| Morning Star A 25' 3" V-Bottom Shelter-Cabin Utility By William & John Atkin |
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| A Shelter Cabin Utility Boat | |
| The design gracing these pages shows a wholesome type of semi-open boat that will make, when built, an exceptionally dry, comfortable, safe, and fast (for the power installed) craft for general use wherever water flows. From keel to shelter house she was planned for the amateur boatbuilder and for the professional builder whose equipment does not include machinery and devices for forming complicated sweeps and sharply curved surfaces. And, I might add, there are many experienced boatbuilders and boat users who appreciate simplicity and straight-forwardness in the appearance and the construction of small wooden boats: just such a boat as we have here. In these days of complexity there is a lot to be said for simplicity, not only in boats, but in countless other things as well. | |
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Morning Star measures from stemhead to stern 25 feet 3 inches; she has a waterline length of 24 feet; breadth on deck of 8 feet 1/2 inch; and a draft of 1 foot 9 1/2 inches under the deepest part of her keel. The freeboard at the stem is, 3 feet 4 inches, the least freeboard, 2 feet 3 7/8 inches, and at the stern, 2 feet 4 1/2 inches. Those of you who build the boat will find she is a big and burdensome kind of vessel, so do not be deceived by the modest tone of the dimensions as given above. The deck plan of the little boat shows a small shelter house forward from which the craft is handled. The headroom under the carlins of the house is 5 feet 3 inches; do not increase this. The athwartship seat is 6 feet long which provides comfortable room for three. The open portion of the cockpit contains the house for the motor which, by the way, is arranged with a passageway to give access to the shelter house. In connection with getting forward I should have pointed out that the port end of the lazy back on the forward seat is designed to hinge and swing downward, thus saving a high step over the back. The starboard part of the motor house provides room for the storage battery, oil tins, tools, etcetera. It also makes room for the exhaust pipe and muffler. | |
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| As indicated in the drawings of the lines our subject
this month is of V-bottom form. All the bottom sections, as well as those of the
topsides are perfectly straight. In a high-sided hull straight sectioned topsides
always have the characteristics of a box and this is especially true if there is
a lot of flare from the chines to the sheer line. However, Morning
Star is not in any sense of the word high-sided and when in the water,
even from dead astern, will show a practical and ship-shape character. Nor is
she excessively wide. The latter feature has the unfortunate distinction of
making a fast boat pound when pushed fast against a head sea and, as well, in a
large way detracts from the grace of line all ships and boats should have. The
keel extends from station 0 to station 11. It thus greatly increases the strength
of the hull and in running off a rough bit of sea helps greatly in the matter of
keeping the little boat on a true course without yawing. The long keel and its
deadwood obviates the need of a bronze strut or other under water appendages and
despite its extra area will not greatly increase skin friction. In any fast
single-screw boat I would rather have the smooth, long keel and deadwood than the
water break which follows astern the open propeller shaft and the strut which
supports the shaft. From the standpoint of resistance and turbulence, much is
gained by the former arrangement.
The power plant shown in the plans of Morning Star is a Universal Blue Jacket six developing 60 h.p. turning at 3500 r.p.m., direct drive, of course. The speed of the boat will be a good 20 miles an hour. Several of the other marine motor manufacturers produce excellent units which are of about the same weight and capacity of the Blue Jacket. | |
 PHOTOS OF MORNING STAR 
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| Plans for Morning Star are $100 MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM SHIPS PLANS STORE https://store.mysticseaport.org/ships-plans/ shipsplanstore@mysticseaport.org
+1 (860) 572 5360 | |
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