Back in January, 2010 I wrote an article about William H.
Longyard’s unique homebuilt, self-designed trailer-sailer, ‘Lucky Town 7’.
(First link, below.) William spent 10 years designing this rather special
sailboat that can be kept in a garage, trailed behind a medium size car, and
sailed along the coast - even, according to William, she’s suitable for blue
water cruising.
At the time of writing my first article, building plans were
not available, but now they can be purchased from Duckwork’s for the modest sum
of $40.(Second link, below.)
It is not my intention to repeat things I’ve already said.
Instead I want to draw your attention to the links below that provide
information about ‘Lucky Town 7’. She’s a small boat with numerous useful
features seldom found in production boats of equivalent size; for example, a flushing
toilet and provision for a shower. In some respects she’s like a Matt Layden
Paradox, but with a drop keel instead of chine runners. As with Paradox, she can
be managed from below, but she does have the
advantage of a small cockpit. Her single junk sail makes for instant reefing,
with minimal effort and maximum safety.
If I were considering building a boat, she would be high on my
list of potential candidates.
Specifications
LOA 14’
LWL 13.75’
Beam 6’
Sail Area 120
sq ft
Lifting Keel 100
– 265 lbs
Draught 10”
(Up) 33” (Down)
Engine 2
– 6 HP
Displacement 680 lbs
Sleeps 2
‘Lucky Town 7’, William H. Longyard
Plans for ‘Lucky Town 7’
William Longyard’s Kayaking Page
A Speck on the Sea, by William H. Longyard
Microcruising Part 8, Bill Longyard and Lucky Town 7
4 comments:
Can't agree with you on this one Bill, bur perhaps beauty is in the eye of the beholder....give me a S.C.A.M.P. any day!
Scamp is a prettier boat, I grant you. Out of the two, I would prefer cruising Lucky Town 7.
Scamp is a better day boat, without a doubt, but she lacks accommodation, and you can't sail her from an enclosed position.
Cheers,
Bill.
Bill, have you seen the Adelie 14, and the Adelie 16?
http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=AD14#.UfQdleDFXZs
I thought they might appeal to you.
But they also cannot be sailed from inside like LT. Michalak designed some boats with such cabins though. His IMB seems equivalent to the Lucky Town:
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/imb2/index.htm
I can't comment on the art of enclosed sailing, something that doesn't appeal to me I must say! You have had an enormous amount of experience in your Paradox so have obviously formed an affinity for that sort or thing. My problem with the LT7 is not purely aesthetics, I believe you can only take the "quart into a pint pot" principal so far before it becomes a farce..... why not just build a slightly bigger boat? Also the low hull form and extremely high top sides doesn't, in my mind, make a vessel that would perform in anything but lake like conditions and moderate winds. I admire people that have the courage of their own convictions, but this design doesn't fit my idea of a craft I would willingly go to sea in let alone venture out into the steep tumbling seas of the East Coast estuaries.
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