Number of boats....?

[Jonathan Stuart]

While thinking about the possible association I thought it would be interesting to count the number of different models of boat and/or kit Swallow Boats has produced. I know, I should get out more :-).

Anyway, excluding the BC26 and the new sailing canoe, I have so far counted 18 (I have counted separately different boat lengths so, for example, the Storm 15, 17 and 19 count as 3 boats).

I'll post the full list later if anyone is interested. Can anyone get to a higher number?!

[Jonathan Stuart]

So here's my list. What's missing (other than BC26 and new sailing canoe)?!

BayCruiser 20
BayCruiser 23
BayRaider 17
BayRaider 20
BayRaider Expedition
Cardigan Bay Lugger
Kittiwake
Little Auk
Osprey
Sandpiper
SeaRaider
Storm 15
Storm 17
Storm 19
Storm Petrel
Teifi Skiff
Trouper
Winsome

[Matt Newland]

Jonathan,
There are actually four boats missing, but one of those was really only a prototype to prove our new CAD system.
Shortly after the Little Auk, which was first, Dad designed the Great Auk, which was about 15ft long and more of a day boat suitable for families.
It was double ended, single chine with a ballanced lug main sail and bermudan mizzen, similar to a BR20 mizzen.
We took her to Southampton BS back in the mists of time but at the time we were only offering our boats as kits and I think this limitted her appeal somewhat. We sold the prototype to a nice bloke up in the lake district, but cant remember his name. Look out for a lug rigged boat up there with a distinctive great Auk bird on the sail. Choosing a name of a bird that was extinct might have been a bad omen, in retrospect.

Some time after the great Auk, and after the sandpiper, we developed the Razorbill which was a transom sterned "expedition canoe". It was again a non starter comercially but a valuable lesson in not developing anything too niche. I had a lot of fun sailing her.

The last boat we actually developed for production was the dabchick, a boat for children. My Dad designed and built one for my five year old brother, before he actually started SB. He was surprised that Ben could keep up a good pace under oars due the fantastically light weight of the boat. We made quite a few of these as kits but in the end the market seemed to be full at relatively modest numbers and sales tapered off.

The last boat missing is the Shelduck. She was never offered as a kit but was designed as the smallest (cheapest) boat that could prove our new CAD system and its method of unrolling developable surfaces. Up to that point we generally had to build a full size prototype and take templates along the way. We this new software we could design everything and know it would fit together perfectly. It worked really well and after that all design work was done on the computer. We still have the original Shelduck here - I use her as a tender to get out to my mooring,though I was forced to paint her pink as a concession to my young daughters.

I think that completes the list.
Matt

[Jonathan Stuart]

Matt,

Thanks, that's really interesting and it's good to complete the list!

[Jonathan Stuart]

In case anyone hasn't seen it, this list of boats now has a page on the web site and as much information as I can find has been included:

http://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/wordpress/?page_id=132

If anyone can fill some of the blanks then please post here!

[Anthony Huggett]

Would it be pertinent to separate the number of kits from the SB factory boats?
Matt has previously said that they only give official hull numbers to the factory boats.

[Julian Swindell]

Note to Matt if he sees this. Has he ever thought of putting the Shelduck into production as a kit? I think I saw it in Cardigan once and I could be tempted to build one as a tender for my boat. But not in pink.

[Graham W]

According to Matt, 81 plain vanilla BR20's have been built or are in process; and 7 BR Expeditions.  There are a further 7 BR20's and 2 BRE's on order. Getting close to 100.

[Anthony Huggett]

Do Matt's figures include American and Australasian sales?

Regarding BR17s, there are 2 kits I know of, mine and Steve Jones'. Steve's is kit number 1 and he's been sailing her. Mine is still upside down in the garage (see home builders' area). I haven't seen anyone on the forum who has started a build since November 2010.

I think Denman marine have made and sold at least 2 BR17s. Perhaps Andrew would share his numbers with us?