While
finishing up the drawings for the Danube 6.4,
I have run into a small delay. I decided to fill the time by working on
a new design. Named after the beautiful Crystal River not far from my
home here in Citrus County, the Crystal 16
is a simple flats skiff that will fit right in along the Nature Coast!
After introducing the Osprey 18
design, I recieved a number of requests for a smaller version. The
reasons were varied, but most often revovled around a desire to make it
fit in a garage. Although she looks very similar to the Osprey 18,
they actually share very little other than their 66" beam.
My
philosophy behind this design is to keep it simple and light. The deck
has an ample casting platform forward and two small platforms back aft
on either side. These two could be spanned by a removable platform if
you wanted a full casting platform back aft. Up forward there will be
some storage and possibly a baitwell, although I haven't quite figured
that out yet!
Her
hull is similar to the Osprey 18,
a simple convex vee shape with about 6 degrees of deadrise at the
transom. The bow has some flare, but not so dramatic that it will make
her difficult to plank. There will be no chine flats as I don't want
there to be anything on the bottom that will slap while you are poling.
This will also make the hull simpler to build. If spray is a problem,
some small spray rails can be added at the chine.
Unlike the Osprey
18, the Crystal 16
will not have a built in fuel system. She will carry a 6-9 gallon
portable tank back aft between the casting platforms. Just forward of
the 20" transom, the cockpit sole ends, leaving a well in the keel for
a bilge pump. Her batteries for starting and a trolling motor will be
carried up forward under the forward casting platform. I feel more
comfortable with a long starting cable than with a long fuel hose! I
envision her powered by a 25 hp tiller steered outboard, which should
push her around 27 knots. No consoles or steering system. Remember, the
Crystal
16 is supposed to be a very simple boat!
Her construction is something
new for me, but I think it will be simple to build and more pleasant
than a lot of methods. She will be strip planked over temporary
particle board molds with light softwood, such as Western Red Cedar
or Paulownia.
The strips can either be fitted tight together as in traditional
strip-planking or with a small space between the planks as developed by
Mark Bowdidge in Australia. In the Bowdidge Strip-Planking Method,
a small space is left (he uses tile spacers), then the gaps are filled
with a thickened epoxy mixture and sanded fair. This is a
very simple method of building and allows those of us who are not
expert woodworkers to avoid lots of tight joints. The hull will then be
glassed on the outside with a layer of 1208 double-bias fiberglass set
in epoxy. Once faired and primed, she can be flipped over and the
temporary framing removed. Fair the inside and add another layer of
1208 for the inner skin. Now you can epoxy in the 12mm Meranti marine
plywood stringers and frames. Lastly, add the sole and the deck and you
are pretty much finished. This construction method will yield a very
light and relatively inexpensive hull.
I am still working on the
drawings for this design. As you can see from the images, I am
designing this boat almost entirely in Ashlar-Vellum Argon
as a solid model. This is quite a change from my traditional methods
and more in tune with the times. So far it is working out well and has
been a good learning experience for me. The plan set should include all
the construction drawings as well as full size patterns for the
temporary mold frames. I may also include patterns for the stringers
and frames as well, although that is still to be decided. I
have also yet to decide whether this boat will be available as some
type of pre-cut kit. While it would simplify construction, it would add
some cost. I am about to start the actual 2D construction
drawings and hope to have the design ready by late summer.
Update 10/3/11:I
got a little behind working on a new production boat for a paying
client. I will get back to the Crystal 16 in the very near future!
Maybe it will be ready by Thanksgiving, but I'm not making any promses!
If you have any questions about the Crystal 16
or any of my other designs, please don't hesitate to contact me.
