For sale ANNIE, 29'6" junk rigged Cornish Crabber 'Pilot Cutter':
ANNIE was the first Cornish Crabber 'Pilot Cutter'. Built in 1985, and in our family since 1987. She is ashore in Crinan, on the west coast of Scotland, in a shed at Crinan Boatyard Limited. We converted her from gaff to junk in 2018. We have her complete gaff rig, including a brand new mainsail, in case anyone wishes to taker her back there.. That would be a quick and easy job compared to the conversion to JR!
There are some photos on my profile
at https://junkrigassociation.org/Sys/Profile/PhotoGallery?memberId=25639828
and articles on her conversion in the JRA magazine, issues 77 and 78, June and October 2018.
You may also have seen her in the Boat of the Month slot on this web site! Thank you to Roger and Graeme for that...
The Cornish Crabbers are every bit as able and kindly at sea as the ancestors on which their designs are based. ANNIE is a fine combination of English west country and French working boats. Her performance as a sturdy cruising boat has been proved again and again with our family on the west coast of Scotland over many years, looking after us in some testing conditions. Now, with her junk rig, a lot more actual PLEASURE can be had sailing her, with a lot less SWEAT! It has proved to be a great success.
ANNIE is 29'6" on deck, just over 9' beam. Heavy GRP hull, full keel with centreboard. Her whole bottom is solid resin with steel punchings - giving her a kindly motion and great stability and strength. She has a plywood deck, hardwood cabins sides and cockpit trims etc, much of which we have painted for a workmanlike and easy-to-maintain finish. She was originally tiller steered, which my parents (by then in their 70's, and feeling the weather helm a bit) changed to a wheel with a hydraulic system. We gave her her tiller back in 2019 and this has really shown us the nice balance of the JR.
Her rig is built to PJR/Arne Kverneland's specification. It is all home-built, the mast and sail in my timber yard with the help of a professional sewing machine operator. The mast is laminated Douglas fir, about 111/2" at the partners. Battens are aluminium tube with turned extensions at each end to improve the appearance of ali tube. We have only ever bent one by careless stowing of the sail when one batten managed to take a bit too much weight. The sail is around 51sqm, a bit less than her full sail gaff predecessor, but we have never once felt under-powered and indeed the power from this rig with the wind abaft the beam is completely awesome - and so totally controllable, which is the best bit. Everything leads back to the cockpit.
Below she has two very generous sized "cosy double" quarter-berths and two settee berths in the saloon which are just long enough for me at 6'3" tall. There is a full-sized chart table to starboard and the simple galley , gas cooker and sink opposite. She was due a new VHF and echo sounder this year. Standing headroom I think is around 6', variable! The centreboard is very cleverly packed in under the companionway ladder, so the whole cabin floor is flat, although there is no space under the varnished pine sole given her construction method - no smelly bilge!
The folding table leaves, made of our own Scots pine, complement the varnished pine joinery and white painted accommodation. Paraffin lamp over the table. The Taylors pressurised paraffin cabin heater has a new German-made burner which is so , so much better than the original. It belts out a nice dry heat on a wet night. A door leads forward to the head, which has been moved to allow for the mast step. Forward of this is chain stowage. Plenty of room for wet gear to drip. This area requires post-conversion finishing, about which we will be flexible. The head is a new Blake/Lavac single-lever operating thing which works very well.
When C-19 conditions allow, we will be able to carry out some of the cosmetic work which we would have done last year if we had known we were going to buy the 34' 'Badger' CONSTANCE!! ANNIE is 21/2 hours away from where we live so we are unable to carry out this work for now. Again, we are flexible about what arrangements a new owner may want to make themselves, so all of this is open for discussion.
We are seeking offers around £36,500. We are anticipating the possibility of having to convert her back to gaff rig for a purchaser - that work is factored into this price.
Please contact me on info@blackdogtimber.co.uk if you would like to know more. Some photos are on my profile (link above). There are articles on her conversion and sail trials in the JRA magazine, issues 77 and 78, June and October 2018.
We are sad to see ANNIE leave our family, but have just bought John Greetham's 34' 'Badger' CONSTANCE, another design which has earned our great respect over the years as a capable cruising boat. While we would love to have 2 boats, one on each side of the country....
Pol Bergius.
Near Perth, Scotland