Guys, have known this gentleman for 25 years. I had early involvement in the Simmons Sea Skiff Club; Dave Carnell (author here) was the founder and resident guru. A retired engineer, he at that time (1985) was a national officer of the Mensa Society.
I owned in the early eighties a restored 1968 twenty foot "High Side" Simmons Sea Skiff. Set it up for live bait fishing for King Mackeral, which at that time was a "secret" technique for the bigguns.
Back then, the concept was a laugher among the old fisherman. She had a single 70hp. 3cyl. Johnson....twin 18 gal. tanks...Carnell liked the boats, mine was a clean survivor.
He lofted all of the plans for the Simmons Sea Skiffs after TN's retirement. You guys on the Fl. east coast may have seen them. Still prevalent through the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and north of here through Va. and Delmarva. The new builds from purchased plans (New Hanover County NC Museum) have been especially popular in Maine. But the plans have been sold all over the world...even New Zealand has a club. They are impossible to forget once they are seen, absolutely beautiful.
There was a take-off back in the early nineties by Nelson Silva, Silva Boatworks, Wilmington, NC. He made the Simmons self-bailing, by taking a glass mold off the running hull (bottom 14 inches) but still utilizing cypress/mahogany on the ribs/transom/gunnels, etc.. That is, the wetted surface was pulled glass, the rest wood per initial design. Eliminated a lot of problems; rot below the waterline, held water in the bilge. Closed bilge, much like our early boats. Silva was a skilled Maine craftsman who moved down here with his young family. Used to be my next door neighbor. His fit and finish around here are legendary. Unfortunately he passed at an early age. His limited production remains in high demand. And pricey. You guys would be appreciative.
But read this article, and hopefully you'll enjoy the rest.
Here are Carnell's thoughts on preserving wood:
http://www.angelfire.com/nc3/davecarnell/rot.html
