Boating New Zealand — December 2017

uring the trailer-sailer boom of the 1970s

and 80s the dream was a family boat that

could be raced or cruised. Like religion

and social media, it sounded like a good

idea in theory, but in practice it was never

achieved, and many families got bored or

frightened off by badly-designed boats.

For the most part these boats were either stripped-out,

oversize dinghies or floating caravans that sailed like one. The

idea of the perfect family trailer-sailer that could be raced and

cruised at the same time was a dream as wild as sticky date

pudding being served during a yacht race.

That was until Banks Peninsula designer Dan Leech took the

best features of these efficient extremes and designed them into

an innovative trailer yacht that feels like a race boat on deck and

a cruising keeler below.

Dan is a former runner-up in the Tanner and Tauranga Cups

and six times consecutive R Class Skiff national champion. He

has designed boats ranging from commercial workboats to fast

performance racing yachts.

With the launching of his Leech 8m CR prototype Hettie’s

Gift, Dan has applied a sailor’s sensibility and a father’s

understanding to the trailer-sailer concept and come up with a

unique combination of a livable and efficient trailer yacht.

CONSTRUCTION

As part of this innovative design, Dan has harnessed the

efficient production method of a full CNC cut-out, kit-set

type build system to create the jig for the hull. This simplifies

the construction and speeds up build time, but still allows for

the finish of a production boat and maintains the underlying

strength and stiffness of composite construction.

D

WORDS AND

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

MATT VANCE

review

Leech 8m CR

48 Boating New Zealand