The Design Shortlist

Here's a brief overview of the "finalist" designs I really liked which you might call my shortlist for the main boat I will be building (more about this later).

1. (the late) Phil Bolger's Chebacco.  At 20 feet she's a bit bigger than what I really have capacity for building but I liked the look of her, her relatively lightweight and the neat positioning of rudder in front of motor and boxed keel.  Stories from builders were alluring. However cabin space was limited for a boat of this length.

2. Dudley Dix's Cape Cutter 19 has plenty of room and outboard in well. The cutter rig has a lot of appeal for me to maintain sailability in strong breeze and easily gearing up/down sail for single handing. However hull still just a little too big for my building space.

3. Pocket Ship (above) by John Harris is a very clever design in just 14 feet - I got very close to proceeding with this but couldn't quite come to grips with the sail plan  and windward ability , particularly if single handing in the strong sea breezes and southerly changes prominent around Sydney.

4. The above is Kees Prins cruising conversion of an Iain Oughtred Fulmar. This is basically the boat I am going to build - an Expanded Cruising Fulmar.  It is based on Iain Oughtred's Fulmar plans (which I already had). This design is the biggest of his family of three performance dayboats, Sheerwater, Gannet and Fulmar.  The picture above shows Kees Prins cruising cabin yawl version called Fetch. He converted this from an existing open Fulmar.  I have commissioned Kees to draw up construction plans (in consultation with Iain) for a slightly different version. Mine will be cutter rigged and wider towards the stern (using a "wedge" insert tapering from 10 inches at the stern to nil at the bow - an inspiration of my brother David Gregor an aircraft engineer and experienced sailor) with raised sheerline (4 inches at stern, 3 inches midships and 2 inches at bow).  She will be just under 17 feet. Iain Oughtred's hull and sailplan design give a slick performer which impressed me greatly in pics and videos. She is similar in size and design to the Wayfarer - a mainstay of UK Dinghy Cruising,  the most famous exponents of whom are Frank and Margaret Dye.

5. John Brooks version of the Herreshoff 12 1/2 (above) is a classic and beautiful day boat. I bought the plans for this and may still build it one day.  But Cruising Fulmar is more suitable for my current cruising needs.

6. The above is a John Welsford's 18 foot Pathfinder - big sister to 14 foot Navigator. I got close to proceeding with a sloop version of this but could not get comfortable cockpot space and cabin space without totally changing the design.

So there you have it - I am going to be building a  Cruising version of Iain Oughtred's Fulmar with assistance from Kees Prins.