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John sets out his thoughts on how to match boats to sailors, with reference to his own designs. This article was
written specifically for Dinghy Cruising, but will be published in other places later – including our own website.

s a designer I have customers frequently ask, ‘What’s the best open boat for cruising?’ Well, if ever
there was a question with a million answers that is the one. It leads to a whole lot of questions back
from me to the customer, and it’s only after I get the answers that I can begin to address the original one.
So just what are the variables? Climate, prevailing sea and wind conditions, geography, usage,
personal preferences, skill levels, resources, (and the latter has more influence than you’d think!) and
on and on along the same lines.

Generally the customer will have something Cruising dinghies are often daysailers too,
in mind when they come to me, and that’s the occasionally raced in the local regattas, usually taken
‘personal preferences’ part of the picture. They will on holidays with the family, often used for purposes
have seen a boat, read a book or a magazine article, other than the primary ambition. In fact the vision
fallen in love with a story, or want something like a of the cruise of a lifetime may only be a ‘oncer’ and
previous boat but bigger/smaller or with different the rest of the boat’s life may be spent like a retired
features. ‘I like this boat but want these changes.’ racehorse taking the children for rides on a Sunday,
That’s the starting point. so she has to be workable for that use as well as for
surviving an onshore gale against an ironbound
I like to talk to the client about where the boat will
coast in some far-flung part of the country.
be used. For example, even within the UK a boat to
be sailed in the somewhat sheltered waters around With all of those things in mind we start to make
the Thames Estuary can be very different from a boat sketches.
intended for cruising on the West Coast of Scotland
The result of the process so briefly outlined is what
between Mull and Skye. The differences in design
Naval Architects call ‘the brief’ and it’s the single
approach for each can be considerable, and I make
most important document in the whole design
much use of historical information on the small
process. I will describe below three of my designs,
workboats that were used in the areas where my
all around the same length, all open boats designed
client will be based to give me clues as to what will
for cruising and daysailing, and all intended for
be required of the new design.
home construction by beginner builders.
If there are no direct ancestors, I’ll search for an area
To give the descriptions some veracity, we’ll invent
with similar climatic conditions and make those
some characters to go with the designs.
comparisons so I can design appropriately.
William the Eco Warrior wants to go engineless,
Next question, as a designer I don’t sell complete
will row when needed, will venture into very open
boats, just plans. So who will build this paragon?
waters and will generally cruise singlehanded but
Build it yourself? OK, so how big is your garage
needs to take his spouse and very young children
then? Is there a flat area just outside the garage door
out occasionally to justify the boat to his family.
or can you extend the space at all?
William will want to explore far places to observe
There are of course other considerations. Where will
the wildlife and to get away to places that are as
the completed boat be stored? What kind of car will
natural and unmodified by mankind as possible,
tow the boat, big or small, heavy or light? Thus the
so he needs a boat that will cope with open waters
overall size of the project is set.
but which will only be required to carry a light load.
What boatbuilding skills has the customer? How
David and Rose are middle-aged now, sail mostly
well equipped is the ‘workshop’? What are the
lakes and estuaries and as youngsters sailed a dinghy
constraints in terms of time, climate ( colder areas
with the local club so have some experience to draw
have issues with glue curing in cool weather if there
upon. They love the look and feel of ‘traditional’
is no heating available), and so on.
boats so they go to the Beale Park show each year,
We’re beginning to get a picture now, and need to and will camp out perhaps two or three nights a year
add usage: that’s how many in the potential crew, when the DCA has a rally in their area. They like to
how long the boat is expected to be ‘out’ on a voyage, be comfortable so the seating and size needs to suit
how far and in what conditions does the owner’s their less agile limbs. They will be very concerned
ambitions take her, what standard of comfort and that the boat be stable and safe when they take the
amenities will be required, and so on.
DCA Number 211: 38
grandchildren out for a picnic, and
David is wanting to do at least one
really adventurous voyage.
Stanley though, has been wandering
the marinas looking at tough,
capable little world cruisers resting
quietly before their next long
voyage, reading the books and
the stories written by sunburned
and craggy old men who’ve seen
it all, and he dreams of sighting
the very peak of a windblown
mountain as the whitecaps foam
around him and the wind screams
in his rigging, the cold grey waves
bursting into spume as he thrashes
along toward his destination. He’s
a frustrated circumnavigator who
will never see Cape Horn in winter,
but desperately wants to experience
the feel of freedom that he had while With the removable rowing seat and foot stretcher lifted out and stowed,
reading the tales of Irving Johnstone, WALKABOUT has a very nice comfortable space in which to lie down. Note
Thomas Mulville and Frank Dye that builder Wayne Jorgensen found that his WALKABOUT was faster under
(read of course sitting in front of a oars than the JW-designed SEAGULL behind, and that boat’s no slug either.
© Wayne Jorgensen
cosy fire while the rain rattles on the
windowpanes).
from arrival to sailing-ready, and it’s quite easy to
What do we design for William, David and Rose, strike the rig and stow it within the boat to reduce
and Stanley? the windage if a long row up a winding creek is
anticipated.
The first is William’s boat. Given that he wants to be
free of the tyranny of the engine, at least in this part To enable William to sail along an exposed coast to
of his life, he needs a boat that rows much better visit the really wild places of his imagination we’ve
than the average one. That means she must be light designed in massive buoyancy which doubles as
in weight, long on the water line, and narrow in the watertight storage. The prototype boat has been
beam. A boat of this configuration will not be able tipped over and righted unaided by its lone skipper,
to carry much sail as its narrow beam will mean and the sleeping space that is freed up by the
it’s somewhat tender, but we can alleviate that by removable rowing seat has been tried and found
having the sides flare out wider above
the water so when she heels under sail
they will provide buoyancy to hold her
up when the wind blows.
A rowing boat needs a workspace for
the oarsman, a space uncompromised
by rigging, mast, centreboard or boom
overhead. Rowing is repetitive, 1500
repetitions of the movement of oars
an hour, thousands in a day, and any
annoyance, chafe or inconvenience
grows large in the mind if repeated that
often, so we rig the boat differently to
the usual.
In this case we’ve put a balance lugsail,
possibly the simplest of the really
effective sails, well up forward on a
free-standing mast. As a singlehanded
cruiser he’ll want to keep the rig as easy
to set up and strike as possible, and the
Wayne Jorgensen’s WALKABOUT ready to take to the water for the first time. The
mizzen aft is also a very simple affair.
rig is easy to set up and drop and she is a lot quicker under sail than you’d expect
This boat will take about 15 minutes from her modest-sized sails. © Wayne Jorgensen

DCA Number 211: 39

(WALKABOUT) Lying down between the side seats makes for a
comfortable and sheltered bunk space. WALKABOUT’s plans include
a fitted tent with sides that roll up for ventilation and so she can be
rowed from within the shelter.

twice a year. David’s wish to undertake perhaps

one major adventure has to be considered though,
so we’re looking here at a boat that while used
carefully, and for the most part in sheltered waters
and good weather, has to be much more capable
than [Link] need, too, to provide a flat area long
and wide enough for two airbeds and sleeping bags,
General arrangement of WALKABOUT.
and storage for lots of gear so good meals, changes
to fit the airbed and sleeping bag, providing much of clothes, comfortable seating, and a decent boom
more comfortable accommodation under the fitted tent can all be stowed out of the way.
tent than most would expect in such a slender craft. With their dinghy experience, they are expecting
We’ve given the boat a traditional appearance. It reasonably good sailing performance as well; a slow
fits William’s feeling of the ‘good old days’ being slug won’t satisfy them: ‘sparkling’ is how they said
better than our heavily industrialised present, and they wanted the boat to sail. ‘Fun to sail’ is how I put
coincidentally the lapstrake sides over stringers are it, something that can really bring a light to an old
an easy way to build a round-sided boat that will racing skipper’s eyes, so PATHFINDER has a lot of
work the way we want it to. sail for her length and weight, but being fairly light
for her length and having the area split between the
‘Walkabout’ is the Australian name for a journey roller furling jib, reefable main and mizzen, she is
undertaken for mainly spiritual reasons, a journey still easily managed.
with no fixed destination or duration. It suits
William the Eco Warrior, as does his boat. For the grandchildren safety is paramount. Stability
is the main issue. Stopping two or three little uns
David and Rose though, are mainly fair-weather drifting off away while trying to right a 17ft boat
sailors: afternoons, grandchildren, a little jaunt to is not a good look, so better we have a boat that is
the far end of the lake and overnighting perhaps both stable and very buoyant when swamped, and
as near capsize-proof as possible.
WALKABOUT

PATHFINDER

Her tent is set up on springy hoops in the same way that a modern hiker’s Pathfinder yawl rig, general arrangement. There are other rigs, a single
tent is. The sides can be rolled up to allow the boat to be rowed with the big lugsail, and a gaff sloop for those with different needs and likes.
crew under cover or to ventilate the boat when cooking or in hot weather.

DCA Number 211: 40

angles to rest the sore backs that so many of us suffer
from, the seats are sealed to provide buoyancy, as is
the raised deck area forward of midships that is large
enough for the two of them to bed upon, and there is
a huge locker under the foredeck where larger items
can be stowed behind the hatch to keep them all dry.
Muddy anchors and warps stow in the anchor well
under the inboard end of the bowsprit, and at the
other end of the boat the little 4 hp outboard lives in
a well just inside, its leg folding up through a slot
in the transom which also provides a fast outlet for
any major water that may come aboard, leaving just
the footwell to be bailed.
We designed to suit all of the criteria set by our
hypothetical clients. We gave her classical looks,
high stability, a traditional gaff yawl rig in modern
materials, which is both powerful and practical, and
we kept the build within their abilities.
PATHFINDER is a development of several other
similar but smaller designs. She has proved to
be a very capable cruiser and, as shown in the
photographs, has all the stability and space that was
required to fill the brief.
There are three guys, each over 100 kg, standing on the gunwale
of this PATHFINDER, and she still has a lot of freeboard left.
This boat is relatively light for her length but she has enormous
stability which helps both safety and speed.
Rose loves the boats they see at Beale Park. She
loves the clinker sides and springy sheerlines. David
though wants to have a motor where he can get at it
in rough weather without hanging over the transom.
Both want a rig that leaves the midsection of the boat
as clear as possible and which provides options for
reefing and sail reduction should they be caught out.
So we have PATHFINDER. Yawl-rigged so the main
and jib are well forward and of modest size, the
mizzen so far aft and large enough to hold the boat Most of us like a comfortable bunk, like this one. The
head to wind when hove to, and the bonus is that PATHFINDER’s sleeping space is long enough to stretch out,
with the main down she is perfectly balanced on the wide enough for a big man’s shoulders and well sheltered. This
pic was taken by Steve Earley who cruises his boat Spartina in
two small sails, giving control in very heavy weather
the North Carolina banks and Chesapeake Bay area of the USA.
should it be needed. There is a conventional cockpit © Steve Earley
with attention given to seat height and backrest
Stanley. Sigh! The designer’s nightmare in some
Paul Groom built this PATHFINDER. Varuna was his first ways, a man who has dreams he wishes to fulfil,
build and he’s done a lovely job on her.
whose ambitions are right out at the edge of the
possible, and who will brook no compromises but
whose reality is compromised by lack of resources
and who comes to the designer wanting the
disparity to be solved as well as possible.
We begin with the premise that the boat has to be
an achievable build for an amateur with some basic
woodworking skills, that the resulting boat has to
be within the weight and capability of Stanley’s
very average 4-cylinder car, that he himself is of
an age where the build should not take too long
or his age will affect his fitness for the voyages he
wishes to undertake.

DCA Number 211: 41

(Left) For an open
boat PILGRIM is
a big tough vessel.
Although built of
modern materials
she is closely
related to the 1800s
small workboats (Above) Chip Matthews’ boat ready for rigging. This is a high volume
of the Solent and hull, roomy, stable and solid. While she is a relatively heavy boat for a
South Coast area of dinghy the big boat provides comfort and shelter for those wanting to
England. cruise far afield or who just want a comfortable boat in which they don’t
have to run for shelter at the first hint of bad weather. © Chip Matthews

voyage of many miles in open waters, beyond the

range of weather forecasts in terms of time required
to make shelter, so he has to be able to cope with
whatever comes his way .
He has a love of the little cutters of the English South
Coast, the Itchen Ferry, the Falmouth Oyster Boat, He will sleep on board, cook and eat, navigate and
the Solent Punt and the myriad little craft that fished perform all the functions of life and sailing for days
and ferried along the coast from Portland Bill to on end. His boat needs to be both hugely capable and
Dover. Those are uncommonly seaworthy little boats, very comfortable, a real big boat in [Link] this
extremely capable and in fact well suited to Stanley’s end we use the same interior layout as PATHFINDER
needs, so out come the books. There is much study of with the raised sleeping flat, though having more
shape and calculation of the critical ‘numbers’ such space under it. There is room for batteries, canned
as stability curves, curves of areas and sail areas, food, water ballast tanks ( if required: it’s optional
all those numbers that describe in academic design and reduces the amount of fixed ballast required,
terms the parameters that make these boats what so lessening the boat’s towing weight), and light
they are, or were. storage. She has a cook box aft where the stove can be
run while at sea, huge buoyancy tanks accessible for
storage, and a massive locker up under the foredeck.
Her long keel with substantial lead ballast plus steel
centreboard makes her feel and behave like an old-
fashioned long-keeled cutter, directionally stable and
slow in both roll and pitch, the structure of the keel
making her massively strong, which, in addition to
the substantial framing and stringers, means she is
an extremely tough little craft.
Building Stanley’s dreamboat will present few
problems, being of fairly simple ply construction.
There is nothing complex here, and the rig can be
home built which will ease the strain on his budget
as well.
A view of the huge interior of Chip Matthews’ PILGRIM, the buoyancy PILGRIM, the fabled traveller who journeys to
tanks under the seats and decks are sufficient to float the boat stable fulfil the dream of his lifetime, is a boat specifically
and upright even when fully swamped, an essential for an undecked designed to cope with long voyages in waters beyond
boat that ventures into open waters. © Chip Matthews
the safe range of the usual small boat, but the reality
So Stanley’s little boat is a full-bodied plywood gaff is that Stanley’s two daughters are looking forward
cutter with wide side decks and high coamings, the to having grandfather take their children out sailing
rig chosen in part because of its traditional origins, while they relax on the beach and swap stories about
but also because it provides a lot of sail area for its their husbands, and I’m sure that Stanley, with all
heeling moment, because it is possibly the most that space in the boat, and three pretty little girls on
seamanlike of all small boat rigs in both heavy and board, will thoroughly enjoy a different reality. JW
light weather, and because it provides a wide range
of options when shortening sail, none of which need PLANS for John Welsford’s designs are available from:
any sail changes. Fyne Boat Kits, Phone: 01539 721 770
Stanley needs an uncommonly capable boat, Web: [Link]
powerful and dry beyond the abilities of any ordinary email: info@[Link]
open boat. He wishes to visit places that require a Unit 5 Station Yard, Burneside, Kendall. LA9 6QZ

DCA Number 211: 42