It is early days yet but I am considering building myself a wooden boat. With that in mind I started trolling through the Internet looking for some plans.

Egoist with junk rigging

Egoist with chaloupe rigging

Initially, I was delighted to find free plans for a stitch and glue "pocket cruiser" called Egoist. This is a French designed boat for which the plans can be downloaded. Its main features are an overall length of 5.5m, beam of 2.4m, draft of 22cm and total displacement of 1020kg. The plans include two alternative rigs, a junk rig or a Chaloupe with top sail. There is also a series of photographs of No. 1 under construction. Unfortunately, this series ends with the construction of the hull and the boat seems to have never been completed. I can't find any reference to a completed vessel. There is, however, a PaperEGO which you can cut out and construct (you may want to review the order of assembly).

Although a practical possibility for a first boat I have decided against Egoist as it is too close to my Etap in design and function - I don't really need two! And a tested design would have given me more confidence.

"Stitch and glue" plywood construction (about which I knew nothing before I started this exercise) does seem to make the process of boat construction very much easier, and makes sound and sturdy boats, but my head was turned by the "glued lapstrake" plywood construction used in designs from Duck Trap, and in particular the Newfoundland Trap Skiff. The lapstrake (clinker) style makes for a beautiful classic small boat. These boats are more difficult to build than "stitch & glue" but give the budding craftsman a chance to develop his skills and the opportunity to create something of which to be proud. The design is very versatile, producing a vessel that can be rowed, sailed, or have a small outboard fitted, and the open interior provides good load carrying capacity, with the weight carried low for stability. This particular example, however, looks a little underpowered in the sailing department.

Now sold on lapstrake boats I refined my search and discovered the designs of Iain Oughtred, a Scottish designer and practically a neighbour. He doesn't seem to have a website of his own but is featured on Classic Marine's website. The picture of Ptarmigan or Guillemot) caught my eye. This is a small boat (much the same LOA as the Mirror) but can carry 3 or 4 adults and is a a real "Swallows & Amazons" craft. In her designer's words:

A strong, stable and very capable boat along the lines of a 19th Century ship's boat or large yacht tender. She floats on her designed waterline with three adults aboard and can take a great load of gear as well; she'll carry five people for a moderate distance in suitable conditions. Two plus two children might be a comfortable maximum for pottering about. She has been designed for owners who need a burdensome hull with flatter floors, firmer bilges and higher freeboards. She will not be as light and fast as an Acorn, but is a lot steadier in the water and less 'flighty'. For all that, she is finely modelled and performs very well indeed for a boat of this type, whether rowed or under sail. She can happily take a light outboard as well. Two optional sailing rigs are shown: the basic standing lug is the simplest to set up and handle. The Gunter sloop gives a more interesting sailing performance; it is set up with traditional simplicity, and the short spars are easily stowed out of the way. There are no battens to complicate the handling of the mainsail.

She certainly looks a proper little sailing boat.

My search also took me to Willow Bay Boats based in the Lake District. On the left is the Farthing (1/4d on the sail). Again, a beautiful small boat - I particularly like the bowsprit design enabling plenty of sail to be carried low down and reducing the heeling forces. Clearly a boat intended to be sailed.

Farthing has a bigger brother/sister, known as Ha'penny (1/2d).

Willow Bay don't appear to sell plans for these boats. They can be purchased as finished products or part built for home finishing. I don't believe this would satiate my boatbuilding desires which is a shame as the boats look ideal.

A designer that does sell plans is the American company Arch Davis Design, based in Maine. Their Penobscot 14 is a larger boat than the Ptarmigan and the sailing version offers a retractable dagger board that should provide a bit more bite to windward. I haven't seen any pictures of one sailing yet. She has a larger sibling, the Penobscot 17 but she is probably larger than I would want making it difficult to launch and recover.

Penobscot 14	Penobscot 17
Penobscot 14 with optional sailing rig
Penobscot 17 with optional sailing rig