Character Boats - Lytham Pilot

Boomshanka

Boomshanka

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Does anyone have any hands on experience with the Lytham Pilot (or Character Boats in general)? It seems to have ballast in a 'long keel' rather than a more conventional dagger board arrangement for a dinghy. It's a bit annoying not to have any close up photos online:o I think they normally have a stand at SIBS so I might take a closer look then, but any views would be good.

PA060041.JPG
 
Well the nearest design I've sailed to that depicted would be the Norfolk Oyster; nice boat and impressively stable, only real negative point is the gaff is quite a heavy bit of kit when lowered and raising in strong winds, something to keep clear of.

Personally I'd prefer the grip to windward of a centreboard rather than shallow full length keel.

On this sort of boat I think an outboard well is pretty essential if considering using an engine at all; infinitely more user friendly, and doesn't spoil a boats' looks.

Of course boats like this are eye-wateringly expensive for what they are...
 
I used to sail in a mates post boat now and then, what are you wanting to know?
 
Boomshanka said:
It's a bit annoying not to have any close up photos online
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I agree. I think their web-site is pathetic.
There are a few PostBoats on Windermere and the bigger one as well.

They seem to sail slowly and sideways mainly.
Would be a lovely boat to sail from the boathouse though. Just putting up the mast and off you go (if a bit slowly).

I Think this is the Whammel

Postboat.jpg
 
I love the shape of the whammels, but I find part of the website blurb a bit strange.
(The large uncluttered cockpit makes her particularly suitable for the larger group or for camp cruising afloat, )
What the hell is camp cruising all about?
 
I have had the Character Boats Coastal Whammel for the last four years. My first sailing boat, so I have little knowledge of other boats.

My views are these:

The long shallow keel does not seem to allow that much leeway. In terms of surface area presented to the water, it's actually quite large.

I nearly looked at a secondhand one that had a steel swing keel fitted in addition, from new. Adrian the builder said it wasn't required.

It is a solid lump running along the bottom of the boat, protected by a heavy SS keel band. I just run it up the slip with no worries.

It supports the boat on the trailer and is solid as a rock - easy to launch and retrieve single handed.

Rigged from scratch in 30 min.

It is over canvassed to cope with its weight in light airs - it needs to be reefed at F3-4, but it's happier sailing flat and goes just as fast on first reef.

It's not great to windward but it makes good progress if you don't try and pinch too close.

In a heavy short chop it can stall through the tack and needs must you back the jib to get it round.

It is a very pretty boat. Hardly an outing goes by without someone coming up to me to say it's a beautiful boat.

It's well and strongly built. In comparison to some of the alternatives I looked at, it wasn't expensive.

But it hasn't got a lid on it. Might look soon to getting a boat with a roof.
 
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Boomshanka said:
General performance (particularly to windward), but I think Lakey has answered that one!
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Well he might have, but I don't necessarily agree with him, they make no more leeway than any other boat of their type, If windward performance and zooming about are important to you, why are you looking at what is essentially an "old gaffer"?:)

Off the wind my mates post boat could be made to fly along, it's all horses for courses really.
 
Chrusty 1 said:
Well he might have, but I don't necessarily agree with him, they make no more leeway than any other boat of their type,
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But they are a bit sideways. I think they are great, and one would fit in the boathouse a treat (just a bit of fiddling to make the mast easy to drop and raise, on the water).
I'm not sure I could live with a boat that makes a lot of leeway though. I had a bilge keeler slug that would spend most of the day sailing backwards and forwards across the lake. When your body of water is max 1 mile wide and the wind is from one end or the other the leeway becomes very important.
Each tack builds on the lack of progress. I did do a diagram of it once. :D
 
Lakesailor said:
But they are a bit sideways. I think they are great, and one would fit in the boathouse a treat (just a bit of fiddling to make the mast easy to drop and raise, on the water).
I'm not sure I could live with a boat that makes a lot of leeway though. I had a bilge keeler slug that would spend most of the day sailing backwards and forwards across the lake. When your body of water is max 1 mile wide and the wind is from one end or the other the leeway becomes very important.
Each tack builds on the lack of progress. I did do a diagram of it once. :D
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Well you know what they say Phil............"Gentlemen do not sail to windward".;)
 
We need to talk to your shrink about your attitudes to 'toffs' and the degenerate effect on your day to day. )assorted smiley thingies(
DW

Lakey is an upstanding member of the communities, and his back catalogue keeps us looking at otherwise boring posts.

Back to the Op's thoughts. Iain Oughtred designs some very nice character boats (biased, I have one) that are good to windward. Problem is: Not being built as production, so you would have to commission one, or build it yourself.
Seashell boats sell a 12 ft kit and a grp version of Roger Dongrey's nice boat. Worth a look.
 
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DownWest said:
We need to talk to your shrink about your attitudes to 'toffs' and the degenerate effect on your day to day. )assorted smiley thingies(
DW

Lakey is an upstanding member of the communities, and his back catalogue keeps us looking at otherwise boring posts.

Back to the Op's thoughts. Iain Oughtred designs some very nice character boats (biased, I have one) that are good to windward. Problem is: Not being built as production, so you would have to commission one, or build it yourself.
Seashell boats sell a 12 ft kit and a grp version of Roger Dongrey's nice boat. Worth a look.
Click to expand...

Yes I think he probably did quite a lot of upstanding in his younger days, but these days what with his bad back an'all..............

Ian Oughtred boats are very pretty, but also very light, this is not to my liking, I prefer something with a bit of displacement.

There is nothing wrong with my attitude to toffs, it is in fine fettle thank you!:p
 
Boomshanka said:
Does anyone have any hands on experience with the Lytham Pilot (or Character Boats in general)? It seems to have ballast in a 'long keel' rather than a more conventional dagger board arrangement for a dinghy. It's a bit annoying not to have any close up photos online:o I think they normally have a stand at SIBS so I might take a closer look then, but any views would be good.
Click to expand...

If you want any particular close-up photos, let me know.
 
We have several of the Character Boats range at Glasson (they used to be made at Overton across the river). A Post Boat and several Lune & Ribble Pilots. I was driving the safety boat a couple of weeks ago at our Regatta when they were sailing with the dinghies, so it was easy to compare performances. They're slower than similar size dinghies e.g. GP14 etc and also stiffer and more sedate: you sit inside them rather than perching out on the side deck. I don't know about leeway, they didn't seem to be going sideways to me. I never saw one miss stays but they don't spin round like a c/b dinghy. They certainly look very handsome under sail and seem to inspire great affection in their owners.
 
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