I had a Salcombe Yawl built last winter (1981/2) and can confirm the results of the boat by boat comparison where the Salcombe Yawl scored highest for performance on the wind, off the wind, for construction and for stability. (See Yachting World table). When compared with another favourite, the Wayfarer PY 116, I have found the Salcombe Yawl with a generous handicap, PY 121, is not much slower despite weighing 900 lbs as opposed to 360 lbs, and obviously has much greater stability with its 150 lb centreplate and small keel of 130 lb.

Having a wooden boat built enabled me to incorporate a number of features which were lacking in the standard yawl, and consequently rated low marks in the comparison list.

1. Rowing — a pair of rowlocks was fitted in the side decks which enables the boat to be rowed, but I must admit it is quite hard work. Oars are 8’, but should be 8’ 6” or 9’ for best results.

2. Mooring facilities — a Samson post was included, surely the most reliable of all mooring systems. The ordinary Salcombe Yawl is usually moored from the end of the bowsprit, which certainly did not appeal to me.

3. Storage — a shelf has been built under the foredeck above the bow buoyancy bags where we keep our sleeping gear, and a bosun’s locker was fitted under the aft deck, while netting storage was fixed with shock cord under the side decks.

4. Motoring — a lifting panel has been incorporated in the starboard side of the aft deck so that an outboard can be clamped directly to the transom, and has been so positioned that the ordinary tiller can be used for steering without fouling the propeller.

Other extras not mentioned in Comparison Tests

5. Reefing — slab reefing has been fitted on the main with 2 reefing points. When deep reefed, the main is reduced from 90 ft² to approximately 45 ft². A roller reefing jib of 45 ft² was also fitted.

I find the mizzen most useful for heaving to, and in heavy weather one can jog along under reefed jib and mizzen, although it is not possible to point very high, and going about can be a problem. (It is easier to gybe round, which is perfectly safe as the mizzen is only 15 ft²).

6. Lowering mast — the mast has been so fixed that it can be lowered for negotiating bridges, with the heel of the mast swinging under the foredeck.

7. Tent cover — the boat cover doubles up as a tent when slung over the boom, and is used in conjunction with a topping lift.

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Salcombe Yawl In their own words, the Salcombe Yawl Owners’ Association regard their boat as “primarily a pleasure boat, used by the owner with his family and friends, with its racing function regarded as secondary. It should, therefore, be of sound construction and structurally safe, and it should be capable of going to sea in moderate conditions.”

As the last boatbuilder still actively making Salcombe Yawls, Stones succeed in keeping alive the Association’s wishes. The class is actively raced in Salcombe and it is for this reason that most are sold, and so the Yawl must be considered in this light. Thus, she could not be rowed, only paddled; an outboard engine could only be mounted on a transom bracket and only loose stowage is possible as no lockers are provided. She was the only wooden boat at the rally and the Salcombe Yawl was the best sailed and best performing boat. She was fast both up and downwind, lay quietly when hove to and offered several combinations for shortening sail.

She proved to be a most valuable yardstick by which to judge the others – the clinker construction was as these yawls have always been and not a simulated effect moulded in GRP. Strangely, though, she was the only dayboat without tan sails…

LOA 4.8m 16’ 0” B 1.8m 6’ D 0.3m 1’ 0” J Stone & Son 1.2m 4’ 0” East Portlemouth Sail area 13.95m² 150ft² Salcombe, Devon Disp 380kg 840lb Price £2812 inc. VAT

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8. Teak laid decks and teak floor — a final extravagance for aesthetic pleasure and long life. The floor is well above the bilges to give dry sleeping accommodation.

Having incorporated these extra features into the basic yawl, I have now — for my own requirement — as near perfect a cruising dinghy as I could wish for.

Current price — Salcombe Yawl £3,860. Mine was built by Michael Atfield, Island Street, Salcombe. His work is up to cabinet maker’s standards, and he enjoys building extras to owners’ special needs.

Second-hand yawls have a very high resale value — recently a 10 year old yawl built for £800 was sold for £2,400.

Practical experience sailing at sea

Her straight stem and hollow entry make her a dry boat, excellent for the short choppy seas we encounter in wind or tide conditions on the east coast rivers where we do the majority of our sailing.

She is very light on the helm and will turn on a sixpence — useful for exploring creeks — and she will virtually sail herself to windward. Her tall mast gives her an excellent performance in light airs but means that I put a reef in the main in anything more than force 4.

She heels initially fairly readily, but stiffens up rapidly as the keel and centreplate act as a counter balance. To sail her hard in a strong wind it is an advantage to have a crew of three.

I mean to experiment with extra water ballast, which would be in addition to 280 lbs of keel and centreplate. I find the mizzen a very useful sail. On one occasion last summer, on the Blackwater, a sudden violent thunderstorm developed whilst a barge race was in progress. When we saw them drop their mainsails in a hurry we deemed it prudent to drop everything except the mizzen, which we sheeted in hard. This enabled us to relax very happily until the squall had passed. As well as being a comfortable sail plan when used with the jib in stormy weather, it is also useful for approaching and picking up moorings at a more comfortable speed than with the main up. When the centreplate is down, the draft is 4’ — obviously a factor in achieving such a good windward performance — but in shallow water it is possible to sail to windward without any plate at all because of the rockered keel which has 4” depth at its maximum. This proved useful once last summer when a stone became jammed in the centreplate while it was raised, and we had to beat through crowded moorings at West Mersea towing a tender and with a strong flood tide adding to our problems.

History

The Salcombe Yawls of today are the direct descendants of the fishing boats which were used for long line fishing and were sailed by two men or a man and a boy. They had to have a good windward performance to negotiate the estuary with its strong tides and at the same time be capable of fishing up to 10 miles offshore and facing the long rollers that sweep up the Channel. By dropping their mainsail they could achieve the right speed for fishing using jib and mizzen. At the beginning of this century pleasure boats were built having the same characteristics and joined the fishing boats racing in the annual regatta.

It is since the end of the second world war that the class has gone from strength to strength. Despite the high cost (in the region of £4000) three boats were built in winter 1981/82.