UNA is a double-ended yawl built by Eddie Breeden in his garage in Midlothian, Virginia. The project took him 10 months, and after he launched UNA in mid-July this year at Mattaponi River at West Point, Virginia, he was often asked: “How long did it take you to build it?” He’d logged his time so had a precise answer—567 hours—but he often felt the question was really “Where did you find the time?” He had an answer, of sorts, for that too: “How much television do you watch each week?” Average Americans watch between 24 and 50 hours of TV per week, so he has a good point: Not watching TV adds up to enough time in 10 months to build two or three boats like UNA.Iain Oughtred estimates 600 hours for building his Sooty Tern design, the most recent development in a line of sail/oar faerings that includes the Ness yawl, Caledonia yawl, Whilly Tern, Tirrik, and Arctic Tern. These designs have options for sloop or yawl, gunter or lug rigs; UNA carries a balance-lug main and Bermudan mizzen.
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Eddie,
Beautiful Job!
Just finished Nic Compton’s book, Iain Oughtred: A Life in Wooden Boats. Perhaps you’ve read it also. I’m pretty sure Iain would be favorably impressed with your product. Nic too.
Beautiful job of building. I wonder how this differs principally from the Caledonia yawl. Were the fore and aft decks add-ons from the original design? At least one New Zealand-built Caledonia, as seen on video, had even more extensive decking with a tilting outboard mounted through the aft deck. Poor for design purity perhaps, but useful in dead calms or working up a narrow channel or creek.
I passed this question along to Eddie. Here is his reply:
I outfitted my Caledonia yawl ALISON with the motor well shown in Iain Oughtred’s plans. It’s not meant to allow the outboard to kick up so it is a little inconvenient to pull the motor out of the well and stow it when coming ashore, but I wouldn’t want a longer well and a bigger opening in the hull. I stow the motor in chocks right next to the well so I can keep my feet planted and my legs braced when shifting the motor and avoid having to walk all that weight around the boat.
I have a box that occupies the well and fairs the hull when the motor is not in place. Without it, water sloshes up through the well and into the boat while at speed under sail. The bottom of the box is 1/4″ plexiglass and gives me a clear view of the bottom when I’m in shallow water.
I used to take great pride in making my way under sail or oars alone but bought a small 4-stroke outboard when I was building the ALISON as boat for cruising with my kids. The summer winds are either light or nonexistent and rowing would make passages between landfalls quite long and arduous. With the motor we make good time and I get to enjoy my family: As a father I much prefer being a slave to the the galley, cooking up meals while we’re underway, than being a galley slave, chained to the rowing bench.
Eddie, we remember you and your son from the Small Craft Festival at CBMM. Congrats on your beautiful boat and the awards you received there.
Hey Mark,
I did read Compton’s book and enjoyed getting to know something about the boats and designer. When I bought my plans from Iain, he sent along an “addendum” to that book too. His footnote comments about his boats were worth having. Actually, I liked Iain’s “Clinker Plywood Building Manual” more as it pertained more to the task at hand. It’s a very good resource.
Thanks Bruce. The Mid Atlantic Small Boat Festival was one of the most fun events I’ve ever attended. Though there were too many years since the skipper last raced, I think UNA held her own (I just wish her builder had constructed a more rugged tiller!). Hope to see you next year.