Sailing Performance
Scruffie’s designer, Derek Ellard, is an ex-East Coast sailor, who grew up tackling the strong tidal streams and uncertain breezes of the English coast. If you need to short tack up a river to get to your mooring before the light goes, you realise that sailing performance isn’t only about winning races. Derek still loves sailing, and refuses to design a boat that doesn’t sail well. All the Scruffie boats will at least keep up with other similar sized boats, and some (especially Secret) will get to that mooring with time to boil the kettle, settle down in the cockpit and watch the rest catch up in the dying breeze.

Structural Strength
The materials and method of building result in a very tough, rigid and durable hull. The engineering of the design puts stresses through the substantial plywood components, which interlock in 3 planes. Beams, and some stringers, are laminated for extra strength.

Long straight fixed keel
All the boats are built on a ready-made keel. This adds strength to the hull, whereas a centreboard case is usually a weak point (frequently the source of leaks), and it makes building faster and easier. Compared to a lifting centreboard with its associated case there are many advantages when sailing.

Much more room where it counts - in the cockpit and cabin

A steadier helm, especially in broken water or stronger winds

No moving parts

One fewer stressful job for the crew when launching and recovering

The ability to keep on to windward in the shallows

The total area is greater than the average centreboard, so windward ability isn’t compromised, and the ballast is as low as possible to maximise the righting moment.

Durable with minimum maintenance
The external hull surface is sheathed in glass cloth and epoxy, and every wooden surface is saturated with epoxy. The hardwood trim will need a fresh coat of varnish occasionally, but with this minimal maintenance the boats will literally last a lifetime (probably several!). Repairs are far more straightforward than with a GRP hull.

Stable / Ballasted
All the boats, except the 12’ Shimmy, can carry sufficient ballast in the keel to be self-righting from knockdown. Combined with the form stability this gives exceptional comfort and confidence, especially for the less experienced crew.

Simple effective rigs
Secret is designed for a gaff cutter rig, which gives plenty of sail area low down and allows all spars to be stowed in the length of the boat. The mast is mounted on a tabernacle to allow easy lowering for bridges, as it is on Stornaway and Scintilla.

Scintilla can also be rigged as a gaff cutter, but is more usually equipped with the Scruffie signature rig – a loose-footed standing lug. Scintilla and Stornaway have a small, unstayed, mizzen for manoeuvrability, enhanced flexibility and a host of useful advantages.

The loose-footed mains are obviously safer than a mainsail with a boom, especially when gybing, and combined with the wide mainsheet travellers allow the sail to take up a naturally efficient curve both to windward and off the wind. Perhaps their greatest advantage is that they allow brailing lines on the mainsail, an idea borrowed from the Thames Bawleys. These allow instant depowering and stowage of the main (up against the mast and yard - out of the way), simply by pulling a light untensioned line from the cockpit. In the yawls you are then left with a small sail at each end of the boat, giving the ultimate in controllability.

The smaller boats have single unstayed masts for the shortest possible set-up time.

The yard doesn’t need to be dipped when tacking – although that is an option if standing a long beat.

Easy to build – add value!
Construction is described elsewhere, but anyone can build a seaworthy and good-looking boat which will be worth far more than the cost of the kit. You can buy a secondhand plastic boat, which will depreciate slowly, or you can buy a kit and make money!

Timber quality
All the wood is of the highest possible quality. Plywood is highly specified and closely controlled, and from sustainable sources. Other structural timber, mainly Oregon pine and Cedar, is also carefully selected. Customers choose the hardwood for the trim, from a range of beautiful Australian species, and it is that wood used for laminating structural beams, with Cedar for lightness.