This is a summary of Iain Oughtred's progress on his various plans, including:

DOUBLE-ENDERS

The three original designs: the WHILLY BOAT, NESS BOAT, and CALEDONIA YAWL, have been successful, each with many contented owners.  Some are surprised I would think of changing anything.  However, some found the two smaller boats could be a little tender under sail; including one friend who launched his in 20 knots of breeze with full sail – but ‘got used to it’.  Having been intended to be good rowing/sailing boats, they were perhaps lacking a little in waterline beam with generous deadrise, but rarely seem to be seriously rowed.  Some ballast helps a lot in a breeze under sail, especially when single-handed.

The WHILLY, TERN and TIRRIK are more stable; very capable boats under sail, though not quite as fast as when rowed.  The plans are better detailed, with more options, and are easier to read.

The range now is:

Experience in the Raids, mainly with the NESS YAWLS, has been, as intended, tremendously useful in developing these boats, in regard to their handling and gear, general ability, performance and safety in a remarkable variety of conditions.  One seems to encounter an entire season’s worth of sailing experience stuffed into  a week; you really learn about that boat.  Especially if there is an interest in taking the racing at all seriously.  (Some do a bit at times; others not at all).  Inevitably the boat will sometimes be pushed a little harder than it would normally be done when an independent  boat is making a seamanlike and comfortable passage with no rescue boats around.  In this way, by pushing things closer to the edge, you come to understand the potential of the boat, how she responds/struggles/survives when over-pressed, how to manage the craft, making quick decisions.  For example, being able to tuck in a quick reef when it suddenly becomes necessary; reaching a little across the wind instead of holding the precarious dead run in the hard gusts, with full sail on when one reef would be safer, and two reefs would be comfortable.  And keeping her moving efficiently in the light weather.  The consequent experience will make future voyages in uncertain weather safer and more enjoyable.

 And along the way, by giving attention to the needs of the moment, and possible emergencies, the necessary safety gear becomes clear.  Hatches will be immoveable in doubtful weather; the oars, the bucket, and odd bits of line, are all instantly available.

Sensible clothing will be worn/ready; not just the more obvious weather protection, but underneath things that will keep you warm when wet.  E.g. if the water is extraordinarily cold, as in the Scottish inland lochs, it is not just comfort but survival could  depend on it.

 Although the double-enders are not the fastest boats in all conditions, they have proven to be excellent all-round Raid boats.  With the well-balanced long ends, plenty of flare well forward, and the reserve buoyancy all round, the boats exhibit a well-mannered behaviour in all sorts of conditions, their able and seaworthy hulls unusually comfortable and dry in short steep waves – going either with or against them -  yet still can slide along quite sweetly in smooth water, and can even win a rowing race if pulled with determination.

 Well the NESS YAWLS and the lightest J II  have suited me fine – ideally with a crew but quite  manageable single-handed. The CAL YAWL can do well with crew of 3,  possibly  4; one of them won the first  Swedish Raid overall.  The TIRRIK is a very capable boat, although with less potential speed than the longer boats.  WHILLY-TERN ditto, though certainly up for the job with a crew who knows the boat well.

                                                WEE ROB

Some while ago it was decided to re-draw these canoe designs.  However it never seemed very urgent, as the old designs look pretty good, and builders like them well enough.  Also, I do not sell a lot of plans in Britain or the rest of the world.  But Wooden Boat keep on selling the plans in North America, and the boats get built.  And I reckon that if the rest of the world was to become as enlightened as the Americans ( in the matter of canoes), and realise what sensible, practical and generally useful boats these are, there will be lots of them.  A particularly pleasant boat to own, requiring minimal investment and looking after.

 Refinements I have had in mind were a more elegant profile shape, with improved sheerline, and better balanced bow and stern.  And an increase in flare forward, with the maximum beam coming a little forward of amidships, in the Norwegian style, so help make the boat as dry as possible in choppy  water.

 The structure is simplified, with only six strakes a side instead of  7.  Although a 7-strake layout is also shown, for use with the narrower strakes of traditional construction.  And there are only 7 moulds instead of 12, which makes it less work to set up, and a lot easier to clean up the glue inside when planking up.

 Along the way there have been many minor refinements and additions, and more options, all better laid out and more clearly drawn.  Moulds are drawn both sides of the centreline, to make it easier to lay them out.  Many parts are drawn full size: floors, deckbeams, mast partner, paddle, rudder, leeboard etc.

 There is also now an extra drawing available for traditional lapstrake construction, showing the difference in the stem, stern and keel structure.  And necessary details of scantlings, rib spacing, fastenings etc.

 Two sailing rigs are offered: the standard balanced lug, which gives the best combination of simple handling and all-round performance and safety.  The option is an interesting high-peaked gunter rig, with full-length battens and a big roach, giving a generous sail area on minimal length spars.  A very modern looking sail, giving the impression of the cutting edge of aerodynamic efficiency.  Practically the same as you will see in Rushton’s catalogue of 1903.

 The new ‘Mark II’ design comes on seven sheets.  The price is $70 or £39.  The WoodenBoat price (well out-of-date!) is $55.  A compromise deal is being offered, to buyer of the WoodenBoat plan: an extra $25 will cover the cost of the set of prints for the new design.  And you can see if it looks better.

 The MACGREGOR canoe will soon be re-designed in the same way. 

 Then there will be a new small canoe design, the STICKLEBACK, at 10’ 8” x 27”  - 3.25 x 0.69m.   Also with the traditional planking option.

                                                         PIKE

 The PIKE has become a completely new design.  The length is now 12’ 3” ; the beam 4’ 2”   -  3.73 x 1.27m.  The style is more in line with some of the more rakish and attractive later versions of the American flat-bottom skiffs, which have always been popular for their practical simplicity.

 Although not as fast as some types, not as rough-water capable as some, the ‘flattie’, as well as being quick and easy to build, is a very versatile craft, performing quite well under sail or oars, and able to take an outboard.  She floats in a minimum depth of water, and sits upright on the beach.  The sprit rig is easy to set, brail strike, and stow, using shorter spars than any other rig.

 The original PIKE design works very well, so the basic hull shape has changed very little.  The bottom is just slightly narrower, and the flare increased, tending in the direction of the hull form of the famous Bolger ‘light dory’ (which is a fine rowing boat, and handles rough water with surprising ease). The tall proud straight stem is easier to build than the curved one.  The sheer is a little stronger, and the rake of the transom increased.

 The skiff may be built open, in the traditional style, or may have decking and buoyancy fore and aft, which provides dry stowage and enables a swamped boat to be bailed out, without needing buoyancy bags.  The re-designed dagger-board case is longer, and raked, aft, allowing the board to be set in a half-raised position, and when down it swings aft when it encounters the bottom or any other obstruction.

 The length of the hull may vary, by adjusting the spacing of the moulds, to 11’ 9”,12’ 9”, or 13’ 3”  -  3.58 to 4.04m.

The boat may also be built traditionally.  As the interior structure and layout of the plywood-planked hull is practically the same as a trad. boat, there are few changes, apart from leaving out the floors on the cross-planked bottom.  And adding a third strake to the topsides, to facilitate the finding of the planking stock. A midsection drawing and full scantlings are provided.

 To distinguish it from the old design, the new boat is called ‘SPIKE’.

                                                 WEE SEAL 

The Wee Seal is the subject of a favourable boat test/review in the current (May-June 2006) Watercraft.  For once they got a proper  - 30 knot  - breeze; she handled this in such a capable manner that the crew’s apprehensions were lightly blown away.  Looks good in the photographs too.

 Thanks to a builder in Mauritius, there is now a yawl rig available, with a fore-and-aft Norwegian tiller.  And also because his boatbuilders do not work from plans, there are extra full-size drawings, of the deadwood, rudder, centre-board case etc. 

The GREY SEAL also now has an optional gaff yawl rig.  As we found on the EUN NA MARA, this is a remarkably seamanlike (i.e. user-friendly) rig, especially when short-handed in lively conditions.

                                                GANNET

 The GANNET now has two interesting alternatives.  The first is a half-decked layout, which, although the boat is already an able and versatile and relatively dry one, allows her to be driven a little harder to windward in choppy water.  The sheer-height foredeck and side decks enable most of the spray to quickly gravitate back to where it belongs (the sea).  It also stiffens up the hull when harder pressed under the sloop rig and a sitting-out crew, helping to maintain rig tension and a straight jib luff.

 And for perhaps more racing-oriented sailors, there is an optional Bermudan rig, with full-length battens allowing a bigger roach.  The sail area is increased to 125 sq ft  -  11.6 sq m.  Or the ‘soft’ sail may be used on the Bermudan mast.  An optional hollow mast is also shown on the plan. 

Although I appreciate the shorter spars of the gunter rig, and the reduced windage up there when reefed, I do like long battens (having grown up with them).  They seem to give a little more control over the sail shape; they also make the actual shape and camber of the sail very visible.  In a hard gusty breeze, the sail tends to luff more gently instead of flogging violently when the sheets are eased.

 The alternative ‘simple’ rig is now the balanced lug.  This is a particularly user-friendly sail, offering a handy combination of simple installation, quick and easy rigging, good performance in varying conditions, and safety and controllability in more demanding weather. 

The same options  will be incorporated into the SHEARWATER design.  The half-deck layout will be drawn up for the FULMAR, and the bermuda rig also.  The unstayed gaff yawl will remain the standard ‘workboat’ rig.

                                                 BEAVER

 I  remain very fond of the  Canadian Canoes, not because I sell many plans at all, but they are such friendly and comfortable boats.  Pleasant to live with.

 The strip-plank and epoxy-glass method is the most popular form of construction, but one which does not appeal to me at all.  I do not like epoxy that much; finishing the interior seems like a nightmare; and I want a wood boat, not composite wood/fibreglass. 

So I have added necessary details to enable the hull to be built in lapstrake plywood, which seems to be the simplest, and laminated, or cold-moulded, using two laminations of 1/10”  2.5mm  Douglas fir, or similar, one layer running athwartships and the second fore-and-aft.  This will look like one of the finest varnished traditional boats outside; the interior will be clean and clear.  The bottom, or the whole exterior, may have a skin of light glass cloth in epoxy, but it is not structurally necessary. 

I am so impressed with the idea of what fine boats these will be,  I am anxious to build one of each.  One had better be the new 18’ OTTER design (which also does not exist yet).

                                                SKUA  

  16’  x  5’ 3”       -     4.87  x 1.6m

 Contrary to popular opinion, encouraged by the Internet, the SKUA does not actually exist.  But will, soon; it is high on the list. 

She will be just a straight traditional clinker boat, of the kind which there were many of in ports and harbours as general-purpose working boats.  Good burdensome boats which could carry a sizeable cargo of passengers, goods or fish.  And one reasonably quick and handy under oars, whether light or laden.  A proper boat. 

The design is based on a scaled-up TAMMIE NORRIE; this boat has been very successful, fulfilling its design criteria well, and is often built traditionally.  Being rather long for the beam, the proportions work well on a larger scale. 

Although basically designed for clinker plywood planking, adequate detail is provided for traditional wood building, with a list of scantlings and recommended books for reference. 

Two sailing rigs will be offered: the gunter sloop and the yawl with balanced lug foresail.