Practical Boat Owner – May 2018

The Cornish Yawl was drawn by Roger Dongray in the

late 1980s, and Cornish Crabbers built 45 examples

between 1989 and 1994 at their factory in Rock, North

Cornwall. The hull is a heavy lay up of GRP, the spars

were in sitka spruce, and they were powered by the

ubiquitous Yanmar GM10. Hull options included long

keel with bilge plates, or an optional lifting centreplate

for enhanced windward performance.

The finish quality was very high for the day, and there

is teak around the decks and down below. They came

with five berths, a heads, double burner/grill/oven, sink,

and a spacious saloon with comfortable seating around

the table. At £28,000 in 1989 they weren’t cheap, and at

prices of £17k to £25k today they represent great value

for such a substantially-built vessel. After production

ended, the hull went forward into the Crabber 24, which

itself ended production last year.

New owners are investing in some really nice

refurbishment projects, with cutter rig and 20hp engines,

so the Cornish Yawl will be cruising around for many

decades to come.

The fleet extends from Falmouth to the Friesian Islands

today, and the owners’ association can be found at

http://www.cyoa.org.uk

THE CORNISH YAWL

SWITCHPANEL SURGERY

Practical Boat Owner t http://www.pbo.co.uk 71

Back home, I lightly rubbed down the panel and applied two
coats of Ronseal Outdoor Varnish. The panel is ostensibly
indoors, and this varnish has proven ideal for such use. It really
bought out the beauty of the teak grain.

A couples of weeks later and the panel was reassembled
and fitted. All that remained was to fix the barrel catch.
Here I’ve protected the varnish with tape before drilling. The arm
catches behind the bulkhead and provides a secure fix.

This is the completed job with the panel hinged forwards.
The barrel catch can be seen on the forward edge, and the
wiring has been tidied. The earth strip has been moved for easier
access, and a plywood rear panel added – I’m in the process of
moving the NMEA wiring connections to this.

The finished project, and I’m delighted with what is a

massive improvement to access and safety. And it looks

pretty good too!

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Dylan Winter