Anyone know what kind of boat
- Thread starter wingcommander
- Start date
Bajansailor
Well-Known Member
What is her construction material - it looks like plywood?
That is an interesting rubbing strake (for want of a better word) halfway up the topsides.
She is probably a home built boat, possibly from bought plans - she looks like a nice design.
You might get a better response if you ask this question on the Motorboat forum.
That is an interesting rubbing strake (for want of a better word) halfway up the topsides.
She is probably a home built boat, possibly from bought plans - she looks like a nice design.
You might get a better response if you ask this question on the Motorboat forum.
clyst
Well-Known Member
She looks an ex military launch ..... could it be of double diagonal construction ?
wingcommander
Well-Known Member
Hi , yea the buyer was told she had some kind of military history, however very limited information. All plank construction, not sure of the double diagonal meaning. Ime back at the yard this weekend if their is anything I could look For?
Bajansailor
Well-Known Member
I can see vertical lines of what appear to be screw holes in the topsides, and they seem to be uniformly spaced, perhaps because they are in way of the frames?
If she is of planked construction, then the topsides are exceptionally fair.
A very left field thought - I wonder if the topsides are plywood, screwed to the hull frames, and maybe that 'rubbing strake' halfway up the topsides is a sort of improvised 'butt block' over a joint between the plywood sheets?
Maybe they could not (for reasons of hull shape perhaps) put the plywood panels on for the full depth from sheerline to chine, so they had to use two panels instead?
Do you know what the new buyer intends to use the boat for?
What does she look like inside - is she gutted, or does she have furnishings?
If she is of planked construction, then the topsides are exceptionally fair.
A very left field thought - I wonder if the topsides are plywood, screwed to the hull frames, and maybe that 'rubbing strake' halfway up the topsides is a sort of improvised 'butt block' over a joint between the plywood sheets?
Maybe they could not (for reasons of hull shape perhaps) put the plywood panels on for the full depth from sheerline to chine, so they had to use two panels instead?
Do you know what the new buyer intends to use the boat for?
What does she look like inside - is she gutted, or does she have furnishings?
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LittleSister
Well-Known Member
Definitely looks like diagonal planking on the hull below and aft of the the wheelhouse.
clyst
Well-Known Member
My money would be on it being that the hull was a seaplane / ASR tender probable 1950s .
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Agree. DD below that rubbing strake and maybe ply above.
clyst
Well-Known Member
Similar to ........
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
I looked at the image in an image editor, and it's clear that the diagonal planking extends up to the gunwale. The pronounced striping below the "strake" is still there, just less obvious.
I think she's double diagonal. For the OP's benefit, that means that there are two layers of planking running in different directions, usually separated by a glue-impregnated layer of fabric. Many military craft were built that way; it's strong, light and easy to fabricate. The drawback is that if water gets between the layers and the wood begins to rot, it can be very difficult to repair. Perhaps not difficult in the sense of requiring great technical skill - more that rot in one plank will almost certainly result in rot running in a different direction in adjacent planks, so what initially appears to be a small patch of bad wood ends up requiring a lot to be replaced. If she's as old as people think - 40s or 50s - the glue in the fabric layer will probably have started to deteriorate, too.
Military craft were, in general, not built for a long life.
burgundyben
Well-Known Member
I'm 99% sure she is British Powerboat Company, the angle of the topside planking is the clue.
The bottom is double diag. Layer of oil impregnated cotton in between, no glue.
The topsides are single layer with battens internally along the seams, known as'seam battened topsides', the builder had a patent for this method of construction.
I'm not an expert, but I have owned two BPBCo boats.
The bottom is double diag. Layer of oil impregnated cotton in between, no glue.
The topsides are single layer with battens internally along the seams, known as'seam battened topsides', the builder had a patent for this method of construction.
I'm not an expert, but I have owned two BPBCo boats.