Ontario Whitehall
Ontario Whitehall
Hello to strip builders, I am interested to contact anyone who has built an Ontario Whitehall. I am currently building one and plan to make it as a sail boat. The exact placement of the mast and size and position of the trunk is a slightly open question. The plans I have only have a basic drawing of a rigging diagram and little information of trunk construction. I had always favoured a sloop type sail but my plans indicate a gaff rig.Any comments would be appreciated. Patrick.
Re: Ontario Whitehall
I have not much experience yet with building a centerboard trunk into a woodstrip hull, but I have a Catspaw Dinghy under construction and it will be a grand experiment. I have built a keelson into the hull so that there is a substantial frame member to mount the trunk to. It was set into the molds so that it was stripped over.
Unless you have plans with a sail plan provided you are going to have an experimental craft. It would be pricey, but having a boat designer/naval architect create a plan for you might be worth it. The booklet I bought from Woodenboat Magazine with the Carspaw dinghy plans was cheap and it has drawings and illustrations of the trunk construction as well as rudder. If you guess at centerboard placement you will have to experiment with sail plan to balance it around the centerboard.
I really like the standing lug sail I used on a canoe sail rig I built for a 16' Prospector and may use it again, though the Catspaw plans are for a spritsail. Simple and forgiving. It would mean choosing the size sail you want and moving the mast for and aft to find good balance with the centerboard. If you mean main and jib type sloop is what you prefer that gets more complicated.
Good luck with your project!
Unless you have plans with a sail plan provided you are going to have an experimental craft. It would be pricey, but having a boat designer/naval architect create a plan for you might be worth it. The booklet I bought from Woodenboat Magazine with the Carspaw dinghy plans was cheap and it has drawings and illustrations of the trunk construction as well as rudder. If you guess at centerboard placement you will have to experiment with sail plan to balance it around the centerboard.
I really like the standing lug sail I used on a canoe sail rig I built for a 16' Prospector and may use it again, though the Catspaw plans are for a spritsail. Simple and forgiving. It would mean choosing the size sail you want and moving the mast for and aft to find good balance with the centerboard. If you mean main and jib type sloop is what you prefer that gets more complicated.
Good luck with your project!