PLAN STUDY: Pilgrim by John Welsford
A designer’s own boat is oſten an indica- tion of the designer’s experience, both in the boats themselves and time out on the water. I’m a fan of cruising in open boats, ones small enough to tow with an eco- nomical car, light enough to launch off a beach rather than a crowded boat ramp, but with enough room to be comfortable overnight, and tough enough to get me back to the launching place at the end of the cruise—even if the weather kicks up. It’s an interesting combination of priori- ties: Te first half suggests quite a small craſt, while the second set of needs might be better satisfied with a bigger boat. I’ve tried it both ways…so I designed Pilgrim, a boat that addresses both needs. My hair is almost pure white now. No,
I’m not getting old—I refuse to do that, but I do admit that these days I prefer an air bed with room to stretch out, versus lying on cockpit floorboards bent around the centercase, so a big flat space was de- signed in along with comfortable seating. I also like to eat well, have a comfortable place to sit and read, to stay dry when its raining, and to have enough dry clothing on board to ensure that there is a change available aſter a day out in the spray. I like daysailing with my wife, and
sometimes the family will come along, so that’s four adults and two small ones. We don’t go far loaded up like that but we need to be sure there’s space for all with no conflicts, and we need to be able to get back no matter what. Te new boat design would need to be
dry. If I wanted to get wet there are easier ways of doing it, and if I want the family to be involved then “dry” is very desirable. Self rescue capability is very important
to me, in case of the unthinkable happen- ing, getting her back upright and bailed out is top of the list, I can’t take loved but unskilled family members out there without that ability, so self rescue was designed in from the first concept. Tere are very few boats available ready
to go that fit all that, so a home build was the best choice. Tere were compromises made here,
since total cost, build time, tool skills, space in the garage and materials avail- ability all needed to be considered along with the above. I began this design with the intention of building one for myself, and indeed
58 SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR
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