Jim Franken
The James Cutter, designed by Jim Franken, favors traditional function and beauty over interior volume and amenities.
Designer Jim Franken has put all of his 60-plus years designing and building boats into the pretty little James Cutter, and that experience shines through everywhere you look. Designers tend to become more conservative with experience—less optimistic about performance and weight, and more concerned with structural integrity and longevity. So, it’s natural that they’re happiest when producing plans for very traditional types of boats. I know that Jim was happy drawing this little cutter.
The first James Cutter is being built now at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding (NWSWB) in Port Hadlock, Washington. In general form, this design’s ancestors were small working boats built in the south of England during the late 19th century. A more direct connection is with BRYONY, the 34′ big sister that Jim designed and NWSWB built in 1983. The James Cutter will benefit from decades of using BYRONY.