More about Whimbrel

 I've been working steadily on the building plans for 'Whimbrel' with most of my time going into the construction details. Concentration leads to being '...in the zone...' and some insights pop up. 

One such insight has resulted in me abandoning the idea of a free-standing mainmast for 'Whimbrel' - at least for a stock plan - and the associated slot in the foredeck, large centreboard-case-like mast box, and the balance lug mainsail. 

The Primary reasons for this decision are the weight and somewhat complex construction of the mast box, and the difficulty in carrying out maintenance inside the box long-term.  

The plans will now show a Yawl rig with a small jib, a gaff-headed mainsail, and a Leg-o'-Mutton mizzen as before. The mainmast will be deck-stepped in a tabernacle, and will be supported by masthead shrouds and forestay, because a Balance Lug does not marry well with shrouds and stays.

This rig has particularly good reefing qualities, including dropping the main completely in a hard chance, and proceeding under jib and mizzen with reasonably good hull balance.

More up-dates to follow at a modest pace......

Update to the First Mate article link

 Thanks to Janko and Anon, the link to the archived First Mate article has been updated.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210306012157/https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/first-mate/

A Favourite Design - First Mate

Many times I've been asked which of my designs is my favourite. Well, that is difficult to answer because all boats are the result of compromises due to the combination of uses, weather, loads and local conditions - not to mention the differences in taste and attitude on the part of we humans... So the question should be, "What is your favourite design for ............. conditions?"

What I can say is that 'First Mate' pleases me every time I think of her. She is easy and quick to build, is light, fast and handles a head sea well. On top of that, she rows better than I could ever hope, considering that oars are primarily for use as auxiliary power.

Here is a link to a nice article written by my good friend Ian Hamilton, for whom 'First Mate' was originally designed.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210306012157/https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/first-mate/

Removable Side Seating and Bunk Flat

 Side seating is a subject which comes up frequently in the emails I receive. Previously I have made comments about a simple arrangement which suits Phoenix III, Phoenix 15, First Mate and Flint very well, and is simple to fabricate. However, I have not included construction details in any of my plans, so I'm going to give some information about the system which I prefer.

This photo shows removable side seats in the Phoenix III built by Paul Hernes, the fellow for whom the boat was designed in the first place. Paul made deluxe versions as you can see!

The seats are a loose fit and rest on wooden cleats glued and screwed to the face of the stern sheets  and the aft edge of the main thwart. For my own use I would probably use 19mm x 19mm (3/4" x 3/4") for the cleats but the size is not critical.

This was Paul's approach based on the idea I had given him. At this stage he had short support cleats under the fore and aft ends of the seats, but I'll discuss other options later.

Here you can see the magic of the arrangement. By bringing the the two seats into contact along the centreline of the boat at the same level as the main thwart and the stern sheets, there is a bunk flat high above any bilge water, with plenty of storage space underneath. 

I don't remember how wide Paul made his seats, but for my own use I think I'd go for 305mm (1') wide, giving a bunk flat 610mm (2') wide. 559mm (22 inches) is considered a standard minimum in boat design, so here you get two extra inches of luxury! In the case of Phoenix III, Phoenix 15, First Mate, and Flint, the sleeping lengths are 1861mm (6' 1-1/4"), 1910mm (6' 3-1/8"), 1766mm (5' 9-1/2") and 2132mm (7') respectively.

Another approach is to use plywood seats with (say) 42mm x 19mm (1-7/8" x 3/4") framing.

19mm x 19mm (3/4' x 3/4') cleat against stern sheets bulkhead of Phoenix 15

...and against the aft face of the midships thwart

Plywood side seats with timber framing...

...slid together to make a full-length bunk flat

So as you can see, the provision of side seating and an effective bunk flat is a simple and light-weight proposition. Having said all of this, I still prefer to sit down in the turn of the bilge when sail, where one's weight is more effective as ballast than anywhere else other than hiking out beyond the weather rail. People find this hard to believe, but it can be easily demonstrated on paper.

David Lillistone comfortably seated in First Mate (on the bottom) towards the end of a long sail

Up-date on 'Whimbrel' - a 17' 5" x 6' 8" x 7-1/2" Sailing Overnighter

Some of you may remember me having written about 'Whimbrel' a long while back. This embryonic design generated a considerable amount of comment and interest. Since my last article about 'Whimbrel' a lot has changed in my life, but my feelings about 'Whimbrel' have remained the same.

I was approached by a fellow back in 2009 from memory, who asked me to modify the plans for the 'San Francisco Great Pelican' to make the boat buildable using the 'Stitch-and-Glue' technique. Looking at the plans in detail convinced me that a totally new design was a better way to get a practical result. So the 'Whimbrel' idea was born.

The man who commissioned the project was unexpectedly posted overseas and so the urgency for a completed set of plans evaporated. However, I remained interested in the concept and tinkered for a year or so. My workload and life changes required me to shelve the project, but I have recently gone back for a second look.

Whimbrel images as she was last time I posted. The inwards-tapering footwell has been changed to a more open, parallel-sided set-up.

In the intervening years I've experimented with alternative cockpit and cuddy hatch layouts, and even a full-keel version without leeboards, but at the moment I have settled on a slot-top cuddy and a conventional self-draining cockpit. I'm in the process of drafting building plans at a leisurely pace. Here are some renderings of what will be the version in the plans.

Whimbrel with her free-standing masts set

Cockpit layout from above

Another shot from above showing self-draining cockpit, the free-flooding well just forrard of the stern transom, the spot in the foredeck where the free-standing mast rotates into a self-draining centreboard-case-like arrangement. This provides a deep bury for the heel of the mast and allows the tabernacle to be quite low and unobtrusive.

The mast case arrangement showing foam-filled spaces adjacent to the bow transom and then stowage spaces either side of the case between bulkhead #1 and the forrard cabin bulkhead. Each of these lockers are subdivided by horizontal floors which can be seen in transparent white. The upper spaces are anchor/deck lockers accessible through hatches in the foredeck, and the lower spaces are for dry stowage accessible from the cabin through openings in the bulkhead. The construction of these parts is very simple and they add tremendous structural strength.

A view into the cabin showing the heads of the raised, slatted bunk flats, the open space just ahead of them for trinkets, and then the openings into the lower lockers each side of the mast case.

Bunk flats viewed looking aft towards the main cabin bulkhead and the port side.

I'll post again when the plans are getting close to completion. Let know what you think!

First Mate Sailing on the Wind

Here is a twenty second clip showing First Mate sailing to windward on an enjoyably fresh day. This should give some indication of a number of things - the benefit of a sharp entry when it comes to spray suppression, the effectiveness of a well cut balance lugsail (in this case 76 sq.ft.), and how pleasant it is to sit low in the boat with one's weight concentrated in the weather bilge.

Note that the skipper is sitting forward against the main thwart, so that his weight is in-line longitudinally with the centre-of-buoyancy, ensuring that the boat trims correctly.

Video courtesy of Ian Hamilton - First Mate skipper David Lillistone

Dinghy Cruising with a Mothership

I am approaching sixty-five years of age and for most of my life I have spent my nautical leisure hours sailing a dinghy of one sort or another. Dinghy sailing has added greatly to my understanding of a range of subjects, and other than the experience of being a spouse and a parent, sailing has been my central passion.

A recent three-day trip allowed me to add to my dinghy cruising experience in a manner which may be of interest to others who are reaching an age where comfort and shelter send out a Siren call to dinghy sailors who have reached an age of decrepitude. One of my sons accompanied me and my equally decrepit friend Ian, and he suggested that we pair of oldies would benefit from something more comfortable to sleep aboard that a pair of light-weight sailing dinghies. Dave's suggestion was that we should take along my Phil Bolger-designed 16 ft diesel lobsterboat to act as a mothership.

Phil Bolger Lobsterboat powered by a Yanmar 1GM10 diesel of 8 hp (continuous rating)

The Lobsterboat as drawn by Phil Bolger with an open interior, strip-planked smooth hull, and powered by a long-shaft 15hp outboard. With the designer's consent, I built mine with a glued-lapstrake hull, a cuddy, and an inboard diesel.

Ian wasn't impressed with the idea of taking along a motorboat, but I could see the advantages given where we were intending to go, so I told him it was going to happen whether he liked it or not.

The initial plan was for the camping gear, food, and water to be carried in the Lobsterboat and that we would all take turns sailing the dinghies. The combination looked good because the Lobsterboat cruises very happily at five or six knots despite her semi-displacement hull, and she has a big propeller well suited to towing if required.

The dinghies were  a Flint and a First Mate - both being 15 footers (or very close to) - Flint is a rowboat which sails well, and First Mate is a sailboat which rows nicely!

Flint showing a 59 sq.ft. sprit-boomed Leg-o'-Mutton sail as used on many of Phil Bolger's small sailing craft

First Mate with a 76 sq.ft. Balance Lugsail

Flint is currently rigged with a 59 sq.ft. Phil Bolger generic sprit-boomed Leg-o'-Mutton sail left over from a previous boat, while I wait for the 'as designed' gaff-headed sloop rig to arrive. The combination of a tall rig set on a heavy composite mast and a sail without the capacity to be reefed meant that the idea of sailing Flint down the bay for four hours into a blustery south-easter was not practical. So, we set off with Flint under tow, and David sailing First Mate. Strike one for the Lobsterboat...

We were sailing into the lee of Green Island here and the water was relatively flat - but outside the lee things were pretty boisterous!

The conditions outside the harbour were 'character building', with a strong wind right in or teeth. Dave sailed hard on the wind, but the combination of a strong headwind and an outgoing tide meant that we were making slow progress. Nobody wanted the sailing to stop, but in order to get to our destination before dark, it was decided to cut short the sailing at a point just under one quarter of the way to our anchorage. This situation demonstrated just how beneficial the mothership concept was turning out to have become. We were all time-limited, and therefore did not have the luxury of anchoring-up somewhere until the conditions improved. But with the Lobsterboat and her muscular Yanmar diesel, we were able to continue - straight into the teeth of the playful south-east wind while towing both sailing dinghies. Strike two for the Lobsterboat...

As always seems to be the case, the camera makes the sea look more calm than it actually is - as you can see from Flint leaping over a wave, it was rougher than it appears.

It was late in the afternoon when we reached out destination, but as soon as we were safely anchored, Dave rigged Flint and went off sailing around the anchorage and beyond. Our harbour was excellent as a anchorage, but it was so well protected that we only got light and flukey wind, and the sailing was less than exciting.

About a mile from our intended anchorage

Mothership safely anchored , allowing  for an evening sail in Flint

What became immediately clear to all three of us was just how pleasant it was to have a roomy, stable boat upon which to set up our accommodations. In our part of Australia the UV levels are cruel to humans much of the time. In our dinghies we rely on sun-screen and protective clothing, but in the Lobsterboat we had the tremendous benefit of a bimini and a cuddy cabin. We all sufferred from the sun over the three days on the water, but it would have been much, much worse without shelter. Yet another strike for the Lobsterboat...

The Lobsterboat and Flint. In the late afternoons we attached shade-cloth around the western-facing end of the bimini.

We spent a pleasant few days exploring - mostly in the sailing dinghies, but when we weren't sailing it was very convenient indeed to have access to the shore by way of  rowing.

Flint acting as a tender

I'm expecting to get hold of some more photos and video, but in the meantime, here is a short Youtube clip of the outing...