A New Boat

So after a seemingly endless period of searching and general hand wringing about the best possible design for a new build I have settled on the Campion Apple 16.  Originally, I kind of fell in love with the Caledonia Yawl and had planned to build that, and even went so far as to seek out a ride in one in Maine with Jeff Kerr (who builds them for a living).  I'm still in love with the design, but decided to pass on it for now because of a number of factors.  The first being cost; a bigger boat means more lumber and larger everything.  Part of that cost was figuring in that I would do a kit which has a fairly steep upfront cost.  Another reason was that I wanted to build something that wouldn't necessarily take as long if I was committed.  Finally, while I enjoyed sailing the Caledonia Yawl, it is first and foremost a displacement boat, and I am still nimble enough to want to have a boat that can get up on a plane and go when the wind is right.

The Campion Apple satisfied all of those requirements and I think it's a lovely design.  The plumb bow and yawl rig make it very distinctive and it exudes its Northern European heritage.  I will be building the stitch and glue form but it can be built clinker style.  I think it should be a fun build.

I've spoken with the designer Tom Dunderdale on several occasions now and he has been immensely helpful.  I purchased the plans last week and had several sets enlarged.  There will be some additional work that a kit boat would have eliminated; namely laying out and cutting each of the 5 strakes per side and an additional keel strake, but since I will be building it stitch and glue, no strongback is required and the hull should go together relatively quickly.  I hope to be staring in the next few weeks, but I still have some finishing details in the shop and some jigs to build to help the process along.  More details and photos of the design can be found at: Campion Sail and Design

Stay tuned....