Classic Teak Bermudan Cutter

Full specification

Wooden ships comments on this Classic Teak Bermudan cutter

A positively stunning and eye-catching yacht, French pre-war designed and built, UK owned and refitted is now offered for sale lying in Cornwall.

The long, fine counter stern with the sweetest of sheers, the generous beam,  the high freeboard with an almost flush white scrubbed teak deck, the wonderful rich varnished teak deck works and a tall Bermudian cutter rig all serve to make this yacht a classic in every sense of the word.

The yacht was originally robustly built to a high standard in teak and has been extensively refitted over recent years in past and present ownership to make her now as good if not better than new.

Built by the Chantiers de la Liane in Boulogne, N France in 1936.

 

An old brochure we have probably dating from the early 1970’s indicates that she was offered for either bare boat or skippered charter in the South of France and claims that she had already made several North Atlantic crossings.

We first came across her in the Golfe de Morbihan in 1987 when she was owned by Ambrose von Herberstein. We sold her for him to Gareth Wright and she came under UK flag and sailed to Devon. She changed hands again to Cornish ownership, a boatyard owner who upgraded her significantly and raced her successfully in several classic regattas.

In 2005 she came to the present owner who keeps her on the River Fal.  In his ownership she had some major work done in a Cornish boatyard, detailed below and is now in absolutely superb condition.

She has competed successfully on the classic yacht circuit on the South Coast coming second to Kelpie in the Fowey Classics passage race from Fowey to Falmouth in 2006. She took on the moderns in the 2010 Fowey Royal Regatta passage race from Falmouth to Fowey and flying her enormous asymmetric spinnaker she won her class.

I had the great pleasure of sailing in her to Douarnenez in the summer of 2012 when we put her through her paces in both gentle breezes when she ghosted along always moving and in stronger winds when she really picked up her heels and skipped along. She has a lovely steady motion, she responds well to a lift in the breeze, when you learn her ways she can be nursed up close to the wind and you can still cook a 3 course dinner below.

Construction.

Carvel planked in 1 1/8”  Burma teak, caulked and payed. The hull planking is very fair, no plank seams visible and finished in expertly applied off-white enamel with a high polish.

100mm x 70mm grown oak frames at 60cm in single sweeps from forward back to the mast and from the forward end of the cock-pit (or the engine) up into the counter.

The midships sections have similar grown oak frames, wider spaced with two 40mm x 40mm steam bent oak timbers between.

All fastenings a copper nails with roves and bronze screws in the hood ends.

Heavy grown oak floors on the grown frames.

Galvanised steel floors on the steam bent timbers.

 

Ballast.           External 4000kg lead ballast keel secured with bronze keel bolts.

Keel bolts replaced in the winter 2010/2011 refit.

 

Major refit in 1984, galvanised steel strap floors were removed and 38 new galvanised steel floors made and fitted.  Any deteriorated timbers below the floors was scarphed in with new.

Several oak futtocks approx 3” x 2” added at the lower ends between the steamed timbers as additional strength in view of the several scarphs in the steam bent timbers.

Ballast keel dropped.

Both garboards replaced.

 

Refit 1995                                                     

New deck, cock-pit and coach-roof

New galley and quarter berth

New saloon table

 

Refit 2005.                                                    

All floors up into the counter refastened

New stem

All floors forward of the mast refastened.

 

Major refit 2010                                            

New oak stern post

New stern tube and bearings

New engine mounts

Total repaint and revarnished to a high gloss.

 

Deck.

New deck laid in 1995 by Traditional Sail in Salcombe in yacht laid teak on a ply sub deck. The deck planks are swept round to the gunnel and joggled in to the king plank to superb effect.

Seams payed in butyl rubber.

All new deck beams in 1995.

5” varnished teak toe rail.

 

At the same time as the new deck was laid, the cock-pit coamings, the coach-roof coamings, beams and sheathed ply roof,  the sliding entrance hatch and garage, the charming little twin doors with bevelled glass panels and the fore hatch were all replaced in new teak to the original design.

The yacht appears to be almost flush decked with a shallow, narrow coach-roof standing only some 6 or 7 inches off the deck, reaching up almost to the mast and not much wider than the cabin entrance hatch thus leaving what appears to be acres of wide clear side decks but just enough to give little extra head-room through the boat below.

The yacht is not fitted with stanchion posts or guard-wires, neither pulpit of pull-pit clutter her exquisite lines.

Coach-roof coamings are in varnished teak.

Sliding hatch in a garage entrance to the cabin with tow little glazed doors and a long ladder down into the bowels of the ship. Only then do you appreciate her size and her lines.

 

Cock-pit

The cock-pit coamings form a rectangle, also in highly varnished teak standing 6” off the deck and take off nicely each side of the narrow coach-roof leaving a wide bridge deck and seating each side of a deep foot well, with varnished linings and teak gratings.

Self-draining well.

The main sheet is on a horse across the well easily accessed by either crew or the helm if short handed sailing.

Engine control panel and nav instruments mounted out of the way in the well.

Deck access to the counter space is by a locker lid in the after end of the well.

Sheet winches on the deck just outside the coamings.

The long varnished tiller is mounted with bronze fittings to the rudder stock which penetrates the after deck in a finely varnished chock.          Rebuilt rudder and fittings in the 2010 refit.

 

 

Rig.

Bermudian cutter rig on varnished (believed Oregon pine) pole mast stepped through the main deck onto the keel built in 2002 by Noble Masts in Bristol using their bird beak method of construction.

The mast is approx 8” circumference turning to octagonal just above the deck penetration and

Twin spreaders.

All stainless steel rigging fitted 2002 with swaged terminals and stainless steel rigging screws to 1995 internal stainless steel chain plates.

Single masthead standing back-stay to the counter.

Running back-stays on tackles from the upper spreaders to bronze anchor points on the quarters, the tails led to the windward winches.

Twin lowers, intermediates and cap shrouds

Inner fore stay, upper spreaders to inboard of the stemhead

Outer fore stay masthead to end of bowsprit.

Both inner and outer forestays fitted with Harken roller reefing gear.

 

New varnished spruce bowsprit in 2005 with polished stainless steel end fitting, heel fitting passing through twin chain roller stemhead fitting.

Stainless steel shrouds and stainless steel bob-stay chain.

The inner fore stay anchored to an eye bolt set through the bowsprit down to the inside face of the stem.

 

Polished stainless steel low-level pin rails either of the mast take the halyards secured clear of the mast to conserve the varnish. The pin rails cleverly incorporate a cradle for the life raft between the mast and the coach-roof.

 

Winches. 

Pair of Antal ST W40 self tailing

2 pairs of top action 2-speed Lewmar 43

Pair of top action single speed Lewmar 9 either side of the entrance hatch

Mast winches

 

Staysail sheets to a bronze track each side of the mast.

Jib sheets to tracks in the scuppers each side about midships

 

Varnished boom with bronze goose neck fitting pivots on the original very substantial galvanised steel mast fitting. Bronze end cap fitting with spinning bale to take the main sheet.

Harken main sheet track, car and blocks.

 

Sails

Mainsail by John McKillop

No.1 cruising yankee

No.1 racing yankee by Hood Sails

Cruising staysail

Racing staysail by Hood sails

No.2 yankee

Asymmetric spinnaker

 

 

Machinery

Yanmar diesel installed new in 2005

Most unusually, this yacht has a dedicated walk-in engine room. The vertical companionway ladder is mounted on a door in the after bulkhead below the cock-pit entrance hatch. The almost full standing head-room door carrying the ladder hinges open to allow walk-in entrance with standing space immediately inside the doorway.

Aft is the very smart engine mounted on the centre-line to a conventional centre-line shaft drive fitted with a vibration-free, flexible water-cooled sea and an earthing lead.

Quite reasonable access all round and over the engine.

Good stowage space down the port side of the engine takes the inflatable dinghy, fuel cans and outboard engine.

Easy access fuel filters with clearly visible glass water traps.

Easy access incoming salt water filter

New switch board just inside the door to stbd.

All new electrical wiring on 12v circuits in the 2005 refit.

 

 

Accommodation.                                          6 berths

 

Access to the cabin is by the sliding hatch and twin glazed doors from the cock-pit down a varnished companionway ladder to an entrance lobby.

To stbd is a large quarter berth rebuilt by Traditional Sail in the 1995 refit, a generous berth set quite high due to the fine lines of the hull allowing lockers and the fridge under.

A varnished teak board can be placed on the berth as a chart desk when required.

Nav instruments on the bulkhead above the head of the berth can be seen from the sliding hatch entrance.

Galley to port rebuilt by Traditional Sail in the 1995. Thick varnished teak work surface with inset large and small deep rectangular stainless steel sinks.

Gimballed 3-burner and oven stainless steel gas cooker in a stainless steel lined recess.

Varnished teak lockers above and below.

Pressurised cold water supply to the sink.

Salt water faucet on foot pump

 

Bulkhead door forward to the saloon cabin means that the working part of the boat can be shut off from the living area.

Saloon with port and stbd settee berths.

Shelf above the port settee.

Narrow berth above the stbd settee.

Cupboards in the after corners.

Mast forward.

Oil fired cabin heater on the cabin sole to port of the mast with 12v pumped fuel supply.

Varnished cabin sole inlaid in holly

A very fine teak folding table built by Traditional Sail to the designs of the great Dr Tom Harrison Butler folds away into a box recess in the cabin sole to give a flush floor.

Varnished bulkheads, varnished coamings and sky-light above, white painted deckhead.

Blue leatherette cushions with buttoned upholstered panels to the seat backs which fold open to access lockers behind the settees.

 

Panelled varnished mahogany door forward to the forward lobby.

Forward again to the forward cabin bulkhead door.

Both doors close off the lobby to create a private ablutions compartment.

Blake sea toilet to port.

Antique drop down porcelain hand basin with fold out bronze faucet, drains in the heads below and folds away to present a teak locker door.

Forward cabin with a large double berth. It is possible to either sleep fore and aft of to sleep athwartships.

Up forward is open to the hull sides with the chain chute, electric windlass in the deckhead.Chains below the berth forward.

 

6’6” headroom in the entrance lobby and saloon, 5’10” forward.

 

Equipment

 

Nav gear

Sestral steering compass mounted on the bridge deck

Hand bearing compass

Raytheon ST60 Log

VHF radio with DSC

Furuno Navigator GPS

Raytheon Radar and chart plotter combined, single/spilt screen.

 

Safety gear

4 man life raft

3 fire extinguishers

Fire blanket

Flares

Life lines on the side decks.

 

Ground tackle.

2 x 35kg CQR anchors stow on the stemhead rollers.

Anchor chain

 

Deck gear

Deflatable dinghy with pump and oars.

Outboard engine

Mooring warps

4 fenders

 

Domestic

Galley equipment

Oil fired cabin heater in the saloon cabin

Disclaimer:

These particulars have been prepared in good faith from information provided by the Vendors and are intended as a guide, Wooden Ships cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. The Purchaser should instruct his agent or surveyor to validate all details as necessary and satisfy himself with the condition of the vessel and its equipment.