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DRASCOMBE DRIFTER 22 Drascombe Drifter 22 lines from Drascombe by Churchouse Boats

Drascombe Drifter 22 from Drascombe by Churchouse Boats 

Between 1977 & 1986 the Drascombe range included the Drifter, a long keel/bilge plate boat designed by John Watkinson.

We commissioned Paul Fisher of Selway-Fisher to revise John’s design to suit our 21st century evolution of the proven & popular Drascombe tradition & bring it firmly into the trailer-sailer family.                   Drascombe Drifter 22 beam

Although our prototype was in wood epoxy, all the production boats are GRP.

She has twin drop keels to achieve both the shallow draft necessary for easy launch & recovery & the clear cockpit & cabin space of the original boat. These keels are located in the cockpit sidebench lockers, extending forward discreetly in front of the galley & storage areas. Each of these weigh 65 kg & are raised & lowered easily using a purpose designed, safe winch.

We have also evolved our brilliant swinging cradle trailer into a twin axle trailer specifically tailored to her so that she can be launched & recovered by one person.

Drascombe Drifter 22 launching

Note the lack of trailer immersion! I am not using a 4X4 to tow her.

The appliance of science was required to raise & lower the mast leading to the birth of the Drifter-Lifter:     

                                           Drascombe Drifter 22 lifter

Her sail plan is loose footed gunter yawl with Sitka Spruce spars & tan sails. She provides great light airs performance & will hold full sail up into F5 with great stiffness & stability. Reefing main & jib has allowed her to be enjoyed in F7. Her stiffness & stability inspires great confidence. Her balance under jib & mizzen is just what you would expect from a Drascombe.

The drop-plate rudder allows genuine shallow water sailing. With both drop keels & rudder drop plate up, she floats in 16" of water & can crawl up the shallowest of gullies. Auxiliary power is a 6-8 hp outboard motor in a dedicated well positioning the prop in front of the rudder but kicking up to be clear of the water when sailing. We are using a Yamaha 8hp 4stroke twin cylinder with sailpower prop. A lovely smooth engine, easy to start, powerful & reliable. Easy to get rope & plastic bags off the prop, too! No need to even think about inboard diesels or electric starters!

Cabin accommodation provides two comfortable singles or a very large double berth, cooking & toilet facilities. 

          Drascombe Drifter 22 cabin 1    Drascombe Drifter 22 cabin 2   Drascombe drifter 22 cabin 3       

My boat also has a full 40 litre compressor fridge & a hot shower! A sprayhood is an integral part of the design. A cockpit tent may be added to increase her practicality at anchor.

A season sailing the prototype followed by another two seasons in production boats has proved that she has excellent hull stiffness, a well balanced rig & a very safe, sheltered, comfortable cockpit. In addition to the drop keels, she has a heavy lead shoe let into the shallow skeg which contributes greatly to her stiffness. She is more than just a boat that sails well. She is a lifestyle created for those who want the freedom & economy of trailer-sailing plus a comfortable, grown-up cruiser with space, ease of movement & full life support facilities. Her cabin space belies her size & she has been called Tardis! A boat in traditional style, packed with innovation. Drascombe Drifter 22 running 

Her statistics are:

           m ft in
Overall length   6.70 22'0"
Waterline length   5.88 19'3"
Beam   2.25 7’3”
Draft (drop-keels up) 0.40 1'4"
Draft (drop-keels down) 1.05 3'5"
Sailing weight   1200 kg 2650 lb
All up towing weight    1800kg  3970 lb
             m2         sq ft
Sail areas: Jib 6.87 74
  Main 12.57 135
  Mizzen 2.32 25
  Total 21.76 234
RCD category: C      

She is more than just a boat that sails well. She is a lifestyle created for those who want the freedom & economy of trailer-sailing plus a comfortable, grown-up cruiser with comfort, ease of movement & full life support facilities. 

She has a self-draining cockpit which requires a bulkhead between cockpit & cabin to prevent down-flooding. We have made this to drop down into the cockpit sole when at anchor so that access around the boat is unimpeded.  Drascombe drifter 22 bow wave 

A traditional style of boat packed with innovation.

For independent views of her get:

Water Craft, issue 58, July/August 2006. www.watercraft-magazine.com for back issues & subscriptions .

Peter Poland also tested her for Sailing Today; see the November 06 edition.

The Mainsail (a web based magazine) also carried a review. They have now closed down but I have the article available.

The Dutch magazine Zeilen published a multi-page spread on our Drascombe Drifter 22 in their October 2008 issue.  www.zeilen.nl is their website to get a back copy though they haven't put the article itself on-line yet.

In Practical Boat Owner, July 2009, David Harding wrote a comprehensive article about her.

If you cannot track them down, I can e.mail copies to you.             

Production boats are all custom built to order & can be taken as basic but complete sailaway specification or fully fitted out from a range of identified options. We are also able to incorporate your ideas. If they are good, we will claim the credit & adopt them!!

 

BOAT To sailaway specification £29,288
  White hull. Light grey decks. Bronze fittings  
         
EXTRAS & OPTIONS    
  Roller furling jib  £497
  UV strips on jib £119
  Rubbing strakes & hams £378
Binnacle & jibsheet winch £321
  Compass on binnacle £147
       
  Boarding ladder  £296
Cabin fit out:  
    Bunk cushions & fiddles £686
  Infills/table/cockpit cushions £515
    Cabin lining in padded vinyl £900
  Galley unit, sink & pump £741
    Portapotti unit & fridge housing/storage £685
  Forward portlight £425
  Alternative colours:  
  Bootop stripe £494
    Hull   £247
  Deck   £247
  Antifoul   £468
Anchoring & mooring:  
    Anchor, chain & warp £239
  Mooring lines. 15m, eye spliced, two £66
    Fenders, 22" x 5", two £36
Boat covers:  
    Sprayhood, acrylic canvas £587
  Camping tent £589
    Cockpit cover £338
Electrics:    
    85ah battery, fused panel, charging socket, cabin light £610
  Fridge, battery upgrade to 225 ah TBA
    Cabin lighting upgrade TBA
  Navigation lights £260
    Instrumentation TBA
  Shower unit TBA
TRAILING        
Swinging cradle trailer, twin axle swinging cradle, braked £3,363
    Lighting board Incl
  Hitch lock Incl
    Spansets   £80
Mast crutch £93
  Drifter lifter for mast £245
ENGINE        
  Yamaha 8hp 4 stroke, remote tank £2,252
DELIVERY        
  Ex yard, Andover   
         
01.05.10 Including VAT @ 17.5%  

 

Drascombe Drifter 22 solent Each boat is custom built to order. Specification can be tailored to suit customer requirements. We have huge experience of Drascombe sailing & can incorporate additional features you may wish & some that you haven't even thought about!

All sorts of modifications, accessories & gizmos available!

 

 

 

 

Drascombe Drifter 22 cockpit 

                                       

Drascombe Drifter 22 cockpit tent

 

The camping tent. Not the most elegant but it gives full standing headroom in the cockpit.

 

 

 

 

 

For intelligent conversation & help, ring: 01256 896292

e.mail: stewart@drascombe.org.uk         

 

    Drascombe

       The Sail that becomes a Way of Life!