Keyhaven 33 Yawl

Description

The Keyhaven Yawl 33 (also known as the Keyhaven Yawl) is a classic British wooden (or occasionally GRP) gaff-rigged yawl cruiser designed by Laurent Giles & Partners (the renowned firm of Jack Laurent Giles), with inspiration from earlier Giles designs like Argo (a 32 ft yawl). It was built as a custom or limited-production boat by various small yards (e.g., some references to Cantieri Del Sud in Italy for later GRP versions, though primary builds were UK-based lapstrake or carvel wooden construction in the mid-20th century). The design emphasizes traditional seaworthiness, shallow draft for estuary/coastal gunkholing (e.g., Solent or Keyhaven area), comfortable motion in waves, and a yawl rig for easy heavy-weather sail handling and balance under reduced canvas. It features a lapstrake (clinker) hull in many examples for classic aesthetics and strength, centerboard or shallow keel, and practical accommodations for short cruises (berths for 4–6, galley, head). Production was very low (custom/limited builds; likely a handful to low dozens across variants, not mass-produced), with surviving hulls rare and cherished as traditional classics.