Blue Jacket

A classic style boat design that is well worth a look.

There are bits and pieces about this boat throughout the site. This is an attempt to get it all together. So if it all starts to get repetitive and ramble be patient.

Products, designs, opinions and concepts on this page have passed the first taste as being worthy of your attention. I cannot however take responsiblity for the eventual outcome of purchasing, using or incorporting any of these.

An ongoing story about BLUE JACKET
Centrecase with the board up. Centrecase with the board down

My one gripe about the Gipsy Cutter relates to the centrecase design

Problem One. There is only 2.5mm gap between the plate and the case. Not a practical option and my predecessor had a lot of problems with the plat jambing. I took the starboard side out of the case and put in 20mm packers to give the plate enough room to 'breathe' in the event that something got into the case. If you were building from scratch you could create a variation that would give more space either side of the case when it is coming up and down. I don't mean in the keel, the upper part of the centrecase, or that which is within the cabin. The whole case needs to be reinforced with through bolts [coloured green] at the front and back rather than rely on just the epoxy and nails. It could well be that this is specified but never happened in the construction.

I think there should be more timber in the top of the case [coloured red]. That is the front section and the keelson itself. You could take 25mm out of the plate to make room without having any effect on the raising, lowering or wetted surface of the plate.

Bear in mind there is a steel plate 30mm thick bolted either side of the centrecase so there is plenty of lateral strength but there is still a potential weakness in area between the top of that plate and the bottom of the hull. A very simple thing to rectify if you are building a Gipsy Cutter. Or you can accept what the design says to do. It's up to you.