Design and Construction
The hull is solid fibreglass. At 21.75 feet overall with a 17.5-foot waterline and a beam of 6.58 feet, she is a narrow, light craft of about 1,100 lbs displacement and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.31. The centreplate itself is 100 lbs and the rudder around 28 lbs, so the movable ballast and steering gear are a meaningful share of the boat's mass. With the plate raised her draft runs from roughly 0.98 to 1.28 feet depending on load, letting her dry out or sail close to a beach. The immersion rate of about 412 lbs per inch shows how little she sits in the water.
Rig and Handling
She carries a yawl rig on a centreboard keel, the board a pivoting lifting keel that can be raised for shoal water. The modest sail plan keeps her within the European Union's Class C certification when fewer than nine are aboard. As a stretched Lugger, her handling inherits that simple, beachable dinghy temperament scaled up for instructional use.
Accommodations
The Longboat is a small sailing dinghy with no enclosed berths in the record; her genesis as a schools and Scout training boat argues for open, adaptable space rather than cruising accommodation. A buyer expecting a cabin cruiser would be reading the wrong design.
Known Issues
The 100-lb plate and 28-lb rudder are heavy moving components in a 1,100-lb boat, and their pivots and trunk see repeated load every launch, retrieval, or beaching. The shallow-draft, beachable brief means those fittings are exposed to sand and grounding.
The Verdict
The Drascombe Longboat is a purposeful, shoal-draft trainer turned recreational day and trailer sailor, easy to keep afloat.
Pros
- Stretched Lugger hull gives more room than the shorter boat
- Solid fibreglass hull needs no plank upkeep
- Centreplate and rudder lift for 1-foot draft and beachability
Cons
- Small sailing dinghy, not a cabin cruiser
- Heavy moving plate and rudder mean pivot wear is a routine concern
