Buchanan Yawl

Full specification

Wooden Ships Comments on this Buchanan yawl

This Buchanan Yawl is a top quality yacht designed and built by the best money could afford at the time.  Alan Buchanan designed three boats for the Earl of St Germans, this being the third and biggest.  She was built by Kings of Burnham on Crouch to Lloyds 100A1, the highest of construction standards.

The Earl of St Germans was a keen sailor and commissioned Buchanan to design him a third boat suitable for comfortable and fast cruising, capable of being lived aboard all year round but also able to rate well under RORC and CCA rules so that she could race competitively in the Med and USA.  It speaks highly of a designer when a client asks for three boats to be designed one after the other, especially when the quality of build is so high and the costs involved are so large, and it is fair to say the Earl was extremely pleased with the results of Buchanan’s work.  The hull design came out of the previous experience of that office with ocean racing yachts and along with their latest research and tank testing, they developed this hull shape to give a balanced and fast yacht. It is clear from the interior layout that she was designed to be sailed with a paid crew and the owner had undisturbed occupation of the central parts of the yacht.  The crew accommodation was in the forepeak which they accessed through the forehatch meaning they never had to enter the owners cabin or the main saloon.  They would prepare the owners meals in the galley and serve them in the saloon which was divided off from the galley area by a curtain giving the owner a great deal of privacy.

She has only had 4 owners and after her early years where she covered many blue water miles, she has spent recent years in home waters, cruising gently around Scotland and Northern Ireland.  2 large refits in 2006 and 2013 saw a large amount of work being done, including replacing all bronze butt strap bolts below the waterline, new rigging and sails and a new engine plus a lot more.  She is now in need of some updating and cosmetic work to bring her up to scratch, but after a tough voyage to the south coast very recently she has shown herself to be a superb sea boat, fast and comfortable and still equally as capable as she was in her early years.  It needs to be stressed that the fundamental design and construction of this yacht were to such a high standard that the work required now pales into insignificance, this a true pedigree yacht, a shining example of British yacht design of that era and a boat worthy of bringing back up to a very high level so she can go on for the next 50 years in the same fashion.

Length on Deck                                 48’10″

Length waterline                              34’

Beam                                                    12’9”

Draft                                                      7’

Thames Tonnage                             24TM

Sail area                                               1250sqft

 

Construction

Hull

Planked in Burma teak all copper rivet fastened to steam bent Canadian Rock Elm timbers, 1 3/4” x 2 3/8” at 10” centres.

Butt straps made of bronze plates and bronze bolts, these were all replaced below the waterline in 2005.

Large laminated ring frames fore and aft of the main mast, supported with bronze straps.

Centreline structure is all of Iroko with Aluminium bronze strap floors.

External lead ballast keel with bronze keel bolts, last drawn in 2013.

Underwater hull gently sandblasted and re-painted in 2005.

 

Decks and cockpit

Yacht laid Burma teak deck screw fastened over a marine plywood sub deck.  This was a very modern way of constructing a deck at the time and has the benefit of the structural strength of the ply with the looks and durability of the teak.  Varnished coverboards, king plank and margin boards.

Deck is set on spruce deck beams on a heavy teak beam shelf all round, all fastened with bronze bolts.  Extra clamp in way of the main mast for added strength and rigidity.  All hanging knees and lodging knees in the deck structure are bronze straps.

Deck has an upstanding toe rail all round with stainless stanchions bolted to the coverboard.  Forehatch for access to forepeak, originally  the crew accommodation.

Heavy bronze fairleads and cleats, including a bronze centre cleat.  Twin roller stainless steel stem head fitting

Superb self draining cockpit designed for an offshore racing crew.  Deep enough to be safe without being awkward to get in and out of, plenty of room for 6 people to sit in comfort.  Helmsman has a separate foot well aft of the wheel in a raised position so he can see clearly over the heads of the working crew and not be distracted by the boom which finishes in front of the helm position.  The wheel steering is on a Whitlock solid drive system giving good control and feel, bronze compass binnacle with a stainless bar above around to protect it from the main sheet.

Scrubbed teak cockpit thwarts with large lockers beneath on the port side.  Varnished teak coamings with open front lockers for stowing sheet tails.

 

Superstructure

Very nicely proportioned coachroof with a slightly rasied dog house aft to ensure full headroom in the galley.

Burma teak cockpit coamings, all varnished, with bronze portholes.

Sheathed marine plywood coachroof deck, finished in white deck paint.  Varnished handrails and dorade vent boxes with bronze vents.

Hatch at the forward end of coachroof deck gives light and access to forward cabin.

 

Rig

Cutter headed Bermudan yawl rig on keel stepped alloy masts.  This is a powerful yet forgiving rig, relatively low aspect for the size of boat because of her ocean racing pedigree, plus she has a lot of configuration options which means she can be rigged to be easily handled in any weather on any point of sail.  Heading upwind in heavy weather, she will sail comfortably simply with a mizzen and staysail.

Masts are finished in white paint, new paint 2005.  Varnished spruce main, mizzen and staysail booms.  Slab reefing on main and mizzen.

Stainless steel standing rigging, all new in 2006 at Silvers Yard, Rosneath.

Stainless steel internal chainplates.

Twin spreader main mast with twin lowers, single cap shroud and an intermediate stay between the spreaders.  Single spreader mizzen with twin lowers and a single cap shroud.  Outer forestay integral with the roller furling, removable inner forestay on an over-centre lever for the staysail.  Split standing backstay with running backstays on Highfield levers.

 

Sails

All sails new from Saturn Sails in 2005.

Mainsail

Mizzen

Genoa on roller

Staysail hanks to inner forestay (older sail)

 

Winches

Pair of Lewmar ST48 primary sheet winches

Pair of Lewmar ST34 secondary sheet winches

Lewmar Non ST48 main sheet winch

 

Lewmar ST44 main halyard winch

Lewmar Non ST40 on the main mast

 

Pair of Lewmar Non ST16 on the mizzen

 

Machinery

 

Engine

Beta 38hp naturally aspirated diesel installed new in 2013, less than 200 hours running.

Hydraulic gearbox with single lever control to a centreline stainless shaft and 3 blade bronze propeller.

 

Batteries

12 volt electrical system.  Dedicated engine start battery and 2 domestic batteries, all new in last 12 months.

 

Tanks

2 fuel tanks both in stainless steel. Day tank of 30 gallons located on port side deck by the cockpit.  Main fuel tank is 60 gallons located under the cockpit sole.

2 water tanks in stainless steel, both located in the bilge under the saloon cabin sole, total of 200 gallons.

 

 

Accommodation

 

Berths

7 berths including the saloon.

Twin master cabin forward, large quarter berth, a single and a double sette berth p[lus a pilot berth in the saloon on the starboard side.

 

Saloon

This is a very comfortable and spacious boat, her depth in hold gives her a lot of headroom throughout, and the generous beam means the coachroof coamings are wide apart, opening the boat and giving her a real feeling of space.  6’3”+ headroom throughout.

The joinery is superb, mostly original and all a dark varnished mahogany.  There are some lovely details within the panelling of doors and other bits of joinery, including where the grain of different parts has been carefully selected for the best match.  This is a sign of a very high quality boat built with no expense spared, always a good start when buying a traditional yacht.

Steps down into the saloon with the ample sized U-shaped galley in the aft port corner.  Chart desk to starboard with a the large quarter berth going back in under the starboard cockpit thwarts.

The engine is set deep in the bilge so there is no large engine box intruding into the cabin space.  Standing on the engine box under the doghouse there is a healthy 6’3” of headroom.

Slight step down into the main saloon cabin with a centreline drop leaf teak table.  Port and starboard settee berths give comfortable seating for 6 people around the table.  Starboard settee berth pulls out to form a double and there is a pilot berth behind this under the deck head.  All upholstery new in 2005.

Passageway going forward on the port side of the mast with a heads compartment to starboard.

Door into the forward cabin, originally the owners cabin when the boat was built.  Two single berths, again with lovely panelled mahogany joinery, with storage under and a side cupboard behind the door.

There is a hatch going forward again into a forepeak, used now for storage and for bosuns stores.  Originally this space was the crew accommodation.  Entry was through the forehatch so the crew would not disturb the owner.

 

Heads

Blakes Lavac sea toilet pumps directly over board.  Installed shower with a shower tray and teak grating.  Hot and cold pressurised water from the calorifier.

 

Galley

Large galley with a Dometic 3 burner gas stove with oven and grill, newly installed in 2013.  Lots of storage space in lockers behind and above the galley.  Twin stainless steel sinks with pressurised hot and cold water.  Drains overboard via a hand pump.

 

Equipment

 

Navigation

Steering compass

Autohelm log and sounder

Garmin 128 GPS

Simrad VHF

Icom handheld VHF

Signal flag kit

 

Flare Pack

Danbuoy

Horse shoe ring with light

2 x lifejackets

2 x harnesses

Jackstays

Torches

 

65lb CQR bow anchor

65m of 10mm chain

CQR kedge anchor

 

Inflatable dinghy

Suzuki 2.5hp outboard

Boarding ladder

Boat hook

Fenders

Warps

Disclaimer:

These particulars have been prepared in good faith from information provided by the Vendors and are intended as a guide, Wooden Ships cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. The Purchaser should instruct his agent or surveyor to validate all details as necessary and satisfy himself with the condition of the vessel and its equipment.