Just Launched: Gurnet Point 25 by South Shore Boatworks

Particulars: South Shore Boatworks of Halifax, Massachusetts, recently completed and launched the first of its new Gurnet Point 25s. Sandpiper III is a semi-built-down lobster-style cruiser, designed by Jamie Lowell of Lowell Brothers in Yarmouth, Maine. Sandpiper III was commissioned for a Rhode Island couple as a day cruiser and has accommodations for overnight trips. The hull, deck, and cabin are molded fiberglass/foam core construction. The owners’ ideas were incorporated into the interior layout, including a nav station with a fully integrated Raynav electronics package backed up by the standby Ritchie compass. The helm has hydraulic steering tied to an autopilot. The ship’s wheel was designed and built by South Shore Boatworks’ Bob Fuller; it’s a six-spoke 22” traditional teak wheel with holly accents and a polished bronze hub engraved with the vessel’s name. The owners specified a galley with a single burner stove, traditional icebox, and a sink with a brass hand pump. There is an enclosed head, and a V-berth with cushions. The cockpit has a teak transom seat with cushions and storage under. The self-bailing cockpit floor features a traditional hand-laid teak deck, with still more teak on the gunwales and toe rails. A bronze anchor platform with teak trim allows easy deployment of the plow-style anchor. The hardware throughout is polished bronze. On sea trials, Sandpiper III’s 180-hp Yanmar inboard diesel gave a top speed of 20.6 knots and cruised at 16.5-17 knots using 3.5 gallons per hour. The bow’s high downeast style flare knocked down the spray allowing little or no water to hit the windshield or cockpit. The tumblehome aft added to the boat’s beauty and sleekness. The large bronze rudder and full keel provided very responsive control and the ability to turn the boat in its own length. Sandpiper III was launched at Standish Boatyard in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Coincidentally, this is the same boatyard where Will Frost, legendary designer and builder of wooden lobsterboats, built boats during the 1940s. The Gurnet Point 25’s designer Jamie Lowell is Frost’s great-grandson. Contact: South Shore Boatworks 415 Elm Street Halifax MA, 02338 781-293-2293 e-mail: southshoreboats@aol.com