Ness Yawl
Description
The Ness Yawl is a graceful, lightweight double-ended beach boat/rowing-sailing dinghy designed by Scottish naval architect Iain Oughtred, inspired by the traditional Shetland Ness Yoles (descendants of Viking longships with buoyant ends and shallow draft). Introduced in the late 20th century as a plans-based design (no factory production; owner-built or small-shop examples number in the hundreds worldwide), it features glued-lapstrake plywood/epoxy construction for easy home building, exceptional rowing performance (fast and efficient single- or double-handed), and versatile sailing in coastal, inland, or expedition scenarios—emphasizing beauty, simplicity, low freeboard, flare for wave handling, and lively speed (hull speed ~5–5.5 knots, with surfs and downwind runs often exhilarating). The most common rig is a yawl/ketch with a large balanced lug foresail (main) for easy reefing, twist control, and minimal hardware (unstayed masts for quick setup/low bridges), plus a small Bermudan or lug mizzen for balance, heaving-to, or heavy-weather running; alternatives include gunter sloop or standing lug.
Construction Details
| Designer | Iain Oughtred |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 19.170 ft |
| LOA | 19.170 ft |
| LWL | 15.670 ft |
| Beam | 5.250 ft |
| Displacement | 275 lb |
| Max Draft | 3.750 ft |
| Min Draft | 0.670 ft |
| Year Built | 1995 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
Ness Yawl - 3-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 8.67 ft - (2643 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 4.33 ft - (1320 mm) |
| Leech | 8.17 ft - (2490 mm) |
| Tack Ang | 68.8 ° |
| Area | 17.5 ft² |
| Comments | Yawl rig mizzen |
| Edit in Calculator |
Ness Yawl - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 7.67 ft - (2338 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.25 ft - (2819 mm) |
| Leech | 16.5 ft - (5029 mm) |
| Head | 11.25 ft - (3429 mm) |
| Diagonal | 11.33 ft - (3453 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 83.5 ° |
| Area | 98.83 ft² |
| Comments | Lug only rig. |
| Edit in Calculator |
Ness Yawl - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 8.17 ft - (2490 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.51 ft - (2899 mm) |
| Leech | 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
| Head | 11.22 ft - (3420 mm) |
| Diagonal | 11.58 ft - (3530 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 81.5 ° |
| Area | 102.97 ft² |
| Comments | Lug Main Yawl rig |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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