When the now-defunct magazine The Boatman was launched in the early 1990s, one of its objectives was to provide boat plans suitable for amateur construction. One such boat was the Mallard, the first of which was launched in 1994. The magazine’s initial brief to designer Andrew Wolstenholme was to produce a modern version of SWALLOW, one of the boats in Arthur Ransome’s book, Swallows and Amazons. The brief called for a “boat-shaped boat which will genuinely sail” and with “considerable visual appeal to inspire the builder in the first place and along the way.” It should be big enough for two adults and small enough to be easily handled ashore and to be built in an average domestic garage—a length of 12′ would satisfy these requirements.The SWALLOW described by Ransome in his popular works of fiction had a long, straight keel and no centerboard, but Andrew wanted to give the new design “a sailing performance that meets today’s expectations” while retaining “the aesthetic feel of SWALLOW.” So he based his Mallard’s hull shape on his earlier design, the 11′ Coot, giving it “a rockered keel to ensure good turning, an efficient airfoiled centerboard and rudder for good windward performance and maneuverability, and a skeg aft to ensure good tracking under oar.” Tim Harrison's Mallard, newly christened TUCANA, was the only boat to brave the strong wind and rough water on Boatbuilding Academy launch day.
all photographs by the author
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Awesome little boat well done. More build pictures would have been good too. Love the rig choices. I’m an unstayed Cat man myself.
There are build diaries on our Boat Building Academy website for all of the boats, including Tim’s Mallard, which is indeed awesome.
(On the Academy’s web site under Boats/Boat archive there is a lapstrake Mallard. On the home page there is a video about the Academy and the Mallard TUCANA appears briefly under sail at 0:56 to 1:00. Ed.)
Swallow and Amazon both had standing lug rigs, as do our San Francisco Pelicans. Amazon was a centerboarder, really more useful for a small boat, lighter weight for one thing. Swallow sank when holed.
When used with a yard downhaul as well as a boom downhaul, it is a very useful and tractable sail. We have a jib, set on a bowsprit (jib boom) which can be used if conditions warrant.