DUST IN THE BILGES
rom Viking longships to generic dinghies, for millennia, the distinctive stepped planks of clinker boatbuilding have been an icon of seafaring. As a construction method, it is light and strong and economical of timber; but it has one great Achilles heel. A clinker boat relies on a slight swelling of the planks by immersion in water to be watertight. This is known as ‘taking up’ and typically occurs at the start of every season. It’s hardly ideal in itself, and fatally impractical for any boats that live out of water and need quick deployment, like yacht tenders and shore-based lifeboats. Over time,
