I just launched my Devlin designed "Cackler" on Memorial Day 2000. I must say I am very pleased with the boat and it has meet all of my expectations. The boats name is the "Carol Lynn".

I chose the "Cackler" design for the following reasons:

1) Under 16 ft. to fit in my garage with trailer.

2) Flexibility. I wanted to run the boat in shallow water and in the Chesapeake bay. Had to perform a variety of tasks from fishing, to diving, to working as a runabout.

3) Load: Ability to run with 4 adults.

4) Economical: Both in engine selection and building costs. ($2000 boat, $500 trailer, $3500 Honda 30 hp)

5) Seaworthiness: Had to be able to get me home off the bay if weather turned choppy.

Construction

I found the construction of the "Carol Lynn" straight forward. This was my second stitch and glue boat, the first being a Chesapeake Light Craft 18ft sea kayak. I built the boat with Oakum plywood, bronze fittings, and 5 gallons MAS Epoxy. I Estimate that it took me about 80 -100 hours to finish the boat working nights and weekends.

I highly recommend that any prospective builders read the Sam Devlin book on boat building. I found it to be very informative and I used it as my shop manual. If I ever got stuck or wanted to get ready for the next step in the construction process I would often refer back to his book.

Once I got the boat lofted out construction went quickly. Cutting out the panels and stitching together the hull flew by. The most time consuming thing was waiting for the Epoxy to cure. I was working with a no-blush MAS epoxy in the Winter months. No blush epoxy takes longer to cure anyway and then add in cooler weather and you just have to wait.

The can only recall one major screw up during construction. The first was that I accidentally put the hardwood blocking plate for the outboard engine on the outside of the transom instead of the inside. I did not discover this until after the epoxy had cured. To fix this I decided to just add another blocking plate to the transom on the outboard side and make the transom extra "thick". Then I just put down some fiberglass on the inboard side of the transom to protect it where the outboard engine connects to the transom. This fix seems to work fine and I have one heck of a strong transom.

I finished the boat with Interlux 1 part on the inside and outside. This paint seems to hold up very well for me and is easy to apply and gives a great finish look. I non-skidded the deck with sand and epoxy. I did varnish the topside decks. This was probably a foolish thing to do since I will use this boat in a hard fashion. I already have some big scratches from anchors, coolers, kids etc. However, I think it looks great and I will just put on a couple of coats at the end of the season and all we be fixed. "It's a boat not a piano".

Accommodations

Because the "Cackler" is a small design, I decided to keep the boat as simple and open as possible. I built in no seats and opted to sit on the decks, floor or coolers. I installed no electrical system and decided to rely on battery running lights for those rare times I am out at night. I also opted for a removable floor deck for easy cleaning and inspection. The only extra I added were rod holders.

Performance/Seaworthiness

I am running the "Carol Lynn" with a 30 HP Honda 4 stroke engine. The engine sips gas and runs the boat at a very fast speed. With a load of 2 adults and 3 kids we get up on plane quickly and cruise at a very fast speed. I would estimate we run at about 25-30 m.p.h.. When I run with just 1 adult and 1 or 2 kids then I cannot even run the boat a 75% speed cause it is just too fast.

I am very impressed with the boats seaworthiness. Although I have never been out in a storm with this boat, I have had it out in a chop. The chop was generated by boat after boat (30 -40 footers) on labor day weekend powering through the channel. These boats create a very short and steep wake of up to 3 feet. The "Carol Lynn" handled the chop without a drop of water coming inside the boat. We bounced around and had to slow down as we headed home but that is to be expected in a small boat. I was very impressed with how the boat handled the wakes.

Conclusion

Right now we find ourselves using the boat for a variety of purposes. I often take my 3 sons and wife fishing/camping/exploring/snorkeling the upper Potomac river and Chesapeake bay area. For us the boat suits our needs. Yes, I will be building a bigger boat someday (In negotiations with my wife on that). Yes, I would choose a Devlin design again. And yes , boat building is ADDICTIVE.

Charlie Hill

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