The Yachting Monthly magazine has been around since 1906  , when yacht cruising was first emerging as a sport in its own right.   Issue No 1 had 130  pages with navigation notes, cruise stories, reviews of new yachts and practical tips on navigation.   In 1927 a young man called Maurice  Griffiths took over the editorship . He had written a book called Yachting on a Small Income and his slant on yachting proved highly successful.   A self-taught yacht designer, Maurice championed shoal-draught yachts and went on to edit the magazine with a marathon watch at the helm of 40 years.

Some think Maurice Griffiths single-handedly gave yachting to working people with his DIY designs and tips on sailing and converting former  ship’s lifeboats, but his greatest contribution to giving the sport wide appeal was undoubtedly his book
​The Magic of the Swatchways   with its accounts of simple cruises around the east coast and across the North Sea to The Netherlands and Belgium. It was published in 1932.  In the words of John Leather, "The Magic of the Swatchways rejoices in the natural romance of the wild and deserted creeks and views of the East Coast of England, speaking to those who love to explore in small boats. It is a book that will enthrall anyone who is entranced by the peace and solitude of the creeks at night and the moan of the sea on the sands. " It was certainly influential on one longstanding DCA member, Charles Stock, who later wrote his own account of sailing on the east coast of England called In Shoal Waters.

This cartoon from an old edition of Practical Boat Owner gives a lighthearted take on the influence of Maurice Griffiths!
​Acknowledgment to Mike Peyton of course.
While Maurice was at the helm of  Yachting Monthly, the magazine sponsored  a number of boat designs.   These designs were intended to provide the home build enthusiast with a relatively inexpensive, comfortable and seaworthy craft. Most were shallow draft and built in plywood, although further development produced some steel and fibreglass (GRP) versions. Two of the designs are of particular interest to dinghy cruisers - the  Yachting Monthly Junior and the Yachting Monthly Senior.  Both were designed by Kenneth  Gibbs in his boatyard on the Upper Thames at Twickenham.  We are pleased to say that the DCA now has copies of the plans for these two boats and with the permission of the Eventide Owners' Association, to whom Yachting Monthly gave the plans, they can be downloaded  below.

The Yachting Monthly Junior

​The Junior is  a 13'6" sturdy, half-decked dinghy.  The freeboard and arrangement of deck and cockpit are designed to make a dry boat and one capable of being used as a camping cruiser with tent rigged over boom. With the gunter sloop rig, spars will stow within the limits of the hull for convenience of portage or road transport.
 LOA                                                                                                              13ft 6in
 LWL                                                                                                             12ft 5in
 Beam                                                                                                         5ft 0in
 Draught (plate up)                                                         8in
 Draught (plate down)                                             3ft 0in
 Sail area (Bm or gunter sloop)            100 sq.ft
Weight (ex gear or crew)                                 250lb  (113kg)

The Yachting Monthly Senior


​The Senior is  a 16' double chine cruising sloop.  It is essentially a blown-up version of the 13'6" Junior with only a few minor alterations  necessary in a larger boat designed for a cabin with two sleeping berths.   

For a hull ​only 16' long by 6' beam there is a surprising amount of useful space inside her cabin. The cabin length  from the stem is approximately 9'6" and under the hatch about  5'.  The accommodation opens up unlimited cruising possibilities for two people, with a galley and room to stand up to dress.
LOA                                                                                                                   16ft 
LWL                                                                                                                  15ft 1.5in
Beam (max)                                                                                      6ft 0.5in
Draught (plate up)                                                             10in
​Draught (plate down)                                                  3ft 
Weight   ex spars, rigging & gear             750lb (340kg)
Weight for trailing                                                              950lb (431kg)
Sail area  - mainsail                                                             80 sq.ft
​                                         No.1 jib                                                               46.5 sq.ft
Each set of plans consists of seven sheets fully detailed for the amateur builder. On them is a complete schedule of materials and fittings, so that a local timber merchant could, if need be, supply the timber already cut to size.  Sheet 7 gives details for building a Mk II version with a 160lb (72.5kg) cast iron ballast keel and shaped bilge keels in place of the centreplate, which makes the boat self-righting.   
​
​There is  an extremely useful booklet available from the   Eventide Owners' Association  called We Built a 'SENIOR'.  It comprises a collection of articles written by people who have built a Senior and can help you avoid some of the pitfalls that can befall the amateur boat builder.
Other Yachting Monthly sponsored designs are also available from the DCA, including the Eventide, Waterwitch, Riptide, Wild Duck, 3 Tonner, Storm, Goosander and Mouette.  These are all bigger boats but may be of interest to some. Contact the Editor if interested.