BOATS
Drascombe Drifter 22
Another old favourite, the Drifter 22 will be
making a comeback shortly at
Drascombe, complete with an interior
makeover including a moulded galley unit
and quarter berth option. Her GRP hull
and deck is laid up by hand using
waterproof polyester resins and cast-iron
ballast is moulded internally beneath the
sole. She also has an iroko keel plank and
twin galvanised steel drop keels.
The Drifter is spacious below, achieved
primarily by the use of the twin drop keels
so as not to interfere with the interior
layout. This also allows the boat to be
easily trailed, launched and recovered
single-handedly, while hardly even wetting
the trailer’s wheel hubs.
A stainless steel tabernacle greatly
simplifies stepping the mast when
shorthanded. Her high-peaked gaff yawl
sail plan with spruce mast and spars
offers an impressive sailing performance
across a wide wind range, making her
fast, comfortable and safe (RCD Cat-C) to
sail in all but gale conditions.
The mainsail has two reef points and a
traveller, while the jib is hanked on, the
tack being attached to a short timber
bowsprit. Her transom-hung rudder with
steel drop plate offers a light helm and
good control when motoring.
A 6-8hp outboard mounted in the
cockpit well allows the boat to be motored
efficiently, but it can also be lifted whilst
sailing to significantly reduce drag.
Fuel and gas lockers under the aft deck
are isolated and ventilated for safety and
there is ample built-in buoyancy in the
way of polyurethane foam in closed
compartments.
She is well set up for anchoring, with a
self-draining anchor well and a large
Samson post set into her foredeck.
Stowage for general deck gear items is in
a locker beneath the side decks.
Contact Churchouse Boats,
01794 301827, http://www.drascombe.co.ukBay Cruiser 23
Another beautiful looking pocket cruiser
from Swallow Yachts, the Bay Cruiser 23 is
one of a pair of well thought-out GRP
trailer-sailers in this company’s prolific
line-up of small sailing craft. As with the
Bay Raider 20 we featured last month, the
Cruiser 23 is water-ballasted via two
self-filling tanks, which can be drained out
on the slipway on recovery, making her
500kg lighter for towing. A hand-pump
also enables them to be emptied on the
water if desired when sailing downwind.
Under sail she’s quick, well-mannered
and easy to handle. Additional lead ballast
inside the tip of her centreboard gives her
substantial righting moment, resulting in a
stiff boat when loading up and particularly
when sailing to windward, when she can
hang onto her canvas for longer than
many other boats of her class and size.
She sports a fractional Bermudan sloop
sail plan with carbon-fibre mast and spars.
This not only keeps weight aloft to a
minimum, but also makes life easy when it
comes to rigging/de-rigging for towing.
Below she is light and airy, with practical,
yet comfortable accommodation for up to
four adults. There’s ample seating around
a dropleaf table mounted atop the cleverly
disguised centreboard box and a galley
with good stowage, space for a small hob
and a sink with hand-pumped fresh water.
There are two long quarterberths and a
roomy, open vee-berth forward, under
which is space for a toilet – fixed or
portable. There is stowage under theSedna 24
It’s impossible to write about trailer-sailers
without mentioning some of the myriad
boats built in Poland. Critics have
commented that some are designed for
inland lakes and are not stable enough for
use on the open sea, but many are now
purpose-built for the latter with much-
improved stability ratings.
One such boat, available in the UK, is
Sedna Yachts’ 24-footer. It’s a very
modern design with chined GRP hull,
sleek underwater lines and a long
waterline. If she’s anything like the Sedna
26 we tested in our February 2018 issue,
she should be capable of a sparkling
performance under sail.
Boasting six berths the Sedna 24 is
smart, uncluttered and downright practical
below. She also has a separate heads
compartment, a proper little galley unit
with gas hob and sink, pressurised
freshwater from a 40lt tank and a drop-leaf
saloon table that seats six.
Her simple sloop rig has all the mod
cons including aft-led control lines through
rope clutches and a boom vang and
mainsail lazyjacks.
Weighing 2 tonnes all-in means you’ll
need a powerful car or 4x4 to tow her
safely on the 4-wheel trailer.
Contact Edge-Water Marine 02392
388884, http://www.sednayachts.comseating, although some is taken up with
buoyancy compartments.
She has a roomy cockpit with optional
sprayhood, and sail control lines brought
inside. There’s a chunky Samson mooring
post on the foredeck, along with two
lockers for ground tackle.
A 5-8hp short-shaft outboard mounts in
a well ahead of the rudder and can be
tilted clear of the water when sailing.
Contact Swallow Yachts, 01239 615482,
http://www.swallowyachts.comBay Cruiser 23Drascombe
Drifter 22
Sedna 24