Drascombe - Design Principles

Design Principles

There are basically two types of drascombe. There are undecked open day sailers and two-berth weekenders. They were originally designed and built in marine plywood using glued lapstrake construction. As they became more popular, they were then manufactured in GRP.

The hull, typically, consists of four strakes each side, the garboard strakes being wide giving a flat run to the transom whilst having a fairly sharp entry at the stem. There is a recessed rear deck level with side benches and a recessed foredeck. Some models have a small two-berth cabin.

The transom slopes back at an angle of about 45 degrees with the top edge sloping forward giving drascombes a distinctive appearance at the stern. Just forward of the transom is a well to take an outboard motor with a slot in the transom that allows the outboard motor to be tilted out of the water when under sail. It also keeps the outboard motor hidden from view.

The usual rig consists of a gunter-rigged mainsail set on the main mast, a mizzen sail set on the mizzen mast sheeted to a bumpkin and a foresail. The tan-coloured sails are all boomless to avoid possible head injury from a gybing boom. The original drascombe lugger had a lug sail to start with; this was changed to a gunter mainsail but the name was kept.

The rudder fits in a case which is set in the aft deck in front of the mizzen mast. It can be lifted up into the case when in very shallow water.

A steel centreboard is in a centreboard case with a purchase to lift it.

Some (Dabber and Drifter) have a conventional vertical transom with the rudder hung on the transom.

Some (Skiff, Scaith, Scaffie and Peterboat) were double enders with a canoe stern. Of these, the Skiff has no outbard motor well, just a mini triangular transom to take a small outboard motor when the rudder has been removed.