Cold Lightning: A Novelty Sailcraft Plan by W. D. Jackson
A sail-powered novelty craft built on a 16 ft 2 x 6 longeron with a plywood fuselage and 71 sq ft of sail.
Cold Lightning is one of the more unusual designs in this collection, and that is part of its appeal. Its backbone is a 16 ft (4.88 m) 2 x 6 main longeron made from ordinary house-framing lumber, carrying a plywood fuselage and a streamlined mast and boom. A 71 sq ft (6.6 m²) sail provides the power. It is a fascinating project for tinkerers who enjoy building something out of the ordinary from materials found at any lumberyard.
Cold Lightning at a glance
| Detail | Cold Lightning |
|---|---|
| Type | Novelty sailcraft |
| Construction | 16 ft 2 x 6 main longeron from house-framing lumber, plywood fuselage, streamlined mast and boom |
| Power | Sail: 71 sq ft |
| Designer | William D. Jackson |
| First published | p. 31 |
| Craft Print | No. 302 |
| Plan sheets | 11 |
Built from the lumberyard
Using a standard 2 x 6 as the main longeron is a clever, budget-friendly move. House-framing lumber is easy to find and inexpensive, and the long, straight member gives the craft a rigid spine to hang everything else from. It also makes the core of the structure easy to understand, even for builders new to unusual craft.
The plywood fuselage and streamlined mast and boom show attention to clean airflow, which matters on any sail-powered craft. With 71 sq ft of sail, it is lively without being unmanageable, and eleven sheets of drawings guide the unusual construction step by step. That level of detail is welcome on a design with so few familiar reference points.
The original plan sheets
These are the 11 original sheets, scanned from the magazine. For building, use the full-size PDF in the download section below.
Who designed it
William D. Jackson designed Cold Lightning, issued as Craft Print 302, with the original article on page 31. Jackson's long run of Craft Print designs included many novelty craft alongside his more familiar runabouts and dinghies.
Before you build
- Pick the straightest, clearest 2 x 6 you can find for the longeron, since it carries the whole craft.
- Shape the streamlined mast and boom carefully and seal them well against moisture.
- Rig and test the 71 sq ft sail on a calm day before trying it in a stronger breeze.
Download the plan
All eleven original Cold Lightning sheets in one file, ready to print at full size or follow on a tablet.
Download the complete plan (PDF, 11 sheets, 3.7 MB)
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