Okay, I already had the Joansa and the Rifleman, why another boat?

Well, we had thought at that time that the Joansa at 54 kgs was too heavy to rooftop (how wrong we were!), and when rowing solo in stronger winds it was difficult to steer because of the sheer at the bow. So with the help of Capt. Nemo, we set out the search for a smaller, lower profile hull.

Many options were examined and discarded, but eventually we settled on the Selway-Fisher designed 12 foot Thames Skiff. A classical look, a little narrower in the beam than the Joansa (Slithytove), and potentially considerably lighter to handle.

Note: Ed Wright joined our club last year after hearing about us in a conversation at South Eastern Sails. This is the story of three friends who are undertaking the challenging job of restoring an old wooden ski boat. Ed has sent in an article Will Morgan wrote for their yacht club newsletter, plus a collection of some photos to help with the story.

On ANZAC Day 2018 Ed Wright, Will Morgan and Travis Loton inexplicably answered a Gumtree ad from Adelaide.  An old fashioned hoarder from Sellicks Beach south of Adelaide wanted to offload the rotting timber ski boat taking up space in his backyard. Apparently he needed room for some more rusted old cars. So we did what any sensible person would do and bought it. Days later we were on the Western Highway on our way to collect the hull that would become known as “Laird”.

So what is it that helps us choose a boat design to build? For some, it’s the desire to build a boat for competition, or to learn to sail. It could be that we want something we can use with the family, or to meet the urges of mid-life to do something different – to show that we still have something worthwhile to give!

Marg and me? We wanted to go fishing!

I scanned the internet for possible candidates, listened to advice (mainly ignored) from friends, and eventually decided that the Rifleman was the boat for me. Yes, as I have confessed before, a large part of my choice (initially anyway) was that I really liked the boat’s appearance, and just as many of our choices in life are based on what we can see on the outside, so it was with the Rifleman. Fortunately, just as with the Margaret, the things I learned after making my commitment have all been good.

NOTE: David was a finalist for the inaugural Alan Chinn Award in 2019.

Why build an Adirondack Guide Boat?   Well I have found that I like building small boats, and I liked the idea of giving a double ender a go, preferably clinker, with a goodly number of planks.

   "Maude" is for sale - see The Boatyard for details

NOTE: Russ was the winner of the inaugural Alan Chinn Award in 2019.  The Award aims "to reward and show appreciation to a club member for their efforts in building or restoring a wooden boat, including model boats".

To restore a 26ft wooden boat to original condition is not for the faint hearted.   I am having difficulty in condensing a job of 1,000 hours and still getting it to be interesting to a reader. I am simply going to list the jobs to date and let your imaginations do the rest.

NOTE: Jimmie was a finalist for the inaugural Alan Chinn Award in 2019.

Jimmie’s kayak was his second boat building project, following on from “Hunka Munca” a 10ft stitch and glue rowing boat. After reading about various kayak designs at Nick Shade's website (https://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/) he purchased “The Strip Plank Kayak” book,and selected the Guillemot design for his next effort.

NOTE: Jack was a finalist for the inaugural Alan Chinn Award in2019.

The kayak is a 'Ravenswood' fuselage-frame SOF design by S. Jeff Horton of Kudzu Craft Skin Boats in Alabama. (www.kudzucraft.com)

Interview with Geoff Carroll

"There is something highly evocative about hand-crafted wooden boats, whether sailing boats or traditionally crafted motorised cabin cruisers. The romantic lure of it all gets under your skin and becomes part of who you are."  This is exactly what happened to Geoff Carroll, long time WBA member and owner of several wooden boats.

Recently Geoff was interviewed for Alan Hutchison's most interesting website Agenda For Life - Sourcing great ideas, opinions, experiences and opportunities. Inheriting his father's boat in 1992 led to interaction with veteran boatbuilder and designer Tom Whitfield for advice on repairs, which in turn led to an introduction to the Wooden Boat Association and its activities, a connection still strong today.  Since restoring Kibbee to her former glory, Geoff has built two more, very different, boats.  The video interview and transcript can be viewed at https://www.agendaforlife.com/far-too-busy-to-retire-im-boat-building/.

by Peter Batchelor

Late in 2002 we started looking around for a boat to build. Ideally it would be something that two adults and two children could sail in, or row. As this would be my first boat-building project, I wanted something that would be relatively straightforward to build. Stitch and tape plywood construction seemed to be ideal. One of the pram designs seemed to be the simplest to build, but I preferred a rounder hull - perhaps harking back to the Heron we had when I learned to sail as a kid.

Eventually I narrowed my choices down to one of the boats by Paul Fisher, of Selway Fisher Designs, and decided on one of the Northumbrian Cobles. The prompt, courteous replies from Paul regarding changes of the rig on a Coble, and the existence of a Yahoo Groups forum for Selway Fisher sailors and builders, reinforced my decision to go with one of his designs. Another Yahoo Group that I subscribed to was Wooden Boats Australia. Through these groups I met Alan Chinn, an invaluable source of boat-building knowledge, and discovered Australia's Wooden Boat Association, and joined the Victorian branch.

The plans were bought as a present by Kirsty's parents, and so, with no excuses left, I started building my first boat.

Futher down this page are some notes I made while building the boat. Another page is devoted to sailing and handling notes.

We sold this boat in 2010, only because we had outgrown it as a family - two adults and two teenagers is really too much for this boat in anything but sheltered waters.

Read more about Peter's experience building the Northumbrian Coble.