Wooden Ships Comments on this Percy Dalton Gaff Cutter
Built by Dartmouth based shipwright Peter Nash in Dartmouth into a design by Cornish naval architect Percy Dalton based on the Bristol Channel pilot cutters and the West Country sailing fishing boats. Long keel with pronounced rocker, straight stem and transom stern with elegant tumble-home and rudder hung on the transom. The underwater shape of this yacht gives some clue as to the very impressive performance and sailing capabilities which have gained her such a fantastic reputation over the years.
One of the most remarkable gaff cutters in UK waters. Although she has the appearance of a traditional pre-war boat she was only built 35 years ago and she has had considerable up-grading and ongoing maintenance work since.
In the past she has made several trans-Atlantic passages, competed successfully in many classic regattas and won her class at the Antigua Classics. On her first crossing she sailed from the Canaries to St Lucia in an incredible 17 days proving her to be a very fast and seaworthy yacht. She is capable of being sailed very hard but equally has proved herself as a comfortable long distance cruising boat. Her huge benefit is the cockpit which is deep, safe and spacious and means the crew are not perched on the deck as is the case with many gaffers these days.
In the present ownership she has been given a major refit including a complete new deck plus new stanchions and bulwarks, rig overhaul and new running rigging, re-wire and new systems.
Length on Deck 42’
Length Waterline 40’
Length overall 54’
Beam 12’8”
Draft 6’10”
Construction
- Carvel planked in iroko with bronze screw fastenings to 3” x 4” grown oak frames + 2” x 2” steamed oak intermediate timbers.
- Bonze screwed fastened into the sawn frames and copper rivets in the steamed timbers.
- Oak keel, deadwoods and stem.
- External 4.5 ton lead ballast keel with bronze bolts through heavy oak floors and bronze strap floors.
- New deck completed in 202. 2 x 10mm layers of Bruynzeel marine plywood laid on the deck beams and fastened with A4 stainless screws. Plywood was then sheathed in 250gsm epoxy glass cloth. Quarter sawn Doglas fir deck planking of 18mm was laid on top, bedded in sikaflex and fastened with bronze screws. Afromosia king plank.
- The original steel cups holding the stanchions were removed and replaced with new 316 stainless bases and iroko stanchion posts. New iroko capping rail fitted and bulwark planking refurbished.
- 19’ x7’ coach-roof on 12” varnished iroko coamings fitted with bronze portlights each side, traditional sky-light on the sheathed ply coach-roof deck. Twin dorades forward with polished copper vents. Grab rails. Nice fore hatch, good clear side decks.
- The forehatch was refitted with repairs to the roof and new corner posts
- Large, self-draining cockpit with teak gratings and deep coamings all round. Edson worm gear wheel steering fitted in 1998 direct onto the transom-hung rudder head under a varnished iroko box with the main-sheet horse over. Steering gear recently refitted. All new rudder hangings with Delrin bushes.
- Wide bridge deck lifts to give access to the engine and side seat/lockers. Starboard side off-set entrance hatch to the cabin with sliding hatch and wash boards..
- Massive twin oak bitts on the fore deck take the inboard end of the bowsprit which passes through a stbd side galvanised stemhead gammon iron with chain rollers.
Rig
- Gaff cutter rig on keel stepped varnished hollow spruce mast fitted new in 1997 with fidded top mast. Painted doublings. Galvanised mast fittings.
- Galvanised standing rigging to external galvanised chain plates with heavy rigging screws. Chain plates recently removed and re-galvanised. All rigging removed around 9 years ago and stripped then parcelled and served in the traditional way.
- Light boxes carried in the rigging. Pin rail at the foot of the mast takes the halyards.
- Running backstays on single dyneema lines through low friction eyes and tensioned with cockpit winches.
- Varnished slab reefing boom carried on twin galvanised mast bands sheets to a horse aft with 4-part tackle on double blocks.
- Running bowsprit with bob-stay on tackle runs in completely over the top of the coach-roof. Whisker stay chain plates re-galvanised and refitted with stronger mounting.
- Jib on bowsprit traveller.
- 1 pair of bronze and 1 pair of chromed Lewmar ST40 self-tailing sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings.
- Varnished spinnaker boom. Booming out pole.
Sails
- Mainsail new in 2020
- Staysaill, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011) with Older Spare
- Jib, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011)
- Jib topsail
- Main topsail
- Large Assymetric with Snuffer
- Total 1650 square feet (approx.)
Winches
- 1 pair of bronze and 1 pair of chromed Lewmar ST40 self-tail sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings.
Machinery
- Ford 4 cylinder 85hp diesel.
- PRM Gearbox to centreline stainless shaft and a fixed 3 blade bronze propeller. New Deep Sea Seal stern gland.
- Fuel Consumption at 6kts is 3.0lts/hr, approx 1100/1200 rpm.
- Primary Fuel filters are twin Vetus on a manifold enabling them to be changed without stopping the engine.
- Diesel fuel: 220 litres, (range 400 miles max. at 5kts)
- Water: Total capacity 320 litres in two tanks under the saloon benches. Galley foot pump to sink via Jabsco filter and also to heads washbasin
- 1 x 12v engine start batteries. 4 x 12v deep cycle gel domestic supply batteries on 12v circuits.
- Shore power circuit with sterling Procharge Ultra 40 amp battery charger.
- Adverc battery management system on engine alternators.
- Boat re-wired with ships cable.
Accommodation
- 8 berths + a child’s berth.
- 6’6” headroom in the saloon.
- All new upholstery throughout and new paint and varnish work to the interior.
- V-berths in the fore cabin open to the stem although this space is largely used for storage in present ownership.
- Going aft through the centreline doorway in the bulkhead into the main cabin with a large double berth to port. Stbd is a childs berth and storage shelves
- Bulkhead opening to the saloon cabin with port and stbd settee berths, pilot berths up behind both sides and a drop leaf table between.
- Aft to port L-shaped galley with a Force 10 4 burner gas cooker with oven and grill. Gas system serviced. Sink with salt and fresh water pumps, manual pump-out. 12 volt fridge.
- Opposite the galley to starboard is a large storage area with drawers and shelves which worked perfectly for her long distance cruising.
- Part bulkhead to aft port corner chart desk and navigator’s berth, instruments around the chart table.
- Aft stbd side louvered door to heads compartment with Lavac manual sea toilet and hand basin.
- Companion ladder removes to access the engine.
Equipment
- Sestral steering compass
- Autohelm Tridata depth and speed?
- Autohelm wind speed and direction?
- Raymarine E80 chart plotter
- Furuno GPS
- Navtex
- Standard Horizon Matrix DSC VHF with integrated AIS
- Auto-pilot with new bearings in the Mamba drive unit
- 150lb main Fishermans anchor
- New ½” galvanised anchor chain
- 35kg CQR kedge Anchor
- Lofrans Tigress 24 volt anchor windlass
- Mooring warps
- Fenders
- Whale Gusher 30 manual bilge pump
- Rulematic 2000 automatic electric bilge pump
- Life saving gear?
- Life jackets?
- Liferaft?
- Jackstays?
- Fire extinguishers?
- MOB gear?
- Gas alarm?
- Smoke/CO alarm?
- Flares?
- Bunk and berth cushions with new upholstery
- Force 10 4 burner gas oven
- 12 volt fridge
- Mainsail new in 2020
- Staysaill, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011) with Older Spare
- Jib, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011)
- Jib topsail
- Main topsail
- Large Assymetric with Snuffer
- Mainsail cover
- 4 x Lewmar 40 ST sheet winches
- Spinnaker pole
- Booming out pole
