The Explorer

Explorer described

A simple, small, lightweight yacht — the minimum necessary to get you where you want to go in speed and safety — opening up the adventure of independent exploration.

The sea-going equivalent of a mountain bike and tent, Explorer is designed for exhilarating sailing, with ample storage space for cruising provisions, and a cabin for two.

Adventurous voyagers will find Explorer ideal for coastal cruising and short offshore passages such as crossing the Irish Sea or English Channel.

Designed to be self reliant without an auxiliary engine, she points close to the wind and her sharp bow parts oncoming waves.

More information on sea trials

With a cruising speed of 4 knots (7.4kph), she has a range of 160km (100miles) in 24 hours, enabling her to passage safely from haven to haven around the British coastline.

Exceptional self-righting is due to her unique feature: the Swing Bulb Keel.

This deep draught keel gives her the stability of a much heavier vessel, increasing performance, comfort and seaworthiness.

Arriving in a shallow creek or harbour, the keel is simply hoisted up, reducing draught to 406mm (16in) and enabling beaching and trailing.

More detail about the Swing Bulb Keel

Small size incurs low mooring fees and a small surface area makes for economical painting.

Constructed from wood, with it?s higher strength to weight ratio than all other materials bar Carbon and Kevlar, Explorer weighs just 362kg (800lbs), towing easily behind the average car.

Built by hand from sustainable wood sources, her production is energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

She has the warmth, feel and sound that only wood can provide, without the expensive maintenance of a planked vessel.

Easy to manoeuvre and row, if used as she is designed to be – without an auxiliary engine – she is a genuine form of zero-emission transport!

A roomy cabin

Sitting headroom for two adults in the cabin is 1.09m (3ft 5in).

Berth in–fills create a 2.0m × 1.4m (6ft 6in × 4ft 6in) double berth.

The keel case is forward of the sitting area, flanked by under-berth lockers, and when these are closed, this area can be used for chart work.

Two more lockers stretch under the cockpit seats.

Cockpit

The 1.82m × 1.82m (6ft × 6ft) watertight cockpit has room for three adults on either side.

The seating is built in, so if swamped by a wave from astern, the amount of water contained only lowers the vessel by a few inches.

Buoyancy

Four buoyancy tanks keep the vessel afloat if the hull is breached.

These are in the transom, under the cockpit sole, under the berths, and in the bow.

Each tank has a watertight inspection hatch, and can be used for stowage of lightweight items such as wetsuits and other gear.

Rig

The masthead Bermudan rig provides maximum windward performance to enable beating off a lee shore without auxiliary power.

Although simplicity is an objective, a pure-sail powered vessel requires a rig that can be tuned to sail optimally at all times.

The main and Genoa are roughly equal in size, so are well balanced when goose-winged.

The Genoa is fitted with roller reefing so all sail handling can be done from the cockpit (although Explorer is very stable on the foredeck).

Long tracks for the Genoa sliding sheet-leads allow exactly the right angle to be obtained for any degree of reefing and required sail shape.

Luff track and cars make the mainsail easy to hoist and lower, and it cannot leave the mast and spill into the water.

Slab reefing, as standard on most larger cruising yachts, is proven to be easy to employ at sea, maintains good sail shape and avoids complex mechanical parts.

It also allows for a central main sheet, which has several advantages:

• It avoids the need for a horse over the tiller, flattens the sail when sheeted hard, requires a shorter sheet, and is accessible to both helm and crew.
• The mainsheet track spans the full width of the vessel so the right sheeting angle can be found when beating or reaching in different conditions.
• The mainsheet car can be set to one side of the vessel when running, rowing or in port.
• The crossbar for the mainsheet track also forms the seat for rowing.

Auxiliary Power

Split 2.43m (8ft) oars are provided, for easy stowage when at sea or leaving the vessel.

As Explorer is easily driven, oars provide sufficient power to make 2.5 knots (4.63kph) in a dead calm.

Although Explorer is designed not to need an engine, a small outboard can be fitted if desired.

Taking the ground

Sturdy legs are provided to keep Explorer vertical on her 254mm-draught (10in) stub keel, when taking the ground.

These are quick to clip on, and stow when at sea.

Construction

Marine-plywood and Douglas-Fir is bonded with resorcinol and epoxy resin to form a monocoque hull.

The bottom is 9mm, and sides and deck 6mm with epoxy-glass sheathing.

The keel casing and arched mast-support are 25mm plywood.

Keel shafts are 316-L marine-grade stainless steel, weighing 36kg (80lbs) each, and the lead bulb weighs 45kg (100lbs).

Mast and boom are hollow Douglas-Fir.

Fittings are manufactured in Britain, by Holt-Allen.

Electronics

Handheld electronics, including GPS, VHF and lights are recommended, as Explorer Mk1 has no fitted electronics.

These can be taken with you when leaving the vessel, reducing valuables at risk of theft.

Clip-on, waterproof, battery operated navigation lights can be carried for night passages.

A depth sounder for exploring shallow waters is not necessary, due to the retracting keel.

Simply extend the keel, then hoist instantly a touch on grounding, and you?re off again.