Concept: 68 feet LOD Gaff headed schooner yacht

This design is intended for family cruising and inshore daysailing, mainly in and around local waters. Above the waterline, the style evokes the Nova Scotia/Gloucester fishermen type of 100 years ago, with gaffs on both masts, and a knockabout bow for easy and safe ‘no bowsprit’ sail handling. Below the waterline, the focus is on contemporary performance, and features moderate displacement and draft, a fin keel, and a separated spade rudder.

The design process started with a careful historical survey of the best of the ‘end of the era’ Nova Scotia/Gloucester fishing schooners. Speed, stability, and reliable seakeeping were paramount in their evolution, and the design parameters of the most successful examples were found to be remarkably similar. Over time these boats became increasingly long, lean, and light for their day, and reached their most highly refined form in the early 20th century. The long, lean, proportions of those full keel work boats correspond very nicely with the parameters of the modern fin keel underbody of a contemporary boat of the target size and type, so adopting them for this project was an easy and obvious choice. The sheerline, freeboard, and overhangs of the fishermen were adapted as faithfully as possible in the new design, within the constraints of an LOD on the order of only half as long.

Construction: Cold molded wood over foam cores

The hull shell is a light weight, high tech ‘wood sandwich’. The inside and outside skins are both carefully optimized laminates of epoxy resins and Alaskan Yellow Cedar veneers, bonded to a core of 30mm CoreCell foam, and reinforced with ‘E-glass’ cloth and unidirectionals. The stem, keel, keel floors and mast steps are all laminated mahogany. The keel loads are supported and distributed by integrated keel floors and longitudinals, all bonded to structural bulkheads and berth faces. The composite chainplates are fabricated of unidirectional carbon fiber, bonded to a locally reinforced area of the inner skin. The deck is a similar cold molded wood laminate over varying thicknesses of CoreCell foam, overlayed with teak. The skins are reinforced and higher density core is used in way of all deck hardware. All of the laminations are vacuum-bagged and post-cured to an elevated temperature that is carefully monitored via thermo-couples and controlled by computer. Methodical weight control is a high priority throughout, with all components carefully and individually weighed before assembly.

Noteworthy Details: Fin keel, carbon spars, unique layout

A fin keel and separated rudder underbody is unusual for a traditional looking schooner, but its advantages in terms of lower wetted area, higher stability, vastly improved lift/drag upwind, reduced sensitivity to sail trim, and far better maneuverability (especially downspeed in close quarters), make this configuration an obvious choice for this project. Steering control will be much less tiring and more precise when helmed by hand, and modern ‘smart’ autopilots will have no difficulty holding course on long ocean passages.

The ability to replace the massively heavy spars and rigging of the turn-of-the-century working schooners with contemporary and far lighter carbon and stainless steel offers such an enormous performance advantage that it makes that choice a ‘no brainer’ that is nicely consistent with the fin keel underbody. The total height of the rig relative to the LOD and freeboard is critical to the overall aesthetics of the boat, and it is similar to that of the working schooners, although the effective aspect ratio is higher due to the shorter main boom and lack of any upwind sails tacked to a bowsprit.

Chainplates located well aft of the mast partners are a requirement in this design, just as they were with the fishermen, since a gaff headed mainsail precludes a permanent backstay. Part time runners will be fitted for use as required during extreme conditions. Replacing traditional mast hoops with sail tracks allows swept spreaders on both masts that shorten the panel lengths and reduce rig weight still further. The topsails will roller furl inside the ‘pole’ type mast tubes, to make setting, tacking, and enjoying them practical even when sailing shorthanded. Vangs are vital to control twist in both sails, and to keep the gaffs clear of the swept topmast shrouds. With the topsails set, these gaffs will look suitably traditional, but they will function essentially as large and very stiff full length battens, supporting ‘fat headed’ sail profiles similar to those that have recently become the ‘new thing’ in grand prix race boats. (Not much is entirely new in sailing technology).

The jib will be roller reefed and furled and self-tacking. All that will be needed to tack is to put the helm over, which will definitely open some eyes when sailing in close quarters shorthanded! The overall sail area/displacement ratio is unusually high for a schooner to provide lively and rewarding performance, but it is supported by relative stability that is also high, and that will keep typical heel angles within a range that less committed sailors can find comfortable.

The weather in the home waters for this design can turn quickly, and it is important for the dedicated sailors on deck to be able to stay in social contact with those who might rather stay warmer and dryer. This suggested a fully enclosed deck house just forward of the cockpit that provides a raised ‘mid deck’ living space that is three steps above the main cabin sole, and three below the cockpit sole. This space accommodates the galley with great sight lines when standing, a dinette with equally exceptional sight lines when seated, and a navigation station with visibility both forward and aloft, as well as quick access to the helm.

Design Comments:

We think this design is an especially exciting combination of classic aesthetics, contemporary performance, and a unique, eminently practical, and especially comfortable deck and interior layout. She is well suited to both her daysailing and coastal cruising objectives, and she will just blow by other schooners, as well as nearly all the other boats in sight. She will look equally at home tucked into a quiet anchorage with the family as she will ahead of the pack on a ‘Spirit of Tradition’ race.

Photos: