"The Laker" Newspaper

Love affair with the Fantail Launch
by Dan Derby

Just recently, Jim and Els Hulm's invited friends were delighted to watch an eight year old love affair get consummated. On a recent June morning, Jim brought his stunning home built fantail launch out of it's Wolfeboro Falls barn and onto Lake Wentworth for the first time. For the last eight years, Jim constructed "Jolena III" by hand with a simple set of plans and lots of mental effort.

Jim can't recall how his passion for restoring and building wooden boats. His first was a ten foot "Turnabout" style catboat restoration. He went on to build and restore many others, including a building a customer rowing boat. However, this most recent project is his capstone. Jim fell in love with the lines of fantail launches years ago. At that time, he found and restored a lovely smaller fantail launch, "Emma". Built around 1890, it was probably a tender for a nineteenth century yatch. It didn't appear to have ever spent much time in the water. Nor had it been well cared for in recent years. But it was very well made with had lots of attention to detail. Under Jim's hands, became a local favorite at boat shows and lake appearances.

Originally envisioned as the elegant toy of the idle rich, the fantail launch is arguably the most comely boat ever powered by a motor. It is visually distinctive with a rakish, upright bow, gentle sheer and its most recognizable feature, the fantail stern. A displacement hull, it is meant for smooth efficiency, not fast transport. All means of propulsion have been used for these boats over the years, from steam to gas to electric. They continue today to hold a special place in the hearts of American boaters. Gaily striped awnings and straw boater hats are recommended accessories.

In deciding to build a new boat, Jim had several key criteria. One, it would be a fantail launch for the beautiful lines, of course. Two, it would be large enough to hold family and friends on a stately tour of the lake. Three, it would be, quote "smooth enough to not to rattle the ice cubes in a Martini". At its launching, all three criteria were obviously met.

Smooth meant electric propulsion. This took hours of interpreting obscure motor power curves in manufacturers' brochures, designing propeller shapes and selecting components such as the multiple seventy pound golf cart batteries. Its series wound DC motors came from Bob Batson, a regional supplier of electric automotive conversions. Weighing in around forty pounds, the motor connects to the specially designed propeller via a unique belt drive.

"Jolena III's" hull construction is cold molded, cove & bead cedar strips, covered by two one eight inch veneers at 45 degrees to each other. It was then covered in ten ounce fiberglass inside and out and finished with four once Dynel and finally three coats of resin plus paint. This produced a twenty-six foot long hull which is amazingly strong despite having essentially no frame. All hand built by Jim. It was lofted (laid it out) in the barn attic and constructed down below.

Jim explains that for him, the nearly a decade long design and construction produced with many levels of pleasure. Intellectual challenges in engineering and designing the craft. The aesthetic pleasure of bringing together it's beautiful shapes, gorgeous woods and stunning cabinetry. And finally, the hands on pleasure of building and using it.

But it did take a bit of time, including eight years of being asked "When's it going to be ready, Jim?" by family and friends. To that Jim perennially replied, "When it's finished."

As he mentions this oft told comment, he smiles and adds in his distinctive English accent, "You know, it's the process that's fun, not just the end product." "Jolena III" was a love affair from beginning to end.

        

photos by Hulm