A modern design of light family dayboat with a good combination of stability and speed

Boat weight 120 kgs (265 lbs) Length overall 4.35 m (14’ 4”) Beam 1.8 m (5’ 11”) Mast height above deck 5.5 m (18’ 2”) Sail area — main 7.0 sq m (77 sq’) Sail area — mizzen 3.3 sq m (36 sq’) Total sail area 10.3 sq m (113 sq’) Price: complete boat £3,750 inc VAT

I mentioned this dinghy from Topper International in my report on the Southampton Boat Show in the winter Bulletin. I had seen it previously but had been unimpressed due mainly I think to it originally having a dagger plate, a feature which I think is universally disliked by cruising owners but which produces a faster racing dinghy. As a result I had not taken it very seriously. However it was designed by Ian Howlett, pre-eminent in current International 14 hull design and also designer of such up-to-the-minute racers as the Boss and Iso, so it had to be tried. After all it is 37 years since the birth of the Wayfarer designed by a successful racing dinghy designer of the day. Moreover I had been offered a trial sail and decided to take up the manufacturer’s offer once the winter was over. This took place at Datchet Sailing Club on the Queen Mother Reservoir west of London.

I set off from Kent in pouring rain, but true to DCA traditions did not allow myself to be deprived of a sail on that account. By the time I got there the rain had ceased and a pleasant breeze at the top end of force 3 was blowing. The agent met me with the boat still on the combination trailer.

The hull has a beautiful round bilge shape with a gentle sheer line, clearly demonstrating that a chine hull of GRP is now an anachronism. This hull is actually of sandwich construction giving it a very substantial feel. First impressions were very good as the finish of the boat was excellent, not a rough edge to be found, and the stainless steel fittings which were custom built for the boat were well designed and made. All the plastic coated tubular aluminium spars for the Bermudan cat ketch rig were stowed inside the boat. What was most important however was that the dagger plate had gone and in its place was a substantial alloy centreboard.

I stood back and watched the boat being rigged which was extremely quickly done. The two masts are both two-piece, fitting together like fishing rods. They are free standing so there are no shrouds or stays to set up. As they are so light they can be stepped in their sockets while you are still standing on the ground next to the trailer. Due to their being located at either end of the boat there is a very spacious feel about the interior. The sheets and kicking straps of both sails have cam cleats on the lower blocks of their tackles. The sails have zipped sleeves and are loose footed, but once hoisted the sails can be furled or reefed by rotating the masts, when the clews, attached to sliding ring fittings, move forward along the tubular booms. As the kicking straps are attached to the masts at their lower ends the masts are prevented from unrolling when the sails are set so the reefs stay in. Although there are halyards they are only required when rigging the boat and the downhaul is enclosed by the sleeve; there is a neat pocket in the tack of the sail in which to store the spare coil. The rig is a true ketch with the mizzen mast well forward of the transom leaving room for the tiller to be swung aft. The visibility is excellent with high set booms.

There are the usual buoyancy chambers incorporated in the side benches. There are short forward and rear decks into which the masts plug in nylon sockets. Substantial cleats are fitted at the bow and on each quarter. There are also storage compartments, separated from more buoyancy, under these decks accessed by the latest Barton hatches which for ease of use and watertightness make the conventional plastic dinghy hatches with screw or half turn closing obsolescent. They are also expensive so their presence in such a moderately priced dinghy shows a dedication to quality. The forehatch is circular but would take a reasonably sized anchor and warp. The aft hatch is rectangular and the compartment is large enough to a take small outboard. There are in fact stainless steel fittings on each quarter to take the outboard clamps should you want them. There are also two rowlock positions so you can trim the boat properly when rowing. Unfortunately these are plastic, but you could certainly replace them with better hardware if you have higher standards in this department. Watertight stowage is boosted by the provision of four plastic barrels with screw-top lids. Two of these are built in to the side buoyancy tanks. Two larger ones are incorporated at the sides of the main thwart, and these two latter ones are removable. In the bows behind the main mast there is space for the customised cold box; actually you get two. I was told that one lady owner has replaced this with a Portapotti! She would have reasonable seclusion to enjoy this amenity as there is a neat canvas cuddy which one can fit and even sail with it erected as it has minimal windage — pure luxury! I investigated sleeping arrangements and there appears just enough room to sleep alongside the centreboard case. If you were single-handed a hinged board could lie on top of the cold box stretching aft over the central thwart.

Sailing the boat is a pleasure. In fact it is almost too easy for those that like to feel a bit macho. You can move about the boat easily because of the stability and mast locations; the centreboard adjustment is done with line and clamcleat and you don’t have to suffer that crude system found with plywood boards of a piece of hose-pipe screwed on inside the case. The alloy board means no more breakages. There are no toe straps provided. This is deliberate as it is intended that the crew sit inside the boat and with the ample beam and side benches that have only the gunwale outside them, the crew can exert plenty of righting force. We were carrying full sails. Unlike most lightweight dinghies of this size with lots of decking, one can carry 4 or 5 in reasonable comfort. During my sail virtually no spray came on board but of course, even on as big a reservoir as at Datchet, there was not much sea. The agent informed me that he had only capsized it once and that intentionally and with difficulty, but righting the boat had been accomplished without any problems.

It is intended that the boat should be sailed from an aft position so there is no funny shaped tiller to get round the mizzen mast. When you first see the tiller it looks very short but when sailing the boat you don’t in fact notice it. This tiller could be improved however as it had a comically short hinged extension on it . This hangs up on the mizzen kicking strap when tacking and an improvement would be replacing it with a fixed T piece across the end. I thought at first that helming from this position would mean too much weight in the stern. However the subtle hull shape is so designed that transom drag doesn’t exist. When I peered over the stern I could see the water flow leaving the hull cleanly from a lipped transom even at quite modest speeds. Your weight is thus in the right place for proper dinghy planing.

Personally I am very sceptical of most dinghies ability to plane; Marchaj in Sailing Theory and Practice calculates that a minimum of 400 sq’ of sail is required per ton, to include the normal crew weight. Getting accurate data from manufacturers is often difficult as they invariably quote the weight of only the bare hull in their sales literature. The Cruz is no exception as the actual weight according to the factory which I rang up later is 145 kgs or 320 lbs, the extra 25 kgs being centreboard, rudder, spars and sails which on the Cruz are extremely light. Allowing for 300 lbs of crew and sweeties you get about 405 sq’ per ton, just about adequate. In the wind on the day the Cruz, undoubtedly aided by her sophisticated hull form, did appear to plane easily as soon as you eased the sheets from a dead beat. The speed was not dramatic as is the case with racing dinghies like the 5-0-5 and Flying Dutchman but she slid pleasantly along. If you want to work out your own boat’s power weight ratio you should add about 60 to 100 lbs for the extras over the bare hull. If single handed in a two man boat you would really need to estimate the weight with a crew of two as Marchaj’s figure assumes normal planing conditions which implies sitting out.

Although I am fond of yawls I have to admit that their mizzen doesn’t supply much drive. In this respect the ketch is a better bet with the minor disadvantage that you have to reef both sails to retain helm balance. While I did not test it for long periods the Cruz was certainly capable of sailing herself to windward in a reasonable lop. Anyway there is no need to fear that this craft is sluggish just because it is described as a daysailer. Whether sailing single-handed or with crew, in gusty conditions one only needs to worry about handling the mainsheet, if one eases it the mizzen will cause the boat to luff automatically. I tried heaving to by pinning in the mizzen which worked perfectly; the dinghy lying obediently head to wind, moving slowly backwards. The agent was fascinated by this as he was used to just letting go of both sheets. To start sailing again one merely had to raise a hand to push the main boom one way or the other depending on which tack you wanted. If the boat is allowed to heel there is no violent increase in weather helm and jibing is a doddle with the featherweight booms and kickers, just slam over the helm in the modem manner. Tacking is also hassle free with no jib sheets to tend.

The Cruz is a pretty impressive combination of lightness, stability, performance and quality. The cat ketch rig on free-standing masts makes a lot of sense where reliability combined with easy handling is concerned. I don’t think that the manufacturers of the Cruz envisage anyone sleeping on their boats in spite of its name. Accordingly one would be on one’s own as regards designing and building a tent for it although the canvas cuddy would supply the basis. The minor grumbles about rowlocks and tiller would be easy to fix. A Portsmouth Yardstick number is applied for so this will cater for those who like a bit of handicap racing.

Of course a morning’s sail in ideal conditions gives only a limited impression of a boat, but anyone looking for a stable boat but needs it to be light and lively should give this dinghy a hard look. Around London and the home counties the agent is Gordon McLean, Grafham Chandlery, Perry, Huntingdon, Cambs PEI8 0BU tel 01480 811145 — otherwise ring Topper International at 01233 629186.