SKETCHBOOK: "Blue Monk"

John C. Harris, CLC Managing Director

Commentary

This was a drafting exercise, the sort of thing I work on when normal people are doing crossword puzzles. A few years ago I drew a raised-deck 16-foot double-ender like this one. Both boats have the same design brief: elegant proportions, nice sailing manners, and dry accommodations for one (or two in a real pinch). Neither are easy to build, except by virtue of being...small. "Blue Monk" will be quicker to build than the "Weekender 16" because the deadwood keel and external lead ballast casting are eliminated. "Blue Monk" carries around 500 pounds of lead internally, which explains the steep deadrise. I dropped the self-bailing cockpit, too, in favor of better seating ergonomics in "Blue Monk." I'd be thrilled to cruise in a boat like this, but most people want something bigger.