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Title: Three Dinghies in one Pages: 44 - 45  
Author: David Owen Text: Three dinghies in one David Owen tests the Skipper dinghy, a successful pioneer of adaptable sailing made by Richmond Marine. Primarily a roomy, gunter-rigged 14 footer, it can also be driven by a powerful outboard motor or be rowed. To most people who have never owned one, a boat is a one-purpose object. But when they take a closer look at the market they find they have to list priorities, just as if they were buying a car or a house. Do they want to sail it, motor it, or row it ? Do they want to camp in it, fish from it, or race it ? The answers to questions like these determine what kind of craft they end up with and, even more important, what kind of enjoyment they get. The trouble with specialist boats is that they only perform one job really well. This is all rightforthe purist; butforthe man who is unsure of what he or his family needs or who wants his boat for more than one purpose, the choice of available designs is limited. This is why the new Skipper dinghy has done so well. Introduced at the last Boat Show, more than a thousand of these versatile craft have already been sold, and the makers report a steady increase in sales through the season. The key to the Skipper's success is its adaptability. Basically a large, roomy dinghy with a simple gunter-rigged mainsail and lots of storage space, she can also be fitted with an outboard motor or a pair of rowlocks, will behave creditably under all three means of propulsion, and can be carried on a car rooTrack. The hull is a lightweight moulding in glass reinforced polyester, the two halves bonded together under the gunwhale, and weighs only 160 lb. Its beam and profile let it sit fairly high in the water, yet the Skipper is stable enough to carry a family under sail in all but strong winds without need for acrobatics to keep her upright (though she could do with a purchase to make the main sheet less tiring) and there is a buoyancy allowance distributed through stiffening box-sections fore and aft and under the thwarts. The simple metal tubular mast drops into a socket in the forward box-section and is unstayed. A single halyard raises the mainsail gaff, and a downhaul tightens the sail after hoisting. Although the boat performs reasonably well with the single sail, provision is made at the masthead to hoist a small jib, an optional extra specified by most buyers of the sailing The Skipper, almost 14 ft long and with a 5 ft beam, provides spacious sailing for two or three, with ample storage space forward of the mast, above. Even in brisk winds the boat stays on an even keel without need for acrobatics, rig ht. A guard rail round the bows keeps children safe. version as it improves the boat's speed and performance, especially when beating to wi ndward. Forward of the mast is a shallow stowage area which can be surrounded by a safety rail and used as a safe seat for children - or it can be covered with an optional tonneau and used as a dry storage space. Alternatively the tonneau can be stretched over a tubular frame and used as a shelter or even - with suitable extensions - as a full-scale tent when at anchor. The double-skinned centreboard casing does double duty as the base for a central seat when the boat is being rowed - a fairly essential provision, as water tends to slop up through the hole to make rowing a wetter than usual job. The stern has a scooped out transom to take outboard motors of up to six horsepower, although less powerful engines are perfectly adequate for emergency manoeuvring or simply pattering about. The rear storage locker has a watertight lid - and is wide enough at the back to take the outboard motor lying on its side as well as the optional stowage box which can be removed and used to transport food, clothes and other necessities to and from the boat. Usually the big drawback of utility boats Iike the Skipper is that they need half a gale of wind to get them moving at all under sail. But in fact she will plane quickly in a moderate breeze, and when I sailed her in light and fluky airs, she proved to have fast and reliable responses. She gathered way quickly, went about like clockwork and stopped when the need arose as if she had power braking. Her broad beam and sections should keep her dry in choppy water, whether under sail or power. She is light enough to be rowed without too much effort, although the angle of the oars is not all that comfortable and she tends to yaw too easily thanks to the smooth underwater profile. Better, if you can, to have someone in the helm when she is underoars. The basic sailing Skipper starts at £169, and the motor version (without engine) at £129. Builders are Richmond Marine at 226 Sheen Lane, London SW14. When asked whether they had experienced any teething troubles with the Skipper, Richmond Marine said that they had found the centreboard case flange an initially tricky joint to get completely watertight, and that they had encountered some early gel coat problems usual in fibreglass production. A canopy, with a perspex front window, can be fitted over the front storage space, top and above right. The rear storage locker, centre left, has room for an outboard motor and is covered with a watertight lid. Seat cushions, above right, are plastics covered foam. |
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