User:Russ Platt/Yare & Bure One Design

The Yare & Bure One Design is an 20 foot half decker designed by Ernest Woods in 1908.

Background
Introduction

The Yare & Bure One Design is simply a design classic. Over 100 years old, it was designed to be, and remains, a truly versatile boat, providing thrilling racing one day and pleasurable day sailing the next. Its ease of sailing and safety makes the YBOD excellent for novices and children, yet it is speedy enough to challenge and satisfy the more experienced sailor. For many owners, its appeal can be summed up in three words: Grace, Pace and Space.

Grace

A beautifully proportioned design, which quite simply looks right on the water. Reputedly the design was inspired by the sight of a duck gliding through the water, manifesting itself in the YBOD’s signature features of a broad bow with a slightly uplifted transom. The hull shape is easily driven and suits the inland waters perfectly. The powerful rig is able to capture even the softest puff of breeze over the trees. An efficient rudder combined with a short keel makes for fast turns in the often restricted waterways of the Norfolk & Suffolk Broads.

Pace

With a combination of speed and response to the helm, it is no surprise that the Yare & Bure is chosen by many of the best sailors on the Broads. The class has the strongest fleets of all the local keelboat classes, with regular turnouts amongst the highest in the country. But it is not just about numbers; the quality of competition is extremely high.

Space

These boats have the space inside to sail comfortably. This makes racing more pleasurable and also means that you have room to entertain friends and family - a luxury not usually available on most similar sized keelboats.

Design

History
YBOD Line Drawing

The first Yare & Bure One Design was built in 1908 and, despite approaching its Centenary year, the YBOD remains one of the finest keelboat classes in East Anglia.

YBOD was the creation of Ernest Woods, one of the Broads' most prolific designers of the early twentieth century. It resulted from a competition held by the Yare & Bure Sailing Club to establish a One Design Class.

Prior to that, all boats raced at the Club were of different designs and were raced on handicap. The aim of the One Design was to eradicate differences, other that the skill of the helm, and possibly to avoid arguments over handicaps.

Eight boats were built in 1908 and Ernest went on to build a total of 69 boats. On his death, his nephow Herbert became the Class builder, building his first boat, No 70, in 1963. Herbert built a total of 24 boats until the cost of building in wood became prohibitive.

A fibreglass mould was taken from one of the early Ernest-built boats and since YBOD No 94 they have all been fibreglass, rather than wood. However, if your pocket is deep enough, there is no reason why a wooden YBOD couldn't be built today. Indeed, Ernest Woods' original moulds are still owned by the Class.

In 2005 the Yare and Bure Class Committee decided that the time was right to commission its own mould, the first of these of these 'new' boats being 124.. They are proving to be of similar speed to the rest of the fleet, demonstrating the benefits of following the strict One Design.

To date over 141 YBODs have been built. Some have been lost, in boatyard fires for example, but many others are still sailing today, as successfully as the day they first went on the water.