Wooden Ships Comments on this Percy Crossley Bermudan Sloop
37′ bermudan sloop designed by P.C. Crossley and built by the Ponsharden Shipyard, Falmouth, in 1934, apparently for the yard owner.
Percy Crossley who worked with the great Linton Hope was perhaps best known for designing the Windermere 17s, a large fleet which is still racing on the lake.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Percy Crossley Bermudan Sloop
37′ bermudan sloop designed by P.C. Crossley and built by the Ponsharden Shipyard, Falmouth, in 1934, apparently for the yard owner.
Percy Crossley who worked with the great Linton Hope was perhaps best known for designing the Windermere 17s, a large fleet which is still racing on the lake. He was a notable club member and the resident designer of the Windermere 17s, a developing design, for 60 years.
An incredibly beautiful and elegant yacht from the years between the Wars, some might say a great era of British yacht design. Typical shape for her era with a beautiful sheer line and counter stern, flushed decks with a narrow teak coachroof. The lack of guard rails and deck fittings keeps her lines smooth and elegant.
The history of this boat is well known and the owner has the full set of registration documents going back to her launch. She is registered on the National historic Ships Register.
Bought by the present owner in 2016, she then underwent a major professional refit in 2018 which included all new stainless steel strap floors and many new frame heels. Since then the interior has been replaced entirely.
This is a supremely elegant yacht full of pedigree and charm. She has been well cared for in the current ownership and used regularly around the Solent. She could continue to be used as a cruising yacht but could also make a superb classic regatta yacht that would certainly turn heads everywhere she goes.
2021 insurance survey available. Reluctantly for sale due to the owners ill health.
Length on Deck 37’
Length Waterline 26’
Beam 8’4”
Draft 5’5”
Thames Tonnage 8TM
Construction
- Planked in pitch pine all copper and bronze fastened. Sawn oak frames with 2 steamed intermediate timbers.
- Oak back bone with a lead keel and bronze keel bolts. All keel bolts new in 2018.
- Stainless steel strap floors on the sawn frames, bolted through the frames and planking with stainless bolts. Floors are insulated from the frames and are tied into the keel bolts to create a very stiff and strong centreline structure. These new floors were professionally fitted in 2018.
- New wooden mast step fitted in 2018.
- Unusually heavy full length bilge stringer of 4”x4”. Heavy beamshelf with a clamp in way of the mast. Iron hanging knees and grown oak lodging knees in way of the mast.
- Straight laid in what is thought to be Kauri pine deck secret nail fastened to the deck beams. Deck is caulked and payed, this was raked out and re-caulked then payed with Sikalfex in 2018.
- Varnished teak king plank and covering boards with a teak toe rail all round. Bronze fittings on deck including fairleads, cleats and mushroom vents.
- Narrow elegant coachroof typical of her era with varnished teak coamings and bronze portlights. Steep camber to the coachroof deck which is made from T&G pine, sheathed externally. Varnished teak hand rails and sliding entrance hatch.
- Forehatch made from teak mounted on the centreline.
- Self draining cockpit with teak comaings that curve in at the forward end to meet the narrow coachroof. Wide bridge deck and varnished teak thwarts either with lockers below. Teak cockpit sole grating.
- Tiller steering with an oak tiller and bronze fitting to the rudder stock. New rudder in 2007.
Rig
- Fractional Bermudan sloop rig on a keel stepped white painted alloy mast
- Single spreaders with jumper struts at the upper end to support the mast head.
- Alloy boom with slab reefing system. Double tailed mainsheet to a stainless sheet horse on the aft deck.
- Alloy spinnaker pole.
- Standing rigging is mixed with stainless cap shrouds and the twin lower shrouds in galvanised wire. Internal steel chain plates side fastened through the heavy sawn oak frames.
- Stainless steel cap shrouds, forestay and backstay new in 2018.
- The inside of the cap shroud chain plate has been fitted with a tensioned stainless rigging screw connecting it to an extended arm of a new stainless strap floor in way of the mast to provide rigidity and strength
- Single standing stainless back stay to the stern. Running backstays of stainless wire tensioned with a block and tackle.
- Forestay with a Furlex roller furling headsail system.
- Mainsail new in 2017, in excellent condition. Genoa new in 2016, sacrificial strip replaced in 2021. Old mainsail and genoa included.
- Pair of Barbarossa non-self tailing cockpit sheet winches.
- Captive wire bronze mast halyard winches for main and headsail.
Machinery
- Bukh 2cyl 23hp marine diesel installed in 2016 as an ex ships lifeboat engine with low hours. Raw water cooled engine, serviced regularly.
- Stainless shaft to a centreline fixed 3 blade bronze propeller gives 5 knots cruising speed.
- 2 x 12 volt batteries of 115ah each. Charged from the engine alternator or from the installed solar panel with charge regulator. Both batteries new in May 2022.
- Stainless steel fuel tank of 8 gallons in port cockpit locker.
- 25 litre plastic water tank under the bridge deck.
Accommodation
- 4 berths including a small double forward
- 6’ headroom in the saloon below the coachroof.
- 2 sets of steps down over the engine box into the main cabin. To starboard is the chart desk and to port is the galley.
- Galley has a Thetford 2 burner gas stove with grill and a single stainless sink with manually pumped cold fresh water. Several storage lockers around the galley.
- Chart desk made from teak faced plywood.
- Half height T&G bulkheads with vertical grab rails separate off the main saloon.
- Main saloon has a settee berth either side with a centreline dropleaf mahogany table and oiled oak sole boards. There are shelves behind the settee backs under the deckhead with storage beneath the seats. The port side bunk is 6’8” long and the starboard side is 5’4”.
- Cabinet lockers to starboard at the forward end.
- Varnished teak door in the bulkhead to port of the centreline giving access forward.
- Moving into the fore peak with a large storage bin and hanging locker to port under the side deck.
- Double V-berth giving 7’ of sleeping length set slightly to starboard.
- To port are top loading lockers made from teak faced plywood.
- Jabsco sea toilet is mounted under the port side of the double berth and accessed by removing the berth base. Manual sea toilet discharges directly overboard.
- Hatch in the forward bulkhead giving access to the anchor locker which is a large space also useful for storing fenders and other large items.
Equipment
- Sestrel steering compass
- Clipper Duet sounder and log
- ICOM IC-M31 handheld VHF radio
- Hand bearing compass
- Boat hook
- Ensign and staff
- Cockpit/coachroof cover, new from Covercare in 2019
- Varnished teak cockpit table
- Numerous mooring warps
- 5 x fenders
- Pair of beaching legs
- Teak boarding/swim ladder
- 2 x 12 volt 115ah batteries, new in 2022
- Solar panel with charge regulator
- 22 litre plastic diesel jerry can
- 25 litre water jerry can
- Rule 1100lph auto bilge pump
- Back up auto electric bilge pump
- Manual bilge pump
- Flare pack
- Horse shoe lifebuoy
- Fire extinguisher
- Fire blanket
- Furlex roller furling headsail system
- Mainsail from Arun Sails, 2017
- Genoa, 2016
- Mainsail cover, new from Covercare in 2019
- 2 x Barbarossa cockpit sheet winches
- Spinnaker pole
- Old mainsail and Genoa
- CQR main anchor
- Anchor chain
- Fishermans kedge anchor
- Bunk and berth cushions
- Thetford 2 burner gas cooker with grill
- Various items of galley equipment
- Dropleaf mahogany saloon table
- Jabsco manual sea toilet
