Classic Daniel Fyfe Loch Fyne Skiff Gaff Cutter for sale in Cornwall United Kingdom

Wooden Ships Comments on this Daniel Fyfe Loch Fyne Skiff Gaff Cutter

Built in 1895 to a design by Daniel Fyfe at the yard of Morrris and Lorimer on the Clyde.

Daniel Fyfe was related to the first William Fife of Fairlie and clearly boat building ran strong in the family DNA. Born in Ardrossan, he became a shipwright of note, eventually settling in Millport as Daniel Fyfe & Son.

The Loch Fyne skiff style of hull was familiar to him as he built many fishing vessels and private yachts alike based on this seaworthy and pretty hull. These boats had evolved with the aid of naval architecture to be an excellent design, eminently sea worthy with very attractive lines.

The yacht was commissioned by Noel Guinness, a solicitor from Dublin and part of the brewing family.

The current owner bought the yacht in 1993 and spent the first few years of ownership sailing her hard and covering a lot of miles around the west of England, Ireland and Northern Europe. After an accident one dark stormy night on her berth, the yacht was taken ashore for minor repairs which developed into a 27 year total rebuild carried out by the experienced and talented shipwright owner.

The work involved all new hull planking, frames and deck plus a complete new interior and systems. The work has been finished to a very high standard and the boat is presented as though she has just come out of the shed. She was re-launched in June 2022.

Registered on the National Historic Ships Register.

A very elegant yacht of excellent pedigree in as new condition, a superb blend of history and modern practicality to create an excellent yacht.

Length on Deck 27’9” / 8.46m

Length Overall 37’6” / 11.43m

Length Waterline 25’4” / 7.72m

Beam 8’3” / 2.51m

Displacement 5 tonnes

Construction

Hull

• Carvel planked in larch, entirely new in the rebuild.
• Laminated oak frames with bronze screw fastenings. Steamed oak intermediate timbers with copper rivet fastenings.
• External lead ballast keel with all new bronze bolts. Original elm keel and dead woods.
• New laminated oak stem and solid oak stern post.
• Laminated oak floors across the centreline.

Deck

• Composite deck made of a 12mm T&G larch subdeck, overlaid with 6mm and 9mm plywood, all epoxy bonded together. Sheathed externally in epoxy glass cloth and finished with 2 pack paint for a low maintenance finish.
• Iroko toe rail all round with bead blasted stainless steel stanchions.

Cockpit and superstructure

• Teak coachroof coamings with bronze port lights and a sheathed plywood coachroof deck.
• Self draining cockpit with teak sole grating. Iroko cockpit coamings and thwarts
• Mix of bronze and bead blasted stainless steel deck fittings.
• Stern post hung rudder with laminated tiller. Customised bronze plate on rudder head.
• All bright work is finished with a stain for ease of maintenance.

Rig

Spars and rigging

• Gaff cutter rig on a keel stepped solid wooden mast.
• Douglas fir boom and bowsprit, spruce gaff yard.
• Galvanised wire standing rigging to external stainless steel chain plates.
• Running backstays on 2:1 tackles.
• Boom gallows across the aft of the cockpit makes easy work of setting or furling the mainsail.
• Jib is on a Wykeham Martin furler. Staysail hanked to the inner forestay.

Sails

• Mainsail, staysail, jib and topsail by SKB Sails of Falmouth.

Winches

• 2 pairs of Wilmex 10 bronze non-ST cockpit sheet winches.

Machinery

Engine

• Yanmar 2GM20 16hp diesel engine. New engine with very low hours and only 3 seasons use prior to the rebuild so it was reconditioned and reinstated.
• Single lever controls to a centreline fixed 3 blade bronze propeller gives 5 knots.

Batteries

• 80ah 12 volt engine start battery.
• 165ah domestic battery.
• Charging via the engine alternator plus a small solar panel when on the mooring.

Tanks

• 80 litre stainless steel fuel tank under port saloon settee.
• 180 litre stainless steel fresh water tank.

Accommodation

• 4 berths including a quarter berth, settee berth and V-berths forward.
• Joinery is mainly oak giving a crisp, light and airy feel to the cabin.

Interior Description

• Companion steps down from the hatch with quarter berth to port and galley to starboard.
• Quarter berth of full length and easy to access.
• Beyond the galley to starboard is a forward facing chart desk with a dedicated seat. Oak panel with switch board, VHF and chart plotter inserted.
• Settee berth to port gives a full length single berth.
• Starboard side passage going forward with a oak panelled hanging locker outboard.
• 2 single berths in the forecabin with fore hatch over. Heads under port side berth.

Galley

• Galley has a single stainless sink with manually pumped fresh water. Plastimo Neptune 2500 2 burner hob, grill and oven. Vitrofrigo 12 volt fridge to port with work surface above.

Heads

• Jabsco manual sea toilet located in the forecabin to port under the berth. Discharges directly overboard.

Equipment

• Steering compass
• Standard Horizon CP180 GPS chart plotter
• Standard Horizon Explorer DSC VHF

• Lofrans Dorado 12 volt anchor windlass
• CQR anchor with chain
• Mooring warps
• Fenders

• 165ah domestic battery
• Engine start battery
• Portable solar panel

• Bunk and berth cushions
• Plastimo Neptune 2500 galley cooker
• Vitrifrigo 12 volt fridge
• Gas bottle in dedicated locker

• Boom tent
• Companion hatch cover
• Forehatch cover
• Grab rail covers
• Tiller covers
• Windlass cover

• Sails by SKB, Falmouth
• Mainsail
• Staysail
• Jib
• Topsail

• Mainsail cover
• Topsail yard
• 4 x Wilmex 10 bronze sheet winches