Designing a Classic - The Dougherty Way
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 1:00 am
I know I have written about this before, but I thought I would repost because of an artifact that was sent to me from someone I am connected with through Facebook.
The story of how Dougherty Design the Classic Whalers is a helluva interesting one for me. You see, Bob Doughtery would hand sketch all of his designs and then create the wooden measuring scales to fit the drawing. This way if the drawings were ever to get in the hands of a competitor they would need the scale that corresponded to that drawing to get all the correct info. If you know architectural drafting this style is backwards. When you draw plans you are already working to a known scale. By sketching the design free of scale you are able to create a true free form aesthetic for the item you are trying to design.
This leads to one interesting item that I have. A number of years ago I bought one of only two scales that were saved from Boston Whaler. The scales were pulled out of the trash in the early 90's by Janis' (owner of Magic Brush) husband Tom Johnson (draftsman on the old CW site) around when he worked there. Tom told me when I bought this scale on ebay, at that the time management was literally throwing away all of Dougherty's hand drawings, hand made scales and other Classic Whaler design and engineering items. Tom, could only save the two scales without being noticed and he saved a few other things too. The rest of these scales are gone... Having attended the Center for Creative Studies where I studied product and transportation design, and always been drawing whalers as a kid, this scale is the most prised Whaler item I own.
Now, the new addition is a photo I received that is of the hand drawing Bob Dougherty did of the famous 18 Outrage. It is framed and hanging outside of Bob Dougherty's office at Everglades boats. The plan and elevation section lines on this drawing are what correspond to the hand made scales. Now I have no idea what hull my scale belongs to, but I would love to figure that out.
On a side note: The 21 Outrage was the only hull to have two scales made for the same hull. I had a scale for the side and plan, and a separate one for the bow/stern. In 2008 at the Miami boatshow when I spoke to Bob about these scale's and his drawings, he said he had to draw the bow / stern in a separate scale from the side and plan to get the bow (smirk lines) to look correct
Interesting that in Bob's Original 18 Outrage Sketch, there is a Mercury on the Transom....
The story of how Dougherty Design the Classic Whalers is a helluva interesting one for me. You see, Bob Doughtery would hand sketch all of his designs and then create the wooden measuring scales to fit the drawing. This way if the drawings were ever to get in the hands of a competitor they would need the scale that corresponded to that drawing to get all the correct info. If you know architectural drafting this style is backwards. When you draw plans you are already working to a known scale. By sketching the design free of scale you are able to create a true free form aesthetic for the item you are trying to design.
This leads to one interesting item that I have. A number of years ago I bought one of only two scales that were saved from Boston Whaler. The scales were pulled out of the trash in the early 90's by Janis' (owner of Magic Brush) husband Tom Johnson (draftsman on the old CW site) around when he worked there. Tom told me when I bought this scale on ebay, at that the time management was literally throwing away all of Dougherty's hand drawings, hand made scales and other Classic Whaler design and engineering items. Tom, could only save the two scales without being noticed and he saved a few other things too. The rest of these scales are gone... Having attended the Center for Creative Studies where I studied product and transportation design, and always been drawing whalers as a kid, this scale is the most prised Whaler item I own.
Now, the new addition is a photo I received that is of the hand drawing Bob Dougherty did of the famous 18 Outrage. It is framed and hanging outside of Bob Dougherty's office at Everglades boats. The plan and elevation section lines on this drawing are what correspond to the hand made scales. Now I have no idea what hull my scale belongs to, but I would love to figure that out.
On a side note: The 21 Outrage was the only hull to have two scales made for the same hull. I had a scale for the side and plan, and a separate one for the bow/stern. In 2008 at the Miami boatshow when I spoke to Bob about these scale's and his drawings, he said he had to draw the bow / stern in a separate scale from the side and plan to get the bow (smirk lines) to look correct
Interesting that in Bob's Original 18 Outrage Sketch, there is a Mercury on the Transom....