The inspiration to build this tender came from an article I read in the 'Catalyst', the journal of the Amateur Yacht Research Society,  on 'Swifgig' a yacht tender that also is taken as a lifeboat on extended offshore cruises.

As a preliminary to starting the boat I carved a model of what I wanted.   Building without any framework gave me a lot of leeway form the model whereas I let the full length strips take their own course in determining the shape of the hull.

My strip kayaks have always been started at the midsection (keel) and progressed toward the gunnel.  As can be seen in the pictures the tender was started with a sheet of plywood for the deck and it was stripped toward the center.  I had to revert to steam bending some of the strips at the bow area.  This worked well and I was able to apply wood glue to the strips before bending them into position and the glue cured seemingly as quickly as if the wood had not been steamed.

I am presently planning the interior layout as well as contemplating the sailing rig for the boat.   My intention had been to sail it with two jibs side by side supported by a stern set mast: this would be a performance layout.  The alternative on the other end of the scale is to use a windsurfer storm sail secured to an unstayed mast.

The almost round nose on the tender is to allow the breadth of the boat to carry far forward which increases inititial stability.  The tender will have a floor in it 3 to 4" above the bottom; this will allow the boat to be self-bailing.  The hull has very little rocker so that if it is being towed at speed by a larger boat it will not pull itself down into the water but will plane easily.  It will be fitted with two leeboards placed at the edge of the cockpit about 8" inboard; it will have two rudders.  And it will be set up for rowing and to take a small motor. Update: After his tender project and a sea trial on home turf (photos below) Robert sailed his boat in the 2003 Mahone Bay Wooden Boat Festival races in the open class.