Selway-Fisher Heron 15

I have built a number of boats over the years, including two designed by John Welsford and one by Arch Davis. My most recent build is the Heron 15, a design by Paul Fisher of Selway-Fisher in the U.K. Some time ago Paul designed the Heron 14, a compact cruiser, and the 15 is a more recent larger version that provides a bit more cabin space. At 15′ 4″, it is one of the smallest pocket cruisers I’ve seen, but it has a substantial cockpit, and enough interior space for two berths, a small galley, and a head. To my knowledge, mine is only the second Heron 15 to be built.

As well as building boats, I’ve owned several cruising boats, including a Flicka 20 that I sailed for many years. My wife and I cruised extensively up and down the Salish Sea in the Flicka, and I once sailed it on a solo circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. Moorage around northern Vancouver Island where we live has become very precious, so I was looking for a boat that was small enough to trailer and launch easily, yet comfortable enough for two people to stay out on for several days at a time. The Heron 15 appealed because it met these requirements and had a traditional look.

Building the Heron 15

Selway Fisher’s plans (supplied through Duckworks in the U.S.) were detailed. The Heron 15 hull is V-bottomed with a hard chine and straight sides—which makes construction relatively straightforward. The original design has a fixed keel with an external-pivot centerboard within it. The centerboard trunk stands a few inches above the cabin sole, and I worried that this would present a tripping hazard. Initially I thought about removing the centerboard completely and increasing the depth of the keel; the draft would still be under 2′ and the hull and keel construction would be simplified. To achieve the same weight, I would install some steel or lead plates in the keel. I discussed my ideas with Paul Fisher. He said my proposed modifications would work but suggested bilge keels as an alternative. I could keep the original keel profile, without the centerboard, but fit 3⁄8″ mild-steel-plate bilge keels welded to a 3⁄8″ × 4″ flange through-bolted to a 3⁄4″ × 8″ wooden backing board. Each keel would be 48″ long at its upper edge and would weigh 62 lbs, which would introduce ballast down low, and its lateral plane would help to reduce any rolling effect in a swell.

Part-finished Selway-Fisher Heron 15 on trailer

I liked the idea of having a boat with a very shallow draft and the ability to stand upright if beached. I do not plan to beach the boat often, but I did have an experience in my Flicka when I underestimated the drop in the tide and woke up in the middle of the night to find the boat lying on its side. Fortunately, the bottom was soft, and by morning she was floating again, no harm done.

The Heron 15’s build starts with a strongback frame and a set of six molds. Of these, three become permanent bulkheads, and three remain as simple ring frames. I used yellow cedar for most of the structural parts (buying it in 2×6 boards, which I could resaw and plane at home). The sides and bottom of the hull were of 9mm marine plywood (the plans call for 18 sheets) bent over the frames. The hardest part of the hull construction was getting the planks to bend in at the stem; indeed, this proved impossible working with the 9mm ply that was called for in the plans. After several attempts, I built this section with two layers of 4mm plywood, laminated in place. The resulting curve in the forefoot is appealing and cuts nicely through the water when underway. For adhesives, I used Titebond III above the waterline and WEST System epoxy below.

Building the boat took me a little over a year, working on it for at least a few hours a day. I built the hull upside down in my basement workshop, and when it was complete, friends came over to help haul it out into the yard where I would build the decks and cabin.

Fitting out the interior was fun but time consuming. The basic structure is covered in the plans. The layout is conventional with twin settee berths coming together in the forepeak, a stove aft to port, and a head to starboard. For details, the builder is given a lot of latitude. I followed the designed layout but was particularly pleased with my design and installation of a folding table and shelving for dishes and other odds and ends. The shelf is mounted on the forward bulkhead and the hinges of the folding table are suspended on a wooden cleat below the shelf. When the table is lowered, two people can sit facing each other, one on each of the twin berths; when folded up it encloses the shelf and protects the chinaware behind it. When the table is raised, there is plenty of space beneath for the berths to be used for sleeping.

There is ample storage in the cabin. Lockers run the full length of both berths, and aft there are lockers to either side of the companionway. The plans suggest the steps should be removable, but I was unsure where I would stow them, so instead built the bottom step as a storage box and the upper step as a removable step-stool that doubles as an extra seat at the table. To starboard I installed a stainless-steel sink with a 1-gallon water jug with spigot, and a locker beneath. This is where Paul Fisher suggests installing a head, but we use a portable version that we keep stowed forward between the berths. When the table is lowered the head is out of the way; when the table is raised the head can be used. To port at the foot of the companionway there is an unpressurized-alcohol two-burner stove with another locker beneath. There is 4′ 6″ headroom in the center of the cabin. (Fisher has designed an alternative raised coach roof that increases headroom to 4′ 10″, but I prefer the look of the lower profile.) There are no electronics or wired electrics on board; I installed two overhead cabin lights that are battery powered with a timer in case they are left on by mistake.

In the cockpit, I replaced the suggested washboards of the companionway with hinged doors; I like the convenient access, and it solves the problem of where to stow the washboards. I made the doors out of leftover 9mm plywood from the build. I also removed the designed bridge deck and instead built a simple box with hinged lid that does double duty as a companionway step and storage. Auxiliary power is from an ePropulsion Spirit Plus transom-mounted outboard for which the batteries are stowed beneath the cockpit benches.

Sail Plan and Performance

The Heron 15 has a high-peaked 85.7-sq-ft gaff main, with a 33.3-sq-ft jib. I installed a roller furler as I often singlehand and don’t want to go forward to raise or lower the jib; for this same reason, all the running rigging is led back into the cockpit. I also added some lazyjacks, and raising and lowering the mainsail from within the cockpit works well. After some trial sails in light airs (quite common in our area) I also added an asymmetric spinnaker. There is a short bowsprit (about 32″) to which I added a retractable aluminum pole to take the spinnaker’s tack about 1′ forward of the jib fitting.

Selway-Fisher Heron 15 on trailer with sails up

I’m fortunate to live right next to a decent boat ramp. Having launched other boats here, I know the exact height required to clear any overhanging wires on the way to the ramp. So, when I built the Heron I made sure the mast could go under the wires. This allows me to keep the boat fully rigged through the sailing season, which saves time when launching and retrieving. For the most part, I hook up the trailer, drive over to the ramp, and launch as soon as I arrive. After parking the truck, I get aboard and, using the outboard, back away from the ramp, and I’m ready to start sailing.

The boat handles well on the water, combining small-boat feel with big-boat stability. In early trials there was a touch of lee helm, but after doubling the forward ballast (I had originally installed 54 lbs of movable sandbags under the foredeck, accessed from within the cabin) and introducing a slight aft rake to the mast, the lee helm was replaced by a more reassuring touch of weather helm. The rudder on the Heron 15 is quite large for such a small boat, so she tracks well while also responding quickly to the helm. I have yet to make use of the drop rudder blade that is part of the design, and doubt that it will ever need to be deployed, except perhaps in a heavy following sea when the stern is being lifted.

Toward the end of 2024, I went out for a sail with a good friend who is an experienced sailor. The wind was light, probably 6–8 knots at best, but we got the sails up and headed off on a close reach. The boat moved along nicely in the light airs maintaining a consistent 3–4 knots. As the day wore on, the wind became even lighter, and we decided to try out the asymmetric spinnaker. After a little fumbling with the lines—I have since simplified the leads—we got it flying, and it looked beautiful. We were sailing on a broad reach, and the wind had dropped to less than 5 knots, but the boat was still moving along at 1 1⁄2 knots.

Light airs may not be the most exciting for sailing, but I do think they’re an opportunity to get a feel for a boat, and both my friend and I observed that the Heron 15 felt comfortable, moved easily through the water, and the cockpit was roomy. It is, surely, quite an accomplishment to design a boat of only 15′ 4″ length complete with a sizable cockpit and a cozy but very usable cabin that sleeps two, has plenty of storage, and some basic amenities, and which performs well, even in the lightest of airs. I am looking forward to getting out there this summer for some extended cruising.

Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, Ram Sudama spent his summers as a kid racing and cruising in boats from 6’ to 60’ on Chesapeake Bay and later around the coast of New England with his family. He started building small boats after he moved to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where he has cruised up and down the Salish Sea as well as completing a solo circumnavigation of the island.