New Zealand Scow

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by dskira, Aug 9, 2009.

  1. sltak
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    sltak Junior Member

    Hi Steve. The construction details of my boat are a bit unusual. Essentially, I made a strong rigid structure over a strongback, the sides and bulkheads all constructed from macrocarpa framing and double-diagonal planking of 6" x 3/4" macrocarpa. (Giving a skin thickness of 1.5") The strongback also made one side of the rather large centreboard trunk. All the major components were bolted together with many 3/4" galvanised bolts. No glue was used - all plank fastenings were galvanised nails. There was no bending. All parts were sawed and fastened. (The designer claimed it could be built with a hammer, a handsaw and a broad axe and no other tools. Actually, I used a skill saw, and in the forward part of the chines, the only part which needed fairing, I used a power planer.) So that is the structure. Despite the disparaging comments about macrocarpa made in a previous post, I chose macrocarpa over tanalised pine, which was the alternative. It can last very well, has natural preservative in it - and is actually being used in fine boat building these days as small selections of it can look a bit like Kauri. Most of mine was full of knots - it was all fencing grade, but I had it all dressed, and the bulkheads are done with t & g. It looks lovely inside, to my eye.

    So that's the structure. But Macrocarpa shrinks and twists around a bit as it dries, and no glue is used, and there was no tar or caulking. So what makes it watertight?

    Well the old scows were usually sheathed with tar, shename and a skin of totara planking, and caulked. But they all leaked, and worm got them all in the end especially in the way of the centreboard case. We used a different type of sheathing, and chose to use a layer of very thin, very high quality ferrocement. The sheathing comprises Watson mesh (a very good quality 3-dimensional mesh) with 3/16" reinforcing steel around chines and other stess places, cement plaster - and the sheathing is 3/8" thick in total. The reinforcing is mechanically fastened to the rough exterior plaking, with hundreds of galvanised fencing staples. The clenched over galvanised nails of the planking also add to the mechanical interlocking of this membrane, with the wooden structure. The only hi-tech material used in the hull is a coating of epoxy resin over the entire hull to ensure water does not penetrate the cement sheathing. As you can expect, there were many prophesies of delamination, rust, falling apart etc - but in fact it was not an experiment. The designer had a lot of knowledge about ferrocement, and I had also quite a lot of practical experience in this area. Also I had been associated with two other sheathing projects, which I can describe some other time, but the point here is, it wasn't an experiment, though I am not sure if there are any other vessels specifically designed to be sheathed as this one was. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I am on board as I write this post, it is my home. The hull I built over 30 years ago has never leaked a drop, is totally intact, the timber is dry and clean and still as sweet smelling as the day it was milled. The real joy is this - she lives in an environment where worm is a real problem - and she is totally impervious to worm attack. I bet she is the first scow that never made a home for a teredo worm.
    Does that answer your question? Its not a method of construction that would suit many vessels, but due to Brian Donovan's creative mind, it is a perfect method of construction for a small scow. The hull was cheaply built - might not be quite so cheap these days. I would do a few things differently next time, but the structure is good. When we rolled the hull over, if I recollect correctly, she floated in about 12" of water. She is lower on her marks now, with a heavy engine, heavy masts and rigging, lots of tools and books and all my worldly possessions. She draws about 25" now. And probably the better for it. I will try to attach a photo of the interior.
     

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  2. rayman
    Joined: Sep 2009
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    rayman Senior Member

    siltak, Brian D designed some nice boats and a lot in ferro. Yes, I made disparaging comments on macrocarpa because if it's not milled and dried correctly it can cause much grief. I thought I recognised B.D's hand in the sketch plan, I have the study drawings of his little "ROK" the 19' keeler entered in the transtasman race so many years ago. That first pic looks like the moorings at Waitangi River mouth.I had to include Karoro, can you imagine sailing them into Ngunguru to load timber or coal?
     

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  3. sltak
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    sltak Junior Member

    Hi Ray thanks for posting those pictures. I guess the first one is the Revival, right? The second one I am pretty sure is the one referred to previously, which lives up around Herald Island causeway - if I am correct she has since had the centreboard case and mizzen mast removed and is now a sloop, with shallow bilge keels. The removal of the centreboard case has opened up a wonderfully large accommodation space, I saw inside it once. Do you know the name of the owner and the name of the boat? The article on the Zingara is interesting, she was the largest scow ever built. Thanks again for the pics which I will add to my collection. If you have any further information on either of those first two replicas I would be interested.
     
  4. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    Hi just hold the cursor over the pic for name. Yes-REVIVAL and PAHIKI. I think Pahiki lives at Kawau, I do have the name of the one at Herald Is. In the 1960's the skipper of the tug "Mt Maunganui" (now Pacific Way) built a small, about 36-38' which he called "Alma Too" in his backyard at the Mount. I don't know what happened to that one.
     
  5. Tantalus
    Joined: Mar 2010
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    Location: Auckland, New Zealand

    Tantalus 1963 kauri cruiser

    Pahiki is at Kawau Island and in regular use
     
  6. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    I was told by an old skipper of Jane Gifford that the "Revival" was a half scale with modified depth of hull, from the "Owhiti" lines, I don't know about "Pahiki" or the one at Herald Is. but here is "Tramp" reputedly 1/4 scale Owhiti, by Peter Bright of Waiuku.
    and here is Davy Darroch's very first scow "UNA" showing a plumb stem and pivotting centerboard. This c/b is as used on the American designs. C/b tackle is rigged from the mainmast cross trees.
     

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  7. sltak
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    sltak Junior Member

    Hey, Rayman, these are interesting pics. Do you have more? Good stuff.

    The Tramp and the revival both have the type of stern that Owhiti and some others had - kind of runs up to the deck like a fantail stern, but square. The stern on mine has a longer run ending in a vertical transom - B Donovan reckoned it was better. The bow details are interesting - they weren't all the same. Some of the earlier Daroch scows (Jane Gifford is a good example) have a rather complicated chine which continued around almost to the stem. Once you see it you can recognise this in quite a few different scows, I can't remember whether the replicas Revival and Tram had this bow or not. Mine has a "Niccol" type bow, which is a simple conic section and the chine runs straight up to a hard shoulder - slightly less elegant but easier to build I think, and probably easier to keep water tight. According to Ted Ashby The last of Daroch's scows were like that too. I am hoping these comments will provoke some further response from people who have more knowledge than me.
    I think the Tramp is now in the Dargaville museum. At any rate, Dargaville museum does have on display a model scow about 17' in length which looks a bit like the Owhiti, and there are some photos of it sailing. I am pretty sure this is the Tramp. It is a very good model complete with sails and rigging.

    Thankyou to the people still following this thread. It would be good to flush out a few more pictures and get a few more anecdotes, and information about any that might still be around.

    I will add another drawing that I bet none of you has seen. This is a replica scow intended to be a pleasure boat, it was designed by Ian White and the hull was built in Thames. It was built fairly lightly out of plywood and sheathed with ferrocement, also fairly light. I helped Ian with a bit of it, but I thought it was far too flimsy. If it had been stronger it might have been quite fun, good accomodation because no centreboard case just shallow bilge keels. I think it would have been quite a practical concept. I lost touch with Ian, but I believe it was launched and ended up in Auckland with a high cabin and no mast or rigging. I saw a vessel at Shoal Bay just under the Auckland Harbour Bridge which I am sure was this vessel. I have never seen or heard of it again. I don't believe it would have lasted long, it was not strongly enolugh built. Ian White and his wife went to live in Australia and Ian is now deceased. He was a real nice guy, he was an ex Royal Navy pattern maker, he taught me and helped me to make patterns for casting coal range parts in iron. I am sure he wouldn't mind me putting the drawing of his dream scow on the web. Here it is.
     

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  8. sltak
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    sltak Junior Member

    Scow Bows. Add to the above post. The two pictures on the left show the typical Darroch bow, rather elegantly curved chine. The top one is Jane Gifford (67' Darroch 1908) and the bottom one is Thistle (61' Darroch 1894.

    The two pictures on the right show the chine ending at the deck in a more abrupt shoulder. The top one is Horoura (launched as Hero, 97' Niccol 1905) and the lower one is the 71' Owhiti, you can just see her chine and shoulder - she is one of the later Darroch scows, "Built by Darroch in 1924 and an example of his later method of bow construction".

    These photographs and quote are from "Phantom Fleet" by Ted Asby. Incidently this book also provides drawings of the Owhiti, credited to C.W. Hawkins who was also a historian who has published and preserved much interesting information about the scows of Auckland, and other vessels.

    My little scow has the Niccol type bow, which Brian Donovan was adamant was better - but perhaps this is arguable. Anyway, though not as elegant, it is probably simpler to build and for the old scows may have been less trouble to maintain. Perhaps someone with direct knowledge can comment on that.
     

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  9. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    Back to Pahiki. Here some pics when she was so much younger. P4=racing in a regatta. Small round top structure is the galley, stove flue pipe taken out.
    P3=Loaded with building materials. Probably when in private ownership.
    P2=Outbound. P1= Inbound fully loaded. Decks down was not unusual. Load appears to be round timber so could be pitprops or firewood.
    Pahiki owners-various from1905-1944from 44-46-Grayton Murdoch Whitaker
    46-49-Olive Constance Kiddell--49-Rosemary Bright-unknown period.
    Pahiki was the smallest HOLD scow built 56'5"x17'1"x3'0" but the smallest trading scow was RITA 51'x16'x3'3"
     

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  10. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    scow bows, there were as many different bows as there were builders. in Davy Darroch's early style, look at J G. the chine log swept up and around to land on the first outer partition which also was landed underneath the bow rimpiece. The weakness here was in the area of the curve which was verticle planked for about 4-5 feet. I will dig out some pics of this construction for you. As for the sterns it was a matter of cost and what looks nicer. You must remember that they only cost a few hundred pounds to build. The cabin consisted of three box-berths and a table, cooking was done in a bogey on deck, they were manned by two men and a boy generally.
    Margaret was built 1886 by Melville & Hewson at Mechanics Bay, note the plumb stem and hard shoulder, she also had the American style pivotting c/board. The load appears to be firewood.From the earliest days of settlement Waiheke Is. was planted in black wattle to supply a cash crop for farmers and supply the bark and firewood to the many tanneries in and around Auckland.
     

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  11. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    That pic of Dominion loading at Ponui Is. is just what finished the scows off. We would go in at low water, start grabbing then follow the tide up the beach and be gone in a couple of hours. She was a nice looker when she was young but Alma was the pick of them all.
     
  12. sltak
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    sltak Junior Member

    This is really good. I would really like to look at more of your photgraphs and learn more about these boats. The Milliways is the boat that I had been confusing with Pahiki (the little Pahiki which has been reported to be at Kawau Island). It is the Milliways, I think now, which had the centreboard out and replaced with shallow bilge keels, and now has only one mast. I am glad to clear that up.
    Like most people, I have had to rely on the books of Ted Ashby, Cliff Hawkins and Percy Eady but I can see there is still quite a lot of unrecorded data and photographs out there. I didn't know, for instance, that any of them had pivoting centreboards.
    Any chance of making contact, for some discussion and a look at more of your photos? My phone number is 021 746 118 if there is any chance, give me a call.

    Just to keep the flow of pictures going, here is another pleasure boat scow, called the Marlin. She is not a NZ-type Scow, I am not sure the origin of the design. She has some deadrise forward, like the NZ Scow, but completely different chine and a transom bow which is a bit different. I believe she is 30' x 12', built in plywood (fibreglassed) over many years, and launched at Dargaville. I have seen her at Dargaville about 4 years ago, but she has gone now. Some locals told me she has sailed up to Hokianga Harbour. Anybody know anything more about this one?
     

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  13. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    More scow bows.These are all J-G.before and after. The stripped out shots were at Okahu Bay when they realised the extent of the job ahead and gave her to Peter Thompson and his trust.
     

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  14. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    More scow bows showing diferent arrangements of planking
     

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  15. rayman
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    rayman Senior Member

    still more. I think Glenae-Tamahae-Lady Gwen had the most extreme bow rake of all. It gave her a lot of lift in the shoulders and the bow planking ran parallel to the waterline before fanning out to meet the bottom timbers. But here is "ORAKEI" it is said her sides,partitions and backbone were pitsawed from one log, all solid timber, no seams at all. She traded Cook Strait and was lost down in Collingwood Bay. She must have been one wet ship. The pic is supposed to be at Howick, the clock tower and wee church where my inlaws were married.
     

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