Preview: How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 42 – Final Thoughts

77 Responses So Far to “How to Build a Caledonia Yawl, Part 42 – Final Thoughts”

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  Thomas Green says:

  For those of you who have built a Caledonia Yawl, have any of you had to repaint the hull. How did you go about accessing it. Did you turn it over? If so, how? Did you hoist on to stands? If so, other than a lift how did you get it off the trailer on to the stands. I’m helping my son who recently bought a used CY-I built in the 00’s that needs some refurbishment. I’m sure we could noodle a solution but we would greatly appreciate thoughts from those who’ve gone before us.

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    Steve Stone says:

    We have a video on how we paint the exterior of the hull of HOWDY. We do the entire exterior this way, topsides and below the water line. If you’re sanding, you’ll want to lay a tarp down below of course. If you don’t have a tide to work with/around, you can use fenders/rollers/pvc to get her up on the beach. https://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/slow-august-beach-painting/

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    Don’t make this project more complicated than it needs to be. With a little ingenuity it is possible to drive the trailer out from under the boat. Maybe tie the stern to a tree? Slow and easy with all of this stuff. I use old tires as pads. Once on the ground or floor two people can roll a Caledonia over. With three its really easy. In my shop I lift one end at a time up onto low horses for a comfortable working height. When you are all done,and the boat is right side up lift the bow up on a horse, roll the trailer under to get it started and winch it home. With all of this stuff a phone, a six pack and a pizza can be very helpful. I have a bevy of boat friendly neighbors who love the adventure of moving boats.

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    One other tidbit for you. You may well want to remove the interior “furniture” for the refinishing. That will let you do a much more thorough and neat job, and is far easier ergonomically. Take it from a older gentleman boatbuilder!

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  Kenneth Jeffreys says:

  I think this will be my second boat. BTW, great music accompanying the video.

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  Jon Crawfurd says:

  Wonderful! I teared up at the end of this last video. Watching kids play with this marvelous toy is a joy!

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  Robert says:

  Congratulations on putting together such a great video series. What a triumph.
  Thank you Geoff for your magnificent insights and hosting abilities, Steve for your excellent video making, OCH for producing outstanding content, and NWSWB for pointing me over here.

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  Ken Elowe says:

  I never get tired of watching this series and especially the launching! Geoff built us a beautiful hull that I finished off in 2019 – and I’m just about ready for the first sail this year after some minor cleaning up from the last 2 years’ sailing. It is a wonderful boat, I love it, and it’s special to be able to come back to OCH time and again to watch this and other videos. Thanks to Geoff and the crew at OCH!

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  Michael Werneburg says:

  Geoff, You have a gift with your tongue, and your hands, I am sure Jesus would be very pleased with the way you have shared your talent. Your series, that I have watched 3 times, has inspired me to finally buy a gallon of epoxy and get my butt in gear! I am building a 12ft Acorn of Iains design. I made, and set up the strongback, molds, bending jigs, patterns for many parts, practiced beveling, rebates, splined 3 pieces of mahogany for the transom, then things came to a standstill, for years! stuff got put under the boat, on top of the boat, and other stuff took priority. that’s all about to change! I must try to do much of the building in the winter, as I like to sail in all my free time in the summer, Just upgraded from my Magreggor 17, to a Catalina 22. Geoff, you did a great job of explain the hows, and whys of the tasks at hand, and your camera man did such a fine job of filming it all. I wish you would do a series on a 12ft, Acorn! I think, I know, I learned a lot by watching you, and I thank you. May God Bless You all of your days.

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  Geoffrey Adams says:

  Is there any possibility of this series being offered as a dvd set? after all it might be very hard to get internet reception while at sea (or lake or river or bay) and just because it’s over doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching again and again. Whaddaya say Steve? Huh, come on?

  Great work OCH and Geoff. Thanks for it all.

  Geoff Adams
  Lynn Haven, Fl.

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  Charles Rees says:

  Geoff. Thank you. Very well done series. An excellent, easy reference and support for the new Caledonia ( or similar design ) builder.
  Yes, and thanks OCH !!

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  Thomas Fulton says:

  Based on the weight of average build of a CY what would you predict for the safe load capacity for the boat.

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  Joshua Parker says:

  Geoff,
  I am getting closer to getting my boat wet. Do you have a recommended model number of a trailer that works well with a Caledonia?
  Thanks, Josh

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    The comments above pretty much summarize what works. I am currently using a LOAD RITE Model 16F1200WT.

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  Mark Weber says:

  Outstanding series. Gives you a real appreciation for the many many steps and details that go into a beautiful boat, large or small.

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  Shawn Laemmrich says:

  I just found this, and watched the whole series. I was looking for a boat to purchase, now I need to build another one. I am ecstatic. Though my wife says, Another boat……

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  Jon Baldock says:

  Life just doesn’t get any better

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  David Tew says:

  The whole project and it’s meaning to OCH just makes me smile.

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  Brian McDowell says:

  Just watched entire series, thank you so much for the insight and outstanding craftsmanship, a tear in my eye for the final launch. Definitely motivated to go for my first build, feel a lot more confident on approaching a few maintenance tasks on my current boat too now I’ve seen a couple techniques. Thks again Geoff and crew. Membership fee worth it for that series alone. Greetings from Ireland.

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  Mark Tolsma says:

  Thanks Geoff. Great instructions on the smaller projects that eventually produce a boat.

  I am building the Tirrik also by Iain Oughtred, in my back yard. Needed to choose a somewhat smaller boat since it has to be able to leave my back yard someday :-)

  I am now making the center board and rudder. Still to come are the bulkheads (not in your series unfortunately) and seats and then mast and sails will complete it. With your series this boatbuilding breaks down to smaller more manageable projects. There is always some guesswork to be done from the drawings to the wood. With your help these become educated guesses ;-)

  Kind regards from a boatbuilding country overseas (Holland).

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  David Robbie says:

  I just finished the Caledonia series and thoroughly enjoyed it. So well done! I am a big fan of Geoff Kerr now and hope to see him at a Woodenboat show in Mystic sometime with his Ned Ludd. I never really knew about this boat before but I am really drawn to it now. I admit I am a bit daunted by its size for me to build and use though. I hope to see one at at Mystic this month. Thanks very much. All of the ODC videos are superb. At the rate I am watching them, I hope they keep continuing so I don’t run out

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  Neil Henderson says:

  Your videos saved my sanity and will result in me having built the boat that I have wanted for a long time. Building lapstrake is not easy and is prone to errors (removing too much wood is easy!!) – I used your videos s a reference so that before I started a new stage in the build I would watch your videos and say ‘ aha, that doesn’t look too tricky’.
  I shall email you a photo of my boat when she (Bella) is launched :-) later this year.
  Regards Neil Henderson

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  Chad Roberts says:

  I don’t usually have the patience to watch an entire instructional video on any given subject, let alone a series, but this was absolutely fantastic. I watched the whole thing and felt like cheering myself when the boat was launched. Geoff has a gift not only for crafting great boats but for instructing the would be boat builder as he works. A big thanks to him and the folks at Off Center Harbor for doing this.

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  Maciej Rynkiewicz says:

  I wonder if I could use solid wood such as white cedar in place of ply for glued lapstrake construction?

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    Glued lap construction relies on plywood for cross grain strength in the planks. White cedar is a lovely wood for planking in traditional construction where many closely space ribs or frames support the planks across their grain. To illustrate this to yourself take a scrap piece of 3/8″ or so good marine plywood, say six or eight inches wide(like a plank) and try to break it. Now do the same with a similarly sized piece of cedar. I can snap it in my bare hands every time, across the grain, not lengthwise). That’s why all those pretty boats have so many ribs.

    Boats designed as glued lap could be built with cedar, but it requires a complete design conversion to traditional construction methods with appropriate size structural members, fasteners, etc. Some of Iain’s plans packages include the scantlings and basic info for doing this…in other designs you’ll have to rely on experience, instinct and the examples provided by similarly shaped and sized traditional designs. This is perhaps territory best avoided by novices???

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      Maciej Rynkiewicz says:

      Thank you for your reply. I built a traditional lapstrake boat and enjoyed the porocess and simplicity of lapstrake construction. I like idea of glued lapstrake since it will produce strong boat with dry bilge. I am aware of strenght to weight advantage of plywood but I was always concern about durability of plywood as boatbuilding material based on tens of repairs I was doing on various boats replacing deteriorated plywood components. What do you think about using plywood (without covering in fabric) for the boat that will be kept in the water all the time?

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        Geoff Kerr says:

        A pair of the Oughtred boats I have built have spent their lives on moorings all season long, one of them in fresh water for 12 years now, one in salt for over 15. One was Occume, one Saple, both fully epoxy sealed but neither with glass. Both have had recent refinishing jobs with no plywood issues discovered. I believe the keys are good quality plywood, proper construction, epoxy sealing and painting to start, then reasonable traditional care: keep the rain out, keep the boat clean and have as much fun with it as humanly possible.

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          Maciej Rynkiewicz says:

          It might be just psychological barrier and I think you are right that properly built and maintained plywood boat will last as long as one built out of solid wood.
          Talking about plywood, which ply would be your first choice for planking if strength and durability are primary considerations. Marine rating means only that plywood was manufactured using waterproof glue and has few voids in it but has nothing to do with wood type used in it.
          Okoume would be probably on the bottom of my list since it is rated as non- durable and considerably weaker. Douglas fir wich is cheaper is stronger and rated as moderately durable ( needs more fairing though to get good finish). Then we have meranti and sapele. Sapele is nice looking ply, expensive but strong and durable and I think the heaviest from all of them.
          I would be very interested to know what would be your favorite material.

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  Christoph Harlan says:

  Thank you OCH and Geoff Kerr for this truly outstanding series of videos. I had been thinking about building an Ilur (F. Vivier design) for a couple of years and without this series of videos, I doubt I would have mustered sufficient courage to undertake the project. First I watched the series one installment at a time… twice. Moreover – even now, as I am in the finishing stages of the build, I check back to double check in order to ensure that I am not forgetting something. It’s better than attending a week-long class because you can go back to a particular session repeatedly until things really “sink in”. So – THANK YOU!!!

  Of course I love watching all of the other videos – especially in the winter – but this series was the one that made the price of admission seem like a deal too good to be true.

  Excited to launch my Ilur this spring. Thank you Geoff and OCH!

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  Sean Scully says:

  Thank you Off Center Team for bringing Geoff Kerr’s common sense approach to putting any thing in life together one step at a time, might take a little shaping, clamping, and gluing. Plan is to make mistakes look like it was planned that way. Good Job to every one!

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  Reagan Tucker says:

  Every episode i wanted at my desk during lunch time at work. It was a wonderful escape. Thanks Geoff, OCH staff and volunteers. That was a great last video closing the shop doors was a nice ending. Geoff your an outstanding teacher and craftsman. Very inspiring. Ill really miss the series. A Tip of the sailing cap to you, cheers Reagan

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  Michael Mittleman says:

  Geoff –

  I have worked through your “How to Build a Caledonia Yawl” series, a complete joy. The rich information download has been rewarding as has your generosity with sharing hard-won tips and techniques been striking. Thank you. The fruit of your labors (and Iain Oughtred’s design), the Caledonia Yawl, is a handsome craft indeed.

  The OCH video series also raises some questions for me:

  1) There is an ongoing concern for cost containment as regards the build’s materials. For example, galvanized eyebolt and cleat hardware was used rather than brass or stainless fixtures. From an aesthetic point of view, the polished materials would trounce galvanized finishes, while functionality would not be compromised. Had the more expensive materials been used, what would have been the incremental cost? If the value of the builder’s time is added to the cost of plans and materials, the Caledonia Yawl is worth several thousands of dollars. Would the incremental cost of fine hardware seriously impact total project expenses?

  2) The videos show an artful mix of engineering and architectural precision contrasted with a good deal of “eyeballing” fixture, fit and finish. That carries over to construction techniques as well. One example is cutting a large mortise using a handheld drill and chisel. Using a mortiser would assure a square hole and perpendicular walls. A quick answer might be because home builders are unlikely to have a mortising machine. On the other hand, many (most) constructors may not have a lathe which you used to manufacture some parts. What is the rule for selecting machine or manual fabrication?

  3) To obtain a great finish epoxy surfaces must be reasonably flat and smooth before paint and/or varnish is applied. You used great care with fillet joints and glue-ups. In contrast, the videos did not show scraping and tipping when epoxy sealant coats were used inboard and out. How were you able to prevent epoxy drips and runs?

  4) In one video you mentioned using epoxy to address a router slip. There were probably other problems encountered as well. Please consider sharing your experience and expertise in problem resolution. Could you imagine a problem-free build… neither can I. While most difficulties can be handled with various workarounds, often the “cure” is not obvious. Your guidance would be golden.

  Geoff, again my sincere thanks to you and OCH for producing the brilliant video series “How to Build a Caledonia Yawl.”

  Mike

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    Your questions are all thoughtful, and all are issues you’ll have to solve for yourself in the midst of a build. For instance:

    1.Hardware choices are a fluid dance between appearance, material, cost and function. The decision is often as much a questions of style and availablity as anything else. When one shops for a stout shoulder eye bolt in a size that fits a Caledonia stem the quick conclusion is that it is going to be galvanized. This is a perfect example of the puzzles and joys of building a boat from scratch. If you don’t enjoy the catalog searches it might be best to build a design with a complete kit available.

    2. My technology choices are based on what I can afford and/or already own. I don’t have a mortiser and haven’t even thought of buying one. Every shop has different budgets and philosophies, and deciding what the economy of scale is when confronted by a task is just part of the project. Knock yourself out, but let me caution you that I have watched a lot of projects languish as the builder wanders around distracted by the search for the right tool, machine or fixture. I was counselled early to decide if I wanted to be a tool collector or a boatbuilder.

    3. The boat in the series was prepped and painted by a different crew, and am sorry for the missing tips. Suffice it to say that there was a session of scraping major drips and runs both in and out, with a scraper and heat gun, followed by sanding with a 5″random orbit sander with 80#. Avoid all corners, edges and laps with the power sander…those areas need hand sanding to avoid cutting through the epoxy sealer coat. I usually go around again with 180# before paint work starts.

    4. We did the best job we could including all the tips and tricks. If you have any specific questions feel free to get in touch with me.

    • 

      Michael Mittleman says:

      Geoff –

      Thank you for the courtesy of a quick response to my prolix comments from yesterday. Let me reiterate, I found the OCH video series and your narrative to be amazingly well done.

      Your comments hit home. I do enjoy the hunt for hardware and tools; catalogs, Google and You Tube should hold a prominent place in a builder’s circle of friends. Networking with other woodworkers is also an effective way to get solutions and swap information. However, as you pointed out, the eternal searches do take a toll measured in time and effort. Add to that a predilection for perfectionism (the perfect joint; finish; glue seam; and fill in the blank) and production schedules can suffer mightily.

      Geoff, you are so right in pointing out that every shop has its own budgets and philosophies. Mine are simple: a modest budget that supports best efforts and best materials. Sometimes those tenets result in extended construction times to gather a few more bucks or to obtain a certain tool or piece of hardware. And so it goes…

      Speaking of tools, specifically those for making mortises, there are some comparatively inexpensive solutions that lead to square holes and perpendicular walls. Bruzz and socket corner chisels are designed to cut square, straight joints and are well under $100. Another alternative to a mortising machine is a mortising attachment for your drill press, about $115; it offers acceptable utility when the need for mortise joints is infrequent.

      A tool that can speed epoxy removal from lapstrake lands is a shoulder plane. It will not only rapidly remove excess epoxy, but will preserve the square planking overlap ($110 – $200).

      As I write this, another question has come to mind: would it make sense to use fiberglass or Kevlar on the hull to add further strength and scuff protection?

      Geoff, I could go on forever, but it’s time to return to the build (or tool and hardware searches). Thank you for lending an ear and sharing your expertise. Mike

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  Paul Hitchman says:

  Just the last video to go and I can say I’ve seen them all. Must say I’ve found it very interesting and full of good tips. Didn’t know where to ask this question but I thought this is a better place than any (if anyone would like to add some comments)

  Is wooden boat building, as a career, dead?
  The reason I ask this is I’m living in Scandinavia and there’s a real deep culture in wooden boat building mostly due to it’s easy supply of wood. There are a lot of wooden boat still around BUT and here’s the big one. People tell me the industry is dead, it’s a hobbyist driven community of home builders and there’s simply no market for making boats with the idea of selling them and making a career from it. This saddens me as, like a child, I was excited to start a new career and acquire a trade working with my hands again as the digital age robbed me of a skill set I enjoyed in graphic design (yes you’ll have to go back a while) but when I studied Steve Jobs was asking people what ‘typography’ meant :-) but now I find myself surrounded by people thinking I’m shooting myself in the foot. Maybe diversity is the key? Traditional boat, boat signs, rope work etc. but I feel it’ll be a case of ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’! I’m super excited with this channel and in a matter of weeks I must have gone through 70% of all the videos here, just eating it up every evening after the kids have gone to bed. Am I making a huge mistake?

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  William Sanchez says:

  As a lifetime member of OCH, even though I do not sail, I have had the privilege to view the entire series of the building of the Caledonia Yawl. I attentively and religiously viewed the series from start to finish as I did the “Downtown Abbey” TV series on PBS. I was disappointed when Downtown Abbey ended, and I am equally disappointed that Geoff’s series is over. I learned so much about what sailing is all about by observing what the mechanics of the yawl’s building as it took place. Thank you, Geoff and OCH.

  WILLIE, from South Dakota

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  Brian Walk says:

  I just watched this series from start to finish, I couldn’t get enough. What a remarkable craftsman and teacher.

  • 

    Steve Stone says:

    Thanks Brian. We couldn’t agree more.

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  John McCarthy says:

  Absolutely wonderful viewing. Geoff Kerr’s work is artistry and his advise on building
  the Caledonia is concise and lucid. This series of videos is worth the price of membership of OCH by itself.

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  Scot Copeland says:

  While there are other resources on the internet contrasting Oughtred’s series of double ended beach boats, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Caledonia’s smaller sisters. For example the Tirrik interests me, but she’s quite a bit smaller than the Caledonia. I’ve never personally seen or sailed any of the boats in the series, but your OCH videos are a pretty compelling look at the breed!

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    All of the boats in this design family are significantly smaller than the Caledonia. I’ve built Ness Yawls, and Arctic Terns, sailed alongside Sooty Terns, and sailed and rowed a Whilly Boat, which I think is now the Tirrik? Just for perspective, the Ness Yawl, which is only 3″ shorter than the Caledonia, is about half the volume, which translates into half the load and/crew. The Ness Yawl and the Sooty Tern are functionally the same boat, just two different ends of the design timeline. My experience with the Whilly Boat was that it was lovely, sailed and rowed well, was full with two adults and neither of us had anywhere in which to be comfortable. I would be sorely tempted into a modified interior layout of some sort so I could lounge about. There is a boat here somewhere for you, but you need to define your interests then pick the right one. None of them are particularly harder/easier to build, or harder/easier to own, store and operate.

    • 

      Scot Copeland says:

      Thank you!

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  Richard Schneider says:

  Geoff,
  Thank you, because of you and the great video and a counseling session at WBS in Mystic, my Caledonia is done. Never would have finished without this series well it would have taken a lot longer.
  Do you have any suggestions as the right size, or model of trailer for a Caledonia. Thanks again.

  • 

    Geoff Kerr says:

    I shop for a basic galvanized trailer sized and set up for a 16′ outboard skiff. The Caledonia is longer, but so light weight and with the double ended stern there is next to no volume or weight overhanging. Three keel rollers and bunks alongside seem to support it very well. Set the roller height to spread the weight of the boat evenly, and set the bunks just to balance the hull. I also recommend a winch stand , a swivel jack stand, and a spare tire. I use the winch strap clipped to an eye in the stem, and one gunwale strap rigged at the rear end of the trailer. Finally. I’ll suggest a pair of trailer guide-ons…those pvc pipes on brackets that help you keep the hull centered as you recover it…very helpful when working alone or hoping to keep your feet dry.

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  Sean Hogben says:

  Thank you Geoff, thank you OCH crew. That shoot was a labour with a lot of love. I have an ideal home for Mr Oughtred’s yawl. He knows it: 27.25’35″S 153.31’41″E

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  Lawrence Harkness says:

  My favorite quote from the whole series. “…turning it into an incredibly beautiful organic sculpture which is such a hoot to use with friends and family”. There is a whole lot in those few words.

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  Lawrence Harkness says:

  Wonderful series! Suffering through major withdrawal! Wondering what’s next? Can’t wait!

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  Michael Carl says:

  Fantastic series. Fantastic boat. Fantastic builder and teacher. Thank You!

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  Don West says:

  I am already starting to experience withdrawals, Thanks Geoff, my life has been changed.

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  David Sinclair says:

  In class and on-line Geoff’s knowledge, skilled pragmatism and fondness for boat building, along with his passion for sailing ‘built boats’ is apparent. The CY build has been thoroughly entertaining, and inspiring and clearly demonstrates the incalculable value of high quality documentation of wooden boat building techniques that will help to inspire present and future generations. Thanks to OCH for launching this project and to all those who helped to make her happen – well done. I look forward to OCH’s next build.

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  Clay Ford says:

  Thanks so much Jeff and OFC for this wonderful series. I had trouble waiting for each next episode. I am now inspired to continue the work I started on my Steve Redmond Whisp and get it in the water this coming summer. There were a lot of hints that apply to my build.

  • 

    Steve Stone says:

    Now there’s an interesting new twist on our name, Clay. I wonder what the “F” stands for, and when we use OFC, should we precede the it with a “So” and end it with an exclamation point?
    i.e. “That boat is so OFC!”
    “That overnight camp-cruise was so OFC!”

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  Neil Moomey says:

  Congrats! I really enjoyed this series and it was the primary reason I stuck around.

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    Beniy Waisanen says:

    Ditto!

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  Stewart Lee says:

  What a terrific series, and what a shame it’s over! I thought I could wait on my own Caledonia Yawl until I had everything perfectly in place for the build, but not anymore. The rudder is glued up and ready to shape, the masts are next, and the hull this summer. Thanks Geoff. You’re a real inspiration.

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  David Jorgensen says:

  the series has provided much enjoyment and inspiration. I have a couple of questions that I’d like to direct at Geoff if I may. Realizing that even great designs are subject to evolutionary changes, what are your thoughts in regards to the absence of a skeg on the version built for the videos as well as the the increased plank count (7 per side vs. 5, if my eyes and memory are correct). Do you think these variants impact either sailing performance or ease /difficulty of construction? Just wondering.. Congratulations to everyone involved for the complete series, many thanks

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  Dan Merson says:

  practical and elegant are two descriptors that rarely coexist, however, both Geoff’s teaching and this boat do this easily.

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  Judie Romeo says:

  It is not likely that I will ever get to build a boat either by myself or working with others. But if I am ever lucky enough to do so, I will always be grateful to Geoff for the dozens of insider tips and guidelines he shared in this series. Many thanks to you and to OCH for this generous gift.
  BTW, completing a long project certainly can be a life-changing event – or at least a logo-changing one. Did anyone else notice how the OCH logo boat suddenly turned into a ketch in “Final Thoughts”?!

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    Judie Romeo says:

    Did I say ketch when I meant to say yawl.? Chalk it up to evening stupidity.

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  Baxter Evans says:

  Hard to put into words how much I totally enjoyed the Caledonia Yawl series. I as though I was there and had a hand in the building of this fine boat. What am I going to do now, a review maybe? I’m sure I’ll revisit these videos for as long as they’re available just in case I missed something. What a great boat and great craftsman. It’s one boat I hope to own myself one day. My hat is off to Geoff and the OCH crew for a job very well done. Keep up the great work.

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  Weaver Lilley says:

  I felt a lump welling up in my throat knowing that I won’t be able to watch another wonderful installment of Geoff Kerr’s Caladonia Yawl series. I would never have had the confidence to build my Caladonia (hull now finished) without this stellar video project. Congratulations to all who helped create it and of course to Geoff, a great teacher and boatsmith.

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  randall spurr says:

  Thanks Geoff, and all the crew at OCH. A beautiful boat, a great video, a powerful inspiration!

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  David Jeffery says:

  Bravo! I wonder if Geoff might comment on some variations of the Caledonia, such as enclosing parts of the bow and stern sections as storage lockers also providing additonal flotation and also providing a well for a small outboard installation. One builder in New Zealand seems to have done this. The Caledonia design seem to be so protean that it is adaptable to many waters and uses and configurations.

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    Sorry to have let this question slip by at the time. Iain’s plans include an optional interior with decks fore and aft and side benches with locker fronts. I’ve built Caledonias and Ness Yawls this way, and here my conclusions: The decks do provide dry storage…for anything that fits through the hatches. You’ll suddenly find yourself with key gear ( anchor, fenders, etc.) underfoot because it won’t fit in the locker, or find yourself shopping for smaller items. The bulkheads associated with the decks prohibit stowing your oars on the floorboards, so now where do they go? Building the decked version seems to be about 10% more labor and gets priced accordingly too. I’m much happier in Ned Ludd packing in dry bags as needed, and strapping my fenders under the thwarts if I’m on an outing for which flotation would seem prudent.

    The motor well Iain drew works. It is not obtrusive in the boats interior, it is mostly above the waterline as far as the hull is concerned, and a 2.5 hp engine is physically manageable and more than enough oomph. The doors as drawn are a real geometric challenge. I conquered them once, and have since built many with a liner box with a faried bottom that just lifts out and stows on the floorboards when you want to deploy the engine. That box with a lid on it becomes a handy locker. One of the nice things about the scale and construction of the well is that it is easily added at any time in the boat’s life…either during the build or long after launching.

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  William Seyler says:

  I going to be going through Caledonia Yawl withdraw. It is a beautiful series masterfully shot with real “meat”. Jeff built the prototype of CLC PocketShip which I tried hard to reproduce in my own build. I only wish I had seen this series before I started on my project. So many of his techniques were applicable. Now I know why he gets to build the prototypes.

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  Robert Gentry says:

  My wife yells from down stairs ” Why are you setting at your computer and clapping” Unless you hung on every word, twisted with each brass screw, and looked over the master’s shoulder as he formed a tree into a work of art you would not know the joy in seeing this work glide into the water. And so I come to realize it’s not the sea that floats boats its people. Thanks for the life’s lesson.

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    Dustin Urban says:

    Haha, that’s a great image, Robert – sitting at the computer clapping… love it!

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  Mark Steffens says:

  A classic. As long as there are electrons and availability to read them organized as this was, this will be the ‘cat’s pajamas’ for lapstrake boatbuilding. I have built ten glued lapstrake boats up to John Leather’s OYSTER sloop and can honestly say that I learned new things every time I watched an episode. Geoff, you are an excellent builder but I think you are a better teacher. A cyber handshake and hope to meet you in person someday. Peace. Mark

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  EeBee4 says:

  Thank you Geoff! This series was my main reason for signing up here. My Sooty Tern, UNA, has benefitted from your precise and simple explanations and video. Well done.

  Long may you build-
  Eddie Breeden

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  Capt. Peter Reich says:

  Waited with great anticipation for each video. Geoff did an amazing job both building and teaching. Looking forward to building one myself.

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  Jerry Rose says:

  Hats off to Geoff – an incredible series of boatbuilding and thoughts on boatbuilding. One of the absolute best!

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  Glenn Holland says:

  Thanks to everyone who had a hand in this production, the boat and the videos. I’ve learned stuff.
  Glenn Holland

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  Ken Strangward says:

  I am just completing a small dinghy & had looked at the Caledonia as a future retirement project. Then this series came along & I have to say it was a terrific project to follow, Geoff ‘s knowledge & ability to step you through the process was excellent.
  Thanks to all involved

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  Daniel Green says:

  Bravo! Enjoyed every second of this series.

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  Paul Gill says:

  Geoff:

  The finished product looks great! It happens that NANNA has a red shear stripe also, in the style of the COLIN ARCHER-type Norwegian rescue vessels.

  I don’t recall you talking about knees. Not needed in the CY?

  Paul

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    Geoff Kerr says:

    I have unilaterally concluded that in glued lap plywood construction hanging knees for the thwarts are vestigial. The hull itself is so stiff, the crossgrain strength of the planking so great, and the size of the thwart cleats so substantial that they just don’t seem necessary. They also take up an enormous amount of prime seating area if built as drawn. On several boats I have substituted hanging knees made up of custom bent SS flat stock, as a means to preserve seating and still transfer some of the stress of the thwarts to the rails…but I simply don’t bother with that anymore, unless a customer really wants them. I’d suggest home builders make an adult decision for themselves…and if in doubt consult the designer.

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  Peter Brackenbury says:

  So sad it’s over! When I first started watching the series I thought I could never build a boat this beautiful, but thanks to Geoff’s knowledge and sharing and the video footage, I am trying to find a way to tackle the challenge myself sooner than later, and now it doesn’t seem quite as difficult. Thanks OCH!