The purpose of the MyTrailerSailer.com website is five fold:
To strengthen interest in trailable yacht ownership in general and to revilatise the concept of home building small plywood sailing boats primarily through celebrating the extraordinary 50th year Anniversary of the "trailer sailer" in Australia by documenting, by way of commentary, photos and movies, the construction, fit out, rigging and then sailing of a brand new purpose built commemorative edition Hartley TS21 trailer sailer.
Further additional post construction information in the form of photos and movies of the vessels participation in various sailing events, shows and regattas will also be included in due course.
We also intend to include short voyage stories from time to time that will hopefully provide an interesting insight into some of the 'joys of adventure' of small trailable yacht ownership.
To provide the public easy and direct access to suppliers and providers of materials, fittings and all equipment needed to complete a trailer sailer from construction start to being fully equipped and sailing safely on the water.
To publish an easy to understand resource on the construction of the 50th Anniversary Hartley TS21 trailer sailer which may be viewed and/or downloaded freely, without payment or cost.
The published documentation will provide coverage of each stage in the construction of a typical (Hartley type) trailer sailer and will hopefully be an easy to follow resource that will be of help to all people wanting to build a wooden trailerable sailing boat at home.
To our knowledge there is not a single resource on the actual construction of a Hartley TS21 trailer sailer accessible on the internet. This website will change this.
a) It is planned, pending a number of arrangements being met, students of boat building courses of Cairns TAFE college will be invited to partake in the vessel's actual construction. Photos of these activities will also be included on this site if the appropriate publishing permissions are given.
b) It is planned, pending a number of arrangements being met, the vessel will be made available to students of sailing and boat handling courses of Cairns TAFE college and other community service, sailing groups and clubs where appropriate. Photos of these activities will also be included on this site if the appropriate publishing permissions are given.
As an adjunct, this site will also be providing safety information via material produced by Maritime Safety Queensland, N.S.W. Maritime, Marine Safety Victoria, Transport S.A., W.A. Department of Transport, MAST (Marine and Safety Tasmania) and the Department of Lands and Planning N.T., specifically aimed at individuals and families who are venturing on to the water for the first time in a small sailing vessel.
Appropriate permissions will be sought from these state government authorities to reproduce their material for publication on this site.
Hartley Boat Plans (Hartley & Brookes Associates)
We have no connection or association with the Hartley's Boat Plans people other than having purchased two sets of Hartley TS21 plans from them. One set in the early 90's (Mk2 version) and a second set in 2009 (Mk3 version).
Minor modifications during construction
The construction of a new trailer sailer brings with it the opportunity to fine tune various areas to best suit the intended use. In our case these will be minor modifications and of course the use of epoxy adhesives and coatings that were not around when the TS21 was first designed.
Therefore, while staying true to the design plan and construction methods as detailed by Mr Richard Hartley himself are important, we will be deviating from them for the purpose of improving the overall functionality, safety and quality of the finished product.
As a result of this, in strict accordance with the established Hartley 18-21 Yacht Club Inc. rules of measurement for the Hartley TS21, this vessel will be classified as a 'modified' Hartley TS21.
Website Purpose & Disclosure
