Wood, epoxy AND aluminum

[Yofish]

My old friend Renn Tolman would have a few words about what I just finished for my neighbor. Renn and I had lots of more or less friendly discussions about skiffs, though I remember more than once him shaking his fist in my face, hurling furious expletives offered before spitting my last name out as punctuation. Then, we'd have a shot of that gawd awful whiskey he kept in a drawer. I was helping on a CAD translation of a design he was working on for some strange South African project that I never fully understood; unfortunately, he paddled over the bar before we got very far. I miss the old koot a lot. It's pretty remarkable how famous he became world-wide as a builder and mentor for a guy that started out as a homebuilder looking for something to do in the winter. He wrote some great books on stitch-and-glue construction. Interestingly, before I got tossed for life off Boat Design Net, many people from around the world were interested in Renn stories. I didn't realize the regard he was held in.

Renn built this skiff in 1998 before his wide-body which is a superior design, IMO. My neighbor has been bugging me for years to do this dodger and I finally broke down; Benjamin's waved in front of my face have always been a siren. I have to add that it was a bit of a challenge. Made out of 1/8 and .100" stuff mostly along with some tube and bars. I had to take it it off after tacking as the thing has paint over epoxy and glass and would never be able to capture all the dingleberries from short-arcing most of it. Actually went back down fairly well, as wobbly as it was off.

[Kevin Morin]

Yofish, of course Renn would snivel because your weather helm proves what so many said to him for years- "get rid of the dammmm 'dead plant parts and goop' and build with the Miracle Metal. Not many marine ply and goop helms of 0.100" material commonly available.

Of course, since the gunwale's so low (saved by her sheer's sweep to the bow?) the cabin will look out of proportion to her length but if the owner can live with it (?) I can too. Renn? likely not so much?

Maybe you could propose a welded aluminum add-on bulwark at the sheer to "re-proportion" the lines in profile? ("He said; in jest")

Very tactfully done, and the crowning glory - no pun intended- is the lovely loft of the raked brow and radius corners along with the sweetly subtle sweep of the cabin tops' red coaming as it runs aft: nicely done.

Difficult built, thanks for sharing your elegant design, and nice build.

Not many skiff builders (or designers) on the www/w.web but those who are; will understand the fusion you've achieved and realize it is very artistic solution to a tough design problem.

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai

[jeverich]

Beautiful work.

On the home stretch of finishing the brow on the Alaskan... Now on version 2. Cropped out and replaced a 4 foot section of plate that had a slight bend in it. Incredible how such a small piece of steel can essentially dictate a boat's "character".

[Yofish]

Of course, since the gunwale's so low (saved by her sheer's sweep to the bow?) the cabin will look out of proportion to her length but if the owner can live with it (?) I can too. Renn? likely not so much?

Maybe you could propose a welded aluminum add-on bulwark at the sheer to "re-proportion" the lines in profile? ("He said; in jest")
Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai

Kevin! Thanks for the kind comments and your above VERY tactful reminder that given the geometry, yes, it can only really look like a bit of an outhouse in the fog! Dang....Ya do the best ya can and run what ya brung...

Notice the rot that had to be repaired before we even started. Alas a dead tree encapsulated in plastic has some downside.