Design and Construction
The Navigator measures 19.03 feet overall, with a 16.73-foot waterline and a 7.55-foot beam. She displaces 1,953 pounds and was built in solid fiberglass with iron ballast. Original glass boats were built in 1980.
Her centerboard keel draws 1.97 feet when raised and 3.61 feet when lowered. The design has a hull speed of 5.48 knots, a displacement-to-length ratio of 186.19, a capsize ratio of 2.42, and a comfort ratio of 11.72.
Newbridge grew out of Leisurecraft under Don Whistance and later Ron Lunney. The Navigator was one of Tucker’s late-1970s designs for the company. The Navigators were followed by a similar larger Venturer.
Rig and Handling
The standard rig was a masthead sloop. On the Mk. III, a junk rig with a lug sail was optional.
With the centerboard raised, the Navigator needs less than two feet, opening shallow creeks and drying moorings.
Accommodations
The cabin is spacious for a boat of this length, a quality often cited alongside the Navigator’s performance and price. At 19 feet with a 7.55-foot beam, she delivered volume above her station among trailerable cruisers.
Production and Support
Newbridge Boats Ltd. was liquidated in 1987, then rebranded as N.B. Yachts and moved from Bridport, Dorset, to Chard, Somerset. Navigator production continued for another three years, ending in January 1990.
Owners formed the Newbridge and Venturer Owners Association, which ceased operating in April 2018. As a result, continuity of post-production spares is limited.
Refits and Ownership
Typical refit work centers on the rigging, centerboard gear, and trailer gear.
The Verdict
The Newbridge Navigator is a modest pocket cruiser with a roomy cabin and an affordable price. Its main caveats are institutional rather than structural: production ended in January 1990, the builder is gone, and the owners’ association has closed.
Pros
- Spacious interior for a 19-foot trailerable cruiser
- Affordable, popular design
- Simple masthead-sloop rig
- Centerboard draws 1.97 feet when raised, allowing shallow-water access
- Optional Mk. III junk rig for short-handed sailing
- Solid-fiberglass construction
Cons
- Builder liquidated in 1987; production ceased in January 1990
- Owners’ association dissolved in April 2018
- Limited continuity of post-production spares
