capice 19 owners

[alex67]

Hi,
I have recently started workon an old Caprice, MK 1 I think, and would like to hear from anyone who has any information anout this class of yatch. In particular, does anyone know of an association for them, or where I can get pictures of different layouts to give me ideas of what to do with mine.

many thanks

 

[pvb]

I guess you\'ve already tried...

I guess you've already tried Tony Tucker, Robert's son, who probably has a mine of information available.

 

[LeonF]

and have you read 'Shrimpy' ? By Sean something or the other his name eludes me... sailed his round the world..

 

[webcraft]

There doesn't seem to be an owners' association.

The Caprice is capable of more than you might expect - Caprice Mkl, Sail Number C159 sailed around the world. The book is 'Shrimpy: A Record Around the World Voyage in an 18 Foot Yacht' by Shane Acton. Shrimpy was published in 1981 by Patrick Stephens Ltd., Bar Hill, Cambridge, UK. The book is out-of-print and hard to get, but copies turn up on the web - I got mine by advertising on YBW's 'wanted' forum. When available the copies are usually pricy! A second book Shrimpy Sails Again was also published and is also out-of-print.

Read more about Shane Acton HERE

Enjoy your boat,


- Nick

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[William_H]

Re: Silhouette Owners Association

Hello Alex No I don't kniow a Caprice however I am a fan of small yachts and seem to be in the mood to rave on with some thoughts. I have lots of friends with boats around this size. I often shudder at people requesting details of their yachts as originally built. I reckon everything is a compromise and you can probably do better yourself than the original manufacturer. After all every thing is a compromise. (If not have lot of fun trying)
If you can I would suggest you go for the 4 berth with quarter berth arangement. On my 21 fter the quater berths are really good roomy and easy to get your feet into while the berth makes excellent settee. Some boats here have a ply bulkhead at the base of the mast which has an arch cut into it for access to the fore peak. (no central pole for mast support.) If the fore berth is a matress full width and length it can be quite suitable for kids or smaller adults depending on length. You can have stowage under the matress, initially accessed thriough the arch from the main cabin. Then up front by lifting the mattress or seal it off for unsinkable bouyancy. The chain plates will be a little aft of this bulkhead but can be tied to it for added strength. The bulkhead can be strenthened by diagonal timber from the mast base down to each chine area. A portaloo could be stowed under the fore matress and pulled back into the main cabin through the arch for use but I would recommend you try a bucket with lid. For the ladies, around here you can get a nice little loo seat on legs for camping to sit over the bucket.
I would suggest on this size boat that the main bunk settees extend to the bulkhead to give max sitting room. A galley unit can be made to slide out from under the bridge deck cockpit which can contain a step into the cabin a small cooker and sink and food sorage. Much of course depends on your lifestyle afloat if you like liveaboard this would be the easy way and you could take the whole box home fior cleaning and replenishment. I confess that I have not slept on my boat for a long time just race for a few hours and home again but that is perhaps unusual. Mine has a lifting keel with no stub keel so the mast support in the cabin and the centreboard case tend to isolate and make the fore cabin remote so while you can get past it, it seems we just use the main cabin area when we sit inside.
I note that all the Silhouette seem to have an inboard rudder. Mine has a very deep fin rudder on the transom which can swing aft out of the water for towing or shallows. It certainly gives a very powerfull rudder. Very necessary as we are often screaming along (me screaming with son as skipper)(way beyond the point of disaster) under spin in 20 knots of wind. It sort of tries to plane. Anyway I do like a transom mounted rudder as it puts the end of the tiller as far aft as possible while still being long enough to control. You need room in the cockpit for the skipper and crew to be able to get past when tacking. Even so when working hard I try to avoid more than 3 people in the cockpit. Another will sit on the side and cross over under the boom. (Perhaps this is not your kind of sailing.) I often wonder why I have a pulpit on the front as I have given up on guard rails/wires. I tended to knock them off on jetties, they are too low to be any use. A pushpit at the stern is nice to lean back on when going is gentle. Don't bring it too far forward however as you may need to sit up on the gunwhale and lean out like I do. (Again maybe not your style.)
For rigging I like a fractional rig with tapered mast but of course you may not have a choice. I use a traveller for the mainsheet which runs athwartships on the bridgedeck near the main hatch. It is easy for the crew or helmsman to reach and gives good vang effect (no vang fitted).
Make sure you have small jibs available for a blow and set up easy reefing. You need handholds on the cabin top and fore deck and something on each gunwhale near the bow to wedge your foot against when changing sail in a blow. (always done sitting on the fore deck). I noticed the sillhouette may have a problem with boom or sail hitting the backstay. I have a long 20 cm mast crane to bring the backstay attachment at the top of the mast back aft of the mainsail. works well.
There is a site for my type of boat at http://au.msnusers.com/CASTLE650GROUP it is a fairly high performance boat and perhaps not applicable to your boat but you might enjoy the photos. I have had my 21 fter for 23 years and wouldn't change it for anything (except perhaps a new one of same sort) best wishes thanks for your patience in reading this tripe will

 

[reginaldon]

Re: Silhouette Owners Association

I got both Shane Acton's books at the library (kent}. I wrote to the address below' (but didn't get a reply). I believe he wanted to start up an owners assn
"Roy Martin Brook House, Ronan Road Chilworth, Southampton, SO6 7HE?"
My Caprice (recent acquisition) a Mk 4 GRP - The Silhouette site talks only of Silhouettes - surprise!

 

[webcraft]

Shrimpy

Copy on Ebay HERE

- Nick

 

[oldharry]

Had one many years ago during a spell of redundancy. (lots of time for sailing, but no money... became adept at finding safe free anchorages etc round the Solent).

The Mk 1 had the coachroof stopping behind the mast, while the Mk 11 had an extended coachroof with the mast stepped on it, giving much more room below decks, and improving the appearance of the boat.

The Mk 111 was the first plastic version, with slightly raised topsides and coachroof, giving a further improvement in accomodation. I beleive the keels were slightly enlarged to compensate for extra windage. The Mk111s built by Yachthaven at Bradford on Avon, had a serious weakness in that they had insufficient support at the aft end of the keels where the hull is fairly flat, and with time the keels tend to push up into the hull cracking the GRP. Internal stiffening and strengthening sorts it well enough. The MkIV was the 'ultimate' Caprice, with improved rig, accomodation and performance, and was an excellent 'all rounder' but with sufficient speed to still be competitive in club racing today.

A brilliant seaboat with adequate rather than exciting performance by modern standards, but I found I could take mine almost anywhere in almost any weather and soon realised how Shane Acton got away with it - though how he lived in such a small boat for so long as another matter! Forget about windward performance much over F5 - they are just not heavy enough to beat into a rough sea.

As to layout, there is not much you can do to change an 18 footer significantly, particularly if you insist on 4 berths. There just is no room for anything else! However a 2 berth layout using the forward berths as combined saloon/sleeping area - not possible in the Mk1 due to lack of headroom forward, allows the fitting of a galley flat, and if you really must, a 'thunderbox' opposite. This the frees up the space under the cockpit seats for stowage - a real problem on the early wooden boats!

The wooden MkIs and IIs had 3/4 rig, and are much improved by converting to masthead rig. The bigger jib makes a lot of difference, particularly in light weather when the fairly weighty (for its size) hull needs all the help it can get! Roller reefing solves the problem of the 'foredeck dance', which can be serious gymnastics on a boat as small as this in a big sea! Ideally everything is brought aft so that sail control is acheived from the cockpit - straightforward enough with a bit of thought!

Nice boats - Good luck with yours!