“Nancy’s China” is a fine V-bottom plywood sailing pocket cruiser. Sam Devlen designed this shapely little vessel back in the 80’s and it has endured since with many built and sailed. The construction is the taped - seam method using epoxy and fiberglass -- a building system perfected by designer Devlin. This boat looks so sweet in its finished form!
Sam has designed in a dagger board to gain room in the cabin. The board has 30 lbs of lead into it’s lower section. Adding more stability is about 230lbs of cement and iron punchings (can anyone really find iron/boiler punchings today…?) below the bunks in the mid section of the boat. Dave Gerr in his book “Pocket Cruisers for the Backyard Builder” reviewed “Nancy’s China” and had this to say about ballast: “Ballast for “Nancy’s China” is cement and boiler punchings. This is certainly the easiest of all ballast materials for the amateur, being inexpensive and simple to form. However, cement and boiler punchings., as a ballast material, is not very dense, weighing only about 300 pounds per cubic foot. By comparison cast iron weighs 450 pounds per cubic foot (50 percent better), and scrap lead weighs 702 pounds per cubic foot (250 percent better). At today’s prices (about 28 cents per pound –1987), I’d replace this boats specified 250 pounds (sic) of cement ballast with lead,… lowering the center of gravity and improve sail-carrying power and performance”.
The sail rig is a tall sprit type loose footed along the boom. The jib adds some power to windward. A 2 hp. outboard can push the craft smartly (except perhaps into a big wind).
“Nancy’s China” Particulars: LOA 15’ 2”, LWL 12’ 6”, Beam 6’, Draft Board Down 2’ 9”, Sail Area 112 Sq. Ft., Displacement 785 Lbs. Plans and building information can be obtained at Sam Devlin’s web site.
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