Crystal 16

The deck on the Crystal 16 has an ample casting platform forward and two small platforms back aft on either side. These two could be spanned by a removable platform if you wanted a full casting platform back aft. There is space in these aft platforms for storage, although we are leaving that up to the builder. Up forward there is battery storage and a forward locker with a hatch. This hatch could be hinged or be a lift-off hatch with a lanyard so you don’t lose it overboard. It can be held down by a couple of simple twist latches.

Her hull is similar to the Osprey 18, a simple convex vee shape with about 6 degrees of deadrise at the transom. The bow has some flare, but not so dramatic that it will make her difficult to plank. There are no chine flats but spray rails can be added at the chine to reduce spray.

The strakes on her bottom serve a couple of purposes. One is for directional stability and that the vertical sides of the strakes will act as small skegs and help keep her going straight while poling. The second purpose is for improved turning while on plane. Boats turn by pivoting about their bow. The stern on a low deadrise hull tends to “wash out” in a turn as it doesn’t get much bite on the water. The strakes should help the stern of the Crystal 16 bite the water a little better in a turn.

The Crystal 16 will not have a built in fuel system. She carries a 6.5 gallon portable tank back aft between the casting platforms. Just forward of the 20″ transom, the cockpit sole ends, leaving a well in the keel for a bilge pump. Her batteries for starting and a trolling motor will be carried up forward under the casting platform. She should be powered by a 25 hp tiller steered outboard, which should push her around 26-27 knots. No consoles or steering system. Remember, the Crystal 16 is supposed to be a very simple boat!

She will be strip planked over temporary particle board molds with a light softwood, such as White Cedar, Western Red Cedar or Paulownia. The 1/4″ canoe strips will be installed just like on a stripper canoe, glued together with either epoxy or waterproof wood glue. You can use square strips or bead and cove, whichever you prefer. The hull will then be glassed on the outside with a layer of 1208 double -bias fiberglass set in epoxy. Once faired and primed, she can be flipped over and the temporary framing removed. Fair the inside and add another layer of 1208 for the inner skin. Now you can epoxy/glass in the 12mm Okoume marine plywood stringers and frames. Lastly, add the sole and the deck and you are pretty much finished. This construction method will yield a very light (bare hull weight approximately 450 lbs.) and relatively inexpensive hull.

The Plan Set is very complete. There are 17 pages of drawings detailing how to build the Crystal 16. The standard Plan Set includes dimensioned drawings for each mold frame. Simply transfer the dimensions to your wood stock and cut them out. If you would like full size patterns printed on plastic film, they are available at an extra cost. There is also a drawing showing how to nest all the parts in order to minimize your plywood usage.