Classic lines and recycled plastic

It is an old story when it comes to boats: you spend ages deciding what you need and what is sensible, then you go and buy something which is destined to rule your life, damage your finances or completely change your carefully thought out plans. In my case, luckily, only the last of these was the case when I set out to build a boat to replace my WW Potter.

I had finally decided that it would be more cost-effective to build a cruising dinghy which would incorporate all my good ‘ideas’ from an existing hull, as old dinghy hulls have limited value, thus saving a lot of money and time. I asked about, hoping to acquire something about 15’ long. Then DCA member Eric Scholes said he had a hull which was a ‘bit’ longer but which he was sure I could cut down — I was doomed.

The lines of the hull were beautiful. In fact the moulding has been the basis for several different production boats; mine had been a Yeoman 20 in an earlier life. Even with no deck or insides to speak of, it was elegant. I just could not bear to take a saw to it, which would have put a large transom in the water. Anyway, by the time I had got it home I was dreaming of classic lines and speed.

Now, an extra 5’ or so doesn’t seem much, but there are 20’ boats which are measured in tons, not pounds, and I was still building a cruising dinghy not a cruising yacht. However, I’m certain that some readers will take issue with the whole idea of a 20’ dinghy. I wanted to have a boat I could sail, launch and recover alone. I was going to have to be very careful, or I would end up with a boat I would not use.

In the end, my solutions are not particularly original, but are cheap and seem to have worked so far. Firstly, the strength would have to be in the structure not in the use of heavy timbers and decks, so 6mm ply serves for the deck and coach roof. With 9mm for the main bulkhead and cabin sides — supported by ply and hardwood forming epoxy-coated box structures, with woven glass reinforcement where needed — the finished structure is effectively one piece. I built the stern with an inboard-outboard which can be lifted clear to allow a filling piece of GRP to restore the hull shape. The galvanised centre-plate is housed in a box made from 12mm ply framed with mahogany, recycled, as all the hardwood was from old P.E. cupboards rescued from a school skip, or from kitchen fitters’ offcuts.

The boat, in looks, owes something to a French Belouga, which I happen to like. I have kept a much larger cockpit than the average ‘yacht’ to keep it as really an open boat with a bit of a cabin. The gunter rig allows easy mast erection and also makes it look better (Belouga-like, I hope). Incidentally, the mast is an old hollow wooden mast, cut down and reglued. The yard was laminated from a length of 30 year-old pine shelving which was clear and unwarped. Given that many ‘classic’ restorations have a few planks and a bit of metal off the original, I consider my old mast and the age of the shelf must put Molly in the restored category at least.

Size isn’t everything, but the speed of the extra waterline length seems wonderful to me, an ex-WW Potterer. At the moment I’m using old Wayfarer sails, so the looks and performance should improve when I get better ones. Actually, the performance exceeded my expectations, not only in terms of speed, but in that Molly will sail in ridiculously shallow water and will go to windward on a reefed main with a tiny amount of plate down.

I intended the boat to have creek-crawling abilities, and the high aspect ratio rudder lifts vertically, allowing it to function normally no matter how much is down. The design is simple (see diagram) and I am sure it has been done before. A normal lifting rudder would not have been suitable with the high aspect ratio I wanted, the stresses on the pintles etc. created by a part-lifted 4” blade being considerable.

The advantage of the boat’s light weight shows in the easy way it moves in light winds and the fact that it needs a much smaller, and thus less vulnerable, rig. I have sailed the boat in choppy but not very rough water yet, and she seems a dry boat considering her classically low freeboard. Apart from some minor leaks which were cured with a bit of resin and glass, I have had few problems over the summer. I had hoped to attend the Fal DCA meeting, but I finally sailed into St Just on the day everyone else must have gone —still, I had a wonderful summer sailing Molly and next year I hope to venture a bit further.

The basic construction methods could probably be applied to any GRP hull; all that is needed is a bit of imagination, a few sheets of ply and a fair amount of resin. The advantage of such composite construction is that you get a cheap, low maintenance hull with the chance to create a traditional looking superstructure.

L.O.D. 20’ Beam 6’ 7” Draft 9”/3’ 6” Weight approx. 850-900 lbs Sail area: 155 sq ft as designed, 140 sq ft at present using Wayfarer main and genoa Power: Johnson 4 hp