pocket cruisers

[Arthur Averitt]

My casual search for the so-called pocket cruiser design seems to invariably turn up flat bottomed hulls or stitch & glue designs. Are there any round bilge designs appropriate for strip or glued lapstrake between 17 - 20'? Looking for a boat that's short enough to build in a standard garage but has a little more sophisticated shape. I like the wee seal but surely there's some more choices out there?

[paladin]

The Cape Cutter 19 is a nice boat by Dix, or the 21......both are ply lapstrake.....

[Venchka]

Strip plank is ok?

Iain Oughtred's Eun Mara, maybe. Those are Iain's words regarding strip planking.

Paul Gartside's 18'-0"x8'-0"+ Design #110, "Spartan". As designed, she's supposed to be strip/cold molded. I own the plans. Lovely shape. Lots of hours. Very little plywood if you want to build the decks, cabin top & transom from 1/4" veneer. The whole boat can be built from western red cedar and either doug-fir or Alaska yellow cedar and a bit of plywood for the cockpit bulkhead and centerboard case.

The easiest build with the least materials required appears to be the Hartley TS-18. A 3-4 berth simple design using 15 sheets of 5/16" plywood. Not the prettiest maybe but simple, easy to build and seaworthy.

Frankly, unless you have a mill in your backyard, plywood is so dependable, consistant, reliable, etc. etc. It just makes sense unless you live where boat lumber grows on trees. :D The trend in glued lap plywood is toward more strakes. The average person can't tell the difference.

EDIT:

OK, now I see you live in Texas. Yep, plywood is the answer. In my humble opinion. The good stuff-Shelmarine. Shipped in from Harbor Sales. Can't miss.

EDIT PS:

You could do a whole lot worse than a Wee Seal II with a fir backbone and sapele planking.

Cheers!

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[ 08-18-2004, 07:04 PM: Message edited by: Venchka ]

[Buzz73]

John Welsford's PENGUIN is my favorite lapstrake pocket cruiser. PENGUIN (http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/penguin/index.htm)
There is a new pocket cruiser design in the works by Three Rivers Marineworks, called the LAURA CATHERINE 20. It is approx. 19'6" lod, uses strip planking, and is completely round-bilged. The stern is heart-shaped like a whitehall. LAURA CATHERINE 20 (http://www.3riversmarineworks.com)

[Mike Field]

.
A traditional, non-trailerable, displacement hull -- strip-planked, with no compound curve at the garboards. Twenty feet on deck. Two full-length berths, separate galley, chart table, sail locker, hanging locker, and forepeak. And head (after a fashion.)

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/mud-berth.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/sanderling-hull-s.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/sanderling-saloon-s.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/sanderling-charttable-s.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/sanderling-galley-s.jpg
.

YM 3-Tonner, Alan Buchanan, 1948. Brilliant.
.

[Mark Van]

Jay Benford designs some nice ones. Get the Book "Pocket Cruisers and Tabloid Yachts", there are complete plans for 2 sailboats, a few tug yachts, and some nice launches. He also designed a beautiful 18 foot canoe yawl.

[Meerkat]

http://www.selway-fisher.com/PLouisd1.gif
Port Louis 21 (http://www.selway-fisher.com/Yacht2024.htm#LOUIS)
This attractive pocket cruiser was designed for a client on the island of Mauritius and has some of the hull design features of the indigenous craft with their sweet and not over wide transoms married to traditional English work boat hull shapes with plumb stem and fairly hard bilges giving excellent stability and sea-keeping qualities. Construction is for strip planking over computer faired mould shapes. She has an inboard engine as well as a swing keel which does not intrude into the cabin space. The cockpit is large and the cabin is laid out generously for 2 crew. LOD (ex bow sprit) 20'3" (6.17m); Beam 8' (2.33m); Draft 2'/5' (0.61/1.55m); Approx. Displ. 3528 lbs (1600 kg); Ballast 992 lbs (450 kg); Sail Area 240 sq.ft (22,36 sq.m.).

[Meerkat]

Of course, if you want (IMO) the best small cruiser and one that's been built by a few forumites, there's this little gem:
http://www.britanniaboats.com/on_trailer.jpg

http://www.tiki30.com/P5162365.JPG

http://www.tiki30.com/P5162366.JPG

http://www.tiki30.com/P5162367.JPG

More at http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=003180

[sangraal]

Surprised nobody mentioned Atkins yet. Gretchan and Helga are both favorites of mine.I'm kind of partial to leeboards though having whiled away many youthfull hours in naples sabots.and more advantages than centerboards, except in planing dinghys i think. Maid of Endor is a brilliant choice if want to ratchet up the woodworking/boatbuilding challenge, hefty on the trailer too!
Herreshoff's- Fish class w/cuddy cabin. LFH's buzzards bay 14 w/ cuddy(increase if you like to18,19,20'?)see the chip flannagan site...the 22' lapstrake C?B cruiser in 'Sensible Cruising Designs'- not a 'pocket'though at 4800#s
also Gartsides 21' sloop, etc. but like Endor require a bigger trailer/vehicle commitment due to draft and ballast/overall wt.
it definitly comes down to where your going,in what conditions,what safety factor do you prefer, how much time and $$ do you have and what style to you want to ride in?
one thing to keep in mind is that building a small cruiser a few feet longer can really pay off in perfomance and motion if you plan to sail coastal as opposed to inland/inshore,ever want or need the capacity to sail off a leeshore situation.your build time will not be much different.you get more usable cockpit/interior volume.you'll build once but sail much,ideally, so if you can swing a temporary extension on your garage(you know-the kind of thing most wives frowns on,... but for a trip to the windwards as the bonus... maybe she'll let ya)consider it.
then too, there are all the catboats to consider.....

[Dave K]

Depends on how big (heavy) you want to deal with.Mike Field has again made me drool with his "YM 3 Tonner" - a design I have had plans for for over 30 years but she is heavy and not economical enough for me yet. The "Eventide Owners Group" has a website and their designs may be worth some looking - in addition to the "3 Tonner" (that is the old Thames Measurement formula, by the way, not sheer weight) they offer the 16 ft. "YM Senior", the 19 ft. "Wild Duck" and on up to 30 feet or so. Someone mentioned Atkin plans and there are some charming little cruisers there - check out "Nanny Gay" for one. Selway Fisher had a bunch of them. Jay Benford did several little cruising boat designs years back - the 18 ft. canoe yawl and 20 ft. sloop are the stuff to sit and stare at until the eyes glaze over. Have fun searching...

[ken mcclure]

http://users.adelphia.net/~kwmcclure/images/oeunmara.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~kwmcclure/images/oeunmara2.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~kwmcclure/images/oeunmara5.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~kwmcclure/images/oeunmara8.jpg

Here's some pics of Eun Mara. She has twin bilge boards instead of a single centerboard which keeps the cabin roomy.

19'6" LOA, trailerable, glued lapstrake. And room for a complete cabin including small galley and head.

http://users.adelphia.net/~kwmcclure/images/eunmarastudy.jpg

[ 08-24-2004, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: ken mcclure ]

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Hey Meerkat I like that Golant Gaffer has anyone raised the coach house? Seems you could get a bit more head room and I personally would like the look better.

[Brian Palmer]

Arthur,

Do you plan to tow your boat, or moor/berth it in the water?

Is displacement or tow weight a criteria?

Elver by Steve Redmond has a flat bottom, but curved (strip planked)sides and is light to tow and simple to rig. Not as seaworthy as some of the others with outside ballast, though.

-- Brian

[Old Salt]

Most of the "pocket cruisers" in larger sizes are too heavy to trailer. I would recommend the Princess 22 from B&B Yacht Designs. I am going to build the Pricess 26 and it weighs only 2700#.

You can rig in 5-10 minutes...un-stayed Cat Ketch. Centerboard is offset along the galley to provide more room in the cabin.

[djtil]

How above Dave Gerr's Madrigal at 19'-2"
http://www.gerrmarine.com/images/boat_images/sail/gerr19sloop/gerr19a.jpg

[Meerkat]

Originally posted by Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson ):
Hey Meerkat I like that Golant Gaffer has anyone raised the coach house? Seems you could get a bit more head room and I personally would like the look better.Paul Brooks (I think it was), raised the house by 4" with Roger Dongray's permission. That would have given him 5'4" from sole to overhead instead of the standard 5'.

I've given some thought of a true dog house directly over the companionway with most of the housetop still at it's origional level. Here's a picture of John Guzzwell's "Trekka" to give you an idea of what I mean.
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/maritime_museum/adventure/images/trekkaplan.gif

[Venchka]

Originally posted by Meerkat:


...Paul Brooks (I think it was), raised the house by 4" with Roger Dongray's permission. That would have given him 5'4" from sole to overhead instead of the standard 5'.

My old tired eyes are reading 4'-0" from sole to inside of overhead on the drawing posted above.

A typo in your post maybe?

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Meerkat]

I see what the drawing says and confirmed it on the actual plans. However, I also clearly recall an email from Roger Dongray that said it was 5' (which, thanks the the crap . I think that was further aft at the companionway hatch, although it's hard to believe that the boat has managed to grow a foot that small big aft, even accounting for the fact that the companionway slide stands a bit proud of the house top (such as it is).

It still looks adequate to me in spite of the fact that no one has ever answered a request for a pic of someone sitting below in a GG.

[Venchka]

Perhaps it was the designer's typo. A scale on the plans should confirm the 4'-0" height. You'll know for sure when you loft the boat prior to construction.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[helmuth]

meerkat,
I've been sitting in a GG some weeks ago, and the headroom in the cabin was no problem for me (I'm of average size, 1,76 m), although there is not much space in the forward part of the cabin, so using the loo could be a problem ...
regards
helmuth

[Meerkat]

Originally posted by Venchka:
Perhaps it was the designer's typo. A scale on the plans should confirm the 4'-0" height. You'll know for sure when you loft the boat prior to construction.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D Full sized patterns smile.gif

Thanks Helmuth! Did you get any info from the Canadian firm?

[helmuth]

meerkat,
I sent Mr. Kemmers an email and he replied, that
the costs to build just the hull of the Golant Gaffer would be
approximately $6,000.00 USD. Unfortunately he is kept busy for the next two years by many other projects.
regards
helmuth

[Meerkat]

There's a firm in the UK that is/was building GG's to order. Roger will know who they are. Maybe they can do a hull only for you. Let me know please.

[Jeff Robinson]

Its 4 feet in my boat.

JR