Every man has his own ideas about his perfect yacht. The boat of one man's dreams is that of nightmares to another.
The young guy who commissioned this design was set on sailing to faraway places in a minimum boat, what could be termed a "vest pocket cruiser". She was to be named "PIEPOWDER", an old English word derived from the French for "dusty feet" and meaning wanderer.
His father diverted him into the suit and tie world before his dreams became a reality.
I wonder if he will ever realise those dreams.
The Pocket Cruiser is becoming increasingly popular, a small boat for bluewater sailing. For many "penniless dreamers" then, a nutshell like this represents a real opportunity to put their aspirations into practice.
In fact, the Five (Piepowder in the original name of Dudley Dix's project), despite its minute dimensions, is designed as a serious offshore cruiser. It was designed for those who want to make long trips with a minimal boat, even in the ocean, while retaining an acceptable interior space, good performance and a pleasant aesthetic, perhaps a little Old Style ... The Five has large load capacities while maintaining good daily averages for such a small boat. It is also extremely safe in all conditions, being unsinkable and self-righting.
Below it has quarter berths for navigation and a large double berth in the bow for use in the harbor. The quarter berths offer a comfortable seat in the cabin, both for work and relaxing. There is room for small talble and cardan stove and lockers on both sides. Two large tanks under the bow berth ensure a sufficient supply of water for long voyages.
Her rig is cutter with single spreaders. The genoa is on the bowsprit and the staysail on the foredeck. In bad weather she would be sailed as a sloop using the staysail and reefed main.
Her raised sheer/flush deck configuration gives a large and clear foredeck. The cockpit well is small, drains through the transom and has liferaft stowage under the aft deck. Forward of the well is a broad bridge deck which forms a lounging area.
For those wanting to sail in protected waters, the tankage can be omitted and a portable head built in under the aft end of the double berth. A curtain forward of the galley would provide privacy, making her a comfortable camp cruiser for a small family.
She is designed for cored GRP construction (Airex, Termanto, Corecell...) polyester or vinylester resin and fiberglass, with female mold on frames and currents. Not a simple but certainly possible and sustainable construction for a good home builder who wants to experience these materials
some stages of sandwich construction:
the hull could also be built in strip planking, with appropriate modifications to the design, with SP Systems 106 multipurpose epoxy resin, first quality red cedar or fir strips and e-glass reinforcement fabrics. On request we can supply the modifications to the project as optional
Foam bouyancy is distributed throughout the hull so that, even if holed when fully laden for cruising, she can only sink about 300mm below her designed waterline. She has 350kg of bolt-on lead ballast low down with a fin keel/skeg rudder configuration and a raised sheer.
The result is full self-righting capability with positive stability to 150 degrees.
Who want to make simple coastal navigation can give up their large tanks in favor of some extra comfort, with a toilet and lockers under the double berth, transforming the Five into a small but comfortable vessel for the weekend and for short cruises below the coast of summer holidays.
With its small size and low dry weight (about 600 kg) the Five can be easily put on a trailer even by small-displacement cars, with minimal management costs in road transfers.
Epoxy wet laminating Sistems ¬ Same 100:26 resin to hardener mix ratio by weight across range of hardener speeds ¬ Viscosity optimised for good fabric wet-out and drainage resistance ¬ Good cure progression from ambient only cures ¬ Tough resin matrix giving good laminate mechanical properties ¬ DNV-GL & Lloyds Register Certified formats available ¬ Low...
Resin Kg 3.15 + Hardener (Fast or Slow) Kg 1.05 AMPRO™ is a multi-use epoxy system by Gurit, awarded for its innovative technical characteristics and for its particular attention to the environment. Simple to use, it can also be used at low temperatures for gluing, coating, lamination and filling...
derived from the famous SP 106 and reformulated with:...
Marine plywood with excellent resistance and durability performance in conditions of extreme humidity and salinity . Thanks to their unique water resistance, Okoumè marine plywood panels are the ideal choice for carrying out structural projects that require durability performance in a marine environment even in severe conditions. measures...
Plywood Lapstrake Traditional Open Daysailer
~ Same hull, rig & characteristics ~ Large & comfortable open cockpit ~ Day-sailing or camp-cruising ~ Dry & secure cuddy ~ Lapstrake plywood for amateur builders ~ 16 Flotation compartments ~ Pre-cut plywood kits
dwg file available for hull & deck cnc kit. Ask for info and for a quote
Plywood lapstrake (clinker) - CAD 6,30m. Centreplate trailer sailer, gaff or marconi cutter, traditional lapstrake. Includes bulkhead patterns. Optional hull and deck skin patterns extra. dwg file available for hull & deck cnc kit. Ask for info and for a quote
marine plywood radius chine - CAD Derived from the Didi 26, it retains its characteristics but is more compact and trailerable. With different options: mobile or fixed sailing dinghy, long or short cockpit, inboard or outboard engine, racing or cruising rig. 1: 1 drawings in Mylar of backbone, bulb and rudder.
Plywood lapstrake (clinker) - CAD 5,80m. Centreplate trailer sailer, gaff or marconi cutter, traditional lapstrake. Includes Mylar bulkhead patterns. Optional: plans + hull and deck skin patterns extra
dwg file available for hull & deck cnc kit. Ask for info and for a quote