Cornish Shrimper

Having looked at Swallow Boat’s BayCruiser 20 and the Drascombe Coaster I thought I would have a butchers at the Cornish Crabber. All three trailer-sailers are capable of coastal cruising with a crew of one or two people.


I thought the Shrimper Owners Association website would be the best place to start, but I could find very little information about the boat itself. The history page tells of the first plywood Shrimper designed and built by Roger Dongray in 1978. He was helped by local carpenter Mike Hughes who built nine more plywood Shrimpers under licence. Cornish Crabbers took an interest in the boat and they produced their first GRP version (No.11) in 1980. Since then, more than a thousand GRP boats have been built, and there are about six hundred owners who are members of the Association.




The website has a photo gallery containing 22 images, plus a section of articles with photos from members who keep their boats in twelve areas around the coasts of the UK, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.


There’s more information about Shrimpers at the manufacturer’s website: http://www.cornishcrabbers.co.uk/index.cfm/boat/Crabber.Shrimper19 .


Boats can be fitted with Yanmar 1 GM diesel inboard engines, or they can be powered with a suitable outboard. They are gaff rigged with Sitka Spruce spars treated with Sikkens. The Mk 11 version replaced the original GRP boat in 1995. She has a higher cabin trunk, a forward hatch and a self-draining cockpit.








Specification


Length of deck 19ft 3” 5.87 m

Length on waterline 17ft 7" 5.33 m

Length overall with bowsprit 22ft 6" 6.86 m

Beam 7ft 2" 2.18 m

Draft - centreplate up 1ft 6" 0.46 m

Draft - centreplate down 4ft 0" 1.22 m

Displacement 2,350 lbs 1,070 kg

Ballast 700 lbs 319 kg

Sail Area 194 sq ft 18 sq m



Links


The Shrimper Owners Association

http://www.shrimperowners.org/


Cornish Crabbers Shrimper Page

http://www.cornishcrabbers.co.uk/index.cfm/boat/Crabber.Shrimper19


Cornish Shrimpers for Sale as at 19.12.10

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F224941#

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA15609

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA14906


Eastern Yachts (Shrimper for Sale – very good photos) – as at 19.12.10

http://easternyachts.com/helen/specifications.htm


Bobcary Boatyard – Specialists in Shrimpers

http://www.babcaryboatyard.com/


Cornish Shrimper No 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuaHHwHv_5M&feature=player_embedded


Cornish Shrimper Channel Crossing (No 10 Plywood version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4-8rII5Sg&feature=related


Cornish Shrimper Isolde (No 10 Plywood version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmzkYgvQyyA&feature=related


Cornish Shrimper 888 Sailing in the Solent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mx9lk_of5w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL