Building a Chester Yawl

Builder's Forum
1

A neighbor and I decided we needed a nice boat for some recreational rowing. We live on Pleasant Cove in Boothbay Maine. Its a very protected cove, usually very quiet water.

We debated a while between the Chester Yawl, a guideboat and the new Northease dory. In the end the Chester yawl won out.

We got the kit the last week of April and got  right into building. I have built several boats in the past, both traditional lapstrake and several stitch and glue kayaks. This was the first time I ever bought a kit.

Today we  glued on the seats, so the boat is essentially finished, other than sainding and painting and sanding and painting and sanding and.....

 I have been extremely pleased with the kit. It was very complete, all the material was excellent. The only minor shortage was the copper wire, we needed 2 more 25 ft spools.

I have posted a log on my web site with several pages of building photos. See  http://plsntcov.8m.com/Chester/Chester1.html

CLC has supplied a fine kit, and we are very pleased with the look of the boat. 

 

2

I’m interested in building a pulling boat.  I’m considering the wherry, yawl, and skerry.  What was your thought process on picking the yawl over the wherry?  Thanks

3

My neighbor and I are both ‘senior citizens’. We thought the wherry was just a bit to much of a racer for our use. The Chester Yawl just looks a bit more stable, bit higher freeboard, more suited to ‘old men and their wives’.

4

Just jumping in here, I think it's really a matter of exactly what you intend to use the boat for.  I built the wherry and, after two season's use, I'd classify it strictly as a pulling boat, it's not really comfortable to fish from and it isn't really maneuverable.  It DOES track very well and goes like a bat with the Row Wing installed.  It's a very pretty boat and i gets a lot of favorable comments from other folks on the river.  The college rowing team loves it.