Folkboat Clones?

Is there a better name than "Folkboat Clones" for these classes of boats?

If one were to hold a rally/cruise in company/couple of races for them can you think of an appropriate name for such an event?

I suspect the Twister may be the quickest boat on the list but it would be interesting to see which came second.

The list now seems to be Folkboat, Folksong, Contessa 26, Invicta 26, Bowman 26, Nicholson 26, Marieholm 26, Samphire 26, Diamond, Halcyon 27, Hurley 27, Vancouver 27/8, SCOD, Stella and Twister.

Plus Vertues and Frances 26s.

I think the Nic31s, Rustlers and Halmatics are the "next size up."
 
LittleSister said:
Does that make the Twister a half-size up?

Even though they share a folkboat like hull profile, I definitely don't think Nic 31s, Rustlers and Halmatics can be classed as boats for 'the people' (folk).
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Agreed

And agreed

The Francis has to be included because it is so beautiful and it is a 26ft long keeler with the rudder hanging off the back.

Still not had any suggestions for the collective name for these classes.
 
Fascadale said:
Agreed

And agreed

The Francis has to be included because it is so beautiful and it is a 26ft long keeler with the rudder hanging off the back.

Still not had any suggestions for the collective name for these classes.
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By that criterion, the Nic 26 has to be admitted too. It has a transom, too.
 
jerrytug said:
Buchanan sloops? Not all boats which fit the criteria are F/B *inspired*,it's a good arrangement anyhow.EG Nic31,Rustlers etc etc.
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Most of the list are closer to Vertue clones, having proper cabins and designed for long distance cruising.

The Buchanan Diamond's were based on his East Anglians, which were very close to the Vertue, and many pre war boats. After all what was the Foalkboat based on, pre-war yacht design, there was no radical new design features.

Brian
 
There isn't a convenient collective name if you want to include all those on your list so far. Peter Poland went through the same exercise in PBO a couple of years ago and had the same problem of knowing where to draw the line. It really depends on the characteristics of the Folkboat that you consider important. For many, and that is perhaps why they are still made in the pure form, it is the simplicity, light weight and ability to sail in a wide range of conditions without reefing - and the original brief required basic accommodation.

Just about all the "clones" have ditched those key characteristics but have tried to retain the basic shape and layout while "improving" on the things that were not in the original brief - accommodation and cruising capability. So almost all end up bigger and heavier, and inevitably more complex, with engines, electrics, cookers loos and all the other things not found in a proper Folkboat.

In many ways it is no different from other mainstream designs where one boat started a trend and others followed with their own interpretation and development. You can trace the origins of the AWB back to Angus Primrose's Moody 33, the Fin and Skeg cruisers that dominated the 70's-90s back to S&S (example Swan 36) and so on.

Including things in a collective has different meanings for different people. Do I want my boat to be seen in the same light as a Folkboat? To be honest, some of the derivatives are dogs which might never have happened if there was not this "Folkboat" connection. Equally others might see their boat as being distinctly different and deliberately not a Folkboat (and therefore superior.

Tricky territory!
 
Folkboat clones? I wonder how my boat is classified; Danish made bij Brandt-Møller,

Ex-SolentBoy said:
Yes, but very useful. The photo was taken from my boat. Later that day we suffered a prop failure and the Marieholm towed us for 10 miles along the Gota canal.

The guy had just bought the thing and was on a delivery trip home. He changed the engine that winter.
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Re: Folkboat clones? I wonder how my boat is classified; Danish made bij Brandt-Mølle

David Cheverton entered the Caravel Mk1 into the competition that the Folkboat won. He came 3rd. He then adapted his design into the Mk2. He added standing room and a heads., oh and inboard engine. Sold moderately, well. Not too many left, but I do love mine :)
 
Re: Folkboat clones? I wonder how my boat is classified; Danish made bij Brandt-Mølle

The Folkboat is a Forties design which, like the camel, was designed by a Committee.

My father, who had started sailing in 1919, once said “When we first saw a Folkboat, we said to each other, “If that boat is all right, we must be all wrong! She was right, and we had all been wrong with our Falmouth Quay Punts, baby pilot cutters and so on!”
 
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