Wayfarer, Drascombe lugger or dabber (2 adults, 2 children) trailering and daysailing

[ChrisRayner]

There are several boats of this type, the Cornish Coble is worth a look.

 

[MADRIGAL]

Yes a greater risk of capsize but to be honest you would be really pushing it....Wayfarers are very stable and accommodating....hence being a popular choice for sailing schools . The feel of my lugger was dull by comparison. But if you are just pootling and happy with motoring then.....go for a Drascombe, they hold their value and it is horses for courses.

The hard-chined Wayfarer hull form is very stable and forgiving. It can be heeled far beyond the point where any of the round-bottomed performance dinghies would capsize. In 8 years of sailing in winds over 20 kts and seas of 1 to 2 m we have never come close to capsizing. The ability to reef the mainsail and to sail under reefed main or Genoa alone gives the flexibility to deal with most wind conditions in which a family would want to go sailing. The Wayfarer was designed as a good sea boat with family cruising in mind.

We have a Yamaha 2.5 HP 4-stroke on ours and she runs well under power, although we have to put the plate down a bit to get good helm control. She is easy to get on and off the trailer and to tow behind the car. One thing we did was to change to transom-sheeting instead of centre-boom sheeting to increase space in the cockpit. As mentioned in another post, the newer World and Mark 4 versions have plenty of cockpit space.

I’ve no experience of the Drascombes, but I know that people love them too.

 

[dunedin]

Excellent! I'll shut up then! It might come down to what your teenagers want / how you think they will like it.

Just what I was thinking. Whilst you might be hankering after a boat to potter around in as a family...........
.......... they may decide they want to race a Topper or perhaps a 29er, and your role becomes funder, trolly dolly and roadie
(Been there, done that)

 

[cirruss]

Just what I was thinking. Whilst you might be hankering after a boat to potter around in as a family...........
.......... they may decide they want to race a Topper or perhaps a 29er, and your role becomes funder, trolly dolly and roadie
(Been there, done that)

??

 

[cirruss]

The hard-chined Wayfarer hull form is very stable and forgiving. It can be heeled far beyond the point where any of the round-bottomed performance dinghies would capsize. In 8 years of sailing in winds over 20 kts and seas of 1 to 2 m we have never come close to capsizing. The ability to reef the mainsail and to sail under reefed main or Genoa alone gives the flexibility to deal with most wind conditions in which a family would want to go sailing. The Wayfarer was designed as a good sea boat with family cruising in mind.

We have a Yamaha 2.5 HP 4-stroke on ours and she runs well under power, although we have to put the plate down a bit to get good helm control. She is easy to get on and off the trailer and to tow behind the car. One thing we did was to change to transom-sheeting instead of centre-boom sheeting to increase space in the cockpit. As mentioned in another post, the newer World and Mark 4 versions have plenty of cockpit space.

I’ve no experience of the Drascombes, but I know that people love them too.

I think this post has sealed the deal on the wayfarer for me thankyou so much for sharing. I think I had watched too many wayfarer capsize videos on YouTube to make me think sailing a wayfarer is like a man walking in high heels, waiting for the next inevitable twisted ankle (capsize) ? Most of my experience is with keel boats, and similarly to all boats the ability to haul sail in quick is the key to calm family sailing, main and genoa. Is it possible to make small custom storage box under main centre cross bench seat or would that make sailing too difficult?

 

[cirruss]

The hard-chined Wayfarer hull form is very stable and forgiving. It can be heeled far beyond the point where any of the round-bottomed performance dinghies would capsize. In 8 years of sailing in winds over 20 kts and seas of 1 to 2 m we have never come close to capsizing. The ability to reef the mainsail and to sail under reefed main or Genoa alone gives the flexibility to deal with most wind conditions in which a family would want to go sailing. The Wayfarer was designed as a good sea boat with family cruising in mind.

We have a Yamaha 2.5 HP 4-stroke on ours and she runs well under power, although we have to put the plate down a bit to get good helm control. She is easy to get on and off the trailer and to tow behind the car. One thing we did was to change to transom-sheeting instead of centre-boom sheeting to increase space in the cockpit. As mentioned in another post, the newer World and Mark 4 versions have plenty of cockpit space.

I’ve no experience of the Drascombes, but I know that people love them too.

Drascombes compared to wayfarers I think is much like comparing a puffin to a seagull in terms of flying (sailing) ability.

 

[Kelpie]

I think this post has sealed the deal on the wayfarer for me thankyou so much for sharing. I think I had watched too many wayfarer capsize videos on YouTube to make me think sailing a wayfarer is like a man walking in high heels, waiting for the next inevitable twisted ankle (capsize) ? Most of my experience is with keel boats, and similarly to all boats the ability to haul sail in quick is the key to calm family sailing, main and genoa. Is it possible to make small custom storage box under main centre cross bench seat or would that make sailing too difficult?

You could rig up nets or bags under the thwarts and gunwhales, but Wayfarers already have pretty generous storage in the lockers (unless you go for the World or Mk4).
Some say that your outboard should be stored on the floor beside the centreboard case, for best weight distribution. Didn't seem to bother my mate who kept his on the transom whilst single handing 45nm down the Minch from Stornoway to Skye.

 

[MADRIGAL]

I think this post has sealed the deal on the wayfarer for me thankyou so much for sharing. I think I had watched too many wayfarer capsize videos on YouTube to make me think sailing a wayfarer is like a man walking in high heels, waiting for the next inevitable twisted ankle (capsize) ? Most of my experience is with keel boats, and similarly to all boats the ability to haul sail in quick is the key to calm family sailing, main and genoa. Is it possible to make small custom storage box under main centre cross bench seat or would that make sailing too difficult?

People have done exactly that, but as Kelpie said, Wayfarers (at least the older ones) already have generous storage space. Storage nets and watertight containers secured under the side decks are useful too. Wayfarers “Hafren” and “Nipigegi” have circumnavigated the UK in recent years and carried all the supplies they needed. Neither of those vessel capsized, either

 

[dunedin]

Not sure if still available, but Wayfarers used to have the option of a smaller jib as well as the large racing genoa. Getting a cruising jib, perhaps on eBay, might give more options / confidence on breezier days - particularly as the genoa needs a bit of grunt to get fully sheeted in a breeze.

 

[seumask]

Have you considered the boats from swallow boats, in particular the bay raiders. I appreciate they may be beyond your budget new but the day boats sail well look traditional and have good arrangments for outboards. The Bay raider 20 must be worth a look and have great carrying capacity.

 

[Kelpie]

Yes you can still get cruising jibs for Wayfarers.
A furler is another very handy thing, and not too expensive for the basic Barton one.

 

[cirruss]

Yes would definately need a furling Genoa and reefed main. Thinking more the added attraction of the drascombes over the wayfarer is the lovely amount of extra freeboard which is appealing for family sailing.

 

[2hullsonemarinaberth]

For ease of trailing, sailing, and space, I would suggest taking a look at the Topper Cruz Ketch. Easy to move on land on a launching trolley, plenty of stowage, easily powered by an outboard and with a canvas dodger, they are flexible, easy to sail, and carry a load (4+ adults) well. Great cruising boats.

 

[Solostoke]

I think the dabber looks nice and would also like to be able to potter up the river Severn under outboard (based in shrewsbury). Wayfarer just looks too cramped for four to me?

Hi
I'm in Shrewsbury and have a wayfarer if you want to test it for size. Sail it at Bala most of the time.

 

[cirruss]

Do you like sailing or pottering? Wayfarer sails well, drascombe not so much, the foils on a drascombe are just plate steel, with no shape to them, the rudder as mentioned is very cumbersome to ship / remove. The rig is never going to point well due to lack of boom and lack of proper tension. Oh and many drascombes have little to no reserve buoyancy if they are swamped or they capsize. I owned a Drascombe lugger for a year with three small children, and although it was fun, ultimately decided I wanted something that sailed well. YMMV

That is very true, drascombe just sounds like quite a dull sailing experience. A wayfarer has that sailing pedigree the drascombe doesnt.

 

[cirruss]

Hi
I'm in Shrewsbury and have a wayfarer if you want to test it for size. Sail it at Bala most of the time.

Brilliant! Let me know if you hear of any coming up for sale locally.

 

[cirruss]

For ease of trailing, sailing, and space, I would suggest taking a look at the Topper Cruz Ketch. Easy to move on land on a launching trolley, plenty of stowage, easily powered by an outboard and with a canvas dodger, they are flexible, easy to sail, and carry a load (4+ adults) well. Great cruising boats.View attachment 122564

That looks a bit off!

 

[cirruss]

For ease of trailing, sailing, and space, I would suggest taking a look at the Topper Cruz Ketch. Easy to move on land on a launching trolley, plenty of stowage, easily powered by an outboard and with a canvas dodger, they are flexible, easy to sail, and carry a load (4+ adults) well. Great cruising boats.View attachment 122564

Thankyou for the suggestion!

 

[cirruss]

I think the heavy metal rudderandcentreboarf if the drascombe with grounding incidents in shallows can apparently be disastrous, this would be very bad for river cruising . Another reason the wayfarer wins I think.