Islander - Seagoer

Hi Scott , I have stopped by your site a few times , and enjoyed it very much.
I first read about Harry Pidgion about years ago. Since then I have been interested in the seagoer design, of which your Noe Mar is a fine example.
I am interested in getting a set of plans.
Regards,frank

 

Plans for the Seagoer Yawl

Frank, if you wish plans, post your address on my blog of the Noe Mar or email me @ SbirdScott@gmail.com with your address. I have two sets of plans, they are in booklet form...and are different. These are the plans done by Rudder Mag. I also have a set of Seabird plans from Wooden Boat but they are regular plans and you can order them. I might add that the Seabird plans I have are McGregor's plywood version and is better than the original (at least I think so). You might wish to look at both sets and talk to a naval architect to redo them to your ideas. I used Simpson in Burnabe, Canada for a rudder re-design. He is good but is mainly a steel guy. Also, it did not cost me much.

Have fun

Ken Scott

 

Kudos to Angelique for digging up this treasure! And to sbirdscott for continuing the dream.

 

I found the rudder plans online somewhere. If anyone is interested I will post them or add the to my gallery. Unfortunately I cant remember the original link.

F

 

A friend of mine bought a seagoer yawl in the early 70's. He slapped on a fresh coat of paint, bought a new sail or two and took off with his wife on a 4 year cruise around the world. He found the mizzen mast to be more trouble than it was worth and left it on some island in the south pacific. Jim's was a little different in that the cabin went gunnel to gunnel with no side decks. His best day's run was around 170 miles and said that the boat would routinely surf down waves at 12 knots or so. That's about all I remember. Jim passed away several years ago so I can't get any more info.

 

It would be interesting to see them, so yes please post the plans . . .

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Looking back in this old thread it's a pity that a lot of the pictures and drawings are gone and a lot of the links are dead. I should be less lazy with the pics and download --> upload --> attach them instead of hotlinking.

Here's a French blog article about Harry Pidgeon and his Seagoer Yawl which contains nice pics of Harry and his boat. - (translation)

Here Harry in Rudder Magazine from September 1920 (Vol. 36, No. 9, p. 18) building his boat with the Rudder plans in his hand.

click pic to enlarge​

Cheers,
Angel

 

That`s an awful lot of dead weight there , put into a ( relatively )
small boat !

Buehler like heavyweight. Plywood on lighter frames is better I would think.

 

Frank posted the Seagoer plans here + interesting discussion going on there . . .

Cheers,
Angel

 

Was there plywood available in 1917 when Harry built his Islander . . ? ?

Cheers,
Angel

 

I believe plywood became popularly available in North America after WWII.

 

Such a simple question. So I did a search ... fascinating

Plywood was invented about 3400 B.C. by the Ancient Mesopotamians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood

The first patent for what could be called plywood was issued December 26, 1865, to John K. Mayo of New York City.

A breakthrough came in 1934 when Dr. James Nevin, a chemist at Harbor Plywood Corporation in Aberdeen, Washington finally developed a fully waterproof adhesive.
http://www.apawood.org/plywoodpioneers/history.htm

 

I think you missed the point .....which was ....why would you do it this way today ?

( Apart from the fact that even with solid planking , that boat , as shown , is absurdly overbuilt , like a Buehler ).

Having said that , I thank you Frank Smith , for posting the plans ,it is informative and interesting to see them.

 

I think we should stop calling a Buehler every boat in solid wood. They existed before he was born. Buehler himself took the book concept from Rabl.
That said if you sail on a river I agree, if you sail on a open ocean, you will be glad to have some "material inertia" meaning what you call "overbuilt" hull. She was not overbuilt, she was just the way it was, and the way it will be done today, solid and able.
Not to say wee can built a similar boat in a different way, but I assure you that is nothing absurd about the Pidgeon building.
Should you one day have the opportunity to step on one of these good vessel, you will bee glad you did, and come home with a smile on your face.

 

Peace and love. Sorry for the ranting.

 

No material for a backyard builder is the panacea, the easier way, the faster, the cheapest or other claim. They have all advantage and shortcoming. One thing in commun, the number of hours do not change to built a good cruiser in your backyard in any material.(same size and hull type of course)