'Wooden Ships' Comments on this Centreboard Bermudan Cutter

The design of this centreboard bermudan cutter was the result of a collaboration between Dr Harrison Butler and Maurice Griffiths and was built by Anderson, Rigden and Perkins of Whitstable, Kent.  Griffiths and Butler were prolific yacht designers of the time with many successful boats to their names individually, but there must be very few yachts that they worked on together.  The build started in 1938 but WWII halted proceedings so she was eventually finished and launched in August 1946 for Mr Bob Anderson, owner of the yard which had built her.  She came into present ownership in 1995 when she underwent a major two year rebuild by Alan Staley of Faversham in which the decks were replaced, hull rebuilt, the engine replaced as well as many other jobs.  She has had a subsequent refit in 08/09 where the coachroof was replaced.  She is now in excellent structural and cosmetic condition and has been cruised and raced regularly every year in the present ownership.

This slightly unusual design incorporates a centreboard giving very shallow draft when the yacht is not sailing, a huge advantage for the east coast where she was built.  She has a raised deck mid ships which creates a lot of volume in the main cabin without losing the sweet sheer line.  5 berths including a double in the saloon.  A fine and very smart cruising boat which has also chalked up a number of trophies in the classic regattas.

Length on Deck                 32’3″

Length waterline              24′

Beam                              9’4″

Draft                             3’3″/4’6″

Thames Tonnage             8TM

 Construction

 Hull

Double diagonal mahogany planking all copper fastened with steam bent Canadian Rock Elm frames.

 Heavy section grown oak floors across the centreline with large copper rivets through the hull and bronze throat bolts.

 External lead ballast keel with bronze keel bolts.  Centreplate passes through the ballast keel with a mahogany centreboard box inside the cabin.

 Decks and cockpit

Designed with raised topsides amidships so the coachroof effectively extends to the outer edge of the deck hugely increasing the internal volume of the boat.

 Yacht laid scrubbed teak deck over a marine plywood sub deck,  all new in the ’95-’97 refit.  Varnished teak king plank, coverboards and toe rail all round.  Stainless steel stanchions set on bronze feet.

 Self draining cockpit with scrubbed teak sole gratings.  Laid teak thwarts with varnished surrounds.  Steering with a bronze tiller mounted on the rudder stock low down in the aft of the cockpit.  Varnished mahogany coamings all round.

 Superstructure

Coachroof set on the raised deck increasing headroom in saloon below.  Varnished mahogany coamings with bronze port lights all round.  Coachroof deck is yacht laid teak to match the main deck.  Sliding entrance hatch on the centreline.

 Rig 

Masthead Bermudan cutter rig on a keel stepped varnished spruce mast.  Varnished boom and spinnaker pole and self tacking staysail boom

Stainless steel standing rigging some dating from 1998 and some from 2009.  Twin spreader rig with twin lower shrouds, single intermediate and single cap shroud.  Stainless rigging screws to bronze chain plates mounted through the deck inboard of the deck edge.  The stress of these is taken internally by metal knee brackets bolted to oversize frames.

 Outer forestay to the stem head with a removable inner forestay for the boomed staysail or storm jib.  Running backstays for use with the staysail.  Single standing backstay to a chain plate on the transom.

 Outer forestay has a continuous line furling system for the genoa.

 Winches

2 x Lewmar two speed self tailing sheet winches in the cockpit

2 x Lewmar non self tailing spinnaker sheet winches

2 x bronze mast winches.

 Engine

Perkins Perama 30hp 3cyl fresh water cooled diesel.  Single lever controls with a stainless centreline shaft to a bronze 3 blade feathering ZF propeller.  Aquadrive 20000 coupling to remove any shaft vibration.