Description
L.O.A. 29’ ½”
L.B.P. 28’ 10 ½”
LENGTH EXTREME 38’ 6”
L.O.D. 27’ 9’’
L.W.L. 25’ 3 ½”
BEAM 9’ 4”
DRAFT 3’ 10”
SAIL AREA 413 sq. ft.
DISP. 9,500 lbs (approximate, for cruising)
BALLAST 3,500 lbs lead, inside, and water.
TYPE Swansea Pilot Schooner, flush-decked cruiser, based on the earliest type (late 18th/early 19th century). This vessel is intended for open ocean cruising. The model has 4’ 5” of headroom in the cabin and 6’ 2” headroom under the booby hatch, which functions as a pilothouse. A large berth forward can be slept in fore and aft or athwartships; a settee/pilot berth is to port.
RIG Gaff-rigged, bald-headed schooner, free standing. This is the rig of choice of the Swansea pilots, chosen for power, versatility, safety at sea, maneuverability and low cost. The bowsprit can be housed and the boom shifted in to reduce dockside length. The rig is ultimate for single-handing.
CONSTRUCTION Lapstrake cold-molded plywood/epoxy covered with epoxy-impregnated Xynole-polyester cloth. The hull is planked with 3/4” x 9 ½” full-length planks (scarfed). Decks are ½” ply; bulkheads are 5/8” ply. Spars are Douglas fir.
COMMENTS The Swansea Pilot Boats appear to be miniature Virginia Pilot Schooners. Both take their ancestry from the Dutch rig; the hull is the shallop. Originally open, partially decked boats, I have given this one a raised center deck and cruising interior for three. A long-shaft outboard can be used on a transom well, or an inboard installed under the bridge deck and cockpit well.
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