Classic David Moss Gaff Cutter for sale in Hants United Kingdom

David Moss Gaff Cutter For Sale

Wooden Ships comments on this award-winning designed classic sailing yacht

Designed and built by David Moss of Fleetwood, she was launched in 2017 and won the Classic Boat award for the best traditional new build sailing yacht under 40’.

She has the DNA of a traditional working sailing boat with a full bilge, transom stern and simple gaff cutter rig but has been refined by Moss with more than a hint of ‘yachtiness’. Built to his exacting standards with good quality materials, she has now spent a few seasons being worked up and developed by her diligent owner so that she is now a well-proven and ready-to-go yacht.

At 31’ LOD, she is a handy-sized sailing boat, not too big to be a handful for her crew, but large enough to allow for the deep sheltered cockpit, over 6’ headroom and four good berths below, plus a heads compartment and decent galley.

The choice of gaff cutters in this bracket is very limited as most are either much larger or smaller. This excellent sailing yacht for sale strikes the perfect balance between size and manageability.

Video of David Moss Gaff Cutter “Polly” For Sale

Length on deck 31’

Length overall 40’

Length Waterline 29’

Beam 10’

Draft 5’6”

Tonnage 9.65 tons

Owner’s Comments on the design

David and I developed the lines taking inspiration from a number of different craft from around the the 1930’s. William Atkins Fore An’ Aft was one and also German Frers Senior’s Fjord II. Colin Archer had some input and Peter Bret’s original wooden Rival, the D24. A number of ½” to the foot half-models were carved, I think 5 in all and after much deliberation the design for Polly was arrived at. It’s true to say I was in favour of a more traditional Gaff-rig profile of straight stem with a bit of drag and David thought we should have some cutaway and a horizontal keel with some rocker. A 1” to the foot model was constructed and measurements taken off and scaled up for the build.

Most of the timber came in tree from Summerscales; Iroko from the West coast of Africa, teak from Burma. David found a supplier who had very long lengths of old seasoned Oregan Pine for the spars which could all be got out in entire lengths. As with the decks there are no scarphs.

Was it all worth it? Well Polly has the most comfortable motion at sea of any yacht I have sailed on – with the possible exception of Overlord which is a might bigger! The generous displacement of 10t on 30 foot overall length plays it’s part although there are many other factors which contribute. She is also exceptionally comfortable lying to anchor which is a great asset.

The triple strake bulwarks and wide decks around the mast make working the rig a joy.

Construction

Carvel planked in 1 1/8” iroko all copper rivet fastened to steam bent oak timbers of 1.5” x 2” section.

Laminated iroko stem and keel, fastened through with bronze bolts.

Heavy sawn wooden floors across the centreline.

External lead ballast keel of 3.5 ton fastened with bronze bolts. Internal trimming ballast of 0.5 ton.

Straight laid 1.25” solid teak deck bronze screw fastened to laminated iroko deck beams. Deck planking joggled to a scrubbed iroko cover board. Deck caulked and payed with Jeffries No.2 glue.

Varnished iroko bulwark plank fastened to oak stanchions that are mounted through the coverboard. Stanchions finished with cedar wedges where they pass through the coverboard to make the joint tight.

Stainless steel panama eyes fore and aft.

Varnished iroko sliding forehatch with a bronze portlight in the side.

Oak bitts through the deck to take the heel of the bowsprit. Manual windlass with capstan from Deep Blue Engineering also mounted on the bitts.

Varnished iroko caochroof coamings with bronze portlights. T&G pine coachroof deck on laminated douglas fir beams, sheathed externally in epoxy glass cloth. Varnished iroko hand rails and sliding companion hatch.

Deep cockpit with slanted coamings. Small thwart in each corner made from T&G iroko with scrubbed teal lids. Scrubbed teak gratings over a plywood cockpit sole.

Tiller steering on a transom hung rudder.

Rig

Gaff cutter rig on a keel stepped partly hollow Oregon pine pole mast.

Oregon pine boom, gaff yard and bowsprit, all finished with varnish.

All bead blasted stainless mast fittings.

Hand spliced galvanised wire standing rigging, new in 2018, with dead eyes and lanyards to external stainless steel chain plates. Cap shrouds over the spreaders in Dyneema.

Dyneema topmast running backstays on 3:1 tackles. Aft shrouds are swept back to form ‘swifters’ negating the need for lower running backstays.

Running rigging falls to fife rails at the base of the mast and on the bulwark either side.

Bowsprit sets to port of the stem through a gammon iron with the heel held between the oak bitts. Bowsprit can be run inboard when required.

Topsail sets in a luff groove on the aft side of the mast.

Leathered oak hoops fastening the mainsail luff to the mast.

Hanked on headsails. Block and tackles on the lines and sheets for tensioning, no winches.

Mainsail, topsail, staysail, working jib, no.2 jib, balloon jib and storm jib all by North Sea Sails in 2018. Working sail area of 750sqft.

Machinery

Bukh DV36ME 3cyl 36hp fresh water cooled marine diesel. Installed new in 2018.

Bukh are extremely well built and reliable marine engines with a hand start system as a back up.

PRM gearbox with a stainless shaft to a centreline 4 blade feathering Darglow propeller. Cruising speed of 5 knots at 0.75 litres/hour consumption. 7.5 knots max speed.

2 x stainless steel fuel tanks with a total capacity of 122 litres.

2 x 12 volt batteries charged from the engine alternator or through the Efoy Fuel Cell system

Engine driven Jabsco bilge pump/deck wash. 2 x manual bilge pumps and 1 x electric bilge pump.

50 gallons of fresh water in two stainless steel tanks under the saloon berths.

Calorifier runs off the engine for providing domestic hot water.

Accommodation

4 single berths with 6’1” headroom in the saloon.

Steps down over the engine box with galley to port and chart desk to starboard. Also an oilskin locker that drains into the bilge.

Galley has a 2 burner Taylors paraffin stove with a warming oven. Iroko work tops with fiddle rails. Iroko galley sink with hot pressurise water and foot pumped cold water. Storage lockers below and shelves under the deck head.

Half size admiralty chart desk faces outboard with storage space below. Locker below for the fuel cell.

Half height bulkheads with vertical grab rails separate off the main saloon.

Centreline dropleaf saloon table in varnished iroko. Port and starboard settee berths with trotter boxes at the forward end. Slanted backs with lockers built in and shelves outboard under the deckhead. Scrubbed teak saloon sole boards.

Faversham solid fuel cabin heater against the forward bulkhead.

Starboard side door going forward with storage locker outboard that contains the Efoy Fuel Cell spare cartridges and a hanging locker.

Port side is the heads compartment with a Baby Blake sea toilet that discharges into a black water waste tank of approximately 30 litres. Iroko hand basin with hot pressurised water and foot pumped cold water.

Door into the fore cabin with 2 single berths and standing headroom under the forehatch. Good stowage space below the berths. Vertical anchor locker on the centreline at the forward end. Storage space in the bows against the stem.

Equipment

Sestrel Moore steering compass

Airmar Triducer log, sounder and sea temperature

Garmin GMI 10 displays

Garmin VHF200 DSC VHF

Garmin GPSmap 700

Raymarine EV-1 autopilot

Digital Yacht Class B AIS transceiver

NMEA2000 network

MOB recovery tackle

EPIRB

2 x manual bilge pumps

1 x electric auto bilge pump

Engine driven bilge pump/deck wash

Delta 44lb anchor

60m of 10mm chain

Lunenburg pattern double handled L-series manual windlass from Deep Blue Engineering Ltd

Kedge anchor

40m of warp + 10m of chain

3 x cabin oil lamps

Bunk and berth cushions

Taylors 2 burner paraffin stove with warming oven

Galley equipment

Faversham solid fuel cabin heater

Fenders and anchor buoy

Warps, multiple mooring warps and long lines

Bucket

Deck wash hose

Water tank filling hose

Dinghy

Boat hook

Burgee Pig stick

Canvas sprayhood with stainless frame

Cockpit cover

Coaxchroof cover

Forehatch cover

Full boat winter cover

Rigging spares

2 x 12 volt batteries, Odyssey start and Fullriver domestic

Efoy methanol fuel Cell battery charger

Engine spares, filters, pump rotors etc.

Darglow prop spares, grease nipple, anodes, prop-puller

All sails by North Sea sails in 2018, made from Clipper Canvas.

Mainsail

Topsail

Staysail

Working jib

No.2 jib

Storm jib

Balloon jib

Mainsail cover