A REPLICA ERNIE LANE CLASSIC 1920 CLINKER

I’m a big fan of the Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club, they seem to have the mix right when it comes the wooden boating community. Recently I was chatting to Roy Jones (Roysie) who among other things pulls together the clubs newsletter. Roysie mentioned a project he had been working on and promised a story – and today woodys we get the enjoy that story – I’ll hand over to Roysie to tell it.

“Fifteen years ago The Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club was gifted a 14ft clinker hulk which came with a remarkable provenance. Built by Ernie Lane in 1920 for Mr John Brownlee, son of the timber tycoon, William Brownlee of Havelock, the boat was in a sorry state and owned by Club Member, Noel Johnson.

Noel’s initial attraction towards Ruru was that, when he lived in Havelock as a child in the mid 40’s, he can vividly remember Ruru resting in the creek near the present causeway, whilst owned by the Havelock butcher, Mr Johnny Buncombe. Playing in Ruru, he would often be chased off and Noel miraculously relocated the boat again in 2003 on the Holdaway farm near Blenheim.

The Holdaway’s had purchased Ruru in 1948, from Johnny Buncombe for 100 Pounds, and who himself, had bought her from the Brownlee’s in 1933. 

Now in a very sorry state, Barry Holdaway gave the hulk to Noel who intended to restore her. Aged 80, he realised it was beyond him, and Noel wisely gifted the craft to the Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club in an effort to preserve her,  and it worked.

Ruru is the Club’s flagship and is utilised on all the club runs as such. Roy had a little to do with the restoration and always admired her lines as created by Ernie,  she was now available for all to view and admire. So last Christmas he borrowed Ruru for a week and after setting her up,  took her lines off and drew them up on the computer. From these he created a table of offsets and after lofting out, began construction early in the New Year.

Ernie created a built-down style of deadwood almost a bustle, presumably to ensure the engine could be low as possible and with a fairly level prop-shaft, but this was difficult to recreate. 

He must have steamed the kauri planks tightly to achieve the curvature around the stern deadwood rebate. Roy elected to use Meranti 9 mm marine ply rather than timber purely due to supply constraints. While gluing the lands removed the need for nailed and roved laps, it still required steamed American Oak ribs. This was the only job Roy required assistance with and co-opted a couple of retired members in the club to assist with the morning’s task. Peter Baker & Keith Henson willingly helped out and this is the norm amongst the Clinker Club members, advice and assistance is most often always freely available.

Propulsion System We originally installed a Stuart Turner P66 twin cyl. 10 hp engine in Ruru, but this was overpowered, so we swapped it for a P55 5 hp which  proved more appropriate, however, the Stuart Turner became  problematic for the numerous skippers in the Club. We have since settled upon a Lifan Chinese 6 hp and this has run well for 10 years, but is quite noisy. Roy considered this and, after speaking with new member, Tim Barton about his neat little electric 12ft’r, Billy O Tea, decided to also install an electric system in the Ruru clone.

With Tim’s advice on where to go for the Chinese supplier, Roy ordered a 4kw, 1000 rpm 48v dc motor and controller, which duly arrived about 4 weeks later without problem. At around $3,500 landed, he considered it reasonably economical.

Subsequent to that major decision, he continued construction, framing the deck and glassing same. Unlike Ruru, he made the top strake varnished with a sub belting along the bottom edge in a more traditional style. Lacking more traditional hardwoods for the beltings, standard Quila timber decking was utilised and machined to suit; merely because it is readily available and reasonably economical.

The dc motor is considerable, weighs about 30kg developing 39 N.M. 

The universal is a CV joint from a wreckers, and the thrust bearing just aft. The motor output shaft is 35mm!

Having decided upon electric propulsion, Roy decided to throw the cat another goldfish and fitted hydraulic steering to enable comfortable curved seating in the stern without a the tiller interfering with guests seated there. 

Once again, Roy went online and researched hydraulic steering systems. Having been quoted over $2000 locally, it cost less than $500 for a full set imported and landed at the door in 3 weeks.

The short S.S. rudder tiller penetrates the transom quite unobtrusively, to the ram below deck and can be disconnected from the rudder when removing for trailing.

The Electric system enabled a centre console with motor and battery installed beneath, leaving a huge area amidships, where an engine is usually placed. A forward curved seat fits neatly behind the curved foredeck coamings. The large 48v lithium battery required is situated under the front seat of the console, while the motor and drive train is beneath the foot level lid below the helm.

The 48v 100 amp hr lithium battery is the blue item & takes up the full width of the compartment. The silver item is the motor speed controller that came with the motor. The yellow lead is for connecting to the 48v  HD charger.

Roy purchased the 48v 100 amp hour Lithium Ion Battery from Auckland along with the new trailer, driving up and back being cheaper than freighting both down to Marlborough.

He also installed a GPS Plotter & Sounder plus a Victron battery management system from Burnsco. This is a magic device providing a shunt in the neutral supply and thus determines the present battery voltage, the currently used amps & watts, plus provides a range in hours and minutes left in the battery. It is supplied with a 50mm gauge but the best method of readout is by Bluetooth to a cell phone enabling all the readings on one screen.

The greatest dilemma with electric boat propulsion systems is range anxiety, knowing how long you can actually cruise for, at the present power usage. Well, the Victron system diminishes this to a normal fuel level concern, if you run at full power then your fuel range will be minimal, but with sensible throttle use many hours are available. Roy intends to calibrate the range from GPS speed, Shaft rpm & amps drawn. These are shown further on.

Tim provided his figures, and for example at 3.3 knots Billy O Tea draws 5.2 amps, at 5 kts she draws 22 amps but at 5.4 kts, draws 50 amps indicating her best hull speed is just below 5 kts. i.e. 100 amp hour battery at 22 amps =  5 hrs motoring, and you can always slow down!

We used GPS speeds & digital tacho rpm figures with the Victron gauge providing the current drawn. Roy will do similar with Toroa EV,   (her new name now she is completed.) Toroa means Salvins Mollymauk (and the EV is electric vessel!).                                                                          

Ruru like most clinker hulls is a very seaworthy craft and it is on record that when Ernie Lane completed her, she was motored around from Picton to Havelock by a Mr Doug Pickering. This is a daunting trip for a 14ft Clinker, even today, and he is reported to have had fuel trouble near Cape Jackson, Doug simply tied Ruru to some kelp while he cleaned out the fuel line of shavings!  Ruru was fitted with a Scottish Kelvin of about 5 hp from new and to have motored the 60 odd miles around the Cape was an impressive feat 105 years ago!

When one considers that she was built shortly after the First World War, it is remarkable that it was obviously intended she would have an engine from new.   It wasn’t a retrofitted engine installation as is usually the case with this vintage. Perhaps this would indicate the wealth of the original purchaser, Mr John Brownlee?

With the helmsman and passenger sitting in the stern sheets. Toroa EV rides high in the bow but with passenger forward she sits nicely to the waterline.

Roy advised that Toroa EV took 5 months to construct at old farts pace… i.e. 5 hr per day knocking off at rum o’clock. He takes great delight in creating clinker craft, believing if the boat is pretty, it will become a 100 year boat. (only pretty boats last 100 years because their owners love them!)

The Picton Clinker Club members own many small clinker & classic style boats and are committed to salvaging and restoring these wonderful small craft, often saving them from various scrap heaps or bonfires.

Toroa EV Performance

As you can see, any attempt to exceed 5 knots hull speed causes the amps load to dramatically increase, up to about 4.5kt is very economical indeed but a little more and range diminishes dramatically. Exactly the same of a combustion engine I guess.”