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Building
a Sculley Custom Sportfisherman
An
introduction to Carolina Boatbuilding
The
origins of the Sculley Sportfisherman can
be easily traced back through the long line
of boats produced in the Outer Banks of
North Carolina. The Outer Banks was, after
all, the birthplace of the Custom Carolina
Sportfishing Yacht. In yard after yard a
veritable army of marine craftsmen ply their
trade to build a type of craft that has
become legendary for its smooth ride and
seaworthiness. They have had years, generations
in fact, to refine a design that can handle
the harsh fishing conditions off the Carolina
coast and in the process have honed the
skills and techniques necessary to build
such craft.
The
construction techniques used by the various
Carolina Boatbuilders have evolved into
three specific schools of thought.
The
first and rarest method used in the Outer
Banks is the mainstay of the rest of the
boating industry; the Molded Fiberglass
hull. Most Carolina builders avoid this
type of construction due to the fact that
to make a fiberglass hull strong enough
to withstand the punishment of fishing the
Outer Banks would be too heavy. The hull
of the vessel would either need to be made
very thick and/or heavily braced with wooden
framing to achieve the desired durability.
The Molded Fiberglass hull is wonderful
for small boats and fair-weather craft,
but it becomes too heavy for the requirements
of larger craft in rough conditions, thus
sacrificing performance for strength.
The
second method used is based on one of the
oldest forms of boat construction, Frame
Built. Although there are many variations
of the method used to build a Frame-Built
craft, it all comes back to a general set
of principals. Frame Built boats are crafted
from the keel up. The keel is laid down
first, then the frame of the hull is constructed
and finally the frame is skinned in wood
or a composite.
Over
the years, the Carolina boat builders have
introduced modern methods to improve upon
this technique. Using the right combination
of woods and encapsulating the hull in fiberglass
and epoxy creates a hull with a very good
strength-to-weight ratio. This mixture of
old and new is the favorite of many builders.
The third and most advanced method of Carolina
boat construction is a process that has
for some reason been tagged with the antiquated
name, Cold
Molded.
Like
Frame Building, Cold Molding has variations
in practice but the basic concept is the
same. Cold Molding uses Jigs, flat forms
cut from plywood, on which the hull is formed
upon. When the hull is completed, the jigs
are removed. Cold Molded hulls are a composite
of wood and fiberglass layers with stringers
and batons used for structural support.
The main advantages of Cold Molding are
a superior strength to weight ratio and
an increase in the available space within
the hull due to the lack of bulky framework.
For
a detailed overview of Cold Molding "Sculley
style," see the Hull
Construction section of this Web site.
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