RIGHT She
carries a
powerful rig,
and accelerates
quickly in the
puffs.
FAR RIGHT
With her trim
weight, Hettie’s
Gift is easy to
launch.50 Boating New Zealand
The construction of Hettie’s Gift took 18 months under
the skillful hands of Bruce Keen and his team at Bruce’s
Boat Repairs in Invercargill. With any custom boat it is the
relationship between builder, designer and the owners that is
key and Hettie’s Gift is the result of talent and skill on all sides
of the equation.
She was constructed in top and bottom halves. The lower
section of the hull is cedar core strip-plank with the topsides
and deck created out of foam core all encapsulated in an
epoxy/E glass laminate.
Areas such as the chainplates and dagger board case are
reinforced with the judicious use of carbon which makes for a
light, stiff hull any racing buff would be proud of.
The hull form is similar to the Leech 8m racing version
below the waterline, with a narrow entry flaring into a wider
stern. Strong chine sections integrate into impressive topsides
which give the boat a keeler-like freeboard and, unusually for
a trailer-sailer, full standing headroom in the main saloon.
The interior is constructed in a mixture of composite
panels and epoxy over Gaboon ply. With a long waterline
and narrow beam extended to the chines, very little effort is
required to get her moving and keep her moving.