Peter Nash Percy Dalton Gaff Cutter Percy Dalton Gaff Cutter

Wooden Ships Comments on this Percy Dalton Gaff Cutter

Built by Dartmouth based shipwright Peter Nash in Dartmouth into a design by Cornish naval architect Percy Dalton based on the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters and the West Country working boats. Long keel with pronounced rocker, straight stem and transom stern with elegant tumble-home and rudder hung on the transom. The underwater shape of this yacht gives some clue as to the very impressive performance and sailing capabilities which have gained her such a fantastic reputation over the years.

One of the most remarkable gaff cutters in UK waters. Although she has the appearance of a traditional working boat she was only built 40 years ago and she has had considerable up-grading and ongoing maintenance work since.

In the past she has made several trans-Atlantic passages, competed successfully in many classic regattas and won her class at the Antigua Classics. On her first crossing she sailed from the Canaries to St Lucia in an incredible 17 days proving her to be a very fast and seaworthy yacht. She is capable of being sailed very hard but equally has proved herself as a comfortable long distance cruising boat. Her huge benefit is the cockpit which is deep, safe and spacious and means the crew are not perched on the deck.

In the present ownership she has had a complete new composite deck plus new stanchions and bulwarks, rig overhaul and new running rigging, re-wire and new systems. New transom and aft deck 2025.

Length on Deck 42’

Length Waterline 40’

Length overall 54’

Beam 12’8”

Draft 6’10”

Construction

Hull

Carvel planked in iroko with bronze screw fastenings to 3” x 4” grown oak frames + 2” x 2” steamed oak intermediate timbers.

Bonze screwed fastened into the sawn frames and copper rivets in the steamed timbers.

Oak keel, deadwoods and stem.

External 4.5 ton lead ballast keel with bronze bolts through heavy oak floors and bronze strap floors.

Decks and Cockpit

New deck completed in 2020. 2 x 10mm layers of Bruynzeel marine plywood laid on the deck beams and fastened with A4 stainless screws. Plywood was then sheathed in 250gsm epoxy glass cloth. Quarter sawn Douglas fir deck planking of 18mm was laid on top, bedded in sikaflex and fastened with bronze screws. Afromosia king plank.

The original steel cups holding the stanchions were removed and replaced with new 316 stainless bases and iroko stanchion posts. New iroko capping rail fitted and bulwark planking refurbished.

Massive twin oak bitts on the fore deck take the inboard end of the bowsprit which passes through a starboard side galvanised stem head gammon iron with chain rollers.

Large, self-draining cockpit with teak gratings and deep coamings all round. Edson worm gear wheel steering fitted in 1998 direct onto the transom-hung rudder head under a varnished iroko box with the main-sheet horse over. Steering gear recently refitted. All new rudder hangings with Delrin bushes.

Wide bridge deck lifts to give access to the engine and side seat/lockers. Starboard side off-set entrance hatch to the cabin with sliding hatch and wash boards..

Superstructure

19’ x 7’ coach-roof on 12” varnished iroko coamings fitted with bronze portlights each side, traditional sky-light on the sheathed ply coach-roof deck. Twin dorades forward with polished copper vents and grab rails. Coachroof repaired with new corner posts.

Large forehatch gives access to forward areas.

Rig

Spars

Gaff cutter rig on keel stepped varnished hollow spruce mast fitted new in 1997 with fidded top mast. Painted doublings. Galvanised mast fittings.

Varnished slab reefing boom carried on twin galvanised mast bands sheets to a horse aft with 4-part mainsheet tackle on double blocks.

Varnished spinnaker boom. Booming out pole.

Standing and Running Rigging

Galvanised standing rigging to external galvanised chain plates with heavy rigging screws. Chain plates recently removed and re-galvanised. All rigging removed around 9 years ago and stripped then parcelled and served in the traditional way.

Light boxes carried in the rigging. Pin rail at the foot of the mast takes the halyards.

Running backstays on single dyneema lines through low friction eyes and tensioned with cockpit winches.

Running bowsprit with bob-stay on tackle runs in completely over the top of the coach-roof. Whisker stay chain plates re-galvanised and refitted with stronger mounting.

Jib on bowsprit traveller.

Sails

Mainsail new in 2020

Staysaill, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011) with Older Spare

Jib, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011)

Jib topsail

Main topsail

Large Assymetric with Snuffer

Total 1650 square feet (approx.)

Winches

1 pair of bronze and 1 pair of chromed Lewmar ST40 self-tailing sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings.

Machinery

Engine

Ford 4 cylinder 85hp diesel.

PRM Gearbox to centreline stainless shaft and a fixed 3 blade bronze propeller. New Deep Sea Seal stern gland.

Fuel Consumption at 6kts is 3 litres/hr, approx 1100/1200 rpm.

Primary Fuel filters are twin Vetus on a manifold enabling them to be changed without stopping the engine.

Tanks

Diesel: 220 litres, (range 400 miles max. at 5kts)

Water: Total capacity 320 litres in two tanks under the saloon benches. Galley foot pump to sink via Jabsco filter and also to heads washbasin

Batteries and Electrics

1 x 12v engine start battery. 4 x 12v deep cycle gel domestic supply batteries on 12v circuits.

Shore power circuit with sterling Procharge Ultra 40 amp battery charger.

Adverc battery management system on engine alternators.

Boat re-wired with ships cable.

Accommodation

Berths and Headroom

8 berths + a child’s berth.

6’6” headroom in the saloon.

General Description

All new upholstery throughout and new paint and varnish work to the interior.

Starboard offset companion hatch with steps down into the cabin. Heads compartment at the base of the companion steps to starboard. Companion ladder removes to access the engine.

Port side quarter berth and chart desk with navigation instruments.

Moving forward into the main cabin with the galley to port and a large storage unit/lockers to starboard.

Half height bulkheads separate off the main saloon. Port and starboard saloon settee berths with a pilot berth either side under the side decks. Varnished teak dropleaf saloon table.

Forward of the saloon is a large double berth to port and a small childs berth to starboard with storage shelves.

Forepeak has twin V-berths.

Galley

Aft to port L-shaped galley with a Force 10 4 burner gas cooker with oven and grill. Gas system serviced. Sink with salt and fresh water pumps, manual pump-out. 12 volt fridge.

Heads

Louvered door to heads compartment with Lavac manual sea toilet that discharges directly overboard. Hand basin with manually pumped fresh water.

Equipment

Navigation

Sestral steering compass

Autohelm Tridata depth and speed

Autohelm wind speed and direction

Raymarine E80 chart plotter

Furuno GPS

Navtex

Standard Horizon Matrix DSC VHF with integrated AIS

Auto-pilot with new bearings in the Mamba drive unit

Ground tackle

150lb main Fishermans anchor

New ½” galvanised anchor chain

35kg CQR kedge Anchor

Lofrans Tigress 24 volt anchor windlass

Mooring warps

Fenders

Safety

Whale Gusher 30 manual bilge pump

Rulematic 2000 automatic electric bilge pump

Life buoy with throwing line

Auto danbuoy

Helicopter strop

Offshore flare pack

6 person liferaft

Jackstays

Fire extinguisher

Gas alarm

Smoke/CO alarm

Emergency porthole blanks

Long boarding/MOB ladder

Domestic

Bunk and berth cushions with new upholstery

Force 10 4 burner gas oven

12 volt fridge

Balke Lavac sea toilet

Rigging

Mainsail new in 2020

Staysail, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011) with Older Spare

Jib, (Ratsey Lapthorn 2011)

Jib topsail

Main topsail

Large Assymetric with Snuffer

Mainsail cover

4 x Lewmar 40 ST sheet winches

Spinnaker pole

Booming out pole

All over winter cover