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GRP classics in PBO January
I very much enjoyed your piece on GRP Classics (PBO, January 2023).
The offerings from the Gaffers & Luggers yard in Mylor Cornwall are a worthy addition.
The 28ft and 23ft versions of traditional Oyster Dredgers were built with GRP hulls and wooden superstructure. The moulds having been taken from original wooden boats.
The gaff rig may not be to everyone’s taste but the boats are heavily laid up and seaworthy having over 100 years of design behind them.
The deck and interior layout are custom built in wood to the owner’s specifications.
My Heard 28 launched in 2002 displaces 8.5 tonnes with 5 tonnes encapsulated lead ballast, putting her into the very heavy cruising category in your article. With the right conditions she will outrun many a Bermudian rigged boat nevertheless.
Steve Lorraine
Hard to hoist with age
One point on lazy jacks; they are very annoying when raising the mainsail, probably worse if fully battened, as the battens catch on the lines. The solution is to release the control lines, pull them into the mast and secure them. I hook them round the (reefing) ramshorn.
