Whammel coastal

[gjgm]

Anyone sailed one of these? I notice it doesnt have a drop centre plate but only about 50cm of ballasted keel running most of the length of the hull.
I'm somewhat ignorant about this stuff, but since you rarely see this, what are the compromises?
I'm not looking for anything sporty, but on the other hand I dont want to spend most of the day drifting sideways!
Other boat I'm thinking about is a (Drascombe) lugger to give you the direction...

 

[Lakesailor]

On this thread forumite Neil admits to owning a coastal Whammel and liking it.

My brief was when I was looking for my current boat was like the OP's, an open boat that maximised dayboat space. I looked into several similar boats before I bought my Coastal Whammel, including the Memory 19. Of the most important check boxes, was ease of towing, launch and retreive, as well as quick rigging, since I intended to launch each time, and keep the boat at home.

I had a chat over the phone with the guy at Salterns and he pointed out that the Memory 19 wasn't really suitable for towing and rigging each time - good to tow away for a two week holiday, but that was about it.

However with the whammel, I can arrive at the slip and be ready to put it in the water in 25 mins, single handedly.

It's not a perfect boat - which one is?, but it is built like a tank and solid as rock and I have to say that hardly a launch goes by without someone coming up to me to say that I have a beautiful boat.

 

[Romeo]

One of my boats is a Lune Pilot, which is sort of a smaller version of a whammel, again relying on hull shape rather than a centre board. Here is the scoop. The pilot sails better than a lugger and looks better than a lugger. However the lack of a centreboard does make for a lot of leaway, so sailing alongside other boats going to windward can be a bit frustrating. However you get there eventually and in some style, and when you are not sailing alongside other boats it does not really matter... it is just part of the sailing experience that you have to take account of. Of course if you want good windward performance, you would not be looking at a drascombe either, you would be looking at a Hawk.

 

[gjgm]

One of my boats is a Lune Pilot, which is sort of a smaller version of a whammel, again relying on hull shape rather than a centre board. Here is the scoop. The pilot sails better than a lugger and looks better than a lugger. However the lack of a centreboard does make for a lot of leaway, so sailing alongside other boats going to windward can be a bit frustrating. However you get there eventually and in some style, and when you are not sailing alongside other boats it does not really matter... it is just part of the sailing experience that you have to take account of. Of course if you want good windward performance, you would not be looking at a drascombe either, you would be looking at a Hawk.

Thanks, both.
I know it is based on some local fishing boat when fishing boats were under sail; I just wondered if that meant it was a total dog to sail. Something slow and stable is fine, and I quite like the practicality of beaching/ditch crawling which doesnt seem a forte of the lugger, as I understand.
Still, lugger is simple and alot cheaper.

 

[JimC]

I've never sailed either but there are a lot of both where I come from and, based purely on observation, it's my impression that the Character Boats sail better than the Drascombes. I think this may be at least partly because of the boomless rig used in the Drascombes which is apparently intended to make for safer family sailing. Owners of both makes invariably love their boats

 

[Zagato]

Check out the Swallowboat range, e.g. Bayraider20

 

[Neil]

I have never thought that the Whammel made that much leeway. I'll leave it to those more knowledgable to comment, but I've always felt that the length of the keel presented a sufficient surface area to the water, and probably more than the dagger board in a Drascombe.

I have found that in a short steep chop, the boat will stall through a tack and sometimes you need to back the jib to get it round. The gaff rig isn't the best to windward, but you make up for it on a broad reach.

It is very well built - solid. Last time out, three different strangers approached me to say "what a lovely boat"

It was just right for me when I bought it, though now I fancy something with a roof to make longer passages. I'll be sorry to see it go; pity I can't have two boats......can I?

 

[Seajet]

Have a look at a chart in any given area, Salcombe is a prime example; the coast is surrounded by wrecks, often one on top of another.

Just because we have neat things like digital watches and I-phones now doesn't change the weather, and the ability to beat out of a lee shore bay is just as life and boat savingly important now as it was in Nelsons' time !

 

[JimC]

Have a look at a chart in any given area, Salcombe is a prime example; the coast is surrounded by wrecks, often one on top of another.

Just because we have neat things like digital watches and I-phones now doesn't change the weather, and the ability to beat out of a lee shore bay is just as life and boat savingly important now as it was in Nelsons' time !

We do have engines though, in fact most of the vessels at sea today only have engines and would be quite incapable of beating off a lee shore

 

[prv]

most of the vessels at sea today only have engines and would be quite incapable of beating off a lee shore

 

[Lakesailor]

It is very well built - solid. Last time out, three different strangers approached me to say "what a lovely boat"

It was just right for me when I bought it, though now I fancy something with a roof to make longer passages. I'll be sorry to see it go; pity I can't have two boats.....

Very subtle

 

[gjgm]

Very subtle

wrong country...

 

[Romeo]

Have a look at a chart in any given area, Salcombe is a prime example; the coast is surrounded by wrecks, often one on top of another.

Just because we have neat things like digital watches and I-phones now doesn't change the weather, and the ability to beat out of a lee shore bay is just as life and boat savingly important now as it was in Nelsons' time !

And the character boat will get you off that lee shore dependably, just not at quite as good an angle as say a wayfarer or a hawk (and I say that as someone who does not rely on an engine, ever).

 

[Chrusty 1]

And the character boat will get you off that lee shore dependably, just not at quite as good an angle as say a wayfarer or a hawk (and I say that as someone who does not rely on an engine, ever).

Also, if you had half a brain you would not put yourself in that position to start with. I don't mean you of course.

 

[Sandgrounder]

One of my boats is a Lune Pilot, which is sort of a smaller version of a whammel, again relying on hull shape rather than a centre board. Here is the scoop. The pilot sails better than a lugger and looks better than a lugger. However the lack of a centreboard does make for a lot of leaway, so sailing alongside other boats going to windward can be a bit frustrating. However you get there eventually and in some style, and when you are not sailing alongside other boats it does not really matter... it is just part of the sailing experience that you have to take account of. Of course if you want good windward performance, you would not be looking at a drascombe either, you would be looking at a Hawk.

............no I wouldn't;that would hurt my eyes too much.