The ‘ Short’ Flatner is 12’ 8” long and weighs less than 2 cwt. It is highly suitable for rivers, lakes and ponds. It will give many hours of pleasure - and good healthy exercise!

 

It is built using suitable ready-finished stock sizes of plywood and softwood, with modern expanding Polyurethane glue and inexpensive plated screws. It can be built by one person - this one was.

 

The boat costs about £250 in materials and should take one person about 200 hours

 

For simplicity the boat has been designed combining features found in many types of old Flatners - with the exception of the two watertight lockers and the small launching wheel.

 

John Short (Yankee Jack, 1838 to 1933) is Watchet’s best loved sailor. With Cecil Sharpe he was responsible for saving over fifty of the most famous sea shanties we know today. The sailing Flatner, Yankee Jack, was built in the Museum in 1996 and named after him. This new boat was built in the same place and is also named after him.

 

Just to prove that the boat works, we launched for the first time in Watchet Harbour Marina on Friday 25 May.

 

Plans and full building details are now available - they cost £25 plus £3 for p&p (extra for outside UK). Order from: WBM Sales, 3 Almyr Terrace, Watchet, TA23 0DB, cheques payable to Watchet Boat Museum.

The boat is currently on loan to the Western Morning News and ITV for an 8 week series exploring the nooks, crannies and inlets of the SW peninsula, and is getting some serious trials! WMN each Wednesday followed by the ITV Westcountry local news at 6pm - if you can get the channel.

Picture (top) shows the intrepid reporter, Martin Hesp, in severe conditions on the Torridge - photo taken from the comfort of the Pilot boat’s wheelhouse. The bottom picture shows Steve Rowbotham, Bronze Medalist, World Champion Mens’ Double Sculls, 2007, at the official launch at the River Festival in Taunton on16 September 2007. Steve said "Obviously a little wider than I am used to but the flatner is an extremely stable and maneuverable boat that would be fun for everyone"