Dark Harbor

I found this exchange a bit puzzling also. Jammer asks a question: PAR and gonzo attempt to answer it; and then Jammer poo-poos their answers.
Jammer is the one concerned about difficulty, not Par or gonzo, and yet, when they try to explain what might be considered difficult by some (not for themselves), he rejects their answers, acting as if they are the ones having difficulty!

 

Vitamin D deficiency, Wayne. I have to deal with it, too, but I take my meds.

 

. . . . .

 

http://www.artisanboatworks.com/ is experienced building these.
One was featured in May/June 2007 in WoodenBoat Issue #196

 

I've worked on a few, but never built one. Certainly would like to someday, if a commission comes up. They have nice shapes and details, if you're into traditional builds. Well thought out structure by Cowninshield and Burbank.

 

Well, it looks to me like it's no more difficult than any other boat.

Now I've been told that it's a hard boat to build because:

• The shape of the hull.
• The keelbolts are long. All four of them. (Actually, only three of them qualify as "long". But I digress.)
• The aft third of the hull has ribs.
• The rudder is not plumb.
• It has exterior ballast.
• It has a mast instead of a "power plant".
• It is carvel planked. Carvel planking is notoriously difficult and requires someone who has done it all their lives.
• It is clinker planked. (Well, not really.)
• It is strip planked. (This one is wrong.)
• It is cold molded, which requires a special shop and advanced, expensive equipment. (This one is, too, in a couple ways.)
• It is not made of plywood.
• It is decked with canvas, which is old technology and will never stand up to salt water. (They may be confusing it with a Dragon, which is decked with canvas.)
• The plans are incomplete.
• It requires lofting.
• It is built of wood.

So I guess it was a poorly phrased question. All it did was invite people to list their fears, or the things they know they have problems with.

My conclusion is that the boat is no more difficult to build than any other classic.

 

Have you built a carvel hull before.

 

That's likely the first, well written, concise and to the point post you've ever made Jammer. Maybe you're not what 99% of your other posts suggest.

I agree (imagine that), the DH-17 isn't any more or less difficult to build than any other traditional build of this shape.

Carvel isn't difficult, in fact one of the easier methods, when it comes to skill and built time and especially come repairs. The shapes on this boat can be challenging at the aft quarters, when twisting planking in or bending ribs, but welcome to sweetly shaped yacht builds . . .