Spirit of Acorn . com
Creating a small keel yacht designed for the soul, not the ego
Skyline of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from Spirit of Acorn
Home
This is the story of a small yacht designed in the 1930's, and the creation of its spiritual successor in Melbourne, Australia, 70 years later. The small yacht was the Acorn Sloop, its successor is "Spirit of Acorn".
The project started with good friend, Rob Cook, giving me his collection of Wooden Boat magazines. As I looked through the old magazines, I had my eye open for my next building project, a special type of yacht, a small keel boat that was capable of single handing, ocean going, and "looked right". A yacht to appeal to the soul, not the ego.
When I turned to the article in Issue 30, published in 1977, I was hooked. Not only did the article cover a small yacht with all the right attributes, but the author's experiences with a string of yachts struck a chord with me. So start by reading The Story, which has been reproduced with the kind permission of the author, Bob Andrews. The colour photos are also Bob's, but were not part of the original article.
You'll also find details of the Research behind the Spirit of Acorn Project, Design considerations, and Building progress. If you have any queries, or comments, send me an email. Spirit of Acorn was launched in December 2009, in now located at Raymond Island in the Gippsland Lakes system.
This is the story of a small yacht designed in the 1930's, and the creation of its spiritual successor in Melbourne, Australia, 70 years later. The small yacht was the Acorn Sloop, its successor is "Spirit of Acorn".
The project started with good friend, Rob Cook, giving me his collection of Wooden Boat magazines. As I looked through the old magazines, I had my eye open for my next building project, a special type of yacht, a small keel boat that was capable of single handing, ocean going, and "looked right". A yacht to appeal to the soul, not the ego.
When I turned to the article in Issue 30, published in 1977, I was hooked. Not only did the article cover a small yacht with all the right attributes, but the author's experiences with a string of yachts struck a chord with me. So start by reading The Story, which has been reproduced with the kind permission of the author, Bob Andrews. The colour photos are also Bob's, but were not part of the original article.
You'll also find details of the Research behind the Spirit of Acorn Project, Design considerations, and Building progress. If you have any queries, or comments, send me an email. Spirit of Acorn was launched in December 2009, in now located at Raymond Island in the Gippsland Lakes system.
Paul Stuart
Raymond Island, Victoria Australia
Length 6.1m Beam 1.8m Waterline 4.75m
Draft 1.2m Keel 600kg
Sail Area 20.08 sqm (main + 100% fore)
Weight in sailing trim 1340kg
Raymond Island, Victoria Australia
Length 6.1m Beam 1.8m Waterline 4.75m
Draft 1.2m Keel 600kg
Sail Area 20.08 sqm (main + 100% fore)
Weight in sailing trim 1340kg
Contents and Photos (c) 2010-2015 Paul Stuart - Contact to extract or link
Sailing between Paynesville and Raymond Island
21st April 2015 (video Rob Cook). Approximately 4.8 knots.
Note change in registration, now Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club.
21st April 2015 (video Rob Cook). Approximately 4.8 knots.
Note change in registration, now Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club.
