Nicholson Sloop

Full specification

Wooden ships comments on this Nicholson sloop designed by C. E Nicholson and built by Camper and Nicholson, launched June  1939.

Built to IRC 6 m.

Sail No 27Y

The design is of a typical small fast cruiser of her day with a full keel, cut-away fore foot and short counter stern. She has a very sweet sheer with a generous freeboard for her size, much prettier than some of the post-war flat sheered Nicholson designs.

The extensive use of teak in her construction, the lead ballast keel and other features indicate that this was an expensive, quality yacht when built.

Present ownership for the last 25 years. Bought in Portsmouth in 1988 and sailed out of the Suffolk coast. Regular passages across to Holland, up and down the East coast and down the French coast as far as Dieppe.

This is a cracking little boat, comfortable and easy to handle and capable of quite fast passages.

 

Conventional plank on frame construction using 11/16″ mahogany boards, caulked and payed with white lead putty and finished in a good paint scheme in white enamel to give a remarkably fair surface.

Typical of a pre-war boat, the frames are very substantial – 1 ½” square grown oak sweeps in way of the mast and 1 ¼” x 1 ½” in futtocks throughout the rest of the boat.

Heavy frames like this allow for screw fastenings all through.

In the autumn of 1988 the underwater surfaces were stripped to bare wood and all fastenings replaced in 1 ¼” 10 guage silicon bronze screws.

All underwater seams recaulked with cotton and the seams payed in white lead.

In the autumn of 1989 the topsides were burnt off to bare wood and all fastenings replaced as in the underwater. Approx 6500 silicon bronze screws have been used.

Seams also caulked with cotton and payed with white lead.

 

External lead ballast keel.

Approx 1998 ballast keel dropped, all silicon bronze keel bolts found in excellent condition, ballast keel rebedded.

 

Deep oak floors with galvanised strap floors in way of the mast step.

The bronze keel bolts are staggered to prevent sideways rocking of the keel and pass alternately through the deep oak floors and the keelson.

 

The original deck was laid in t&g pine boards, covered with canvas and painted. This was the customary method of laying a deck on a small yacht at the time and was very effective.

In the course of time, the canvas invariably sustained damage or deteriorated and the customary method of repair and upgrading is to remove the canvas, refasten the boards, bed down a sheet of ¼” ply to stabilise the surface and coat with glass cloth and epoxy resin. When done properly with the correct attention to the edges this gives a most satisfactory deck, strong, water-tight and low maintenance.

It appears that sometime shortly prior to present ownership the deck was treated in this way. The sheathing is properly secured round the coach-roof coamings with a quadrant and the toe rails appear to have been lifted to allow the sheathing to be laid under them and turned round the outside edge.

The deck is painted in non-slip deck paint.

 

Varnished teak rubbing strake all round the outside top edge of the deck.

Varnished teak toe rails all round with waterways to clear deck water.

The transom is finished in varnish with painted name and home port.

Stainless steel stanchions, pulpit and push-pit with twin guard wires.

Varnished oak Sampson post on the fore deck.

Bronze fair leads and cleats fore and aft.

Manual windlass and life-raft on the fore deck.

The rudder stock emerges through the aft deck with a long varnished tiller.

 

The coach-roof is built with varnished teak coamings fitted with 3 fixed bronze port holes each side.

The coach-roof deck is laid in the same way as the main deck and fitted with varnished teak hand rails each side and teak Dorade vent boxes each side of the mast.

The varnished teak fore hatch has been recently fitted with a Perspex top.

 

Self-draining cock-pit with tiller steering. The cabin coamings extend aft to form the deep cock-pit coamings each side.

Varnished teak seat lockers each side.

Cabin entrance with sliding teak hatch in a garage, twin lift-off hinged doors and wash board to the lower part, instrument display each side, spray-hood over.

 

Rig.

Masthead bermudian sloop rig on a deck stepped aluminium mast.

The original rig would have been a fractionally rigged sloop on a wooden mast stepped through the coach-roof onto the keelson. As happened to many yachts of this period she was modernised probably sometime in the 1970’s. In present 25 year ownership and many, many sea miles in all weathers the rig has proved to be totally satisfactory and trouble-free.

Gold anodised aluminium mast stepped in a welded aluminium tabernacle on the coach-roof.

Compression post below deck to take the strains.

 

6mm stainless steel rigging. Twin lowers and cap shrouds round aluminium spreaders.

Twin stemhead fore stays.

Twin standing back-stays to the pushpit.

Bronze rigging screws to internal bronze chain plates.

 

Main and headsail halyards in stainless steel flexible wire with braid rope tails.

3-strand rope topping lift.

 

Round section aluminium boom with original roller reefing fitting at the goose-neck. Now changed to slab reefing with cheek blocks.

3-point main sheet with centre block aft of the rudder stock head and turning blocks each side, double tails led forward to cleats on the coamings thus accessible from each side.

Kicking strap on a tackle.

 

Winches.

3 chrome, top action single speed winches on the mast.

Pair of Girling cock-pit sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings, top action with rubber tailing caps.

Pair of Girling top action winches on the cabin top, either side of the entrance hatch. Fitted with rubber tailing caps.

 

Sails

Mainsail by Dolphin Sails.  1996   17 sqm.

Genoa by Dolphin Sails       1996   26sqm.

No 2 Genoa by Dolphin Sails 2008  20 sqm.

Working Jib by Dolphin Sails 1998  12.5 sqm.

Older storm jib.          Almost unused.

Spinnaker.                  Occasional use only.

Cruising chute.           Occasional use only.

 

Machinery.

Yanmar YSE12 12hp single cylinder raw water cooled diesel engine installed in 1963.

Flexibly mounted on the centre-line with twin lever controlled ahead and astern Yanmar gear box to conventional centre-line shaft drive.

Water-cooled Vetus exhaust. Strainer on the sea water intake.

The engine is reported to have had a workshop total rebuild in 2007 and has always given excellent service.

2-blade 14” bronze prop.

Hand start facility with decompressor.

 

Fuel.

40 litres diesel in a stainless steel tank under the fore cabin berth.

12v pump to pass fuel back to the engine. Fore deck filler with anti-flood trap.

 

Electrics.

2 x 12v batteries on 12v circuits. Batteries were new in 2011 and are easily accessed in a box in the port cock-pit locker.

12v 40 amp/480W belt driven alternator on the engine.

Adverc battery management system ensures full charge.

 

Accommodation                               4 berths

Forward cabin. Originally fitted with V berths, now with infill to create a good harbour double berth.

Stbd heads compartment with Baby Blake sea toilet with a wash-basin over the WC, draoins into the WC.

2 hanging lockers to port.

Varnished teak gratings in the cabin sole.

Bulkhead door under the mast to the saloon cabin.

Instruments on the stbd bulkhead.

Taylors paraffin cabin heater on the port side bulkhead

Saloon cabin with port and stbd settee berths, stowage under and behind.

Chart table over the end of the stbd settee  berth can be moved to the forward bulkhead to form a dining table.

Galley aft with Plastimo gimballed 2-burner and grill gas cooker to port and a sink to stbd with 12v pressurised H&C water. Sink pumped overboard.

 

2 gas bottles in the lazarette locker aft of the cock-pit.

 

Water

40 galls fresh water in 2 GRP tanks under the side decks in way of the cock-pit.

Valiant gas water heater mounted on the bulkhead in the heads compartment. Hot water supplied to the heads hand basin and the mixer tap at the galley sink.

12v water pressure pump.

 

Head-room.  5’8” midships in the saloon cabin.

 

Varnished teak joinery. Varnished teak cabin sole boards. White painted deckhead. Varnished teak coamings with bronze port holes.

 

Inventory

Sestral steering compass over the cabin entrance hatch.

Sounder

Thru’ hull log

MLR FX 312 GPS

Hasler wind vane self steering.

12v auto-pilot.

Huson VHF radio

Raymarine ST60 wind speed and direction

 

Safety                                                                       

4-man life raft

2 x horse-shoe life buoys.

2 fire extinguishers.

Flares

12v bilge pump.

2 x manual bilge pumps.

Fire blanket

 

Ground tackle

25kg CQR anchor

20lb Danforth kedge anchor

Ample chain

Anchor warps                                                         

 

Deck

Avon Redstart inflatable dinghy

Seagull outboard engine

Full length winter cover

Winter yard cradle

Mooring warps

6 fenders

Fire blanket

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.