Arey's Pond Boat Yard is well known for the fine
Catboats they produce. Tony Davis and I have wanted
to work together for some time, and when this opportunity
to build a sloop to fit in their line arose I jumped
at the chance. Cape Cod is renown for its Cats, but
there has also been a long tradition of handy, shoal
sloops dating back at least a century. The Kingston
Lobster Boat in Chappele's American Small Sailing
Craft while Cat Ketch rigged, is pretty close to being
an ancestral working prototype.
These boats are beamy, although not as extreme as
a Catboat, shoal draft, half decked with a graceful
sheer and often a counter stern. I've always admired
these craft and wanted to try my hand at one. I wanted
to rethink the type in the light of current conceptions
of aero- and hydrodynamics and contemporary developments
in materials and construction techniques. Good design
results from dealing directly with first principles,
not tracing over what's been done before.
The most glaring departure from tradition may be
the rudder, more on that anon, but while the hull
looks traditional; it is based on a family of hulls
I've developed over the last few years. I've been
looking for a hull form combining a high prismatic
coefficient (in this case .56) with a moderate displacement.
One with more deadrise than is currently fashionable.
Carrying the rabbet line rather deep fore and aft
of the midsection to spread out the volume longitudinally
(hence the high prismatic) and using these vee-d sections
to cushion the ride and dampen pitching moments. While
this sort of hull won't be as fast in flat water as
an all out sled, it will be fast in a variety of conditions
and will subject the crew to much lower G forces while
slicing through rough water instead of crashing over
it.
In this design, the deadrise is less evident than
on others I've done and the beam to length ratio has
been increased. This is a shallow hull with form stability
instead of deep draft and ballast. I've maintained
a long entry and hardened up the turn of the bilge.
It's important to minimize detrimental effects on
trim caused by live weight. The half decked layout
is ideal since it keeps the crew sitting where they
will do the most good and out of the ends. Gear stowage
and auxiliary power are also factors impinging on
good trim. Net bags under the benches and sail stowage
under the foredeck with fenders and docklines aft
will help. A 2 hp four stroke, or an electric outboard,
hung off a side mounted bracket can stow under a bench.
The battery or fuel tank can sit just aft of the mast.
One won't be tempted to leave these motors hanging
while under sail and they are light enough to be easily
stowed and deployey.
The first of these boats will be built in strip/
composite construction with a combination of White
Cedar and biaxial fiberglass cloth set in epoxy. A
Mahogany veneer laid longitudinally, spiled like planking
and sheathed in 10 oz. cloth goes over that. The deck
is ply, covered in Dynel, and the backbone is laminated
Douglas Fir. Subsequent boats will be molded in fiberglass
and finished to Arey's Pond's normal high standards.
The rudder's short blade benefits from an endplate
with a swept sythe-like planform similar to a Tuna's
tail fin. It can generate strong lift even as it pitches
and rolls. There is a slot between the rudder and
the foiled skeg combined with a balanced blade - its
shaft is aft of the leading edge a bit. The rudder
acts like a slotted flap with cleaner flow, lower
drag, and a higher stall angle.
I look forward to sharing photos and thoughts on
the real boat even more than showing you the virtual
one. Stay tuned!
By Tony Dias
