Yankee Tender

[ddeaton]

While in Newport this spring we visited IRYS and they had a newly finished Yankee Tender on sawhorses. It looked like a nice first traditional planked project. Anyone built this or have comments?
Thanks,
Danny

[Paul Scheuer]

Danny: Here's one. It was a good learning project. I don't remember any real show-stoppers related to the design. Issues # 30 and #31 were a big help. My location led to some procurement issues which are probably not as severe with the use of the internet. I clench nailed the bottom and rivetted the laps. I finished her up a little more than "workboat", figuring that I could alsways go back and paint over the varnished mahogany, if necessary.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid18/p003a07450c054bd0dc4e0e2aeebcfb67/fdd396c7.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid18/pb08d187db2459fe809020044c27ca2b1/fdcc740c.jpg

[Paul Girouard]

Paul nice job . W/B 30 and 31 ? Wonder if those issue are avaiable ? W/B store cat sez they are :) $10.95 ea. :eek: for a B/W copy . Are the plans / detail such that a guy could build from ?

[Paul Scheuer]

Original back issues come up on eBay all the time. The articles were a big help to me, a relative novice. I'm sure that the boat could be built from just the plans.

[Paul Girouard]

Plans ? Avaiable ? Where ?

What wood did you use for the planks ? All mahog? Est cost ? Materials only.

Thanks , Paul

[Paul Girouard]

I see plans for 12'4" Yankee Tenders in the W/B cat, $50.00:eek:

Maybe I'll just eyeballer:eek:

Just kidding , Jeesh I crack me up sometimes :D

Few photo's here: http://www.thelittleboatshop.com/yankeetender.html

[landlocked sailor]

A somewhat simpler skiff is Rich Kolin's "HEIDI" detailed in this book http://images.amazon.com/images/P/093782240X.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,32,-59_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Here is my version in her original colors
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/pe130e23cc675f7b3d04227816a544036/f77a747f.jpg
and here new
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid173/p41bef0ac43e76164aaeb5610dc2c57be/f3a920ec.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid173/p5bb19037be941f2ed0c906512d7a52cf/f3a92140.jpg
Rick

[Paul Girouard]

I happen to have that book.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/June251-1.jpg


Maybe I should read it :rolleyes:

Thanks , Paul

[Paul Scheuer]

Planing material and cost ?

That was quite a while ago. So even if I could find the records they would be far out of date. I used barn siding planed down to 3/8 th in. for the double bottom and first three strakes. The transome is splined mahogany planks, the seats are maghogany, and sheer strakes were made from a resawn mahogany plank.

[Clinton B Chase]

Is this name "Yankee Tender" used interchangibly with "Asa Thompson Skiff"? Some students at Deer Isle HS in ME built some with their teachers. They call it an AT skiff, but report the length to be 12' 8" in the article. Which boat did they do?

They also recommended a plywood bottom. I may be using this as a project boat for my students, too. Any recommendations besides using plywood?

Cheers,
Clint

[landlocked sailor]

I believe the two boats are one in the same. The original had a live well at the middle thwart IIRC. There are several choices for the bottom. Traditionally skiffs like these have single layer cross-planked bottom, ~3/4" thick, with the edges butted and caulked. A plywood bottom would do much better on a trailered boat, but it's not very pleasing aesthetically. I put a double planked bottom on mine with the seams staggered. Before launching in the spring I press SlickSeam into the splits and cracks, as the planks take up the stuff oozes out and can be scraped off. I SHOULD have put a layer of muslin between the layers. A better method would be the technique Harry Bryan used on his "Daisy" dory-skiff: Two layers, each 3/8" thick. The first layer goes athwartships and is nailed to the chine logs BEFORE the side planks go on. After the sides are planked, the second layer is layed fore and aft. He glues the two layers together with epoxy. I didn't do it this way because I didn't have any long stuff for the fore and aft layer and I regret it. Rick

[Moonshadow]

The two, Asa Thompson and Yankee Tender, are basically interchangeable.

A friend built the Asa Thompson twenty years ago, and I seem to recall it had a double bottom. A bit fussy, but quite doable for an amateur. IIRC it had a pine bottom sheathed with a thin(1/2) oak shoe for grounding.

Very pretty boats, and I think a great intro to traditional construction.

[k4lmy]

Some of the earlier issues of Wooden Boat are available in the store at Mystic Seaport.. I know, I had some in my hand yesterday numbered in the low 20's.. $5.99 each and no discount for multiple..

[Paul Scheuer]

From the old issues, the Yankee Tender design is a WB adaptation inspired by the 1920's Asa Thompsom example shown in Issue 29. The longevity of the Thompson skiff (as of the 80's) seemed to prove the double cross-planked bottom with muslin and bedding. Some fo the revisions are noted as having been done to improve her looks. The Y.T. plans call for the inner layer to be nailed on before the garboards, and the outer layer clench nailed to capture the saturated muslin between the outer and inner layers after the garboards are fit. The plans also show the fish well and some alternate seating plans.

The Yankee Tender design team is identified as Maynard Bray, Spencer Lincoln, Joel White, and Jon Wilson, and the model for the articles was built at Joel White's shop.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid18/pd54c9570e9aebfb70c303570875913cf/fdcc7408.jpg

(I gotta go, the Sox just tied the Astro's in the ninth on a Grand Slam again, by Iguchi)

[BrianY]

The Yankee Tender is the same length on the bottom as the Asa Thompson skiff, but the ends have been pulled out a bit to give a longer LOA (there's a comment in the plan description about how the YT designers felt that the Thopmson skiff was a bit stubby looking, or something to that effect). Also, the Thompson skiff is three planks per side while the YT is four - finding stock wide enough to get out the garbord plank the way Thompson did may be difficult. The YT solution (4 planks) allows for the use of narrower stock.

The Thompson skiff was planked with white pine while the YT specifies white cedar - but of course you could use either wood for either skiff depending on your preference.

[Tom Robb]

AT & YT both really nice deceptively simple boats, (supposed to be easy to design a bad one & hard to design a really good one) not particularly difficult to build. Both are an asset to any waterfront.

[ddeaton]

Has anyone set up a sail rig for either?

[jerrys]

I built the AT skiff about 4 years ago. The owner wanted a 1/2 inch plywood bottom. The plans came from Mystic and most of the fastners were ordered out of Hamilton Marine. As I recall the fastners and wood ran about $800.

[Clinton B Chase]

To follow up on Ddeaton, has anyone here put a daggerboard in and built a rig? I am researching the YT for future projects building boats with kids for my "non-profit" job :)

I'd prob do a ply bottom but might try one boat with the cross planks...sure looks pretty from the inside when it is varnished/oiled.

Cheers,
Clint

[rbgarr]

I had a hand in building an Asa Thompson skiff shortly after the article about her in WB came out, and before the Yankee Tender emerged. We just copied the article from the magazine. I liked the AT skiff a lot and thought it was a great boat for such light construction. I'd use one as a tender to a larger boat in a heartbeat. A lot of fun to row and very docile under tow. We used the double planked bottom with 'muslin' (old linen bedsheets) in between and had the hinged box middle seat. The oarlocks, bailer and oars were locked in there (the oars in a "stocks" like arrangement) because they had a tendency to walk off if left unsecured.

The one thing we would have done differently was make the inner chine log a bit heftier to take the many fastenings (garboard screws and bottom ring nails).

[BrianY]

Just a note about the YT plans - they're reproduced in full (albeit at a very small scale) along with the complete WB article on building her in the book "10 Wooden Boats You Can Build" availble from WB. If you've got good eyesight or a magnifing glass, this book may be all you need.

http://www.woodenboatstore.com/Prodinfo.asp?number=325-102&item=1

[Clinton B Chase]

TX Brian...one reason I like the YT is b/c the plans come with a lofting which is nice not to do as much as I love lofting. I can focus on figuring out how to get the kids through the project!

Cheers,
Clint