Henley 18 slipper Launch

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Ferry Beach

Monday, December 31, 2007

About Zoey & Piper

Zoey (brown) and Piper (B&W) are Standard Poodles. Zoey is 2/ 1/2 and Piper is 1 1/2 years old. They are first cousins. Zoey's father Benjamin, and Pipers mother Fanci, are blue and white Parti Poodles. They were born at Crabapple Downs (see link) at Poodle Mt. Colebook NH. Their good natured exuberance is evident in the pictures. They are the best of friends and wonderful companions for us. They love the water and are great retrievers true to their heritage. We Skijour in the winter and Dog Scooter in the summer.

Background

Several years ago I tired of the noise and oily smell of the old Evinrude 115. As I searched around for a style that appealed I stumbled upon the Slipper Launch. I was also leaning towards electric power. Internet searches led me to the Henley 16 designed by Paul Fisher. After an exchange of ideas Paul agreed to design the Henley 18. While in simple terms a "scale up" of the Henley 16 Paul modified the lines and we also added a tunnel so that I could raise the motor above the keel in shallow water. The Henley 16 and 18 both feature a "through hull" motor well and in my case a rigid shaft with no safety break away. The Selway Fisher plans were also based on wood frames and plywood using stitch and glue construction. I opted for Duflex 1/2 inch balsa e-glass composite. The 4X8 panels were joined into a single 8 ft X 24 ft sheet using West Epoxy. The panels were then drawn full scale and cut from the sheet. This resulted in very smooth lines in the final body hull. The frames were also made from the Duflex panels. The result is a very stiff but lightweight hull which could still be lifted by one person prior to adding decking and fitting out.

To maintain the classic appearance the deck was planked with 2 inch x 1/4 inch mahogany and ash planking then caulked with a two part black caulk by Boatlife. To enhance the classic look I added a laminated mahogany coaming and wicker seating.

Propulsion is by means of an electric submersible made by Electric Propulsion Innovation Co (EPIC) formerly Outboard Electric, Bridgeport CT. Besides their super efficient design and capability to automatically adapt to between 18 and 60 Volts the Whisper XT motor provided me with a wired, remotely located, speed control. This allowed me to totally hide the propulsion and steering system below the deck-line and control the motor from a forward position. One of the more novel aspects of the design is steering by means of a linear actuator. In addition to the steering Lenco XD 102 trim tab actuators were used for the motor jack and lowering of the swim stairs that are integrated into the transom. By good luck rather than good management the sensitivity and response provided by the actuator is a perfect match for the boat speed. You can see by the smooth wake in the photo below how nicely the hull and motor combination slides through the water.

Henley 18 slipper Launch

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Ferry Beach

Monday, December 31, 2007

About Zoey & Piper

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Henley 18