Garden's Capt Blackburn

[tryin2finish]

Hi all ,just wondering if anyone has built William Garden's cutter the "Captain Blackburn". I am considering building this design and would appreciate any input anyone has to offer - thanks

[PVanderwaart]

I believe that the lower picture here is a Captain Blackburn, captions not withstanding.
http://www.schoonercreek.com/traditional_sail/traditional_sail.htm
Can anyone confirm it? It seems to be a marconi-rigged version.

If those looks don't reinforce your decision, I can't imagine what would.

[Craig Lekven]

I am building one in California. I've been working on it for 7 years now. I should be turning the hull over late this year. The rate I'm going this 5-6 year project will take 12-14! I will post picks when I turn it over.

I don't think the lower photo is a Capt. Blackburn...the cabin and bow don't look right.

It is a beautiful design. I haven't been able to locate a constructed one yet. I contacted the WoodenBoat store for a plan holder's list, with the intention of trying to contact all who have purchased plans, but they don't maintain records of who has purchased drawings.

[tryin2finish]

Thanks for the responses. I had a peek at the pic and am wondering if maybe there were a few interpretations by the builder.
Craig, I know what you mean about projects taking time, I just retrieved a canoe I am building from storage. It has spent the better part of the last 10 years there basically waiting for seats and some varnish (somehow working off-shore etc just didn't make for fast building - "trying2finish")
Are you cold-molding yours? I would love to see some pics of the work as it progresses

[Dave Gray]

Yes, please post pics or have an ImageStation where I can vicariously build a Captain Blackburn. I'd love to see what it looks like.

The site posted indicates the lower boat was designed by a Robert Smith of Portland, OR, who was (is?) a naval architect. I like this plan too... Note that it is 24' and has a center board.

[ 04-21-2005, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: Dave Gray ]

[Craig Lekven]

OK, Blackburn fans. Here are a few photos from last year. As you can see, I am cold molding the 3rd layer. The transom was covered with xynol, epoxy and paint shortly before these were taken. The plywood transom had been out in the weather for a number of years so I was eager to get it covered.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid165/pea7f92f1c349b64f6b9c7edc8750ba0e/f46138ac.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid165/p6d7d56ae4bc2c15315c027af3ed047b3/f46138b1.jpg

I am using Reuel Parker's cold molding technique. The first layer was 3/4" tongue and groove douglas fir. The 2nd and 3rd layers are 1/4" marine fir plywood. He states in his book that this is a quick and easy method...that may be true for the canoe-shaped hulls he designs, but I have found it to be very slow going on a wineglass hull. I've had to steam many of the plywood planks to achieve the tight radius bends.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid165/p487bdc518117dee20333fce4a33d1b98/f46138ad.jpg

I should be finishing up the 3rd layer within a month or two. Then it'll be time to add the deadwood, fiberlass, paint, and turn over.

[Dave Gray]

Craig, nice project. Keep us posted....

[tryin2finish]

Now that is what I call encouragement to get started on mine !

Parker's method of cold molding must be somewhat different from what Garden had in mind... seems to me he called for three 1/4 inch cedar layers for the hull, glassed over. Your hull is going to be very strong done to 1-1/4". Excuse the dumb question but is there a difference in technique here? (I don't know anything about Parker's techniques, but will get some research done soon)

Thanks for the pics, keep up the great work!

[Craig Lekven]

Garden calls for 3 layers of 1/4" mahogany, applied in a "traditional" cold molding fashion. This involves putting a number of stringers longitudinally on the mold. The stringers are a permanent part of the hull. The first layer is layed diagonally.

With Parker's method the first layer (T&G) is layed longitudinally on the mold. There is only one large, wide stringer at the turn of the bilge, which acts as a butt joint where the T&G laid from the keel up and the T&G laid from the sheer down meet. The end result is a shell with minimal stringers. Parker feels that fewer stringers is better because they tend to catch water and act as a place where rot begins. His method results in a thicker hull, as you observed, which is a little heavier but has substantially more impact resistance.

Parker's method is similar to a technique where the first layer is strip planked, and the remaining layers are used to sheathe and reinforce the strip planking. The disadvantage I see of using Parker's method on a wineglass hull form like the Capt Blackburn is that the T&G planks aren't necessarily tapered like strip planking so steadily increasing clamp pressure is required to edge set the planks in place as the planking progresses from the keel down. Eventually the curvature became too much, and when I got to the tuck area near the rudder post I had to use a number of long-skinny wedge shaped pieces of T&G (very time consuming to make)to straighten things out. A layer of Kevlar on the inside will eventually reinforce everything. My hull is going to be built like a tank!

That said, I chose Parker's method because mahogany veneer seemed like it would be an expensive and difficult to procure. Parker's method emphasizes using readily-available materials that I could find relatively easily here in Sacramento

[Craig Lekven]

Here is an older photo that illustrates my message above.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid166/p1862be7d9cb066eeac0523f45634fa0d/f45c3388.jpg

The first layer is in place from the keel down to the single bilge stringer. You can see the wedge pieces in place in the tuck area. From here I planked from the sheer up to the bilge stringer.