Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Stickleback Dory (Amberjack)




Iain Oughtred developed detailed plans for this lapstrake (plywood) Swampscott dory derivative. My good friend, Jim Reim recently built one and our mutual friend, John Kohnen teases him about going to an Australian designer living in Scotland, to get plans for a very American boat.





Iain readily acknowledges the origins of the Stickleback in his description of the design brief:
"The Amberjack has the second chine that is the indicator of the Swampscott type so favored of the corn cob pipe smoking Eggamoggin Reach types, up there in Maine. There's a few here in OZ too, people like the compromise dory style, with their handier sailing ability and still very good rowing and load carrying potential."









Jim and I have worked together on volunteer boat projects and I can attest to his focus and attention to detail. Raven shows the quality we have come to expect from this amateur builder. Jim is still a bit nervous about sailing Raven. She sports a big sail, and he's unfamiliar with the sprit rig, though the accompanying photos tell a slightly different story.








Designer: Iain Oughtred
LOA: 15' 8"
Beam: 4' 5"
Draft: (board down) - 6" (board up) - 2' 8"
Displacement: 125-150 lbs.
Materials: Wood (plywood)
Propulsion: sail, oars
Skill Level to Build: Basic to Intermediate












Jim in Raven, with his bird dog, Lucy.













Happy Skipper.
Congratulations Jim!















All photos courtesy of boat photographer extraordinaire,  John Kohnen. Thank you, John.

















He who would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.
Thomas Paine

9 comments:

robert.ditterich said...

Wonderful to hear the voice of Reason in a time when many of us fear the death of Reason's Age. (If I read your final comment correctly)

doryman said...

Just a reminder that our destiny is one. This post was meant to be something else entirely. We dodged that bullet.
Reason has definitely left the building...

Brandon Ford said...

Nice post Doryman. Jim's boat is beautiful. It could use a couple more feet in length, tho.

I miss all the Coots. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Brandon

doryman said...

Reminiscent of your own Ravn, eh, Brandon? Jim has been talking about building a bigger dory for years, so I asked him about that:
"You're right that I was going to build a bigger boat, Ken Swan's 18 ft Banks Dory. There wasn't enough room in the garage, and I'd always been interested in the Swampscott design. I like it. And a couple feet longer and 6 inches or so wider would be nice. On the other hand she is light and easy to handle by myself."

We miss you and Virginia, too. Must be hard, living in Hawaii on your own boat, when you could be here in the Pacific Northwest, cold and wet.

Brandon Ford said...

I vaguely remember cold and wet. The only time I'm wet now is when I jump in the water and it's 82 degrees, so not cold by any stretch of the imagination. The whales are showing up. We saw a couple of spouts last week and two whales slapping their tails. It looked like a contest.

Sending warm thoughts your way.

Brandon and Virginia

Unknown said...

I saw pictures of Raven on the Coots Flickr site. What a beautiful boat.

Unknown said...

Mr Master Boat Builder: what rudder hardware did you use for 15' 8" Stickleback, please? It seems from the plans and from some online images that, for either the fixed or kick-up rudder, two rudder gudgeons, a transom gudgeon and possibly a stern post gudgeon are required. I intend to use a long rod instead of pintles.

I'd be grateful for your advice.

Thanks,

Andrew, Corvallis OR

doryman said...

Andrew,
I would recommend Duckworks for advice on your rudder hardware. You will find them online. Good luck!

jesmunk the gringo said...

Thanks greeat post