MarylandPlank, Scantlings, Spars, and other Lumber Dimensions from the Chapelle Plans
I got hold of three excellent loblolly logs - 22 inches in diameter and 14 feet long, perfectly straight. Before milling these, I wanted to know what are the most common dimensions for planking, scantlings, spars, transoms, frames, etc., for Eastern Shore sailing skiffs. I also have white oak timber to mill for the keelson, frames, stem, and transom for the 17 ft crabbing skiff I'm building,
I surveyed plans for all the skiffs 16-26 ft in length which are documented by Howard Chapelle in these publications:
- American Small Sailing Craft (ASSC)
- Boatbuilding (BB)
- Chesapeak Bay Crabbing Skiffs (CBCS)
- Boating Magazine (BM)
I wrote all of the dimensions fromt he Chapelle plans into an Excel table. The table is very wide, so I present it below in three sections, as images. The three sections can be printed and side by side.
You can download the table here in different formats:
Each table below shows Model and Overall Length, for reference. Table 1 also shows the Source (ASSC, BB, CBCS, BM)
Each of the tables is arranged by Overall Length.
Table 1 shows dimensions for:
- Bottom Plank
- Side Plank
- Chine Log
- Sheer Clamp
- Keelson
Table 2 shows dimensions for:
- Skeg
- Frames
- Transom
- Stem
- Rudder
- Centerboard
- Centerboard Trunk
Table 3 shows dimensions for:
- Thwarts
- Deck
- Mast Max Diameter
- Mast Height
... and Notes
Planning for my 17 ft skiff, I see in Table 1 that keelsons in the 17-18 ft range are commonly 1-1/2" thick by 6-7" wide, or 4" thick by 6-7" wide.
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
