Greetings and welcome to our constantly growing pages showing the construction progress of our newborn Hartley TS16 Trailer Sailer. 

You simply can't be in the famous America's Cup defence coastal city of Fremantle, surrounded by the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Swan River without sailing a boat!

Originally designed by New Zealander Richard Hartley, the TS16 is the most popular trailer sailer in Australia. It is a clean lined, unsinkable conventional trailer yacht which sleeps 2 comfortably and has proven its performance and versatility over 40 years. It is light, easy to rig, launch and retrieve and can be towed comfortably by a four cylinder car.

Our beautiful timber hull was constructed by the dedicated craftsmen at Duck Flat Wooden Boats in Mount Barker, South Australia and the fitting out and rigging has been completed by ourselves here in Fremantle, near Perth, Western Australia.
 

Quick Specifications - Hull: Length = 16'5" (5 Metres)  Beam = 7'4" (2235mm)  Draught = 9" (230mm) with centreplate up Draught = 4'1" (1245mm) with plate down  Cockpit length = 6' (1829mm) Length of berths = 6'3" (1905mm) Weight = 800lb (363kg)

Quick Specifications - Rig: Total sail area = 180 sqft (16.56sqm) Mainsail = 125 sqft (11.5sqm)  Jib = 55 sqft (5.06sqm)  Storm jib = 25 sqft (2.3sqm)  Spinnaker = 117 sqft (10.77sqm)  Mast = 21 ft (6401mm)  Boom = 11 ft (3353mm)

Early days - the construction jig	Aft view showing Clear Western Red Cedar framing, (Bote Cote sealed), stringers and laminated chine logs dry fitted and glued
Bow view showing bevelled keelson and diagonal stringers in place	Partial planking and stringers with glue (Bote Cote) now in place, ready for fixing and cleanup
Butt straps waiting for the next planking panel	Inside/underneath view (still upside down on the jig) of the routed coated stringers and hull bottom, precoated and cleaned up.  Some temporary butt strap screws are holding the bottom planking fair in place while the glue sets off

Light glass wetting out with Bote Cote over the Gaboon Ply hull planking.  The slight rounding of the double chines required for good cloth 'lay' will be re sharpened (the sharp, or hard chine is believed to be faster...) with an external Bote Cote fillet, providing good additional abrasion resistance at the most vulnerable point of the hull

All hands at work!  Now a brilliant white and off the jig	Right way up at last!
Inside bow treatment at frame #1	Gleaming clear finish, foredeck beams in place

Main cabin bulkhead installed, companionway cut out yet to be made. Cockpit floor, cabin berth and flotation tank web framing fitted. The transom will be sepelle ply veneered.

View from the bow looking aft - cockpit and partial cabin floors dry fitted into place (it's easiest to do all this before the cabin is built)

Later view showing the companionway step-down and open access hatches for the centrecase / centreboard pivot bolt

Foredeck, cabin beams and sides fitted, original Mk1/1b TS16 style side windows cut - we like the option of 2 windows per side and will have 2 in the cabin front also

The aft few beams will be cut for the cabin hatch once the roof is on	Cockpit seats before the side decking goes on. There is plenty of room for watertight storage under them with access from both within the cabin forward and via side hatches aft
12V Electrical wiring nicely concealed	Cabin roof now on, internal framing so that the windows are flush and mountings concealed
Rear well almost completed, aft under seat compartment hatches cut out ready for fittings.  Spot the happy rubbish bin...	We opted for the large cabin hatch for greater forward access. Cockpit side coamings are yet to be fitted. Thanks for your amazing craftsmanship, Dave!

Cabin companionway opening now cut to full width and traditionally rounded, cockpit side coamings fitted and deck sanded ready for light glass/Bote Cote. 3"x2" oregon mast compression post yet to be fitted in cabin. Trim, combing cap and sheer capping will all be in mahogany and transom in sepelle ply veneer for contrast.

Now we're getting there!  Final paint, mahogany trim and on the trailer for a trial fit.

There's that lovely sepelle ply veneered transom.  Beamy little boats, aren't they!

THIS WAY TO PAGE 2....!

FAVOURITE HARTLEY TS16 TRAILER SAILER AND RELATED LINKS:

Duck Flat Wooden Boats in South Australia
The Hartley Trailer Sailer Website in NZ
Fremantle Sailing Club