Good books for lapstrake construction

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Bill - 04 Oct 2007 22:01 GMT

I am currently considering my next boat project to be a lapstrake
canoe but I have never built one before and my experience is now
limited to the strip composite boat I am currently building. Do any
of you know of a good book on Amazon to get that explains how
lapstrake is done? Are there benfits to lapstrake over other types of
construction? I have a lot of questions about the technique so I'm
hoping for something pretty thorough.

Thanks,
Bill

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Island Teak - 05 Oct 2007 01:37 GMT

. Do any

> of you know of a good book on Amazon to get that explains how
> lapstrake is done? > Thanks,
> Bill

"Building Catherine" by Richard Kolin.

You do not have to be building the boat described to get a very good
understanding of traditional lapstrake building.

...Ken

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Meindert Sprang - 05 Oct 2007 10:26 GMT

> I am currently considering my next boat project to be a lapstrake
> canoe but I have never built one before and my experience is now
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> construction? I have a lot of questions about the technique so I'm
> hoping for something pretty thorough.

My website about building the Puffin (Iain Oughtred design) might be of
help. This dingy is not a classic clinker built but glued plywood. But it
gives you a good impression about taking the measures of a strake and all.

Meindert
www.customware.nl/boats

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Bill - 09 Oct 2007 18:52 GMT

On Oct 5, 2:26 am, "Meindert Sprang" <m...@NOJUNKcustomORSPAMware.nl>
wrote:

> > I am currently considering my next boat project to be a lapstrake
> > canoe but I have never built one before and my experience is now
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Meindertwww.customware.nl/boats

Okay so I have read your entire site and it's quite a beautiful boat.
I was wondering if you got the instruction from the designer and the
plans or if you have some experience with this sort of construction
and did it from memory.

Thanks,
Bill

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Meindert Sprang - 11 Oct 2007 10:38 GMT

> Okay so I have read your entire site and it's quite a beautiful boat.
> I was wondering if you got the instruction from the designer and the
> plans or if you have some experience with this sort of construction
> and did it from memory.

I bought the plans from the designer, which include a few A4 size pages with
building steps but I also bought the 'Clinker Plywood Boating Manual' by
Iain Oughtred. Apart from that, I read every WoodenBoat I could get my hands
on. This gave me enough knowledge to build the Puffin and also to develop my
own way of doing things.

Meindert

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Bill - 11 Oct 2007 20:10 GMT

On Oct 11, 2:38 am, "Meindert Sprang" <m...@NOJUNKcustomORSPAMware.nl>
wrote:

> > Okay so I have read your entire site and it's quite a beautiful boat.
> > I was wondering if you got the instruction from the designer and the
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Meindert

Excellent, thanks. Starting a new building process always takes a lot
of research and time and I don't want to be running down unproven
sources. Your boat is beautiful so I have to imagine that there is
some knowledge contained in those sources.

Thanks again,
Bill

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Wm Watt - 10 Oct 2007 15:13 GMT

> I am currently considering my next boat project to be a lapstrake
> canoe but I have never built one before and my experience is now
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Thanks,
> Bill

The American standard text for small boats used to be one by a guy
name of Hall.
I'll look it up when I get home from the public library if I can
remember.
In Eurpoe it's called "clinker".

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Ron Magen - 10 Oct 2007 22:50 GMT

Bill & 'Bill' -

That book would be 'Ultralight Boatbuilding' by Tom Hill {International
Marine Publishing}.

For a view from 'the other side of the pond', take a look at 'Clinker
Plywood Boating Manual' by Iain Oughtred. He calls Tom's procedure 'Tom
Hill's STRINGER Method'. While he feels it is '. . . very good for
production of several hulls . . . hardly worth while for a one-off' - {which
is what most of us build.}. He does say that 'Some builders feel it is a
safer, 'idiot-proof' system. And to be fair, he does offer 'an interesting
compromise, what he terms the stringer-fairing system.

For a third view - and the simplest illustrations - there is 'Building
HEIDI' . . . Traditional Boatbuilding Made Easy' from WoodenBoat.

I'd look at all three. I was able to at my library {although I needed to go
through an 'inter-library loan'}. I do this frequently, to decide between
'purchasing' and 'copying pages'.

That's my recommendation . . . and steal IDEAS {NOT books}liberally !!

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

"Wm Watt" <ag384fm@fastmail.fm> wrote
Bill <williamdochn...@adelphia.net> wrote:
SNIP
Do any of you know of a good book on Amazon to get that explains how

> > lapstrake is done?
> > Bill
>
> The American standard text for small boats used to be one by a guy name of

Hall.

> I'll look it up when I get home from the public library if I can remember.
> In Eurpoe it's called "clinker".

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Boat Forum / Building / October 2007

Good books for lapstrake construction