I’ve been the subject of a helluva lot of flattery over the past three days—not to say that I don’t appreciate it,” said Jim Hulm, beaming, while working his fantail launch alongside a floating dock at Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport. It was a Sunday in June, the third day of the 2007 WoodenBoat Show, and Hulm’s 26-footer, JOLENA III, had created a buzz among spectators. Its power plant, on the other hand, had created hardly any buzz at all.Hulm, an Englishman living in New Hampshire, had built the boat a few years before to a modified design by Iain Oughtred—who had developed the plans for a client in England. The original was 30' long, and had a cabin and head and other accoutrement. Hulm shortened the distance between the construction molds, creating a hull 4' shorter than the original boat. “Iain was quite excited about that,” he said of the modification, “because it would give more spring to the sheer—which it does.” The shorter boat has no cabin. It’s an open day launch.

Photo by Matthew P. Murphy

JOLENA III is an adaptation of an Iain Oughtred design. She is inspired by the steam powered Thames River launches that came into vogue in England in the 1860s, but her propulsion system and construction are thoroughly modern.

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