A couple of modifications to the Penny Fee:

We are into our seventh full season with our Penny Fee design, Fee-Fi. In that time we have made some adjustments and improvements, most of which happened years ago but I just never got around to writing about them.

First off we made some adjustments to the rudder.

The bottom of the rudder, the part that kicks up, is aluminum and even though it has been painted with aluminum paint and bottom paint on top of that it was still showing too much corrosion at the end of each season. It looked like the main reason for this was that even when the bottom part of the rudder was pulled up it was right at the water level with very little clearance. We had to replace the aluminum once and at that time redesigned the upper part of the rudder so that when the kick-up part was in the “up” position it completely clears the water and is higher off the water.

New rudder design with the traveler and sliding block for the main sheet

We have stayed with the push-pull, or Scandinavian, tiller system but have made both the cross piece and tiller longer and out of nicer materials. Aside from the aesthetic qualities this has done two things for us; the longer tiller means that it is easier to steer from the center of the boat when sailing solo, and the longer cross piece has made room for the addition of a traveler for the main sheet.

The bilge.

Another change that we made during our second season was something I had never originally considered and that was the addition of a bilge pump. Now the reason that I never considered this in the first place is that glued lap-strake and epoxy boats are basically leak proof, however, I forgot about rain. After a rainy week it sometimes took twenty minutes to bail the boat. After working so hard to make a leak-less boat, the idea of drilling a hole in the boat for a thru-valve fitting for the bilge pump to empty water out of the boat was one I could not face. Along the same lines, having a hose draped over the side seemed both cumbersome and something that would have to be taken apart and set back up again each time we wanted to use the boat. What we did instead was to mount the pump on one side of the centerboard well and a float switch on the other. Both pump and switch are wired to a motorcycle battery mounted in a box up under the underside of the mid-ships thwart seat. The pump is plumbed not to the outside of the boat but instead to the side of the centerboard well right at the top of the well. Water exits the boat through the centerboard well. This has been a good solution for us since most of the time we just forget the pump is there.

The bilge pump

The float switch with battery box just above it

Summary:

We love our big Friendship sloop, she is our summer home, a place to recharge, entertain, and this year at least, to quarantine. But the addition of our sailing tender has brought so much more fun to cruising. There have been so many times where taking out the Friendship would have been a lot like work, especially if you only have an hour or two to go for a sail, but we can jump into the tender, have the sail rigged in minutes and be off on a short adventure, gunk-holing, exploring the shallows, and of course moving people and gear to and from the boat. When cruising we sometimes get to a secluded anchorage a bit early so that we can get a good spot to anchor, then go for a sail in Fee-Fi. It’s a double sailing day, two kinds of sailing on two different boats in the same day. What could be better?

Tags: Iain Oughtred, Penny Fee, wooden boats