West Wight Potter 15

[Boomshanka]

I've recently sold and I'm having a complete rethink about which boat would now best suit my needs. One thing I've realised is that buying a boat is one thing (I've had two in the past), but the exposure to ongoing known and unknown expenses and time commitments of owning and keeping a 30 footer was becoming too stressful. So I'm going right back to basics (I think). I'm looking for a small, capable, sea-worthy sailing boat with a cuddy or small cabin to get out of the weather at an anchorage. Easy to single hand, but room for one or both kids to come along. Pottering around the Solent/Itchen/Hamble/Beaulieu/Langstone/Chichester. Marina or swinging mooring during the summer, home in a double garage for winter. So... I'm thinking of a West Wight Potter 15.

Any thoughts/experiences on this boat? Any other similar models I could consider? Would a 2.5Hp outboard be enough for a 15 footer (with about 400 KG all up) in the Solent - seems 'light' on power to me? I want to buy a boat that's new or maybe a year or two old. Any views would be much appreciated.

 

[Refueler]

Boats like that have been pushed along with Seagull outboards etc. - so why not a reasonable 2.5hp job ?

There are plenty of small boats that can fit the bill .... West Wight of course, Alacrity - but bigger but trails behind a reasonable car - I used a 2.8i Capri, Corribee, Coromandel .... plenty out there. To be even more easy to trail / potter around - I'd look for a lift keel, then you are into creeks that others can only dream about !!

Here's my twin lift keel jobbie ... 5.5m two berth ... 3HP outboard ... 20cm keels up, 1.2m keels down. Cost me $700. (Polish built Kormoran) ...

Even though I have the bigger motor-sailer and two mobo's - this littl'un holds a special place and provides simple, clean fun.

 

[Lakesailor]

I spotted one out one February on Windermere. It was a cold day blowing about f4 and we had got a bit chilly so headed back when we saw this bloke bobbing along really enjoying himself and I thought then, "What a cracking little boat" It's small enough to trail anywhere and big enough to settle back in the cockpit and enjoy a sprited sail.
(Excuse the **** picture, My brother took it on his compact)

 

[Refueler]

Lakey ... that's exactly how we feel about my little weekender ... 6 men can lift her onto a trailer or truck bed. I can drag her up the bank for winter. I can sail it on own or cockpit is near same size as my bigger boat and can take 3 when sailing.

Simple clean fun.

 

[NealB]

Is my mind playing tricks, or do I really remember that a West Wight Potter did a Transatlantic trip in the 60's?

 

[Bajansailor]

The website mentions 'sailing singlehanded.... from England to Sweden across the North Atlantic'.

But I am pretty sure I remember their advertising used to mention that a WWP 14 had been across the Atlantic.

This reminded me of a book I got out of the library years ago, by Robert Manry who sailed his wee boat Tinkerbelle across the North Atlantic in the 60's - and I have just found it on line here - an excellent read!
http://www.clevelandmemory.org/ebooks/tinkerbelle/

Here is an advertisement by the American builders from a magazine in 1978 :

 

[Rabbie]

WW Potters.

I have owned 2 Potters in my distant sailing past, a wooden Mk1 and a GRP Mk2. They were designed and built by Stanley Smith (of 'Nova Espero' fame) at Totland Bay, I.O.W. Stanley based his design on experiences crossing the Atlantic both ways in Nova Espero, a 19 footer open boat, studying wave forms on a small hull, hence the Potters relatively deep transom and bold sheerline. He delivered one from Yarmouth IOW to Sweden in October 1965, singlehanded to prove his boats seaworthiness. I can vouch for this personally. Potters have crossed the Pacific from San Francisco to Hawaii. One has crossed South American rivers in search of native tribes. Lots of info on the net.

Not bad for a 14 footer!

 

[NealB]

Ah yes, Robert Manry.....one of my boyhood heroes. His was one the first newspaper stories I was ever really interested in following. I've still got his book!

 

[Boomshanka]

Thanks for your views, think I'll explore the WWP-15 further.

 

[gyrowoody]

Polish built Kormoran info requested

Hi Refueler ;

Have you got any info on your Kormoran? I own a Crescent Skipper (scandinavian built), which appears identical. Mine
has however a single fixed keel.

I'd like to have more info, sailing tips, do's and don'ts , practical owner and maintenance information etc.

Hope to hear from you. My email address is ;

gyrowoody@yahoo.com

Please reply to my email address above.

Many thanks,

Woody

 

[graham]

Small Boats

Other small boats that can be towed by small cars are The Seamaster 465 ,not the seamaster 18 which is a bigger heavier boat. I have sailed on my friends 465 and it is an amazing boat for 15 ft. stable with its iron lifting keel and sails very well 2 comfortable berths in the cabin.

. I spent a few months trying to find one for sale but none came up.

Another is the shipmate Senior and shipmate dayboat. both 16 footers.

My present boat is a Voyager 14 .It has twin keels.Is self righting from 90 degrees has 2 comfortable berths and a selfdraining cockpit.I will post again after our first sail in her later this morning.

Apart from the obvious money saving of a boat like this the big attraction to me is that it opens up your cruising ground to anywhere with a slipway.

"Mighty Atom" our Voyager 14

 

[Sandgrounder]

You could also look at: -
Seafarer 17 - Solva in Penbrokeshire used to be thick with them;
Winklebrig
Sailfish

 

[dylanwinter]

good trailer

if you are goimng to go this route make sure you get a good trailer - I had a 15 ft 6 inch seafarer - smaller than a wayfarer - had a roller trailer that could pick it up from the ground

never got the wheels wet

easy to tow behind the escort

sailed it on the broads, cornwall, east anglia and the lakes.

myself and a friend - both of us 6 foot - sailed it down the thmes from the top to the bottom -

once I have finished sailing around the UK in my 19 footer I will probably go back to a small boat

Dylan

 

[graham]

if you are goimng to go this route make sure you get a good trailer - I had a 15 ft 6 inch seafarer - smaller than a wayfarer - had a roller trailer that could pick it up from the ground

never got the wheels wet

easy to tow behind the escort

sailed it on the broads, cornwall, east anglia and the lakes.

myself and a friend - both of us 6 foot - sailed it down the thmes from the top to the bottom -

once I have finished sailing around the UK in my 19 footer I will probably go back to a small boat

Dylan

Hello Dylan the Seafarer 15 ft 6 is the same boat as the seafarer 4.65 which i mentioned above.Great boats for sure .

Seafarer 465 (15 ft 6)

Seafare 18 these are heavier with a stub keel plus centerplate. good boats with a small cuddy cabin and huge cockpit.The trailing weight will be far more than the others mentioned so make sure its within your cars capabilities. We owned the one in the pic for a few years.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Go the whole hog and buy something that looks right as well.

A Saltern's Memory

 

[reginaldon]

I feel a positive Patrician with my big luxurious 19' Mk 4 Caprice - should I downsize?

 

[Lakesailor]

Re-joining the thread I must say I looked at a couple of West Wight Potters and given that I have a bit of an iffy back I found them a bit bijou. (I sold my lovely 13ft clinker dinghy because of "crouching" problems).
Good ones fetch good money and others can be absolute dogs.
I ended up with a Seahawk 17 which is a much roomier boat, has a lift keel and bilge runners (hardly keels) which can be launched in less than 3ft of water. The Pedro is the same hull moulding but without the lift keel and with a roomier coachroof moulding and smaller rig.
I can still trailer-sail with this boat, indeed my maiden voyage was a trail-sail, but have put it on a mooring on Windermere this year for easier day-sailing.

Being blown-off by a 5.5 metre (Mental Pause on the left having a mental pause.

 

[Malo37]

Cornish Shrimper must be the benchmark

 

[Lakesailor]

That's a huge, enormous boat in this company

 

[Wansworth]

I cruised the south coast from Littlehampton to Falmouth in a Macwester Kelpie 15.I thought it had lots of space until I invited a fellow yachtman aboard for drinks.I vowed then that a twenty footer would be the minimum.Nice thing about small boats you can have an heroic life threating voyage in a good force 4!!!!!