The Boothbay Harbor One Design Association has scheduled a meeting featuring a discussion by David Nutt on his plans to build new fiberglass One Designs

To learn more, bring a heavy hors d'oeuvre to the Association’s meeting this coming Saturday, Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m., at the Juniper Point Community House on McKown Point, West Boothbay Harbor. Beverage set ups will be provided. RSVP Sandi Hakanson at 207-633-4616, or Debbie Swan at 207-633-3848. Everyone invited. For anyone wanting to come by boat, there is a dock on Juniper Point, Moores Landing, the first inlet East of the Gut which belongs to the community and is a short walk to the Community House. (1/4 mile up Massachusetts Road; looks like private property at first but the community and guests have a right of way there).

The Boothbay Harbor One Design is one of the nicest 21-foot classic sloops ever designed. This is a boat loved by everyone who has owned one. With their heavy keel, they are a very safe, family boat. None have ever capsized. The fleet has come and gone over the years and we appear to have a resurgence of interest in the boat. Although there have been 56 built, if someone wants to buy one, they are hard to find.

David Nutt believes it is time to once again build Boothbay Harbor One Designs in fiberglass. He plans to build a mold and produce a fiberglass vacuum bagged cored hull and deck, a fiberglass hull liner and rudder. The boat will be finished with a choice of teak or mahogany trim. The hardware can be either traditional bronze or modern stainless and aluminum. The mast can be either aluminum or Sitka spruce. These boats will be ready for delivery in June 2014.

Boothbay Harbor One Designs have been built using four different construction methods over the years. The original boats were plank on frame classic wooden construction. Fiberglass boats were built in the 1970s. Recently Brooklin Boatyard and Maynard Bray at the Wooden Boat School each built one using an epoxy cold molded construction technique. During that same year, David Nutt built two using a strip-built fiberglass hull using epoxy resin systems (#1 Nutt Job and C-Fever). David still has the mold for this construction technique and can build to order.

There are a number of the original classically built wooden One Designs sailing in the area. As wonderful as these boats are, they are a relatively high maintenance boat and require a considerable level of skill to keep in top shape. Several of the classic plank on frame One Designs have been resurrected by laminating two 1/8” veneers to the exterior of the hull with epoxy resins and then fiberglassed on the exterior. This gives the boat greater strength and rigidity than the originals ever had and minimizes the maintenance issues on the bottom and topsides. This resurrection technique can be done to any existing wooden hull.

You can reach David at David Nutt Boatbuilder, 113 River Road, Edgecomb, ME 04556. Tel: 207-751-1177.

The Boothbay Harbor One Design Association was formed to perpetuate the classic fleets of boats of the Boothbay Region including the BHOD, the Christmas Cove One Design, the Hodgdon 21, the Boothbay 20 and the Great Lakes 21. We are a charitable nonprofit that provides funding for community youth sailing. Members are part of a network of sailing enthusiast where common interests, fellowships and experiences are shared. New members are always welcome.