Drascombe Lugger Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The Lugger is a full-length cockpit day boat with side benches wide enough for a snooze and a centerboard case that doubles as a rowing seat. With the board up she draws about 10 inches and can dry out on a beach; with it down, 4 feet. Because she is not heavily ballasted or decked, the open cockpit is the whole living space — there is no cabin, just room for four to move about comfortably and rated capacity for six. A motorwell sits behind the tiller and mizzenmast, keeping any outboard clear of the transom and fumes away from crew.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The single most consequential buyer item is the rigging setup for short-handed sailing, which is commonly fitted on these boats: a loose-footed gunter main, unstayed mizzen, and jib on a roller-furling drum let one person step the 16-foot mast and rig in under half an hour. Beyond that, the useful upgrades to look for cluster around power and propulsion — a long-shaft 5 to 6 hp outboard (a four-stroke Suzuki 6 hp will reach hull speed at a third throttle) in the dedicated well, and a bilge pump built into the centerboard case as seen on some owners' boats. Canvas and sail handling are served by the multitude of reef and furl options for jib, main, and mizzen, and by tanbark sails with belaying pins and a boomkin as period equipment.

What to Inspect

The known weak points are in the centreplate and rudder systems. The earliest Luggers left the factory with a steel rudder that owners raised by matching it to a slim slot and pulling it up, then securing with a pin — a method that made beaching a little tricky; later models modified the rudder arrangement to make things easier. More seriously, there are reports of difficulty bailing a Lugger if swamped because water kept gushing through the centre plate housing, and of a boat broaching and capsizing turtle with the plate retracting into the housing so a fit crew could not right her. Check whether measures to prevent the plate dropping back in a capsize are present, and confirm buoyancy — modern boats have improved buoyancy and a builder upgrade is available.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats are typically found on the United Kingdom market. When viewing, work through this short list:

• Confirm rudder type and whether early slotted-steel gear has been modified
• Inspect centreplate housing for water-path wear and any capsize retention fix
• Verify buoyancy standard and whether a builder upgrade was fitted
• Test single-handed rigging and mast stepping if short-handed use is intended
• Check motorwell and outboard shaft length (long shaft, 5–6 hp)