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Custom Building Project

14 ft Lapstrake Sailing Dinghy "Skylark", Design #107

Sailing "Skylark"

Skylark's owner lives near a river mouth on the Oregon coast. He wanted a boat for day sailing in the estuary, with occasional forays into the ocean.

The lug-rigged ship's boats and some of the older British dinghy classes appealed to him, and that is where design discussions began. Boats of this type don't appear frequently in North American boat design, but they are eminently practical. Plenty of freeboard and stability combined with good sailing characteristics make them wonderful family daysailers.

This new design has plenty of rocker to make sure she tacks smartly, and enough deadrise to get the weather bilge out of the water in light conditions. One person hiked out can keep her on her feet in a breeze and she also sails comfortably with four adults aboard.

The plans show two rig options, the simple standing lugsail which was this owner's choice, and a gunter main and jib. In both cases all the spars are short enough to stow inside the boat. The lugsail is the simpler arrangement. With its freestanding mast it is quick to unstep and stow away. The gunter rig requires a stayed mast, but of course has the edge in performance upwind and the option of flying a spinnaker downwind.

She has red cedar planking and local (British Columbia) Garry oak for frames and centerline. The centerboard is 1/4 inch steel plate, hot dipped galvanized, and the trunk, seats and trim are red cedar.

Built in this manner and with all her gear aboard, the boat weighs 550 lbs. She has oars and rowlocks for when the wind dies, and the option of a small outboard which stows in chocks behind the stern seat when not in use.

Riveting gunwales through frames and planking.

"Skylark's" construction is traditional lapstrake. She was built upside down on temporary molds. Frames are bent oak, fitted after the hull was removed from the jig. Here the gunwales have been installed and are being riveted through frames and planking.

More information on plans for "Skylark" may be found in the Catalog of Stock Plans.

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