I built five boats before I started this one, and have owned a few other small boats. I’ve worked as a welder, a handyman, and in various other construction fields, so I started with some of the tools and skills needed to complete this project.
First Boat
My ex-wife Lynne and I built this 11 (12?) foot gaff-rigged stripper from a tiny line drawing I found in a library book, sometime around 1984. I think it may have been a Bolger design – maybe an Acorn Skiff? It was a great little boat. We played on the Columbia river and Idaho lakes. I sewed the sail from a kit.
Second Boat
A somewhat bigger project – a Fred Bingham Allegra 24 we named Kalliska. This was an Airex-core fiberglass cutter. Lynne and I built this one together also, in an old railroad shed in Pullman, WA. Built in 1986-1989, more-or-less. We lived on this for about a year, cruising the San Juan’s and Gulf Islands.
Third Boat
Plywood boat (16′ ?) – never completely finished, although used a lot anyway with a 10 HP outboard or with oars. Stitch and Glue construction of 1/4 inch fir marine ply. Built in the basement of a rental house in Ballard, WA. I was working as a welder at the time and made the nice truck rack to fit it.
Fourth and Fifth Boats
I made the first six-hour canoe (first picture foreground) from doorskins found in a dumpster at a construction site I was working on. The seat was some foundation insulation foam from the same dumpster. The whole boat cost about $40 to build. The second boat was made from better materials. and was designed to nest the other one in. Both boats fit inside my work van. Meryll and I paddled these to Hope Island from Snee-Ooosh a number of times, and around the duck ponds near the Arboretum in Seattle.
Other Boats
- that I didn’t build
Larkina I – 14 foot 1957 runabout. Meryll and I took this all over the San Juan’s, tying up at the dinghy docks and camping at all the parks.
Larkina II – Sixteen foot Larson, built in 1967. In addition to going all over the Sound, a couple of years ago we trailered her to Lund and cruised Desolation Sound for two weeks. This was the trip that convinced me to build my current boat. Hauling all the gear up to a campsite every night, and putting up with mosquitoes just seemed like more trouble than it was 20 years ago. We still own this boat.
I’d love to learn more about your Allegra 24. I have one in Bellingham but am trying to learn more.
Comment by Ali — March 11, 2009 @ 2:43 am
Hello,
There is certainly a lack of information regarding the Allegra 24. What drew you to this boat?
Comment by Jon — June 15, 2011 @ 9:13 am
We bought the plans from Cruising World. Fred Bingham also sold bare hulls, but shipping one to Idaho was pretty expensive, and we wanted Airex core for the strength and insulation value.This looked like the smallest boat that we could build and cruise long distances, and that I could stand up in. I liked the Hess-designed Falmouth Cutter a lot, but it’s pretty small below and didn’t have standing headroom. I think the Dana came out around then, so I modelled the interior after that. We had plans to sail around the world in the boat, so we built it very heavily. The guy who bought it had plans to sail it to South America, and we never saw it again. I hope he followed through. It was a comfortable boat and we enjoyed living on it. We made the forepeak berth too small by adding a little head just aft of it, so we mostly slept on the setees.
Here’s a pretty good article on the Allegra: http://www.scribd.com/doc/10825893/Allegra-24-Sailboat-Good-Old-Boat-Article
The WoodenBoat forum has some interesting discussions too: http://www.google.com/search?q=allegra+24+site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fforum.woodenboat.com&hl=en&num=10&lr=&ft=i&cr=&safe=off&tbs=#q=allegra+24+site:http://forum.woodenboat.com&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&prmd=ivns&ei=dY3-TavxEuWs0AHjuMiIAw&start=10&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=cf5fe7836e331b33&biw=1017&bih=1042
Comment by tomlarkin — June 20, 2011 @ 7:11 am