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By Ross Lillistone - Esk, Queensland - Australia


“Boats Way Too Fancy”

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Five people were sitting in a collection of old easy-chairs on a wide verandah. Although it was mid-evening, it had been a long hot day and the combination of an excellent meal and some good wine had made everybody feel as though the time was late. Beyond the verandah, enormous Blue Gums towered above the surrounding trees and they swayed gently across the moonlit Queensland sky. Possums ran through the underbrush in search of food, wallabies nibbled the sweet grass and, just a short distance away, a koala called for his mate.

The friends were engaged in a conversation about their favourite subject - classic small craft made from wood.

Periwinkle launching day.

The friends were engaged in a conversation about their favourite subject - classic small craft made from wood. But instead of the normal never-ending arguments about which boat to build, what building method to employ or which trip to plan next, the friends were in a philosophical mood and the subjects were more serious.

“What concerns me,” said Mike Rowe, “is that there are so many boats being built which look as though they are trying to be something they aren’t”.

“Meaning what?” replied Paul.

Mike continued, “Well, you just go along to any classic boat regatta and you’ll see lots of varnish, lots of laminated components with contrasting colours, hulls made to look like something from the nineteenth century, rigs with baggywrinkle, belaying pins, wooden blocks and deadeyes. And of course, there will always be lots of bowsprits, even though the rigs aren’t suited to them.”

“But why shouldn’t people have those things if it makes them feel good,” said Ian, “Just because your taste is different doesn’t mean that you are always correct.”

Periwinkle Build

“But why shouldn’t people have those things if it makes them feel good,” said Ian, “Just because your taste is different doesn’t mean that you are always correct.” Then he continued, “Your old boat looks old-fashioned to most people’s eyes, so you are just arguing about degree – I say pull your head in and let everybody do their own thing.”

“No, you are wrong,” said Mike, adding “as usual”, under his breath. “The difference is that some boats look like something from an earlier time because their function or construction dictates it – not because they have been made up to have a particular appearance for the sake of it.” “What it comes down to is having an understanding about why a particular hull-shape or rig came into being – most boats followed lines of evolution because of the materials the builders had, or the fastenings they could afford, or the type of shore they launched and retrieved from, the cargoes they had to carry, whether the boats were built professionally or by the fishermen during the winter months – the list goes on and on!” “But to build something to look a particular way is just putting the chicken before the egg – form should follow function.”

“But to build something to look a particular way is just putting the chicken before the egg – form should follow function.”

Periwinkle under sail.

Some could see that Mike was getting agitated and wasn’t far from climbing onto his soapbox again. Paul tried to even things out a bit by saying, “Yes, but you have to admit that my boat looks traditional and old fashioned to most eyes and you designed her!” “Don’t get me wrong – I like her looks – but she has a clinker hull, an old fashioned sprit rig, rope fittings and a sheer like a banana.”

“That is just my point,” replied Mike, sitting forward in his chair and taking another pull at his drink, “Everything about the look of that boat came about because of the materials used, the construction method employed, the requirements of the rig and the job she was expected to do – absolutely nothing was an add-on for the sake of decoration.” Leaning back, he continued, “That is the way it should be – the shape of a boat should be determined by function alone.”

Ian couldn’t help himself, “If that is the case, Mr. Know-it-all, why didn’t you design her with forward-raked transom, a high-aspect ratio daggerboard and an asymmetrical spinnaker?”

“Because,” lectured Mike, “It would have taken from one part of her function, which is that of a cruising dinghy.” “She needed a particular shape of centreboard to allow for proper placement of the rowing thwart; the rig had to be low and easily stowed, with no stays; the wide planks dictated the shape of the bow; and, a spinnaker would have got in the way when cruising.” (Mike steered clear of the question of the transom rake, because he knew it was done for looks and that the boat would have sailed better with a vertical or even a forward-raked transom, but he wasn’t going to give Ian any ammunition in this discussion.).

“Alright,” smiled Ian, “But what about the transom – wouldn’t it have been more efficient if raked forward?”

“Damn,” thought Mike to himself, but he was saved by John’s comment.

“I think you’ll find Mike shaped that transom so that it would allow for easy mounting of an outboard,” said John, “He has done the same thing on my boat and it works fine.” Continuing, John said, “I know what he means about too much decoration on many boats – I believe that the beauty of a boat should come from the shape of the boat – her lines – not from lots of stripes and varnish. In fact, that sort of thing almost acts like a camouflage. On many boats there are so many colours and bits of decoration, that your eye can’t see the shape of the hull as a whole. No, I agree with Mike – keep to the minimum number of colours – if the boat is beautiful, she won’t need decoration to look good!”

No, I agree with Mike – keep to the minimum number of colours – if the boat is beautiful, she won’t need decoration to look good!”

Periwinkle at anchor.

“I agree,” interjected Mike, “Just think about my good friend Doug. He has never bothered with varnish and his boats are rather roughly painted – usually with a maximum of two colours – but Doug’s boats look fine. He knows what is really important and functional.”

As the night wore on, the friends moved onto other lines of conversation, but Mike’s wife Ginny reflected quietly on the earlier discussion. She had more experience aboard boats than any of the men and she knew the value of simplicity and practicality. Ginny had heard these men carry on in this way dozens of times and she was pleased to know that they all valued her opinion. But, on this night, she preferred to sit back and let them carry on with the various topics of conversation, aware that the topics being discussed – real and imaginary – were very important to the group and that the business of building and using small wooden craft would bring long-term contentment and happiness to them all. She wondered to herself, why so many people were making boats which were too complicated, expensive and difficult to maintain, when all they had to do was keep it simple.

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Ross Lillistone, Wooden Boat Design, has a new boat under development named Periwinkle. She is a 17 ft x 5 ft Cat-Ketch (periauger) rigged Beachcruiser which carries 155 sq.ft. of sail in two balanced lugsails.

The photos were taken on Wivenhoe Dam near Esk, Queensland, Australia. It has an area of 109.4sq kms, a maximum depeth of 67m, has a shore length of 462kms and holds 1 160 000 ml, which is 2.5 times the volume of Sydney Harbour.

 


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