Initial thoughts: 1st November 2009

I was surprised, the other day, to uncover a set of boat plans which I must have bought some 30 years ago - a 17ft Coble by Ditchfield Designs in Southampton - doesn't seem to exist anymore though. I can't remember why I didn't build it; I only know that I ended up tackling a 15ft Island Plastics design instead (they don't exist anymore either) resulting, after about a year, in an incredibly seaworthy little gaff rigged cruiser that took me on great adventures around the West and East coasts of Scotland (before eventually sinking in Dunbar harbour during a force 9 easterly!).

Then other life stuff intervened - as it does - and years passed before I got the boating itch again. Starting small, I completed the very pretty Esk 14 kayak by Selway Fisher - although I have no particular interest in kayaking - too close to the water for my liking! My friend Angela is looking after it at present but I guess I'll have to sell it soon.

Next, was the more challenging MacGregor canoe by Iain Oughtred - a 15ft clinker design with 6 strakes per side, and a yawl rig. Most builders start off slavishly sticking to the design details (for about a week) and then start modifying! I was no different. The suggested lee board was replaced by a Rushton type swivelling dagger board; and then I couldn't resist adding outriggers modified from a design I bought from Fyne Boats near Kendal. Again, it's a very pretty boat but what began as a car-topable canoe has become so elaborate and heavy (complete with an outboard) that I've had to build a trailer. Things can get out of hand like this sometimes - well, quite a lot actually.I had good fun in this boat too but, at the end of the day, it's not the sailing or being on the water that I like; it's simply the building. Projects like this can be totally absorbing - to the point of obsession in fact - the downside being that no one invites you round anymore in case you start going on about your boat. Odd that! (There may, of course, be other reasons!)

So, anyway, the next project is a 15 foot Northumbrian coble with 9 strakes a side and a nice 5ft 10" beam; again from Selway Fisher (Study Plans are available which is a great help before committing to any one design). But there's this thing about boat plans - no matter where you get them - they are daunting and you might, like me,  find yourself staring at them for weeks before things start to make a bit of sense. Also, if you hope that the instructions that accompany your plans will help, you're in for a disappointment. The exception is Fyne Boat's own designs which come with very detailed instructions - but others offer rather sparse guidance - I even read some Welsford instructions which said at one point: 'Now cut out the parts and assemble.' Like, yeah! For clinker construction of the Northumbrian coble there are just two lines of instructions suggesting you buy Thomas Hill's book (which I did and didn't find helpful) but there is now an excellent range of instruction manuals from Selway Fisher which cover most of what you need to know.

Some additional refs:

Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual by Iain Oughtred - the layout is a bit chaotic but there's a lot of useful stuff there.
Clinker Boatbuilding by John Leather - something of a classic if perhaps more traditional than needed by most builders these days. This is the one I started off with years ago.
The Working Guide to Traditional Small Boat Sails by David Nichols - helps sort out your dipping lines, thimbles, thumb cleats, cheek blocks and so on . . . .

So, anyway, getting back to the Northumbrian Coble . . . .