New design
Hi all,
I just finished lofting a new boat from PB&F, and though I still have a
Wee Lassie canoe not quite finished in my garage, I am chomping at the
bit to get going on this new one. Actually, this new design is a
modification of the Spartina design (shown in Boats with an Open Mind).
It's 15'4" x 7' like the original, but with a shallow fixed keel. The
keel is wide enough to house 4 6-volt batteries, which will serve as
ballast and also power a 24 volt electric motor. Draft is 19 inches.
Sail area is 186 sq. ft in a single square-headed gaff.
I built a Catfish Beachcruiser a few years ago, and I liked it very
much. I commissioned this design because I really wanted a pretty,
simple round-bilged boat that would be as much fun to sail as the
Catfish. The electric motor, and the use of batteries as ballast, was a
central feature of the design brief. Bolger estimates that the boat will
have about a 20 mile range on a single charge at 3.8 knots. I hope to
start making the frames in a week or so. I'll keep you posted.
John Tuma
I just finished lofting a new boat from PB&F, and though I still have a
Wee Lassie canoe not quite finished in my garage, I am chomping at the
bit to get going on this new one. Actually, this new design is a
modification of the Spartina design (shown in Boats with an Open Mind).
It's 15'4" x 7' like the original, but with a shallow fixed keel. The
keel is wide enough to house 4 6-volt batteries, which will serve as
ballast and also power a 24 volt electric motor. Draft is 19 inches.
Sail area is 186 sq. ft in a single square-headed gaff.
I built a Catfish Beachcruiser a few years ago, and I liked it very
much. I commissioned this design because I really wanted a pretty,
simple round-bilged boat that would be as much fun to sail as the
Catfish. The electric motor, and the use of batteries as ballast, was a
central feature of the design brief. Bolger estimates that the boat will
have about a 20 mile range on a single charge at 3.8 knots. I hope to
start making the frames in a week or so. I'll keep you posted.
John Tuma