Wee Seal Mark II

Description

The Wee Seal Mark II (also known as the Wee Seal Mk II or Wee Seal II) is a Scottish-designed clinker (lapstrake) plywood trailerable cruising sloop created by renowned naval architect Iain Oughtred as a refined evolution of his original 1992 Wee Seal. It was developed in 2001 in response to builder and owner feedback, featuring seven narrower planks per side for a smoother, more rounded and classic hull appearance (versus the earlier five-plank version), a lengthened hull, slightly increased beam, and an offset centerboard for simpler trunk and ballast construction. Offered exclusively as plans (and sometimes kits) for amateur and professional wooden boat builders through Oughtred's plans service and various wooden boat suppliers, it has no single commercial factory builder; a modest but unknown number of boats have been completed worldwide since the early 2000s, with individual examples often highly customized. Construction is typically glued-lapstrake marine plywood (epoxy-coated), with options for a small outboard or inboard auxiliary, lead or iron ballast casting, and a self-draining cockpit. Key features include a cozy cabin with two berths and sitting headroom, generous stability for its size, shallow draft for beaching and trailering, and a traditional gunter-rigged sloop sailplan that is easy to handle—making it an ideal pocket cruiser for coastal exploration, gunkholing, or protected waters rather than heavy offshore work.