img2799The Drascombe story starts in the early 1960s with John Watkinson, a former Royal Navy officer, building a boat for himself and his family. John's requirements were for a daysailer, capable of being trailed, stable (to counterract his wife's tendency to seasickness), and safe; but capable of giving an experienced sailor a lively and exciting sail. The boat that John hand-built in a barn on his farm at Drascombe Barton was inspired by the working boats of England's North-East coast, which themselves can trace an ancestry back to the Vikings.

The first Drascombe Lugger was an immediate success and its obvious commercial potential prompted John to initiate production of the boats in GRP. Other models followed, but all following the original philosophy of safety, robustness, and fun.

img2798McNulty boats dates back to 1902, with Captain James McNulty, who led a colourful seafaring life and then retired from active sailing at the age of 60. He and his son started a company in South Shields as ship transporters, riggers and stevedores.
The business developed from stevedores through to the offshore industry. As stevedores it employed ship carpenters, but had difficulty retaining them to work casually and so to ensure continuity of employment, it was decided they build small rowing boats.

The first boat was subsequently purchased by a local tugboat company, who used her for crew changeovers. Since this fledgling boat, up to the present day, our traditional hand crafted wooden boats have been in constant demand.

The McNulty name is synonymous with quality and craftsmanship and as a result were awarded the exclusive worldwide licence to build the Drascombe Range.

The Drascombe name is the epitome of traditional values, which McNulty Boats are proud to be associated with.

John Watkinson's vision, was of a boat that was stable, capable of being trailed and sailed with ease. In John Watkinson's words, "Quite simply, if we were going to enjoy our leisure time on the water as a family, the first requirement was that they should have complete confidence in the craft". With safety in mind, he designed and built his family boat that generated so much interest, he went on to build his first commercial boat: it sold at the London Boat Show within thirty minutes of the opening day.

img2797Since this time the Drascombe has become the most popular classic traditional sailing boat and in the words of The Drascombe Association, "They are truly family boats. As you step aboard their stability is comforting". With sails furled they make excellent fishing boats, their shallow draft means they can be used to explore rivers and estuaries or be beached for a family picnic, the list is endless.

Their seaworthy heritage has been demonstrated by daring voyages - the longest single-handed open boat voyage ever recorded was made in a Drascombe Lugger - equally, every weekend Drascombe boats can be found on lakes, lochs and rivers throughout the UK giving families and children a safe but exhilarating sail.

In 1997 McNulty Boats Ltd, were awarded the exclusive licence to build the Drascombe range, and since this time have been conscious of the need for updating its construction and fit out. The craft still maintains the same external shape originally created by John Watkinson, but has undergone numerous modifications on the internal mouldings, lay up and fit out, in line with our philosophy of combining the best of the old with the best of the new.

The height of the centre board casing was increased to above the swamp level and the mast height of the Lugger was increased to give enhanced vision under the foot of the mainsail whilst sailing. They also modified and improved buoyancy and introduced a forward letterbox to allow for tidy stowage of the oars. With these and any future modifications McNulty Boats are particularly mindful of the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) and as such, have worked to meet these requirements.

McNulty Boats
Unit 7, Victoria Industrial Estate
Victoria Road West, Hebburn
Tyne & Wear NE31 1UB
Tel.: +44 191 483 4836
Fax: +44 191 483 2800
[email protected]
www.mcnultyboats.com

UK Owners Association: www.drascombe-association.freeserve.co.uk

North American Owners Association: homepage.mac.com/hollybird/Drascombe_NA/drascombeNA.html