A. A. Apel Plans.....Are they real??

It looks a great boat and common sense suggests I should go with a proven boat, but when has anyone, especially me, let common sense get in the way of a good plan.
To me although a beautiful boat, it looks modern and no doubt goes fast, two requirements that are a not at the top of my list of desirable traits. I want something unique, an old classic, in its own way a beautiful icon of an era. More modern designs trade off these qualities for speed, enlightened hull design and commercial practicality.
I fully appreciate the reasoning behind the apprehension of those more worldly than me about choosing this boat, but I am not sorry to say that it only spurs me on. Once upon a time many, many eons ago a sailor set forth against the best advice of others and discovered new lands. I am not that adventurous, but this is my little foray into the unknown.
The hardest part of building this boat for me is cleaning out the shed to have the room to start this long term project. Parting with long forgotten items that I once dreamt would be the inspiration for other projects.

 

RiverHorse,

Certainly, to take onboard a new idea, it is necessary to let an old idea go, so in order to help you clear out your mind, here are a few boats to mentally sweep under the carpet.

http://www.boatdesigns.com/19-Barrelback-19-double-cockpit-barrelback/products/778/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/Barrelback-19/products/721/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/17-Gentry-gentlemans-runabout/products/217/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/Biscayne-18/products/725/

http://metrocast.net/~bcheckerberry/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/Biscayne-22/products/726/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/19-Monaco-classic-mahogany-runabout/products/240/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/19-Tahoe-classic-inboard-runabout/products/883/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/16-Audeen-inboard-speed-boat/products/196/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/21-Renegade-deep-vee-ski-boat/products/353/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/13-Tuffy-runabout/products/367/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/10-Super-Spartan-3-point-hydoplane/products/362/

http://www.boatdesigns.com/9-6-Picklefork---3-point-hydroplane/products/347/


You wrote: "Parting with long forgotten items etc....", to which I say build small shed for them.

Best wishes,

P

 

Hey...nice that this thread is coming to life again
I have the DN Goodchild Plans, but there seem to be some errors in it.The biggest one, that confused me is that the offset-table is missing station 16. So be aware of that if you think about Zephyr.
I am currently building it in Rhino [1:1] ( for an RC model later on).
It seems that the Zephyr is quite confusing, especially the underwater ship. Maybe it won't be best as a starter Project.

I think Hacker's slippery wasn't mentioned yet, here. It might be interesting and looks quite simple to build in the plans
http://www.dngoodchild.com/5403.htm

Edit:
I had just a look on the Zephyr Model at Quirao, but that doesn't look like the Zephyr on the DN G plans. The underwater ship is very different and the back looks like cut off from the Plans. The Plans of ClassicWooden Boatplans seem to be made from the DN G plans. Maybe there were several versions of it or the builder developed the boat over time.
The ClassicWodden Boatplans and Goodchild plans have a flat keel (very confusing somehow) while the Quirao model has a regular keel line and a convex underwater ship (according to the linespan on the top of the page).

riverhorse: have you already found a copy "Building plans for forty-three small boats" in a library or so. I would be very interested about the linespan and offset table there.

 

Building plans for 43 small boats

After reading the Zephyr plans included in the book, I have found them to be no different from the D N Goodchild booklet, an exact copy. The table of offsets is identical and the text is word for word.
It was a little disappointing that there was not additional information.

The Quirao model I think is just that, a model that is modified to make it easier to produce. The line drawing top right probably has little to do with the model and is just a generic picture used to help sell their product.

The flat keel may not be of the usual design but should not be seen as a design floor as this is the planning area at high speed.
Frame 16 is actually the transom frame, I had to look it up on my full size plans to see the detail. The transom outer curved face needs to be made to fit as there is little to no detail provided.

 

Yes, 16 is the transom, that is how I constructed it, but there has to bee a lot of points projected between 9 and 16 (Half-Keel, Upper Chine)
Sad that there is no more information supplied in the Book itself.
Well, a bit of trying should help to find out the right form I think...
If you are interested I could send you a Autocad File or Rhino of my current work. It is measured in Milimeters, but I think two eyes see more than one
Just the sides have to be done, Deck, underwater sections, Heck are already made, but may prefer a bit of rework.

 

As for the Apels and their designs: classics and highly successful, including Campbell's famous 1950's world speed recordholder, Bluebird.

Another well proven design of similar size but different power is Ken Bassett's 14'10" Rascal, a classic looking runabout that can be powered by outboard. The plans are drawn so that lofting isn't required, greatly simplifying the build for an amateur. Marketed by WoodenBoat here :

< http://www.woodenboatstore.com/1410-Runabout-Rascal/productinfo/400-100/ >

A professional job here:

< http://www.thelittleboatshop.com/rascalrunabout.html >

And one of many successful amateur builds here:

< http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/articles/rascal/rascal.htm >

 

Autocad

Yes that would be great, the more info the better. I can have a look and pass on any insights.

 

Willkommen, Achi.

 

The Zephyr is very buildable

Ok, here goes...

After studying, and being haunted by the plans of the Zephyr for several years, I decided to take the plunge. I'm several months into the build process, but here is how she looks presently:

http://gallery.me.com/woodwerksupply#100548

Oh, just for the record, aside from a few slight corrections on the batten locations, the plans from 'Classic Wooden Boat Plans' (http://www.classicwoodenboatplans.com/zephyr-16/) are excellent. They were the basis for my project. Don't be afraid to work with these offsets and drawings. I've had a great experience.

Check back often as I'll be updating photos as I make progress.

 

A good reference for you would be the Vintage Hydroplane website. Also Phil Kunz' site.

 

Welcome to the forum, Plywood Tom.

 

Making a bit more headway. Hoping for a mid-2013 launch date.

Pics here: http://gallery.me.com/woodwerksupply#100548

 

Also, Please keep your eyes open for me for a pair of marine exhaust manifolds for a Flathead Ford V8. Badly in need...otherwise dry (loud) exhaust through the deck.

 

woodwerkssupply, that is a beautiful photo array. The construction details will be very useful to the amateur boat builder who may be stumped how to join pieces. Wow.

A late welcome to you. Don't know how I missed it.

 

That shop is wrong in so many ways.
SHC