Page 6. MAINE COASTAL NEWS March 2014 Cottrell to Build Two Moth Sailboats
SEARSPORT – Most boatbuilders are ca- pable of building almost any type of boat, but most builders carve out a niche for themselves. When you talk about dinghies, either rowing and sail, one name should be on everyone’s list, Dale Cottrell of Cottrell Boatbuilding in Searsport. Just recently a New York customer ordered two Moth class sailboats from Cottrell and already they are taking shape in his shop along with two other dinghies for two other customers. Dale explained, “We had a call from someone in New York who was interested in having two classic Moth built. There is a Classic Moth Boat Association, which started, in the 1920s. They have certain perimeters like 11 foot hull, 7 foot 6 inch beam, but the rig has to stay the same. You can tweak the hull as much as you want as long as you keep the rig original. There are three different classes, but no plans. There is the classic, a modifi ed sort of classic and then there is the modern, which uses tortured plywood hulls.
“The International Moths have evolved into the Moth class with foils, which they call the fastest dinghy on the planet,” added Dale. “This customer saw photos and knew kind of what he wanted. I have taken the original drawings and looking at the pictures I came up with this boat, which is more classic. I lofted it out on paper and then did full size moulds and now we are just sitting them up to see if it all works. He did add that he wanted the prettiest ones ever built.” Dale is now making up a lumber list and hopes to start building the hull the end of February. He added, “I just need to let in some chine battens. The goal is to keep the weight between 70 and 85 pounds. If I do just marine plywood and not too much overbuilding with frame work I think I can keep the weight down.”
Dale showed me an article from an old magazine that documented the building of LITTLE MAE TOO. The Moth was designed for the handy man to build in his spare time at home. When asked if this is an easy boat to build, Dale answered, “Well
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the concept was supposed to be an easy do it yourself kind of boat. It is not really that simple. Nothing usually is. It is fairly straight forward, you have a bottom, with a side plank on each side and then she is decked over. Basically the challenge is get- ting it set up to the right dimensions. The actual building will go pretty well. However, the spars are complicated. They are hollow spars with internal halyards. You can cheat and do it the other way if you want, but this customer wants everything nice.” With a deliver date set in April, they have a lot to do. Dale said, “We have to pull this hull off and I will build the other hull right on it and then we will turn it over and start working right on the deck. I still have to work out some of the drawings on the deck but I wanted to see the hull fi rst. I’ll have to make a couple of changes to my drawings because the battens have told me a couple of things. It is a great project.”
This person has purchased two, and Dale is willing to build more if anyone is interested. As for cost, he is not quite sure until he is done. A lot of time has been spent in the dra wing room and that time will all be a savings, unless someone wants to make design changes.
Also under way in the shop is a 10-foot Whitehall, which Dale designed. They pres- ently are in the process of planking her up. She is already spoken for and will be going to Connecticut when done.
In the same bay there is a John Lindsay designed 10-foot fi berglass dinghy. She has been known as the Marblehead-Manchester and Sail-Oar dinghy. A customer purchased the moulds and created a company called Peaks Island Boat Company. Dale has re- tooled the moulds and will be laying them up. Dale added, “His goal was to retire, have the boat company and sell boats. He would have started last summer if had the boat, but he will this summer. It is a great 10 foot boat. It has 55 inches of beam and has huge capacity plus being nice and stable. It would be great for kids to row or sail around.” One summer Dale used one of these as
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Presently they have no other orders, but a couple of very good prospects. One from the West Coast is looking for a Cat’s Paw dinghy. He is not quite ready, but said in a couple of months he would be ordering. Then they have another person who is com- ing to the Maine Boatbuilder’s Show to look at one of the fi berglass wherries. Not only does Dale do new construc- tion, but he also does repair work, no matter how extensive. Last fall we wrote Dale up in the Boat Yard News section and that prompt- ed a person to bring in his Havilah Hawkins peapod for new frames.
Dale is not worried even if none of this materializes as he would like to start another plank on frame tender so they have one on hand. He said, “Once we free up the forms for that 10 foot Whitehall I want to build a larger 14 footer using the same forms. She will be narrow, but she will be fast.” A little free time will also allow Dale
and his wife Lynn time to row around different harbors along the coast. This has actually gained them interest in their boats. Dale added, “Once in Southwest Harbor, we were trying to cross the channel coming from Somes Sound so as to get back over to- wards the Hinckley yard and the town ramp. This boat kept following us, and I wondered what is this guy doing? They kept dogging us until we realized there was somebody up on the bow snapping pictures. Another time I was down in Camden going right along and all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I happened to notice something solid. I dropped my oars in the water to brake and I was about a foot from slamming into the transom of a power boat with two people sitting on the deck having cocktails. I skirted around that one and they actually stopped me and wanted a card.”
Dale has made a living from building little boats and when you get to see them up close you will know why.
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