PDR Madness

 The PDR I'm building is based on the third such boat ever build, named Bucket Ears. Overall plan is known as a a "Simple 18". I got the sides cut out in a day and now I'm working on getting the sides and bulkheads framed and chined. Getting the curve at the bottom is no doubt one of the hardest things about these small boats. But I've done it before.
 The PDR is different in many ways from the simple small boats I've built. The biggest and most obvious difference is the use of inside chine logs. All the boats I've built  and helped build have had outside chine logs. There is some debate in the boat building community about how much putting the logs on the outside really hinder or help performance. My thoughts are if you want performance in an an eight foot boat make it about four feet longer. I'm a bit put off by the mounting of the bulkheads but I have no doubt I'll figure it out.
 The chines are cut out of a 10' 2x6 and are 1x2 or thereabouts. I wet them before bending and with the help of a poor mans spanish windlass got the curve into them. On the second one I ended up using a ratchet strap to get the wood to move right. Nothing like a bit of redneck engineering. I have no idea how class legal this boat is. And right now I don't care. This boat was built to be thrown in the back of a pick up truck for instant and spontaneous adventure. No trailer. No fuss with registration. Just a fun knockabout boat for journeys on inland seas. And I think it will do just that. Even with a crack in the chine and some missing glue.

Why Build a PDR?

  Why not? In a fit of madness and a small paycheck this Friday I find myself suddenly and quite without warning on the cusp of PDR ownership. What is a PDR? It is by my estimation the perfect small sailboat. See my essay here on small boats. The Woman has mentioned that she'd like to learn how to sail and I was in need of a new jigsaw and that is how I've come to having two eight foot hull panels in my bedroom and a host of other cut an uncut lumber littering two boat yards.
 The PDR has a vaunted history and pedigree that cannot be denied even by it's most ardent detractors. It's dirt cheap, dirt simple, sails well enough and better then almost any boat that length and has proven time and time again that just because it's a simple plywood box does not mean it's a boat.
 A huge draw is the whimsey with which sailors are allowed. At this formative point I think I shall paint mine to resemble a frigate of the Napoleonic wars with (painted) gun ports and all. Some buff yellow and tan interior I think. A four sided sail of some variety. Side mounted leeboard.
 Time line calls for completion around mid August. Then it's off the pond for sailing. And why not, what building a boat is for.