Sunday, May 03, 2009

Skerry Boat Building Progress Report

photo 2009-04-28
My son and I are building a double ended row and sailing boat from a kit provided by Chesapeake Light Craft. We are about half finished, the hull exterior has been epoxied and sanded and is now ready for paint. The interior is epoxied and partially sanded. My goal is to finish the boat this summer. An antique British Seagull outboard engine appears on a rolling hand cart behind the stern. My son's name is Frank and he is 17 years old.

The Skerry dimensions: 15'0" LOA, 4'6" beam, 5" draft, hull weight 95 lbs. The term "Skerry" is related to the Old Norse "sker," an Orkney word, the local name for a "rugged ... sea-rock, covered by the sea in high water or in stormy weather." It was also the name given (c 1540) to "little punts or boats that will carry but two apeece." (Quotes OED.) "Skerry" is now common in Irish, and is recognizeable in the Rosalie Fry children's book The Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, the source for the famous John Sayles film The Secret of Roan Inish.

2 comments:

gary jacobson said...

Hi Steve.

I will own a Skerry in a few days and have a British Seagull forty Plus. How did you mount your motor?

Thanks.

Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY
skateklister@hotmail.com

Steve said...

The outboard motor is an illusion. It is mounted on a roll away outboard motor stand that just happened to be the background of this photo. Because the Skerry is double ended I would either need to build an internal well for the outboard or else put a triangle motor mount on the port stern.