caprice yacht

[Nick]

There doesn't seem to be an owners' association.

The Caprice is capable of more than you might expect - Caprice Mkl, Sail Number C159 sailed around the world. The book is 'Shrimpy: A Record Around the World Voyage in an 18 Foot Yacht' by Shane Acton. Shrimpy was published in 1981 by Patrick Stephens Ltd., Bar Hill, Cambridge, UK. The book is out-of-print and hard to get, but copies turn up on the web - I got mine by advertising on YBW's 'wanted' forum. When available the copies are usually pricy! A second book Shrimpy Sails Again was also published and is also out-of-print.

Enjoy your boat,

Nick

[Silkie]

I suspect Alex may not be back to see it but the link is Tucker designs FWIW.

[DaveS]

Never one to be put off by elderly threads...

My first cruise was in a Caprice. There were three of us on board, which made it decidedly cosy and meant that you had to move in turn - a bit like one of those puzzles where you move the space. Fortunately the weather was mostly good. After launching from the beach at Strontian (not recommended) we circumnavigated most of Mull, and visited Eigg, Coll, the Treshnish and Erraid before hauling out at Oban. A highlight was losing the ship's fork overboard - and retrieving it using a fishing line.

[Booby Trapper]

SHRIMPY available online in PDF format

[Nick]

.
In the light of Shrimpy's rtw trip it is a trifle ironical to see this one described on Ebay as a 'river cruiser'

(although perhaps it is wholly appropriate as the first log entry on Shrimpy's trip round the world reads:
“Sat 19th August 1100 hours – left moorings at Cambridge. Course: down river”. )

[Nick]

.
The skeg - the bit the rudder is attached to - is non-standard and very oversized, almost like a short fin keel positioned right aft. I can;t believe she woujld be very balanced on the helm with that underwater profile, or in deed very stable as there would not seem to be any ballast.

You say her construction i s GRP, yet one of the pictures would seem to clearly indicate that she is of wooden construction. Has the wood been GRP sheathed?

All in all a bit of a 'one-off' it would seem.

tobermoryphil of YBW reported HERE in October that he had bought a MkIV Caprice, whick is fibreglass, but hard chine like the earlier ply boats. Why not give him a PM either on that forum or on YBW and see if he can shed somemore light on your boat?

(I thought Phil was a BlueMoment member, but apparently not - was it something I said??)

[Booby Trapper]

soz for the slow reply. Yep thats why I thought it was probably more a river boat possibly because no bilge keels?
Excuse me for being thick but what does ballast do, they start lights as far as I know?
It is grp hull and top but it does have a very good wood shell underneath this and the grp is untreated inside, I just assumed this is how they were made but I guess the later ones used actual moulds? Surely its a bit stronger having the wooden frame and easier to deck out inside? I so wish I hadnt ripped her insides out she looked so pretty before just worn!
So it would have definately had a mast and sails in the past at somepoint then?
Do you think my starting price is about right? Iv lots of watchers but no bids as yet
I certainly cant seem to find any pictures of the exact same boat so yes it would seem rather a one off wouldnt it!
Thanks for your replies all info on her is nice to hear

If you're paying someone £200 to take it away it looks about right.

[sharky]

Its a fantastic little yacht...If you read "An Ocean Away" by Dave Clarke you can learn a lot about how they sail.

I rebuilt one and did some great cruising in her, solid little sea boat.

Cheers Dave

[DaveS]

I suspect that given the 18 month gap between posts 1 and 2 that this particular one is possibly not still for sale.

I might have said this before, but my first ever proper cruise was in a Caprice in 1980 or 81. With three on board it was decidedly cosy, but we circumnavigated Mull, got into Fingal's Cave by dinghy, went to a great ceilidh on Eigg, landed on the Treshnish and generally had a great time.

[Nick]

Its a fantastic little yacht...If you read "An Ocean Away" by Dave Clarke you can learn a lot about how they sail.

I rebuilt one and did some great cruising in her, solid little sea boat.

Cheers Dave

Don't forget, you can also get Shrimpy in PDF free from the Bookshelf section of BlueMoment (link above). I'm currently reading this again on the Kindle and really enjoying it.

[sharky]

might have to look at getting An Ocean Away in e-format as it seems to be how some folk prefer to read a story, I'm still old school and like the smell and feel of a book.

[Nick]

might have to look at getting An Ocean Away in e-format as it seems to be how some folk prefer to read a story, I'm still old school and like the smell and feel of a book.

If you have a copy of the manuscript as a file of some sort then creating a copy for Kindle via Amazon's self-publishing platform is pretty easy. You can then sell it through Amazon and get 70% of the revenues.

[sharky]

thanks Nick, I will do a little bit of research into it. I've nearly completed book number 2, promised myself I would never do another one but pleased now its nearing the end.