Shellback Construction Begins

Here are the Shellback station molds set up on the strongback. The bottom of the boat is made of 12mm marine plywood. The lapstrake planks will be 6mm. The stem and the midship frame are laminated clear grain spruce. The transom is 18mm marine plywood.

The garboard plank and first plank are installed. Planks are glued onto each other with epoxy thickened with cotton fibres.

This is the first of two Shellbacks that we are building. Both will be rigged for sail and rowing.

New Shellback starts

"Eric"

We are starting a new Joel White designed Shell back Dinghy. This 11'2" dinghy has 4'5" of beam and weighs approximately 100lbs. The Shellback pictured here was built for our client who wanted it to be in two pieces so that he could stow it on deck on a larger yacht. It clips together under the centre thwart, and the forward and aft sections  float independently.

The sailing rig is a balanced lug sail on an unstayed mast. The sailing version comes with a daggerboard, rudder and tiller. Finish is gloss marine paint inside and out, with varnished mahogany in-whale and varnished mahogany seats.

This is the amidships frame of the new Shelback. The photo is of the laminated strips of wood clamped onto the jig.