Duckworks

Electric Schock (update)
design by Gavin Atkin

This little boat is simply a stitch and glue version of the classic Edwin Schock dinghy of the early part of the last century - so it's a 14ft ply and 'poxy version of a real classic that comes out of just three sheets of ply.

I think it can be reasonably built as a quick and dirty one or two weekends job, but as it is a classic many people might equally decide to gold plate it - that is, to build it with care and finish it with pride.

(click images for larger views)

When I first drew her up four years age, for some reason I had it in mind that while some would build her by stitch and glue, others would build the Electric Schock using the traditional method with a strongback, and spent some time drawing one up.

In fact, looking back on the drawings after several years, I'm now quite sure I'd save the effort on the strongback, even if I was building the traditional way with chines - this boat is perfect for the traditional method of skiff building: attach bows, then attach the sides to the frames and transom, then turn over and attach the bottom.

In slightly more detail and adapting for s&g, this is how it goes:

Make up the frames and transom, cut out the sides
Tape together, horn (that is, use a piece of string to ensure the stem is the same distance from each corner of the transom), let set,
Mark out and cut out the bottom (which fits within the width of a sheet of standard ply, so you'll need one and a third or so sheets), tape together
And the rest is joinery, rig if required and painting, then off you go...

The rig as drawn is somewhat snug, but that's no bad thing for a boat that's unlikely to be used always within sight of a formal sailing club. Any sail would need to be cut with some darts in the corner - there's no better place for detail on how that should be done than Jim Michalak's excellent pages. There's usually a link here https://homepages.apci.net/~michalak/ but if you can't find one, check here https://marina.fortunecity.com/breakwater/274/ . Jim's pages are always worth visiting in any case.

Gavin Atkin, Tunbridge Wells, April 2005
Copyright Gavin Atkin

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