Duck Trap Woodworking sign

m
Duck Trap Wherry
in Winter

Hull Dimensions:
LOA=16'-0" Beam=4'-2" Depth Amidships=1'-4"
Wt=145 lbs (deduct 45 lbs for glued lap version)
m

 

Richard Honan writes...

28th Annual Snow Race. This race is run by the Hull Lifesaving Museum and is named after Winthrop's own Edward Row Snow(although with all the frozen slush on the beach and six inch thick ice floes, it could have been the ice race). It was quite an adventure! We transported the William & Anthony and Matthew's kayak, the Tracey Ann to Hull on the rear of Larry Bradley's Lobster Boat.

Conditions upon arriving did not look very promising with strong on shore winds packing ice floes into the cove near the Lifesaving Boathouse. There were a few boats being unloaded, but it looked like a tough day ahead. Walking or moving boats on the beach was hindered six or eight inches of slushy semi-frozen ice, sea water, although it did make the boats easier to slide into position.

Excitement built through the morning as close to sixty boats were unloaded onto the beach. The wind gusts picked up to thirty knots and the sun disappeared behind the clouds. Steve and I knew it was going to be a long, tough row! We both had to keep repeating, when the going gets tough, the tough get rowing(I just made that up).
Steve and I started in the the first group made up of smaller one and two person row boats. Also rowing in our division, from Cottage Park was Josh Averoff, in his Whitehall and Arthur McDonald from Point of Pines in Revere, in a boat that he built himself.

It was a struggle rowing against the strong wind( . . . the tough get rowing) and the incoming tide pushing in thru Hull Gut. The first leg into strong winds for one and a half miles was very tough. After that, the second leg was rowing against a rough cross chop. The last leg was a reward for our earlier efforts as we were pushed down wind towards the finish line. The three of us finished in record time(we had never raced here or any other place, so for us it was a record time).

Hundreds of spectators on the beach along with a large group of my family cheered as we crossed the finish line. As we neared the beach small groups of volunteers assisted in landing the boat on the beach. They prevented the boat from broaching or rolling over and dumping Steve and I into the cold icy water. They then helped us get up out of the boat. We were both stiff and sore and could hardly walk, but it was a great victory for both of us, to row almost four miles in those conditions(in record time!!!). It was a great experience to share with my favorite brother, Stephan.

What a great day to be on the water. It was supposed to be fifty degrees and sunny. It was high thirties, ten inches of frozen slush on the beach, winds gusting to thirty knots and five inch thick ice floes that would break an oar blade. It was fantastic!! Five hundred spectators, sixty boats, three hundred skippers, cockswains and crews (but no Mike Gahan). The course was rowing up wind for one and a half miles(whew!!), ross chop rowing for three quarters of a mile and then race home for one and a half miles.

Brother Steve and I struggled at times, especially the leg into the wind but we finished the race in what was record time for us. Special thanks to Larry Bradley who transported the William & Anthony on the back of his lobster boat over to Hull and back. And to my whole family who drove(thirty miles) down to Hull to cheer us on and wait on that cold windy beach until we finished the race.

Footnote: The William & Anthony is a glued lapstrake Duck Trap Wherry built last year by Richard with an able assist from his brother and other family members.


 

If you plan to build your own wherry, the Boatbuilding in Pictures CD for the Duck Trap Wherry, with its 180 pages/260 photos is the best way to get started. The primary subject for the CD is Osprey, a 16' sailing model we built in 2004. You won't find a more complete look at the boatbuilding process anywhere: Getting out the moulds and setting up, making the backbone, planking one plank at a time (it even shows lining off and spiling), installing the frames, building the thwarts and the centerboard case, installing the rails, getting out the spars and oars, even casting the lead centerboard ballast. It's all on the CD, and it's all in the full color print version too if you'd rather flip pages than click your way through.

16'-0" Duck Trap Wherry Plans (includes sail plan)....US$65.00
15'-0" Duck Trap Wherry Lofting..........................................95.00
14'-0" Curved Stern DT Wherry Lofting...............................95.00
Building the Duck Trap Wherry CD.......................................25.00
Full ColorPrinted version of CD..............................................75.00

Lofting prices include delivery in the lower 48 states

>>>>Compare all 5 of our wherries<<<<

We've been told that our comparison chart is very helpful
If you are interested in learning considerably more about wherries,
then you will want to read about
Wherries.

Contact us by email or by phone at 207-789-5363

If you prefer mail, our address is:
Duck Trap Woodworking
P.O.Box 88
Lincolnville Beach, ME 04849

n

© 2014 W.J. Simmons

God Bless America

Duck Trap Wherry Page

Return to List of Plans

Return to Home Page