Set of building plans for a Star-Lite 27-1/2ft plywood sailing cruiser. Free of charge.

Poignard

Poignard

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Complete set of plans for building and fitting out this rather attractive design from 'Science & Mechanics' magazine.

On 3 large sheets.

Free to anyone who can use them. Hopefully someone who might build one!

Sailboat Plans

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I don't know when the plans date from. 1950s maybe. I have had them for years but I can't remember how I came by them.

But for someone who was happier working with timber instead of what Herreshoff called 'dried snot' (ie grp) it's a design that would would be easy to build.

I once had a plywood cruising yacht; when I lived in Hong Kong. It was easy to maintain, and its hard-chine design made it a good, stiff sailer.

I liked it so much I seriously considered having it shipped back to the UK when I finished my conntract out there.
 
Bearing in mind that is a old style ply on frame design with very dated features.. Wansie would have needed to start on it several years ago to be able to enjoy it.
 
I enjoy a bit of woodwork and have often thought about building something and have wasted hours looking at Dudley Dix's modern designs.
However when you add on the cost of a rig, sails, and engine plus everything else then you are in to alot of money. Even when you have built it. you may not be able to insure it or even sell it for the build cost. It only makes sense if the design is something that is not obtainable on the second hand market, or if you are doing it only for the satisfaction and not for a cost saving.

There is a serious racing chap in Australia who built a Dix 40CR to a high standard over 3 years, raced it for a few more, then decided he wanted something a bit sportier so paid Dudley Dix to refine the design for him and then built another one, also over 3 years. He is obviously a wealthy man who enjoys his woodwork and can build in his back garden.
The first boat is for sale here, about 65k GBP for a modern 40' cruiser/racer, I would say less than the build cost given the deck hardware and sails.
Used Dudley Dix Didi 40 Cr for Sale | Yachts For Sale | Yachthub

Boats that would make sense to build are smaller catamarans since they are not really available second hand. Richard Woods has some interesting designs such as the Eagle:
Sailing Catamarans - Eagle 24 open deck easy build roomy cruiser

A modern and spacious (for it's length) and not having to build a keel really simplifies things.
Here is one owner getting on with it in the Irish sea:

I have a Strider in my fleet with a newish rig and I'm seriously thinking about building an Eagle hull and putting the Strider rig on to it. It could probably be built for 5k and I'd have a far more usable boat that doesn't exist on the second hand market.
 
Wansworth said:
Just thinking what a nice looking boat…….I wonder what happened to the plans of the Eventide my dad bought in 1969🙂
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Yes, plans available from here eventides.org.uk along with many others mostly from MG but also other designs that were originally promoted by Yachting Monthly. I have a set of plans for a Riptide 31 - big sister of the Eventide and similar to the GH but single chine (as were a few early GHs). Includes a licence to build one boat if anybody is interested, although you could buy my complete GH for less than the material cost for building a sheathed hull and deck! I bought the plans in 1995 when it was still just about feasible to build such a boat economically if you had a few years to spare and a lot of covered space. One was built in a garden just around the corner from my parents' house in Romford in the 90s. Lovely job, but took approx 10 years to complete.
 
There must have been a “golden age”of amateur yacht building .I kept an article about the Y achting World people’s boat and van de stat sold plans for several chine designs …the seahorse and the Buccaneer.Itwas the age of the “stripped plank” designs mainly American Ithink .Isuppose the bare hull and deck I GRP put paid to the wooden designs.
 
ridgy said:
I enjoy a bit of woodwork and have often thought about building something and have wasted hours looking at Dudley Dix's modern designs.
However when you add on the cost of a rig, sails, and engine plus everything else then you are in to alot of money. Even when you have built it. you may not be able to insure it or even sell it for the build cost. It only makes sense if the design is something that is not obtainable on the second hand market, or if you are doing it only for the satisfaction and not for a cost saving.

There is a serious racing chap in Australia who built a Dix 40CR to a high standard over 3 years, raced it for a few more, then decided he wanted something a bit sportier so paid Dudley Dix to refine the design for him and then built another one, also over 3 years. He is obviously a wealthy man who enjoys his woodwork and can build in his back garden.
The first boat is for sale here, about 65k GBP for a modern 40' cruiser/racer, I would say less than the build cost given the deck hardware and sails.
Used Dudley Dix Didi 40 Cr for Sale | Yachts For Sale | Yachthub

Boats that would make sense to build are smaller catamarans since they are not really available second hand. Richard Woods has some interesting designs such as the Eagle:
Sailing Catamarans - Eagle 24 open deck easy build roomy cruiser

A modern and spacious (for it's length) and not having to build a keel really simplifies things.
Here is one owner getting on with it in the Irish sea:

I have a Strider in my fleet with a newish rig and I'm seriously thinking about building an Eagle hull and putting the Strider rig on to it. It could probably be built for 5k and I'd have a far more usable boat that doesn't exist on the second hand market.
Click to expand...
Dix has some interesting designs and his radius chine cruiser racers such as this dixdesign.com/34didi.htm did quite well. There was a part complete one for sale in Wales a couple of years ago with most parts to complete. Still required a lot of hours to fit all the gear but I hope somebody finished it. His "Cape" series of modern gaffers from the popular 19 up to 32' also look good for their style although it would be a brave person who took on building one now.
 
Wansworth said:
There must have been a “golden age”of amateur yacht building .I kept an article about the Y achting World people’s boat and van de stat sold plans for several chine designs …the seahorse and the Buccaneer.Itwas the age of the “stripped plank” designs mainly American Ithink .Isuppose the bare hull and deck I GRP put paid to the wooden designs.
Click to expand...
Yes, when I first started out in boating in the 1970s building of boats yourself was a viable activity and for many the only way of getting a modern for the times boat. I first built a 14' sailing boat with a cuddy and gunter rig from a Charles Green kit, then a Seawych 19 from a kit. The kit was very basic requiring the ballast to be added, internal moulding fitted and then deck bonded on. However it was all well worked out - mine was hull number 304 and took about a year to complete. Lots of fun learning the ropes with it before being seduced by the Eventide which I then kept for 30 years.
 
Wansworth said:
There must have been a “golden age”of amateur yacht building .I kept an article about the Y achting World people’s boat and van de stat sold plans for several chine designs …the seahorse and the Buccaneer.Itwas the age of the “stripped plank” designs mainly American Ithink .Isuppose the bare hull and deck I GRP put paid to the wooden designs.
Click to expand...
The boat I referred to in post #3 was a Yachting World 'People's Boat'. I had a set of plans but I think I gave them to someone on this forum, who was hoping to build one: I hope he did.

Small plywood cruising yachts are still popular in Brittany. I have occasionally encountered flotillas of them on rallies and their owners seem to get a lot of pleasure out of building and sailing them.
 
Poignard said:
The boat I referred to in post #3 was a Yachting World 'People's Boat'. I had a set of plans but I think I gave them to someone on this forum, who was hoping to build one: I hope he did.

Small plywood cruising yachts are still popular in Brittany. I have occasionally encountered flotillas of them on rallies and their owners seem to get a lot of pleasure out of building and sailing them.
Click to expand...
Muscadet?
 
I designed a 20 footer inspired by Laurent Giles plans for “Sopranino” I had quite a bit completed using the stripped plank method but I relised
I just had to get out of my parents house and barn so abandoned the project and bought a Macwester 15 footer,based on their “kelpe’ design my boat was a double ender using a moulded only for one side and then both parts bolted together …… my fist ocean cruising yacht😂
 
Poignard said:
YW People's Boat:

View attachment 1968821964 YW Peoples Boat for sale. View price, photos and Buy 1964 YW Peoples Boat #192824

A feature I liked was the coachroof being extended out to the sides of the boat, which gave a more spacious interior without, to my eye, spoiling the look of the boat.
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That boat belonged to a member of our club for many tears and was always kept in tip top condition. He shoehorned a Yanmar 1GM into it to replace the Stuart Turner. When he gave up it sat for more than a year in Davis's yard where that photo was taken and went downhill quickly before finding a buyer. Not seen it since
 
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