Slightly modified Babson Island 14

[rnboatworks]

My wife, her sister and I built this slightly modified Babson Island 14 this summer.

We started building parts in the garage in march and then moved the project outside in May . We launched the boat at my wife's birthday party in July.

When we launched the boat in July she wasn't ready to sail. We finished the sailing rig in august and took the boat to the Port Townsend woodenboat show in september.

We keep the boat on lake washington and have logged almost 100 miles under oar and sail since september.

I bought the plans and patterns set from the woodenboat store and found them very helpful. The boat is built as designed with the exception of the rig and the placement of the daggerboard and the mast which were both moved aft. And designed a sliding gunter rig, which allowed me to keep all the spars short enough to stow inside the boat.

We built everything from scratch,including the oars the sail and the spars.

The boat sails great, moves well in light airs, points reasonably high into the wind, and tacks well.

I am very happy with the boat she really moves though in anything above 15 it really helps to have more than 1 person onboard.

And she rows pretty well.




http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN2038.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN2029.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN2031.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN2035.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN2040.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN2048.jpg

[jsjpd1]

Nice boat. Looks like you did a great job.

[Hwyl]

She looks great, what did you modify?

Did you consider a bridle on the transom for the mainsheet

[rnboatworks]

Hwyl,

We modified the rig as designed she's supposed to use the standing lug rig from the 7'7" nutshell pram that has something like 38 square feet of sail. We wanted a little more horsepower so I designed a leg of mutton rig with 78 square feet of sail. This new rig required that both the mast step and the dagger board be moved aft.

As far as a bridle for the mainsheet that is coming, I'm still trying different things and looking for the right piece of hardware.

[Thorne]

A tiller-head-mounted block for a traveller might work well, as otherwise the rudder head looks like a bit of a mainsheet-snagger.

What do you have for reefing? I sail a much heavier 13.5' dory skiff with a Sabot mainsail at roughly 38 sq ft, and a jib at about 35 sq ft. For reefing I have one deep reef in the main that balances well with a much smaller jib -- and I find that I sail with reduced canvas regularly.

[rbgarr]

100 miles in two months is a lot of sailing in a small boat. My back and butt couldn't take it.

[switters]

great looking boat, glad she is getting wet.

Any idea what your build time was?

[Hwyl]

A tiller-head-mounted block for a traveller might work well, as otherwise the rudder head looks like a bit of a mainsheet-snagger.

What do you have for reefing? I sail a much heavier 13.5' dory skiff with a Sabot mainsail at roughly 38 sq ft, and a jib at about 35 sq ft. For reefing I have one deep reef in the main that balances well with a much smaller jib -- and I find that I sail with reduced canvas regularly.

C'mon my friend 78 is about right for that boat, 38 is tiny. I think the Laser has 75.

As for the bridle, he could have a rope across the transom with an eye in the middle to attach a mainsheet block. I've encased such a rope in flexible water pipe before now.

[Thorne]

I agree that he wants more than 38, and I certainly do. But when the breeze picks up suddenly, it is sure nice to be able to reef back down a bit...

As for the traveller, I've got a rope one with a bronze ring that slides from side to side on my dory and it works fine. But it looks to me like the mainsheet might get hung up on the rudder head on this boat, hence my suggestion that a rudder-head block might work well.

[rnboatworks]

Throne,
I made the sail with 1 reef that is postioned just abve the lower end of the yard. I have not used it yet because when it's windy I just bring more ballast usually in the form of another person. At some point I think that I will make a smaller storm sail around 30 sqft that will have it's own dedicated yard, and perhaps even build a larger 90-100 sqft regatta sail.

I tried the bridel arrangment on the mainsail without a ring and it worked okay. I am going to try it with the a ring next as to mounting a block on the rudder head I am little nervous that the upward pull would have a tendency to lift the rudder out of the gudgeons.

Switters,

I didn't keep a log of the build time but I would estiamte

Hull, 100 hrs
Oars and spars 80 hrs
Sail 50 hrs

Seats, rudder, daggerboard tiller 40 hrs.

So somwhere around 270 hrs

[Thorne]

I am going to try it with the a ring next as to mounting a block on the rudder head I am little nervous that the upward pull would have a tendency to lift the rudder out of the gudgeons.


You'll want to put some sort of keeper in place to keep the rudder from coming off in powerboat wakes. I like a simple piece of flat brass plate about 1" wide and 3" long, bent into an L shape.

The long end is screwed to the transom so that the bent leg sits just above the top gudgeon to hold the rudder in place, and it pivots sideways to let the rudder be removed or installed.
Here is the same thing in SS by Duckworks -
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/p-g/rl336-7/ex_pintle_hold_down.jpg

Others like a spring setup as sold by Duckworks and other chandleries.

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/p-g/rl336-7/rl336-337.htm

[rnboatworks]

Throne,

That is a great idea, have you ever seen one in bronze?

[rbgarr]

Throne,

That is a great idea, have you ever seen one in bronze?

You can make it from heavy copper sheet.

[Hwyl]

You can make it from heavy copper sheet.


or even wood, no L shape just the thickness of the wood.

[rnboatworks]

It seems like it would need to be l shaped so that when it was in the open poistion the forward end of the pintel fitting would be able to move past it. Though wood would be the easiet to build.

[Hwyl]

You make it so the swiveling part is longer than the pin on the pintle (or is it the gudgeon). We made metal ones this summer using aluminum L brackets from the hardware store.

Congratulations on getting a sticky.

[rnboatworks]

I think I have found something in the Davey & Co catalog that I can modify.

I'm kind of new here, what does it mean when you get a sticky?

[rnboatworks]

Here are some pictures of the build.

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN1125.jpg

The Transom

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN1150.jpg

The oars in progress

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN1124.jpg

the mast blank glued up

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN1148.jpg

The tiller ready for varnish

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/DSCN1145.jpg

The mast ready for varnish

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/6688_1111962042572_1332530255_30364.jpg

The Maidien Voyage

[rbgarr]

Nice job on the oars!!

That's quite a moss garden on your shed roof, too. (I love those)

[Hwyl]

A sticky means our moderator likes your post and you'll sit at the top of the pile for a while.

[katiedobe]

When I got a sticky it felt better than if I had got a photo in "launchings".
Which was always my goal someday.

You did a great job on the build and I am so glad you are enjoying the boat so much.

[Steve Lansdowne]

You look like you're having to sit right on the centerline to keep the boat from tipping too much to one side, suggesting to me that it is quite tender. My Whisp is like that so I added a push-pull tiller which lets me steer without having to reach over my shoulder or around my side to grip the tiller. Is this a problem on your boat?

[rnboatworks]

I think that I was sitting on centerline in most of those photos because I was constantly tacking the boat to stay near the pier that my wife was taking pictures from. The boat is pretty stable. Typically in light air I try to sail the boat with the the leeward chine immersed, as the wind picks up I move my weight outboard and to windward and try to the sail the boat flatter. additionally when I am off the wind I try to keep the boat pretty flat and my weight as far forward as possible in attempt to keep the bottom of the transom out of the water.I really want to try a push pull tiller on the boat because i think this will allow me to sit further forward and keep the boat from dragging her butt all over the bay.

[JC 72]

Beautiful job. I like the bottom color with white topsides.

[rnboatworks]

I have started a thread in the building/repair section on the build.

[Larks]

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx354/rnboatworks/6688_1111962042572_1332530255_30364.jpg

The Maidien Voyage

Wonderful job mate, this photo though, reminds me of a movie scene:

http://www.haro-online.com/movies/shallow_hal.html :D

(no offence intended, you don't look that big:))

[rnboatworks]

Yeah, I need to add a second set of oarlocks forward, so that she will trim better with two.

[Erik le Rouge]

Talking modification, could the Babson be built with 1/4 inch plywood only ?
She will be rowed only...

[rnboatworks]

Erik Le Rouge,

You could probably do it, but I agree that you would not want to rig it for sailing, and be careful stepping in the boat when it is out of the water, because the 1/4 might not take the load of the dagger board trunk and mast step as well. As I recall the original scantling for this part was 3/8 I went up to 1/2 and am very happy with that decision. I'm curious why you want to go to 1/4. Additionally if I were going to go to thinner ply I might use a heavier glass sheathing unless of course the move to lighter ply was to save weight.

[Erik le Rouge]

Well I have the plywood. I intended to use it on a Whisp but like Babson's line a lot. So I wondered...

[Longbow]

I hope to launch mine in the next couple of weeks. It was built using 3/8" and seems very sturdy so far. I've probably flipped it over 6 or seven times to paint etc. and it's very rigid. I wrapped the glass around the bottom and about 4" up the sides. If I was going to use 1/4" I'd probably glass the entire hull.

[rnboatworks]

Erik Le Rouge,

If you had enough of the 1/4 you could do a laminated bottom of 2 layers 1/4 though that would probably add more weight than a bottom made out of 1 piece of 1/2 inch. If you haven't seen it, I have been posting photos of my build in the building and repair section.

Longbow,

Congratulations on your impending launch, I've really enjoyed my Babson.