Introduction Clem

[Clem]

Hi.
I am a shipwright currently working as an Industrial Arts teacher in Glen Innes NSW. I have a few acres of riverside land on the north coast near Yamba and intend to eventually move there and build a traditional 30' timber schooner from a design by V B Crockett. I would like to hear from anyone working on or dreaming about similar projects.
Regards Clem

[MikeJohns]

Welcome Clem
Good to see fellow Aussies here.

...a few acres somewhere less frantic...a classic yacht moored on the riverside. Good luck. Do it sooner if you can, a good friend of mine just died, 3 months from detection of the cancer to death (43). That person also had the dream.............
Handy being a shipwright, have you got a small pic of the design you could post here?


Good luck

[Clem]

Thanks for the welcome, attached is a pic of 'Nimble' a 30foot schooner designed about 50 years ago by V.B Crockett. The plans were published in a popular boat plan book that I bought in 1970. Building it has been on the agenda for quite some time. I have finally lofted out the lines ready to start building but I have to build a shed of suitable proportions before I can lay the keel.
The specs call for a cast iron keel however the foundrys I have contacted are reluctant to cast it. I have thought about fabricating one from 12mm stainless steel plate and adjusting the weight with resin encapsulated lead bars however I would prefer to keep true to the designers specs if possible.
I would appreciate any comments or suggestions.
Reg Clem

[MikeJohns]

Yes iron keels are only got at a high price.
I would recommend not using stainless for the keel, you would be better to stay traditional, cast in lead and make up the difference in timber.

Stainless has no great advantages immersed, and lots of disadvantages, so if you go this route use mild steel, protect it with anodes, you could use cement plaster/concrete to seal off and contribute to the infill.

If you want general comment from the forum on this you'll need to new-post under a relavent heading.

Cheers

[Dutch Peter]

Hi Clem,

Welcome to the forum . You sure picked a nice design to build for yourself.
Any reason to go for a schooner?
I started with the design of a "botter", it's a classic Dutch fishing boat (see pics).
Somewhere in the lenght of 12 m (approx. 40 ft). It's great for sailing in shoal waters (draft +/- 2.5 ft, flat bottomed).
Originally these boats are from wood but I'm going for a steel hull.

In respect to your keel ideas, I have to agree with Mike, stainless gives no real advantage. Welding a steel keel and filling it with lead is really your best option.

Regards,

Dutch Peter