McGruer 8 Meter Cruiser Racer

Wooden Ships Comments on this McGruer 8 Meter Cruiser Racer

8 meter Cruiser Racer (8mCR) yacht designed and built by McGruer & Co. In 1963.

McGruers built 15 of these yachts, distinctive with their elegant lines and familiar raised dog house aft, which is iconic McGruer.

The 8mCR  was developed after an amendment to the original 8 meter racing yacht rule, creating a fast and elegant yacht with comfortable accommodation for her crew, enabling the yacht to travel between regattas and house her crew in comfort.  With their 8 meter pedigree these boats are exciting to sail and turn heads everywhere.  The Clyde became a strong hold of the class with a large active fleet through until 1975.

This yacht is perhaps one of the most well known of the class, commissioned by Peter Odlum, a stalwart of Irish sailing but no stranger to Clyde racing or west coast cruising.  She was his second McGruer designed 8mCR,.  Built to Lloyds 100A1, in her first season she scored 17 wins from 25 starts and won the Lloyds Register Yacht Trophy.  Peter Odlum continued to enjoy racing success and enjoyable cruising with INISMARA, before commissioning James McGruer to design the yawl, RINAMARA, launched in 1968.

With just her third owner, she was purchased in 1995 by her current custodian after an extended lay-up of some 10+ years in the sheds at McGruers. Lovingly re-commissioned, great care was taken to maintain the boats original specifications while sympathetically modernising some areas.

A very well presented yacht oozing pedigree and charm.

Length on Deck                      41’7” / 12.7m

Length Waterline                   27’3” / 8.3m

Beam                                       9’9” / 3.0m

Draft                                       6’2” / 1.9m

Sail area                                  667sqft

Thames tonnage                     12TM

Displacement                         7796kg