| Milford A 21' 7 1/2" V-Bottom Fin-Keel Cruising Ketch By William Atkin |
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| An Engaging Cruising Ketch | |
| Nearly ten years ago plans of Lagoon appeared in these pages. Lagoon is a centerboard V-bottom knockabout designed to be carried about by trailer and for this reason all her spars were somewhat less in length than the boat itself, necessitating a gaff head sail plan and of course shallow draft. The intervening years have brought many requests for the design of a keel for Lagoon, or professional advice in connection with the making of this appendage. And, of course, despite my everlasting words that caution against inexperienced changes, individual builders have attempted adding keels of their own devising, usually with disappointing results. Thus it is I have prepared plans of a new Lagoon and named this version Milford in honor of the genuine little Milford Cruising Club, Milford, Conn. | |
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The dimensions of this engaging little craft are: length over all, 21 feet 7 1/2, inches; water line length, 19 feet; breadth 7 feet; and draft 3 feet 2 inches. The freeboard at the bow is 2 feet 11 1/4 inches; least freeboard, 1 foot 11 inches; freeboard at the stern, 2 feet 1 3/8 inches. The sheer line and the deck line are different from Lagoon's; the curve of the sheer is more pleasing, too. The keel is the fin type with long skeg. The rudder is redesigned to match the depth of the keel and the increased lateral plane. There is 340 pounds of lead on the keel and I would suggest using inside ballast to the weight of approximately 200 pounds. Milford is rigged as a gaff-head ketch, ideal for singlehanded cruising and excellent from the standpoint of upkeep at sea. There is a minimum of metal work on the spars, oak gaff and boom jaws, mast hoops, and Manila running rigging, simple cleats, and no backstays. The standing rigging is simplicity itself -- two shrouds to each mast and a single headstay. I would be disposed to use rope-stropped blocks wherever possible and certainly would lace the sails to the booms and gaffs. I would not use sail tracks with a gaff-headed rig. The total sail area is 208.8 square feet; jib, 52.6 square feet; mainsail, 98.1 square feet; and mizzen, 58.1 square feet. The little ketch will balance under mainsail alone; with jib and mizzen; and with all three sails set. She steers with a tiller and if the boat is built exactly like the designs will steer easily on all points of sailing. | |
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| There is a self-bailing cockpit 4 feet 4 inches long with comfortable seats each side; these have lockers beneath. The width between the coamings and seats is exactly right for leg room. There is a bridge deck 18 inches long between cabin house and cockpit. The deckhouse is nearly 7 feet long and at its widest place measures 4 feet 10 inches. | |
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| The cabin of Milford extends from the after end of the bridge deck to the low bulkhead forward; a length of 11 feet 8 inches. The forward end of this, 16 feet 2 inches long, provides room for two bunks. The after end is the living part, 5 feet 6 inches long. The headroom under the cabin top beams is just 4 feet while under the companionway slide the headroom is 4 feet 7 inches. A comfortable seat ranges along the starboard side; the galley worktable is opposite. There are roomy lockers under the side decks and stowage space under the seat and galley table top. I have purposely not shown the location of sink, ice box, and other implements required in the galley. These should be placed to suit the owner. | |
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| Plans for Milford are $100 MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM SHIPS PLANS STORE https://store.mysticseaport.org/ships-plans/ shipsplanstore@mysticseaport.org
+1 (860) 572 5360 | |
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