From time to time the Discovery Centre at the Wooden Boat Centre Tasmania has small boats for sale. The boats are produced by students in the Diploma class. The types of boat available will vary, but may include examples of the following:

The Foster 10 Dinghy

(designed by Bill Foster, Battery Point, Tasmania)

The clinker-planked "Foster 10" is a development of a dinghy which Bill Foster designed and built for his daughter on the occasion of her 21st birthday, but with an eye to using it himself on occasions.

She is an ideal rowing and sailing dinghy for exploring, fishing or racing, or a suitable tender for a larger yacht. Built of Tasmanian timbers, she features unique Tasmanian characteristics such as a fine entry and flared bow, with a " slither strake " (double sheer strake) in place of an inwale inside the ribs so that she can be easily cleaned.

For rowing, the Foster 10 can comfortably carry three adults. Under sail the simple gunter rig combines a reasonable sail area with an aspect ratio that gives a good performance to windward, with a short unstayed mast, and spars which stow within the boat. The boat can also be driven by a small outboard motor (2HP maximum).

Materials used in construction include Huon Pine, King Billy Pine or Celery Top planking, with other timbers in the features. 

 

The Piner's Punt

The Wooden Boat Centre also currently has for sale an exquisite example of a Piner's Punt. This clinker-built, large rowing dinghy was designed by Adrian Dean with lines drawn from illustrations of the old traditional Tasmanian vessel created and used by timber gatherers on the West Coast for searching out and harvesting the difficult-to-get-at Huon Pine.

These specialist timber gatherers were known locally as Huon Piners, or just "Piners" - hence the name: Piner's Punt.
The vessel is nearly 14 feet in length, with two rowing stations that can be used by two rowers simultaneously. It has a blunt bow and a shallow draft, in keeping with its original purpose of getting into shallow creeks and a need to "shepherd" - by pushing - floating logs of Huon once they were cut and consigned to the river to float down to the nearest town where they could be hauled out and milled.

This new boat is mainly built of Huon Pine, with King Billy and other local timbers in the features. It is finished "bright" (that is, clear varnished) to show off the beauty of these timbers to their best advantage.

Please contact the Discovery Centre to discuss what boats are currently available.