This perennially popular pocket cruiser – the Cornish Shrimper 19 – has remained in more or less continuous production for more than 40 years, during which well over 1,000 examples have been built.

It’s a dream scenario for many boatbuilders, yet no other boat in this sector has mirrored the Shrimper’s success, despite many of the underlying reasons for its success being well known.

This model also spawned a number of others, most notably the Shrimper 17 dayboat in 2010 and the larger Shrimper 21 in 2016.

With builders Cornish Crabbers now under new ownership, these boats are part of a six-boat range from 17-30ft.

All are traditionally styled, yet embody many benefits that result from advances in boat design and build materials.

Key attractions of the Shrimper 19 include the timeless style, a cockpit that’s big enough for day sailing, with three or even four people on board, plus a cabin that provides shelter from inclement weather when sailing for the day, but also has enough space to sleep overnight or even for longer cruises.

Displacement of only 1,065kg means the total weight on a trailer is around 1,500kg, making it feasible to tow the boat when empty without needing a big four-wheel drive vehicle.

This is a key part of the appeal of te Cornish Shrimper 19, even for those who primarily keep their boats afloat.

It means the boat can be taken home (or to a location nearby) over the winter for low-cost convenient storage and maintenance – an important factor for those who don’t live near the sea.

Equally, easy towing allows for the prospect of occasional trips to different areas.

These could be to one of the many rallies and racing events organised by the active owner’s association, or for a longer summer break.

This opens up more extensive cruising grounds, both around the UK and in Europe and Scandinavia.

In this context, the Shrimper’s gaff rig brings benefits well beyond aesthetics. The lower mast height makes it easier to step and unstep and it fits neatly within the length of the boat.

While the ability to make progress to windward at 60mph has a definite appeal, for most owners trailer-sailing every time the boat is used won’t be a realistic proposition, as the time taken to rig and de-rig is too long for all but the keenest or quickest owners.

Given Shrimpers have been built for such an extended period, it should come as no surprise that many changes took place over time.

The biggest of these came with the Mk2 version in 1995, which has many detailed improvements that make ergonomics, stowage and sail handling better.

New tooling allowed for an improved standard of finish, while the newer version has less external woodwork, which both reduces maintenance and tends to keep all but the most immaculately maintained boats looking better as they age.

Most boats have an outboard well at the back of the cockpit, an arrangement that seems to work well and reduces the chances of the prop breaking the surface in a head sea.

However, from the late 1980s onwards there was an option for a small diesel inboard engine.

This was a game changer for many owners, bringing both the fuel economy and reliability of diesel inboards, while providing enough power to motor to windward even in a strong breeze.

On the downside, this adds a little to the boat’s weight, so a more capable vehicle may be needed for towing.

Prices on the second-hand market vary, from around £8,000 for an older Mk1 Cornish Shrimper 19 to £25,000 for a 10-year-old example and more for a very recent boat. Many are very well looked after and sell quickly.

Cornish Shrimper 19 specifications

LOA (inc bow sprit): 6.90m/22ft 6in
LWL: 5.30m/17ft 7in
Beam: 2.20m/7ft 2in
Draught: 0.46-1.22m/1ft 6in to 4ft 0in
Ballast: 317kg/700lb
Displacement: 1,065kg/2,350lb
Sail area: 18.0m2/194 ft2
Contact: cornishcrabbers.online
Owners’ association: shrimperowners.org

Alternatives to the Cornish Shrimper 19

Given the long-running popularity of the Cornish Shrimper 19, it’s perhaps surprising that there aren’t more popular designs in this sector.

The following boats are also viable trailer-sailers that don’t require a big 4×4 vehicle.

However, it’s important to note they are from an era in which many boatbuilders overbuilt their structures beyond the designer’s specifications.

It’s therefore worth checking the weight of the entire set-up – tow vehicle, boat and trailer – on a weighbridge to be sure you’re within the specified towing and train weights of your vehicle.

This is doubly important with a boat that’s several decades old and doesn’t have a complete history, as there’s no way of knowing whether any non-standard modifications that add weight have been carried out.

Cape Cutter 19

Although a later design, this small gaffer from prolific South African designer Dudley Dix has a lot in common with the Cornish Shrimper.

It was originally intended as a lightweight and reasonably fast weekender for series production – they were built by Cape Yachts and then Honnor Marine in the UK.

It’s also available for home building in plywood, either by buying the plans directly from the designer, or a kit of pre-cut parts.

Part of the concept was to create a boat that could be economically shipped around the world in a 20ft shipping container, which of course determines the overall dimensions.

Yet the aim was also to produce a boat with four-berth accommodation that would sail quickly for its length.

That may sound like a tall order for a small boat, but Dix achieved it with a plumb bow, long waterline and relatively broad transom that brings two benefits.

First, it helps to improve form stability, giving extra sail-carrying ability, and second, the wider stern sections add buoyancy to this part of the hull, enabling the cockpit to accommodate more people without unduly affecting fore and aft trim.

Like the Cornish Shrimper, there doesn’t appear to be a big coachroof but the cabin has sitting headroom right out to the hull sides, helping give a surprising sense of space.

Eschewing a conventional boxy coachroof on such a small boat also means there are no narrow side decks to negotiate when going forward.

As with the Cornish Shrimper, Cape Cutter 19s can be found around the world and there’s a very active owner’s association and forum with knowledge of common problems, as well as ideas on useful updates.

Cape Cutter 19 specifications

LOA: 5.80m/19ft 0in
LWL: 5.50m/18ft 0in
Beam: 2.20m/7ft 3in
Draught: 0.45-1.22m/1ft 6in-4ft 0in
Ballast: 400kg/882lb
Displacement: 870kg/1,918lb
Sail area: 24.4m2/295ft2
Contact: dixdesign.com
Owners’ association: capecutter19association.org

Hunter Liberty or Minstrel

This distinctive double-ender is a larger boat than the Shrimper, but with light enough displacement it’s also fairly easy to tow, with displacement figures between 950 and 1,350kg.

There’s also more interior space, including a separate heads compartment. Yet they usually change hands for a lot less money than Shrimpers.

The unusual three-berth layout suits this boat well, with the saloon forward, where there’s a table that can be lowered to form a double berth, as well as a compact galley and quarter berth.

No attempt was made to create full-standing headroom, but it’s considerably better than the Shrimper’s, making the interior feel more spacious and easier to move around.

This David Thomas design started out as the Liberty cat-rigged ketch, a superbly easy rig to handle as it’s self-tacking, while the unstayed masts are lightweight and easy to step; ideal for occasional trailer-sailing.

Initially, it was billed as a 22-footer, though later renamed the Liberty 23 with roughly an extra 90kg of ballast, and therefore also greater displacement, as well as a slightly larger rig.

One downside is that, to some eyes, the cat ketch concept is not particularly aesthetically appealing.

This was addressed with the introduction of the Minstrel, which has a much more traditional feel thanks to a high peaked gaff rig with varnished wooden spars.

Despite the traditional styling, the Minstrel is believed to be the faster boat on average, thanks to a slightly larger sail area and more efficient headsail.

Ballast is split between two shallow bilge keels that primarily exist to enable the boat to dry out upright. With the metal centreboard raised, the draught is only 35cm, making the boat easy to get on and off a trailer.

According to the Hunter Liberty and Minstrel Owners’ Association, 124 boats were built using this hull between 1980 and the mid-1990s, including 65 Liberty 22s, 19 Liberty 23s and 30 Minstrel 23s.

Hunter Liberty specifications

LOA: 6.80m/22ft 4in
LWL: 5.80m/19ft 01in
Beam: 2.20m/7ft 2in
Draught: 0.36-1.07m/1ft 2in-3ft 6in
Ballast: 330kg/728lb
Displacement: 950kg-1,350kg/2,095lb-2,976lb
Sail area: 15.8m2/170ft2
Owners’ association: hlmoa.org.uk

Drascombe Coaster

The Drascombe range pre-dated Cornish Crabbers by more than a decade and most are open boats, with two notable exceptions.

The 21ft Longboat Cruiser of 1970 was an adaptation of the largest dayboat in the range, with the addition of a small two-berth cabin.

The gunter yawl rig means small spars that are easy to step single-handed and displacement is only 480kg, making this one of the lightest boats with a cabin to tow, with an all-up weight including a trailer of less than 1,000kg.

Some 400 Longboat Cruisers were built before it morphed into the Coaster in 1979.

This uses the same hull and the same concept, but benefits from numerous improvements that make life on board easier.

Although the Coaster has a narrow beam and low freeboard limiting cabin space, the big cockpit enables plenty of family or friends to join you for day sails.

Nevertheless, like the Longboat Cruiser, the Coaster is very lightly ballasted.

This, of course, helps reduce towing weight and facilitates handling onshore, but limits the boat’s abilities in stronger winds, although the yawl rig enables an easy heavy weather set-up simply by dropping the mainsail.

In 2006, the Drifter 22 was also added to the Drascombe range. This benefits from a beamier hull and a much larger cabin, but is a heavier boat with an all-up towing weight of 1,800kg.

Drascombe Coaster specifications

LOA: 6.63m/21ft 9in
LWL: 5.50m/18ft 0in
Beam: 2.00m/6ft 7in
Draught: 0.30-1.17m/1ft 0in-3ft 10in
Ballast (centreboard): 72kg/160lb
Displacement: 480kg/1,060 lbs
Sail area: 15.2m2/164ft2
Contact: drascombe.uk
Owners’ association: drascombe-association.org.uk

Some other boats to consider

Swallow Yachts’ four-berth Bay Cruiser 20, which was launched in 2009, offers an attractive blend of traditional style with up-to-date thinking.

The carbon mast, for instance, allows an efficient Bermudan rig, yet is so light it’s easy to step when trailer-sailing.

There’s also water ballast to improve stability without increasing the towing weight.

The Memory 19 is a more traditional style boat from the mid-1970s with a lot of wood trim and remained in production, from several different builders, for well over 30 years.

Displacement varies across editions but is around 1,100kg, so towing without a 4×4 vehicle is still feasible.

Early boats had a large open cockpit with a long foredeck, below which is a small, two-berth cuddy accessed via a lifting hatch.

Headroom is very limited, but it does give an option for sleeping on board in fine weather without rigging a cockpit tent.

Later versions had a shorter cockpit and a conventional coachroof with space for a proper cabin with sitting headroom.

The Norfolk Gypsy is a 20-footer with a high peaked gaff that has been built since the early 1990s. It’s still in production by Neil Thompson Boats and is offered with inboard and outboard engine options, the latter having a displacement of just under 1,200kg.

The cabin has two full-size berths.

Those seeking a smaller and lighter boat with a small cabin could consider the 16ft Winkle Brig gaffer built by Eric Bergqvist in Cheshire, which weighs only 650kg.

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