Whilly Tern
Description
The Whilly Tern, designed by Iain Oughtred in 1986, is a 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) glued-lapstrake plywood sailing and rowing skiff inspired by traditional Scottish west-coast fishing boats, optimized for solo or duo coastal day-sailing, fishing, and short camp-cruising in sheltered waters with a shallow-draft hull, flared sides, and wineglass transom for smooth tracking and stability. Featuring a 78 ft² (7.25 m²) standing lug sail (or optional gaff sloop) on an unstayed mast, a daggerboard, and efficient rowing with 8 ft oars, it weighs around 180–220 lbs (82–100 kg), offers built-in flotation, and can sleep one under a boom tent. Built from 6 mm marine ply using stitch-and-glue lapstrake, the Whilly Tern is prized for its classic lines, forgiving performance, and amateur-friendly construction, with detailed plans available from the WoodenBoat Store or Classic Marine, making it a favorite among heritage sailors and home builders.
Construction Details
| Designer | Iain Oughtred |
|---|---|
| Builder | Home Built |
| Length | 15.500 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Whilly Tern - 4-SIDED SAIL
| Luff | 7.75 ft - (2362 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.75 ft - (2667 mm) |
| Leech | 15 ft - (4572 mm) |
| Head | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Diagonal | 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Tack Angle | 76.5 ° |
| Area | 81.09 ft² |
| Comments | The Balance Lug sail option for the Whilly Tern. Lace the head to the yard with marline hitches. Loose footed on a boom. Two rows of reef points recommended. |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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