Petrel

Despite 30 years in the making, Petrel was mostly a 32’ hull and deck with a forward and aft bulkhead and miscellaneous pieces and parts when she arrived at Lyman-Morse. She arrived by truck from the owner’s home in West Bath and settled in for a winter-long work list to get her completed and ready to sail the following spring.

The owner, Jay Paris, is an experienced yachtsmen who designed the boat himself. Jay's basic brief to himself was for a small ocean-capable shoal-draft cruising boat with narrow beam and a long waterline. Her hull, built by Walter Greene back in 1983, is wood-epoxy over an Airex core. He served as project manager for the project, ensuring that everything was to his exacting standards.

While she did have an engine, time had taken its toll, requiring that it be rebuilt. Lyman-Morse also installed the systems. We installed the galley, and shelving in the forward berth. We installed a portion of the cabin sole and completed the companionway. We built the centerboard and she received a new Selden carbon fiber mast. She received new varnish, her name and hail were refinished, and she made her debut at the Rockland Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Show in August 2012.

For some more photos and details about the boat, visit Sail Magazine’s blog. Charlie Doane visited Jay Paris for an afternoon sail aboard Petrel.

Layout and Design

DESIGN NOTES

Objectives

A maxi trailersailer suitable for coastal cruising and offshore passage.

Accommodations optimized for useful crew of two with berths and settees for four.
Readily singlehanded with all sail control lines leading to cockpit.

Style

Modern interpretations of a traditional keel/centerboarder

Proportions similar to contemporary daysailer designs with longer waterline
Bulwarks mask house height and lower deck weights

Size

Useful volume of contemporary 28-30’ boats, albeit with 8’ beam

Drafts (Centerboard up/down – 2.75’/5/5’) shallow relative to waterline
Realistic payload allowance (20% of half-load displacement)
Long waterline keeps displacement-length ration moderate

Hull Form

Narrow easily driven hull; seakindly, directionally stable and tolerant of overloading

Wine-glass low wetted girth sections have less frictional resistance than wedded surface might suggest
Fine, 12 degree half angle of entrance, forebody minimizes bow wave
Deep afterbody with semi-spade rudder extends below counter
Aft LCB keeps rudder immersed at large hell angles
Wide ballast keel with long keel flat centered near LCG copes with grounding

Deck and House

Trunk cabin with inset forward cockpit

Forward cockpit becomes softop pilothouse with dodger raised
Raised hatch box provides headroom with low outboard profile.

Hull and Deck Fittings

Custom fabrications include CuNi centerboard trunk and multifunction bowsprit

Dorades (2), opening portlights (10), forecabin ventilation hatch
Centerline primary wince convenient to both cockpits
Midboom traveler allows setting dodger to mizzen awning under sail

Rig

Innovative low windage fractional rig with permanently bend carbon mast having unstayed upper panel, sweptback diamond shrouds and single lowers

Roller reefing self-tacking club jib with midclub sheeting to foredeck traveler, roller furling yankee and asymmetcial set flying
Keel stepped 43’ mast can be raised by crew without outside assistance

Propulsion

Speed over 5.5 knots with 10hp diesel. Space for optional 20hp diesel.

Systems

Systems arrange for serviceability

Safety

Narrow beam; relatively high, long narrow house and low VCG yield outstanding self-righting capacity.

Petrel, sailing on the St. George River in summer 2012. Completed by Lyman-Morse, designed by Jay Paris © 2012 Bill Henderson
Petrel, finished by Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding of Thomaston, Maine. © 2012 Bill Henderson