The Emily Swift

Emily Swift is 16 ft. 10 in. long with a 5 ft. 4 in beam. The designer is Iain Oughtred of Skye, Scotland, and is modeled after Scottish fishing vessels called Ness Yoles or Sixerns, which were considerably larger and heavier as fits the intended use.

Emily Swift will accommodate up to six people and can also be single-handed. It is easily set up for sailling with a single unstayed mast and one sail. The rudder can be lowered for sailing, and there is a centerboard to provide lateral resistance and stability.

Construction is by a technique known as glued lapstrake. A set of molds that define the cross-section shape at each station are set up on a ladder frame, joined down the centerline by a longitudinal member called the keelson, to which are attached the inner stems fore and aft. Plywood planking is glued to the keelson and stems, and the plank edges or laps glued.

The other side garboard is being fitted. It is a mirror image of the first garboard.

The twist in the plank is about the same at both ends, requiring ingenuity in use of clamps.

Once the garboards are on and glued in place, the next plank can be fitted. It will need to be cut to shape to fit between the lap of the garboard, overlapping by 3/4 in. and points along the molds where marks have been made to define the other edge of the plank. The process of taking these points off the boat and applying them to the plank material is called spiling. The lines made by the edges of the planking are determined during the design process so as to provide a pleasing or "eye sweet" look to the hull.

A spiling plank made of scrap planking offcuts is clamped to the molds to lie in the space where the plank is intended to go. The measured points can be recorded on the spiling plank by two or three methods, and then the spiling plank is clamped or nailed to the planking material and the points transferred, and then a batten is used to join these points to provide a fair curve.

Here the second plank is fitted. In order to get a plank that is over 18 ft. long out of plywood that is in 4 ft. by 8 ft. sheets, the edges are scarfed, that is, they are planed off at a slope of 8:1 and the slopes mated and glued to provide the required length. the resulting scarf joint is as strong as the plywood itself. The scarfs are usually planned to be located in areas where the curvature is low.

This is the No. 3 plank shaped and ready to fit. The sweeping curve is not something you might expect, but it is the real shape, nevertheless. Trust the spiling!

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I rig a longitudinal so that I can cover the hull with a tarp.

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The gunwale is made of two outer layers and one inner layer, using cypress and ash. All the clamps in the shop are used to hold the gunwale in place while the glue sets. The floors, which are transverse pieces spanning the inside of the garboards, are made of cypress. They will stiffen the bottom and also support the floor boards later.

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The stringer which provides a landing for the deck beams is glued to the interior planking and held in place with shop-made clamp extensions.

Prior to installing the stringer, deck beams are fitted and later notched for the stringers and also for a king plank that runs down the centerline. Bulkheads are fitted to the deck beam and the floor below it, and together with the deck the forward and after ends of the boat are enclosed to provide buoyancy in the event of capsize.

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A piece of scrap is being offered up to the curve of the hull to check for fit of the deck.

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The rudder is hung from the outer stem with gudgeons which are screwed into the stem, and pintles which are straps bolted to the rudder.. Here a mockup of the rudder profile is laid up against the curve of the stem to mark the position of the hardware, which must be aligned so that the rudder will turn properly.

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