SKETCHBOOK: "The Guider" (First Draft)

John C. Harris, CLC Managing Director,

Commentary:

Here and there you'll see the CLC "Guider" design referenced as "Guider 2.0". This implies that there was a Guider 1.0, and in fact such a design existed, though it was never built. The drawings haven't seen the light of day until this moment. It was sketched before John Guider himself contemplated an attempt on the dangerous Race to Alaska, but after we decided he needed more stowage and legroom than was available in his trusty Skerry Raid.

She's a straightforward build, a 17'6" flat-bottomed "sharpie" with a nice sheer line and a skinny 4'7" beam. The narrow hull was to enhance rowing performance, as John Guider's travels always involve a lot of rowing. I like the proportions of the sloop rig, which looks small but is in fact more than ample for a boat this light. The mast is in a tabernacle and can be dropped in seconds to reduce windage while rowing or at anchor, or to form the ridgepole of a cockpit tent. Most importantly, there's ample floor space for sleeping. A grand boat for beach-cruising, though for over-the-horizon rough-water work I'd want a cockpit half that size...