Oyster Sloop

Very nice looking boat. Good job.

-- Glenn, New Mexico

I love hand crafted wooden boats. Your’s is no exception. Thanks for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Finastkind!

I’ve never seen any photos of a boat designed by John Leather until now. It looks like a very seaworthy little craft. 10 boats makes quite the fleet, too. What are the others?

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

And a proper gaffer, too! Just she sport a jib?

Have any of your others been Oughtred designs?

-- There's no tool like an old tool...

Great looking boat!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

I have wanted to build a boat for a few years now. The boat looks great.

Since you have built 3 more you must like the design. Any suggestion son what I should be looking at as I review boat building books ( designs)? I saw the book on Amazon I think I will order it if I can’t find it in the local ship this week.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

Great project. Will you be building / blogging another? I think this would be a great project to follow…and some day when I develop some skill I would love to build a similar craft.

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!

That is a beauty!! After I build a few plywood boats I am going to look more into this construction technique. I am very interested in traditional boat building. Again, looks like you did a wonderful job on this beauty!

Thanks for all the kind comments. Yes she is a wonderful craft. I sold her to an English gentleman who took her to the east coast of Michigan at Port Hope which is on Lake Huron. Here she is a few weeks ago on a sail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5drQq6RjBc I thought you might enjoy this.
Dave R – I have built a Nymph by Payson; Sunshine by Walt Simmons; Catspaw by Joel White; 12’ Semi-Dory by John Gardner (3x); Oyster by John Leather; 14’ Cottage Skiff by Kiefer/Workinger (which I still have); and Swallow by Andrew Wolstenholme (in process). I guess that’s nine.
Texas G – She has a jib; on that day I was trying to see what she would be like without it flying…docile but she didn’t balance well. I have not built any Oughtred designs. I have helped on a few. In fact a friend just down the road from me is building a Whilly Boat as we speak (write?).
I have only built one Oyster. She is a very capacious boat with a LOA of 17’ and a beam of 6”10”. It took me 30 minutes to rig her for sail at the ramp. Also she was a bit of a haul with my little car (Honda Civic). I am downsizing to a similar boat called Swallow designed by Andrew Wolstenholme. (google him…got a nice site)
Glued lapstrake is different from stitch and tape (sewed seams) or whatever you all that. I took a class in 1988 which got me started. Now there are many books out there…suggestions – John Leather’s “Clinker Boatbuilding” (my text in the first and only class I’ve taken.); “Lapstrkae Boatbuilding” vol. 1and 2 by Walt Simmons; “Building Small Boats” by Greg Roessel; “Traditional Boatbuuilding Made Easy” by Richard Kolin (2 volumes – “Building Catherine” and “Building Heidi”)
Mark S – I never have blogged but I will take a few pics while I build “Swallow” and come in time to time.
Thanks for all the comments. Wood is just a marvelous gift in all of its many aspects of use….what a material!

-- semper ubi, sub ubi

That’s a great video. I love the tanbark sails, too. Very appropriate. I had a set that color made for the little gaff-rigged sloop I built about5 years ago. (Since been sold. :( )

You’ve built an interesting array of vessels. I’m trying to figure out how to clear enough space in my shop to build something bigger than Oughtred’s Feather Pram for which I have the plans.

I’ve got most of Walter Simmons’ books along with Greg Roessel’s, several of John Leather’s books (although I’ve only seen Clinker Boatbuilding but don’t have a copy of that.) All good stuff.

Dave

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Beautiful craft! You did a great job on this. Thank you for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

i love it…going in my favorites!! (for the future file…the dream file)...

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

Thanks for the video; what a beautiful day for sailing. It is great that both your wife and mother enjoy the craft as well. The references are really appreciated! Hmmm maybe those kitchen cabinets will have to take a back seat :-)

I look forward to the pictures and progress on “Swallow”.

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!

What a beautiful and fun boat. I appreciate all the hard work that went into this.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Here I am surfing the net and up pops Beeswing from a posting by mcsteff. The video is of my Wife and ninety three year old Mother who was visiting from the UK. Bless her heart when I suggested a nine mile sail from Port Hope to Harbor Beach in Michigan and she said ok. It is from that two and a half hour sail that the video was taken. To demonstrate the sturdyness of the Oyster I decided to do the same sail in a force five gale with four to six foot waves. Apart from a knock down when approaching Harbor Beach due to the shallower water kicking up near vertical waves the boat was outstanding and I did not even get wet. The wind was gusting over twenty knots and I had not reefed the sails at all. I had to let the jib spill and had the mainsail sheeted all the way out and she was still surfing the waves as it was a following wind. To give you some idea of the conditions that two and half hour sail took one and half hours so I will let you do the math. I do have to congratulate the builder mcsteff for two things. One is the quality of the build and the second is choosing the John Leather Oyster which is unusual in the US as he is not well known here.

Wow quite the undertaking, great end result.

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug

boats there all new to me. but it looks great. How about Dave R is there any thing he doesn’t know smart guy,

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon