The double-ended boat is a peculiarity of Anglo-Saxon yacht design and rarely seen on Square Metre Boats and Metre Class Yachts. Nevertheless, Uffa Fox and Francis Lewis Herreshoff designed a few Skerry Cruisers as double-enders in the thirties. The 8 metre-class yacht Angelita, which won the gold medal in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932, was a double-ender as well.
Although the tradition lasts back to Viking ships and the Colin Archer type pilot and rescue boats of the 19th century it may be considered as a quirk today. The benefit of the pointed stern is that it separates water coming from the back in severe conditions. The drawback of the pointed stern is its limited volume where it would be favourable for fast reaching. Further the prismatic coefficient is reduced, decreasing the ability of a hull to achieve its maximum speed.
Shallow canoe body and deep fin keel with ballast at the tip – Foto Boomer Depp
As an advocate of this hull shape for aesthetic reasons, accomplished naval architect Robert H. Perry designed this Daysailer for Puget Sound/Seattle. Upright stems fore and aft instead of long overhangs give Francis Lee a waterline stretched to 55 feet. The maximum possible volume incorporated in the run improves the prismatic coefficient. Kim Bottles of Blakely Harbour/WA previously owned a Swede 55. He continued his devotion for elegant and pure sail boats with a classy 30 sqm Skerry cruiser and recently commissioned this simple and basically equipped boat as Perry Sliver Class Daysailer. Length to beam ratio is 6.3 : 1. The 62 ft length was chosen regarding the desired 10 knot hull speed and the maximum size which Bottles and Perry consider to be manageable by a single-handed sailor.
It is notable this project remained a Daysailer during design and construction. No “Nice to Haves” were added. This owner even had to be persuaded to incorporate few basic amenities. As many naval architects and boat builders know, the initial concept of a pure, simple and straightforward boat is often diluted if not quietly ruined by ponderous alterations selected at the coffee-table in the “yes-but” manner.
Grey halyard bins next to the companionway ladder – Foto Boomer Depp
More than 60 percent of the entire boat length are empty. Ahead of the companionway, Francis Lee offers about 23 feet/7 metres for cooking, a salon with two sofas, a toilet and two bunks forward. Below the superstructure there is 6’3”/1,91 m headroom.
White, clean and simple. Main cabin of Francis Lee – Foto Boomer Depp
A strip planked western red cedar construction sheathed in- and outside with E-Glass fibres, laminated with epoxy resin. Deck, cabin, cockpit, and internal structure are foam core composite.
The sail locker and storage for ropes are accessible from the deck – Foto Boomer Depp
Smartly rigged with a stock Farr 40 spar, Francis Lee carries its lead at the end of a long epoxy sheathed mild steel fin 10 feet, 3 metres below the water. This provides a long lever for the ballast. Note the shallow lines of the U-shaped canoe body. It is impressive to see the finished boat floating on its design waterline and not below, which is sadly common on most boats. This 62 foot sailing canoe is a boat full of character. An interesting evolution of the light displacement theme. A lot longer than Swede 55 it displaces about the same as the 55, which initiated Francis Lee. Even more remarkable than the advanced SA/D ratio is the fact this ratio is achieved with manageable sail area.
Length over all
62 ft – 18.90 m
Design waterline
55′ – 16.70 m
Beam
9′ 10” – 3 m
Freeboard midship
45″ – 1.14 m
Draft
10′ – 3.05 m
Displacement
19,000 lbs – 8.6 t
Keel fin
1,700 lbs – 771 kg
Ballast (Lead)
7,496 lbs – 3,4 t
Ballast ratio
48,5 %
Sailarea upwind
1,185 sq ft – 103 sqm
Engine/transmission
39 HP/29 kW Yanmar with Saildrive
Length/Beam ratio
6.3
SA/D ratio
26.6
Segeltragzahl
5
Hull speed
10 kn
19,000 lbs easily driven by just 1,185 sq ft sail area: Francis Lee in Seattle waters – Foto Boomer Depp
This 62 Foot double-ender is a remarkable boat in many ways, and one of several Swede 55 inspired boats, that succeeded since the mid-eighties.
Photo on top by Robert H. Perry: Model of the 62 ft. Sliver project. Updated July 12, 25.→ Subscribe Newsletter and you won’t miss future articles.
