Design 119 was the original of our pocket cruiser range. The design brief asked for:

• a small, affordable classic gaff-rig cruising yacht
• easy trailing with a family car
• simple and quick to launch and rig, and to recover
• comfortable cruising accommodation with 3 full length berths
• good sitting headroom
• provision for a marine toilet
• usuable galley with sink and stove
• full-size self-draining cockpit, with decent lockers
• reliable performance under power
• fun sailing in light airs, yet able to cope with heavier weather
• modern wood-epoxy construction
• suitable for professional or amateur building

To our delight, the design was an immediate success and the boat itself performed beyond our expectations, both under sail and under power. A designer puts a lot of himself or herself into a design so it is always a pretty good feeling when the result is well received.

Sea trials are always a mix of excitement and apprenhension for both the builder and the designer – let alone the owner – and with the first boat of a new design there is always just that extra degree of worry for the designer. Over the years, I have been either the designer or the builder (and occasionally both!) on upwards of 70 sea trials of new boats, mostly custom, ranging from quite small up to about 100' and the frisson of the moment never dulls.

So it was with just a little trepidation that I helped launch and rig the first of these boats on a calm, misty morning on the River Orwell, near Ipswich, England. We stepped the mast and set up the rigging with the boat on her trailer and then backed her into the water: she slid gently off the trailer, bobbed her bow a couple of times and settled into her natural element. The first hurdle was over – she floated where she should and trimmed nicely!

   Under sail she gave real big-boat performance and we constantly had to remind ourselves that she is, in reality, quite a small boat. Lively and fun to sail in light airs, she tuckers down in heavier weather. She handled perfectly under power, with a nice turn of speed, and she steered well both ahead and going astern. The outboard in its well in the cockpit was unobtrusive, convenient and reliable. Because the propeller is buried deep behind the keel, we could also motor-sail very successfully even in quite rough conditions. Image (left) is of No. 119/09.

Since that time (1996) this design has become justifiably popular and has been built in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Asia. "This is the eleventh boat that I’ve built and your plans and instructions are the best I’ve seen....” Bob Trygg, Minnesota USA – a builder of Design 119, No. 9, the first to be built with a cold-moulded skin.

  Owners are always surprised at the real spaciousness of this boat. Accommodation is for three, with full length comfortable berths, although with a tent over the boom there is a camper accommodation for two in the full-size cockpit. Image (right) is 119/01. After the first few boats, we changed from ply frames to laminated frames as this gives a more flexible interior layout. We also modified the mast frame so that no mast post is required, which meant that the two forward berths could easily be turned into a double berth with an infill piece. The galley features a sink unit with stowage beneath and a cook stove unit, again with stowage beneath. There is a boxed-over WC between the berths to port. With the original design, we also drew proposal plans for a 3-berth accommodation with a separate toilet compartment, but, somewaht to our surprise these have not been asked for. And perhaps Design No. 146, at 18'6" fills this need rather better.

And  view more photos of this boat.