"Lyra" A Camp-Cruising Poulsbo Boat

Open-Boat Glamping Cruiser

by Jim Tolpin

When we moved to the Northwest 40-plus years ago, the first boat we bought for exploring the local waters was a well-used and weathered 15-1/2-foot open motorboat. We learned from a local that it was called a Poulsbo Boat because, along with hundreds of others to the same design, it was built by Ronald Young of Poulsbo, Washington. Most of his boats found their way into rental fleets of fishing-boat liveries from the 1930s to the early 1960s.

Replacing the worn-out inboard with a 6-hp outboard (so there’d be more room to sleep aboard) and adding a second rowing station, this boat would take me many places over the next 10 years, from South Puget Sound to the San Juan Islands. We learned soon enough what other owners of these boats had discovered: Not only were they unusually pretty, with their high bows, sweet sheer lines and tumblehome aft, but they were extraordinarily seaworthy and sea-kindly. In any sea conditions reasonable for smaller boats, these boats could be relied on to track well, respond gently to cross seas and keep their occupants surprisingly dry.

Having sold the boat many years ago—and missing it ever since—we always kept an eye out for another one. So when we saw that the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building had put one up for sale, we leapt at the chance to have a Poulsbo back in our lives. The school, over the course of about three years and under the guidance of instructor Leigh O’Connor, had restored a derelict back to new condition. We were especially enamored with the news that this was the relatively rare, longer 17-1/2-foot version, as this would be an ideal size for camp cruising with a partner—and the extra two feet of length would only serve to add a bit more hull speed and stability to an already excellent hull form. Another unusual characteristic of this particular boat was its lack of a shaft log. (Long-time Seattle boatbuilder Eric Hvalsoe knew the boat and guessed it was likely built as a row-only lifeboat and tender for a seiner). For us, this was not a problem as we intended to power her with a small outboard.

Why and What Kind of Outboard?

We are often asked why we chose to power our Poulsbo (named LYRA after my wife’s mom) with an outboard—a rare form of power on these boats. (Most had little Wisconsin or Briggs & Stratton inboard engines installed amidships). Our main gripe with inboards on these small open boats is that they simply take up too much space—and much of that space is filled with hot and smelly metal. While we would be losing the benefits of a motor as ballast near the center of balance of the hull, we are usually carrying enough people and/or gear to not only make up for its absence, but to counteract the weight of the outboard on the transom.

Since this hull is easily driven (we’ve learned that two people rowing can easily sustain about two-thirds hull speed), the boat really only needs a 6-hp motor at the most—but we chose an 8-hp for several reasons. First, our Yamaha four-stroke features two cylinders, making it quieter and smoother-running than most single-cylinder engines. Second, set up with a high-thrust prop, we need only about one-third throttle to bring the boat up to hull speed. This not only makes the motor quieter than the lower-horsepower options, but it is likely more efficient as well. (On a recent 80-mile trip through the San Juan Islands we burned less than a third of a gallon per hour!)

From Livery Boat to Camp Cruiser

Although we occasionally take LYRA out to fish for salmon or haul crab pots, our main intent is to use her for what we’ve always done with Poulsbo Boats: take folks out for afternoon “harbor patrols” in Port Townsend Bay and camp-cruise in style, safety and comfort. To that end, we’ve made the following modifications to the stock Ronald Young design:

Additional Thwarts

• To accommodate more passengers in comfort.

• Aft thwart provides for a “captain’s station”—which enjoys a permanent backrest that also doubles as a support when standing behind it to operate the outboard.

• The forward thwart provides support for two side thwarts that add seating and also provide a landing ledge for removable slats that create a raised, nearly queen-sized berth.

• The forward thwart also allows for a second rowing station. In an open boat, we find one of the best, if not the only, way to warm up is to shut off the motor and row for a while!

Side Steering

• Having been given a perfect-sized wheel for LYRA by Joe Bucek of Anacortes, we put it to use next to the new “captain’s station” on the aft thwart.

• Not only is it nice to move away a bit from the motor to reduce its sound level so we can converse with our passengers, the thwart seat shifts the CG forward a bit (again making up for the lack of the inboard motor and the additional weight of the outboard on the transom.)

• We opted for a simple, easy to inspect and replace clothesline steering cable.

• For throttle, for now we just reach behind and turn the extension tiller. We may or may not add a remote throttle and shift control.

Dodger

• Though the shape of the hull almost always deflects spray, a dodger can keep gear and forward passenger totally dry—not to mention out of the wind.

• In collaboration with Leah of Best Coast Canvas of Port Townsend, we came up with a classic-looking dodger constructed of marine-grade canvas. (The dodger was finished in early January, and will make its debut as we begin the 2019 boating season.)

• With window covers and a makeshift curtain athwartships, the dodger also provides an ample sized, private head. Quite a luxury on an 18-foot open boat!

• Aesthetics are also an important consideration for us: the dodger’s visual weight forward balances the bulk of the motor at the stern

Anchor System

• We secure a 13-pound Mantus anchor under the bow seat. (Nobody’s complained about having too big an anchor, as long as it can find an out-of-the-way stowage spot.)

• Since the bow is so high and the dodger is usually up, a cedar bucket containing the chain and rode is secured amidships. Before getting underway we clip on a line of about two fathoms to the lower bow eye and run the free end back to the bucket so we can set anchor from there. The signature prominent sheer of the Poulsbo not only provides a high and dry bow, but it also offers a low freeboard amidships, making it easy to handle the anchor from that location.

Bow Pudding

• Last but not least—though in fact it was the first modification we made to LYRA—is a bow pudding made by Dennis Armstrong of The Knotted Line. This happened right after our first trip out, when we bumped into a dock while approaching with a stronger-than-expected tailwind.

Next Up:

• Before this summer we plan to work with Best Coast Canvas to create a tent system that extends from the dodger back over a series of bent-oak hoops—all the way to the stern sheets. We may become the first Poulsbo Boat to earn the title “Open-Boat Glamping Cruiser.”

Jim Tolpin has worked professionally in woodworking as a timber framer, boat finish carpenter and custom cabinetmaker since 1970. In the last twenty years he’s been teaching, writing and helping to develop the Port Townsend School of Woodworking with Tim Lawson and John Marckworth. His current book is From Truths to Tools. •SCA•

First appeared in issue #116