Though first used at the West Wight Sailing Club, the class soon spread to other clubs around Britain as well as other countries including Austalia, Canada and Italy.
Evolution Non-BR
BYS
Max Prop
Discount Sails
Electric Yacht
SeaWaterPro
SBD App Non-BR
Rigs: Gunter
Gunter with sprit
Raced in Ireland to this day (Ballyglass on Lough Ree and Dromineer on Lough Derg)
New hull and sail specifications were adopted in 1989.
Sailed and raced at a number of locations in the UK. Early boats from the orginal builder were available in a number of lengths from 8′ to 14′ and with many variations in fixtures, fittings, sails, rig and hulls. This 12′ foot version, known as the TIDEWAY, built in mahogany on oak, has been the most popular. New boats are still available. See class website for more details.
Selected by Duetscher Segler Vergand in a competition held in 1931. Sailed in the Melborne Olympic Games of 1956. (The gold medal in this event was won by noted Australian sailor, Rolly Tasker). Still raced in a number of fleets around the world (in some cases as variants of the original). In the UK it is the BRITISH SHARPIE or NORFOLK SHARPIE. In Australia called the HEAVYWEIGHT SHARPIE, and beginning in 1960, a modernized version called the AUSTRALIAN LIGHTWEIGHT SHARPIE.
Originally called the BUBBLE. John Baker who first built them of GRP initially renamed the boat GLASS BUBBLE. The name OTTER was finally adopted; coming from the river of the same name, close by, in East Devon.
The original design consisted of a single skin glass fibre hull and a Gunter rig (without spinnaker). Later models were rigged as Bermudian sloops (with optional spinnaker), and a double skinned hull with integrated buoyancy tanks. Hull weight and sail area vary depending on the version.
Spinnaker: 70 sq. ft.
One of the earliest ‘bilge keel’ designs, and predesessor to the first in the Westerly line, (WESTERLY 22). The designer was the founder of Beacons Boat Co., and later, Westerly Marine Construction Ltd..
The original, first built in 1956, was intended for amature construction of plywood and proved difficult and expensive to built in FG. A second version proved less than popular, partly because of it’s lack of a solid fore deck.
A third version was significantly redesigned.
ShipCanvas
KiwiGrip
Bruntons
Rudder Craft
SPW Non-BR
Pelagic Autopilots
Boater’s Closet Non-BR
EWOL
