SEAFAIRER (SEAFARER) SMALLCRAFT PORTSMOUTH GRP MOTOR CRUISER

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Although commonly referred to as ‘Seafarer’ the original ads for the boat referred to ‘Seafairer’. The hull is based on a Nelson design and the original wooden plug was built by Peter Small, hence the company name. The company was called Smallcraft (Portsmouth) as there was another Smallcraft (Blockley) in operation at the same time. The original address was 348 Commercial Road but they moved to new premises in 1978. It was built in various forms or available as a hull so you could build your own cabin. There are probably one or two odd variations that are not featured here.

Many private adverts for this vessel claim speeds up to 9 knots. The average Seafarer will not attain this speed unless very lightly loaded and fitted with a powerful engine. The hull speed for this vessel is 6 knots. My boat attains 6.5 knots but I have to use in excess of 40 hp to do it and of course a lot of fuel. (Hull speed is the square root of the waterline length in feet (20) times 1.34). The fastest Seafarer was one completed by Smallcraft themselves with a Ford Cortina Aquaplane (80 HP) engine which did about 16 knots on a semi plane. It had no ballast to keep it as light as possible.

The brochures are for the Mark II which they started building when they moved to a new factory at Warren Avenue Estate. You can tell the Mark II by the the slightly longer wheelhouse and the moulded rubbing strake approx 6" down from the gunwale. There is also a centre moulding on the transom. The forward cabin has also a slight change in that it is V shaped as opposed to flat. Mirage and Sharal in the Seafairer examples look to be Mark II hulls.