Cocktail Class Racer

Product Description

The Cocktail Class Racer is a very nifty 8-foot racer. It is based on a 1939 design called the Skua by Charles MacGregor, originally published in The Rudder Magazine as an example of what could be done with a novel new material called ‘plywood’.

The Cocktail Class Wooden Boat Racing Association has revived the old design and is rapidly building up the class as a forum for safe, fun, inexpensive racing.

It is powered by either a 6 or 8 horsepower outboard, depending on how much the skipper weighs. If less than 200 lb, you are limited to a two-stroke 6 HP Johnson or Evinrude outboard – which are ubiquitous and inexpensive. If more than 200 lb, you may use an 8 HP of any vintage.

Keith Carew, an engineer from the esteemed Farr Yacht Design team, pitched in after-hours to help with the complicated conversion from tricky plywood-on-frame construction to stitch-and-glue, suitable for first-time builders. We've come up with a pretty cool slot-together scheme. You can assemble the boat in an hour or two, ready for epoxy fillets and fibreglass, yet the kit is competitive and completely class legal.

One of our early kits, helmed by CLC's own Aaron McWain, won the 2011 Cocktail Class Nationals.

Kits and plans include a brilliant 143-page instruction manual, with almost 400 photos and drawings illustrating every step.

The kit includes:

• Pre-cut wooden panels with pre-cut joints
• Epoxy resin and activator
• Epoxy fillers
• Copper ties
• Woven glass fabric
• Woven glass tape
• Comprehensive building manual
• Free technical support from a competent builder

Please note that steering controls are sold separately; see below.

What else do I need?

Steering Component Kit

An attractive, precise and sturdy steering system for the Cocktail Class Racer. Complete instructions for this system are included in the manual that accompanies the kits and the plans. Note: 8-horsepower users must use stronger shock cord – at least 9 mm (⅜″) thick.

Plans and Manual

The manual is the same one that is included in the kit. It describes all of the techniques that will be used during the build and also a step by step guide to construction. Scale drawings are used throughout as well as photographs of critical jobs.

The plans include full-size drawings for every part in the boat, including the slot-together interior framework, and detailed instructions on shopping for materials and fabricating parts. The plans and manual contain sufficient information on the cutting of the panels to make it possible to build the boat from scratch rather than a kit.

Study Manual

This is intended for pre-build study or to help with the decision to purchase the kit. Reading this manual will help you decide whether or not you can build the boat kit. It is the manual that accompanies the kit. If, later, you decide to purchase the kit the cost of this printed manual will be deducted from the kit price.

This manual does not contain the plans of the panels with the cutting instructions so it is not possible to build the boat from scratch using only this manual.

PDF study manual

The construction manual for the boat is also available as a PDF download. After credit card authorisation a download link will be sent to the email address put on the order form.

PDF study plans

These study plans are intended to give you an overview of the construction of the boat. They are in PDF format that can be viewed using Adobe Reader. There are two pages and they measure 279 × 216 mm (11″ × 8½″). They can be printed for carrying around.

After credit card authorisation the plans will be sent to the email address put on the order form.

When you have studied the plans, your next step might be to order the printed instruction manual, which will walk you through the project step-by-step.