The Drascombe Dabber was designed by John Watkinson around 1970 when Honnor Marine, builders of the fiberglass Drascombe Lugger, requested a smaller version of that enormously popular boat. Watkinson based the resulting Dabber, a 15′ 6″ yawl, on his slippery 19′ double-ended Peterboat. With little prep time before an upcoming boat show, Watkinson shortened the Peterboat design by 4′, swapped its canoe stern for a transom, and sent the lines along to Honnor Marine. The first fiberglass hull was created just in time for the show. It was well received, and full production began around 1972. The boats continue to be produced in England, and to date more than 900 Dabbers have been built, with many shipped abroad.When introduced, the Dabber was described as a “top quality GRP [fiberglass] polyester resin long life hull built to specifications approved by the Ship & Boat Builders’ National Federation, with genuine teak trim.” In 2016, we restored a 1978 Dabber, and the fiberglass was in great shape, despite having received no care for decades. After a $75 rinse at the carwash to remove pounds of oak leaves and acorns, the hull showed little sign of wear except for a small portion of wood rot in the keel and bilge runners, which were designed with ease of replacement in mind. Also impressive was the quality of the marine-grade stainless-steel rigging and oiled teak used for the tiller, rudder, thwarts, rubrails, and centerboard trunk. The original Terylene tanbark sails and cordage were still serviceable. The varnished spars were select Douglas fir, and the centerboard was galvanized mild steel—all in reasonable shape. On early Dabbers, expanded polystyrene foam blocks in the bow, beneath the side benches, and in the stern compartment provided enough buoyancy to keep the boat and crew afloat when swamped, but not enough to float the boat sufficiently high for the crew to bail it out. Some owners would stuff a sponge or towel into the centerboard trunk opening to slow the ingress of water. Newer Dabbers have additional flotation in the bow, sides, and stern, and a redesigned centerboard in which the lifting arm is angled to extend out of the top of the trunk rather than the forward face.

A Drascombe Dabber sits on a trailer at a boat rampGijs van Kemenade

With its pivoting centerboard and relatively flat bottom the Drascombe Dabber is easy to trailer, launch, and recover. The two rowing thwarts are both removable.

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