Steve Day Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I remember Robb White talking about using his Rescue Minor over by Cedar Key to get out to his island retreat. He was always expounding on its good speed on very few horsepower and its ability to float in 6" of water and also run on the plane in similar depths. The boat really intrigued me and I always thought it might be cool to build and own one. At the Perdido Wooden Boat Festival a couple of years ago there was a fellow that had a Rescue Minor on display in the show. His was strip built and was simply beautiful. He also talked about being able to plane in very shallow water and how well the boat moved on so few horsepower. In the show this year, one of my friends and I decided we needed a joint project to while away the time this coming winter. We looked at several different ideas, but kept coming back to the Rescue Minor. We just received the plans and are now starting to get materials together to build the boat. We are going to build it in Wally's barn, where there is a nice area in which to work. The plans are a little skimpy, and we have a few questions that may be answered here. The plans call for 3/4" plywood planking and no permanent frames. We saw several of the boats being built on Atkins' Web site and it appeared they were using frames and more manageable thicknesses of plywood. If we frame the boat and use 1/2" plywood (Okume, of course), Wally and I both think we will be just fine. Particularly since we plan to fiberglass the whole hull of the boat with at least 6 oz glass. I'm sure many of you have opinions and this might be a great time to discuss this, since we have not bought any wood yet. Here is the photo page of Rescue Minor boats under construction and in the water: http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Photos/RescueMinor/index.html This should be a pretty cool project and we are hoping to have the boat in the 2010 Perdido Wood Boat Show next May. ;D I know it's a power boat, but I thought you guys might have some interest and input in/for the project. 8) Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greno Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I saw the one from Santa Rosa Beach is for sale. It was either in Messing About in Boats or Woodenboat. Robb White's boat was very unique and certainly had his flair. I read somewhere that his son Wes stated it was the only boat he ever say him loft. I think Robb White's boat performed well because it is probably a lot lighter than drawn as designed. Great looking boats. I personally love a single screw inboard more than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbrewer Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Steve, As we discussed at the Perdido show this year, I've been thinking a lot about "rescue minor" as a possible build also. I think it would be perfect for our area in the open bay and lower river delta. I've heard the plans were not comprehensive, and I had hoped someone would eventually come up with a more complete set. I also had planned on taking advantage of epoxy and glass in the scantlings. Jaques, over at bateau dot com, had toyed with the idea of designing a stitch & glue version a year or so ago, but it seems some other projects jumped ahead. I emailed Douglas Brooks http://www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/rescue.html about his version of the boat. He has lofted the frames and panels and the lofting is available for sale on paper or mylar, but no construction plans. His version was built (by Robert Mason he said) more like Robb's, with the tumblehome on the aft topsides, which I always thought added to the asthetics of the design. I think the builder also used lighter plywood and glass. He also mentioned that Atkin's plans did not give enough detail on the aft underbody (the most important part). In any case, I'll need directions to Wally's barn for sure Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oyster Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Well its nice to read that you will be getting your hands dirty on a stinkpot. ;D While there are some neat features with the design, the design a a specialty use boat for sure. The boat that Timm did which is shown in the link you provided is also shown in detail at his website step by step using up to date building methods. The S.C. one also is pretty detailed. From those two sites a seasoned guy can figure it out for sure, such as in your case. On another note I cringe when I read that others have made patterns and the likes for a boat designed by another designer without knowing the full extent of the working relationship. I also have watched the mentioned fill the big gap guy with bunches of thickened glue take other peoples plans and do the same and then make wild claims that the boats are far superior to anything that has come down the line in that certain spin off, especially without even one hull hitting the water before making such a claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbrewer Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 On another note I cringe when I read that others have made patterns and the likes for a boat designed by another designer without knowing the full extent of the working relationship. I also have watched the mentioned fill the big gap guy with bunches of thickened glue take other peoples plans and do the same and then make wild claims that the boats are far superior to anything that has come down the line in that certain spin off, especially without even one hull hitting the water before making such a claim. Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oyster Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Case in point, just one of many plan and profiles being sold: http://www.bateau.com/studyplans/FS17_study.htm?prod=FS17 During the design, our message board had some very active discussions about the Simmons Sea Skiffs and I couldn't help comparing them to our new design. We wanted at least the same offshore capability as the Simmons Sea Skiff and with the design complete, we can guarantee that our FS17 is a more able boat. When a potential builder begins to research a certain boat and reads this without any qualification, this is wrong on all areas. No where does a CAD program generate such supporting claims to discredit the real life experiences gained over the course of almost sixty years in just one boat such as the Simmons. I will not divert attention from this thread further, but wanted to qualify my comment with a followup. There are numerous others in the area of spin offs in the designs. Guarantee using someone elses real performances and or flaws without real time facts of your own either? There is only one gurarantee in life and that ain't a boat of any shape or design that will do all things to all people, period. The same boat will also be judged by several people differently. But marketing and diverting people away from another with only words means that you don't have the supporting evidence to back up your claims either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oyster Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/riva-building-plans-sale-26140.html This is an interesting thread. This has been taking place for a long time, plans being pirated and pushed on the net of one of the finest wooden runabouts ever built in the area of barrellback type boats. The Nina 22 from the same is basically the same boat too. http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Oar/Ninigret.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greno Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 lbrewer and Steve Day, are ya'll in Alabama? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbrewer Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 yes Greeno, I am in Mobile and Steve is on the eastern shore. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greno Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm in Mobile as well. It seemed odd the discussions of the delta and perdido, figured ya'll must be close. If the boat gets going I would love to see it as well. I am currently finishing 2 elegant punts to play with at the beach, but the next project is making a new Bosarge skiff from the one I have taken apart on my carport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lathrop Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Oyster, It does anger up the blood a bit to see such robbery taking place. The same outfit took one of our close friends boats and did one close enough that the sail plans were like a xerox of the original. They made a number of changes to "improve" the boat and each and every one of them made for a inferior boat, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sscoville Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 There's something about Rescue Minor that really charms - and White's version, in particular. I got the bug to build one too about two months ago. Problem is, I'm in the middle of a Bay River Skiff 17' and then hope to build a 20' houseboat - probably by Sam Devlin. But that didn't stop me from getting all the info on the Rescue Minor I could find. The mania has subsided and I've placed the idea in safe storage. Robb White did an article in WB #189 - you probably already know this. If not, you should get it. I also talked to Mark Bayne - Sea Island Boatworks - Charleston, S.C. - who built one of those on the Atkins site. He said he used either 3/8 or 1/2 inch but that the bottom on the box keel was 1", I think. You should call or email him, I'm sure he'll be very helpful. He also seemed to know a lot about what other builders of the boat had done. He suggested a replica of White's could be built out of ply from bottom up to the chine and then strip built up from there to get the tumble home and drake tail stern. He told me that he thinks builders should leave the design alone from the chine down. Please post pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LeeH Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Wow, that Ninigret is one fine looking boat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Day Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 It appears that Timm Schleiff has built the RM with two layers of 3/8" plywood bonded together to make a 3/4" thickness and NOT putting in permanent frames. That makes the cleaner interior, plus it is closer to the original plans. The other option is to build it using permanent frames and using something less than the aggregate 3/4" plywood, like Mark Baynes did in his boat. An interesting question is which way will make the best finished product. I am leaning toward the "frameless" construction for the cleaner interior and stronger boat. We will try to make the boat come out as close to the Atkin plans as we can. The tumblehome looks cool, but it isn't the original design, plus it would be harder to make that with the plywood. As we get closer to the actual construction we'll be posting more. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oyster Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I personally am not opposed at an alternative method of building which downsizes the framing scantling and still obtain the same look as you speak about. I incorporated a cold moulded method in Popsicle and would do the same if I was to build the boat which can create even a lighter weight hull. I think when you review what Rob did, he indeed had a boat come out stronger too even though he changed the shape of the boat. There is an electric launch 16 foot in length built thats vacumn bagged white cedar that can be loaded on a rack on a truck even with the electric motor installed in the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Day Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I hadn't thought about bagging the thing. That will require a few hours on the "thinking chair" to figure out how to bag & vacuum the thing as we add the outside layer. Thanks for the idea. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sscoville Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Steve: have you started on this yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Day Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Good question. Wally was supposed to go over to the source and pick up the cypress for the frames yesterday. I did not hear from him last night (I was at a church meeting) and assume that got done. I scrounged up plywood left over from previous boats and that will make up the gusset plates for the frame joints. We are working on the "take offs" for the plywood and should have that order ready to place in the next few days. That being said, it appears we are ready to actually start work on the boat. We have decided to go with one thickness of the 9mm plywood (over cypress frames) to result in a lighter boat than the doubled 9mm without frames. That should be a more conventional build for us. Now - all we have to do is actually start the construction. More to come, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sscoville Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Have you decided on an engine? By the way, is this going to be Wally's boat, or yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Day Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 We really haven't decided who will own the boat. Right now, we both will own it. If we like it, we'll build another and each have one. The engine will be something in the 22 HP diesel variety. We currently favor a Yanmar or Kubota, but will be looking for what becomes available as we build the boat. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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