This manual is intended for pre-build study or to help with the decision to purchase. Reading this manual will help you decide whether or not you can build the boat.

It is the manual that accompanies the kits. It describes all the techniques that will be used during the building and also a step... (more)

An electronic, non paper, version of the manual that can be viewed using Adobe Reader 6. After credit card authorisation the file will be sent to the email address put on the order form. The file takes about 25 seconds to download on slow broadband. For details see the paper version above.

These manuals and plans give sufficient information to allow the customer to build the Jimmy Skiff from scratch. They also cover the techniques which will have to be tackled when building the boat. The plans also contain a licence to build a boat.

(These manuals and plans are included in the full... (more)

This manual is intended for pre-build study or to help with the decision to purchase. Reading this manual will help you decide whether or not you can build the boat.

It is the manual that accompanies the kits. It describes all the techniques that will be used during the building and also a step... (more)

An electronic version of the manual that can be viewed using Adobe Reader 6. After credit card authorisation the file will be sent to the email address put on the order form. The file is 650 Kb & takes about 25 seconds to download on slow broadband.

These manuals and plans give sufficient information to allow the customer to build the Sharpie from scratch. They also cover the techniques which will have to be tackled when building the boat.
The plans also contain a licence to build a boat.

(These manuals and plans are included in the full... (more)

This is the manual that accompanies the kit (click more to see an extract). It has been written on the assumption that the builder has never built a boat before: each step is detailed and there are separate sections dealing with the techniques that will be used. It is assumed that the work will be... (more)

An electronic, non paper, version of the 58 page study manual above that can be viewed using Adobe Reader 6.
After credit card authorisation the file will be sent to the email address put on the order form. The file is 1500 Kb & takes about 25 seconds to download on slow broadband.

These manuals and plans give sufficient information to allow the customer to build the Eastport Pram from scratch. They also cover the techniques which will have to be tackled when building the boat.
The plans also contain a licence to build a boat.

(These manuals and plans are included in... (more)

LOA 6.4M 21FT
BEAM 2.24M 8FT
Weight 970kg dry
Ballast 450kg
Berths 4
Headroom 1.450m
SAIL AREA
Gaff Rig 21.8sqm
Bermuda 20.7sqm

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under Boats with cabins.
These plans give sufficient information to... (more)

LOA 5.3m 17ft 5in
Beam 2.24m 7ft 4in
Board up 0.2m 8in
Board down 1.34m 4ft5in
Sail areas:
Sloop 18.39 sq m 198 sq ft
Yawl 16.72 sq m 180 sq ft

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under Boats with cabins.
These plans give sufficient... (more)

L O A 4.0M 13FT
BEAM 1.5M 5 FT
WEIGHT 300 KG 661 LBS INC C/BOARD
DRAFT BOARD UP 0.20M/8IN BOARD DOWN 1M/3FT 3IN
SAIL AREA 11.5 SQM 123 SQFT

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under Boats with cabins.
These plans give sufficient information to... (more)

L.O.A. 3.90m 12ft 9in

BEAM. 1.30m 4ft 4in

WEIGHT 43kg 95 Ibs

SAIL AREA 6.9 m2 66 ft 2

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under ‘Small Open Sailing and General Purpose Boats’.
These plans give sufficient information to allow the customer to build the... (more)

LOA 3.5m 11ft 6in

Beam 1.63m 5ft 4-1/2in

Weight 70kg 154lbs

Sails 7.15sqm 80 sqft

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under ‘Small Open Sailing and General Purpose Boats’.
These plans give sufficient information to allow the customer to build the... (more)

This is a boat that not only thinks its a twenty footer but manages to convince most other people that she’s much bigger than she really is as well.

LOA 4.10m 13ft 2in

Beam 1.8m 5ft 10in

Weight 85kg 185lbs Unrigged

Sails 10.7sqm 115 sqft

For more details on the boat click the... (more)

We looked hard at the seating, side decks and helm so she is really comfortable, there is space for up to six but she is still an ideal singlehanded cruiser.

LOA 4.5m 14ft 9in

Beam 1.8m 5ft 10in

Weight 140kg 309lbs

Sails 12.6sqm 136 sqft

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford... (more)

L O A 5M; 16FT 2IN

BEAM 1.5M; 5FT

WEIGHT (approx) 92 KG; 200LBS

SAIL AREA 7.5 SQM 80 SQFT

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under ‘Small Open Sailing and General Purpose Boats’.
These plans give sufficient information to allow the customer to build... (more)

This boat has a very high power to weight ratio, her extra length over the 15 ft Navigator means a lot of extra sail carrying ability and still having the fine lines necessary for speed and comfort.

L O A 5.25 M 17 FT 4 IN

BEAM 1.95 M 6 FT 5 IN

WEIGHT (dry, inc. motor) 220 KG 485 LBS

SAIL... (more)

L O A 5.99M 19FT 8IN

BEAM 2.14M 7 FT

WEIGHT 300 KG 661 LBS INC C/BOARD

DRAFT BOARD UP 0.26M/10IN BOARD DOWN 1.35M/4FT5IN

SAIL AREA 16.25 SQM 175 SQFT

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under ‘Small Open Sailing and General Purpose Boats’.
These... (more)

LOA. 3.68m 12ft 1in

BEAM 1.34m 4ft 4in

WEIGHT 50kg 110 lbs stripped.

SAIL AREA 7.1 sqm 76 sq ft.

For more details on the boat click the 'Welsford plans' button and look under ‘Small Open Sailing and General Purpose Boats’.
These plans give sufficient information to allow the... (more)

Make your modern sailing boat look (and work) like a salty classic.

A 'How to' practical guide by David L. Nichols.

The Golden Age of Sail is long past, sadly, and much of its lore is nearly extinct. Sailing boats now almost uniformly use the Bermudan sloop rig - a triangular jib and a triangular mainsail. But that rig evolved mainly to meet esoteric yacht racing measurement rules. It is not necessarily the most efficient or effective rig. This book lets sailors rediscover the practical advantages and the aesthetic delights of such configurations as the sprit rig, the gaff rig, the lugsail, and the gunter rig. It also includes valuable information on marlinspike work like rope-whipping and eye-splicing; and tips on converting your modern sailboat to a traditional rig.

The beauty and practicality of the lug sail, the gaff sail and more. Marlinspike basics and tips on rigging and how to retrofit a modern boat with a traditional sail.

David L Nichols has been building boats and making sails for approximately fifteen years.
When he isn't designing sails or building boats you will find him in the boats he has designed and built. He feels that the only way to truly understand boats and sails is to use them.
A graduate of the University of Texas, he has written for many boating magazines as well as writing and producing boat building videos.