Small Boat, Big Fun

[Island Cutter]

Greetings All,

I have been in the long and drawn out process of developing a little "ship" for those who would like to get into some actual sailing without spending a King's Ransom.

What I am working on is a small (15’) sailing vessel that has room for two and the general styling of a Sloop of the Golden Age. This is NOT a replica. This is a small boat in which to play pirate with some sense of historical styling. I will be offering Finished Vessels, Kits of varying degrees of inclusion (size & weight shipping considerations vs exclusion of parts readily available to you at a local building supply store), and even the distinct possibility of boat building courses.

What I ask of this Forum is you personal feed back on some of the aspects of this project. I will begin posting information under the heading of “Black Seal” which is the current working name of the design.

Here is a link to the old blog (Blargh) that was started during early construction. It certainly needs to be updated, but I think that you will get the idea.

Black Seal Boat Building "Blargh"

My current plan is to have “Hull No.1” finished in time for the Salem Pirate Faire, September 15th – 16th. The location seems perfect… Winter Island Park has beaches and even a boat launch!

The following is a picture of the original “Skipjack” upon which I have redesigned my “Black Seal” The major differences are in the finish and the fact that the Black Seal Series will have Galleon-like transom carvings and more “Piratey” details.

[oderlesseye]

Eye wish ye were on the west coast... I'd be payin ye a visit..!

[Island Cutter]

Oddly enough, I used to live in Del Mar, CA...

Even stranger than that is the designer of the original "mini-skipjack" was a neighbor of mine, but unknown at the time.

I do believe that my "kit" version of this little boat will be shppable at a fairly reasonable cost. Short of that, I will probably make plans available, and you can do all of your cutting yourself.

[Matusalem]

Perfect for Greenwood lake, NY

A miniature 'skipjack' eh?

Kind of like this one, though the picture below is not the traditional cutter rig:

I shall contact you in private, as you might have an interested customer.

[Island Cutter]

Well, I actually don't know why the designer of the original boat decided on "Skipjack". It is a great name but has little to do with the originals that we are familiar with from the Chesapeake.

[Capt Thighbiter]

Hey! Where's the motor?? LMFAO - sometimes I crack my self so completely up!

But then it is very early

See ya at Salem! Want to crew a gun with us?

[Island Cutter]

Hey! Where's the motor?? ...

Well... actually...

I saw a very clever way to hide an electric motor by incorporating it into the rudder. It was in WoodenBoat many years ago. I saved the article (and every WB mag before and since) for future reference. This might be the design on which to apply the knowledge.

At 5' wide, and with no thwarts to clutter the cockpit, "Black Seal" is not designed for rowing. I'd keep a couple of paddles around for an emergency, but she'll ghost right along on the slightest breeze.

As for crewing a gun... I'd love to have a go at that. In fact My Lady, who is new to all of this "Re-Enactment Stuff" would probably jump at the chance. Right capable Lass she is too... Cuts her own bait and guts her own catch.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Mr Cutter sir, would these be based on the plans from the old Petesen's How To Build A Sailboat book from the 1970's? Looks like the same skipjack with much nicer rigging. What kind of price range?

[Ransom]

Your boat is just what I've been looking for, as something with a little pirate style, to learn how to sail in. I would like updates when you get the kit ready for shipping, what the costs might be, etc. And how difficult it would be to put together if woodworking skills were not your forte, nor your husbands.

Lovely little vessel.

[Island Cutter]

...would these be based on the plans from the old Petesen's How To Build A Sailboat book from the 1970's?

Yep, the very same... but modified a bit. I have been in touch withMike Stevenson - The Backyard Yacht Club but they are no longer offering plans for the original Mini Skipjack. They are working on "updating" the plans and enlarging the design. The new design is beautiful, but I personally like the size of the original, so I have edited and digitized the original offsets and can reproduce them as cut parts thanks to my ShopBot CNC router. Mr. Stevenson has been kind enough to ask only for the price of a set of plans as compensation for his design work when I set a finished boat or kit. I am a Pirate, but one with some honor. Mr Stevenson will earn his doubloons as will I.

My real interests lie not in making money as a boat builder, but rather helping others to find the satisfaction of sailing a vessel of their own creation. If I can underwrite my nasty habit of attending Pirate Faires by moving a few kits or finished boats, then so much the better.

To answer a question from another post...

...And how difficult it would be to put together if woodworking skills were not your forte, nor your husbands?

Mike Stevenson had the first time builder in mind when he designed the skipjack. Than is not to say it is "easy" but it is within the capabilities of a dedicated "first-timer" Having many of the basic parts already cut, as would be found in the kit, would give you the ability to assemble the basic structure of the boat over a long weekend... the devil is in the details, as they say. You could finish the rest of the boat in as little as a few weeks of spare time, or you can make a jewel of it and invest months. Do you want to sail or make "floating furniture" that is almost too pretty to use? I have done both and each has it's rewards.

My vision is to be able to go to future Pirate events and sail with others who have build their own "Ships" Mr. Stevenson has devised a great game called Broadside, which is esentially a game of wet tag. I can't wait until we have enough boats to play.

:angry:

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Most excellent sir. Count me as a positive feedback. I have been working on my "White Trash dory" for some time in order to learn to sail but haven't gotten very far with it yet. We dumbass hillbillies can't figure out the riggin without one to look at up close. The Missouri Ozarks ain't a good place to pick up this kind of knowledge.

See ya on/in the water! :angry:

[Island Cutter]

We dumbass hillbillies can't figure out the riggin without one to look at up close. The Missouri Ozarks ain't a good place to pick up this kind of knowledge

Dont fret. Even those of us here right on the East Coast need good books and the help of friends to figure out all that friggin' riggin'

...and any navigable "puddle of water" is good enough when it's all ya got. The thing is to get "out there" in something.

My biggest mistake at the beginning of my sailing "career" was to be thinking too big. I wanted a schooner, and the shoreline of the Long Island Sound once provided ample opportunity to fall in love with many a rotty hull... wilting wooden wenches all trussed up and rouged, hiding the years of misuse and neglect that lie beneath.

when getting into sailing, smaller IS better. cost rise exponentially with the size of the hull. The initial costs are only the tip of the iceberg and the fees and maintenance costs can outstrip the sticker price of a used "bargain boat" in the fist year.

Keep it small, keep it simple keep the fun in it.

[Island Cutter]

A few nots on finished boats, kits & costs...

The basic plans for the original un-modified mini-skipjack, are available nearly for free... your local library might have an old copy of

Sailboats you can build

by Peter Stevenson

Language: English  Type:  Book

Publisher: Radnor, Pa. : Chilton Book Co., ©1977.

ISBN: 0801964482 9780801964480 0801964490 9780801964497 | OCLC: 2646441 

As I mentioned, printed plans still seem to be available for the Original Mini-Skipjack, and they are only $25 bucks... a bargain in the boat building world. I will produce instructions for converting this design to the "Black Seal" which is the Piratey version, based directly upon what I have learned from the skipjack.

***PLEASE NOTE*** there were a few critical typos in the original plans. (Dont cut the bottom deck until you talk to me.) Any little glitches have already been discoved and corrected in the pre-cut parts kit.

I strongly encourage anyone who wishes to build one of these boats to spend the few dollars and BUY the book when you find a copy, then come find me for either advice, or some pre-cut parts.

The parts kits will be available "a la carte"... you can pick and choose which parts you will need, and which elements are best purchased by you locally. The other nice thing about this approach is that you don't need to buy everything at once... build the hull first while you re-fill the "Sail & Rigging" kitty with you hard earned doubloons.

I am going to start up a new Builder's Blog in the near future. It will cover some of the ins and outs of assembly as well as suggestions to help you decide which parts to buy, and which parts to make yourself. A lot depends really upon what tools to have at your disposal.