19’6″ Caledonia Yawl

19'6" Caledonia Yawl

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Designer Iain Oughtred is known for applying an artist’s touch to his light lapstrake creations. He admits to having been under the influence of Shetland ness yoles and sixerns while drawing this handsome double-ender.

Particulars

The Caledonia Yawl has relatively high ends and shows con­siderable reserve buoyancy above the waterline through­out its length. The hull lines resemble those of many surfboats that have evolved to meet the rigors of working off exposed beaches. Oughtred gave her a run that is finer and shows more deadrise than might be ideal for extremely high speed under sail, but the resulting gains in helm bal­ance and civilized behavior in waves make the compro­mise worthwhile.

Caledonia’s builders can rig their boats with either balanced lug or high-peaked gaffheaded mainsails. The balanced lug has the advantage of being self-vanging and simple. It sets on an unstayed mast, and it requires less time for raising and striking than does the gaff rig.

Plans

Caledonia’s lapstrake and epoxy hull is built in an inverted position. The backbone and building jig are fairly conventional. Drywall screws clamp the plywood strakes together until the epoxy sets. (Lack of cross-grain strength makes solid timber unsuitable for planking this boat.)

As for accommodations, Oughtred shows a version with considerable built-in closed space (similar to a Drascombe Lugger‘s interior) and a more open model. The open boat will be simpler and lighter, but builders can choose various combinations of the two layouts. In all cases, the decks are kept below the rails. This arrangement gives better access to the yawl’s ends, and it permits secure on-deck stowage of light gear. Also, the sunken decks allow your eyes to follow the full, unbroken sweep of the sheer from stem to stern-and a lovely sheer it is.

Plans

Plans for the Caledonia Yawl consist of eight sheets: hull lines, construction, mold patterns, stem and stern­post patterns, and sail plans. Also included are three sheets of specifications and 13 pages of lapstrake-plywood build­ing instructions. WB Plan No. 103, $291.00.

What Is Glued Lapstrake?

The glued lapstrake boatbuilding technique uses epoxy rather than mechanical fastenings to secure plank overlaps. This makes for a very strong hull and an exceptionally clean interior. Glued lapstrake has become a popular construction method for small sailing dinghies, rowing boats and canoes.

There are plenty of benefits to glued lapstrake construction. The resulting product is lightweight, rigid and excellently sealed against water and weather. The downside is major repairs will be difficult. And for anything larger than 10 feet, the marine plywood used for planking needs to be scarfed.

Read this article for more on glued lapstrake and five other ways to build a wooden boat.

Completed 19’6″ Caledonia Yawl Images

Christopher Cunningham

Drew’s work on the boat has put her back to rights and, as BONNIE LASS, she has much to offer to her new family in the years, if not decades, to come.

Courtesy of Peter Mumford

When Peter Mumford sailed ERIKA, she her mainsail was a standing lug. It was later replaced with a balance lug. The Caledonia Yawls that followed carried a balance-lug main, which had a boom that increased the spread of the sail for better performance off the wind.

Leni Danner

The Caledonia Yawl’s well mannered hull and simple lug rig made it easy for us to learn how to sail.

Jim Danner

SPARROW sits at the entrance to the lagoon.

With well-balanced, relatively high ends, this lean and long yawl shows considerable reserve buoyancy above the waterline throughout her length. Check out our own Caledonia Yawl, SWIFTY, built right here at the WoodenBoat School.