Wooden Ships Comments on this 25′ Gaff Cutter.
25’ gaff cutter designed and built by the present owners father in 1953.
The builder was a professional shipwright and wanted a family yacht to go cruising with his young family. Originally she was flush decked, but in the 1960’s the doghouse was added to make her a more comfortable cruising boat with 4 young children. The doghouse was fitted with a removable solid back for security and to enclose the cockpit.
Built in Pill and cruised around the Bristol Channel, she was designed for drying harbours with shallow draft so she can also take ground easily.
The boat is now owned by the one of the sons of the builder, but with advancing years a new owner is sought to take on this interesting boat and continue her story.
Length on Deck 24’6”
Length Overall 29’6”
Length Waterline 23’4”
Beam 8’6”
Draft 3’6”
Displacement 4.3 tons
Construction
- Carvel planked in 7/8” larch.
- Fastened with copper rivets to steam bent oak timbers of 1.5” x 0.75” at 6” centres.
- All frames were double up from new from the waterline to the keel to take the weight of the internal ballast.
- Stem down to the waterline and several shifts of planking replaced in 2022.
- Grown oak floors across the centreline with bronze centreline bolts, last drawn in 2012.
- No external ballast keel. Internal lead ballast of 2.3 tons.
- Straight laid T&G deck and coachroof deck, overlaid with plywood and sheathed in GRP.
- Varnished mahogany raised topsides midships where the coachroof is extended out to the hull to increase internal volume.
- Open back doghouse made from varnished mahogany faced marine plywood with aluminium framed windows. Removable side panels and after doors in the dog house to completely enclose the cockpit.
- Non-self draining cockpit with thwarts either side. Thwarts lift to access lockers below. Plywood cockpit sole lifts to access the stern gland
- Transom hung rudder.
Rig
- Gaff cutter rig on a deck stepped spruce mast in a stainless steel tabernacle. Stainless steel compression post below.
- Varnished spruce slab reefing boom.
- Stainless steel standing rigging to external stainless chain plates. Rigging is 25+ years old. Dead eyes and lanyards.
- Mainsail, staysail, jib and reaching jib all in fair condition.
Machinery
- Yanmar 2GM 15hp diesel installed new in 1984.
- Engine overhaul in June 2022 with injectors serviced, injector pump rebuilt and lift pump replaced.
- Fixed centreline 3 blade bronze propeller gives 5.5 knots cruising speed. Fuel consumption of 0.5 gallons/hour.
- 100 litre stainless steel fuel tank set to starboard of the engine.
- Single 12 volt 105ah battery charged from the engine alternator.
- 1 manual bilge pump and 1 auto electric bilge pump.
- 100 litre stainless steel water tank.
Accommodation
- 4 single berths with headroom of 4’6” in the saloon.
- Full standing headroom in the galley under the dog house of 6’+
- The cockpit is enclosed by the doghouse with the removeable back sections.
- The original sliding companion hatch has been removed to make an easily accessed cabin.
- Step down from the cockpit into the cabin with the galley to port and large lockers to starboard.
- The galley has a Flavel Vanessa gas stove with oven and grill. Single stainless sink with manually pumped fresh water.
- Saloon area has a settee berth either side. Storage below the berths.
- Saloon table is clamped to the stainless compression post and slides up to the deckhead when not in use.
- Bulkheads separate off the forward area which has a small seat locker either side. Each side is a pipecot berth that folds up against the hull when not in use.
- Right in the bows is a Simpson Lawrence manual sea toilet.
Equipment
- Sestrel steering compass
- Euromarine Stingray sounder
- ICOM IC-M411 DSC VHF
- Furuno GP-31 GPS
- Clock and barometer
- 750GPH auto electric bilge pump
- Manual bilge pump
- 3 x lifejackets
- Mooring warps
- Fenders
- 35lb Fishermans anchor with 10m x 10mm chain + 12m x 20mm warp
- Sand anchor
- Beaching legs
- Bunk and berth cushions
- Flavel Vanessa gas cooker
- Simpson Lawrence manual sea toilet
- 2 x gas bottles
- Mainsail 175sqft Fair condition
- Staysail 68sqft Fair condition Jeckells Sails
- Jib 65sqft Fair condition Tratman & Lowthers
- Reaching Jib 130sgft Fair condition Yoeman Sails
- Mainsail cover from Sabre Sails, 2012
