27' Chapelle Western Lakes Mackinaw Ketch (2019) - SAGA

Saga is a rendition of the Chapelle “Western Lakes Mackinaw” to lines from the Smithsonian. The boat is all cockpit, built with weight distribution and water ballast to approximate the centered, variable loads the working fish boats might have had in the 1800’s. Unlike the originals, she has buoyancy compartments for safety and a trolling motor auxiliary. Gaff-Ketch rigged, with a long straight drag to the keel, she sails like riding on rails.

This is a strip-composite version of a Great Lakes work boat from the 1800’s. The original builders did not record very much about their design choices or performance on the water, and this boat is an effort to discover why this type, shape, and rig of boat was used, copied, and built. Chapelle made estimates of proper ballast and trim for this boat, and we have been experimenting freely with these factors. Thus far the boat has sailed on Penobscot Bay and the Belgrade Lakes in Maine, in McGregor Bay of Northern Lake Huron, Green Bay, around Chicago in Lake Michigan, and Admiralty Inlet adjacent to Port Townsend, Wa. It is too early to draw definitive conclusions, but in general the boat likes to sail itself on a solid course as would befit a boat that was meant to allow fishermen to do their work. It is slow in stays, but relatively fast when squared away on a course: it easily slides up to 6.5mph and makes 8 on a reach. It is an open ballasted boat and is properly sailed on it’s feet, but with many enclosed storage lockers it survives a knockdown and can be bailed for self-rescue. Historically, ballast would have been stones, bags of gravel, and fishing gear. Saga started with water ballast to loosely approximate the original, but recent experiments have included more dense ballast, lower and further aft. This has improved the stability and made the boat quicker in stays.

Owners’ Comment: With five summers in the water, I am investigating the potential of this boat, and starting to learn why the boat was favored historically.. It is remarkably dry in short chop, and will easily sail itself with a line on the tiller, often with the tiller completely free. It is slow in stays as would be expected, but on-course easily gets 6.5 mph. I hope to eventually ballast to a GM of 3’ and #6000 displacement for more security and sail-carrying power. The photos below, in rough order, are in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, McGregor Bay, Ontario, Port Townsend Bay, Lake Michigan, near Chicago, Under construction, Chicago area, White Lake, Michigan (2), and back in Maine. See my blog/ website for more.