Welsford Navigator Lug Yawl

Description

The John Welsford Navigator is a highly popular and versatile 14½-foot (4.5 m) open dinghy designed by New Zealand naval architect John Welsford, celebrated for its blend of classic aesthetics, excellent performance, and suitability for amateur builders—often hailed as one of the most successful designs in his range with over 700 plans sold worldwide. Designer: John Welsford (a prolific creator of practical, good-looking wooden boats emphasizing simplicity, seaworthiness, and fun; the Navigator is one of his favorites personally). Year of Introduction: 1993. Production History: Not factory-produced; it's a plans-only design for home or small-shop builders using glued-lapstrake plywood construction (clinker/lapstrake over stringers and bulkheads, epoxy-glued). Thousands of hours of detailed plans (typically 11 sheets with full material lists, fastenings, and rigging suggestions) make it accessible to those with basic woodworking skills. It has inspired a dedicated following, with builds worldwide (from Finland and Norway to New Zealand, Fiji, the UK, and the US), including racing in mixed fleets, extensive coastal cruising, and even some with small cabins or custom rigs. A larger variant, the Pathfinder (~17 ft/5.25 m), was later developed to address requests for more space, speed, and gear capacity while retaining the Navigator's core traits.