Practical Boat Owner – August 2019

CHOOSING THE RIGHT YACHT

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Those looking for a ‘character’ trailer-
sailer around the 20ft mark should beat a
path to Rock in Cornwall. This is the
home of Cornish Crabbers and the
5.87m/19ft 3in (excluding bowsprit)
Shrimper 19 is one of the top sellers of
all time. More than 1,100 have been built
since 1979 and you can still buy a brand
new one if your budget stretches to
around £35,000.
Alternatively you’ll have little trouble
tracking down a second-hand Shrimper
starting from around £7,000 (outboard
version) or £10,000 (inboard version) for
older examples. Not surprisingly, the
newer the boat the more it costs.
You can find them in classified ads,
from the excellent association at
http://www.shrimperowners.org or from
Cornish Crabbers themselves.
Weighing 1066kg/2350lb (in towing
mode around 1500kg/3300lb), the
Shrimper is heavier than some trailer-
sailers so a beefy vehicle is needed. But
thanks to her shallow draught of 0.46m
(1ft 6in) with the hinging centreplate
raised, launching and recovery are
straightforward.
Regular PBO columnist Sam Llewellyn
featured his Shrimper 19 in his ‘Minimum
Boat’ stories.
“I bought a Cornish Shrimper because it
was solid and had a roof and sailed quite
well and, most importantly, it was
trailable,” he told me.
Sam was keen on trailability, adding:
“I like being able to sail in the Hebrides
and Scillies in the same year, without
spending weeks on passage.”
I also suspect that a large part of the
Shrimper’s enduring appeal is down to its
graceful looks and nicely proportioned
gaff rig. It’s a boat anyone would be

happy to sail in and be seen on.

Its mega-active owners’ association

puts on a busy annual programme of

sailing and social events – Shrimper

regattas attract huge fleets, several

trailing over from the Continent (and vice

versa to overseas events).

The Shrimper’s accommodation is not

huge for its length. It’s offered with a

‘classic’ two-berth arrangement or a

‘modern’ four-berth layout with space for

a marine or chemical WC.

Useful extra space can be won with a

tent covering its spacious cockpit when

at anchor.

If you like the idea of a versatile and

attractive day sailer-cum-weekend cruiser,

the Shrimper could fit the bill.

COMPARABLE CHOICES

Similar GRP

centreplate gaffers

include the Cape

Cutter 19 and

Norfolk Gypsy 19

Norfolk Gypsy 19

Cape Cutter 19

Cornish Shrimper 19 More than

1,100 Cornish

Shrimpers have

been built

Cornish Shrimper 19