My 2nd boat (which I bought a month after buying my 1st boat which was a Penguin) was a Chrysler Lone Star 13. It was designed by Charles Withlotz and Thomas Faul. I have to confess that I bought for a strange reason -- it had a bow wave that had a wonderful curve to it. My attraction was amplified by a magnificent sheer line and a masthead sloop rig. I sailed the boat on several Texas lakes, on a rivers, and through the surf in the Gulf. The boat had pivoting bilgeboards that were angled outward so that the leeward board was usually practically vertical. The hull had moderate deadrise and I never had any issues with the boards getting jammed in their trunk. I usually left both boards down, unless the wind was very light. Then I'd pull up the windward board and the boat would ghost along in practically any breeze. I've been surprised that more boats haven't used bilgeboards.
It's great to see John Harris back in SCA in the online version. I've loved so many of his designs and his meditations about what makes different boats work well.
There's a reasonably-priced Lone Star 13 for sale a few hours from me, and I considered it, but was afraid it was a dog under sail. It just didn't have a "fast look" to it. How did you find its performance? Any tips on the LS 13 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
David, the LS 13 took a while to learn to sail. Two things I did which helped were to add a boom vang and make a whisper pole (1" diameter pole with a rubber chair cushion on one end and a nail in the other with the head cut off and the stem rounded off). I was never much of anywhere were other boats to sail against, but on White Rock Lake in Dallas, I was keeping up with 420s after I'd spent a summer sailing. The only other mod I ever did was extending the rudder by about a foot by replacing the blade. When landing through surf, that kept the rudder in the water and kept me from broaching on the face of a wave.
Love the bilge boards and would look forward to seeing their hardware. I've always wondered how how different it might sail and now watching the America's cup, I would be pretending that I was doing the same, dropping one then raising the other... sans the foils. Much like you stated, I'd want a bit more freeboard - I'm currently spoiled in my Ilur
The only reason I'm not interested, is it doesn't quite fit my criteras, otherwise, I find the design beautiful and she looks very capable! Some features, are similar to my old Whister and perhaps nostalgia draws my heart to Ollie! Whisper had shallow draft and had the bottom mounted rudder, as Ollie has, but the rudder was longer, more like a traditional Sharpie. A skeg ahead of it took the impact when I miss judged the depth! I found a bottom mounted rudder need not be too large as it benifits from the hull bottom forcing water down to it, less turbulance! I would prefer a single centerboard though, as with Whisper, even though it did devide the cabin. Centered, it was my depth sounder, while the side bunks were snug, it was otherwise no bother. Your point of avoinding sand jambing the trunk is valid though, and bilge boards do lessen the odds! It happenned with Whisper occassionally until I added a 3"x1 1/4" Ash bottom plank from bow to skeg, with a loose slot. This kept her from settling as far into the mud and sand. I love your rig, a mizzen offers many advantages, in my opinion! I have had a similar rig on Whisper and have something like it on Crow too. I keep the side stays permanently attached and the mast in a tabernacle. It can be easily raised and clipped at the forestay, then tension and be ready to raise sail! Perfect for trailering. I hope to see more of Ollie, best of luck in getting her out into the public! Beautiful design! AllthebestRoy
This is absolutely one of John Harris's most intriguing designs. I love how he married Bolger's Dovekie with Herreshoffs Rozinante, probably the most hypnotically gorgeous boat ever drawn, is just masterful. As far as the rudder being an issue, the system used on the Mbuli I would think could potentially be used on Ollie. Yes it would involve building an additional trunk but what the heck. You have drawn one magnificent boat sir. Very nicely done.
Lots to like in this design but the time to build it gives me pause. I recently built an 18’ yawl for a similar mission, albeit one with a designed-in OB motor well. As a moderately experienced amateur (it was boat #8 if you count several kayaks), it took me more than 2,200 hours. Ollie looks just enough more complicated that I would expect it would take me about 3,000 hours. Details like the two pivoting boards and the rudder mean building 3 trunks, which, although straightforward, always seem to me to require a disproportionate amount of time. Similarly, interior fit-out takes more time than you think. Others may well be more efficient than me with their time but this will not be a quick build. However, it would definitely pass the test of demanding one last look at the boat as you leave it at the dock or before you button it up on the trailer. It also might take longer to launch because of all the time you will spend answering questions from passers-by.
Nicely written and I like all the design elements that John includes. I'm too old for boat building but this article will get printed and put into my SCA 3-ring folder. Thank you.
John, I always appreciate your sketchs for both depicting a boat accurately and imparting a bit of artistic whimsy in the shading and details. I’d be curious to learn more about your drawing process for those sketches- paper or digital, freehand or from a projection, etc…
What an interesting boat! Alex Zimmerman's comment about the build time being fairly long is undoubtedly valid, I would counter that sometimes good things take time to produce. My current boat has pivoting bilgeboards and I appreciate the open cabin far more than I regret the "extra" time it took to build them. (The trunk caps are barely above the waterline so it can get kind of noisy while anchored in any kind of chop but that is another story) Not sure how happy folks will be about aging into that stripped out interior but to my eye the boat has a lot of Race to Alaska/Everglades Challenge potential. It is going to be quite a long if reasonably light load to trailer, I suggest taking a good look at where an owner might keep it and how they are going to get it there and to the water.
My 2nd boat (which I bought a month after buying my 1st boat which was a Penguin) was a Chrysler Lone Star 13. It was designed by Charles Withlotz and Thomas Faul. I have to confess that I bought for a strange reason -- it had a bow wave that had a wonderful curve to it. My attraction was amplified by a magnificent sheer line and a masthead sloop rig. I sailed the boat on several Texas lakes, on a rivers, and through the surf in the Gulf. The boat had pivoting bilgeboards that were angled outward so that the leeward board was usually practically vertical. The hull had moderate deadrise and I never had any issues with the boards getting jammed in their trunk. I usually left both boards down, unless the wind was very light. Then I'd pull up the windward board and the boat would ghost along in practically any breeze. I've been surprised that more boats haven't used bilgeboards.
It's great to see John Harris back in SCA in the online version. I've loved so many of his designs and his meditations about what makes different boats work well.
There's a reasonably-priced Lone Star 13 for sale a few hours from me, and I considered it, but was afraid it was a dog under sail. It just didn't have a "fast look" to it. How did you find its performance? Any tips on the LS 13 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
David, the LS 13 took a while to learn to sail. Two things I did which helped were to add a boom vang and make a whisper pole (1" diameter pole with a rubber chair cushion on one end and a nail in the other with the head cut off and the stem rounded off). I was never much of anywhere were other boats to sail against, but on White Rock Lake in Dallas, I was keeping up with 420s after I'd spent a summer sailing. The only other mod I ever did was extending the rudder by about a foot by replacing the blade. When landing through surf, that kept the rudder in the water and kept me from broaching on the face of a wave.
Love the bilge boards and would look forward to seeing their hardware. I've always wondered how how different it might sail and now watching the America's cup, I would be pretending that I was doing the same, dropping one then raising the other... sans the foils. Much like you stated, I'd want a bit more freeboard - I'm currently spoiled in my Ilur
The only reason I'm not interested, is it doesn't quite fit my criteras, otherwise, I find the design beautiful and she looks very capable! Some features, are similar to my old Whister and perhaps nostalgia draws my heart to Ollie! Whisper had shallow draft and had the bottom mounted rudder, as Ollie has, but the rudder was longer, more like a traditional Sharpie. A skeg ahead of it took the impact when I miss judged the depth! I found a bottom mounted rudder need not be too large as it benifits from the hull bottom forcing water down to it, less turbulance! I would prefer a single centerboard though, as with Whisper, even though it did devide the cabin. Centered, it was my depth sounder, while the side bunks were snug, it was otherwise no bother. Your point of avoinding sand jambing the trunk is valid though, and bilge boards do lessen the odds! It happenned with Whisper occassionally until I added a 3"x1 1/4" Ash bottom plank from bow to skeg, with a loose slot. This kept her from settling as far into the mud and sand. I love your rig, a mizzen offers many advantages, in my opinion! I have had a similar rig on Whisper and have something like it on Crow too. I keep the side stays permanently attached and the mast in a tabernacle. It can be easily raised and clipped at the forestay, then tension and be ready to raise sail! Perfect for trailering. I hope to see more of Ollie, best of luck in getting her out into the public! Beautiful design! AllthebestRoy
This is absolutely one of John Harris's most intriguing designs. I love how he married Bolger's Dovekie with Herreshoffs Rozinante, probably the most hypnotically gorgeous boat ever drawn, is just masterful. As far as the rudder being an issue, the system used on the Mbuli I would think could potentially be used on Ollie. Yes it would involve building an additional trunk but what the heck. You have drawn one magnificent boat sir. Very nicely done.
Lots to like in this design but the time to build it gives me pause. I recently built an 18’ yawl for a similar mission, albeit one with a designed-in OB motor well. As a moderately experienced amateur (it was boat #8 if you count several kayaks), it took me more than 2,200 hours. Ollie looks just enough more complicated that I would expect it would take me about 3,000 hours. Details like the two pivoting boards and the rudder mean building 3 trunks, which, although straightforward, always seem to me to require a disproportionate amount of time. Similarly, interior fit-out takes more time than you think. Others may well be more efficient than me with their time but this will not be a quick build. However, it would definitely pass the test of demanding one last look at the boat as you leave it at the dock or before you button it up on the trailer. It also might take longer to launch because of all the time you will spend answering questions from passers-by.
Very beautiful. i currently have William Garden's Mist of Lemolo and need to downsize so this may be a possibility.
Nicely written and I like all the design elements that John includes. I'm too old for boat building but this article will get printed and put into my SCA 3-ring folder. Thank you.
I’ve been requesting more info on this design for quite a while. …crickets.
John, I always appreciate your sketchs for both depicting a boat accurately and imparting a bit of artistic whimsy in the shading and details. I’d be curious to learn more about your drawing process for those sketches- paper or digital, freehand or from a projection, etc…
What an interesting boat! Alex Zimmerman's comment about the build time being fairly long is undoubtedly valid, I would counter that sometimes good things take time to produce. My current boat has pivoting bilgeboards and I appreciate the open cabin far more than I regret the "extra" time it took to build them. (The trunk caps are barely above the waterline so it can get kind of noisy while anchored in any kind of chop but that is another story) Not sure how happy folks will be about aging into that stripped out interior but to my eye the boat has a lot of Race to Alaska/Everglades Challenge potential. It is going to be quite a long if reasonably light load to trailer, I suggest taking a good look at where an owner might keep it and how they are going to get it there and to the water.