Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on August 15, 2005 at 10:37:54 from 217.137.108.10 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Swallow anew? posted by andyb on August 15, 2005 at 09:53:02:
If it is worth doing (which it surely is) then surely she should be as authentic as possible, that is properly built in traditional style, not with epoxy and ply.
I believe that she should not be like Cochy. Was not the reason that AR sold Swallow was that he thought Cochy was the better boat - at least presumably to be a tender for Nancy Blackett on the Orwell, where Swallow's ballast would have been to say the least a nuisance? We know from PM that Scarab (Cochy) was as similar as possible to the fictitious Amazon, but it is clear that Swallow was very different.
There are pictures of Swallow, and a tradition of boatbuilding on Morecambe Bay, of which I know little but am sure that it is documented. From these I am sure that a competent designer could produce something very close to the original.
But one further thought. What was the boat used for Swallow in the film? What happened to her? I stand to be corrected but I don't recall seeing a centreboard in her, and she looked quite authentic.