Wooden Ships Comments on this Paul Gartside Skylark
Paul Gartside Skylark sailing dinghy built by Jim Higginson at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy in 2013.
The Skylark is a beautiful looking dinghy with a wide transom carrying her beam a long way aft making the boats buoyant and stable. The wide and flat aft section of the hull gives good buoyancy to stop the hull digging in and giving them an excellent turn of speed. An ideal boat to explore and adventure around lakes and rivers in true Swallows and Amazons style.
Bought from the builder by the present owners and kept in Devon for summer sailing with the family. Wintered inside every year and left with an all over cover during the summer to protect the brightwork.
She was launched with a standing lug rig, but the owners had made a gunter sloop rig to the original Gartside plans by a professional boat builder with excellent condition Jeckells sails.
A very pretty dinghy built to a high standard with superb materials. One look at the tight grain of the douglas Fir planking shows just how much care went into the build of this boat.
Length: 14’1”
Beam: 5’10”
Construction
Clinker planked in slow grown Douglas Fir with a very tight and straight grain. It is clear this timber was chosen with care for its quality. Painted hull with a varnished sheer strake.

Copper rivet fastened to steam bent oak timbers.
Oak inwhales and mahogany rubbing strake.
Oak structural floor members across the centreline to give the hull stiffness.
Oak stem centreline and transom.
Oak centreboard box with a stainless steel centreboard, raised and lowered with a rope tackle.
3 oak thwarts with sawn oak supporting knees.
Slatted douglas fir side bench thwarts.
Slatted douglas fir sole boards.
Transom hung droplate rudder in oak with bronze hangings.

Rig
The boat has 2 rigs, a standing lug rig that she was built with, and a new gunter sloop rig which the current owners had made for the boat.

Standing lug rig with a stayed pole mast. All spars in douglas fir.
Gunter rig on pine spars with stainless steel standing rigging. Lanyards for tensioning the rig made off through oak blocks fixed under the inwhales.
Mainsail and jib by Jeckells Sails in excellent condition.
Mainsheet to a rope horse across the midships thwart and through a jamming block which is easy to reach from the helm.

Equipment

Vandergraft road trailer, newly serviced
Fitted all over cover
Pair of beautiful spoon blade oars
Pair of rowlocks
All spars and rigging for both Lug and gunter rig
Standing lug mainsail
Jeckells Gunter mainsail
Jeckells jib
Rudder and tiller
Stainless centreplate
Grapnel anchor with chain and warp

This 2013 Paul Gartside Skylark is listed for sale in Devon, England. With a 14ft layout, other engine setup and used condition, this boat is suited to buyers looking for sail options in this location. View full details, photos and specifications for reference RB693961 on Rightboat.