1999 is not just the last year of the millennium, it also happens to be the 50th anniversary of the YW 14ft Dayboat design.

To celebrate this occasion the YW 14ft Dayboat Association are holding an ‘open weekend’ at Poole Yacht Club on 14th/15th August 1999. There are a number of events planned including Saturday afternoon tea and a party in the evening. On the Sunday a sailpast, waterborne treasure hunt and a picnic on one of the islands. So if you have ever owned, still do own, or are considering buying a YW Dayboat you will be more than welcome. For further details visit the YW 14ft stand during Sailboat 1999 at Alexandra Palace on 6th & 7th March or contact the Association Secretary:

Mr Roger Hunt 14 Loders Close, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset BH17 9BF

A Brief History of the YW 14ft Dayboat

In the October 1949 issue of Yachting World, details were published of a 14ft dinghy which a Mr G O’Brien Kennedy MRINA had been commissioned to design and which was to be known as the ‘Yachting World 14ft Dayboat’. The boat was to be of robust construction, suitable for family sailing and generally knocking about in open waters, estuaries and rivers. The requirements were a round bilge sailing boat which could be easily amateur built by a number of methods, i.e. clinker double diagonal, seam batten carvel, etc, with the best possible performance under an alternative rig of either gunter or Bermudan. She had to be a boat in which the crew sat in rather than on and have a reasonable amount of free-board.

By the end of 1950, about fifteen boats had been built, mainly in the Bristol Channel and the Clyde. It was soon discovered that the designer had carried out his instructions well and the boat possessed all the essential requirements. She was an excellent sea boat, strongly built with plenty of stability, manoeuvrable and with a fair turn of speed.

The plans were subject to copyright and for the use of amateur builders only; consequently the class was slow to develop, as many fought shy of tackling a round bilge boat. However there were a number of people who wished to become Dayboat owners but were unable, or had no facilities, to build. So in 1955 the Yachting World gave permission for professional building under licence.

By this time there were about thirty boats in the Bristol Channel who were racing together and two clubs had adopted the boat as their official class, but as there were no class rules they differed in weight and sail area. The weights in fact, ranged from 290 to 555 lbs resulting in varied performances. In December 1955, a number of owners met in Bristol, under the auspices of the Bristol Channel Yachting Conference, in order to form an Owners Association. The YW 14ft Dayboat Association was formed and this was formally recognised by the Royal Yachting Association as the authority for administering the class throughout the British Isles.

The main aim was to keep the Dayboat for the purpose for which it was designed and to avoid the boat becoming solely a racing machine. It was also suggested that the class should be a ‘one-design’, restricted to clinker, but at the same time it was thought that the Dayboat would never be used for serious racing, that owners would be older men, racing being secondary to the main purpose of providing a boat for the family. A number of ‘smooth’ boats had already been built and it was considered that the double diagonal construction was easier for the amateur builders. It was thought that provided the boats all had the same shape, any difference in the performance would be so slight as to cause little difficulty. It was therefore decided to make the boat a ‘one design’ as regards hull shape and sail area but a ‘restricted class’ as far as construction, decking, fittings and rigging were concerned. The hull was to be constructed by any method in wood only and weigh not less than 450 lbs. This weight was adopted because it is the approximate weight of a mahogany clinker boat built strictly to the design and this is the most popular version. A Special General Meeting in January 1957 finally approved the class rules.

The secretary then proceeded to trace all of the boats that had been built during the seven years since the design had been published; by the end of 1957 the register consisted of 103 boats in all parts of the country, although it was estimated further 35 remained unregistered.

As the boats were brought into line by applying the rules and racing became fairer, so it became keener and the Dayboat increased its popularity. By 1959 the boats description of a ‘cruising boat suitable for racing’ was becoming a ‘racing boat suitable for cruising’. The class rules were rewritten and then approved by the AGM in August. These rules remained largely unchanged until 1968 when the use of GRP and metal spars was accepted. Since 1983 the majority of boats have been GRP although in recent years some clinker ones have been constructed including at least one using plywood clinker.

To safeguard the future of the class the Association purchased the moulds for the ‘GRP Clinker’ version. In order to satisfy the new directives on recreation craft, as well as bringing the boat up to date, a ‘new design’ incorporates built-in buoyancy. The provision of buoyancy tanks was also to enhance the general-purpose appeal of the boat. Side tanks are below thwart level to maximise the space available in the hull. A stern tank has also been added which as well as acting as a rear thwart also makes a very useful locker.

It will be interesting to see how the YW 14ft Dayboat evolves over the next 50 years. With the increasing use of carbon fibres, Kevlar, Teflon and other new materials being incorporated in ‘Hi-tec’ boats the cost and availability will mean that even cruising dinghies may benefit.