Lucky Town 7, any info or opinions?

[James from NZ]

The Lucky Town 7 is a little 14ft micro cruiser, sort of similar to Matt Layden's Paradox insofar as it's small, and that you can sail it sealed up inside.
I haven't been able to find any more information about it or how it handles.
The only info is on the Duckworks page where the plans are for sale, and Bill's Blog.
The designer William Longyard built the prototype, but then there was only silence...
He says it's even capable of proper Blue Water cruising!
Any opinions or links to more information?
Cheers from New Zealand.

Specifications for Lucky Town 7

LOA - 14 ft
LWL - 13.75 ft
Beam - 6 ft
Mast Height - 18 ft
Displacement - 680 lbs
Sail Area - 120 sqft
Sleeps - 2
Engine - 2-6 hp
Keel - Centerboard - 100-265 lbs
Draft - 10" (keel up)
- 33" (keel down)

 

[James from NZ]

I found William Longyard's email address and asked him how the Lucky Town 7 performs.
He said he knows of several Lucky Towns that have sailed Atlantic waters, but not across the Atlantic. He said he knew of one that sailed from Florida to the Bahamas.
And he also said if he was building for rough seas work, he would build as lightly as possible and decrease the centerboard weight and delete the on-board diesel.
So that's interesting.
Idle opinions still welcome!

 

[tdem]

Although the "small big boat" factor is nice, to be honest this feels like a bit too much. On a 14 foot boat you really wouldn't want to be confined to such a small part of the boat while sailing. It just doesn't look like a boat that would sail well, and the looks don't do it for me either. Having the centreboard case in the middle of the cabin is also a pain, even on a bigger boat like our Hartley 16.

In the same size, you will find a lot of Hartley 14s here in NZ. They sail great, but the cabin is too small to sleep in really. There have been some built with quarter berth like extensions to give proper sleeping room.

Other similar-ish boats that I do like are the Jewelbox Jr. by Michalak, and the Oozegoose by Perrtu Korhonen.