Roy Maggio visits Concord & Ryde SC Boatbuilding Project

20th May was a bright but blustery Saturday. Members of Concord & Ryde Sailing Club were delighted to welcome long-time friend and supporter Councillor Roy Maggio to the club to observe the progress of the current winter boatbuilding project for young people.

While only the third day of this year’s programme the progress has been phenomenal. Working with a group of experienced boatbuilders, the young team have almost completed the shell of the first of two “scow Moths,” while the core components of the second will be ready to assemble when the first boat comes off the building jig in two weeks. These boats have extraordinary performance due to their light weight and Roy was amazed by their individual featherweight components.

The programme this year has the support of Bote-Cote, who provided much of the materials, as well as funds raised through the Australian Sports Foundation.

The scow Moth design was chosen for the build because it is a flat-bottomed boat, giving great stability for training. On the other hand, it can carry a large sail area making for exhilarating performance in the hands of experienced sailors. The boats under construction will be used to provide free sailing instruction to the young builders during the 2023/24 sailing season.

The programme selected the Imperium design, a Moth very familiar to the club and known for its excellent performance in light winds. Of course, the Moth class comes in many forms, scows, skiffs and famously, foilers.

	Roy Maggio holds part of the “strongback” of boat 2, while Liam and Instructor Paul, hold two of its frames. In the background, work on boat 1 continues apace.
	Roy poses with the builders beside Boat 1. Only two and half days since construction commenced. By the end of the day, the missing bilge panels had been installed and the shell was complete and ready for fibreglassing.
	A key focus of the programme is the safe use of professional quality tools. Here the trainees prepare the hull to receive its final components.
	An example of the end product - A classic shot of an Imperium scow in light weather. The sailor has allowed the boat to heel. This reduces the amount of hull in the water and allows the boat to go much faster. The picture clearly shows the large (8.25 Sq M) sail area of the boat.
	But when it gets windy…
	In previous years, the club has assembled a fleet of Firebug dinghies. These 2.4M (8 foot) boats are used for younger sailors who do not have the weight or strength to sail the Moths.
	Yes, Moths come in dramatically different shapes. The class has a history of experimentation going back to 1928.