Practical Boat Owner – May 2018

26 Practical Boat Owner • http://www.pbo.co.uk

BOATS

Boat LOD Beam

Bay Raider 20 6.05m 2.05m

Coastal 5.30m 1.95m

Dabber 4.72m 1.78m

Hawk 20 6.10m 2.26m

Hurley 18 5.63m 1.99m

Hurley 20 6.09m 2.16m

Kittiwake 16 4.90m 1.83m

Lugger 5.72m 1.90m

Memory 19 7.60m 2.10m

Shrimper 17 6.10m 2.06m

Swift 18 5.49m 2.41m

OLDER/USED DAY SAILERS

The years between 1965-85 were a

golden age for British boatbuilders, with

famous names such as Hurley, Camper &

Nicholson, Westerly, Moody, MacWester

and others in full production.

At that time an 18-22ft (5.5-6.7m) boat

was considered a proper offshore cruiser,

which is why so many were built with a full

cabin and enough berths for a small

family. Today, most would class these as

dayboats, using the cabin merely as a

sheltered place to brew up and maybe

keep a portable toilet, along with some

spare clothing.

If your budget won’t stretch to a new

trailer-sailer, then there’s a plethora of

small cruisers you can choose from for

well under £5,000, and many golden

oldies can be had for a tenth of that, if

you’re willing to put in the work.

Here are a few of the classic 20th

Century ‘pocket’ cruisers available for a

song today.

Memory 19

The Memory is a heavily-built, 19ft (5.8m)

gaff rigged sloop in the image of the small

inshore working craft found on the East

coast of England in the early part of the

20th Century. A couple of decades ago

Greg Dalrymple, from Salterns Boatyard

on the Hamble, acquired the moulds of

the classic Memory 19 and began

producing her again in GRP. The new

boats have stronger decks and better

deck gear, but otherwise they are almost

identical in looks to the earlier boats.

Salterns offered an open day boat and a

cabin version.

While the hull is GRP it is a far cry from

the usual modern plastic boat, the hull

being moulded with carvel planking lines.

The rest of the boat is very traditional in

appearance with wooden spars and fit

out. The Memory carries 1,100lb (500kg)

of ballast and has a 50% ballast ratio,

which enables it to stand up well to its

generous 317ft² (29.5m^2 ) sail area.

Hurley 18/20

The founder of Plymouth-based Hurley

Marine, George Hurley, started building

dinghies in the mid-1950s before taking

on the renowned Rob Tucker-designed

plywood Silhouette.

In 1965 Hurley and Tucker created

Hurley’s first round-bilged GRP boat, the

Silhouette MkIII, of which some 2,500-odd

were eventually built. They also built the

Peter Stephenson-designed Alacrity 19, a

beamier, faster boat.

Hurley also introduced many Ian

Anderson designs, with the first to bear

the Hurley name being the 20ft, 4-berth

Felicity. With Anderson on the drawing

board they quickly developed a full range

of steadfast little boats, including the H18,

H20, H22 and H24/70.

The fin-keeled H18 was intended to have

all the fine seakeeping qualities of its

bigger sister, the H22, but be small

enough to trail. With a 50% ballast ratio

she was stiff and competent, with an

impressive performance under sail. The

H20 was a low-budget GRP replica of the

Felicity, with bilge keels. She had sparse

accommodation and was less stiff under

sail than the 18 or 22, but showed a good

turn of speed and was easy to tow.

There’s a minimum level of

equipment you’ll need to keep safe,

warm and happy aboard a day

sailer. Safety kit would usually

include lifejackets for everyone on

board, a means of communication

with the shore (handheld VHF or

mobile phone in a waterproof bag),

navigation charts if you’re sailing

into unknown territory (smartphone

charts are fine for coastal sailing),

handheld GPS, binoculars, compass,

an anchor and rode, a powerful

torch or two and a couple of

handheld flares. It also makes sense

to give someone ashore a plan of

your intended passage, approximate

ETA, crew list, hull colour etc.

Then there’s the comfort and

sustenance considerations. In

addition to fresh water, a thermos of

hot drink or water for making soup

and enough food for all, it’s a good

idea to take energy snacks and

drinks to keep you going should

you not find the time to stop for a

proper meal right away.

Waterproofs and warm, dry

clothing is also a must, as is a decent

dry-bag to keep them in. Getting wet

and cold can not only spoil the day,

but it can also be dangerous if it

starts to affect the mental and

physical abilities of the crew.

Finally, you might want to add a

few luxuries, especially if you plan to

sleep on board. A portable loo might

be a step too far if you’re only going

out for a few hours, but it’s handy for

long days and nights. A single ring

cooker is all you need if you’ve

pre-prepared a one-pot supper – and

don’t forget a frying pan for breakfast

(and the bacon!). A good lantern is

handy and if you’ve got the kids with

you don’t forget to take something

for them to do, read or play with.

Hurley H20

Carvel-look Memory 19

hull is made of GRP

Bilge keels for the Hurley H20

BOAT FEATURES YOU’LL

WANT TO LOOK OUT FOR

ESSENTIAL

 All-over cover

 Launching trailer

 Built-in buoyancy

 Sealed stowage lockers

 Self-draining cockpit

DESIRABLE

 Spray hood

 Cockpit tent

 Small battery

 12V-5V USB charger

 LED navigation lights

 Outboard with charger

 Small solar panel

 Self-launching road trailer

 Tiller pilot

Essential day sailer kit

David Harding