Changes to a West Wight Potter 19?

Hi all, I'm interested in hearing what you think about the possibility of making some changes to a WWP19. The changes I'm thinking of include lightening up the centerboard, adding a tabernacle to make it easier to drop the mast on the water and looking into the possibility of losing all but the front stay to simplify setup and speed up getting onto the water when daysailing.

I realize the boat was designed for and sails well with the steel centerboard as is but I wonder if a hybrid centerboard made of mahogany/steel or aluminum/steel would still keep some weight down low and perform almost as well while allowing me to get rid of the winch and singlehand a little easier. Eventually I'd like to winter in the Keys so quick and easy operation would be a plus.

Adding weight with a tabernacle and losing righting force with a lighter centerboard might mean looking into a carbon mast or downsizing the rig. If anyone has any suggestions on other production boats that might be a good match for a swap I'd be interested in hearing your suggestions and reasoning.

Let me know what you think, if it's not really feasible I'd like to hear that too. Thanks!

 

Welcome to the Forum Blam.
It sounds like you already have a WWP 19?
I had to go to the trusty Sailboat Data website to find out a bit more about her.
SailboatData.com - WEST WIGHT POTTER 19 Sailboat https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/west-wight-potter-19

It mentions that the ballast is 370 lbs - is all of this in the steel centreboard, or does she also have some internal ballast as well?
If all the ballast is in the centreboard, then she will become rather tender if you start removing weight from it.
The drawing in the link is not very clear - is it a daggerboard, or a pivoting centreboard?

You mention wanting to fit a tabernacle - yet you also want to do away with the standing rigging apart from the forestay, and that will be rather difficult (if not impossible) to do with a tabernacle. Free standing masts are usually keel stepped, and are designed to be cantilevers.

What sort of budget is available for this project? I am thinking that even it is just you spending the winters on board in the Keys, a 19' boat is still going to become very small fairly quickly if you are living on board.

 

The only time I had much to do with a WW Potter, it had capsized (I was in the rescue boat) so I'd be wary of reducing ballast!