Drascombe
Encyclopedia
The word Drascombe is a trademark
that was first registered by John Watkinson who applied it to a series of sailing boats which he designed and built in the period 1965-79 and sold in the United Kingdom (UK).
They comprised the Coaster, Cruiser Longboat, Dabber, Drifter, Driver, Gig, Launch, Longboat, Lugger, Peterboat, Scaffie, Scaith and Skiff, together with a few other one-offs. They have wide and deep cockpits, adaptable boomless rigs and high bulwarks.
The word drascombe is also used as a generic term for any boat built to a design by John Watkinson. These include both 'the Drascombe range' build by Churchouse Boats and the 'Original Devon' range produced by Honnor Marine, which is not licensed to use the Drascombe trademark. The use of the word drascombe in lowercase on this page refers to the generic usage.
The Caboteur and Drifter 22 have been designed and built recently following the design principles developed by John Watkinson.
John Watkinson died in 1997 and the trademark is now owned by his surviving family.
Current licensees include Churchouse Boats and East West Custom Boats.
Past licensees include Honnor Marine; McNulty; John Elliott and Douglas Elliott Boatbuilders (licenced to build in wood); and Kelly and Hall, which built the original production Luggers in wood.
s and two-berth weekenders
. They were originally designed and built in marine plywood using glued lapstrake
construction. As they became more popular, they were then manufactured in GRP
.[3]
The hull, typically, consists of four strake
s each side, the garboard strakes being wide giving a flat run to the transom
whilst having a fairly sharp entry at the stem. There is a recessed rear deck level with side benches and a recessed foredeck. Some models have a small two-berth cabin.
The transom slopes back at an angle of about 45 degrees with the top edge sloping forward giving drascombes a distinctive appearance at the stern
. Just forward of the transom is a well to take an outboard motor
with a slot in the transom that allows the outboard motor to be tilted out of the water when under sail. It also keeps the outboard motor hidden from view.
The usual rig consists of a gunter
-rigged mainsail set on the main mast, a mizzen sail set on the mizzen mast
sheeted
to a bumpkin and a foresail
. The tan-coloured sails are all boom
less to avoid possible head injury from a gybing
boom. The original drascombe lugger had a lug
sail to start with; this was changed to a gunter mainsail but the name was kept.
The rudder
fits in a case which is set in the aft deck in front of the mizzen mast. It can be lifted up into the case when in very shallow water.
A steel centreboard
is in a centreboard case with a purchase
to lift it.
Some (Dabber and Drifter) have a conventional vertical transom with the rudder hung on the transom.
Some (Skiff, Scaith, Scaffie and Peterboat) were double enders with a canoe stern. Of these, the Skiff has no outbard motor well, just a mini triangular transom to take a small outboard motor when the rudder has been removed.
The Caboteur is based on the drascombe Longboat but modified to the requirements of French drascombe aficionado Jean-Louis Grenier to create his "ultimate drascombe camping cruiser"
Originally in wood epoxy the hull is now available in GRP. It is 8" wider in the beam than the Longboat with 3" more freeboard. The rig is also 37 sq ft (3.4 m²) larger and a 130 sq ft (12.1 m²) cruising chute can be set to a bowsprit
.
Jean-Louis' boat has a large sleeping platform and a vast amount of dedicated storage. The great number of lockers, together with the added beam
and freeboard
make the sailing weight nearly twice that of a Longboat.
A trailer-sailer with a two-berth cabin (and, with the addition of a cockpit tent, room for two more) including cooking and toilet facilities. Replaced the Cruiser Longboat, having a much improved specification, especially with regard to the cockpit and cabin layouts.
A Longboat with a cabin of two berths or one berth and a galley
bench. Unlike the open Longboat and other drascombes a boom
was fitted to the mainsail
. Designed to appeal more to private buyers than the open version, the Cruiser Longboat was introduced and sold side by side with the standard open boat. Introduced in 1970 and replaced in 1979 by the Coaster. Over 400 were built. The wooden versions were all custom built and differ considerably from the GRP versions.
Although smaller than the Lugger, the Dabber carries a full yawl
rig on main and mizzen masts. However, the Dabber can easily be distinguished by its bowsprit and transom-hung rudder.
A cruising boat with a cabin and choice of outboard well or 6-8 hp Sabb inboard Diesel engine
. Draft 2'+. Long keel with fixed bilge plates. Original spec included sails with roller-reef jib, pramhood canopy, two-burner paraffin cooker, flushing chemical toilet, fitted bilge pump, anchor warp and chain; anti-fouling below waterline. An optional tent was also available, extending sleeping accommodation from two to four adults.
At the 2007 London Boat Show
Churchouse Boats launched the Drifter 22.
Paul Fisher of Selway-Fisher was employed to revise the design of the original Drifter.
The prototype was built in wood/epoxy
but moulds have been made and production boats are manufacturerd in GRP.
An 18' version of the Launch hull with bilge fins for sailing. A Watermota Shrimp inboard petrol engine with fully feathering propeller was fitted. A petrol/paraffin version of the Watermota or even a diesel were available to special order. For sailing it had a standing lug rig similar to the Dabber but with a slightly larger jib and mainsail.
Never intended for the private buyer, the Gig is a pure sail training craft designed for use by Navies. Previously, the Royal Navy used the Montagu Whaler for this purpose, but these boats were getting well past their best, and new ones have not been built since the 1950s. The Longboat was considered too small, so the Gig was designed for this specific market. The French navy now uses four Gigs for this purpose.
Today a number of privately owned Gigs are about - two were fitted with cabins (Hippo and Gig. One was fitted with a tent to allow for extensive cruising (The City of London).
In private hands the Gig is not for the novice. She has a fairly big sail area and handles and feels like a big boat. At the same time, once in tune with her, she gives her crew great confidence by her easily reefed lug sail and her sea keeping capabilities.
Based on the Dabber hull and introduced in 1973, the Launch was designed for river and lake fishing. Fitted with a Watermota Shrimp inboard engine and a Dabber mizzen as a steadying sail. Not a very successful model, only 12 being built.
Essentially a stretched Lugger, and originally intended as a training craft for sailing schools, Sea Scouts, etc.
The boat that started it all, and still immensely popular. The epitome of rugged simplicity, reliability, and seaworthiness in an open boat, the Lugger is equally at home pottering with the kids or undertaking more adventuresome expeditions.
Designed by John Watkinson in 1973, the Peterboat was not mass-produced and never built in GRP. Only about 10 wooden boats were built by John Elliott, John Kerr, and Norman Whyte. There was an original version of a 19 ft (5.8 m) Peterboat built by John Watkinson, similar decking arrangement to the drascombe Lugger, but with a gunter rig sporting a curved yard with a large jib,(similar to the rig on 'Cariad') only the one was ever built.
A smaller drascombe for single-handed sailing, the Scaffie has no centreboard, relying instead on a long central keel and two bilge stub keels. Rig is a single standing lugsail.
Double ended open boat with a standing lug main, small offset mizen with bumkin and a jib, a folding rudder and galvanised steel centreplate. An outboard motor well is incorporated on the aft port side to carry a small (2 hp) outboard motor. The forerunner to the Peterboat 4.5m.
Similar to the Scaffie but with a narrower beam, the Skiff was designed in 1970 and John Watkinson built the first three boats of around 30 that were built in wood by Doug Elliott at John Elliott
Boatbuilders. A GRP version wasn't available until 1996.
to Australia
during 1969 and 1970. This was possibly the longest journey ever undertaken in a small open sailing boat (though, later, in 1991, a complete circumnavigation was completed by Anthony Steward in an open 19' boat). Hermes was a standard production model with the exception of a raised foredeck and a few other minor modification. The boat was built at Kelly and Hall's boatyard at Newton Ferrers
by John and Douglas Elliott.
In 1973, Geoff Stewart crossed the Atlantic
in a Longboat.
Between 1978 and 1984, Webb Chiles sailed round most of the world in his Luggers Chidiock Tichborne I and Chidiock Tichborne II. Starting in California in Chidiock I, he crossed the Pacific, then the Indian Ocean, before heading into the Red Sea. Near Vanuatu during the Pacific crossing, the boat capsized during bad weather, then drifted for two weeks while he was unable to bail his flooded boat. After becoming damaged, Chidiock I was seized by the Saudi Arabian authorities when Chiles was arrested on suspicion of being a spy. Chiles had a new Lugger, Chiddiock II, shipped to him in Egypt. This he sailed south to cross his previous track and then through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea out into the Atlantic to La Palma
in the Canary Islands
. Leaving the boat briefly to visit Tenerife
, he returned to find that she had capsized at her mooring in a storm. Finding that he had lost a lot of gear, Chiles decided to end his attempt at circumnavigating in an open boat.
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
that was first registered by John Watkinson who applied it to a series of sailing boats which he designed and built in the period 1965-79 and sold in the United Kingdom (UK).
They comprised the Coaster, Cruiser Longboat, Dabber, Drifter, Driver, Gig, Launch, Longboat, Lugger, Peterboat, Scaffie, Scaith and Skiff, together with a few other one-offs. They have wide and deep cockpits, adaptable boomless rigs and high bulwarks.
The word drascombe is also used as a generic term for any boat built to a design by John Watkinson. These include both 'the Drascombe range' build by Churchouse Boats and the 'Original Devon' range produced by Honnor Marine, which is not licensed to use the Drascombe trademark. The use of the word drascombe in lowercase on this page refers to the generic usage.
The Caboteur and Drifter 22 have been designed and built recently following the design principles developed by John Watkinson.
John Watkinson died in 1997 and the trademark is now owned by his surviving family.
Current licensees include Churchouse Boats and East West Custom Boats.
Past licensees include Honnor Marine; McNulty; John Elliott and Douglas Elliott Boatbuilders (licenced to build in wood); and Kelly and Hall, which built the original production Luggers in wood.
Design principles
There are basically two types of drascombe. There are undecked open day sailerDay sailer
A daysailer, day sailer, or dayboat is a small sailboat with or without sleeping accommodations but which is larger than a dinghy. Dayboats can be monohull or multihull, and are typically trailer-able. Many dayboats have a small cabin or "cuddy" for storage and to provide a shelter, or for...
s and two-berth weekenders
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
. They were originally designed and built in marine plywood using glued lapstrake
Clinker (boat building)
Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks and, in the early nineteenth century, iron plates to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the individual planks...
construction. As they became more popular, they were then manufactured in GRP
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
.[3]
The hull, typically, consists of four strake
Strake
A strake is part of the shell of the hull of a boat or ship which, in conjunction with the other strakes, keeps the sea out and the vessel afloat...
s each side, the garboard strakes being wide giving a flat run to the transom
Transom (nautical)
In naval architecture, a transom is the surface that forms the stern of a vessel. Transoms may be flat or curved and they may be vertical, raked forward, also known as a retroussé or reverse transom, angling forward from the waterline to the deck, or raked aft, often simply called "raked", angling...
whilst having a fairly sharp entry at the stem. There is a recessed rear deck level with side benches and a recessed foredeck. Some models have a small two-berth cabin.
The transom slopes back at an angle of about 45 degrees with the top edge sloping forward giving drascombes a distinctive appearance at the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
. Just forward of the transom is a well to take an outboard motor
Outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom and are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft...
with a slot in the transom that allows the outboard motor to be tilted out of the water when under sail. It also keeps the outboard motor hidden from view.
The usual rig consists of a gunter
Gunter
In sailing, a gunter is used for two main configurations of rig:#The gunter is defined as a wire that leads from one point near the end of a gaff to a point near the other end. A block travels along this wire, and a halyard is attached to this block...
-rigged mainsail set on the main mast, a mizzen sail set on the mizzen mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
sheeted
Sheet (sailing)
In sailing, a sheet is a line used to control the movable corner of a sail.- Fore-and-aft rigs:Fore-and-aft rigs comprise the vast majority of sailing vessels in use today, including effectively all dinghies and yachts. The sheet on a fore-and-aft sail controls the angle of the sail to the wind,...
to a bumpkin and a foresail
Foresail
A foresail is one of a few different types of sail set on the foremost mast of a sailing vessel:* A fore and aft sail set on the foremast of a schooner or similar vessel....
. The tan-coloured sails are all boom
Boom (sailing)
In sailing, a boom is a spar , along the foot of a fore and aft rigged sail, that greatly improves control of the angle and shape of the sail. The primary action of the boom is to keep the foot of the sail flatter when the sail angle is away from the centerline of the boat. The boom also serves...
less to avoid possible head injury from a gybing
Jibe
A jibe or gybe is a sailing maneuver where a sailing vessel turns its stern through the wind, such that the wind direction changes from one side of the boat to the other...
boom. The original drascombe lugger had a lug
Lugger
A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...
sail to start with; this was changed to a gunter mainsail but the name was kept.
The rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
fits in a case which is set in the aft deck in front of the mizzen mast. It can be lifted up into the case when in very shallow water.
A steel centreboard
Centreboard
A centreboard or centerboard is a retractable keel which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a centreboard trunk or centerboard case...
is in a centreboard case with a purchase
Block (sailing)
In sailing, a block is a single or multiple pulley. One or a number of sheaves are enclosed in an assembly between cheeks or chocks. In use a block is fixed to the end of a line, to a spar or to a surface...
to lift it.
Some (Dabber and Drifter) have a conventional vertical transom with the rudder hung on the transom.
Some (Skiff, Scaith, Scaffie and Peterboat) were double enders with a canoe stern. Of these, the Skiff has no outbard motor well, just a mini triangular transom to take a small outboard motor when the rudder has been removed.
Caboteur
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) | 7 ft 3 in (2.2 m) | 750 kg (1650 lb) | 209sq ft (19.42 m²) | ? | 2 |
The Caboteur is based on the drascombe Longboat but modified to the requirements of French drascombe aficionado Jean-Louis Grenier to create his "ultimate drascombe camping cruiser"
Originally in wood epoxy the hull is now available in GRP. It is 8" wider in the beam than the Longboat with 3" more freeboard. The rig is also 37 sq ft (3.4 m²) larger and a 130 sq ft (12.1 m²) cruising chute can be set to a bowsprit
Bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestay, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.-Origin:...
.
Jean-Louis' boat has a large sleeping platform and a vast amount of dedicated storage. The great number of lockers, together with the added beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
and freeboard
Freeboard (nautical)
In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...
make the sailing weight nearly twice that of a Longboat.
Coaster
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) | 6 ft 7 in (2 m) | 1060 lb (480 kg) | 164 sq ft (15.22 m²) | 1979–present | Approx. 270 |
Cruiser Longboat
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) | 6 ft 7 in (2 m) | 1060 lb (480 kg) | 163sq ft (15.13 m²) | 1970–1979 | 400+ |
A Longboat with a cabin of two berths or one berth and a galley
Galley (kitchen)
The galley is the compartment of a ship, train or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. It can also refer to a land based kitchen on a naval base or a particular formed household kitchen.-Ship's kitchen:...
bench. Unlike the open Longboat and other drascombes a boom
Boom (sailing)
In sailing, a boom is a spar , along the foot of a fore and aft rigged sail, that greatly improves control of the angle and shape of the sail. The primary action of the boom is to keep the foot of the sail flatter when the sail angle is away from the centerline of the boat. The boom also serves...
was fitted to the mainsail
Mainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
. Designed to appeal more to private buyers than the open version, the Cruiser Longboat was introduced and sold side by side with the standard open boat. Introduced in 1970 and replaced in 1979 by the Coaster. Over 400 were built. The wooden versions were all custom built and differ considerably from the GRP versions.
Dabber
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 550 lb (250 kg) | 118 sq ft (10.96 m²) | 1971–present | Approx. 900 |
Although smaller than the Lugger, the Dabber carries a full yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...
rig on main and mizzen masts. However, the Dabber can easily be distinguished by its bowsprit and transom-hung rudder.
Drifter
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) | 2,000 lb (907 kg) | 210 sq ft (19.5 m²) | 1977–1984 | c 110 |
A cruising boat with a cabin and choice of outboard well or 6-8 hp Sabb inboard Diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
. Draft 2'+. Long keel with fixed bilge plates. Original spec included sails with roller-reef jib, pramhood canopy, two-burner paraffin cooker, flushing chemical toilet, fitted bilge pump, anchor warp and chain; anti-fouling below waterline. An optional tent was also available, extending sleeping accommodation from two to four adults.
Drifter 22
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 22' (6.7 m) | 7 ft 3 in (2.25 m) | 1,985 lb (900 kg) | 234 sq ft (21.76 m²) | 2007–present | 1+ |
At the 2007 London Boat Show
London Boat Show
The London Boat Show is held each January at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London, just opposite the O2 and the centre of London's business and entertainment centre. It is a very large event, now in its 54th year, which uses ExCeL's two 32,500 square metre halls...
Churchouse Boats launched the Drifter 22.
Paul Fisher of Selway-Fisher was employed to revise the design of the original Drifter.
The prototype was built in wood/epoxy
Epoxy
Epoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
but moulds have been made and production boats are manufacturerd in GRP.
Driver
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 730 lb (330 kg) | 128 sq ft (11.92 m²) | 1974–1978 | 55 |
An 18' version of the Launch hull with bilge fins for sailing. A Watermota Shrimp inboard petrol engine with fully feathering propeller was fitted. A petrol/paraffin version of the Watermota or even a diesel were available to special order. For sailing it had a standing lug rig similar to the Dabber but with a slightly larger jib and mainsail.
Gig
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 25' (7.62 m) | 7' (2.13 m) | 1760 lb (800 kg) | 255 sq ft (23.72 m²) | 1984–present | Approx. 70 |
Never intended for the private buyer, the Gig is a pure sail training craft designed for use by Navies. Previously, the Royal Navy used the Montagu Whaler for this purpose, but these boats were getting well past their best, and new ones have not been built since the 1950s. The Longboat was considered too small, so the Gig was designed for this specific market. The French navy now uses four Gigs for this purpose.
Today a number of privately owned Gigs are about - two were fitted with cabins (Hippo and Gig. One was fitted with a tent to allow for extensive cruising (The City of London).
In private hands the Gig is not for the novice. She has a fairly big sail area and handles and feels like a big boat. At the same time, once in tune with her, she gives her crew great confidence by her easily reefed lug sail and her sea keeping capabilities.
Launch
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ? | ? | 1973–1978 | 12 |
Based on the Dabber hull and introduced in 1973, the Launch was designed for river and lake fishing. Fitted with a Watermota Shrimp inboard engine and a Dabber mizzen as a steadying sail. Not a very successful model, only 12 being built.
Longboat
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) | 6 ft 7 in (2 m) | 880 lb (400 kg) | 172 sq ft (15.97 m²) | 1970–present | Approx. 600 |
Essentially a stretched Lugger, and originally intended as a training craft for sailing schools, Sea Scouts, etc.
Lugger
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 18 ft 9 in (5.72 m) | 6 ft 3 in (1.9 m) | 748 lb (340 kg) | 132 sq ft (12.26 m²) | 1968–present | Approx. 2000 |
The boat that started it all, and still immensely popular. The epitome of rugged simplicity, reliability, and seaworthiness in an open boat, the Lugger is equally at home pottering with the kids or undertaking more adventuresome expeditions.
Peterboat
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 4.5 m | 1.7 m | approx 280 lb (127 kg) | 9.3 m² | Built by Douglas Elliott at 'John Elliott Boatbuilder' who also built the only drascombe Mule, essentially a transom version of the 4.5 metre Peterboat.{Source Douglas Elliott} Both designs carry a 28 lb (12.7 kg) centreplate | 1 |
| 5 m | 1.7 m | approx 340 lb (154.2 kg) | 11.16 m² | Prototype and half decked version built at 'John Elliott Boatbuilder' by Douglas and John Elliott these were the only two built at that boatyard. | ? |
| 6 m | 2 m | possible approx 1500 lb (680.4 kg) | 18.51 m² | Prototype 'Cariad' built for Dick Watkinson, John Watkinson's brother, by John Elliott and Douglas Elliott at 'John Elliott Boatbuilder' had a 300 lb (136.1 kg) cast iron centreplate and was originally flush decked. Unusual rig with a curved gunter main and large foresail, a fast boat, 13 knots (24 km/h) claimed in a stiff blow. 'Cariad' was later converted to carry a cabin with a coachroof to provide better onboard headroom, similar to the drascombe Longboat Cruiser. | ? |
Designed by John Watkinson in 1973, the Peterboat was not mass-produced and never built in GRP. Only about 10 wooden boats were built by John Elliott, John Kerr, and Norman Whyte. There was an original version of a 19 ft (5.8 m) Peterboat built by John Watkinson, similar decking arrangement to the drascombe Lugger, but with a gunter rig sporting a curved yard with a large jib,(similar to the rig on 'Cariad') only the one was ever built.
Scaffie
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m) | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 460 lb (210 kg) | 100 sq ft (9.3 m²) | 1978–present (now known as the Devon Scaffie) | Approx. 450 |
A smaller drascombe for single-handed sailing, the Scaffie has no centreboard, relying instead on a long central keel and two bilge stub keels. Rig is a single standing lugsail.
Scaith
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built, |
| 15 in 2 in (4.62 m) | 5 in 8 in (1.73 m) | approx 275 lb (124.7 kg) | 84 sq ft (7.8 m²) main/113sq ft with jib and mizzen | Only ever built in wood at the Boatyard of John Elliott Boatbuilder, Yealmbridge, Yealmpton, Devon. UK. All including the prototype were built by his brother Douglas Elliott. Two were built with forward lockers and mast set in a tabernacle on the foredeck, as opposed to the completely open boat with the unstayed mast stepped on the hog and a mast thwart at gunwhale level. Some were supplied with just a mainsail, some with main and jib, some with main, jib and mizzen. All had a 28 lb (12.7 kg) galvanised steel centreplate. | 13 |
Double ended open boat with a standing lug main, small offset mizen with bumkin and a jib, a folding rudder and galvanised steel centreplate. An outboard motor well is incorporated on the aft port side to carry a small (2 hp) outboard motor. The forerunner to the Peterboat 4.5m.
Skiff
| Length | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Production | No. Built |
| 4.46 m (14 ft 9 in) | 1.4 m | 80 kg | Standing lug main 56 sq ft (5.2 m²), jib 12 sq ft (1.1 m²) | 1970-? | 30 |
Similar to the Scaffie but with a narrower beam, the Skiff was designed in 1970 and John Watkinson built the first three boats of around 30 that were built in wood by Doug Elliott at John Elliott
John Elliott
John Elliott may refer to:*John Elliott , English architect*John Elliott, M.D. , adherent of James II*John Elliott , Scottish physician* John Elliott , English artist...
Boatbuilders. A GRP version wasn't available until 1996.
History
- 1902 "Captain James McNulty starts family business. As stevedores it employed ship carpenters, but had difficulty retaining them to work casually and so to ensure continuity of employment, it was decided they build small rowing boats."
- c. 1955 John Elliott joins Kelly and Hall as boatbuilder.
- 1958 John Watkinson buys Kelly and Hall.
- 1960 Honnor Marine founded by Pat Honnor.
- 1962/63 John Watkinson designs and buils three sixteen foot mackerel boats (wood).
- 1964 John Watkinson sells Kelly and Hall.
- 1965 John Watkinson moves to Drascombe Barton. John Watkinson designs and buils first Drascombe Lugger 'Katharine Mary'.
- 1966 New owners of Kelly and Hall produce Drascombe Lugger in wood.
- 1968 Earls Court Boat Show. Exhibit Drascombe Lugger sold in 20 minutes, 11 ordered. John Watkinson grants Honnor Marine a sole licence to build Drascombe Luggers in GRP.
- 1969 Honnor Marine produces first GRP Drascombe Lugger and exhibits at London Boat Show. John Watkinson designs Drascombe Longboat, a stretched Drascombe Lugger; and Drascombe Cruiser Longboat.
- 1970 Drascombe Longboat and Drascombe Cruiser Longboat built by Honnor Marine in GRP. John Watkinson designs Drascombe Skiff, built in wood. Kelly and Hall ceases trading. John Elliott takes over premises and starts John Elliott (Boatbuilder) with his brother Doug building wooden Drascombes.
- c. 1970 In Llandysul, Cardiganshire, John Kerr sets up his own workshop, building wooden boats ranging from small clinker dinghies to ocean racing yachts, for over 20 years. Following a meeting with John Watkinson, he becomes one of the earliest licensed builders of the Drascombe range. Overall John built approximately 10 Drascombe boats, many finished to the customer's exact requirements. John died in 2001.
- 1972 John Watkinson designs Drascombe Dabber. Built by Honnor Marine in GRP.
- 1973 John Watkinson designs Drascombe Peterboat, built in wood.
- 1974 John Watkinson designs Drascombe Driver. Built by Honnor Marine in GRP. Honnor Marine goes into receivership.
- 1975 Honnor Marine continues to trade under a management consortium.
- 1977 Association of Dutch Drascombe Owners (NKDE) formed. John Watkinson designs Drascombe Drifter. Built by Honnor Marine in GRP.
- 1978 John Watkinson designs Drascombe Scaffie. Built by Honnor Marine in GRP. John Watkinson designs Drascombe Coaster. Built by Honnor Marine in GRP.
- 1980 John Elliott dies. Business wound up.
- 1981 Under the wings of Terry Erskine Yachts Plymouth, Douglas Elliot built one more Drascombe, a Peterboat 4.5 metre, before retiring.
- 1982 Norman Whyte licensed to build the whole line of Drascombes in wood, continuing until 1995.
- 1984 John Watkinson designs Drascombe Gig. Built by Honnor Marine in GRP.
- 1984 Drascombe List started in West Wales by Jeremy Churchouse as a brokerage for used Drascombes.
- 1987 Drascombe Association formed.
- 1997 Liquidation of Honnor Marine. Assets sold to Bob Brown. Besides the boat moulds they also include all the plugs, which are the items for making new moulds as well as all the boat fittings and spars. Bob Brown produces range of boats from the original Drascombe moulds under the name of Original Devon. McNulty Boats Ltd, Hebburn, Tyneside, UK is awarded the exclusive licence to use the Drascombe trademark. It makes new moulds and builds the Drascombe range. John Watkinson dies on 19 December.
- 1998 Stewart Brown (no relation to Bob Brown) takes over Churchouse Boats from Jeremy Churchouse.
- 2000 Stewart Brown joins McNulty Boats.
- 2002 McNulty Boats in liquidation. Taken over by Churchouse Boats, led by Stewart Brown, including license to use the Drascombe trademark.
- 2007 Churchouse Boats exhibits the new Drascombe Drifter 22 at the London Boat Show.
Notable Voyages
David Pyle sailed his wooden drascombe Lugger Hermes from EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
during 1969 and 1970. This was possibly the longest journey ever undertaken in a small open sailing boat (though, later, in 1991, a complete circumnavigation was completed by Anthony Steward in an open 19' boat). Hermes was a standard production model with the exception of a raised foredeck and a few other minor modification. The boat was built at Kelly and Hall's boatyard at Newton Ferrers
Newton Ferrers
Newton Ferrers is a village in the civil parish of Newton and Noss in the English county of Devon, located about south-east of Plymouth on the River Yealm estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
by John and Douglas Elliott.
In 1973, Geoff Stewart crossed the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in a Longboat.
Between 1978 and 1984, Webb Chiles sailed round most of the world in his Luggers Chidiock Tichborne I and Chidiock Tichborne II. Starting in California in Chidiock I, he crossed the Pacific, then the Indian Ocean, before heading into the Red Sea. Near Vanuatu during the Pacific crossing, the boat capsized during bad weather, then drifted for two weeks while he was unable to bail his flooded boat. After becoming damaged, Chidiock I was seized by the Saudi Arabian authorities when Chiles was arrested on suspicion of being a spy. Chiles had a new Lugger, Chiddiock II, shipped to him in Egypt. This he sailed south to cross his previous track and then through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea out into the Atlantic to La Palma
La Palma
La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. Leaving the boat briefly to visit Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, he returned to find that she had capsized at her mooring in a storm. Finding that he had lost a lot of gear, Chiles decided to end his attempt at circumnavigating in an open boat.