Galway Hooker ‘Truelight’ by Jeff

[NCBoatbuilder]

Do you have the small book put out by the Hooker Association that has the CD of the building of the Truelight sistership and the full set of lines, plans, and offsets for that hooker? The CD shows how they cut frames out with a chainsaw. Scary, but very impressive. Richard J. Scott's Galway Hookers book contains the information on how they're built and the scantling and design rules, too. These books are unicorns now. Last I saw, a used copy of Scott's Galway Hookers was going for $501, which is a lot of money for a quarter inch thick seven- by nine-inch paperback!

I think you are talking about The Galway Hooker book from the little three volume Na Saora Bád that has the lines and offsets for Star of the West? If you compare them to the set of the lines of the Naomh Máirtín (called the Claddagh Hooker in Scott’s book) which is based on the Truelight then Star of the West is very tame in terms of the distinctive tumblehome and sheer. I am going off of those lines and am trying to create a solid set of offsets. It would be much easier to use the Star of the West offsets I just don’t like the lines as much.

 

[POPEYE_DA_SAILOR]

I think you are talking about The Galway Hooker book from the little three volume Na Saora Bád that has the lines and offsets for Star of the West? If you compare them to the set of the lines of the Naomh Máirtín (called the Claddagh Hooker in Scott’s book) which is based on the Truelight then Star of the West is very tame in terms of the distinctive tumblehome and sheer. I am going off of those lines and am trying to create a solid set of offsets. It would be much easier to use the Star of the West offsets I just don’t like the lines as much.View attachment 617648

You're right! I've got both those books. I was just too lazy to go pull them off the shelf to make sure I had the right boat. My bad!

I'll have to study the lines of the "Claddagh Hooker" in Scott's book and compare the two designs. I agree that the sharper ("Rainey built?") hull is the shapelier and quite possibly the better sailing of the two.

 

[POPEYE_DA_SAILOR]

All great ideas. I have used them all on full size boats. Don’t think I could get in there with a contour gauge but maybe if I can make a mini lead bar to suit that might work even on this model to get the raked frames far aft. Thanks!

It was bugging me all evening yesterday that there was another method, but I couldn't think of it. As usual, when I woke up this morning, it was the first thing on my mind.

Modeling clay! That was it. I've used old fashioned modeling clay to take up shapes in the past and it works pretty good. I'm talking about the old fashioned modeling clay that is pretty stiff until it warms up in your hand and is slightly greasy, not the "Play Doh" stuff or FEMO. If it gets too soft, just stick it in the freezer for a little bit. It won't spring a fair curve, of course, but a piece of plastic sprung over the form first and then the clay pressed onto it will give you the fair curve. (I save old credit card material for these occasions when it comes in junk mail.)

The big advantage of using the modeling clay is that you can also pick up 3D features, not just curved lines, so you can take up rolling bevels with a fair bit of accuracy once you get the hand of it. It'd be nice to be able to do that with full-sized boat frames, but you'd need a pretty big hunk of modeling clay. The clay works best only on models.