Sailing canoes became popular in the nineteenth century as the everyman’s gateway to yachting.  Small, cheap and beautiful they quickly caught on as an affordable passport to adventure.  The names of their promoters are well known – John MacGregor, George Holmes, Albert Strange – and the formula they developed for simplicity and adventure afloat is still as valid today.  This design for a 20ft sailing canoe follows that line of thinking, a boat just large enough for one person to sleep aboard, light enough to be transported easily by trailer and seaworthy enough for coastal voyaging.  Construction is edge glued cedar planking skinned inside and out with glass cloth and epoxy.  The rig is a simple gaff main and jib with ample power to drive the slender hull. With no fixed ballast the boat depends on crew weight to stay on her feet in strong winds.  Large air tanks fore and aft make it possible to right the boat and self- rescue in the event of a swamping.  An exciting little boat for the adventurous.

Construction:  edge glued carvel or strip planking

Length on deck:    20ft 0ins
Beam:                     5ft 6ins
Draft, CB: down       4ft 0ins
Sail area:               120 sq ft

Building time: 750 hours
Skill level:  High

Design #274  Five Sheets