‘We’re digging a lake, and building a boat house, and now we need a boat.’ That was the brief from a couple from West Sussex who wanted a 15ft rowing boat for their family. The delivery date was two weeks hence, in time for a father’s birthday, which was too tall an order, so the boat will be delivered next May in time for his next birthday. The boat is essentially a scaled down version of my standard 18ft sjekte, with correspondingly more beam. At 5ft 6in it’s a little skinny at that length, but at 15ft it’s fine, making for a wide, stable boat that should be easy to row and safe. The form is almost symmetrical fore and aft, with a bold sheer forward which sweeps up slightly at the stern in homage to Mr Laurent Giles. If anyone wants to see how a clinker boat begins life, then the photos should be informative. There’s timbering out and thwarts, gunwales, breasthooks et al to fit before delivery, but there’s plenty of time. And the purity of a bare shell is rather wonderful. I’ll have plenty of time to contemplate the sublteties of her line as she’ll be in the yard for a few months while I start work on a 15ft loch boat which has to be ready by January. The price, when launched will be around £4,500. She’ll be finished clear varnished inside and outside, with a white bottom to set things off nicely. I have to say that the planking was a joy, the strakes almost made themselves, so sweet were the curves. They conformed almost effortlessly to the moulds, and there’s little or no tension anywhere, which promises longevity. I plan to take 1/2in off the sheer amidships before adding the gunwales.
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