Drascombe

       by Churchouse Boats

DRASCOMBE DRIFTER 22

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.                  

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.

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:     

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. 

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.  

Her statistics are:

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.   

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!!

 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!

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!