Navigator

From New Zealand's Premier Small Boat Designer!

Easy to launch, easy to sail, and easy to beach, the Navigator works well in our home waters.

John Welsford is a designer who has melded traditional good looks of classic lines and a lapstrake hull with modern construction methods in Navigator, a salty looking boat that nevertheless retains a surprising good turn of speed. The flat bottom allows a nice planing section aft which translates into abilities to exceed displacement speed with planing ability. John reports, "Navigators have been timed by GPS at 15 knots, and regularly maintain 9 or 10 knots for long periods."

Any way you cut it, from the looks that make people look twice, to the turn of speed when you trim the sails right and the wind is strong enough, this boat is sure to put a big smile on anyone's face.

The Navigator features a choice of a sloop rig, or a Yawl rig.

While the sloop rig gives you a bit better windward ability, my vote is for the Yawl rig. The Yawl rig just looks so much saltier that earns it a place all by itself. However the ability to adjust sail balance so easily, lie hove to to weather to sort about and set yourself right, and the utter versatility of reefing options all argue well for a choice of a Yawl Rig.

I sent out my check for a set of John's Navigator plans and I am anxious to see them. I will be able to work up a reasonable cost estimate to build for prospective customers.

A yawl rigged Navigator has an impressive set of sails flying

At nearly 15 feet, the boat would be a great daysailor and also a good chariot to carry camping gear to a distant island to while away a weekend. If you are looking for a similar boat with a little bit better ability to sleep aboard with a camp tent, check out John's Pathfinder, a 17' 4" design incorporating many of the great attributes of the Navigator.

I would be happy to work up a quote for one of these or any of John's other designs as well.

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