Spring School '07

Our Spring School, 10 days of full-on boat building, was yet another great success.

9 boats were built over the 10 days. A Bear Mountain Rob Roy canoe, a Redmond Wisp, a Storer Goat Island Skiff and Eureka Canoe, an Oughtred Feather Pram, McGregor Canoe and Acorn Skiff, a CLC Sea Kayak and a Joel White Nutshell Pram restoration.

Designer and illustrious instructor, Michael Storer, has set up a Blog page for all to see what's been going on. He does do a bit of insntruction in between taking all those pics.

Check out the pics on Michael Storer's Blog >>>

Spring School '06

Our Spring School, 10 days of full-on boat building, was a great success.

12 boats went into build by all manner of people - teachers, farmers, bullock drivers, hairdressers, doctors, plumbers, you name it. David Wilson, Michael Storer and Kim were on hand with expert eye and instruction for the willing students. Boats ranged from a 7'6" sailboat, kayaks and canoes to a 16'9" Oughtred Fulmar. Hard chine, lapstrake, stitch and glue, plank on frame and no frames were some of the methods and types of construction.

Some of the students had minimal if no tool skills and by the end of the 10 days they were handling them like an old pro.

And a good time was had by all. Watch out for the Autumn School in 2007!

Read more in Australian Amatuer Boat Builder #55

Welsford 6m Whaler

This is our first Welsford design.

These boats have an unusual method of building for us. They go together inside out!

The Whaler, a double-ender, has 5 planks aside and a flat bottom. At 20' x 7', she's big open boat with plenty of room. She'll be rigged as a yawl with a balanced sprit boom lug on the main, headsail and bermuda rig sprit boom on the mizzen.

Riverboat Rebuild

This big beast came to us, with nothing but a hull in disrepair, for a complete rebuild.

The whole hull has been resheeted in Pacific Maple marine ply and Bote-Cote epoxy/glass sheathed. Once the hull was turned right way up Dave and Michael started the fitout.

She's big enough inside to hold a dance! So there's heaps of room for saloon, berths, heads and cockpit.

...and then there's the new motor, but more on that later on.

The Fenwick Williams Catboat ...at last.

David's catboat, yet to be officially named, has finally reached the water on it's sea trials.

David and Kim, with a bit of help from all hands, worked like madmen on the last weeks to have the it all ship shape for the Stansbury regatta. Our rigging expert, Michael Storer, ran all the strings and did the final problem solving so all could be handled from the cockpit without a mass of spaghetti about the feet.

Launch day for the sea trial came quickly, as it does. It was a bit of a breezy day and David was a bit tentative, as you always are with a newbie, but he he had no need. It all went smoothly and the catboat sailed like a charm, nice and easy.

David and the boat's co-owner, Rob O'Callaghan, took off for Stanbury the minute all was done. Hopefully David got some well earned sleep on the way!

We'll have some more sailing pics and a feature on our Project page soon.

...when's the launch party, David?

"Wassail" - Oughtred Gannet

Ok, this all happened a while ago but here's some more pics of Wassail, Kim's stretched Oughtred Gannet. The little 16' gaff cutter, originally designed as a sloop, was finally launched in May 05. We only recently got some good shots of her sailing at Garden island, SA.

While the boat has been stretched by 10%, the station moulds are still the same shape. Because the hull was stretch by 10%, the sail area is increased by 20%, so Iain's hull and cutter rig just fly's. Great for light air but means reefing a little earlier than some boats, however with roller reefing on the headsails, this is a breeze. Kim and Darren had her out in a bit of a blow on the Port River, up to 40knots, and she behaved just magically ...though there were wet bums from hanging over the side. An exiting ride!

Tern - "Dorothy Lavina" Launched!

Dorothy Lavina, the Ted Brewer Tern, has finally seen the water. All hands were on board for the final days of finishing off the "little bits" in preparation for the coming launch. Mike Hyland and his family, some of which flew out from the UK specially, came down to witness the launch of their beautiful ketch.

Launching took place, at the River Port of Goolwa, in traditional style with Mike's wife Dorothy smashing a bottle of champagne over "Dorothy's" bow. Then it was time to party ...and a very good time was had by all and some sore heads the next day!

"Dorothy" will spend some time in Goolwa while she's rigged by our master rigger, Randell Cooper. She'll then make the trip to Pittwater, in Sydney, to her new home port and many years of pleasurable cruising.