Slingshot, 60′ proa–Georg Thomas designer, Gougeon Brothers Inc. builder, 1978. Photo by Dave Powlison.
Slingshot
Category Archives: Yacht & Large Vessel Construction
Tenacious
213′ three-masted barque–Tony Castro designer, Jubiliee Sailing Trust builder, 2000.
Whitehawk
Whitehawk, 92′ ketch–Bruce King designer, Lee’s Boatshop builder, 1975.
The Three Lives of Cosmic Muffin
by Jennifer Jones
Cosmic Muffin, a unique houseboat owned by Dave Drimmer, has quite an interesting history. She started out as a Boeing 307 Stratoliner, which was acquired by Howard Hughes in 1939 when he bought TWA. The Model 307 was the world’s first high-altitude commercial transport and the first four-engine airliner in scheduled domestic service. In 1948, Hughes had her interior redesigned, named her Flying Penthouse, and she became one of the first commercial airliners converted into a plush executive transport. Continue reading
Installing a Teak Deck on ZATARA
by Ken Newell
Cover Photo: The intricate plank layout of ZATARA’s finished teak-covered cockpit, before the hardware was reinstalled.
The Zatara refit project began two years ago when my partner Steve Gallo (a mortgage banker) and myself, Ken Newell (a materials engineer), decided that we wanted something to do with our spare time and money. What we didn’t realize was the level to which the refit project would absorb every weekend and every non-critical dollar we had and cause our significant others to chastise us for our obsessive behavior. Continue reading
Building Alligator
A Biloxi Lugger
by Bob Walters
Above: The Biloxi lugger Alligator. Bob usually cruises at 9.5 knots and averages about 3.5 mpg. Alligator turns out to be fast, safe, comfortable, and fun.
About ten years ago my wife, Ching, and I decided we wanted a comfortable, easy-to-handle, cruising boat suitable for exploring shallow coastal areas. We’d missed this when we lived aboard our deep draft sailboat 21 years ago. We looked at a lot of boats and decided that we would try a powerboat this time. We liked the features found on Biloxi Luggers, also known as “Chandeleur Boats,” a type indigenous to the upper Gulf Coast. Continue reading
Testing Large Bonded-In Fasteners
by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor
Above: Scheherazade, the 154’7″ yacht that required testing of large bonded-in fasteners.
Cover Photo: The 154’7″ Bruce King-designed Scheherazade resting on her massive keel at Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine.
Scheherazade is a 154′ 7″ Bruce King-designed ketch under construction at Hodgdon Yachts, in East Boothbay, Maine. Scheherazade is 60% larger than Antonisa, the last Bruce King/Hodgdon Yacht collaboration, and is the largest sailboat under construction in the United States. Continue reading
Tenacious, a Look Back
A Wood and Epoxy 3-Masted Barque
by Kay Harley
Cover Photo: After four years of construction, TENACIOUS began sea trials in June of 2000.
Tenacious, the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s (JST) new wood/WEST SYSTEM Epoxy, 3-masted barque, underwent sea trials that began in June 2000. It offered a full schedule of tall ship voyages to Spain and the Canary Islands over the winter, with spring and summer trips to Brittany, Ireland, and Scotland. JST is a British charitable organization formed in 1978 with the aim of promoting the integration of able-bodied and physically disabled people through tall ship sailing. Tenacious now joins their other tall ship, Lord Nelson, which was built in 1986 and has carried over 6,500 disabled sailors, including 2,687 wheelchair users. Continue reading
SCHEHERAZADE
By Tom Pawlak — GBI Technical Advisor
On a break from the Maine Boatbuilders Show in March, we visited Hodgdon Yachts, Inc. and found significant progress on their latest build, a 155′ Bruce King designed wood/epoxy ketch, named Scheherazade. This is Hodgdon Yachts’ largest wood/epoxy vessel to date. The project is roughly 60% larger than Antonisa, the 124′ sailing yacht they launched last year. Continue reading
Readers’ Projects, Issue 16
Eric Molsted’s 26′ cruiser
Eric Molsted of Sisters, Oregon recently completed and launched this 26′ cruiser. The hull is strip-planked 1″ x 7/16″ hemlock, fiberglass inside and out. Eric used WEST SYSTEM Epoxy throughout. With a 25 HP outboard, this cruiser will do 14 knots. He hopes to scale the boat to 31′ or 36 ‘ with an inboard engine someday. Continue reading