Hull Turning of Didi 23

Steve Watson is building a Didi 23 in Hood River, Oregon. Last week he and a few friends pulled the hull out of his garage, rolled it over in the driveway then returned it to the garage for work to start on the interior. These photos show the process that they used.

Pulled out of the garage.

Half-way over. A hull is intimidating in this position and must be controlled. Gravity can quickly become the boss.

Safely over and resting on mattresses. Builder Steve Watson at right.

Lifted off the mattresses onto a wheeled cradle to keep her mobile.

Stern view. Steve has added a scoop stern to the transom.

Going back into the garage for work to continue.

A boat-under-construction takes on a whole new character when it is turned right-way up. This is the first time that the builder gets to see it right-way-up and the final shape of his creation.

Hull-turning is a memorable milestone in a big boatbuilding project. This is always a good time to have a party, to take your rewards and gather your thoughts, resources and energy for the next stage of the project.

The way that Steve and friends turned this hull worked for them. The bigger the boat, the more complex the turning process becomes and the more care that must be taken with preparations and equipment to keep this heavy structure under control. Carelessness with this phase of the project can injure or kill people and also damage the carefully-built boat.

To see more of this and our other designs, please go to http://dixdesign.com/.

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Heritage 23 in Michigan

Here is a new twist on the St Ayles Skiff community rowing project.

Alec Jordan, the source for the St Ayles in Scotland, is in Tawas City Michigan helping to build the prototype Heritage 23 Mackinaw boat.



Heritage Coast Sailing and Rowing, whose purpose is to encourage sailing and rowing and to preserve historic regional boat designs, is in the process of building a 23 foot Mackinaw boat named the Heritage 23. Construction began on April 16 in East Tawas City.

Heritage Coast Sailing and Rowing is a Michigan not-for-profit corporation formed to encourage local boat building activities and build regional community. The organization is patterned after the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association. Heritage Coast hopes to use this concept to promote community rowing activities along the Lake Huron shoreline using its Heritage-23 as a one-design racer. This is a brand new project and with Alecs help they are already laying up planks!

Alec just sent me an update this morning:

"We are making very good progress – the kit is going together very easily, and we should have plank 4 on by the end of the day. Yes – there are 12 planks and the plan is to have her turned on Wednesday next week if I haven’t worked the building team to death by then. We have a minimum team of 6 building and have had as many as 10, with visitors calling by regularly - A lot of local enthusiasm."

Be sure to stay in touch with the Heritage Coast Sailing and Rowing Project.




Photos courtesy of Alec Jordan. Congratulations to this hard working crew!

What a beautiful boat.

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