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Article: Looking back aft: beauty and function met in the stern of West Coast fishing boats early in the 20th century. (Boats & Gear).
- Article from:
- National Fisherman
- Article date:
- December 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Diversified Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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One-hundred years ago, the most popular stern for small powerboats along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts was the fantail. The reason is simple: It practically built itself. The bottom planks were lead easily up to form the stern. One timber (the rim timber) held the plank ends and guard, and there were little or no bulwarks. The fantail worked well for commercial fishing, tug boats and pleasure boats (though here we are concentrating on West Coast fishing boats).
The fantail, or elliptical stern as it was also called, is named for its shape, which is flat and wide like a fan. Eventually, some "fantails" would be rounded and even somewhat squared-off.
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