Large Sailing Scow

[bblair]

A few years ago I saw a wooden sailing scow which had been owner-built in Port Townsend, Wa. I'm interested in having a fiberglas version of this built (I have no desire to try to maintain a large wood boat). I would like to hear some discussion of the desirable and undesirable characteristics of such a hull- I have some experience in power scows in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound, so I'm not completely new to the type. I would also like some direction as to where to find plans for such a hull. All of the referenced plans I have been able to find were for dinghy-sized craft.
My aim is to have a vessel of fairly simple design which can sail fast in the proper conditions, have a lot of space, and not be as restricted with regard to it's weight-carrrying capacity as would a comparable catamaran. The size I have in mind is 12 to 16 meters.
Thanks, everybody, in advance!

[garydierking]

Find a copy of "American Small Sailing Craft" by Howard Chapelle. There's a section on "Gulf Scow Schooners" of about the size you're looking for. They were traditionally used from New Orleans along the coast to Mexico and actually look quite fast.

[jawillia]

The San Francisco Bay Martime Museum has plans for the ALMA, a scow schooner that is still sailing (1891). The plans cost $42.00 and contain some 6 sheets. Just got mine. Very detailed and can be scaled (which is what I am doing). Don't have the URL handy but a web search with "ALMA scow schooner" will get you there.

[bblair]

Thanks for your tip. I know about the Alma, but had no idea that detailed plans were available. $42 seems an incredible bargain. I would estimate that I've invested 100+ hrs in just searching for plans. Thanks again!

[sharpii2]

Hi bblair.

Here are some cruising size Scows I know of. AIR stands for As I Recall.

Phil Bolger

Super Brick Straight sided, deep rocker*.
Length 19.5ft
Beam 8ft
Displ. 3800lbs
Cat rigged w/boomed lateen

Scow Schooner Curved, slightly flaired sides, deep rocker.
Length 28ft
Beam 9ft 10in
Gaff Schooner w/two masts + a jib

George Buehler

Rufus Straight sides, deep raking bow, transom, shallow rocker.
Length 30ft (AIR)
Beam 10ft
Cat rigged w/ a large gaff

*By deep rocker, I mean a continuous curve, fore and aft, that sweeps well clear of the waterline at at least one end.

These are the three that I know of.

Bill Garden designed a scow schooner as well, but I do not remember any of the particulers of it. (AIR) it had a dead flat bottom, rockered ends, a deep raked bow transom, and a vertical stern transom.

I have been very fascinated with this type over the years. My 1st boat was a scow in the form of a sailboard. It was 10ft long 4ft wide and it weighed at least 180lbs dry (which it usually wasn't). It had 85sft of sail. and it planed routinely. It was poorly built (by yours truly) and it only sailed about twelve times before it rotted out.
I am presently designing a new boat that will combine the vertues of my old scow and my much beloved Super Snark. It will be a deep rockered, straight sided, and very narrow for its length. (12ft long + 3ft wide) The idea being that by the time it heels over enough to put the vertical transoms at the waterline, it will present enough 'V' to the water to keep it from pounding as much.
Not only that, but it will have a DL that is significantly lower under sail than sitting upright. If the design is successful, I am toying with the idea of building a live aboard version that would be 28ft x 7ft and would live either on the Intercoastal Waterway or the Misissippi.

Scow advantages:

Lower construction cost. (Both in hull construction and interior installation),
Enormous sail carrying ability (for a monohull),
Shallow draft and can be beeched on a soft bottom (mud or sand), and
Good to excellent payload.

Scow disadvantages:

Heavy for its length and beam,
Can pound ferociously in rough water (and needs to be built stronger to account for this),
Has a very limited range of stability (especially the shallow rockered and flat bottomed versions) and can capsize with little or no warning if over pressed, and
Is seen by many as ugly and 'un boat like' (maybe thats why I like them so much).

I really wonder about your plan to build it out of GRP. The scow hull type likes matterials that are stiff for thier weight such as lumber and plywood. With a GRP hull you may end up using an inordinate amount of of roving, matt, and polyester. This could make a very heavy hull or a hull that needs lots of deep 'hat sectioned' frame members.
Might I suggest you go with epoxy saturated plywood. It will probably have similer maintainence requirements to GRP but be much stiffer for its weight (undeniably heavy by its own right) and cost.

Its interesting to note that according to may nautical historians (especially Chapelle) sailing scows were quite numerous. Some have said that they were the most comon boat type seen. Now there is little memory of them. I hardly see any examples of them at all in most marine mueseums.
Currious.

Best of luck

Bob

[bblair]

I myself used to run a power scow in Alaska. I used it for tendering fish from salmon boats, for delivering freight of various kinds to operations in the Prince William Sound, and as a tow boat for towing logs. There are actually quite a few power scows in those waters (ex WWII craft??), used usually for either tendering or for crabbing. Most of them either were built with or have had a pointed bow added, but the one I ran was square-bowed. It was REAL heavy (planked w/ 4" lumber), and really stout. Also really slow. In the more exposed waters of the North Pacific a lot of guys use stabilizers to minimize the pounding and the wallowing, but I have a different idea of how I would like to handle that.
I'm in contact with a boat yard in Poland which does really excellent work (the build boats as subcontractors for Swan, for instance) who is willing to work with me as far as construction and materials. Once I have a set of plans to work with, I'll discuss materials with him. What I have in mind is about 45'L X ~15' beam, and I have some interesting (foolish, maybe?) ideas as far as rigging. One of the reasons I'm thinking of a scow is that I'm a motorcycle enthusiast, and when I go cruising I want to be able to bring my Harley along. You can probably imagine ho foolish people find that idea...
You can email me directly at carhaulerbrian@yahoo.com. There are some things I don't wish to broadcast on an open forum until I have a chance to try them out for myself (trying to minimize the egg on my face). I'll look forward to hearing from you.
Brian

[gonzo]

Boat plans don't scale well beyond 15% or so. Unless you are experienced in design it would be bettter to get one on the size you want. What do you mean by fast? They are sailing barges.

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

http://www.nps.gov/safr/local/alma.html

http://www.geocities.com/soho/8626/history.html

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~tonyf/scows/

http://www.brigham-sailing-club.org/History.htm

http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~tonyf/

http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/nhl/alma.htm

[sharpii2]

What do you mean by fast? They are sailing barges.

Hi gonzo.

When loaded, you are absolutely right. Most scows were work boats and were expected to have large payloads.

When empty, that was a whole other matter.

When most monohulls are sailing with no load, the WL beam shrinks and the WL stays pretty much the same. When most scows are sailing with no load, the WL shrinks and the WL Beam stays almost the same. Even this does not make for speedy sailing. But what happens when the scow heels? The WL starts to lengthen and the WL Beam either stays the same or shrinks. Now you have everthing needed for high speed sailing: Long (relatively speaking) WL, moderate to small Beam, and the righting moment to carry a relative huge spread of sail.

And to that you can add the fact that, like most monohulls, the sailing waterplane is asymetrical. The only difference is is that with a scow the gentler curve is to leeward, but with most monos, the opposite is true. What this means is that a scow is going to have far less weather helm when hard pressed than your typical mono.

In protected water, your typical light scow will walk away from any conventional mono of the same length and level of technology.
The crude ten footer (deep rocker, straight sides) I built as a teenager out of plywood and with taped plastic drop cloths for sails, planed routinely. I have no idea how fast it went for there were no other sailboats in the area, but I always felt it lift every time it caught the wind.

Until the introduction of multihulls, the fastest sailboats were light scows.
Speeds of over 23kts were recorded for one large racing scow.

Bob

[gonzo]

Yes, the scows you are referring to (sandbaggers) are still very fast. However, they have a large crew to move the ballast around. Scows do well downwind.

[CT 249]

In protected water, your typical light scow will walk away from any conventional mono of the same length and level of technology.
The crude ten footer (deep rocker, straight sides) I built as a teenager out of plywood and with taped plastic drop cloths for sails, planed routinely. I have no idea how fast it went for there were no other sailboats in the area, but I always felt it lift every time it caught the wind.

Until the introduction of multihulls, the fastest sailboats were light scows.
Speeds of over 23kts were recorded for one large racing scow.

Bob


With respect, Bob; scows can be very cool, but can they really "walk away" from conventional monos? The C scow is rated only a fraction faster than the 505, which is about 4' shorter, the M20 is significantly slower. The MC isn't much faster than the Laser. Sure, the A Scow is fast, but it's also 38' long!

The Fireball scow is about the same measurements and ratios as conventional boats like the 470, and surprise surprise it's just about exactly the same in all-round performance. Other scow types (Australian Rainbow, Butterfly, Tempo were pretty much similar in all-round pace to boats of similar dimensions but conventional shape.

The Australian scow-type Moths were quick little beasts, just 11' long but as fast as a Contender and significantly faster than a Finn or Laser. But they also had 1.2mm ply decks, bottoms of about 3mm, big 80 ft2 high-aspect fully battened rigs and hulls around 45lb or less. In the heyday of the Moth, when it was the world's biggest development class, the battle between the conventional boats and the scows always got down to the strrength of the wind; the scows did not "walk away" until the breeze got over 12 knots or so, instead they got beaten by boats that looked like narrow versions of the Europe. Once the conventional stemhead skiff hulls developed their shape they were almost always faster, and a modern narrow skiff is much faster still.

I'm not knocking scows, I still have a scow Moth and it's a great little boat; but they were not faster than conventional shapes all-round apart from out here (Australia) where the wind is fairly strong and the scow's stability makes it a good performer.

[sharpii2]

I guess I should have stipulated 'without hiking'. With hiking the narrower the hull the better because it needs righting arm far less than it needs low wave making. Also, it very hard to find a lot of wind without at least some chop. the sharp bowed craft slices through while th scow tries to go over it.

But your point is well taken.

Bob

[SamSam]

A few years ago I saw a wooden sailing scow which had been owner-built in Port Townsend, Wa. I'm interested in having a fiberglas version of this built (I have no desire to try to maintain a large wood boat). I would like to hear some discussion of the desirable and undesirable characteristics of such a hull- I have some experience in power scows in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound, so I'm not completely new to the type. I would also like some direction as to where to find plans for such a hull. All of the referenced plans I have been able to find were for dinghy-sized craft.
My aim is to have a vessel of fairly simple design which can sail fast in the proper conditions, have a lot of space, and not be as restricted with regard to it's weight-carrrying capacity as would a comparable catamaran. The size I have in mind is 12 to 16 meters.
Thanks, everybody, in advance!

Here is a method that I think would work to build what you want in fiberglass. It is how Carolina Skiffs are built, this is their patent which just expired a few weeks ago, it is now public domain. It would have to be engineered to the size you want, but I do believe it would work. Go to the site I'll list and put in this number,4495884, in the search box. Sam

http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/srchnum.htm

[catamaran29]

There is a catalog available from the Sithsonian. the section on American Small Craft, and others have plans availabe. I got Chapelles 36' scow plans for about $18.00. Some sets are more complete than others. There are drawings of San Franscisco bay schooner scows, commercial vessels of the 19th and early 20th century, "Granite" sloops of New England, Chapelles own designs (scantlings included), and more.

[safewalrus]

Scows - anybody been to china? call em junks/sanpans I believe? Same same scow just more rice (and that's the worst cargo you can carry nest to humans which is notrhing to do with what we's talking about here)

the Walrus

[gonzo]

Check the lines and you'll see that junks/sampans and scows are very different.

[bblair]

I acually find junks extremely attractive vessels, and I happen to know where (Fall River, Ma) there's a REALLY nice one for sale; but a scow bottom and a junk bottom are vastly different from one another. A junk has a much rounder shape and a keel. Sampans (as I recall from Viet Nam) are much more scow-like, but thery are usua;;uy smaller than what I have in mind

[gonzo]

Another area to find that type of vessel is NE Brazil. The "saveiros" are descendants of dutch coastal traders. However, they evolved to something similar to junks with different rig. Usually they are planked in mahogany. I've sailed a few of them. They are OK but built for work; no yacht finish.

[safewalrus]

To keep it going - a 'swampscot' and a 'cape ann' are both dory's.......

the Walrus

[Filmdaddy]

Reull B. Parker has some interesting plans for a 44' (if I remember correctly) sailing scow in his book. Looks lovely, lots of room, interesting build, too, since it's mostly straight lines and gentle curves.

[sail.scow]

Forty foot box with ends courtesy of Alma. Looks a little better than first effort (http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showpost.php?p=220882&postcount=3).

Bow is in the foreground, just in case you're not sure. ;)

About 4 1/2' deep, and a 2' draft. 29 tons so far.

[diwebb]

Hi,
Scows were intended for close inshore and protected waters. They will capsize in the right conditions and do not have the ability to recover from much more than a 90 degree knockdown. If intending to do more than the inshore passages then they are not a safe craft to use. However as a liveaboard and to sail in the aforementioned protected waters, they are a reasonable choice. I am in the process of designing a boat for myself which has many of the characteristcs of a scow but has ballasted bilge keels to provide stability in a knockdown. My design owes quite a lot to the English Thames Barges and there is a modern interpretation of these being built in steel in Norfolk, England by Charley Ward. Google search for Thames Barges and Charley Ward and you can see what they look like. I believe that there are plans for Thames Barges available, but do not recall where. Phil Bolger has done some interesting designs that owe a lot to barge heritage. Many of his designs have internal concrete ballast, how about a boat with a reinforced concrete bottom to just above the waterline, and composite wood topsides and deck?? I did a study for something like this thirty or more years ago.
Best of luck with the project.
David

[BHOFM]

I am building a scow. 16' sloop rigged, ballasted dagger
board. 20' mast with polytarp sails.

I found some plans for a 14 and just upped the percentages
by .14.

Flat bottom, straight sides, 70" beam! Hope to have it done
by spring!

I am working to keep it as light as is safe. Laminated frames
from cedar, luan board skin, no glass, just paint!
Hoping for about 400lbs!

It will carry about 40lbs of lead in the bottom third of
a 48"X3/4" dagger board.

May have some pictures next week!

[sail.scow]

Had a good run with the 'puter today, and got a developable set of lines done.

Hard 'transverse' chines on the bottom of the hull, and curved deck and 'side' chines.
Whew!

Will start to draw in the keel, stringers and so forth tonight.

[sail.scow]

Got these done today, will get onto the chine logs tomorrow.

[Greenseas2]

The Wooden Boat Magazine has an on-line store that has building plans for a scow schooner in the 45 foot length. You may want to check it out. This thread is really interesting in that I think many people, myself included, have entained building a sailing scow, or scow houseboat at one time or another. So far, all input to the thread appears to be quite positive and helpful to those interested. Good thread, good writers. Keep it going!

[sail.scow]

I think I found that Wooden Boat Magazine scow that was mentioned.

Here are some of the links.

http://www.woodenboat.net.nz/Boats/Boatscows/Scows.html

http://www.woodenboat.net.nz/Stories/Achievablecruiserf/Achievablecruiser2.html

[sharpii2]

Hi, all.

I just got done sketching a cruising size scow sloop based on a 'Puddle Duck Racer', a 4 x 8ft straight sided scow (see www.pdracer.com). I changed the proportions a bit by making the Beam smaller in relation to the Length and by keeping the Rocker in proportion to the Length.

What I ended up with was a 20 x 7 ft gaff sloop that is essentially half decked with an aft house for the cabin. Flotation chambers would be built along the sides and there would be a raised deck in the bow (for storage of bicycles). That would be its last claim to sea worthiness. If turtled, it would stay turtled.

But the more I thought about it, thee more I liked it. I could imagine living aboard such a craft and just knocking about the Gulf Coast (lots of sand there, I understand.) The boat would be narrow enough for legal trailering and could be taken to other suitable cruising grounds. My guess is that the hull and rig would come in in the neighborhood of 1000 to 1500 lbs. That would leave room for at least 1500lbs of provisions. Its all up displacement would be 2400 to 3200 lbs. It would have no ballast.

The pdracer.com site is somewhere anyone interested in scows should go at least once. The 'Puddle Duck Racer' class has been in existence since 2003 and a lot of experimentation has been done with these boats. A trio of them recently participated in the 'Texas 200' and sailed up the Texas gulf coast. They did surprisingly well despite being arguably over loaded and way out of their element.

Attached are the sketches and, if possible, the essay on how the rocker is drawn and how the boat is proportioned and why.

Feel free to comment.

[sail.scow]

Nice little Puddle-Ducks.
I am partial to elegant geometry in multi-chine hulls too.
Sort of fun designing to rules, my favourite is developing chines for 30'-40' steel boats. Plates that drape over the hull (in the office anyway:cool:).

Well, I got the chine logs done this morning on my project. Stayed up all night to do it too. Feeling quite rooted now. Me eat. Sleep.

[sail.scow]

Got the sides done this afternoon, and sat the shear log in there too.
Sort of avoiding the port stringer thing for now, waiting for it to come to me.
Will have to sort the bow and stern out too, before I get too carried away decking it over.

The computer is starting to groan and creak now when I bring up all the layers at the same time. Lagging about 5 seconds for each increment of rotation. I upped the processor priority for the Freeship programme before I started, so I hope that is helping.
Being very gentle with the model now. Freeship/computer packs a sad when the computations get extreme.
"Uh-oh, Access Violation 3X7836GB0947693. That means the model has been turned into a nest of spiky lines stretching to infinity again".:eek:
Hasn't happened yet, but I am being careful, saving copies regularly as I work.

[Greenseas2]

The scow schooner that was previously refered to was in the US Wooden Boat Magazine and has an LOA of about 44 feet with center board. I believe the the Wooden Boat Store sells the building plans. The boat was featured in the magazine some time ago, but I've seen thee plans advertised recently. You might want to check it out.

[sltak]

There is another thread called "New Zealand Scows which has quite a lot on the old working scows of NZ (60' - 120') and also referenced to a cumber of cruising models, typically around 35'

[Greenseas2]

Sailing scows have also intrigued me over the years as a ship captain. A few years back there was a man here in Florida that built a steel sailing barge with the idea of doing island cargo work in the Bahamas. The one big advantage was that the scow doesn't need a port to load or unload cargo, but can sail close to the beach and let the tide go out, then load/unload directly on carts or whatever conveyance is used in the local area. In order to be able to carry cargo and still have adequate long distance quarters onboard, a sailing scow should probably be in the 65 to 70 foot range. The center board casing is also reinforced and has a secondary purpose of seperating cargo holds which keeps cargo from shifting dangerously during rough weather. You, indeed, have a very interesting project.

[sltak]

The smaller of the New Zealand tradng scows were within the size range you have described. They performed well and, as you say, were able to load and unload directly from beaches. Most of the New Zealand scows carried their cargo on deck (eg firewood, sand, logs, farm machinery, cattle etc. They were loaded literally to the gunnels. They would have had a small accommodation space aft for "two men and a boy". However there also were a few hold scows. An interesting bow form evolved in New Zealand. If you go to the thread New Zealand Scows there are now a lot of photographs and interesting comments. I would refer anyone interest to follow this thread.

There have also been a few replica scows built as pleasure boats (tyoically about 30 to 35') of which mine is an example. Here is an example of mine, tucked up a tidal estuary. I live on board.

Best wishes

[Stand]

I've been researching various sailing scow designs for some time. There isn't as much info available as I would like. I periodically search web for new info, which is how I found this new interest in this thread.

My goal is to build a scow to live aboard.

sltakHere is an example of mine, tucked up a tidal estuary. I live on board.

sltak I would like to see more pics of your scow and perhaps get a review of your likes and dislikes. Since you are the first person I've come across that is using a scow as a live aboard.

I would greatly appreciate any assistance.

P.S. I hope you, family, and friends are doing well in the aftermath of earthquake.

[Squidly-Diddly]

Maybe gaff rig.

[BATAAN]

The SF bay scow schooners were of two types: hay scows and market scows, and were quite different. ALMA is a prime example of a hay scow, rectangular in plan with bow and stern transoms almost the midships beam and quite slow. Others, like the old JACK'S FAVORITE, had narrow transoms, much more shape, and were for carrying vegetables and produce to SF markets. JF used to be sunk in the mud alongside the Gate 5 pier and I looked at her often and salvaged her bilge pump for another vessel.
GASLIGHT, a steel charter boat, is modeled on market scows and sails very well.
I was mate on her for a charter season and we often would sail a circle around the ALMA just for fun.
http://gaslightcharters.com/

[sltak]

Squidly-Diddly - I think the best rig is probably gaff schooner or ketch for the NZ Scow, especially a small one like mine ketch would probably be best. The heritage value would be gone if you put a junk rig on it, and in that case why bother with the NZ scow hull, surely it would be better to re-design completely something suited to the junk rig? Its an interesting idea though, my boat has quite a lofty rig with steel spars and heavy steel rigging and it carries the weight OK so I suppose it would carry a junk rig. It has high initial stability so an unstayed mast would have to be pretty strong. I wouldn't want to try it.

[sltak]

Bataan - what a lovely picture. I suppose it is the Gaslight.
We had a scow in NZ called the Alma. In the thread "New Zealand Scow" she has been described by a member (Rayman) as the best looking of them all. I can put a picture of the New Zealand Alma if you want. Do you have any other photographs or drawings?
The very early New Zealand scows had transome bows. Some of the early New Zealand scows were named after the Great Lakes and it seems they are descendants of the Great Lakes scows. Fairly early in their development here, they transformed into a local type, a sharp (sort of) bow.

[sltak]

Stand - I live in Auckland so not in the way of the Christchurch earthquake. Thanks for asking.

I wrote six pages in answer to your question. Can’t put all that here so I'll email you. For the sake of further discussion on this thread, here is a summary:
What I like about my scow:
(1) Extreme shallow draft – can go into tidal estuaries and sit upright on a sheltered beach.
(2) Heavy displacement with very low immersion rate so can carry a lot of weight
(3) Simple shape so relatively easy and cheap to build and fit out the hull
(4) High initial stability, soft motion, dry in a seaway
(5) Sails and motors better then most people expect
(6) I like the look, character and integrity of a NZ scow, and for me it has heritage value

Words of caution if considering a scow like mine:
(7) Much accommodation space is lost due to large central centreboard case
(8) Flat bottom and upright on the ground makes it difficult to get underneath for cleaning and maintenance
(9) Stability range is not high, would not be self-righting if capsized
(10) Flat bottom means no proper bilge - difficult to drain for bilge pump or engine spillage
(11) Potentially cranky if too much water were to get on board (free surface effect), and hard to think of an easy way to get rid of the water if rolling around.
(12) Simple shapes with flat sections can be flimsy if not engineered properly.
(13) A bit awkward to handle in a confined space crowded with flash yachts.

I think you need to be clear if it is a scow you want, and you will live on board – or if it is a good live aboard boat you want – in which case you should consider all your requirements and then see if that leads you to a scow. I just wanted a scow. Now I happily live with its advantages and disadvantages and I really do love living on it. But as a houseboat it would be much better if it had no center board (then it wouldn’t be a NZ scow). As a cruising boat, it is good for passages in sheltered coastal waters, and can go places others can’t. But it is too much of a hassle for a quick afternoon sail, and doesn’t get sailed as much as it should (mind you, that is often the case for any live-aboard boat.)

In his last years Brian Donovan and some friends were planning a motorized houseboat based on the NZ scow hull. I have a drawing of the concept somewhere, which Brian and Eurico Charraz drew up. I think that would make a good live aboard houseboat, but of course it would not sail. I will see if I can find it.

I would love to expand on and discuss any of the above points and especially would appreciate the point of view of anyone with direct practical knowledge. The best place for that might be on the other thread, which is "New Zealand Scow."

[Stand]

sltak

Email sent.

Good information.

[BATAAN]

Bataan - what a lovely picture. I suppose it is the Gaslight.
We had a scow in NZ called the Alma. In the thread "New Zealand Scow" she has been described by a member (Rayman) as the best looking of them all. I can put a picture of the New Zealand Alma if you want. Do you have any other photographs or drawings?
The very early New Zealand scows had transome bows. Some of the early New Zealand scows were named after the Great Lakes and it seems they are descendants of the Great Lakes scows. Fairly early in their development here, they transformed into a local type, a sharp (sort of) bow.
Yes, the photo is the GASLIGHT. I had the joy of being Mate for a charter season. The link in my post there takes you to her site with many photos. Billy Martinelli the owner/builder would probably share the lines.

[sltak]

It would be nice to see a scan of her lines on this thread. She looks very nice.

[BATAAN]

gaslightcharters.com will get you to the source.

[BATAAN]

GASLIGHT has a very well thought out, light gaff rig, plenty stout enough to stand against her great stability. Designed by Billy Martinelli with help from Harold Sommer and Capt John Linderman, the detailing is very simple, easy to sail, easy to maintain. Billy cut the masts and squared them up oversize into square baulks, green, in the woods, then let them dry for a year and they came out very twisted after seasoning. He hired me to get them down to straight, round and to plan, which was done in the usual inadequate shed on a rotting pier but they came out all right.

[BATAAN]

More GASLIGHT. Note Billy handling the foresheet at the forward end of fore boom, mainsheet snubber with rubber blocks, huge table set on centerboard trunk, and blushing bride with window details. Not seen well in the sailing photo but one of my favorites; mast hoops cut from large diameter white plastic pipe. Billy called it 'white oak'. He just made a spacer jig and cut 1.5 inch rings off of the end of a piece of 5/8" wall, 12" diameter PVC sewer pipe, rounding the inside edges with a router. They have lasted at least 10 years so far. Note how the market scow shape makes little bow wave when going fast.

[Stand]

Scow Sloop

Crystal River Boat Builders in Florida are building a replica of the USS WARTAPPO.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_phq8DTydg14/SuUADXZdbtI/AAAAAAAACks/iQcTZ9bQPMs/s640/latortuga_plans_small.jpg

The Crystal River Boat Builders, a local chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association, plan to construct a full-size replica of the USS Wartappo, a Rebel scow sloop captured and used by the North during the Civil War on the west coast of Florida. Similar to the Texas Scow Sloop depicted above.

Scow Schooner

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xNb1H0EF2IU/R8iimX9VKNI/AAAAAAAAAXE/4uC9rgIkjLw/s1600/scow.jpg

The above picture was a scow schooner in Galveston Bay.

I was always fond of William Garden's Tillicum, a 40' scow schooner. First listed by "Sean Herron Post #8" of this thread.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/attachments/boat-design/2715d1110151457-large-sailing-scow-scow-01.jpg

[Willet]

Additional information about traditional fishing scows built along the western shores of the Gulf of Mexico can be found by Googling Laguna Madre Scow. Chappele called these boats Port Isabel Scow sloops. Edwin Doran went looking for more information about them and found a fleet in operation, about 100 boats, in 1975. More recently an example was built as a dry-land exhibit for a Texas Museum. As traditionally built this boat might be a bit small for the project under discussion here, 28' x 12' x not much. Since the museum boat was a traditionally built boat there most likely won't be plans. However , you might still find a boat builder in the Brownsville/Matamoros area who could act as foreman for the work crew.

[Harold B]

As a commercial fisherman for many years I have seen many different ideas tried out, many produced only fair results but some were quite good in terms of cost and/or results. One of the best which fits your demands was the use of fiberglass panels about the size of plywood sheets. This will allow you to bypass the disadvantages of wood but still gain the time and economic benifits that plywood ceates for building a boat.
It would be especially advantageous for you as this product's profile would be excellent for constructing a scow type of hull . I am sorry that I can't offer you greater words of wisdom or magical tricks that would allow you to build everything in a day.
I do think that a modern gaff rigged design would be best because of the lower center of effort against the sail's surface like the navel archetic Kasten talks about on his website. Also having fished in the area of ocean you are talking about I would figure out some way to have a doghouse so you can be out of the weather because you will spend a lot of time at the helm and being exposed to the weather for days on end can really decrease your love of the great out doors, but that is just my opinion based on 20+ years at sea.

[Harold B]

As a commercial fisherman I have seen many ideas tried and some worked good others not so good and others good but expensive. One of the best in terms of cost and good results was the use of purchaced fiberglass panels they can be used like plywood for building giving you the cost and time saving that plywood panels provide without the disadvantage of wood's maintance.
I would also recommend gaff rigging because of the lower center of effort on the sails, especially for a scow shaped hull. Navel Archetic Kasten has and incredably interesting article on his website, about what is the best rigging for your boat or needs. I think it might well be to your advantage to consult him for your rigging design or at least read the free info on his web site. If you are going with a keel I would recommend a double keel to allow easy grounding out without adding a lot of draught or a centerboard to navigate skinny water but still allow deep water navigation.
I have commercially fished in the area where you are talking about going and I seriously would recommend some type of doghouse to protect you from the discomforts that the weather will create. You can't believe how seriously I am about this, although the guys at the yacht clob poo poo this as something sissy they are not going to be spending a midnight watch with freezing rain and a nasty wind.

[boat fan]

As a commercial fisherman I have seen many ideas tried and some worked good others not so good and others good but expensive. One of the best in terms of cost and good results was the use of purchaced fiberglass panels they can be used like plywood for building giving you the cost and time saving that plywood panels provide without the disadvantage of wood's maintance.




Are you talking about gluing fiberglass panels on to wooden framing ?

[Lister]

Yes, the scows you are referring to (sandbaggers) are still very fast. However, they have a large crew to move the ballast around. Scows do well downwind.

Unfortunately Sand-baggers was not scows and never will be.
The scow are with two transom.
The sand-bagger (the ballast was sand bags) are like a Merlin Rocket (I am sure you sailed one of these marvel Gonzo) in the front but with a very wide beam and very wide transom and a few inches free-board. And heavy and over canvassed.
The scow referred above was a gigantic type E scow, who was fast like the best multi hull of the time. I am not sure in all around weather if the Scow will not again beat the multi.
I understand the passion for the "merchant scow" They are beautiful in my eye. The New Zealand Scow have a grace and a very subtle bow shape.
yes here I contradict myself, the NZ Scow as a stem. But it is so triangular at the deck, that the name scow still right.