Wooden Ships Comments on this Ashton and Kilner Gaff Cutter
26′ gaff cutter built in 1905 by Ashton and Kilner of Poole as a cruising yacht. Assumed to have been designed in house at the yard.
This is a yacht that feels far bigger than her dimensions suggest and needs to be seen to be appreciated.
Wooden Ships Comments on this Ashton and Kilner Gaff Cutter
26′ gaff cutter built in 1905 by Ashton and Kilner of Poole as a cruising yacht. Assumed to have been designed in house at the yard.
This is a yacht that feels far bigger than her dimensions suggest and needs to be seen to be appreciated.
Bought by the present owners in 1983 and cruised extensively around the English Channel with several significant refit periods in that time including lots of new planking, a new stem, new iroko floors, rebuilt cockpit, new interior, complete new rig and a replacement engine. She has proved to be a good passage maker, a notable run being Famlouth to Yarmouth, IOW in 26 hours.
Her history is very well documented from her early years, the second owner Henry R. Carson and his sister Beryl cruised from the UK to Copenhagen and on to Kronstadt in Russia in the years preceding the First World War and won several awards from the Cruising Association and the Royal Cruising Club with their detailed logs from the voyage. After the War they sailed her through the canals of Europe to the Mediterannean and back via the Canal du Midi and the Bay of Biscay.
Her sailing qualities and prowess as a sea boat have been the key to her survival with each owner realising what a lovely yacht she is and plying her with care and good quality maintenance. Although not a huge boat by length on deck, she has the feeling of a much bigger yacht and is as solid and safe a cruising boat as anyone could wish for.
“She has about her the unmistakable air of a capable cruiser” – Extract from an early Yachting Monthly article about the yacht.
Length on Deck 26’4”
Length Overall 34’
Length Waterline 25’
Beam 9’
Draft 5’6”
Thames Tonnage 8TM
Displacement 7.5 tons
Working sail area 530qsft (605sqft with topsail)
Construction
Planked in 1” pine fastened with copper rivets and bronze screws.
3”x3” sawn oak frames at 2’ centres fastened with bronze screws. 1” x 1.5” steamed oak intermediate timber copper rivet fastened between each sawn frame.
In 1984 the hull had a major professional rebuild with a lot of new planking, new stem and new or repaired frames as required.
Sawn iroko floors across the centreline and fastened with copper, fitted in 1984 to replace original iron floors.
External lead ballast keel of approximately 3 tons fastened with bronze keel bolts that were all new in 1986. One bolt drawn in 2005 and found to be in sound condition.
Straight laid pine deck overlaid with .25” marine plywood and sheathed in GRP for a low maintenance practical finish. Varnished teak toe rail all round and a varnished teak forehatch.
Low varnished teak coachroof coamings with a sheathed plywood coachroof deck. Varnished teak butterfly skylight on the coachroof and an elegant varnished teak sliding companion hatch.
Deep non-self draining cockpit was rebuilt in 2004. Tiller steering and a transom hung rudder. Rudder new in 1995.
Rig
Gaff cutter rig on a varnished deck stepped douglas fir mast. Mast un-stepped every 3 years, last out in February 2022.
Mast is hollow section with a birds beak construction using douglas fir, made by Noble spars in 1989.
Varnished douglas fir slab reefing boom new in 1989. Varnished wooden bowsprit and gaff yard. Varnished spruce running pole. Topsail sets on an alloy pole.
Stainless steel standing rigging new in 2010 with a regular replacement cycle. Bronze rigging screws to external bronze chain plates.
Dyneema running back stays on tackles.
Wyckeham Martin furling system on the jib.
Large sail wardrobe of sails including new jib in 2021. Full sail details in inventory below.
2 x mast winches and 4 x cockpit sheet winches.
Machinery
Yanmar 3GM 27hp 3cyl diesel installed new in 2001. Professional service May 2022. Approximately 2140 hours.
Centreline fixed 3 blade bronze propeller gives 5 knots cruising speed, 7 knots max. 1.5-2 litres/hour consumption.
60 litre stainless steel fuel tank under the cockpit sole.
200 litre plastic water tank under the saloon cabin sole.
3 x 12 volt batteries charged from the engine alternator.
2 x manual bilge pumps and 1 x auto electric bilge pump.
Accommodation
4 berths including 1 double and 2 singles.
6’ headroom in the saloon.
Bright and spacious open plan interior with a mix of cream painted and varnished surfaces giving a feeling of space. Oil lamps in saloon and galley.
Steps down from the companion hatch with galley to port and an aft facing chart desk to starboard.
Galley has a Flavel Vanessa 2 burner gas stove with oven and grill. Washing bowl as a sink with manually pumped fresh water. Built in insulated cool box opposite the galley at the bottom of the hanging locker.
To starboard is a hanging locker within easy reach of the companionway and the chart desk just forward of this.
Main saloon with a settee berth either side and a centreline dropleaf varnished elm table new in 2002. The settee backs pull forward to access large lockers.
Lockers beneath the deckhead with original teak framed pitch pine doors.
Forward of the table is a Taylors 069D paraffin cabin heater.
Half height bulkhead separates off the forepeak which has large open topped sail bins to starboard and the heads on the centreline facing aft under a teak lid. Baby Blake sea toilet discharges directly overboard.
To port is a single berth that extends right across the hull to create a double berth.
