: 1) snotter line is made off to mast with a thumb cleat to locate it, then is led through slot, and aft to a cleat on the boom. 2) snotter line is made off first at slot on heel, then is led around aft side of mast (thumb cleat to locate line) and then down to a cleat on the mast. Until sea trials, I simply don't know which will work best for Jewell. So, instead of making fancy lines and splices and line whippings and the like, I'll use the same line left extra long, and use bowline knots, and hose clamps to hold cleats until I have finished sea trials. Then I'll know what works well and can finish off the rigging, paying more attention to my splicing knowing it won't change. It takes 3 seasons to dial in a new boat's rigging. So, to say things won't change is wishful thinking. I've learned a great deal from a few resources:

• David Nichols Guide to traditional boat rigging
• Iain Oughtred did a series of articles on sprit and lug rigs in WoodenBoat. Use the WoodenBoat Index to search for these.
• John Leather Gaff Rig handbook

Rigging is part of the fun of designing, building, and using small boats on the coast of Maine! 

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I've always liked black backgrounds to websites...the pictures really pop. But the lettering is not great. I'll be trying different looks.

Note the tabs along top. The boat pages from my website will be going up here.

As I make changes here and add pages, please give me feedback. Thanks!

Jewell is coming along nicely at French & Webb.

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This July 4th break from teaching has me working in the website. I will be porting over completely to my blog. In other words, when finished www.clintchaseboatbuilder.com will lead the web surfer to this blog which will carry the same URL. I'll have pages on the blog to capture information about my kits. I look forward to the transition as it will allow me to focus on one website, which I hope will lead to more traffic.

My website may "go out" for a little while during my transition. I won't leave you high and dry like this boat in Great Bay, NH. This is not one of my kit boats!

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Last week I finally got up to the Belfast area to see Jewell. This one is the first US built hull, so it is exciting for me having spent the last couple years collaborating with the designer, Francois Vivier, to work out a boat that would be popular for our market here in the USA and Canada, be fun to sail for weekend warriors as well as families, and not be terribly complicated or expensive to build.

Jewell hull #2 under construction in Belfast, Maine.

I mentioned in the last post that sometimes when you go from virtual to physical reality with a boat design, somethings don't look or feel quite the same. But with Jewell, she is exactly as we wanted her to look and feel. The lines are great, her proportions are great, and the boat will be roomy for a 20-footer, or 19'8" to be exact. In the photo above you can see the transom. Here is one of two pieces of custom SS parts to be fabricated, the rudder housing...

Rudder head for Jewell

The bulkheads and planking in the kit went together without any fuss and all the inside components have already been check for fit. Things drop right into place on the inside. We're working out some details regarding limber holes and placement of hatches and the plans will reflect those changes. Pretty soon the rig will be going up and Jewell will sail.

Regarding sails and hardware, an extensive list has already been made based on the dozens of boats Mr. Vivier has rigged. His specialty is gaff rigged boats and, while the yawl is new for his catalog, it is one of my specialties. Sails are made by our favorite Maine sailmaker and the custom hardware like the rudderhead can also be made here in maine and shipped out to a kit builder anywhere in the US or Canada.

Email me if you are interested at boatkits@gmail.com

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Jewell is progressing at French & Webb for their Maine based client who will use her on lakes and ocean. I'll be heading up to video the turnover in a week or so. The kit we cut is going together beautifully.

Here is Chris after the garboard is attached.

And the planking is done. Those patches are the scarfs that are being faired with putty. The box keel is visible, filled with lead in the forward portion.

Speaking of scarfs, they are cut on the CNC machine and come with the kits. I recently visited MultiCAM Northeast and we played. Here is a video of the morning I spent there. We cut an NC scarf.

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