Lawley / Owen R-boat deck

[REB]

working on a Lawley built, George Owen design. Built in 1921. A few technical questions.

covering boards - what was lawley's practice for a canvas deck? the plans show no toe rail or rubbing strake. original plans call for cedar t/g with mahog covering boards. so, canvas over and under, add a rubbing strake /toerail. or rabbit and finish the covering boards bright. what would be original? what would be right?

[rbgarr]

I can't speak to original construction but sometimes racing yachts of that era had a low toerail covering the inboard seam of the covering board where the canvas or pine deck planking ended. Thus it would have been maybe four to six inches inboard of the unadorned sheer and maybe a half to three-quarters inch high, with an arc profile on the top edge, and made of the same type wood as the covering board, usually a harder wood than pine. Fastening so close to a seam or canvas edge may be tricky.

[REB]

That's a great Idea. I have the original construction drawings from MIT, and they don't show a toe rail. Plans say "Covering boards 11/16" mahogony - turn canvas down under." A toe rail would finish this inboard seam very nicely, and allow for the covering boards to varnished. Good thought

[Dan McCosh]

A friend has a Lawley R-boat maybe three years older. It has a conventional toerail--set back from the sheer about a half inch. Doubt that it is original, though, as no effort has been made to keep it so through the years.