Claud Worth inspired gaff cutter

Full specification

Wooden Ships Comments on this Claud Worth inspired gaff cutter

Claud Worth inspired gaff cutter, built by Pete Nash of Dartmouth.  It is not often we come across a boat that truly is right.  This magnificent little yacht however is just that, everything about her is as it should be, from her design to her construction, her quality of finish and the way she handles and sails.

Built by Dartmouth shipwright Pete Nash for himself to a design inspired by Claud Worth’s Tern III.  The lines were scaled down with the help of naval architect Ed Burnett to produce an exquisite looking yacht.  Gently curved bow with a slightly raked keel and a stern post hung rudder.  The sheer line is simply brilliant, dipping down to a low point just forward of the cockpit and then turning swiftly up to the elegant Claud Worth trademark counter.

At 37’ this is a great size of yacht, she is large enough to have a comfortable interior with 6 berths, standing headroom and a saloon to seat 6 people, but not so large that she needs an experienced crew to handle her.  The owners have cruised and raced with the boat as a husband and wife crew and find her very easy to handle with just the two of them.  The self tacking jib, self tailing bronze winches, electric anchor windlass and lightweight hollow spars are just some of the features that make her a very easy boat to handle and sail.

There really is very little afloat that can compare to this yacht, her build quality and choice of materials is second to none and the way she sails and handles is an absolute delight.  She has had her annual refit this spring including varnishing the mast, replacement of leather work in the rig, all brightwork on deck and the spars re-varnished with Epifanes, complete engine service, antifoul and anodes.

Length overall                                  49’

Length on Deck                                37’

Beam                                                  9’6”

Draft                                                   6’

Displacement                                   12 tonnes

Video by Imogen Moody.

Construction

 

Hull

Top 3 planks of aged pitch pine reclaimed from the dockyard.  The rest of the 1 ¼” planking is of air dried close grained larch.  There are no butt joints in any of the planking, instead the planks have been joined where necessary with 2’6” scarph joints.

Built with 3” x 2” grown oak frames at 24” centres with 2 steamed oak intermediate timbers of 2” x 2” sections.  This is all copper rivet fastened.  Hood ends and garboards fastened with silicone bronze screws.  Each seam has been caulked with 3 strands of cotton before being splined.  The whole hull was then sheathed with 210g epoxy cloth to give an absolutely tight and fair finish that requires less maintenance than a conventionally finished hull.

Grown oak lodging knees with cast bronze hanging knees all fastened with bronze bolts.  The heads of each bolt have been finished to look like rivet heads giving a much softer appearance.

Oak backbone approximately 10” x 7” with a laminated Iroko stem stretching from the stem head to aft of the mast step meaning there are no scraphs to work and open up.

Grown oak floor on every grown frame, through bolted with bronze bolts.  There are two stainless steel strap floors in way of the mast step where there is no space for a large oak one.  In order to remove any potential for electrolytic action the bronze floor bolts used here have been insulated from the stainless with especially turned nylon bushes.

4.5 tonne external lead ballast keel fastened with 12 bronze bolts set through the back bone in pairs.  ¼ tonne of internal lead trimming ballast fastened securely in the bilge.

 

Decks and cockpit

Deck is laid on pine deck beams set on the outer ends into the beamshelf in the usual way.  ½” marine plywood screwed and glued to the deck beams with scarphed joints.  The underside has been V’d using a router to give the appearance of a solid laid teak deck.  The deck head is finished with an easily wiped high gloss paint.

Yacht laid ½” swept teak deck with no butt joints is bonded to the plywood with epoxy and joggled to a varnished king plank.  The use of epoxy to bond the teak to the ply means there are no plugs showing on the surface and no fastenings through the ply to allow water ingress.

Upstanding varnished toe rail all round with a varnished capping rail.  King plank, coverboards, toe rails and capping rail in finest quality reclaimed Burma Teak.

 

Superstructure

Low profile coachroof flows nicely aft into the cockpit with the companion hatch joining the two.

Burma Teak coachroof coamings with three small round bronze portholes each side.  Epoxy sheathed marine plywood coachroof deck with a slight camber giving it a superb line.  Varnished teak handrails and a butterfly skylight on the coachroof.

Very comfortable self draining cockpit with slightly reclined and curved teak coamings which sweep round at the forward end into the companion hatch.  Scrubbed teak thwarts which lift to give access to large lockers and teak cockpit sole gratings.

Slightly raised bridge deck with a step up to the companion hatch.  The hatch is designed in a similar fashion to the hatches seen on the pilot cutters, raised at the aft end and raking gently down to the coachroof at the forward end with a camber across the sliding hatch.

Forehatch of varnished Burma teak with a built in dorade vent and bronze cowling  is offset slightly to port allowing the bowsprit to run inboard when necessary.

 

 

Rig

The rig plan was designed by naval architect Ed Burnett.

Gaff cutter rig on a keel stepped hollow Douglas Fir pole mast.  Solid built Douglas Fir gaff, boom and bowsprit.  All spars built by Pete Nash.

Stainless steel standing rigging to stainless rigging screws and external stainless chainplates mounted on channel boards.  Rigging screws covered by stitched leather jackets.  Twin lower shrouds to the hounds and a single cap shroud over spruce spreaders.

Inner forestay to the stem head, outer forestay to the bowsprit end which is tensioned with a block and tackle on the foredeck.  Wickham Martin furling gear on the outer jib.  Running backstays on tackles which are split to provide support to the hounds and the cap of the mast.  Staysail is now self tacking, mounted on a staysail boom with a bronze horse on the deck.

All blocks at deck level are varnished wood, all blocks aloft are Tufnell which are strong and lightweight.  All running rigging is braid on braid giving a traditional feel to the rig.  Galvanised pin rail mounted on the deck by the shrouds to carry the halyard falls.

Bronze boom gallows fixed to the aft cockpit coaming support the boom when the mainsail is dropped, another small but important addition to make the boat very easily handled by a small crew.

 

Sails

All sails new by Westaway in 2005.  Stored ashore every winter, laundered and repaired as necessary.  Mainsail, topsail, staysail, No.1 jib and No.2 jib.

Topsail sets on the pole mast with no need for an extra jackyard making it a very simple and easy process to set.

 

Winches

2 pairs of bronze Wilmex 315 self tailing winches mounted on the cockpit coamings for the jib and staysail sheets.

Single bronze Lewmar ST winch mounted on the forward side at the base of the mast.

 

Machinery

 

Engine

Beta Marine 37hp 4cyl diesel installed new, now with 700 hours.  Single lever controlled gearbox with a centreline stainless steel shaft to a 3 blade bronze propeller

The whole engine installation is extremely tidy and professional with excellent access all around and from above through the lifting hatch in the cockpit sole.

 

Batteries

4 x 12v deep cycle high capacity batteries charged from the 100amp engine alternator.  Adverc battery management system installed to maximise performance and life of the batteries.

 

Tanks

Stainless fuel tank with 35l capacity mounted in the cockpit locker.

Fresh water in 2 flexible water tanks located under the saloon settee berths.

 

 

Accommodation

 

Berths

6 berths in total.  Double forward, 2 quarter berths plus 2 saloon settee berths when necessary.

 

Saloon

The whole boat has a superb feel below decks and has been finished to an incredibly high standard.  The inside of the hull where visible has been treated with oil so most of the yachts structure is shown up in a fantastic way.  All joinery is finished in teak with Douglas Fir cabin sole boards.  There are some very subtle finishing features which set this yacht apart from other boats, such as the way the bronze bolt heads for the hanging knees have been filed and gently hammered to make them look like rivet heads rather than a slightly ugly nut and bolt.

Steps down from the companion hatch into the saloon.  Access to the two large quarter berths is very easy as they are at a sensible height and with enough headroom so you don’t have to clamber in with your knees around your ears.

The forward facing chart desk is to starboard with the switch panel on the outboard side against the hull.  Panel is very well laid out and the circuitry inside is extremely neat and professional.

Galley is to port facing inboard.

6’ saloon settee berths with a shelf with fiddle rails behind.  Dropleaf table offset slightly to starboard and fastened to the sole boards with a large bottle screw.

Moving forward past the mast to port, there is a double berth to starboard and storage lockers to port under the deckhead.  Berth has large drawers beneath and the chainlocker, the chain fed into it with a spurling pipe from the deckhead .

Forward of the berth is the heads mounted right in the bows and facing aft.

 

Heads

Jabsco sea toilet mounted in the bow almost against the stem facing aft.  The heads is mounted in a watertight tray with a teak grating making a shower tray if required.  Some very neat joinery hides the heads when not in use and hides the piperwork from view.  Small stainless basin to starboard with pumped hot and cold water.  Both the shower tray and basin drain aft to the grey water sump tank.

 

Galley

Galley is at the aft end of the saloon to port, it is very easy to work in even at sea as it is possible to wedge yourself between the galley and chart desk while still being able to work.

Smev 2 burner gas stove with oven and grill, gimbal mounted with stainless steel surround and tray underneath.  Two bowl stainless steel sink with pressurised hot and cold running water.  Sink drains to a grey water sump tank beneath the cabin sole which is pumped overboard with a 12v electric bilge pump.  12v gas detector installed.

Lots of storage for crockery outboard of the galley, also lockers beneath and a handy rubbish bin built into the joinery beneath the chart desk.

 

 

Equipment

Steering compass

Raymarine C80 chart plotter

Echo sounder and log

DSC VHF Navcron RT450

Autohelm

 

2 x Fire extinguishers

3 x lifejackets

Horse shoe life buoy

MOB buoy

12v electric bilge pump

Manual bilge pump

 

Lofrans project 1000 bronze anchor windlass with remote control

40m 3/8” chain

45lb CQR anchor

Beaching legs

Cockpit cover

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.