What an excellent barn find! Waiting to see what JW thinks of this redesign...maybe he'll produce a revised, cabin version for the rest of us. And, BTW, I really like that aluminum trailer that I sure hope comes along with the boat. Any estimate on how long it will take you to get it ready enough for some cruising?
Jerry - I have a feeling John will like our reimagining of his beautiful hull design, maybe in part because he has a famously good sense of humor. The aluminum trailer is a virtually new flatbed motorcycle trailer, not designed for saltwater immersion, so it doesn’t come with the hull and will be resold for its intended purpose. I expect to take delivery of the Welsford boat this Spring, as soon as our MOUSE project rolls out of the boatshop (and there’s room inside). Not much work will take place over the busy cruising season, but our hope is to launch SCOUT by May, 2025.
On Jaunty I had an 8 hp Honda bought with low hours as it was available for sale. It's the smallest outboard I could find with electric start. IMHO once you've had electric start you'll never go back. I did not have power tilt but recommend it.
Marty, On Jaunty I had a dedicated start and separate house batts. The electric start draws a lot amperage so used 4 ga wire (IIRC, coulda been 8ga) from motor to batt. I learned early on that starting drew down the battery after a few starts as one might experience. That was when I put on the 75w solar panel with a rigid framed around attached to four fitted legs and created a sort of turtle effect over the slider. Never had a battery rundown after. Tilting a motor of that size and with perhaps a long leg can be a bit of a chore at times..
Marty, one thing I forgot to mention yet is somewhat vital is to remember that the charging by the outboard is rpm related and since much of a vessel's speed is at low rpm's often barely over idle auxiliary charging can be useful. It is what precipitated my 75w solar panel as opposed to the five watt or even 20 watt panel. I have no measurement of scale from one watt to 75 watts, I bought the larger panel for fit over my sliding hatch as the most out of the way yet functional location to put one. A lesser wattage panel "might" have done ok, it simply was all that wattage that was done to shape and size. Much like all the news that's print to fit...
Rich - Another very helpful comment, so thanks! My hope is to fit a 75-100w solar panel atop the pilothouse, assuming I can find a shape that’ll nest up there okay. And if not on the pilothouse, then on the forward cabintop.
Given only one means of propulsion, I would want an anchor ready to go on a short bowsprit which could be deployed very quickly. The concept drawing looks elegant!
What a sweet boat! I can definitely see my Sweetie and me cruising the waters of SE Alaska in that, even if we are stuck here in SE Ohio for various reasons. Keep us informed during the build, please.
Thanks, Mike. Looking back, the cuddy and pilothouse we added to the 16’ Poulsbo Boat hull would have been a better fit on the 20’ Welsford hull. (We knew at the time that the PB cabin wasn’t at the right scale with the boat’s smaller hull…but we proceeded anyway and loved camp-cruising the resulting boat. But it sure wasn’t roomy enough for two adults…our current requirement.)
I've been thinking along these lines for awhile now. It looks really nice in the sketch. I do have to wonder whether or not you'll have the space imagined belowdecks. My finding is that it's tough (but not impossible) to find room for people and all the gear when the LOA is 20 feet or less. At this stage, I'd be looking for large sheets of cardboard to try various taped-together mockups over the hull. Heck, I could spend an entire winter doing just that.
Dave - After I fetch the actual Welsford-designed hull, I’ll spend a few weeks doing almost exactly that—mocking up cabin and pilothouse in cardboard, doorskin and/or Foam-Core panels to be sure we end up with sitting headroom down below and up in the pilothouse.
Marty….looks like ALL boxes checked here!….So glad JW provided the basic hull, and sorry Kees is watching & freezing in Ohio!!….I’ll be down here in Ft. Bragg, Ca……eagerly awaiting your progress!
That is a sweet boat. It reminds me of a boat "Fidler 19" that Tad Roberts designed for me a few years back. Unfortunately life got in the way and l still haven't built it. But someone should. The boat Tad designed is also based on a small West Coast fishing boat and has really nice lines. You can view it on Tad's Web site.
JW will be here in July for our first-ever Pacific Northwest SMALL BOAT FESTIVAL, so he’ll get an in-person look at the project. And if he wishes to develop his own motorboat version I’m sure he will!
What a beautiful, beautiful start! And my kinda idea---start with a hull! I should have known you were going to modify the well so the outboard leg can be fully above our lovely marine growth! I look forward to reading about her and seeing you out there!
Very Norse like your heritage Marty. Must be a strong pull in you to the Scandinavian look and style.
I know you can make the mods that will work well for your gentle boating purposes and keep the lines that will make heads swivel when viewed on the water.
Very kind remarks, Earl. (And yes, that Danish-Swedish-Norse stern is irresistible to me, the grandson of a kid who came across from Norway as a teen and settled in the Northwest woods.)
Excellent repurposing, it’s great what imagination can do. Will you keep the centreboard or add bilge keels? That stern really is a thing of beauty! I look forward to updates next year.
Chris - The centerboard stays with the fellow selling the hull, so the trunk will go away. Once we get the hull into the shop and start work, I’ll decide about bilge keels, ballast, etc.
What an excellent barn find! Waiting to see what JW thinks of this redesign...maybe he'll produce a revised, cabin version for the rest of us. And, BTW, I really like that aluminum trailer that I sure hope comes along with the boat. Any estimate on how long it will take you to get it ready enough for some cruising?
Jerry - I have a feeling John will like our reimagining of his beautiful hull design, maybe in part because he has a famously good sense of humor. The aluminum trailer is a virtually new flatbed motorcycle trailer, not designed for saltwater immersion, so it doesn’t come with the hull and will be resold for its intended purpose. I expect to take delivery of the Welsford boat this Spring, as soon as our MOUSE project rolls out of the boatshop (and there’s room inside). Not much work will take place over the busy cruising season, but our hope is to launch SCOUT by May, 2025.
On Jaunty I had an 8 hp Honda bought with low hours as it was available for sale. It's the smallest outboard I could find with electric start. IMHO once you've had electric start you'll never go back. I did not have power tilt but recommend it.
Rich - Yes, I’m with you on electric start, and also remote steering and controls. Maybe power tilt, maybe not….we’ll see.
Marty, On Jaunty I had a dedicated start and separate house batts. The electric start draws a lot amperage so used 4 ga wire (IIRC, coulda been 8ga) from motor to batt. I learned early on that starting drew down the battery after a few starts as one might experience. That was when I put on the 75w solar panel with a rigid framed around attached to four fitted legs and created a sort of turtle effect over the slider. Never had a battery rundown after. Tilting a motor of that size and with perhaps a long leg can be a bit of a chore at times..
Rich - Great information—thanks for sharing!
Marty, one thing I forgot to mention yet is somewhat vital is to remember that the charging by the outboard is rpm related and since much of a vessel's speed is at low rpm's often barely over idle auxiliary charging can be useful. It is what precipitated my 75w solar panel as opposed to the five watt or even 20 watt panel. I have no measurement of scale from one watt to 75 watts, I bought the larger panel for fit over my sliding hatch as the most out of the way yet functional location to put one. A lesser wattage panel "might" have done ok, it simply was all that wattage that was done to shape and size. Much like all the news that's print to fit...
Rich - Another very helpful comment, so thanks! My hope is to fit a 75-100w solar panel atop the pilothouse, assuming I can find a shape that’ll nest up there okay. And if not on the pilothouse, then on the forward cabintop.
Given only one means of propulsion, I would want an anchor ready to go on a short bowsprit which could be deployed very quickly. The concept drawing looks elegant!
Thanks, Bruce…and you probably noticed the bow roller hanging out from the stem. (Anchor itself not drawn, but it’ll be ready to deploy.)
What a sweet boat! I can definitely see my Sweetie and me cruising the waters of SE Alaska in that, even if we are stuck here in SE Ohio for various reasons. Keep us informed during the build, please.
~Kees~
Marty, she's going to look alot like your Poulsbo conversion. Not a bad look at that, very nice indeed. Looking forward to your conversion!
Thanks, Mike. Looking back, the cuddy and pilothouse we added to the 16’ Poulsbo Boat hull would have been a better fit on the 20’ Welsford hull. (We knew at the time that the PB cabin wasn’t at the right scale with the boat’s smaller hull…but we proceeded anyway and loved camp-cruising the resulting boat. But it sure wasn’t roomy enough for two adults…our current requirement.)
I've been thinking along these lines for awhile now. It looks really nice in the sketch. I do have to wonder whether or not you'll have the space imagined belowdecks. My finding is that it's tough (but not impossible) to find room for people and all the gear when the LOA is 20 feet or less. At this stage, I'd be looking for large sheets of cardboard to try various taped-together mockups over the hull. Heck, I could spend an entire winter doing just that.
Dave - After I fetch the actual Welsford-designed hull, I’ll spend a few weeks doing almost exactly that—mocking up cabin and pilothouse in cardboard, doorskin and/or Foam-Core panels to be sure we end up with sitting headroom down below and up in the pilothouse.
Marty….looks like ALL boxes checked here!….So glad JW provided the basic hull, and sorry Kees is watching & freezing in Ohio!!….I’ll be down here in Ft. Bragg, Ca……eagerly awaiting your progress!
I’m looking forward to sharing shop space with this beauty over the next year as well as future cruising in tandem.
That is a sweet boat. It reminds me of a boat "Fidler 19" that Tad Roberts designed for me a few years back. Unfortunately life got in the way and l still haven't built it. But someone should. The boat Tad designed is also based on a small West Coast fishing boat and has really nice lines. You can view it on Tad's Web site.
Certainly looks the part, I'm a bit jealous. I'm also curious to see if JW would be interested in an "official" version.
JW will be here in July for our first-ever Pacific Northwest SMALL BOAT FESTIVAL, so he’ll get an in-person look at the project. And if he wishes to develop his own motorboat version I’m sure he will!
What a beautiful, beautiful start! And my kinda idea---start with a hull! I should have known you were going to modify the well so the outboard leg can be fully above our lovely marine growth! I look forward to reading about her and seeing you out there!
Ferd - I can’t wait to get started and then finished with the new project—and connecting with you “out there” somewhere, sometime.
Very Norse like your heritage Marty. Must be a strong pull in you to the Scandinavian look and style.
I know you can make the mods that will work well for your gentle boating purposes and keep the lines that will make heads swivel when viewed on the water.
Very kind remarks, Earl. (And yes, that Danish-Swedish-Norse stern is irresistible to me, the grandson of a kid who came across from Norway as a teen and settled in the Northwest woods.)
Wow, love it! That hull will take the weight, no worries about that. The look is as good as it gets! Home run!
Just an excellent "find"! Can't wait to see the project carried out. Are you going to do a video of the rebuild? That would be great fun to watch!
Michael - Thanks…I haven’t generally been shooting video footage, but that’s a good idea.
Put me on the list of interested buyers for when your done building and using it. (Hopefully I’ll still be alive then haha.)
Ken - Don’t know about your age or condition, but I’m guessing you might be around longer than me (!)
Excellent repurposing, it’s great what imagination can do. Will you keep the centreboard or add bilge keels? That stern really is a thing of beauty! I look forward to updates next year.
Chris - The centerboard stays with the fellow selling the hull, so the trunk will go away. Once we get the hull into the shop and start work, I’ll decide about bilge keels, ballast, etc.