Missing Bill Garden designed launch - Anybody seen it?

[jwied1999]

I have spoke with the Neelley's and passed allong that Tlingit is alive and well in Riverside, CA awaiting a rebuild. Katherine was just finished and Claymore is also in line. See attached photos







[/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[jwied1999]

That is Bill inspecting the restoration work on "Katherine" at his island last week

[u4ea32]

Please provide some details on Katherine and Claymore. Claymore looks very interesting!

[jwied1999]

Under my Member Gallery is some other photos of Claymore. It is similar to a Garden boat big built shown in the launchings section of the current Wooden Boat Mag. Claymore, Tlingit & Katherine are all in the first Bill Garden Book Yacht Design.

[boat fan]

Great pictures , Thank you.

[Commuter Boats]

Originally Posted by u4ea32

Please provide some details on Katherine and Claymore. Claymore looks very interesting!

I purchased William Garden's " Yacht Designs" in 1978 and have gotten countless hours of enjoyment from Williams designs and thoughts, all three of the designs mentioned in this thread are featured in this first of three wonderful books written Mr. Garden and all three should be read by anyone that would consider themselves a true boataholic.
My volume is falling apart and although all of the designs featured in his first book are reproduced in this third book ( along with additional designs), the quality of the printing in only the first allows you to read Williams notes with a good glass.

[Commuter Boats]

I've previously missed this thread and absolutely enjoyed reading previous posts and remembering all the good times I've had on Tlingit... I've never really been a board , but I bet I've had Bills book open to Tlingit's pages for a hundred hours of daydreaming...
A couple years back there was a gentleman on this forum looking for Tlingit's design. He suggested that all of William Gardens designs were locked up in a museum back east and that Bill have redesigned Tlingit's bottom in an effort to rectify some of its shortcomings. If I remember correctly there was suggestions of a Bolger type "boxed keel" or maybe a Garr type Seabright bottom but the gentleman could not gain access to the design changes.
In Bill's second book ( the fourth photo) he mentions that he acquired the boat and updated it with a forward cabin, in his third book he again mentions it and suggests " number two should have another foot of bottom width..." ( the fifth photo).
I've read what was stated of its handling would very much like to further that discussion. Gerald

[boat fan]

excellent ...thanks

[jwied1999]

This is a picture of the Tlingit model mentioned in the book

[Russell Dawkins]

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread - I encountered it in doing a search on William Garden and Klingit.

I saw this boat at Canoe Cove Marina in the early 70's and returned a few times, mainly to take in her lines again. Poetry in plywood!
On one occasion I was told that Bill used it to ferry himself back and forth to his island office and that Bill had recently modified the hull by attaching a shallow "V" to the formerly flat bottom of the forward part, since it pounded a little under certain conditions of chop.
That he was enamored of the 3 cylinder Easthope was evidenced by the fact that it was enclosed in a plexiglass-windowed space so the whole world could admire the aesthetics.

An inspiring boat, indeed, and one that fueled many a fantasy.

[Submarine Tom]

He's an interesting guy, and quite approachable. I spoke with him about a year ago on the phone.

-Tom

[kimaging]

Russell,

The name of the boat is pronounced more like "Klingit", than the actual spelling Tlingit. I'm glad you resurrected the thread; I've been meaning to upload a few pictures and hadn't gotten around to it.

Bill always had smaller boats to move him back and forth between his Island and the marina. Using Tlingit to do that particular commute would have been pretty impractical. Taking Tlingit out of the marina was in no way a turn-key operation. I have heard many stories of modifications made below the waterline by Bill after he took ownership from my Grandfather. However, the only modifications I have every confirmed were above the waterline. As to the enclosure around the Easthope, that was done by my Grandfather.

When it was launched, the Easthope was completely exposed as can be seen in the black and white photos. In the first photo looking forward, my Grandfather is lying down on the bow, looking over the side. Next to my foot on the wheel, you can see the ignition switch for the motor and right above my big toe is the throttle mounted on top of the 'firewall'. To the right of the rocker arms you can just see the top of the gear selector arm.

In the second photo looking aft, you can just see the top of the flywheel at the bottom of the picture. The v-belts were run directly off the flywheel to the alternator and a starter motor from a dodge pickup truck. The simple throttle can be seen very clearly on the firewall.

After the first summer with the boat, my Grandmother just couldn't live with the Grandchildren being on the boat and exposed to all the moving metal and rubber. So the 'firewall' was extended around the engine, although this made the passage into the forward cabin even narrower. Keep in mind that the Easthope had a complete loss oiling system. There was no sump or oil pump, and no oil was circulated internally. There were 4 drip oilers for the main bearings, but all other oiling was either by splash internally or by hand application with an oil can. Several small doors had to be included to allow access to the lower parts of the engine. Additionally gear selection was accomplished by an arm directly connected to the transmission. It is not practical to put these engines in a box; you have to have access to the engine to run it.

After several more summers there was again concern on the part of my Grandmother about the valve train still being too exposed. Additionally, despite the fact that engines like these make music, not noise, having a conversation in the cabin or at the helm was difficult. So the Plexiglas enclosure was added to address both of those issues. In the color photos you can see the Plexiglas enclosure, which included a small door forward on the port side. On the starboard side there were 2 panels which slid all the way from front to back. When one was forward and the other aft, the engine room was ‘sealed’. During starting and maneuvering, the aft section was slid forward to allow access to the aft end of the engine.
While the enclosure solved the safety and noise issues, while maintaining forward visibility from the helm, it did make for some interesting contortions for the skipper. The wheel, ignition switch and throttle were located outside of the engine room. The spark retarder, compression release and gear selector were located inside the engine room. This meant standing in the awkward position at the corner of the engine room during starting and maneuvering as can be seen in both photos. One hand inside and one hand outside was the only way it worked.

Regards and a Happy New Year,

Kim Neelley

[kimaging]

A couple more pictures of Tlingit and one of Bill in the 80's. Also 2 pictures of Captain Teach, the 80' x 10' follow-on design to Tlingit.

[Russell Dawkins]

Thanks for the additional information, Kim, and the photos. I am amazed that I am communicating with the grandson of the fellow Tlingit was built for (after all these years!).

I "knew" the spelling was Tlingit. "Klingit" is how I hear it, though, which led to the subliminal slip, I guess!

Further to the comment about the "v" surface being added to the forward hull bottom, another part of this mystery individual's conversation that stuck with me was his description of the movement of Tlingit. He said it was a sight to see when under way - it moved like a navy destroyer - seemingly uninfluenced by the chop as it sliced through, and leaning outwards on turns as destroyers do.

I never did see it in motion.

The photos of Captain Teach are appreciated, too. Another fascinating and desirable boat. I can imagine that stern could come in handy in many ways, plus the extra beam would make the boat more practical without it being much harder to drive, I would think. If I'm not mistaken, I saw it enter Victoria's Inner Harbour a few years ago. If it wasn't Captain Teach it was certainly a Garden - there's no mistaking the lines, especially in combination with the cabin roof.

What timeless designs these are - Katherine, in particular.

Happy New Year to you too, Kim.

[Pierre R]

I would be interested to know how Captain Teach actually handled and cruised?