Multihull enthusiasts may know that designer Dick Newick passed away last year. Among his things were a stack of posters of his amazing, and historically significant, proa, "Cheers", as painted by artist Bruce Alderson. One of these posters has graced our walls for many years and we are pleased to be able to offer them at a special price. Please read more about "Project Cheers" HERE.
Initially, we have set the price for the USA as postage is easily assessed.
For Europe, we would prefer to send several posters to a distributor. Individual postage from here to Europe, runs at $24 for the cheapest method. We hope that by having a distributor in France, postage will be far less.
Interested persons from outside of the USA should contact me to get on the list. Anyone interested in buying several for resale should contact me. QUANTITIES AT THIS PRICE ARE LIMITED.
Please note that a portion of the proceeds for these posters will go to Mr. Newick's widow. In addition, there are a limited number of posters signed and numbered (253-294/400) by painter, Bruce Alderson. We are also in the process of re-publishing the book, PROJECT CHEERS. Please see our webpage for details.
As of Monday, April 7 th, our PT 11 nesting dinghy will be on display at Fisheries Supply in Seattle. This is something we have talked about doing for a long time and we are pleased it is happening this year. Fisheries Supply is one of our very favorite resources.
On display is our PT 11 that we have used a lot for 3 seasons now, around Port Townsend and north into Desolation Sound, BC. We have done a lot of exploring in this boat, some of which is featured in our videos. The interior finish is still the original WEST SYSTEM EPOXY(R) clear finish using 207 Special Clear Hardener(R) done in 2011. It is due a coat of varnish but I think you will be impressed at how little the scratches show even after all the sand and shoes. So if you are in the area, please stop by FISHERIES SUPPLY and check the boat out! Let us know you stopped by. THANK YOU!
Loaded with gear commuting to our boat's mooring, before taking off for Canada.
More boats are getting wet this year. I am really enjoying everyone's news.
Olav in Victoria BC launched his PT 11 earlier this year. I like the below photos in particular. If you had to choose a dinghy to be proud of for your beautiful cruising boat, would it be like those in the back ground? Or more like the sleek hull in the fore ground?? Beautiful job Olav! 😉
James in Australia launched his PT 11 this winter (summer ,'down under') with his son. I received these pictures in January. Again, a great job on the boat!!
It sure is fun when folks get colorful. This sunny yellow PT 11 is sure to turn heads for Gregg in California! I continue to be impressed with beautiful workmanship. I may be able to publish more photos soon as the weather warms and folks get out on the water.
Is your PT 11 or PT Skiff in the water? I would love to feature it next. 😉 PTW
We recently had the opportunity to test drive a Lehr outboard on the PT 11 nesting dinghy. http://golehr.com/lehr-marine/
I should say up front, that we are personally anti-outboard for this boat. The PT 11 is lightweight with a hull shape well suited for easy, near effortless rowing, even for longer distances. The sailing rig is also very easy to use. Our vision has been that this dinghy can be a tough, utilitarian, and totally enjoyable alternative to inflatables, as tenders for cruising boats. Even so, the PT 11 can be used with a small outboard. We have calculated that a 2HP outboard would be plenty of power to move this little boat with ease and also keeps the PT 11 within a certain USCG category.
In our opinion, however; those who expect to use a motor on their dinghy more often than not, might be better off with a different dinghy. One could choose a boat with a fuller aft end. Rowing performance would be compromised but these boats would plane with a 5HP motor.
There are, it seems, few, new model outboards of 2HP or less. Most outboard producers currently have models of just over 2HP. Other than the perceived "need for speed" from the general public, we are not sure why they have chosen to discontinue lower HP motors. See a PT 11 test drive with an EP CARRY.
For the sake of experiment and because this motor was offered to us for this purpose, we went ahead and made a test drive. Thank you to J.S. for this opportunity.
Here is what we found and there is a link to a short video at the the end of this post.
I. Motor: New Lehr 2.5HP propane outboard. ( 15” shaft, cost: roughly $1050)
II. Weight: We feel like this motor is quite heavy at almost 39 LBS(incl small 1 LB gas bottle)
Electric Paddle 16LBS(including battery pack) (shafts 33-38” $1600)
III. Noise: Moderate.
Comparison:
On forums online, the Honda 2.3 has been proclaimed as very noisy.
Electric motors are obviously the most quiet.
IV. Speed: The Lehr 2.5 propelled the PT 11 with a single, 180 pound operator, at 6.8 knots, at full throttle in protected waters.
No comparisons at this time.
V. Trim: The PT 11 is light weight. The weight of the motor being nearly half the weight of the boat, and with a single operator having to sit far enough aft to reach the tiller, causes the bow to ride high. One would need a tiller extension to be able to shift driver weight forward.
Taking off at full throttle..
VI. Mounting: The outboard was mounted with a raw mahogany block just below the inwhale. For the purpose of this demo, we adhered it with double sided tape. For more permanent installation, we would advise exchanging the bolts on the top gudgeon, for screws that bite into the block. On the outside of the transom, we used raw mahogany strips. The block and pads are to prevent crushing or denting the hull skins when tightening the clamps. For a motor this heavy, we recommend re enforcing the transom with vertical ribs adhering to the buoyancy tank walls and butting up to the underside of the inwhale. This would be light and effective.
VII. Conclusion: In general, if you are set on mounting a motor on the PT 11, it is preferable to choose a motor that weighs less than 30 LBS. We will be making some effort to mount and test drive the Electric Paddle in 2014. Click here to see a short video of the PT 11 with the Lehr 2.5HP. PTW 😉
Note: If any of our builders have tried a small outboard on your PT 11, please contact us with your experiences.
UPDATE: This information was sent to us from one of our builders in Florida. The HP used exceeds sanctioned HP for this boat but the results are informative.
POWER: 2.5 HP (rpm restrictor removed to increase to 3.3 hp), 1990 vintage two stroke, factory propeller, 27 pounds, Mercury outboard with tiller extension.
Life jackets, paddle, no additional gear.
Top speed, one 140 pound operator, 10 mph. Top speed, two people 330 pounds, 8 mph. Top speed, four people 810 pounds, 6 mph.
More PT Watercraft boats are hitting the water! Here are some to spotlight;
Simon and "crew" happy after launching in New Zealand. I quote Simon, "I didn't really realize how much of a delight to build she's been until the bumper had been stuck on and I was a little disappointed that there wasn't anything left to do except go sailing."
The blog for this build is great. Simon took wonderful photos of his progress. Check it out HERE.
I really like the red on the PT 11! Great choice of color!
Garland has finished his PT Skiff in Virginia! The first one to be built on the East Coast and the first with self bailing installed. Congratulations! Looking very classy!
While taking his time to build the boat, he wrote, "“The other thing that delays me is I enjoy it too much! And it relaxes me. I stand back and admire the quality of the wood, and how things look. Once it takes shape, I'll admire how the flat panels pull together to make the graceful curves.”Garland says.."we launched Sunday, and carried a real load! Five adults and two dogs. Considering the load, we did well. I was prepared for the boat to be tender, and she was, but not bad."
Not everyone has a camera handy, even in the age of fancy phones. I still want to congratulate James in Olympia on his launching of his PT 11 this year. I am looking forward to pictures! See his blog with some construction photos HERE. Awesome glosscoat!
Wouldn't it be fun to have a fleet of dinghies and skiffs at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in 2014??!! My thanks to everyone for doing such lovely work on their boats. These kits are very detail oriented and our growing family of builders appears to be putting heart and soul into their projects and I must say, it makes us feel really good! Thank you! 😉 PTW
Russell and all of our design consultants have a lot of experience with wood and epoxy boat building and a lot of thought and science went into making sure our boats are designed to be both light and strong. No boat is indestructible of course, but please consider carefully any modifications and feel free to consult us if you have concerns based on your planned use of the boat. We may not have a full time tech line but we do try to be available for customer concerns.
There are lots of ways to personalize your boat but please do not attempt to alter the structure. Also, a well built Pt 11 is a valuable boat and modifications could negatively affect resale value.
Boat building is a creative process. With our kits, it may be said the Russell has thought of 'everything' and thus, the margin for builder inventiveness is limited. I beg to differ and I have great faith in each person's ability to creatively personalize their boats! It is also our hope that the building experience in itself serves the creative spirit well and the end result is a boat that makes the builder proud and happy. It is difficult to make guarantees, and especially so if any part of the design and/or the described building method, is omitted or modified.
In reference to some questions we have received ; Flotation vs Storage; about the PT 11: The three compartments, one in the bow and the two in the stern, are completely sealed flotation and have the same value as foam flotation in this type of boat. If access ports to flotation compartments are installed, equal foam flotation would then be required to replace the sealed air. This would be a lot of work and totally pointless. Trying to use designated flotation compartments as storage can be dangerous if the boat flips or floods. On the PT 11 & Spear, there is a large storage aft of the mast step with ample space and the PT Skiff has 3 separate storage areas. We had to calculate flotation for the PT11, the non nesting PT SPEAR, and the PT SKIFF in order to satisfy the USCG safety guidelines. It is the builder's responsibility to abide by those rules, and, it is just plain smart.
Re-enforcements; Any additional wood or glass than what is prescribed in the manual, serves to add weight and will not necessarily make the boat any stronger than designed. Our boats are already designed with heavier glass on the bottom and solid fiberglass caps on the skegs for added toughness. If it is expected that the dinghy will be typically dragged over rough landings rather than carried, one could beef up the fiberglass on the bottom further, but it will add weight.
The transom, as designed, is strong. The rudder is a kick up rudder so there should be no chance of ripping off the transom of the boat with this rudder. If you plan to use a small outboard, (max 2HP) you would use bearing strips on the outside and clamp pads on the inside. Builder resources; Our PT 11 family is growing. This is very exciting for us as we are a small company of just Russell and myself. Even more exciting is that our customers have been building beautiful boats! This year, 2013, we established a registry of sorts (see the map) as an owner/builder resource and aim to create an interactive community. (see our Builder Center page) The questions, comments, shared experiences of each builder are all welcome material that I will look forward to adding to the blog for others to learn from and enjoy. Our heartfelt thanks to our customers, followers, and friends who share their opinions and enthusiasm about our products. We would not be here without you.
When it was suggested by our local sail maker (NW SAILS & CANVAS) that we should come up with a distinctive insignia for the PT 11, I had to do some research. I looked at hundreds of existing insignias for sails. Some were really fancy, others were on the verge of pathetically bad, and others were very simple and yet, very effective. My goal was to create one that fit into the latter category. I had some pretty bad ideas along the way.. The Pacific Swift silhouette was a step in the right direction. From here I personalized it with the signature puzzle joint from our local CNC shop,(Turn Point Design) used in all of our kits in place of the traditional scarf joint. I showed it around to my 'honorary advisers' (as I generally do with most of my ideas) and I got positive feedback from lots of people. It stuck and.. is on all of our sails and much of our promotional materials. Below is the final insignia design for Port Townsend Watercraft's sailing dinghies. PTW
PT Watercraft's PT11 sail insignia is a Pacific Swift silhouette
Having a bailer in a dinghy is a very important thing. Dinghy sailing in gusty wind can get wet, especially if the captain is not paying attention and dips the rail. Russell came up with a handy bailer idea. This oblong fabric softener bottle offers both a wide mouth scoop and a low profile that fits neatly below the seat tongue. Stashed inside for minor spray is a sponge. This green sponge was a waste of pennies. It does little more than spread spray water. A good absorbent sponge like this PVA sponge or 3M C41 7456-T is a much better choice. I personally like these pop-up sponges but they do not hold up well if left outside, which is kind of the point environmentally.. 😉 This bailer installation does not interfere with nesting. There is room to spare. We used carbon glue on eyestraps and a bungee cord to keep the bailer stored out of the way but within quick reach.
Experiment 2012 to create a kit for oars: High density foam and carbon fiber blades. Unfortunately, these kits would end up being very expensive as they require a lot of time and effort on the part of Russell. With all that he has to keep up with, this kit would not make sense for us. We have decided to leave oars to oar makers but thought you might find these pictures interesting. Please see our oars links page for oar resources. Do you know of oars that you really like? please let me know so I can add a link to the links list! Thank you.
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7; finished oars. solid epoxy edges. Douglas fir shafts.
Would you like to make your own oar blades and small hardware? Russell has published an e-book /book about working with epoxy. More detailed topics are on the agenda for future publication. Have you seen our e-books/books page?
The Pacific Swift silhouette was a step in the right direction. From here I personalized it with the signature puzzle joint from our local CNC shop,(
PTW
