Thread: Gwen 12

Originally Posted by gmoore2611

You would find the gwen a lot easier to sail than a 16 or 18 footer, Nothing like a laser. As with all old boats there will be plenty of work to do before you get your feet wet.
What info do you have about your uncle's boat ? Sail no, name of boat, name of uncle, did he race it ??

Graham lived in Home Hill. They moved last year to Ayr. Apparently many years ago there was active dinghy racing in the Burdekin but it got killed off my beach cats ? I don't know much about dinghys. I started on keel boats and "graduated" to multis. I think my cousine Debbie campained a sabot ? for a while ?

I know he doesn't have it anymore, and moved the boats on long ago. He makes radio controlled sail boats now. They are really impressive. I was never interested in them but a day at the lake and I was having a really good time with them. They are surprisingly involving.

I could call him and ask if your really interested. I don't know many details, we haven't really discussed it at length.

Thank you for the clarification on sailing them. Do you mean lots of work restoring or setting up for each sail. Thank you for your patience.

I've got a plan set for a Jarcat 5, and I should probably just build that. My heart really isn't in dinghy's and I know I'd get a lot of use out of the J5.

Sigh. I probably should skulk around the clubs and see if I can scrounge a crewing position. I keep looking out the window at our sunny mild winters days...

Sounds like the J5 is what you really want. Go fo it.

There's a pretty nice looking Gwen 12 on Ebay, complete with trailer.

I wish it was closer to home!







EBay Item number: 190328788837

Thanks Woodeneye.

It looks fantastic.

Hope someone who really likes wooden boats gets it - you don't often see boats of this vintage in this condition (judging by the pics)

MIK

Thanks for that. It certainly is a credit to the now owner to have had it still in great condition. I really hope it ends up with an owner who will appreciated it as much as the previous one. Cheers all

What an awesome little skiff the Gwen is! I have just done some research on this little pocket skiff and I can't help wondering that given a decent name, this class could have been huge. It must have been a very exciting boat to sail.

It's definitely a boat I could be seen dead in

Has anybody here had the experience of sailing the Gwen 12?

A bit of info I discovered about the Gwen 12. There is not much info available as it's basically a defunct class.

The Gwen 12 was a hard chine plywood yacht notable for the chines that ran up the gunwale about 2 ft back from the bow. The bow was full and U shaped with a flat run aft. With a 5ft beam and self draining cockpit they were potent performers on a reach particularly in fresh breezes. Like the Cherub they carried a small working sail area 120sqft and an 80sqft single luff kite. Even though the Cherub carried slightly more sail, the Gwen 12 appears to have had its measure for speed, which is a tribute to its designer Lindsay Cunningham, the father of Catamaran design in Australia.

I couldn't find any reference to its weight. However, by today's standards, the Gwen 12 was a pretty solidly built little skiff and having seen the posted pics that show it's construction, I would guess its hull weight at something like 70-75kg.

Not too many pics available on the net, but here's a few I managed to find
...

Hi Woodeneye,
Thanks for the photos. Minimum weight was 140 lbs or 64 kgs
Graeme

Thanks Graeme

Did you notice the cat in the background in the last pic? By the same designer I think...

I owned a Gwen 12 nearly 30 years ago when living in South Oz.

She had a beautiful black hull (not a choice I would make but gee it looked good) She sailed like the clappers too especially with only one on board. Sold her cos I moved interstate.

The Brighton Seacliff Yacht Club in SA had quite a fleet them - I think a fella named Kim Colwell was one of their (Gwen 12) protaganists. Loved 'em like his Mother.

If you can find a good one (like anything) go for it. The one on ebay looks nice.

Then again any classic older yacht (Alden, Illingworth etc) is enough to get me excited. Hmmm pity I live five hours from the water.

Good Luck in your quest

I see the Gwen on eBay sold for $650 today. A good price I think, including a trailer. I had my hat in the ring but sadly had to bail due to the cost of transport back to Newcastle

More Gwen12 pics.

L to R: This photo is of Gwen 12 - 'High Roller' - sailed by Adrian and Ross Arthur; Peter Johnson and Tex Chillman - Gwen 12 - Fly by Night; Craig and Chris Colwell - Gwen 12 - True Blue - composite construction

Bruce,
Do you have any info on the first pic it looks to be a late boat. I don't recall Gwens having spinnaker shutes or open transoms and the bow sprit looks to be composite. When did the class fade or has it I gathered mid seventies but by that boat they may have gone on longer.

I never sailed a Gwen but always admired them when I was sailing cats Arafura Cadets and Arrows as a kid, they came from the same stable I believe.

There is interesting info in the biography of Iain Oughtred fantastic read BTW. A set of lines drawn by Iain where adopted by the association as the official plans.

Mike