MARINE WORKSHOP MARINE WORKSHOP StAgES OF BuILdINg 7A pilot CuttER Stage 1 the client, some history and procuring the timber When Lance Whitehead decided to commission a cruising boat for charter operation, he soon found that what he wanted was a pilot cutter, and a visit to Cockwells, with a sail on Polly Agatha, persuaded him that they should build it. By Nigel Sharp hroughout the 19th and the very early take the lines off Peggy, as he had in mind with the sea than us, and the relaxed Above: Oak going use. As we shall see later, this process of part of the 20th centuries, pilot that one day he might build a pilot cutter for demeanour of her two-person crew”. This through Cockwells’ buying whole trees and machining them in Tcutters played a vital part in the safety himself. However, circumstances changed, prompted him to read up on the Bristol Forrester 150 this way gives the boatbuilder much more of shipping around our coasts. Ships have as they so often do in life, and, in 2007, Channel pilot cutters and he noted sawmill flexibility and freedom in choosing suitable always needed a pilot’s local knowledge to Dave’s company, Cockwells Modern and repeated references to “their sea-keeping pieces for particular jobs than buying square- guide them into and out of our ports, and Classic Boatbuilding, completed a replica qualities, speed and ease of handling with Left: Larch for the edged boards from timber merchants. the cutters’ role was to deliver the pilots called Polly Agatha for a client who now runs minimal crew” – all qualities which Lance planking being aboard at the right time and place. her as a charter boat based in the Solent. recognised were entirely appropriate for a seasoned ‘in stick’ tracking down hardwoods The cutters needed three main 21st-century cruising boat. Opepe, an African hardwood, for the characteristics. They had to be handled by a Contemplating having a boat built He then booked a sailing holiday on Eve centreline components, including a very small crew – nearly always just a man Around the time that Polly Agatha was being of St Mawes, the 38ft (11.6m) Scillonian pilot continuous piece 40ft (12.2m) long for the and a boy, with the pilot himself making no built, Lance Whitehead, a former RAF cutter skippered by Adam Purser of Classic keel, was purchased from JB Timber in contribution to the sailing; they had to be squadron leader now working in the Sailing. This hugely enjoyable experience led Yorkshire. For the decking, high quality teak fast to give them a better chance of financial industry, was contemplating him to make the decision to have one built, in reasonable lengths being increasingly reaching the ships first and picking up the having a boat built, for his own use and so he set out to find a builder. difficult to obtain, buying it machined often lucrative business; and they had to be some charter work. An experienced sailor Lance made several appointments and with modern comforts”. Finally, “Dave’s round at roadside’ – in other words as whole (including the rebate for the deck caulking) extremely seaworthy, to be able to go to sea who had first sailed in dinghies with his the first of these was with Dave Cockwell. forthright approach and the skill and trees – and transported to Cornwall. They and ready to lay was considered, but it was and stay there in whatever conditions father as a child and had sailed in two It so happened that Polly Agatha had just dedication of his team” convinced Lance were cut into the appropriate thickness by eventually decided to buy it as square- prevailed for however long was necessary. Admiral’s Cups in the early 90s, he found been launched and Lance grabbed the that he should place the order for his new Cockwells’ own Forrester 150 saw, which is edged boards from Timbmet of Oxford and The pilots of the Bristol Channel might that “searching the market for suitable opportunity to go out on her during her boat, as yet unnamed, with Cockwells. capable of cutting longitudinally through then to machine it at the yard. All of the have argued with some justification that this boats was a frustrating business”. sea trials. He was impressed with her 1.5m (5ft) diameter trees, and they were varnished deck timber would be iroko, latter characteristic was particularly However, on one particular heavy speed (despite the light airs on the day) Procuring the timber then put ‘into stick’ (stacked with sticks another African hardwood – obtained partly important in their often brutal home weather sailing trip he noticed a gaff and the quality of finish, and the fact that As soon as the contract was signed, the separating individual boards) so that the air from Timbmet with the remainder coming waters, and by the early 1900s the design of cutter and was, he says, “struck by her “Dave had successfully combined priority for the yard was to procure and could circulate and they would have a from Clarks Wood in Bristol. their cutters had pretty much reached speed, how much better she was coping traditional construction and appearance allocate the timber for the hull construction. decent period of time for seasoning before Next month: starting the lofting process perfection in terms of fitness for the job. Peggy, the 1904 Most of it was already in stock at Cockwells’ Bristol Channel sawmill – in fact more than enough of some Oak for the frames Pilot cutter pedigree pilot cutter by species as the yard were also due to start was purchased ‘in the One of the best known pilot cutter builders ‘Cracker’ Rowles, building another pilot cutter, the contract round at roadside’ was Edwin ‘Cracker’ Rowles, who was based provided the lines for which had been signed several months from estates in the at Pill, and one of the last boats he built, in for Lance earlier. At 55ft (16.8m), she was to be Scottish Borders 1904, was Wave, later to be re-named Sea Whitehead’s boat considerably larger than Lance’s 48ft (14.6m) Hawk and then Peggy. In her working days boat, but sadly her build programme was she was run by at least three pilots and has subsequently put on hold due to her owner’s had almost 20 owners in total. Since 1973 changing circumstances. Peggy has been owned by Diccon and Jan Dave had previously purchased large Pridie, who have cruised her extensively. quantities of oak (for the frames and deck Dave Cockwell, a Falmouth boatbuilder structure) and larch (for the planking) from originally from Bristol, is a good friend of estates in the Borders and North Scotland the Pridies and in 2001 they allowed Dave to respectively. Both had been bought ‘in the 60 CLASSIC BOAT JANUARY 2010 CLASSIC BOAT JANUARY 2010 61 MARINE WORKSHOP StAgES Of buIldINg 7A PIlOt CuttER Stage 2 lofting and hull framework Last month, Lance Whitehead ordered his replica pilot cutter from Cockwells and the timber was obtained. This month we see how lofting provides guidance in cutting the timber for the frames and the assembly of the skeleton. By Nigel Sharp nce Cockwells had procured the error whereby the templates were offered timber to build the replica Bristol up onto all the oak boards available to try to OChannel pilot cutter, the next step get the best match in terms of the grain was the lofting. The purpose of this is following the shape of each frame. Usually basically two-fold – to ensure that the lines it’s not possible to make the half-frames in of the boat are as fair as possible before any one piece, so there would have to be a butt wood is cut, and to generate various bits of joint with the two sections (known as information to assist the tasks ahead. futtocks) held together with a clamp. The starting point was the lines plan, a The position of each joint would be series of lines in three dimensions – the determined by the timber available, and waterlines, which are parallel to the with due consideration to the joints in other Cutting oak frames with a chain saw Datum Water Line (DWL), the buttocks, frames – the joint in any frame would be a which are the lines which cut through the A template was then made showing the minimum of a foot (0.3m) higher or lower boat vertically fore and aft, and the profile of each half-frame section and also than the joint in its neighbour, with a sections. From this lines plan, the each of the timber floors which would join minimum of two frames between two joints elevation and plan views were lofted half the port and starboard halves together. at the same height. The timber for the size, and the sections and the detailed Each frame would also have a clamps was then allocated, to overlap both ends of the centreline structure were corresponding bevel board, showing the parts of the futtocks by 18in (0.46m). lofted full size. angle of the outside face of the frame at all As it happened, it was possible to find At the position of each of the 30 frames, of the waterlines. suitable timber to make the five forward a full-size section was lofted. The thickness frames and the two aftmost frames in one of the planks was then taken off, giving the up to the sawmill piece per side. This timber selection process exact shape of the outside of each frame at The templates were then taken up to the shows the advantage of obtaining timber ‘in its biggest point – ie the forward face of yard’s sawmill a few miles out of Falmouth, the round’ as Cockwells does – square- the frame in the aft part of the boat, and where all the seasoned grown oak was edged boards from timber merchants would the aft face of the frame in the forward already machined to the correct thickness.