'' We could easily make a mold.....It would be dead easy....We can get a load of MDF, cut and shape all the planks...cut some formers...a bucket of filler ...a bit of rubbing down and polishing and before you know it we will have a mold''...
It certainly sounded feasible to me.......me who had never attempted anything like this before...
At the time I personally had limited experience of working with GRP....certainly not creating something from new...I had done many repairs to cars that were used by disabled people a few years prior to this.....and had also made many custom wave boards for windsurfing, using woven cloth and epoxy resin....Whereas my son was, at the time ... earning his living, making boats in GRP... he had all the skills...mold making, laminating, carpentry and finishing to a very high standard....
Perhaps between us we might be able to produce something......half reasonable ?
After really putting some thought into making a mold from scratch, we decided against it....the way forward was to get a donor boat preferably in good condition...and take a mold from that....
''That would be copying'' ... you say..........in actual fact we were going to alter various aspects of the original, and then it would be our own mold....and nobody could sue us........ in theory.
The search was launched...we started looking along the beach and the river banks...there were plenty Clinkers out there, but nearly all needed loads of work done to them before you could even start preparing it for the mold...
Eventually we went to view a boat near Chichester in Sussex...
It was perfect...9ft 6ins in length...and a true classic clinker dinghy ...lots of hardwood and copper rivets ... and in excellent condition...
The owner was very knowledgeable about wooden boats...and assured us that'' It had no rot'' and pointed out the only two small scarf repairs which had been professionaly done...
He also said..''That he thought that due to the clinker having lifting eyes fore and aft..that it would have been suspended on a much larger craft earlier in it's life...and have been a tender to such a vessel''...
A deal was struck and we were the new owners of this splendid little vessel...
We trailered it home and took some photos...
........Click on any photo for a high quality large image......
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