In construction the stems are shaped from oak and are scarfed to a keel of larch. Beneath this is attached a section of beech keel onto which a steel strip has been fastened for protection. It is important to note that yawls who worked from the rough foreshore would have had this feature of steel protection the full length of the keel, that is from bow to stern. The planking of this yawl comprises of thick spruce, which is copper reinforced along what Magill identifies as the ‘landings’. (1998, 45) Transverse timbers are bent larch and elm floors. The bent larch was used from gunwale to gunwale and a short end filler piece from each garboard maintained a smooth keel. The sawn elm floors are ‘joggled’ to give a close fit over the keel and stakes. In all cases the sawn floors rest on and are securely fastened to the keel shown in Figure 3.2 (a). The gunwales are made of larch and were fastened along from the bow to the stern, held in place by oak breasthooks.
A wooden rubbing strip was fixed along the top of the gunwales and was used as a means of protecting the outside edge of the top strake, The yawl contained three rowing ‘tafts’ along with a portable ‘slip taft’, which could be easily fixed as a means of creating more seating if required. . The mast of the vessel originally fitted into a piece mounted on top of the floor timbers and was held in place by a metal collar on the afterside of the middle seat. Magill (45) reports that this ‘taft’ was specially supported and secured by oak ‘standing knees’ this gave reinforcement to both the mast and the seat which held it in place. The yawl was clearly intended for sailing and rowing because the builder included in it’s design four alternative tack strong points attached to each gunwale between the bow and the rowing taft. (Magill, 45) This made the allowance for the boat to suit a variety of wind directions and ‘reefing’ patterns for dipping the lugsail. The floorboards in the body of the boat between the three rowing tafts are laid in panels and reinforced by floor joists. The top three strakes of the boat were coloured white while the five strakes below were green. Magill (1998, 46) suggests that the transition of the Marion from sailing/pulling vessel to outboard engine the original rudder was dispensed of and the top of the sternpost was modified to take an ‘outboard bracket’.
As mentioned previously a replica of the Marion has been constructed. This task was undertaken by Harry Henvey at St John’s Point for the benefit of the Killough community as a means of stimulating the general interest in relearning the art of working the yawl again. Harry has constructed the boat by incorporating the same traditional boat building skills and methods, which were used in the original. This included the planked and clinker-built technique in which the shell structure was formed by over-lapping and fastening together the edges of the planks. This was then secured by inserting frames and ribs for rigidity and reinforced by nails. As with any project, the replica of Marion has had teething problems!
The mast and sail appear to be the cause of confusion. According to the replicas builder the sail was a dipping lugsail and this is the form it took on the completed replica. However, looking at iconographic evidence in the form of paintings reveals a very different story. For example, one painting illustrates an extremely triangular sail with no degree of angle at either side. The second painting is more comparative to the sail of the replica. (Figures, 3.5 and 3.6) It must be noted that one small piece of evidence does not reject the present lugsail on the replica however it does challenge this fact. The mast has also caused a dilemma. Soon after the replica construction the mast broke and this lead to the assertion that the original means of constructing this feature had not been maintained, the problem here was identifying the original fastening technique! From an analysis of Marion’s construction it can be proposed, that fastening the mast required fitting the mast heel into a wooden piece or mounted step on top of the floor timbers. This was then secured in place to the middle ‘taft’ by a metal collar. It would appear that the replica requires this vital piece, for the mast to stay in place. In conclusion the replica of the fishing yawl Marion is a clear tribute to the people of Killough and it’s builder. It has maintained the traditional construction techniques and has shown that the skills for small boat building have not died out with the last working days of the fishing yawls in Killough.
