Say what you will about the performance and convenience of modern sailboats, some sailors will always place a premium on traditional designs and rigs. This is particularly true in Great Britain, where gaff-rigged boats are still quite common. British builder Cornish Crabber has carved out a handsome niche for itself building traditional boats in fiberglass. Though less well known here, Crabbers are just as appealing to American sailors who like boats that evoke the past.
The Cornish Crabber Pilot Cutter 30, the flagship of the Crabber line, is squarely in keeping with classic British cutter designs. A plumb stem, stern overhang, stately gaff rig, low deck profile, and rakish extra-long bowsprit all add up to a vessel that is guaranteed to attract attention wherever you go. The boat's construction, though conservative, is thoroughly modern. The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass, the deck is balsa-cored glass with a beefy through-bolted joint, all deck fittings are custom stainless steel, and the hardware and rigging are strictly contemporary Harken.
The boat is available with a marconi rig and aluminum spars, but as Patrick Winterschladen of Britannia Boats, who represents Crabbers in the U.S., notes, "the gaff rig is much more suitable for a boat of this type." The spars on the gaff rig are spruce "the mast is hollow, all others are solid), and the 9-foot bowsprit can be retracted to dramatically reduce overall length in pricey and/or crowded marinas. The mast is mounted in a hinged tabernacle, and with a jib halyard led to the end of the bowsprit, it is possible for one person to step it in place with only a little bit of help from a friend. Under water the boat sports either a full lead-ballast keel drawing 4 feet, 6 inches or a shallow keel and centerboard arrangement. The centerboard boat is ballasted with steel punchings encapsulated in resin in the bilge around the trunk.
Under sail
We sailed the Pilot Cutter 30 in a light 10-knot breeze on Chesapeake Bay—conditions that are not exactly favorable for a 14,000-pound gaffer. We were handicapped, too, in that our boat did not have her topsail aboard. Still, though hardly the fastest boat on the bay, we did not embarrass ourselves. We made reasonable, if not spectacular, progress to windward, and when we cracked off, the genoa, staysail, and full main pulled us along at slightly better than 4 knots. I dare say that with the topsail up we'd have been pushing 5. The helm was rock steady throughout, and the boat tracked like a train. Performance issues aside, there is also the simple fact that you cant help but grin when steering a boat like this.
Belowdecks
Accommodations down below, by modern standards, are a tad cramped for a 30-footer. Tall people will not quite find standing headroom, and crawling in and out of the V-berth is awkward. But the ambiance is exactly what you'd expect: a strong dose of the traditional, with lots of warm wood trim, and enough modern conveniences—like a propane stove, refrigerator, and private head and shower—to keep you comfortable. All in all, if you're shopping for a classic boat but dont want to own an antique woodpile, this one is a must-see. Charles J. DoaneSpecs
Price: $135,000 (sailaway, FOB Annapolis, MD)
Designer: Roger Dongray
U.S. importer: Britannia Boats, Annapolis, MD; tel. 410-267-5922, Britannia Boats
LOA
39'
LWL
25'9"
Beam
9'6"
Draft
(keel/centerboard up/down)
4'6"/3'6"/5'3"
Displacement
14,000 lbs
Ballast
5,500 lbs
Sail area
(total)
600 sq ft
Power
27-hp Yanmar
Water/fuel/waste
32/24/13
Displ.-length ratio
366
Sail area-displ. ratio
16.5
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Say what you will about the performance and convenience of modern sailboats, some sailors will always place a premium on traditional designs and rigs. This is particularly true in Great Britain, where gaff-rigged boats are still quite common. British builder Cornish Crabber has carved out a handsome niche for itself building traditional boats in fiberglass. Though less well known here, Crabbers are just as appealing to American sailors who like boats that evoke the past.
The Cornish Crabber Pilot Cutter 30, the flagship of the Crabber line, is squarely in keeping with classic British cutter designs. A plumb stem, stern overhang, stately gaff rig, low deck profile, and rakish extra-long bowsprit all add up to a vessel that is guaranteed to attract attention wherever you go. The boat's construction, though conservative, is thoroughly modern. The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass, the deck is balsa-cored glass with a beefy through-bolted joint, all deck fittings are custom stainless steel, and the hardware and rigging are strictly contemporary Harken.
The boat is available with a marconi rig and aluminum spars, but as Patrick Winterschladen of Britannia Boats, who represents Crabbers in the U.S., notes, "the gaff rig is much more suitable for a boat of this type." The spars on the gaff rig are spruce "the mast is hollow, all others are solid), and the 9-foot bowsprit can be retracted to dramatically reduce overall length in pricey and/or crowded marinas. The mast is mounted in a hinged tabernacle, and with a jib halyard led to the end of the bowsprit, it is possible for one person to step it in place with only a little bit of help from a friend. Under water the boat sports either a full lead-ballast keel drawing 4 feet, 6 inches or a shallow keel and centerboard arrangement. The centerboard boat is ballasted with steel punchings encapsulated in resin in the bilge around the trunk.
Under sail
We sailed the Pilot Cutter 30 in a light 10-knot breeze on Chesapeake Bay—conditions that are not exactly favorable for a 14,000-pound gaffer. We were handicapped, too, in that our boat did not have her topsail aboard. Still, though hardly the fastest boat on the bay, we did not embarrass ourselves. We made reasonable, if not spectacular, progress to windward, and when we cracked off, the genoa, staysail, and full main pulled us along at slightly better than 4 knots. I dare say that with the topsail up we'd have been pushing 5. The helm was rock steady throughout, and the boat tracked like a train. Performance issues aside, there is also the simple fact that you cant help but grin when steering a boat like this.
Belowdecks
Accommodations down below, by modern standards, are a tad cramped for a 30-footer. Tall people will not quite find standing headroom, and crawling in and out of the V-berth is awkward. But the ambiance is exactly what you'd expect: a strong dose of the traditional, with lots of warm wood trim, and enough modern conveniences—like a propane stove, refrigerator, and private head and shower—to keep you comfortable. All in all, if you're shopping for a classic boat but dont want to own an antique woodpile, this one is a must-see. Charles J. Doane
Specs
Price: $135,000 (sailaway, FOB Annapolis, MD)
Designer: Roger Dongray
U.S. importer: Britannia Boats, Annapolis, MD; tel. 410-267-5922, 
