Navigator

The surprise of the range, with over 300 sets of plans sold. She was drawn as a club race trainer for three teenagers totalling about 150 kg, with a big sloop rig and a shallow centreboard meant to reward good technique in open windy water. Then a friend wanted a long-range cruising dinghy a little bigger than his Rogue, liked this hull and layout, and asked for a different rig. The standing lug yawl that came out of that is why most Navigators look the way they do: the sail plan balances under main alone or under mizzen and jib, she will self-steer on the wind with little more than shock cord on the tiller, and in a hard chance the main halyard can be cast off and she is still steerable.

A 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m) open daysailer and cruising dinghy by John Welsford, and by his account his most popular single design. It began as a sloop-rigged race trainer for a local club, then gained the yawl rig most are built with, balanced so the boat will sail under main alone or jib and mizzen and lie hove-to with the mizzen sheeted hard. Beam is 5 ft 10 in, weight 140 kg and sail area 12.6 square metres. Sealed lockers give enough buoyancy to right and bail her. Glued plywood lapstrake over stringers, which the designer calls fast and economical; the first yawl was built in about four months in a single garage. Budget 500 to 800 hours. Real hours from logged builds are below.