Introduction
‘Enfys’ is a Finesse 24 class auxiliary sailing yacht with external ballast keel, drop centreplate and bilge keels. She was designed and built by Alan F. Platt at his yard in Thundersley, Benfleet, Essex, UK. She is masthead sloop-rigged with burmudian mainsail and genoa jib on a rotary headstay.
We do not know her exact build date, as she was never registered, but from her sail number (26) we have worked out that she probably left the builder’s yard in the mid 1970s.
Principal dimensions
L.O.A. 24′ (7.315m); L.W.L. 21’4” (6.5m); Beam 8’1” (2.463m); Draft 7′ (2.133m), Plate up 2’6” (0.762m); Cabin headroom at the highest point 5’8” (1.727m); Sail area 259 sq. ft. approx. (24m sq.)
Construction details
Iroko planking copper riveted onto steamed rock-elm ribs. The keel and deadwood are Iroko and the stem, hog, floors are laminated Iroko. The clinker planking was laid to a 15mm finished thickness and each plank has two fastenings between each timber. Ten gauge copper nails are used on timbers and 12 gauge on lands, roved up on 10mm copper roves. Hood end and garboard fastenings are silicon bronze up to the deck. All centreline fastenings through keel, deadwoods and floors are galvanised mild steel. There are four laminated Iroko hanging knees per side under mast beams and main beams. Carlines, breasthook, quarter knees, rubbing band and samson post are Iroko.
The fixed rudder is Iroko with shaped tiller and stainless steel hangings. Bilge keels are made of galvanised mild steel. The cockpit is framed up in hardwood with Iroko fronts and lift up sections are in solid Iroko. The deck is 12mm thick marine plywood laid to Iroko beams and is sheathed in glass woven cloth and epoxy resin overpainted with a non-skid finish. The companionway hatch slides and has drop-in boards to close. The forehatch is hinged at its after edge and clipped shut from within. ‘Enfys’ is finished in white enamel to her whalestrake, which is varnished as are her cab sides, coamings and all of the cockpit interior, margins and hatch sides.
Rig
The mast is anodised aluminium stayed with two lower and one upper shrouds (via crosstrees), per side, backstay with block and tackle tensioner and single forestay running within a rotary genoa furling unit with line lead back to the cockpit. The boom is anodised aluminium and is rigged with reefing pendants and tackles for two permanently rigged slab reefs to the mainsail. To make sail handling even easier she is rigged with a system of twin lazyjacks and integrated sailbag to allow sail stowage in a jiffy. This system is sometimes referred to as a ‘stack-pack’ and was made by Kemp Sails, as were her current wardrobe. The main halyard, topping lift, port and starboard lazyjack and kicking strap (vang) are all lead back to jamming cleats accessible from the cockpit. The mainsheet is a 3:1 purchase with jammer and works on a horse across the aft edge of the cockpit. The genoa sheets are lead via deck-mounted lazyblocks to self-tailing winches on the cockpit coamings.
Machinery
When she left the builder’s yard ‘Enfys’ originally had a Yanmar YSE12 diesel installed but she was re-engined in a previous ownership with a 20hp Beta diesel. This marvellous little 3-cylinder engine is a marinised Kubota industrial engine. The engine drives a 3-bladed RH propellor via a 1″ tail shaft. The boat has two 12V batteries, one dedicated to engine starting and the other arranged to supply the boat’s lights and services. Both are charged together by a 40A alternator driven by the engine.
The Finesse Class has a good website packed with useful information, links and articles about this small but handy class of cruising yacht that was built in 21, 24, 27 and 28ft versions with various rigs; sloop, cutter and gaff and accommodation layouts.
https://www.finesse-owners-association.co.uk
‘Enfys’ has now been sold (July 2025) after sixteen happy years in our ownership and is staying in Pembrokeshire with her new owners.
Clinker Boats 