A Winter Tetrapod Christening

A Peapod named Dunlin and a Canoe named Corvidius

Last Sunday, the local small boating community gathered for a dual launch and christening. It was a fine day, just above freezing, with a light wind - coffee and scones thoughtfully provided.

Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of birds that contains crows, jays and magpies. They are known as the crow family. The genus Corvus, including jackdaws, crows, and ravens, makes up over a third of the entire family. They are considered the most intelligent of birds, and among the most intelligent of all animals
Ken Miller built his canoe this year and called her Corvidius, based on the family name of crows and ravens. She is a Northwest Coastal Indian inspired canoe and is built in plywood.
Photo, Ken Miller.



The Dunlin is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches. Large numbers can often be seen in synchronized flight on stop-overs during migration or in their winter habitat.
Kees Prins built his peapod this year and called her Dunlin. This oar and sail cruising boat is inspired by the East Coast (US) peapod and is strip-planked with red cedar strips, framed and decked in plywood.

On Sunday, December 11th, at the launch ramp at Boat Haven, Port Townsend, WA, these two original, hand-built designs were dipped in the water for the first time. A winter christening, and an impressive gathering of hearty souls.  Photo by Kate Chadwick.

Kees went first, with Dunlin. The design is unique and his workmanship is impeccable. Dunlin sports a sail rig inspired by the Sea Pearl; the sails furl all standing, around carbon fiber masts. She is outfitted with twin retractable foils, a kick-up rudder and water ballast, all for efficient handling under sail or oar. She has no motor. Sealed watertight stowage compartments assure safe recovery in the event of a capsize.
Photo courtesy of Galen Piel.





Launching Dunlin, December 2016 from doryman on Vimeo.

Dunlin is a light and lively bird. Her first sail of the day was tender, even in light wind. Kees reports that loaded with 200 lbs of water ballast on her second run, she felt much more stable.

Running rigging. Please note the tiller arrangement mounted at the mizzen mast partner.

Beautifully carved rudder foil.
The kind of detail that sets Kees apart.
He is a consummate professional and it shows.

Next up was Ken Miller, with  Corvidius. Ken worked out this design himself, based on local Northwest aboriginal canoes. He did a great job, conceptually.

Once in the water, Corvidius proved to be a bit tender. When he got in, I was very concerned for him because, as you may remember, I've been there, done that. Our good friend Laingdon kept a good hold on the gunnel, at the dock, until Ken opted to climb back out.
I'll spare Ken any photo evidence. Suffice to say, he looked pretty nervous. No one got wet this time.




So, it's back to the drawing board for Ken. He thinks some ballast will do the trick, though the consensus from the gallery was for outriggers. We hope to follow Ken on this journey, to see what he comes up with.

Congratulations to Ken and Kees on jobs well done. Thanks to both of you for taking us along.

Merlin Yawl

I heard from Bill Bronaugh recently about a boat he built after a stint as a student at the Great lakes Boat Building School. Our good friend Kees Prins was an instructor there last year, during an eastward bound cross-country trip he made. Bill had a definitive idea of what he wanted in a boat and Kees had the talent to make that boat a reality. Bill built his boat after graduating, while working at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum and has been applying his newly developed skills. It shows in his first build, of the Merlin Yawl, Falco.

"When last we spoke, I was a student at the Great Lakes Boatbuilding School in Cedarville Michigan where Kees Prins was a guest instructor. Kees and I got on the idea of developing a new boat together. Today I launched that boat."

"It is a derivative of a No Mans Land Boat, specifically the Beetle model, and a peapod. It is 17' 6" in length, 5' 7" beam and carries a gaff yawl rig of approximately 130 square feet. It has a gaff main and a lug mizzen. Construction is glued lap using 9mm ply for the planking, 12mm ply for the watertight bulkheads and 9mm ply for the decks.


"It has a flat keel plank like a wherry and it is two layers of 18mm ply. The stem and stern posts are laminated Angelique, as are the centerboard trunk cap and ends. The double rails on the outside, the inwales, breasthooks, and all of the thwarts and side benches are Honduras mahogany. The floorboards are sassafrass. The mast and spars are old growth CVG doug fir. It has a hollow birdsmouth main mast and all others are solid."

 "The paint is Fine paints of Europe which I had mixed to match Kirbys green/grey for the topsides, the sheerstrake is matched to Marshalls cove off white and the interior is FPOE light grey. The bottom is epoxy and copper powder which I got from Progressive Polymers."




"My sails are on order. I really wanted to use Oceanus cloth, it is just wonderful stuff. I've sailed on three large vessels that used it and its wonderful to handle and to listen to (or not listen to) and it is a beautiful cloth, on the right vessel but the lightest weight they offer is 7 oz and I am limited to 5.5 oz as a heavyweight cloth on my little ship and 7oz wouldn't do. I'm looking around for options that match my wants though. The rig consists of a 109 sq ft gaff main and a small 22 sq ft lug mizzen."

"I named the boat FALCO. The design is the Merlin Yawl after the Merlin Falcon, a small, swift predatory raptor that inhabits coastal regions.

The scientific name of the Merlin is Falco Columbarius, hence, FALCO."

Thank you, Bill.
We hope to have the privilege soon, of seeing your fine vessel under canvas.

Kees Prins and the Loon Design

Our friend Kees is at it again. He is a prolific boat builder and designer and a genius in my book. The modified Ed Davis Surf Dory, Sparrow, that graces the header of this weblog is one of his creations.

Another fine cruising dinghy he designed and built is the Townsend Tern, belonging to Chelcie and Kathy Liu of Port Townsend. He was instrumental in building the first Welsford Scamp and perhaps is best known today for his adaptation of an Iain Oughtred Fulmar dinghy  into the micro-cruiser Fetch.

This winter, while instructing boatbuilding at the Great Lakes Boat Building School, located in the Les Cheneaux Islands of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Kees has been working on his own design for a double-ended mini-cruiser called the Loon. What better occupation in a land where winter night is longer than the day? The UP is one of the rare places in the contiguous United States where it's common to see the Aurora Borealis on a clear winter night. A frozen winter wonderland, not fit for man nor beast, but that's just one opinion...

The Loon is still in design stages and you are witness to the genius of the man behind her conception. If you study the drawings and models posted here, it will become readily apparent what I mean. You all know how much Doryman loves a double-ended sea vessel. One day he might be compelled to build a Loon, because she might be just the most perfectly conceived small trailerable cruiser available today.

Congratulations, Kees on a job well done! We look forward to the completed plans.
Anyone interested in developed plans for Loon should contact me soon.  I'll be sure Kees hears about it.