Sam Rabl boat

[Brutus the sailor]

Hi all, this is my first post...

I decided to buy Sam Rabl's Backyard Boatbuilding book when someone refused to return the copy I usually read to the local library. The one I got in by mail had totally different designs in it than I expected. There are many boats I've never even heard of from my internet searches. There are many arc bottom powerboats in the back of this book that look interesting. Most hull design books I come across deal only with arc bottom sailboats (star class, lightning, etc.) Has anyone had experience with this type? They are: Buzz Bomb, Rocket, Flash and a keel sailboat called Sea Lark.

The arc bottoms remind me of William D. Jackson's work. How do these boats perform? I may need to figure out how to scan these pics. Also there is a hard chine, plywood Titmouse rigged as a lugger in there that is tempting. -Brutus

[Steve Paskey]

Also there is a hard chine, plywood Titmouse rigged as a lugger in there that is tempting.Oh, my! This I've got to see.

I have no experience with arc-bottomed boats, but thanks so much for your post. I have a copy of the SECOND edition of Rabl's book, and NONE of this stuff is in it. Did some checking, and it appears that you have the FIRST edition, which has a bunch of different boats.

So now I have my own copy of the first edition on order -- an early Christmas gift to myself.

[ 12-06-2005, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: Steve Paskey ]

[Brutus the sailor]

Rabl has a certain eye for style that I enjoy. Much of the building chapters are the same. There are 12 designs in this book. Let me know what you think of the arc bottom boats when you see them. Sam favors the heavy workboat style Chesapeake bay v-bottom craft. The arc bottom is a shallow deadrise hull converted for speed and lightly built. The soft nose on them is something I've never seen before either. An internet search revealed a couple of early barrel back race boats also used them. My version of the book came from an Airforce library. Attached to one page was a revised set of offsets for the hard chine Titmouse. Let me know if your copy is missing this vital information(when you get it).

Anyway, the arc bottoms power boats have their chines meet the straight (almost vertical) stem right at the waterline. At the water line the soft nose (if equipped) is built from a 2x12 board and layed up bread and butter style. This laminated nose is shaped and rounded to blend in with the curve of the sheer. Very different. Anyone out there have an old picture of this style stem. It holds no actual function and is mostly stylistic.-thanks all, Bru

[Brutus the sailor]

I can scan the pics but I have no place to link them from on the web. Perhaps through email if anyone is interested...

other early Sam Rabl sailboats in this copy...
Sunny-an early version of the Racing 15' Sunray
The hard chine Titmouse (earlier post)
Uncle Gabe's sprit rigged flat bottomed skiff
Sea Lark- 19' daysailing, cuddy keelboat sloop
Mocking Bird Jr- 22' double ended ketch
Polaris-24'ketch or bugeye or cutter or schooner or even Hermaphrodite Brig! -Brutus

[WWheeler]

There's a bunch of Sam Rabl plans available at dngoodchild.com

Such as Picaroon, a tidy little ship:

http://www.dngoodchild.com/5752pic.jpg