The
Christmas Wherry

Thanks to Jordan Boats, precut kits for this Christmas Wherry were first made available in the UK and Europe. And now we are pleased to announce that kits are also available for the US and Canada.

Read more about it.

We're known more for building wherries than any other small craft. We began about 1970, with the Lincolnville Salmon Wherry, expanded with the Rhodes model, added the Newfoundland Trap Skiff, and designed the Duck Trap model. Despite the fact that all are of the same general type, and each and every one is a winner, individual differences and capabilities made us wish for one a bit more versatile. That's the way it is with boats.

Emails and visitors nagged us repeatedly for a wherry to fill the niche between our Duck Trap Wherry and Newfoundland Trap Skiff. They wanted a boat that would be in the 15' range and be able to sail as well as row. Additionally, we wanted enough beam to make her stand up under a good press of sail. Factor in that she needed to be a shoal draft centerboarder with minimum freeboard and enough weight to avert any corkiness afloat, have a capacity of 2-3 (or 4 in a pinch), and a sail rig that stows completely within the boat. That's a taller order than you might think, and the reason it took two years to fully develop her design. And yes, she can be outboard powered.

The Christmas Wherry fills that bill and then some...and she turned out to be one very fine-looking wherry.

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This stars and stripes boat measures 15' between fore and aft perpendiculars, has a moulded beam of 5', and a depth amidships of 1'-6", and with her 9mm Okoume planking weighs about 175 pounds. She has a plank keel that is straight in profile and 12" wide outboard at the 'midship station. Her overall profile mimics the Duck Trap Wherry, but she's deeper and broader of beam. Her deadrise is quite similar though she has a harder bilge. The transom exhibits the lovely wherry tuck and tumblehome that you've come to expect of our boats.

Of course others build them too. Here's another beauty...

Her builder wrote to say: I built your stunning Christmas Wherry in Campbell River BC ( Vancouver Island ) with some guidance from Hilford Burton of Hilmark boats and you of course. I had wonderful results and my boat gets so many compliments.
...................................Rob Russell

Have a look at the one built in the Netherlands in January/February, in 2012.

...and yet another. This one, in fact, was the very first built from the Christmas Wherry kit produced in the UK by Jordan Boats.
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That's Paul Barnes at the helm of his Christmas Wherry, Annie Bee, that he built using a kit produced by Jordan Boats. Perhaps the dinghy sailor off her starboard bow ought to consider building one too...

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The Christmas Wherry carries a 102 square foot lugsail. This is the traditional rudder, though the plan shows a highly efficient kickup rudder. The modification is explained on the disk. Rigging details are all shown on her sail plan, of course, and fully detailed on the CD. In fact, all three of these photos are on the CD (as well as in the print version, of course).

15' Christmas Wherry plans (4 pages)............................US$75.00
Lofting ...............................................................................................125.00
Building The Christmas Wherry CD........................................25.00
And we offer printed versions as well:
Building the Christmas Wherry........................179 pages/222 photos
Color =$75................................................... B&W=$40
Information on what's inside.

Entire CW Package (plans, lofting, CD, and print version).................275.00*
*That's a $25 savings, (meaning you get the CD for free)
AND we'll pay the shipping within the US.

Click here for more information on the CD.

Note: the print version DOES NOT include the CD. What it does include is the equivalent of 179 8.5" x 11" pages with 222 photos and illustrations.

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This Christmas Wherry was just built by Bert van Baar and his students at the De Bootbouwschool in Uitgeest, Holland. This photo was sent to us by Cees de Groot, one of her builders. Looks to be a very nice job...not only that, but they got her this far in only 10 working days!

Here's a link to their site.


What's a lofting and how does it differ from plans?
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(Price of lofting includes delivery in the US)

>>>>Compare all 5 of our wherries<<<<

If you are interested in learning about wherries,
you will want to take a look at our book, Wherries

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