HISTORY & DESCRIPTION:
The 23ft 3in (7.1m) Lymington L-Class is one of Jack Laurent Giles’ prettiest designs. With her moderate overhangs, sweet sheer and slender hull, she bears the distinctive hallmarks of his early designs, and was the basis of his later 25ft (7.6m) Andrillot , which itself led to the Vertue class.
Laurent Giles designed the L-Class at a time when yachts of this size were popular. She was intended as a daysailer, but had modest accommodation for weekend cruising, too, and was built for a reasonable price so that she was affordable to a wide range of yachtsmen.
The first two boats, Isabella and Penguine , were built by Elkins Boatyard at Christchurch in Dorset in 1933. They were planked in 3/4in Oregon pine on a mixture of English oak frames and American rock elm timbers. English elm was used for the keel, and oak for all the grown floors, while mahogany was used for the transom and other brightwork.
Some of the later boats were planked in pitch pine, and Iduna – the last of the class to be launched – was built of teak. In total, 18 L-Class yachts were launched between 1933 and 1939. Elkins built 11, while Berthon’s at Lymington built three and Woodnutts on the Isle of Wight, Dixons of Exmouth and the Sandbanks Yacht Company at Poole built one each.
Owners of the boats soon established a fleet at Lymington in Hampshire, and regular races for the class were held in the 1930s. Thirteen rules were created, by which members of the class had to comply. These included a stipulation that all boats had to be built as a one-design and possess an official measurement certificate from Laurent Giles before they were allowed to race.
Hollow spars were not allowed, and the mainsail could only be renewed once every two years, although headsails could be replaced as and when. The use of spinnakers on the Lymington River was banned; and all boats without an auxiliary engine were given a penalty of 1cwt (112lb [51kg]).
Laurent Giles’ design specified several sail plans, of which the bermudian sloop was the most popular.
At 275sqft (25m2), it’s a decent-sized rig for a 23-footer, and under sail the L-Class puts on a good performance. Yachting Monthly in 1933 described the design as “handling admirably” and being “conspicuously dry and well-mannered”, adding that they “repeatedly out-sailed their rivals” in light winds. The class was well suited for daysailing in the Western Solent, but their relatively high freeboard and seaworthiness have since made them good coastal cruisers, too.
In 1955 Laurent Giles produced the lines of the “”Revised L’, which was 5in (127mm) longer overall and had a doghouse and larger portholes. The new design displayed almost identical characteristics, but extra headroom in way of the galley and chart table was a significant bonus, albeit at the slight expense of external looks.
The first “Revised L”, Chianti , was built by the Jefferson Brothers of Hessle in East Yorkshire in 1956, and eight more were later built by yards in the Solent. The most recent was launched in America in 1994.
The Lymington L-Class was the eighth design to leave the Laurent Giles office. The “Revised L” was the 203rd.
Sphinx of Lymington was built in 1958 by W A Souter of Cowes to the revised Lymington L design. Registered in Cowes, official number 300742 and sail number 22, Sphinx spent much of her early years on the Hamble River in the ownership of J R Harwood of Abbots Morton, Worcestershire and I E Donovan of Strand-on-Green, Chiswick.
Carvel, copper fastened hull, pitch-pine below the waterline with mahogany topsides. Sheathed timber decks with mahogany coachroof and cockpit coamings. Mahogany brightwork.
Spacious open plan accommodation with settee berths to port and starboard having removable cabin table. Galley to starboard with cooker, pantry and crockery lockers. Chart table to port side. Two berths forward with heads.
8hp Yanmar diesel inboard engine.
Keel stepped spruce mast, pine boom, stainless steel standing rigging.
Tan mainsail with point and roller reefing. Tan terylene genoa. White jib, boom / mainsail cover.
INVENTORY:
GMDSS VHF radio (recent)
GPS
AIS
Echomax
Log / Speed / Trip display
Depth sounder
Battery status display
New switch panel 2012
Anchor & chain
Boat hook
Five new fenders
Solar panel battery charger and regulator
Two marine batteries
Warps, sheets, ropes, pullies, winches, handles etc..
Eco de-humidifier
Self steering gear available separately.
BROKERS NOTE:
Sphinx of Lymington is a good example of the popular Lymington L design. In the present fifteen year ownership a thorough refit has been carefully undertaken principally between 2007 – 2010.
Guide: £7,950
Lying: Afloat Cornwall
Viewing: Through the brokers
