Karen Wales

Hello,

I'm Karen Wales, WoodenBoat's Associate Editor. I had the opportunity to work with Chris and Ana Franklin as they built their Salt Bay Skiff, the subject of Volumes Seven and Eight of Getting Started in Boats.

As you build your own Salt Bay Skiff, we invite you to share your progress with us here. Also, I'll be happy to help answer any questions you may have about the processes involved in building her.

Happy building!

Karen
WoodenBoat Publications

Comments

[Jim Symons]

Karen,

I am thinking of building a Salt Bay Skiff with my daughter (almost 9) but would prefer one with a centerboard or dagger-board. Could the Salt Bay be modified? What do you think?

Also, what about adding some buoyancy chambers for added safety?

This will be our first boat.

Thanks,

Jim

[Mark Rooney]

I was wondering what the lenght is of the Salt Bay Skiff? The article says it's less than 100lbs, but has no dimensions. A guess from the material list and plywood cut sheet, is between 11 and 12 feet?

[Jim Symons]

I emailed Chris Franklin directly and asked him my questions. He responded quickly and was very helpful. He said:

"I would put a daggerboard just forward of the midship thwart, assuming you use the rig as it's drawn. I'd glue in the thwart instead of having it removable as it is now, and use it to support the top of the trunk.

Of course, being wood, she won't sink. The one time I've completely capsized a little boat it was too rough for any thought of self-rescue, but it was pretty easy to unrig and bail the swamped hull with another boat alongside to help and steady the gunwale. But you could deck over the ends, put in bulkheads, and seal them up with just one of those plastic manholes for cleanout.

I will say I wouldn't want the weight and intrusiveness of either of these modifications on my own boat."

Jim

[Jeff]

I originally put this on the wrong thread - sorry!
I just spent the weekend starting the salt bay skiff with my adult son. We've gotten to the point where we're ready to put the bottom on and looking forward we have a question. It looks like the butt strap reinforcing the joint on the bottom is going to fall right at the location of the forward frame. Since these are all glued up and cured I'm trying to think of a solution. Did we miss something? Or do these two items conflict? There's no solution in the dimensions given.
By the way, we thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and the lines of the skiff are lovely. Thanks, Jeff

[Karen Wales]

Dear Mark,

Sorry that the Salt Bay Skiff particulars didn't make it into Part 1. They are:

LOA 12'1"
Beam 4'4"
Sail Area 51 sq. ft.
Weight 80-90 lbs.

These are also found in WB issue No. 196, page 58. (The Salt Bay Skiff was the Grand Prize winner of the Family Boatbuilding Design Contest). Particulars will also appear in Part 2.

Karen

[Karen Wales]

Dear Jeff,

The butt strap should provide a landing for the forward frame. You're spot on target.
Later, you'll see that, together, the butt strap and the frame provide a solid support framework for the mast step too.

Karen

[Karen Wales]

Dear All,

I have received a question regarding hardware sources. While most parts are reasonably generic, Chris Franklin gave us two good sources:

- Hamilton Marine
800-639-2715
www.hamiltonmarine.com

- Duckworks Boat Builders Supply
608 Gammenthaler
Harper, TX 78631
www.duckworksbbs.com

Both of these sources will be listed in part 2.

Karen

[Jeff]

Thanks for the response, Karen. I'm still puzzled since the frame is flush to the sides at both the bottom and the guardrail. It seems like the bottom will be forced out of line by the butt strap. I'll have to go check it out.

[Chris Franklin]

Hi Jeff,

Please see my reply in the other thread. The frame does need to be set high to clear the butt strap, but it's not a difficult fix at this point.

Chris

[Nate]

Well, we aren't sailors and we are not boatbuilders, but my friend and I would like to be. I caught the bug to go sailing after the season in Indiana was over but the way I see it, that's just more time to get a boat ready. The problem is, we have no idea what kind of boat to build. Neither of us has ever gone sailing. I was wondering if this would be a good boat to start off with. We are both about 6'2" between 180 and 220 lbs. I was wondering if this was going to be big enough for us to both sail at the same time or are there any suggestions? This will be a first time for a project like this and I would really like to not sink. Are there some general guidelines on boat sizes tht I need to consider? Thanks in advance!

[Chris Franklin]

Hi Nate,

I think she'd be great boat for one 6'2" guy to start off with, and I wouldn't worry about the weight or sinking with two of you, but you might run a little short on legroom. With her removable center seat she's pretty capacious for a cartoppable twelve-footer, and if you're young & flexible enough it might be a hoot. Sail her for a season and then if you think she's too small, build another and have regattas.

Otherwise, you might take a look at Dynamite Payson's book, "Build the New Instant Boats" (in the WoodenBoat store): either Windsprint (16') or Gypsy (15') might fill the bill. Either one should be pretty easy to build, although they're a little long for cartopping.

Chris

[Joe]

Hi,

I'm going to build a boat with my son and would like to start with a small model to get some experience before tackling the salt bay skiff or similar boat? Could someone tell me of some resources to find that sort of thing?

Thanks

[Chris Franklin]

Hi Joe,

A model is a great way to get started! I'd maximize the learning experience and just go to the nearest hobby shop for some thin birch ply, and build right to the plans for the boat you'd like to build. Instead of the obvious 1' equals 1" scale (1/12), choose either 1/8 or 1/16, and you can use common tape measures and rulers more easily. Scale the material thickness, too, but maybe double it for good measure. You'll have to get creative with clamps (clothespins?) and tape while glue joints dry, since 1/8" long screws are out, or use some sort of stitch-and-fillet joints. The Salt Bay Skiff started life as a very rough 1/8 scale model made with some old 3/32" paneling ply I had lying around, tacked together with a hot glue gun. Did I mention it's very rough?

[paul]

How can we access these other plans/instructions? The lumberyard skiff looks good, but if there are existing sailboat plans, I think there is an audience ready and waiting, based on the comments on that one.

[Chris Franklin]

Hi Paul,

We built the Salt Bay Skiff in Getting Started Vol. 7 & 8, included with WB 199 & 200. You can take a look there or on www.brucekingdesign.com. She's a very different boat from the Lumberyard Skiff, though: less of a sturdy workhorse, maybe more like a reliable trail horse. Plans are also available from the (ahem!) designer at bkda@gwi.net or Bruce King Design Associates, P.O.Box 599, Newcastle, ME 04553. And thanks for asking.

Chris

[paul]

OK, thanks for that.

So you need to be a WB subscriber to get a look at these? I wasn't sure if the digital editions were available to the rest of us.

[Chris Franklin]

Ah, now I see. Sorry, no, I have no plans to publish a digital version of the Salt Bay Skiff plans.

Chris

[Stephan Bradley]

According to DuckWorks Magazine: "Phil Bolger designed a lot of small boats that use what is commonly called the 'Bolger 59', which is a 59 sqft leg-o-mutton sprit sail. It is very simple to use and is easily adapted to many different sailboat hulls"

I was wondering if the extra 8 sqft would be an issue with regard to moving the COE slightly aft? My thought is that this sprit rig is easy to make and rig as well as being very inexpensive in an 8 mil visqueen and clear duct tape!!

Thanks,
Stephan

[Chris Franklin]

Stephan, I've been sailing my SBS with the mainsail only. If you draw the Bolger rig over the SBS sailplan, its centroid isn't far from the mainsail's, so I think you'd be OK from that standpoint, just maybe a little overcanvassed. Unless you want a hotrod, I would suggest reducing every dimension in the Bolger rig by 10% to wind up with 48 square feet.

If you do stick with the 59 square feet, I would think about raising the forward thwart up to or near the gunwale, to better carry the larger rig. You might lose the ability to row from there, though.

[Josh]

Hi Karen,
I'm a new subscriber, and I love the getting started in boats series. Is there a way to get the past volumes that I missed?

[Axel Anderson]

Where is everyone obtaining their sail? I see sails can cost quite a bit, but with this boat only requiring a 51 sq ft sail it should be fairly inexpensive. I see at www.thesailstore.com that I can buy a sunfish sail for $150, but it is 75 sq ft and with the comment above pertaining to the 59 sq ft sail, I'm assuming my idea is a no-go.

[Barry Targan]

Can I substitute for the gunter rig a single piece mast and use a sprit/snotter set up?

[Chris Franklin]

From my standpoint, one beauty of a little boat like this is that you can experiment with the rig to your heart's content. I like the gunter rig because it uses a common sail and it all stows under the removable center thwart for rowing. But the exact size and type of sail is very much a personal preference (although I think I'd try to borrow a Sunfish sail before I bought one!) and any reasonable rig will work fine.

[Rod McKenzie]

I am building a SBS following both the plans I got from Chris Franklin, as well as the articles in WBM. It's been a lot of fun, and a good lesson in forgetting about right angles in woodworking. Waiting for the sails to be finished, I am now slowly applying epoxy, and sanding, and sanding, and sanding..... The choice Chris made of Western Cedar for the thwarts and seat was inspired. They look great! I chose Sitka Spruce for the spars. Finding some 20' pieces that were wide enough to rip and then glue up bookfolded, any warp was cancelled out, and they finished nice and straight. I made the gooseneck out of Delrin, and some 3/8" SST rod. Brass straps on the boom give it a traditional look.