THere’s a boating truism that says, ‘if it looks right, it is right.’ Take a look at a lovely old J Class yacht, sleek canoes, delicate skiffs, elegant Norwegian færings and other boats with delightfully sweeping sheers and you’ll see what I mean.
These boats were built with a purpose by those skilled in the art of boatbuilding and they evolved over long lifespans into super-efficient and durable designs that remain with us today. Around the world many of these were introduced by European settlers who opened up America, Australia and New Zealand, but some of the most successful ones were adapted from the boats already used by the indigenous populations. After all, the local populations were always rather more experienced in the specific demands and their vessel designs had already had hundreds, even thousands of years to develop before the white man invaded. In many cases, the designs have changed little with only the method of build being influenced by modern materials.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roger Nadin was born in central England, as far from the sea as possible in the UK. Boating became part of his life when, aged 14, he built his first kayak and later a Mirror dinghy. Canoeing took Roger to the wild rivers of the Alps and the Frisian islands, and he has sailed the Baltic, the south coast of England and west coast of Scotland.
Lightweight load-bearer
This story is from the August 2022 edition of Practical Boat Owner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2022 edition of Practical Boat Owner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Shearwater sloop sailing in the 1960s
Genevieve Leaper shares her late father John Leaper's recollections-compiled from handwritten notes-of cruising the Channel
Timing an Atlantic crossing
Professional meteorologist and sailor Chris Tibbs shares his knowledge of how to choose the best time to sail 'across the pond'
Transatlantic first
It's 70 years since Ann Davison became the first woman to sail solo across the Atlantic. Katy Stickland looks back at her achievement
Going dizzy on an island sailing odyssey
Ken Fowler becomes the first sailor to circumnavigate every island in England and Wales-and all done in a 4m dinghy!
Boats for coastal cruising
Duncan Kent chooses a selection of the best sail and motor boats under 40ft most suitable for adventurous cruising along the coast
Industry view on HVO
The RYA, IWA and CA are working to help recreational boating transition to a Net Zero future, as the CA's
HVO RENEWABLE DIESEL Myth or miracle?
A new generation of biofuel that's cleaner, greener, better for your engine and less prone to microbial growth sounds too good to be true... but the facts beg to differ
Little ships and the wrong sort of waves
Why the correct manoeuvres for the sea conditions will reduce hogging and sagging stress on both ship and crew
Watching boats, saving jerseys
It's amazing what you can see from a hospital window if it's the right hospital
Sweating the mooring asset
Sam Llewellyn looks at ways of getting top value out of his boat's swinging mooring