Do you like the idea of a boat that can row and sail but they often dont like the idea of compromising on one or the other? It is a trade-off. A good sailboats lines are not good for rowing and a rowboats lines are not good for sailing. The latter is true mainly because the hull is quite narrow and fine on the waterline, especially at the ends. A fast rowboats lines just dont provide the stability, often, for sailing and the addition of a slot for the board introduces drag and makes the boat slow for rowing. Wooden Boats long time manager of their boathouse often cites the Joel White Shearwater as an example. Reluctantly, listening to customer demand, Joel White added the centerboard and it really made a difference in the sailing ability: it made it possible. But it also introduced noticeable drag when rowing: the boat was slower under oars. Drake is very similar to Shearwater, only narrower and longer on the waterline, no daggerboard, and therefore faster under oars. Drake sails downwind fabulously because of the moderate keel to provide some lateral resistance and enable excellent tracking for rowing. We dont have a centerboard, so there is no drag induced (though a tight fitting plug for a daggerboard trunk can fair the slot to the hull reasonably well). Ive been asked a number of times, and I just will not add a daggerboard to Drake. She is just a blast to sail downwind and can sail as high as a beam reach quite fast. The sail adds tremendous range when you consider the sail as auxiliary power.

But if you want to sail upwind, and row well, you need a boat with a lot of flare in the hull and a shape that provides excellent secondary stability. Joel Whites Shearwater and his 18 version of the boat are good examples. Another ideal example is the dory. What I love about the dory is that it is narrow at the waterline and flares out to a generous width, for a rowboat, at the rail, usually 48-5. The Deblois Street Dry is nearly 5 at the rail. The stability this shape produces lends itself to sailing (see photo of me sitting on D St Ds gunwale), but the narrow width at the waterline when the boat is not heeled means that it will row well. The double ended shape of the waterline on a dory keeps the ends fine for rowing ability. Drake shows a similar shape (see photo): narrow waterline, 41" at the gunwales provides secondary stability.

The Marblehead Gunning Dory is, to me, perhaps the perfect boat. If I could have only one boat (lets not think about that...what a shame that would be!), I would have a gunning dory or a Swampscott Dory. Come to my annual Shop Talk & Messabout to see both of these dory types in the flesh and meet two experts on dories: Sam Manning and Walter Wales.

Thank you to Chris Partridge, blogger in the UK: Rowing for Pleasure for bringing up the subject of rowing vs sailing characteristics in a boat

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How to Build Your Own Sailboat

The modern sailboat is a symbol of class and freedom. They provide you with a way to skim over the surface of a body of water in an elegant way. Building a sailboat can be very rewarding. If this is your first time building a boat then you will find it to be incredibly fulfilling. It will take some time but in the end it will be worth it.

The first sailboats were single logs and simple rafts, but over time more sophisticated designs were employed. Hulls that cut through the water became important for military use as well as for merchant sailors who built broad trading networks.


Sailboats can be made from a number of different materials, but the most common are fiberglass and wood. In terms of romance a wooden sailboat takes the cake, but it does require quite a bit more maintenance. On the other hand, a fiberglass sailboat is perfect for weekend sailors who dont have the time to sail more than once every few weeks.

The most important part of the sailboat building process is choosing the right plan. The last thing you want to do is decide halfway through your project that you would prefer a different style of sailboat. You can design your own relatively easily using 3d boat design software or you can buy a pre-made design.

The sailboat plan will tell you the amount and type of material that you will need for your project. Some common materials needed to build a sailboat are plywood, epoxy, filler, paint, and fiberglass cloth. The greatest cost will be for plywood, paint, and epoxy. When shopping for plywood I would recommend marine grade plywood for its durability and ease of use.

Now that you have your materials ready the first step will be lofting which is just simply marking your plywood before cutting. Be sure to use exact measurments and a ruler for marking. Another method is to trace a pattern made of paper. Using precise measurements is the most accurate method, but tracing a pattern from paper will be faster and still produce a beautiful finished product.

Next, you will need to cut out the pieces. You can use a traditional jigsaw, but nowadays most people prefer a circular saw because it cuts wood without bending. Once you have cut the pieces you should put them together. The front and rear halves of the bottom and the sides should be assembled first.

When the basic structure is completed, the sequence of assembling the other parts of your boat will depend on your specific boat plan. Now you should brush the joint edges with epoxy and put the two pieces together. Next, brush fiberglass tape with epoxy and wrap it around the joints.

Once all the joints are dry, it is time to seal the seams of your hull and cover the outside seams with duct tape. Cover the inside seams with epoxy resin then fill them with epoxy putty. Next, you should wet fiberglass tape with epoxy and cover all seams.

When the seams on the inside are dry you can cover them with duct tape. Repeat the sealing process again on the outside seams. After the sealing process has been completed you can add the deck, the seat, and other sections such as the storage area. The mast, boom, and rubber should also be made in this phase.

Once these are complete, it is time to paint your new sailboat. Once the paint has dried, you will want to coat the entire boat with a strong sealer such as varnish. The varnish will help protect your sailboat from chipping and other effects of the water and weather. This is especially important if you plan on taking your sailboat into the ocean.

The next step is to attach the sail to the mast of your boat. Sails consist of several different pieces of fabric, and these are sewn together with sail twine which is a specialized fiber that is stronger than typical thread. When the sewing needle is threaded with sail twine, the twine is twisted to add strength, and wax is applied so the twine will hold that twist. The sail will allow you to keep moving even when there is no wind.

Congratulations on building your own sailboat. Now you can cruise the high seas on a boat that you built yourself! Not too many other people will ever get to have that feeling!

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The notion of applying timber sailboat blueprints can make a lot of people imagining twice previous to enjoying a boat. There will be forecasts this boats creating can be only for people that are usually market authorities or practiced motorboat devotees. However, thats a misconception, mainly because home produced breeze vessel ideas are usually capability to deliver that has acquired the dedication regardless of constrained skills, to construct an effective DIY project. Any particular person at any a higher level proficiency whilst anyone dont possess the experience producing could perform this.

If you are aware of the way you can follow directions as compared to fire wood sailboat programs needs to be easy seeing that assembling almost every other DIY projects. You could spend less many sums of money, while you bypass investing in a motorboat inside that supplier. What is more, its a good endeavor for yourself privately along with your friends and family to figure with this assembly together? Youll often be thrilled with the career workmanship as well as please inside the finish supplement a lot more when you recognize of which youve made this yourselves.

Wooden sailboat plans are offered frequently online, and that means you dont ought to bother about options. However, you might want to become clever in choosing, which ideas to be able to use, because there are plans that have never already been attempted in addition to tested. You could already know, safe practices is a significant element as soon as youre thinking of acquiring yourself and your family with normal water using this craft. Which indicates you will need a safe plus reliable Boat Plan.

If you might have practical knowledge throughout boat building, then you definately may perhaps value more highly to build sometimes boats possessing a number of material, i.e. (fiberglass or perhaps aluminum). There are naturally pros and cons whenever selecting selected components, but whenever youre a new beginner, next decide this wooden material.

If you are invoice discounting while in the value as well as the alleviate detail by detail of building process than buying fire wood sailboat blueprints is a good choice. Whats more, you should use these fishing vessels possibly with available sea as well as around waterways? Theyre best in the event you need the particular capacity to utilize the vessel inside many waters. Then you will require to be able to understand when you seek advise from that boat recreationally, or commercially. That could matter up within the form and the rating as well as additional additional details you will require to raise the actual designs. Youll be able to decide on if you would like that will power your sail boat customarily along with picket oars or even perhaps in a modern method by using engines.

Heres among the list of almost all exciting wood made sailboat plans through which almost all watercraft are easily created and can often be economically homebuilt.

For additional info on Sailboat Plans visit http:/sailboatplansinc.com where you will find all the information you will ever need.

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Deblois Street Dory Building

Bar Harbor, Maine

Planking the hull

I spent the last 24 hours in Bar Harbor helping a customer get the planking going on his DSD. He has been pining after his own D' Street Dory for a few years and is very excited about his project. We met at the Small Reach Regatta, where he and his wife row and sail their current stitch-and-glue dory. He wanted to build a real dory and one with more performance and capacity than the others available. He chose the DSD!

Hull #1 built in 2007, on the shores of the Maine Coast

He set up the strongback very accurately, scarphed planks, and got everything ready for my visit. I arrived at 11am and after the 10-cent tour of his new, beautiful, custom house perched on the edge of Acadia National Park, we got to work. By 8pm we had the garboards fit and glued and looking perfect. Pretty good time for 2 people going hard at it and taking a lunch and dinner break, too. Garboards are often a two-day project because they can be the trickiest to fit.

The latest mkII version of the DSD under construction on MDI

The DSD kit is available, just give a call at 207.602-9587 or email boatkits@gmail.com

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The Calendar Iands Yawl

Hull Modeling in the flesh: part 1

CNC cutting parts for a quarter scale model

The 3D computer model is sliced up into sections that become molds for defining the hull shape.

You can see the molds formed now, trimmed to the hull surface,  and one more to go!

The hull is planked and ready to be broken up into the "flat" 2D geometry.

A neat screenshot that shows the 3D and 2D nature of the work: in the foreground is the 3D hull model. In the background is the geometry flattened onto the "construction plane".

This is the file with the 2D geometry as received by the CNC cutter, CNC Routing & Design in Camden, Maine. Tim will load the file into his Shopbot software, make toolpaths, and cut the parts.

The ShopBot machine cuts to my lines with a couple thousands of an inch accuracy. These are the planks of the boat, the bottom keel plank in the center and the sheer strake to the far right and left.

The molds of my quarter scale kit around which the planks will be wrapped and checked for fairness and for fit.

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The Deer Isle Koster is a new kit that will hit the market by November. We are very excited about

this addition to the catalog. I finally had a chance to sail with the designer, Bruce Elfstrom, at his summer camp on Deer Isle in Maine. Bruce designed these boats for his daughters to sail. It is always wonderful to visit the provenance of a great design and to sail with the designer!

I was most struck by how high the KDI pointed sailing upwind. The foils and jib headed lug rig are very effective. I was also struck by how nicely the helm balanced and, overall, how easily she sailed. I was most satisfied about this last point because this little boat will make a great boat for introducing children to sailing small boats.

Both well over 6' and 200 pounds (I will not go into specifics!), Bruce and I had plenty of room in the cockpit with room for kids and under deck places to stow snacks and other gear.

We are currently finishing the 3D model work which will be used to make the 2D parts that are cut on a CNC routing machine and become the basis for the complete kits. To learn a ton more about how this works please read a PDF about boat kitting.

Also feel free to visit the WoodenBoat Forum thread on the KDI.

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I am asked this a lot and wanted to put something together to answer this and other questions. I added the mizzen to the GIS because I wanted a boat for myself that would be easier to singlehand on longer excursions and for use in sail-and-oar events such as the Small Reach Regatta, the Texas 200, and other RAID events like the Shipyard School Raid and Sail Caledonia. Many, many of the boats you see in these events have a mizzen.

For my own use of the GIS, a mizzen is needed for a variety of reasons:

1) to hold the boat into the wind while the sail is raised, lowered, or reefed while singlehanding or sailing with my kids.
2) to hold the boat into the wind while rig is unstepped and stowed and oars are rigged for rowing
3) to be able to hold the boat to windward or to heave-to while underway for taking short breaks to move people, re-stow gear, or go to the bathroom with out getting blown off course.
4) to be able to back off docks and beaches and control steering in tight spaces
5) to be able to 'tune' the weather helm felt by the helmsman by trimming the mizzen

Other FAQ's

Is the designer aware of your changes to the Goat Island Skiff?
Yes, I have a great working relationship with Michael Storer whom I consider a friend. He and I correspond often and he has OK-ed the addition of the mizzen and trusts that I will design and build the new rig so that it fits in with the concept of the GIS. For example, all pains will be taken so that this addition adds very little weight to the boat. The mizzen mast will be a lightweight, birdsmouth mast.

Is the lug sail the same and is it stepped in the same place or how has the lug's position been adjusted for the new mizzen?
I have designed new sail rigs for boats before, for dories actually. After drawing the new rig, finding the new center of effort (CE) of the added sail area, and moving things around, the new CE and old CE are in the same place such that the centerboard does not need to be changed. In the GIS, the lug is the same standard sail (105 SF) and it will step in a secondary partner/step forward of bulkhead #1. It turned out that the lug needs to be moved forward only 9" keeping things tied into the bulkheads for structural integrity and simplicity. The original mast step is retained so the boat can be sailed with or without the mizzen. The GIS Yawl is is still the usual standard GIS, but with an added mizzen. You can take the boat out with more flexibility in rig choice.

Has one been built and how well does it work?
I expect to have a GIS Yawl on the water this summer, my personal boat, but orders for sail rigs and boat kits may prevent that from happening. However, one kit is going to a customer who will be doing the yawl and plans to be sailing this summer in the Texas 200. I have no doubt that the boat will go as well as the standard, upwind and downwind, but with the added benefits of the mizzen for RAIDs and sail0and-oar type of use. If the mizzen is not needed, leave it ashore and use the Goat as the standard lug-only arrangement.

You can learn more about How to Use the Yawl Rig in my blog post.

or the Goat Island Skiff page on my website.

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Our first kit offering at Clint Chase Boatbuilder is a plywood and timber kit for the Michael Storer designed Goat Island Skiff (GIS). Why buy a kit? Folks are sometimes offended when I suggest this, feeling that it is thought they don't have the skills to make the parts themselves, but that is not it at all. We build all of our boats in the shop from kits!!! Even professionals do it and the reason is that it makes the build process quicker and smoother and the result is more professional. In the case of the GIS, we have made parts and built the hull of the boat, making all the small tweaks that professionals with a good eye make to the lines of the boat to make them look eye-sweet. Any design, no matter how well drawn, will need some eyes on it in 3D to make final tweaks. We also have checked bevels and made some adjustments for a rabbeted gunwale, which covers the end grain exposed at the top of the gunwale. Our kit captures all these professional practices so you can get a better boat. Currently, kits are cut per order, but we may move to CNC when volume increases.

We were attracted to this design initially because of the sail plan, a beautifully proportioned Balanced Lug. Upon further reflection we noticed something was missing for RAID sailors and for others who might use the boat as a sail & oar craft. It needed a mizzen. A small mizzen gives great control of a small boat, allowing one to lie head-to-wind for reefing at sea or for heaving-to. It allows you to back off a beach or a dock, with practice. It is useful for trimming the sail plan, adjusting weather helm to create "feel" in the tiller. A mizzen makes single handing much easier, especially for switching between oars and sail, because the boat will tend itself and stay head-to-wind while you stow oars and fidget with things at the mast. For a useful diagram showing How to Sail a Lug-Yawl, by James McMullen.

We can supply a kit for the GIS as well as the mast and spars. Masts are round, hollow using the Birdsmouth technique. Yard and boom for the GIS are solid, laminated Northern White Spruce. Laminated spars stay straighter over time with changes in moisture content in the wood. We can make custom 9' oars specifically designed for the GIS. Rowing in the Goat Island Skiff is quite enjoyable, whether it is from the dock to a local area with wind, or coming back when the wind has petered out. Products for the Goat Island Skiff can be seen in the GIS Flyer on our website Goat Island Skiff Page.

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