I had a major new build project lined up for this winter but sadly the client had to cancel at the last moment. This left me with a bit of time to spare and some sadness, as new builds don’t come along al that often. Determined to look on the bright side, I decided to use this as a build a boat that I have had in mind for a while.
Iain Oughtred who was one of the important small boat designers of recent decades died two years ago and I have been mulling over the idea of building one of his boats ever since. The Acorn 12 is the design that established Iain’s reputation and was drawn in the early 1980s when he was working with a friend of mine not far from here on Osea Island.
The Acorn is a light, elegant and quick rowing skiff that can also carry a sailing rig. There are 12ft., 13ft and 15ft. variants because Iain could never leave a design alone.
Things start off with cutting out and setting up the moulds that define the shape of the hull. Here the laminated stem, the inner keel and the transom have been added. Next comes scarfing together sheets of 5mm lightweight marine plywood to produce 12ft. lengths.
Plank edges are bevelled and the next plank fitted. As this is a plywood boat, planks are bonded in place with epoxy resin in place of the copper nails used in traditional clinker work. Since the plywood does not move with changes in moisture as solid timber will, this approach produces a long lasting secure and fully waterproof joint. Also the two layers of planking bonded together at each joint provide longitudinal stiffness. One of the basic rules of boat building is that you never have enough clamps but these home made wedge clamps work well and I can always make up a few more when needed.
The hull has now been fully planked and turned over with a couple of moulds in place to preserve the shape. Although it looks almost complete at this stage, it is in fact around the half way point with lots of fitting out and finishing yet to come.