Contemporary and potential use

The frame and skin design method has been with us for more than 10,000 years and is still applied to many technical designs, even though the materials have changed. Timber and cloth, like in the Spitfire, were first replaced by aluminium and cloth in the Blenheim bomber and later by Kevlar and glass fibre reinforced resin (GRP). Environmental issues unfortunately did not move with it: the embedded energy values increase enormously, the more processed the materials become. A timber/cotton structure values about 2-10 MJ/kg, while a Kevlar/epoxy composite values around 400-600 MJ/kg. A small gain in weight is achieved at a high environmental cost.

Although they have ceased to be used in Scotland and Wales, currachs still remain in use for fishing, racing and leisure activities in many areas of the west coast of Ireland. A small number of makers still apply traditional methods, while others have changed to GRP to accommodate powerful outboard engines. Many users, however, reject this move: while it makes the boats more sturdy, this brings with it a loss of flexibility and agility. Currachs are far from dead: more and more enthusiasts enjoy them as inexpensive and low-maintenance leisure craft, learning to build and handle them. They are indeed leading examples in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Cheap to make and run with little impact on the environment in terms of their production and use, they are also good examples of social equity: they are accessible to those who cannot afford expensive boats, maintenance and mooring fees.

Despite all the advantages for aviation, the cloth and frame construction method has almost ceased to exist here, with the exception of some self-assembly kit aircraft. It is still widely used for the construction of scale model aircraft, however, like those exhibited here. The two examples were produced and assembled by West Wings Ltd., a company based in Helston, Cornwall, which uses CAD and CNC technology to produce detailed high-quality reproductions.