Bart Jan Bats has written to say the company will be at the Beale Park Boat Show (10-12 June) to show its distinctive Nigel Irens daysailer, the trailable BJ17 , which has a polyester hull with modern lines, a balanced lug rig (a single-masted gaff rig is also available) and a large self-draining cockpit.
The company says the two masted lug has several advantages: a higher rig, it drives the boat better, especially in light winds, and the mizzen makes it easy to keep the boat pointing into the wind when hoisting sails or anchoring. Also, the sheets of both sails come together near the helmsman, which
makes single-handed sailing easy, while the rest of the cockpit is free of lines, allowing four people to be seated in comfort.
Some buyers may prefer the more familiar gaff-rigged version, however.
Bart Jan Bats will also be showing a Thames launch currently available for sale. It is built in cedar strip covered with 7mm mahogany, and finished with epoxy and a two-component polyurethane varnish. The deck is maple with mahogany, while the floor is teak with koto lines. The motor is a Volvo Penta 10hp.
