![]() ![]() It would replace a tired plywood lapstrake boat that had served in this role for many years. Steve wanted something similar that would carry a lot for its size and would perform well with a modern 60HP four-stroke outboard. He suggested a Tad Roberts design, called simply enough, 16-foot Lapstrake Speedboat. Tad’s design was a big boat for its relatively small size. lots of freeboard and flair made for a seaworthy platform. He designed it for traditional construction with lots of steam bent oak frames. As this would b a project for our second-year students, our first task was to change the construction to wood composite. Pat Mahon (Education Director) and I contemplated our options and settled on a strip-planked bottom and blued plywood lapstrake topsides over sawn plywood frames. This allowed us to teach two techniques on one hull, but it also makes for a more trailer-friendly bottom. ![]() As we became more familiar with the boat’s lines, we thought it begged to be lengthened to 18 feet. We ran this idea up Steve’s flag pole and he gave us a BIG thumbs up! At 16 feet, we would have to do lots of scarfing to get planks long enough it wouldn’t cost much in terms of material or time to make it longer. When school started, we presented this project to our second-year students. It gave us a great opportunity to talk about different contemporary construction techniques and their advantages and disadvantages. We also talked about scantling changes, when changing a design from traditional construction to wood composite. Stretching was a simple matter of changing the station spacing to arrive at 18 feet overall. Construction details were changed to include a fir keel, laminated sapele stem, and transom. Topside planking and deck are 3/8 inch okoume ply. The dash and windshield will be solid sapele.Īs soon as we started setting up the frames, it was clear that extending it to 18 feet was a good choice. It still has lots of depth for an 18-footer. Some have even suggested that we could have gone another foot. I think a modern 60HP engine will give it plenty of speed.Īs for the name? Well, we had a hart time calling it 16 Foot Lapstrake Speedboat. It just doesn’t roll of the tongue, and it isn’t 16 feet long anymore. Our students started calling it Tad-Pole in honor of its designer and it stuck. Steve will have to come up with another name when he commissions her this spring! To see more of this project click here.Summer is really, finally here! As always in the busy summer season, everything seems to be happening at once. Reflecting that, this month’s column is an eclectic mix of boatshop reports, a classic boat show, camping trailers, a Father’s Day story, and people who sink boats for a living.įor the first time in many years, yours truly attended the Antique and Classic Boat Society’s Festival on the grounds of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD, on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend. It was quite a show, with 90 boats and 50 vendors, great weather, live jazz music, and food provided by the St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Company, all sponsored by Proptalk Magazine. ![]()
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