These boats are built by PJS Boats in epoxy/plywood construction as a dayboat suitable for camping aboard in reasonable comfort. The price in 1994 was £8,500 fully equipped with combi trailer, fully hooped tent system and Yamaha 4 HP engine in well.

We have had No 004 Rachel from new in 1994 and enjoyed two seasons’ sailing logging about 40 days using her for day trips mostly in sheltered sea and estuary. We have this year reduced the rig to small Bermudan which has drastically cut performance in winds up to force 3 but made her far more comfortable for us timid fair weather sailors in stronger winds but with ample performance.

PERFORMANCE With her standard rig she is comparable to a Wayfarer. We found her too sporting even when fully reefed for our use as a cruiser in Forces 3-6, and the gunter system awkward to reef in a seaway. We have also found the GP14, Wayfarers and Wanderer we have sailed overcanvassed for cruising. Each Westray is built to order so the purchaser can have a rig to suit them. She is very stable and reassuring in a seaway. She tacks easily under various sail combinations. We have a Boatman magazine trial report on her with more detail.

BUOYANCY Built-in tanks around the boat.

STOWAGE A large bow compartment and space under the high foredeck. Two smaller compartments to one side and in the stern. We also stash gear under the side benches. Oars store under the side decks. We have carried 11 under motor.

CONSTRUCTION Beautifully hand crafted and varnished to a superb standard.

COMFORT Excellent. Sitting out is not usually necessary with the smaller rig and not very comfortable because of the cockpit coaming. The rig is set very high giving excellent clearance for heads and good visibility.

GENERAL COMMENTS We have tried several dinghies for cruising having traded down from a Heavenly Twins catamaran and the Westray suits us as a double sleeping dinghy perfectly. She is inevitably relatively large and heavy single-handedly but quite manageable. We usually need help from another pair of hands or a vehicle on steep slipways. She is very quick to rig and de-rig for trailing. She is easily driven by an outboard of 2-3 HP but we find the neutral and reverse gears on a Yamaha 4 worth the extra weight and cost.

The spray hood and tent system are strong, practical and waterproof and have adequate headroom without spoiling her appearance. The sleeping area on raised floorboards forward is dry and just big enough for a six footer each side of the centreboard case. She can be sailed with sprayhood up to give a very dry forward area going to windward. She has proved very strong for the rigours of trailing and cruising.

She always gets admiring comments and we enjoy sailing and cruising her. A fibreglass version is due next year which may lower maintenance. Latest versions have 2” more depth in the hull giving more forward sleeping height and an even drier boat.

Manufacturer: PJS Boats Tel 01420 489595

The following comments are in reply to the editor’s queries.

The gunter can be specified to customer requirements. We had slides on the mast and lacing on the spar. She had two jiffy/slab reefs but you cannot reef lower than the lowered spar height. With the Bermudan rig we have one reef and the sail is then very small. She is under-rigged now and ideally a full height mast Bermudan with three reefs would be sensible. But we didn’t want to buy a new mast and the current mast stows under the cover being the same length as the boat, 16’, making trailing and parking easy and more secure.

PJS Boats offer any rig you like including a yawl so the customer can always be right.