Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 6

Keel Box

Mast Box

Preparing the Douglas fir for making the yard

What can we learn from the photo of the keel box? We can see the support frame for the keel box is at the aft end. At the forward end there’s an upright support between the keelson and the deck beam. There’s also a knee at the top that strengthens the area where the keel hoist will be fitted. We get a good view of the backing pieces for the butt joints on the side panel and on the floor of the boat. The keelson is strengthened at the base of the keel box with reinforcements either side of the box.


The photo of the area between number one bulkhead and number two bulkhead shows how the mast support box is made. This slightly differs from Derek’s building plan by having a circular recess for the foot of the mast instead of a 1.5 inch square slot.


Today I started building my ‘Sharpy’ when I began shaping her yard from Douglas fir. The bulk of the timber should be delivered on Monday.

Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 5

View forward

View aft

These photos give us more detail. The one of the forward section reveals that the boat has been fitted with standard foot pedals – the sort that may be found in manufactured decked canoes. Derek’s building plan gives details of an oak rudder bar angled at 30 degrees from the horizontal which articulates on a spindle embedded in a vertical fore and aft mahogany support. This support butts onto bulkhead two. The fore and aft position of the rudder bar is adjusted to suit the crew. The photo adds to our understanding of how the the keel box and the mast support are made.


The photo with a view towards the stern shows bulkheads three and four, plus details of the transom. The transom is made from two plywood panels that are joined at an angle. A substantial internal post is shaped to accept the panels which are inclined forwards to provide a streamlined effect. This arrangement, although pleasing to the eye, makes the construction more complicated than would be the case with an upright, single panel transom. The complication also requires specially made pintles that will fit the angled transom, but this requirement could be eliminated by having an external transom post with a flat outer surface.


Before the aft deck is attached, two 15 mm plastic tubes will need to be fitted to holes in the transom for conveying the steering lines between the rudder yoke and the foot pedal. The forward end of these tubes will be attached to holes in number four bulkhead. The tubes will pass through number five bulkhead. After the internal woodwork has been protected with paint, and the partitions filled with polystyrene pellets enclosed in plastic bags, the deck can be fitted.

Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 4

Cockpit


Forward Section



It gives me great pleasure to be able to tell you that a ‘Sharpy’ is being built in the USA. The builder wishes to be anonymous, but he is very happy for me to publish photos of his boat. I’ll start with two of them - one of the cockpit and the other shows the forward end of the boat.
Here is my abridged reply to his email giving me permission to publish his photographs.


.....................................................................................


Well, (Mr. Anonymous),

Thanks for the 'go ahead' with your photos. I think they might encourage others to build 'Sharpy'.

……………………………………………………….. All of these home-built craft have differences, some of which may improve their performance or functionality. Feedback via the Internet through group discussions, forums, blogs or websites is automatically archived, and photos are particularly useful, because things seen are easier to understand than those described by words.

Builders come up with their own solutions to problems, and they have their own methods of working. Those who share information online about such things, add to the pool of knowledge.

I look forward to seeing photos of your ballast castings, and to making them available to potential builders of 'Sharpy' by uploading them to my Blog.

Best wishes,
Bill.

.....................................................................................


What can we learn from the photos? They give us a lot of information. The cockpit photo reveals where the two floor panels are butted together and where the side panels are joined. It clearly shows the construction of the keel box. There’s a support frame at the aft end, and under the coaming, on the port side, we can see a knee for strengthening the side deck. Either side, on the floor of the boat, there are single stringers. At the bottom of the side panels there are chine logs. Careful examination will reveal that the support frame for the keel box, bulkhead, and knees, have been thickened by the addition of beading at the edges where they come into contact with side panels. The forward waterproof bulkhead is far enough in front of the keel box to give space for the foot steering bar that will be installed later. There’s a slot at the apex of the coaming for the support block that will be part of the keel hoisting and lowering system. At the top of the photo you can see where the raised foredeck joins the sloping side decks.


The photo of the front part of the boat gives us more information. We can see the mast support, the sheer logs and the number 1 bulkhead, plus the central deck support beam. It also reveals what will become two watertight chambers. The original plans recommend filling these compartments with polystyrene pellets in plastic bags - presumably, the sort that will not degrade. Mr Anonymous will be adding watertight hatches, so that he will be able to access the compartments.

British Hunter Pilot 27

Unequivocally, we have here a Hunter Pilot 27. She’s a very comfortable 4 to 5 berth cruising yacht designed by David Thomas who has a string of successful yacht designs to his name, including the Elizabethan 31, the Sigma 33 MH, plus smaller boats like the Medina, the Sonata, the Red Fox 200 and the Horizon 21. He is a designer with almost impeccable credentials when it comes to perfection in yacht design, both for racing and cruising; therefore we can expect a good turn of speed and efficiency from the Hunter Pilot 27, but what we also get is practicality and functionality because of the ergonomics of the design.


In the forward cabin there is a large double berth and a hanging locker, and in the central cabin where most activity takes place and where there’s the least movement when the yacht is underway, there’s a galley to starboard and settee berths to port with a large table. This accommodation is enclosed in a raised pilot house where there can be an optional steering station, which I for one, would appreciate when the going gets tough, and the rain is bucketing down. Underneath the cockpit to starboard there’s a double cabin with a seat and a lobby. By the companionway to port there’s a heads with an optional shower.


Hunter Boats offered a twin keel version and a fin keel version, but by far the more popular was the twin keel yacht. In practice little difference has been found between their performance, and this must be due to the design of the asymmetric twin keels that are towed in to provide lift when sailing to windward. The yacht is steered by a transom-mounted rudder which can be operated by a tiller or by a wheel or both. Thus, the helmsman has a choice of whether to steer the boat from within the pilot house or from outside in the cockpit. The latter is self-draining, and it has sloping, teak-faced side benches. I particularly like the side decks which give easy access to the foredeck.


Altogether, Hunter Boats produced about 100 Pilot 27s, either for kit completion or as finished yachts. Production started in 1996 and ceased in 2005. Right now there’s a glut of second-hand Pilot 27s for sale, ranging from between £33,000 and £42,000. See my links below.


Specification


Hull Material: Fibreglass

Dimensions

LOA: 27' 7"
LWL: 22' 4"
Beam: 9' 1"
Draft: 3' 4"
Displacement: 2745 Kgs
Ballast: 1073 Kgs



Links



Pilot 27
http://www.hunterassociation.org.uk/site/ha_hunter_boat_range.php?boat_id=37


Yachts Net Info Page for the Pilot 27
http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/hunter-pilot-27/hunter-pilot-27.htm


Serenity – a Hunter Pilot 27 Sailing Yacht
http://www.yacht-serenity.org.uk/


Pilot 27 for Sale £42,000
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2003/Hunter-Pilot-27-2268748/Plymouth/United-Kingdom


Pilot 27 for Sale £38,950
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1997/Hunter-Pilot-27-2273437/Hayling-Island/United-Kingdom

http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=166832


Pilot 27 for Sale £37,500
http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=166832


Pilot 27 for Sale £35,500
http://www.rightboat.com/Hunter-Pilot-27/boat-12079409/


Pilot 27 for Sale £32,995
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2001/Hunter-Pilot-27-2145787/Hayling-Island/United-Kingdom


David Thomas Yacht Designs
http://sailboatdata.com/view_designer.asp?designer_id=76

Signet

Is this a Signet? (See the Addendum* below explaining she's a Crystal)

As far as I can see, there is little of note to set this small yacht apart from others like her built in the style of small sailing cruisers manufactured in the early 60s, but I do like her rather snug, contented appearance.


I think she may be an early Signet, perhaps produced by Hurley Marine, circa 1963/4, but fitted out by another yard. She’s probably an early version because of her wooden coaming and unusual, but attractively shaped windows. Other versions have two large rectangular windows on either side of the raised cabin trunk or one long rectangular window. Signets were designed by the American Ray Kaufman and most of them were manufactured in the USA.


Gilmax Ltd., of the UK, produced a late version known as the Mk 11, or Super Signet. Various manufacturers offered Signets with fin keels or bilge keels, skeg hung rudders or transom hung rudders. Some manufacturers offered a choice of inboard or outboard engines.


Specification


LOA 19' 10"
LWL 16' 0"
Beam 6' 8”
Draft Bilge Keel 2' 0"
Draft Fin Keel 3' 0"
Displacement 2,047 lbs
Headroom 4' 1"



Links


Signet 20 Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/signet20/

Signet 20 Mk 2 – Sold, but good photos
http://crete.boatshed.com/signet_signet_20_mark_2-boat-66244.html

Signet 20 for Sale £995
http://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1553

Signet 20 for Sale £1,500
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F223883

Signet 20 for Sale £2,500
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA13886

Signet 20 for Sale £2,750
http://belfast.gumtree.com/belfast/76/61446876.html

Sailboat Data – Signet
http://sailboatdata.com/VIEWRECORD.ASP?CLASS_ID=3671

Addendum

Paul Mullings has identified the yacht as a Crystal. Follow this link to see photos of one: http://wales.boatshed.com/crystal_23-boat-101144.html

Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 3

Profile and Plan View

Sketch of the Keel

The Keel

The 42 inch keel is made from plywood, aluminium, mahogany and lead. Both the leading edge and the trailing edge underwater sections are tapered and they are shaped from mahogany that is screwed and bonded to the plywood so that they overlap the aluminium sheathing on either side. A Bowden cable attached to the bottom of the keel fits in a groove on the leading edge. When in use, the cable is clipped to a tackle on the foredeck so that the keel can easily be raised or lowered. When fully raised, the top of the keel protrudes 23” above the cockpit coaming; this does not interfere with the sail, although I doubt the keel would be fully raised when the boat is being sailed. For optimum speed downwind, that may be the case, and should an involuntary gybe occur, the boom would be clear of the keel.


The ballast keel bulb is laminated from sheets of lead that are shaped with shears or scissors. Each piece is joined to the other with flexible impact glue and they are clamped together with locating pins. The starboard ballast is permanently attached to the keel, and the port ballast can be removed for convenient transportation. Derek designed the keel so that it would be able to flex, and if it were subjected to exceptional strain the plywood core may possibly fracture, but the keel and ballast would not be lost.


The keel snugly fits into a vertical keel box that is at located at the forward end of the cockpit. There is room either side of the keel box for the crew’s legs to pass under the foredeck so that his feet can rest on the steering bar.

Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 2

Derek with 'Sharpy'


Yesterday I explained how I planned to make the hull panels for ‘Sharpy’ from marine plywood. Today I want to say a few words about setting the boat up for sailing.


Unlike Matt Layden’s ‘Paradox’, ‘Enigma’ and ‘Elusion’, Derek Munnion’s ‘Sharpy’ is not sheathed with epoxy GRP. Sheathing considerably increases the weight of a vessel and as ‘Sharpy’ has been designed to be transported on the roof rack of a car, keeping her as light as possible is the name of the game. Getting her on a roof rack would be more difficult if the ballast keel had to remain in her. Very cleverly, Derek devised a keel that can be removed from the boat for transportation. It is inserted into the keel box when the boat is on her side, and to make this easier, the lead ballast has been divided into two parts. The smaller 33 lbs piece is permanently attached to the tip of the keel, and the larger 40 lbs complementary piece is joined to it by two locating pins. During transportation, the keel components are normally kept in the boot of the car.


Getting the boat on and off her roof rack can more easily be done if the rack has been modified with a padded roller located above the boot of the car. A padded roller will minimize damage when the boat is being pushed up and forward onto the rack and when she is being taken off.


At the launching site, ‘Sharpy’ is carefully placed on her side, so that her keel can be inserted into the keel box from underneath. If the ground is at all rough, a small mat should be put under her to protect her from being damaged. After the keel has been inserted, the boat is turned upright and a Bowden cable used for lowering or lifting the keel is clipped to the tackle on the foredeck designed for that purpose. The Bowden cable fits snugly into a groove on the forward edge of the keel, and its lower end is fixed to the bottom of the keel. This neat arrangement allows water to flow around the keel without hindrance.


All that remains to be done before putting ‘Sharpy’ into the water, is to ship her mast, attach the yard to the halyard, stow the sail on the side deck, and fix the launching trolley to the skeg at the aft end of the boat. She is then pulled the last few yards to the water where the trolley is removed. When she’s afloat, the rudder can be fitted, and the steering lines clipped to the rudder yoke. The whole operation takes only a few minutes, and she’s ready to go.

Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 1

I’ve no idea how long it will take to build ‘Sharpy’, a 15’ sailing sharpie designed by Derek Munnion, but I shall make a start when the timber and marine plywood arrives at my home. I ordered the mahogany and plywood from Robbins* of Bristol, and I expect to have them before the end of next week. Meanwhile I’ve been planning how I can most economically make the shapes of components for the hull. I shall use a handheld jigsaw for cutting the various shapes. From four sheets of 4 millimetre 4 ft by 8 ft of marine plywood to the standard of BS 1088, I shall have to cut out 17 shapes, the largest of them being the central and aft section of the boat’s bottom. The forward section will have to come from another sheet.


I set about finding the best layout for the various bits and pieces by making patterns to the scale of 3 millimetres representing an inch, which is the same scale Derek used for sheets one and two of the building plans. These detailed drawings show how the hull should be built. I found it was easy to trace the shapes directly onto greaseproof paper - proper tracing paper would have been better. After cutting those out I juggled them to fit onto 4 pieces of paper that were 144 millimetres by 288 millimetres. These rectangular pieces of paper represented the sheets of plywood that will be used for making the hull.


Part 2 of this series will be posted in due course.

Links


‘Sharpy Plans’

http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2010/09/sharpy-plans.html

‘Sharpy’

http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2010/09/sharpy.html

‘Sharpy’ 15’ drop-keel Sailing Canoe

http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2010/01/sharpy-sharpy-is-15-by-2-6-drop-keel.html

*Robbins Timber

http://www.robbins.co.uk/

Vivacity 20

I’ve seen quite a number of Vivacity 20s sailing the shallow waters of the south-east of England, for which they are well suited. With a draught of 2’ 6” they can creek crawl where other vessels possibly would not dare go, and if they get stuck, they can happily take the ground by settling on their bilge keels.


Designed by D. C. Pollard, the yacht was developed from the Alacrity 19 that was built by Hurley Marine, but marketed by Russell Marine. Russell Marine, who later joined forces with Catalina Yachts of the USA, took over production of the Vivacity 20 in 1972.


With a masthead rig, a 7’ 1” beam and a waterline length of 18’ 4” they had a good overall performance. Motorised propulsion came from an outboard motor mounted on her transom. Featuring an open plan layout and four berths, she was a popular choice for couples - even those with one or two young children.



Statistics

LOA 20’ 02
LWL 18’ 4”
Beam 7’ 1”
Draught 2’ 6”
Displacement 2,205 lbs
Headroom 4’ 0”


Links


Vivacity 20s for Sale

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA4928 (£1,000)
http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=144875 (£1,750)
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA13286 (£1,800)
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA2349 (£2,500)
http://www.theyachtmarket.com/boats_for_sale/77113/ (£4,000)


Vivacity 20 – good photos

http://www.boatshed.com/vivacity_20-boat-11742.html

Snapdragon 747

Thames Marine at Canvey Essex, manufactured a series of family sailing cruisers under the brand name of Snapdragon. Their 24’ 6” bilge keel Snapdragon 747 was in the middle of the range. Owners claimed they went to windward marginally better than the Snapdragon 24, which was the predecessor. I must confess that I cannot spot differences between them. The 747 has standing headroom of 5’ 9”, five berths in two cabins, a separate heads and a hanging locker. Comfortable accommodation seems to have been the priority, rather than performance under sail. Some people would classify the 747 as a motor-sailer rather than an auxiliary yacht, but that would underestimate her performance off the wind and downwind.


There are several of these early 1970 GRP yachts for sale. If you are looking for a good value, family yacht that can be kept on a half-tide mooring, and you are not too concerned about windward performance, a Snapdragon 747 may meet the criteria.



Specification


Hull GRP
Keel Bilge
LOA 7.47m (24ft 6in)
LWL 6.25m (20ft 6in)
Beam 2.45m (8ft 0in)
Draft 0.76m (2ft 6in)
Displacement 1,678kg (3,692lb)
Ballast 703kg (1,547lb)



Links


Snapdragon and Mirage Association
http://www.snapdragonmirage.org.uk/


Snapdragon 747 for Sale £6,495
http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=158592


Snapdragon 747 for Sale £4,200
http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=152379


Fin Keel version of the Snapdragon 747 for Sale £6,495 (Sold)
http://search.boatshop24.co.uk/fullspec.asp?btsrefno=15268454


Good Photos of a 747
http://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1568


Snapdragon 24 - earlier version of 747
http://www.western-horizon.co.uk/archive_boat.php?boat_id=43

Pandora

A Pandora International on the River Crouch

My Pandora Mk 1 at Dover

My Pandora again

Ridgeway Marine produced three versions of the E.G. Van de Stadt Pandora. The original 22’ Mark 1 was based on the Trotter, which evolved from the Randmeer day boat. Van de Stadt added decks and a coachroof to convert her into a weekender, and named her the Trotter. He subsequently increased the height of Trotter’s freeboard to provide more space for the accommodation and to compensate for the additional weight. She was named the Trotter-Pandora.


In 1967 Grimsby Plastics was licensed to build the Trotter-Pandora, but they only managed a run of 20 boats. Ridgeway Marine took over production in 1971, and after they redesigned the deck and coachroof, they marketed her as the Pandora. In 1973 they revamped the whole boat and gave her a deeper keel and a taller rig, but continued to offer alternative hull forms, i.e., fin keel, twin keels or with a drop plate. This model was named the Pandora International.


A final transition took place in 1976 when the yacht was given a retousse stern which necessitated her having a skeg-hung rudder instead of a transom-hung rudder. This version, the Pandora 700, was equipped with an even taller rig. Production of the 700 ceased in October, 1991.


I owned a Mark 1 Pandora in 1981 and sailed her to Holland and back. An account of the cruise can be found in my Blog, starting with Part 1.* (See link below)



Links


The Pandora Owners Association
http://www.pandora.org.uk/


Pandora Mark 1 Brochure
http://www.pandora.org.uk/pdfs/brochures/Mk1Brochure.pdf


Pandora International Brochure
http://www.pandora.org.uk/pdfs/brochures/IntBrochure.pdf


Pandora 700 Brochure
http://www.pandora.org.uk/pdfs/brochures/700Brochure.pdf


*Part 1 of my Cruise to Holland aboard ‘Apple Charlotte’ my Pandora MK1
http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2010/03/apple-charlotte.html


Pandora Mk 1 for Sale £1,850
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA6692


Pandora Mk 1 for Sale £1,600
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA14821


Pandora International for Sale £3,850
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA13617


Pandora International for Sale £3,400
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/BSX280


Pandora 700 for Sale £3,450
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA3760

Westerly Nomad

Westerly built their very first yacht in 1963; she was the Westerly 22. In 1966 they produced a different upper moulding that extended the cabin forwards, and renamed her ‘Nomad’. The extra internal volume provided enough space for the hull to be divided into two cabins, the forward one with two berths and the main cabin with two inward facing settee berths. Her galley at the forward end of the main cabin had a stove to port and a basin to starboard. She had a separate head and a proper hanging locker. Instead of keeping her gunter rig, she was given a taller mast for a Bermudan mainsail. Her hydrofoil twin keels, plus a substantial skeg forward of her spade rudder, made her suitable for taking the ground at half-tide moorings. I think I'm right in saying buyers of new boats had the option of equipping their yacht with an inboard diesel engine or an outboard, mounted in a well sited in the cockpit.



Specification

L.O.A 22’ 3”
L.W.L 18’ 4”
Beam 7’ 5”
Draught 2’ 3”
Weight 3,150 lbs
Ballast 1,050 lbs
Berths 4
Main 120 sq ft
Genoa 166 sq ft
Jib 105 sq ft



Links


A Personal Website - Westerly Nomad
http://www.anesi.com/nomad/


1968 Westerly Nomad Sales Brochure
http://www.anesi.com/nomad/brochure.htm


Sailboat Data – Westerly Nomad
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=4031


Westerly Owners Association
http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/


Westerly Nomad for Sale £4,750
http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=150332


Westerly Nomad for Sale £3,000
http://www.bristolyachtbrokerage.com/salesDetailBristolBoatSales.php?BoatId=601


Details of a very nice Westerly Nomad
http://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1494


Westerly Nomad – sold, but good photos
http://www.boatshed.com/viewboat.php?boat=4060


Westerly Nomad – sold at Preston Marina
http://www.prestonmarina.co.uk/brokerage_pages/boats/westerly-nomad.html


‘Emma’ a Westerly Nomad
http://www.coburgbrokers.com/em.html


‘Rolean’ motor sailing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vysS2RM5fDQ

Lysander 17

Lysander

When I was doing National Service in 1956 I built a PBK 15 canvas canoe; she was a decked kayak designed by Percy Blandord. This genius was a man of many talents, not least, writing books on a variety of subjects including: sailing, boating, boat building, woodworking, and blacksmithing - 123 titles in all! He claims he has sold 147,000 boat plans, more than any other designer in the world.



Perhaps his most well-known boat design is that of the bilge keel trailer sailer, the Lysander. He designed her in 1963 for construction by amateur boat builders who could build them with minimal resources. They were made from plywood panels laid on laths that were supported by frames. The 17’ foot boat had a shallow draught of only 2’ 3”. Some builders stretched their boats to 19’, and a few modified the coachroof by raising it to provide more headroom. The original sloop had a gunter mainsail and a jib, which meant that her spars could be contained within the length of the boat for safe trailing. Over time, builders experimented with different rigs, including gaff, and junk. Some boats were modified to become cutters by the addition of a bowsprit for deploying a ‘proper’ jib.



Plans for building a Lysander can be obtained from the Lysander Owners Association. (See link below)



Statistics


L.O.A 17’ 0”
Draught 2’ 3”
Weight approx 800 lbs
Mainsail 90 sq ft Jib 33 sq ft


Links


Lysander Owners Association
http://www.lysander.org.uk/


Sailboat Data Info Page for the Lysander
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=4838


Lysander Ullswater Meet – YouTube Videos


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1MMBF1AzhU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqaqclXYBLw&playnext=1&videos=4SXKwOt5lnQ&feature=mfu_in_order


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8jpClkjpBc&videos=4SXKwOt5lnQ&feature=BF


Good Photos of a 19’ version with a lifting cabin top
http://www.boatshed.com/lysander_19-boat-31473.html


Percy Blandford Appreciation Society
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42265674352



Article at Twin-Keeler
http://twin-keeler.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html


An Illustrated History of Small Boats by Percy Blandford
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/columns/wasey/11/index.htm


Percy Blandford Books
http://www.allbookstores.com/Percy-W-Blandford/author

Trident 24

I recently took photos of three Trident 24 yachts, all moored at Hullbridge, on the River Crouch. A dodger of one has come adrift; perhaps this happened during recent high winds.


Alan F. Hill designed the Trident in the early 1960s and I believe I’m right in saying the earlier ones were made in 1962 by the Marine Construction Ltd., of Southampton. Later, Tridents were manufactured by Marcon Marine, and I think production by that company ceased in 1980.


The earlier ones had wooden superstructures and GRP hulls that were fitted with a central lifting keel. Marcon Marine offered a GRP version, either with a fin keel or a triple keel - every vessel met Lloyds specification for materials and construction. Altogether, between 1960 and 1980, 150 Tridents were built - some in kit form, and others as completed yachts.


If you are looking for a ‘traditional’ yacht, one that has a classical appearance, then a Trident 24 may be the answer.



Statistics

Length overall: 24' 0" (7.3m)
Length waterline: 19' 0" (5.79m)
Beam overall: 7' 5" (2.26m)
Draughts:
Fin keel 3' 8" (1.11m)
Bilge keel 2' 6" (0.76m)
Centreboard (down) 5' 9" (1.75m)
Centreboard (up) 2'1" (0.64m)
Displacement 4040lbs (1835kg)
Ballast (40%) 1500lbs (680kg)



Links


Trident Owners Association
http://www.trident24.com/

YachtsNet info page for the Trident (Excellent photos)
http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/trident-24/trident-24.htm

Alan Hill, Designer of the Trident 24
http://www.trident24.com/designer.html

Trident for Sale £2,950
http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=154103

Trident for Sale £4,000
http://www.trident24.com/cgi-bin/advert.pl

Trident for Sale £10,520
http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=165711

Junk Rigged Trident 24 for Sale
http://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1578

Sea Kayak Sailing

'Acadia' rigged for sailing

Leeboard

Rudder

As I am about to start building ‘Sharpy’, a 15’ sailing canoe designed by Derek Munion, I thought I would remind myself of the time I modified an Acadia Perception kayak by giving her a sailing rig. The boats are very different. My 12’ 3” Acadia was designed for paddling, and there was never a hint that she should be rigged with a sail and a leeboard, but she did have a standard kick-up rudder.


I happened to find links to a Tasmanian website run by Jeff Jennings. He and members of the Maatsuyker Canoe Club pioneered the use of sails on their sea kayaks, and they became very skilled at using them, even when the sea was rough. Jeff’s website had a page devoted to sail design that gave details of the rigs they used. I made up my own sail, based on one of Jeff’s patterns, and fitted it to a flexible mast, which was nothing more than a length of plastic kitchen drainpipe. This combination worked well. The rig was especially effective in gusty conditions, because wind was automatically spilled from the sail, thus reducing the chances of the kayak being capsized.


I never felt entirely happy with my Acadia, because of my rather slow reactions when trying to keep her upright. If the wind increased, and it became too strong for sailing, I was able to stow the rig on her foredeck, and continue by paddling the kayak.


I feel sure I shall be more relaxed aboard ‘Sharpy’, on account of her ballast keel. As can be expected, she will heel at about 30 degrees when the wind is approaching a Force 3, but unless I do something very foolish, like pressing on under full sail, she should never heel more than 40 degrees. I realize that she could capsize, but the chances of it happening are far less than they would be with ‘Acadia’. As with the latter, I shall be able to paddle ‘Sharpy’ when the going gets too tough for sailing.



Links


Perception ‘Acadia’ Paddling Kayak
http://www.perception.co.uk/product/index/products/recreational/acadia/

Sea Kayaking in Tasmania
http://www.vision.net.au/~jennings/

Kayak Sail Design
http://www.vision.net.au/~jennings/sail/sail.html

Jeff Jennings’s YouTube Channnel (Some amazing videos here)
http://www.youtube.com/user/jeffdjtube

Maatsuyker Canoe Club
http://www.wetdawg.com/pages/clubs_display.php?c=321

‘Sharpy’
http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2010/09/sharpy.html

Skipper 17 Trailer Sailer

I think this is a Mark 11 'Skipper Mariner' with twin retractable keels.

The Skipper 17 trailer sailer was designed by Peter Milne who also drew the plans for the Fireball racing dinghy. Skipper 17s went through a number of transformations from the time when Richmond Marine produced them in the late 60s. The original boat was in the form of a day sailer that had a small, unobtrusive cuddy up forwards. She had a capacious cockpit, large enough for a crew of six, and she was fitted with a heavy retractable steel plate that was housed in a centre case. In the early 70s she was given a different cuddy that was rather bulbous, and in my opinion it looked completely out of place - even ugly! This version was marketed as the ‘Skipper Mate’.


In 1972 the whole superstructure was revamped, so that she had a larger, more conventional cabin placed more or less in the middle of the boat. Unfortunately, the width of the cabin top only left very narrow side decks that didn’t lend themselves to easy access by her crew to her small foredeck. Getting forward to do anchor work, or to pick up a mooring, was not the easiest or safest of activities. Valuable interior space was taken up by the centre case moulding which was slap in the middle of the cabin. Later, when the boat was updated, this annoying obstacle was removed and replaced by twin bilge plates. At that time she was marketed as the, ‘Skipper Mariner’.



In 1992, Richmond Marine relinquished their ownership of the moulds, and sold them to Morton Marine who redesigned parts of the boat. They added an inboard well for an outboard engine, and gave her an adjustable backstay. She was re-branded as the ‘Eagle 525’, but that was not the end of the story, because in 1999 they added more ballast, and increased her sail area. By then she had undergone many transformations, so that she had evolved into a boat that I would describe as a capable, small coastal cruiser. I would label her as a boat that can be transported by road trailer, rather than a trailer sailer. Sadly, production ceased in 2003.



Links


Skipper 17 Website
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/skipper17/

Go Sail Info Page – re the Skipper
http://www.go-sail.co.uk/skipper17.asp

Skipper 17 for sale £1,950
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA497

1981 Skipper with Trailer for Sale £2,100
http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=158481

1985 Skipper 17 with Trailer - was for Sale, now SOLD £2,900
http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=150844

Photos of a Skipper 17
http://www.caleyboats.co.uk/125/Sail-Craft-for-Sale/Skipper-17-Trailer-Sailer-with

YouTube Video of a Mariner 17 (Skipper 17) Sailing on Grafham Water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5SvsN9tNVo

1993 Eagle 525 (Modern version of the Skipper 17) recently sold £6,200
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PMS501

‘Sharpy’ Plans

Plans

Derek's 'Sharpy'

The awaited boat plans arrived, as I expected they would on Monday morning. Derek Munnion, the designer of ‘Sharpy’, was as good as his word. I couldn’t open the package immediately, because I had other things that needed doing. By Monday afternoon the excitement built up. I carefully inserted the opener under the flap of a large brown envelope and purposefully slit it open. Inside, there was a folded package of crisp white drawings, plus a letter and a few sheets of printed paper along with a photo of a partially built boat.


I spread the drawings out on my bed and examined them, starting at sheet 1. At first I was a little awed by the delicate and precise graphics. I did not understand everything at a glance, and I began to wonder if I had taken on more than I could chew, but bit by bit things became clear as I compared one diagram with another. The whole picture fell into place, and I was able to grasp the three-dimensional aspects of the boat’s structure. The more I looked at the drawings, the clearer my understanding of them became. Then I realised that building ‘Sharpy’ should be easier and quicker than any of the boats I had recently built, but that remains to be seen.


Some parts are fashioned from stainless steel - things like the retaining pins for the lead ballast at the bottom of the keel, and the rudder fittings. Unless I can find a way of substituting them for proprietary parts, I’ll have to have them made by someone who has the skill and equipment to do it. The sail should not be too difficult to cut and sew, but I’ll reserve judgment on that. I may have it done professionally.


I shall need to tackle things in turn. First, order the plywood, timber and adhesive; next shape and assemble the components of the hull, and while this is being done, work at getting the metal parts finished. The spars are nothing special, and they should not require a lot of effort to make. After building the keel and rudder, and a few other subsidiary parts I shall only need to paint the boat. Hopefully, if all things go well, my ‘Sharpy, should be ready for the water by mid or late summer of next year.

Express Pirate

Express Pirate at Hullbridge

I have previously looked at the Leisure 17 and the Leisure 17 SL. Today, I’m focusing on the Express Pirate 17. The original Pirate was designed by Ian Proctor; he was the genius responsible for the very successful Wayfarer dinghy and equally popular dinghies, i.e., the Gull, the Topper, the Osprey and the Kestrel. He also designed the Nimrod trailer-sailer, the Tempest keelboat and the Prelude pocket cruiser.


Both the Prelude and the Pirate were manufactured by Ridgeway Marine in the early 1970s. The Pirate was available with a fin keel or a swinging drop keel. Later, in 1978, Express Pirates were manufactured by Ryplas, who revamped the boat so that she had encapsulated bilge keels and a wooden rudder. These boats could be purchased in kit form for home completion.


Sometimes second-hand twin keel Express Pirates, when being offered for sale, are described as trailer-sailers, but with a draught of 3’ 9”, they do not lend themselves to repetitive launching and retrieving. Perhaps launching procedures can be speeded up and made easier by modifying the boat’s road trailer, but deep water ramps or slipways will be required, and inevitably, wheel bearings will be submerged every time.


I have never sailed an Express Pirate; therefore I cannot comment on the boat’s performance, but my guess is that she’s probably a good performer that may hold her own against a Leisure 17. Is there anybody out there who knows?


Specification


L.O.A 17’ 3” / 5.26 m
L.W.L. 15’ 0” / 4.57 m
Beam 6’ 9½” / 2.07 m
Draught Fin Keel 3’ 9” / 1.14 m
Draught Drop Keel 2’ 0” to 4’ 9” / 0.61 to 1.45 m
Draught Twin Keel 2’ 3” / 0.69 m
Mainsail 90 sq ft / 8.36 m²
Working Jib 54¼ sq ft / 5.04 m²
Displacement Fin 1350 lbs / 612 kg
Displacement Drop 1250 lbs / 568 kg
Displacement Twin 1430 lbs / 650 kg
Ballast Fin Keel 427 lbs / 194 kg
Ballast Drop Keel 340 lbs / 154 kg
Ballast Twin Keel 606 lbs / 275 kg
Internal Headroom 4’3” / 1.30 m
Portsmouth Yardstick Fin 1110
Portsmouth Yardstick Twin 1269


Links


The Pirate 17 Yacht

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/pirate17/


Pirate Express bilge keel version(Was for sale – good photos)

http://sussex.boatshed.com/viewboat.php?boat=4600


Creek Sailor’s Blog about his Express Pirate

http://creeksailor.blogspot.com/2009/06/express-pirate.html


Express Pirate for Sale £2,000

http://yachts.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=159754


Express Pirate for Sale £1,650

http://vehicles.vivastreet.co.uk/boats+coltishall/express-pirate--17ft-sailing-boat--for-sale--trailer-sailer/26995273


Express Pirate for Sale

http://www.millbeachmarineclub.co.uk/Boats%20for%20sale.htm


Express Pirate for Sale £1,300

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA7201

Woods Gypsy Catamaran

Woods Gypsy Catamaran 28 (Maybe - not sure)

I hardly ever mention catamarans here at my Blog, but today is one of those rare exceptions. Many of you will know that I have a favourite walk along the south side of the River Crouch at South Fambridge. As I take in the air and exercise my limbs, my eyes focus on the yachts moored in the River. Now and again I imagine I’m the owner of one that takes my fancy. I picture the yacht dancing over the waves and see the clouds skipping for joy. I hear the wind’s tune, and feel the throb of the hull as the boat slices through wave top spray; behind, there’s a wake of golden bubbles and the sun’s rays warm my heart.


Well, there’s a lot to the imagination for those who can imagine. And when I see the potential of a yacht and an owner sharing their dream, I delight in letting my imagination run riot. A yacht is not an inanimate object, but a creature with a soul and a life. She lives for a time then dies. In between, she sometimes almost dies, and then is restored for another chance of life. She almost dies because her partner lets her down. He neglects her, and leaves her to the ravages of destructive forces: the driving rain, frost, snow and even the baking sun. Moth, worm, dust, wind and storm, all combine their intent to reduce a thing of beauty and purpose into a worthless heap, no more to have life, but while the owner and his partner delight in one another there is care and protection, harmony, life, fun and a future.


I know these things, for I have seen them and experienced them. When I consider a vessel such as the catamaran pictured above, I wonder if her owner loves her as she deserves. I believe he does, because she is in fine fettle and her paint sparkles. She bobs to her mooring, waiting faithfully for shared adventures to come.


Links


Woods Gypsy Catamaran

http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/gypsy.htm

‘Gypsy Moth 1V’

Most people will have heard of Sir Francis Chichester who was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen on 7th July 1967 in recognition of his record-breaking circumnavigation. This voyage aboard his purpose-built ketch, ‘Gypsy Moth 1V’, took just over nine months to complete, of which 226 days were spent sailing, and 48 days ashore. Francis left Plymouth on 27th August, 1966 and arrived back there on 28th May 1967.


The 28,500 mile marathon was not without its problems, some with failures of gear and others because of difficult sea conditions. The 54’ cold-moulded yacht designed by Illingworth and Primrose had a fundamental design flaw which, in certain sea states, caused her to broach. At a stopover in Sydney, Francis employed Warwick Hood, the Americas Cup designer, to come up with a remedy, which was a modification to her keel, in the form of an extra section added to it. With more than 2,000 miles to go before the yacht would reach Sydney, the wind vane steering system failed. This necessitated Francis to devise a method of self-steering which he accomplished by balancing the sails in conjunction with shock-cords attached to the tiller. On the homeward leg, he had a very hard time when he encountered heavy seas near the Cape of Good Hope, and the yacht suffered a 140 degree capsize.


To commemorate Francis Chichester’s achievement, ‘Gypsy Moth 1V’ was incarcerated in a dry dock at Greenwich, near the tea clipper, the ‘Cutty Sark’. She was open to viewing by members of the general public, of which I was one. I remember being intrigued with a pendulum chair in which Francis could relax and remain upright. His body would have been subjected to vertical movement and some sideways movement as the yacht rose and fell to the undulating seas. I sat in the chair and was completely motionless. I tried to imagine what it would have been like for him during a raging storm.


In 2005 ‘Gypsy Moth 1V’ was completely restored from severe damage caused by rainwater and the pounding of visitor’s feet over a period of years while stationary in her concrete tomb. Under the sponsorship of the Yachting Monthly Magazine and the UKSA Sailing School, she was commissioned to undertake another circumnavigation, but this time with crews comprised of disadvantaged children who sailed on various legs of the voyage. Through a navigational error the yacht suffered a catastrophic grounding at Rangiroa, an atoll in the Tuomotus. She was taken off the reef by a team of experts and shipped to Auckland, where she was repaired, before continuing and completing her second circumnavigation.


Today, she is up for sale at Berthon Shipyard, Lymington. There I took the photo you can see above.


Links


Gypsy Moth 1V

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gipsy_Moth_IV

http://wwp.greenwich2000.com/info/tourism/gipsymoth.htm

Berthon Brokerage - Gypsy Moth 1V

http://www.berthon.co.uk/berthon-yacht-sales-and-brokerage/gipsy-moth-iv.html

Virtual Tour of Gypsy Moth 1V

http://www.upix.uk.com/host/index.php?id=117