Piper Class Yacht

[Sandgrounder]

I met a fellow last Sunday who claimed to have one of these which he was unsure whether to keep or not. I have long admired the look of these albeit at a distance.
While not anything like what I had set out to find, but having sailed a 3/4 deck keel boat for over ten years, I'm not at all sure that I could let a boat as beautiful as this pass if it is available at a reasonable price.

Do any of the members of this wonderful place know anything about them and their value beyond that David Boyd designed them and that Rustler acquired the moulds from Crabbers as the basis for the 24?

Any info/ advice gratefully received

What they look like: -

https://www.flickr.com/photos/flora2010/sets/72157627713910678/show/

 

[awol]

Lots on the Clyde, originally built at Robertsons' (long gone) just a stone's throw from the Flickr pictures. Value - depends on if you're buying or selling - there is a 2001 Cornish Crabber version on the Hamble for £18k but that is just silly! What do you want to know?

 

[Sandgrounder]

Lots on the Clyde, originally built at Robertsons' (long gone) just a stone's throw from the Flickr pictures. Value - depends on if you're buying or selling - there is a 2001 Cornish Crabber version on the Hamble for £18k but that is just silly! What do you want to know?

Thanks for this. I have admired these boats since I ploughed through a small fleet off Helensburgh, hopefully all in line with colregs, when chartering from Rhu about 28 years ago.
I was wondering if anyone knew: what they are like to sail - how much hard work and how hard to handle; and what sort of price the go for. There are none advertised although the RNCYC say that one or two maybe available although not advertised. I am assuming that a good race ready boat would fetch between £5k and £7k although I have no idea why given that I have heard of none for sail except the Crabbers boat and the few variants built by Rustler at even sillier prices.

 

[awol]

They are very pleasant to sail if a trifle(!) wet, easy to helm and crew. Can be sailed under if pushed too far. Keep your eye on the Piper OD website but they tend to change hands privately.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I have sailed both the Piper and the Gareloch class on the Firth of Clyde as a youth. The Piper was easy to sail and if I remember correctly (over 35 years ago) even when well healed over there was little weather helm. The Gareloch was a bit of plodder and easy to sail slow, keeping them going at speed was the challenge.

http://www.piper-od.co.uk
http://garelochod.org/history/

 

[Sandgrounder]

Thank you both for your answers.

From what I have seen directly and from video clips they look to be OK; of course you can sail any open boat under if you try hard enough. My difficulty is that as I'm not going to be racing on the Clyde for another 7 years or so at best (swmbo's retirement) I wouldn't want to buyy a Clyde based boat and further reduce the already small fleets. However, there maybe a boat available in Cumbria but I don't really know where to pitch a bid if the owner decides he wants rid of it. If I can find out what a good race ready boat would fetch it will be easy to calculate what it would cost to get this one into shape.
I guess that the truth is that the market for boats like these it's probably simply a question of what is it worth to me because a shrinking racing keelboat market means it may well be impossible to sell in a few years anyway.

 

[Lakesailor]

ValleyForge of these forums had one behind Belle Isle.

 

[Sandgrounder]

Thanks Lakey. I knew there had been one there but didn't know whose it was. Do you know what happened to it? I haven't seen it for a year or two.

 

[TSB240]

It seems to be based on a fife one design very similar to the Conway Fife OD (only actively raced at RAYC).
Good fleet at Beaumaris
View attachment 47219

I assure you it gives one a very wet experience in a wind agin tide!

Have never seen one reefed down!
View attachment 47218

Have never heard of one being driven under.

Rules still only allow spinnaker to be set inside Jib!


I am sure I remember the prototype Piper being shown off at Beaumaris. Probably prompted Peter Dickie to make a mould for a GF version and keep the fleet going.

 

[Sandgrounder]

It seems to be based on a fife one design very similar to the Conway Fife OD (only actively raced at RAYC).
Good fleet at Beaumaris
View attachment 47219

I assure you it gives one a very wet experience in a wind agin tide!

Have never seen one reefed down!
View attachment 47218

Have never heard of one being driven under.

Rules still only allow spinnaker to be set inside Jib!


I am sure I remember the prototype Piper being shown off at Beaumaris. Probably prompted Peter Dickie to make a mould for a GF version and keep the fleet going.

It's a David Boyd design based on one of his America's cup 12 Metres - Sovereign I think.Built by Robertson's at Sandbank on the Clyde, as was the wooden original Sandpiper. Still they do look similar