camper nicholson sailboat data

Yachting Monthly

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Nicholson 32: an ocean-going pedigree that lasts

• Duncan Kent
• March 8, 2021

Built entirely out of GRP, the Nicholson 32’s ocean-going pedigree remains desirable to this day, says Duncan Kent

A long keel and heavy displacement makes the Nicholson 32 ideal for coastal and offshore cruising. Credit: Genevieve Leaper

Product Overview

Manufacturer:.

The primary design considerations for the Nicholson 32 were to produce an easily handled yacht of moderate dimensions, capable of a sea-kindly sailing performance in all conditions.

She was to have the classic looks of a traditional wooden yacht but was in fact one of the first offshore cruisers to be built entirely out of GRP, to a high specification and enviable build quality.

A little history of the Nicholson 32

The Nicholson 32 was a development of the successful South Coast One Design (SCOD) and other proven Charles Nicholson designs like the nine-tonner, Jolina .

Charles’ son, Peter, believed demand for custom yachts was dwindling and glass-fibre production yachts were the future.

The Nicholson 32 had to meet three criteria.

It had to be about 32ft (9.7m) long, easy to build and cost less than £5,000 at the time.

The hulls were moulded by Halmatic in Portsmouth and mainly fitted out by Camper & Nicholson.

For maximum strength and integrity, the hull, deck, ballast, bulkheads and furniture were all bonded together.

Most have suffered from osmosis over the years and many will have been peeled, dried and re-gelled.

The Nicholson 32 was one of the first yachts designed for GRP production. Credit: Simon Braunholtz

Make sure the cost of any osmosis remedial work is reflected in the price.

The marque went through 11 model upgrades, including some quite major redesigns.

The 1963 Mk I models (1-6) had mahogany joinery and individually built furniture.

A few changes were made for the Mk II (7-10), most importantly aluminium spars.

A good many more additions were made to the Mk III (11-40) and the Mk IV yachts (41-87), including a cockpit sole engine hatch, U-bolt chainplates, aluminium framed windows and a teak interior.

By 1966, the Mk V boat (88-111) was in production with numerous enhancements to the engine compartment and a stainless-steel fuel tank.

Further refurbishments to the interior, including replacing the pilot berth with a pull-out double, denoted the Mk VI (112-147) and Mk VII (148-190) yachts, while the Mk VIII (191-236) models had new windows and hatches.

There was no Mk IX but the Mk X (237-329) underwent major modernisation and restyling.

The freeboard was raised 3in/75mm, enabling the coachroof to be lowered and the windows redesigned.

Her cockpit was enlarged by removing the afterdeck, increasing her length to 10m/33ft, and the offset companionway was moved to the centreline.

Myriad other modifications were incorporated, including new scuppers, bow roller, locker drains and handrails, a better 12-volt electrical system and the interior was again updated.

In 1977, Halmatic built another 40 Mk XI models, after modifications to make it cheaper to build.

They introduced GRP furniture modules, a restyled galley, a quarterberth behind a forward-facing chart table and optional wheel steering.

Down below on the Nicholson 32

Early models had a basic layout.

The positioning of the water and fuel tanks above the keel left plenty of stowage beneath the bunks.

She had comfortable twin berths in the forepeak and two 1.93m/6ft 4in straight settees in the saloon, plus a pilot berth above the port settee.

From the Mk IV the latter was removed and replaced by a double, formed by sliding a board out from under the settee.

It wasn’t until the Mk X model that she gained a quarterberth.

The heads were forward of the saloon, with a sink opposite.

Sliding both forecabin and saloon doors closed gave privacy and plenty of room for washing.

The galley on older models is basic with a single sink. Credit: Bob Aylott

The original galley was pretty rudimentary, with a non-gimballing Primus stove and a single sink with hand-pumped cold water.

Stowage was reasonable, though, and most will have been upgraded by owners.

Headroom is 1.83m/6ft throughout the saloon/galley area.

The chart table was originally a longitudinal, stand-at affair, but was later (Mk X+) moved to port, turned sideways and used the settee as a seat.

That allowed the galley to be enlarged to take a gimballed cooker. On deck Her cockpit is roomy and high coamings keep the spray out and crew in.

Stepping out onto the side decks is safe as they are wide and uncluttered.

The coachroof-mounted handrails are well within reach as far as the shrouds and her raised, teak-capped gunwales provide good foot bracing.

There were originally difficulties with moulded-in stanchion sockets, causing the decks to craze if any substantial sideways pressure was put on them.

The MK IV has a teak interior. Credit: Bob Aylott

Separate metal bases were used in later models.

The foredeck is roomy thanks to her broad shoulders and pre-1972 models have a moulded recess to accommodate a Danforth anchor.

This intruded into the forecabin quite noticeably, along with the chain pipe taking the rode down to a chain locker beneath the bunk.

The recess was finally removed in the Mk XI and replaced with a self-stowing, stemhead anchor roller for a CQR.

Her running rigging is simple, with long genoa tracks atop the bulwarks leading to large primary winches aside the helm.

Pre-Mk X models had the mainsheet track along the afterdeck, which was later moved to just abaft the rudder stock.

Rig & sails

All models were masthead rigged with a relatively short mast and a full set of stout shrouds.

Silver anodised masts from Proctors were installed from the Mk II model onwards and had a single set of straight spreaders.

Every model is masthead rigged. Credit: Genevieve Leaper

She came with several hanked-on headsails at first, but a furling genoa was later provided as standard instead.

Some had an optional inner forestay (often removeable) for rigging a storm jib.

Her well-balanced seakeeping qualities and comfortable motion were accomplished by giving her a heavy displacement, long overhangs, a full keel and a 50% ballast ratio.

A 24ft waterline, broad shoulders and high wetted surface area means she isn’t particularly quick in modern terms, especially in light airs, but that said she is stiff, stands up well to full sail, is relatively light on the helm and exhibits very little leeway.

Her bluff bows and relatively broad shoulders can make her baulk sailing close-hauled in heavy seas, but usually freeing her off a few degrees cures the problem.

The stepped coachroof on the Mk IV gives extra headroom. Credit: Bob Aylott

Her buoyant bow sections can produce a tendency to yaw downwind, so many advise adding some ballast up forward.

The combination of her short mast, hefty lead ballast, full keel and buoyant hull means she rarely heels beyond a comfortable ‘lean’.

Her barn door-style rudder can induce a little weather helm when pushed, but in mitigation the rudder never loses its bite, meaning she’s unlikely to broach in big seas.

Under power

Originally a 29hp diesel Watermota Sea Panther provided the power.

Like all long-keelers the Nicholson 32 was awful going astern under power.

The trick was to build up a little speed some way off where you wanted to end up and then knock it out of gear using the speed through the water to steer.

Too much speed, though, and the tiller would be ripped out of your hands!

Owners’ experiences

S/Y Fals Cappa (Mk VII, HN 171, LD 1969)

Alan Thorne, 63, has owned the five berth Mk VII model for 10 years and says she’s a delight to sail.

Under his ownership he has carried out numerous improvements, including upgrading the headsail winches to self-tailing, adding spinnaker winches and Aries wind vane steering, plus many of the usual upgrades to modernise the electronics.

He has also removed the furling headsail in favour of hank-on sails.

Fals Cappa has hank-on sails. Credit: Alan Thorne

Fals Cappa had already had her engine replaced when he purchased her.

‘I have found no faults in the design or construction,’ he notes.

Now widowed, he sails singlehanded along the East and South Coast, as well as to France, Belgium and Holland.

Asked how she sails, Alan says: ‘Wonderful! She sails like a dinghy, beautifully balanced, secure and reassuring in all sea conditions that I’ve encountered. Cuts through waves while other yachts are slamming or rounding up.

‘With an autopilot and wind vane a Nicholson 32 is a delight to sail single-handed. During the past couple of years, I have raced her single-handed too and thoroughly enjoyed it, although changing hank-on headsails mid-race is a tad exciting on short legs!’

S/Y Ballyhoo (Mk VIII, HN 203, LD 1970)

Sandy, 76 and Josephine, 72 Tyndale-Biscoe have owned Ballyhoo since 1999, and now keep her in Falmouth.

The couple both learned to sail dinghies as children.

Sandy also sailed the RNE Manadon college’s Morgan Giles 43 yachts when he was in the Royal Navy.

‘We were given an Albacore after we married, but found that small children and large, high-performance dinghies do not really mix. So, after some years canalling in a narrowboat, we bought Vin Rosé , a British Folkboat with a doghouse,’ says Sandy.

The couple have also owned a Fisher 25 Freeward before buying Ballyhoo at the Lymington Used Boat Show.

The Nicholson 32 had 11 model upgrades. Credit: Sandy & Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe

‘She is, I think, unique in having a deck-stepped mast. We replaced her engine with a 24hp Beta Marine in 2014. Otherwise,’ Sandy says, ‘she is original. We have found no faults beyond the usual wear and tear common in any boat of her age.

‘ Ballyhoo has plenty of sail for the conditions where we sail. I generally use the Nº1 jib and take a reef above 12kts true wind. Once, during a Channel crossing in a westerly Force 6, the jib furler jammed, so we dropped the main and proceeded under genoa alone.

‘Unable to cross the Chichester Bar for three hours forced us to beat up the Solent for shelter. Discovering that Ballyhoo would sail to windward under genoa alone in such conditions gave us enormous confidence. I like the security of knowing that she is able to stand up to practically anything the weather can throw at her.’

S/Y Hy-Brasail (Mk IV, HN 85, LD 1965)

Simon Braunholtz, 62, has owned Hy-Brasail for eight years, in which time he has fitted a removable inner forestay and a diesel heater.

Before crossing the Atlantic, her previous owner led all lines into the cockpit to simplify reefing.

‘When I bought her there were leaky deck fittings and windows, which we fixed. Hy-Brasail has the pilot berth behind the port settee, which Simon says, ‘is an excellent berth for off-watch crew and extremely useful for stowing bags on passage.’

A flexible water tank in the forepeak feeds a foot-pump at the galley and the previous owner fitted a fridge.

She has a wind generator to keep the batteries topped up.’

For several years Simon kept Hy-Brasail in Scotland before moving her to Falmouth and finally Devon.

All lines on Hy-Brasail lead into the cockpit to simplify reefing. Credit: Simon Braunholtz

‘The Nicholson 32 is a lovely boat to sail. Her deep long hull with over three tonnes of lead ballast takes her through seas without bouncing around or slapping the water, although her low freeboard means the toe-rails sometimes get wet. She is comfortable for two, although comfort is a relative term. She was built at a time when people wanted adventure on the water, rather than a chilled Chardonnay tied to a pontoon.

‘The Bukh 24 engine has proven reliable, with regular maintenance. Motoring backwards is “interesting”, but I’ve become accustomed to it.’

Simon also owns a 1970 Mk VIII model, Splashdown (HN 212), moored on the west coast of Scotland.

‘The main difference is she has no pilot berth so the settee is set further back. The additional space makes her more comfortable than Hy-Brasail and the cabin table is larger.

‘She is equipped with radar, AIS, a chartplotter, wind generator and an Aries wind vane, which I have rebuilt. Being previously kept in the Mediterranean, she also has a hatch in the main cabin to improve airflow.’

What the experts say about the Nicholson 32

Nick Vass, Marine Surveyor B,Sc B,Ed HND FRINA MCMS DipMarSur YS

www.omega-yachtservices.co.uk

A proper-looking yacht with more freeboard (and therefore dryer) than other Folkboat-inspired yachts such as the Contessa 32 and Twister.

A handsome boat with grown up gunwales and a proper long keel.

Joinery was made to a very high standard and these up-market yachts were equipped with good quality seacocks and deck furniture.

The Nicholson 32 enjoyed a very long production run and evolved through many models and updates.

The defect that I discover most frequently on them is osmosis.

Full-blown, proper inter-laminate osmosis and not the ‘almost osmosis’ that you find between the laminate and layers of gelcoat on a Westerly, for instance. I commonly find osmosis with other Halmatic boats, such as Nelson motor cruisers and pilot boats.

It could be that Halmatic used the same resins as Westerly at the time, which also suffer.

Continues below…

Contessa 32: A brand new classic

Theo Stocker visits the Jeremy Rogers yard to see the latest Contessa 32 take shape

USED BOAT: Nicholson 35

Designed in the late 1960s by Peter Nicholson, the Nicholson 35 quickly earned a reputation as a steadfast ocean cruising…

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Will Bruton finds out what coastal cruisers should consider before taking their small yacht on an offshore adventure

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She’s an absolute stunner, but does she sail as well as she looks? And what’s it like to spend the…

Another theory is that, whilst obsessed with attaining and keeping Lloyds A1 Scantling Certification, Halmatic tended to over-consolidate the resins into the chopped strand glass-fibre matting and cloth, leaving them a little dry.

Saying that, just about all Nicholsons and Halmatic yachts that have suffered from blistering will have been treated by now.

If buying one, look out for blistering as epoxy treatment only tends to last around 10 years.

The last Nicholson 32 I surveyed still had its original Watermota Sea Panther 30hp engine.

It wouldn’t start so the broker called a young marine engineer to get it going.

He looked at me in disbelief when I told him it was a Ford Consul/Cortina petrol engine with a diesel cylinder head!

He thought that I was messing with him when I further explained that the starter motor was not powerful enough to get a diesel going so there was a special switch to join the batteries in series so they whacked out 24 volts.

Although Watermota engines are actually very good (the company is still making engines in Devon), most of these will have been replaced by now.

Deck joints and stem head fittings have been known to part on some models, but most are likely to have been rectified already.

Ben Sutcliffe-Davies, Marine Surveyor and full member of the Yacht Brokers Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA)

Ben Sutcliffe- Davies has been in the marine industry for over 40 years as a long- time boat builder, has been surveying craft for over 20 years and is a Full Member of the YDSA.

www.bensutcliffemarine.co.uk

I’ve had the pleasure of surveying many of these well-built yachts.

The issues of moisture are common in all of them although the ones I’ve dealt with haven’t been particularly deep, as most of the boats built by Halmatic had clear resins that generally don’t absorb moisture in the same way as pigmented resin.

As they are predominantly laminated from chop strand, any moisture will be held longer due to the short glass filament strands.

I’ve had no issues with the encapsulated fin keel and ballast incorporated within its lower forward production.

The GRP rudder was hung from the end of her keel moulding and suitably supported.

But I have had a few loose bronze cast shoes, and fastenings should be checked for moisture ingress.

Lastly, be aware that some older boats I’ve surveyed have had a gas locker that drains below the waterline, which will need a rethink.

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Nicholson 48

The nicholson 48 is a 47.67ft masthead ketch designed by camper & nicholson/raymond wall and built in fiberglass by halmatic ltd. since 1972., 42 units have been built..

The Nicholson 48 is a heavy sailboat which is under powered. It is reasonably stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a heavy bluewater cruising boat.

Nicholson 48 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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What is a Nicholson 31?

The classic blue water cruiser.

The design brief in 1975 for the Nicholson 31 was for a small cruising yacht capable of passage making in any condition that could be met by its crew undertaking coastal and deep water cruising. To have the displacement to accommodate its equipment and stores for extended cruising and to provide the necessary accommodations.

That the brief has been met in the intervening years is answered by the voyages made by 31's throughout the world, to so many cruising destinations and countries. To read their logs is to be reminded of their owners and crews remarkable fortitude and seamanship.

Raymond Wall Nicholson 31 President and Designer.

The Design and Development

This is an authoritative account of The Design and Development of the Nicholson 31 drawing extensively on the knowledge and recall of the key people instrumental in designing and producing this classic blue water cruiser.

The design is tracked from its inception in 1975 through the design phase and into the development phase. There are extensive quotations from the yacht's eminent designer, Raymond Wall (the Nicholson31 Association President) and other members of the Camper and Nicholsons management team. These are supported by the encyclopaedic knowledge of the late Jeremy Lines, who oversaw the yachts production. Until his death in 2018, as the honorary archivist, Jeremy remained committed to all C&N yachts.

The paper was compiled by Allan Trelford, the Nic31 Association founding Honorary Secretary, in 2007. It has been reviewed by Allan and Raymond to produce the February 2021 edition.

Read more Read less

Click here to view the full paper.

The Nicholson 31 Association

28 years after the first Nicholson 31 was launched, the Nicholson 31 Association was formed in 2004. A year after buying his Nic31, Allan Trelford, with a nudge from Jeremy Lines, Camper & Nicholsons former production manager, had formed the Association. By the end of 2004, with a committee of four headed by Raymond Wall, the yacht's eminent designer as president, the Association had 29 founding members. There were only 120 Nic31s ever built.

Drawing on the detailed knowledge of Raymond and Jeremy, as well as many other former C&N staff, by 2007 Allan had compiled the authoritative paper The Design and Development of the Nicholson 31.

Allan, the Association's inspirational first Honorary Secretary, has now written a fascinating personal 'diary' of the first twelve years. It is the first chapter of an evolving history of our class association of this classic blue water cruiser.

Members, who are logged in , can enjoy the diary by clicking here . Anyone else wishing to find out more about the Association's early years should contact the Honorary Secretary .

Second Hand Focus: Yachting Monthly 2000

We sailed Duloe , a 1979 example owned by John Bishop, whom we met at the Cowes Classics rally last summer. While obviously a GRP boat, Duloe's kinship to the painted classics around her was equally evident. The pretty sheerline, a gentle curve of her stem, the slight tumblehome in her aft sections, and the businesslike transom-hung rudder puts her in a different aesthetic class to most of today's smaller cruisers.

Duloe has just emerged from a loving refit and her glossy topsides and unmarked mouldings proved the adage that you'll be enjoying he quality long after you've forgotten the price; Nicholson 31s were top-dollar boats in their day. Construction was conventional, hand-laid GRP to Lloyds specifications, with balsa-cored decks and coachroof and encapsulated lead ballast.

C&N made full use of GRP technology, and most of the 31's interior -galley, heads, furniture bases- is made up of moulded modules bonded to the hull. Allied to stringers and frames, this makes for a very strong unit. It would also make for a rather plasticy feel to the interior, but for the extensive use of teak trim and joinery.

At first sight the saloon looks rather snug, but this is down to the settees being brought so far inboard to make room for stowage. She is actually not a lot narrower than most modern 31-footers, in which stowage is usually sacrificed in favour of a more spacious feel to the interior. The settees are fairly short but,being aligned with the boat's centreline, make good seaberths with the aid of trotter boxes under the galley peninsula and chart table. To port, a useful pilot berth faces a bank of overhead lockers to starboard.

There is a vast amount of stowage outboard of and under the settees, and also in the forepeak. Much of this is due to the location of the tankage; the 65-gallon water tank is part of the keel moulding. The 17-gallon fuel tank is under the cockpit sole and batteries are below the quarterberth.

The full report appeared in a 2000 issue of Yachting Monthly and may be available from them.

Sailing Review: Yachting Monthly 1977

With the modern trend of yesterday's racing boats becoming today's cruiser's or cruiser/racers, it was a refreshing change when Camper & Nicholsons introduced the Nicholson 31 as a pure cruiser at the 1976 Earls Court Boat Show. Although at first sight, with her long keel, she seems very similar to her older sister, the ever popular, classic Nicholson 32, she is very much a more modern boat. Unashamedly a cruising boat, owing nothing to rating fomulae and current trends, the emphasis in the design is on comfort and seakindliness, rather than speed (not that she is a sluggard in any way). She is very solidly constructed and has been put together to the standard that one has traditionally come to expect of her builders.

Performance under sail

Conditions at the time of the review sail, although not the most pleasant (cold north-easterly Force 5), were ideal for putting a boat of this type through her paces. Most bad traits would have shown up in these conditions and the Nicholson 31 showed just how much of a thoroughbred she is by no vices and indeed demonstrating many very desirable characteristics for a cruising boat. She proved to be as good, if not better mannered, as any boat I have reviewed for Yachting Monthly .

Under the main alone she could be easily controlled and tacked, ideal for close quarters manoeuvring, and if the helm was left she slowly luffed up, tacked sailed off a little, luffed and tacked again, virtually marking time on the same spot. Ideal for the shorthanded sailor working up for'd or just jilling around. With two rolls in the main and the No. 1 jib we sailed her out into the Solent on a beam reach and she sailed along quite happily at about 6 knots and although she was overcanvased in the gusts there was only a little weather helm - just enough to remind the helmsman that another reef might be needed.

Having put a further three rolls in the main we hardened up on to the wind and it was on this point of sailing that she showed her real forte. There was a very short stopping sea but she kept on sailing, her weight giving her the power to drive through it at a steady 4 knots. She was very well balanced, even when laid fairly far over and she could be left to steer herself for long periods, only luffing up slightly but carrying on sailing. She was surprisingly dry too, with no more than the occasional splash reaching the weather deck and nothing finding its way past the dodgers and into the cockpit. Above all, she gave a great feeling of surefootedness and confidence. A Hydrovane self-steering gear is offered as an option and it should be quite enough for this boat.

The Nicholson 31 is a very worthy addition to the Nicholson range and she easily fulfils her role as a comfortable and easily handled cruising boat of the go-anywhere variety. Everywhere she is strongly built to a very high standard. With a boat this good there has to be a snag and that is her price which makes her considerable more expensive than most boats of her size - but then if you want the best you've got to pay for it.

The full report appeared in a 1977 issue of Yachting Monthly and may be available from them.

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• Sailboat Reviews

Nicholson 35

A real-live, serious ocean cruiser. the hard part will be finding one on the used market in the u.s..

Today’s new boat market has fragmented about as far as it can: cruiser/racers, racer/cruisers, cruiser/cruisers, racer/racers. But not so long ago, there were a few boats built as plain-old cruisers, with decent performance (but no racing aspirations), seaworthy construction (without overkill), and design that allowed you to take an out-of-the-box sailboat on a cruise for a week, or a year.

Maybe you have to go to a real old-time boatbuilder to get that kind of quality. How old-time? Will 200 years of yacht building experience do?

If not the oldest yacht builder around, Camper & Nicholsons has to be in the running. Over the years, Nicholsons built every kind of boat imaginable, including pure racers and boats that came precariously close to being sailing houseboats. Nicholsons have never had the type of exquisite joinerwork you find in Far Eastern boats, nor have the looks of most of their boats fallen into the category of classic. But the boats have always been built with a high level of integrity, and a few of the designs are classic not in looks or detailing, but in overall quality.

Just over 200 Nicholson 35s were built over more than a 10-year period, with production tailing off in the early 1980s. Most boats were sold in England, but a number were built for American owners, and still more found their way to the U.S. during the rampage of the dollar against foreign currencies in the mid 1980s.

The Nicholson 35 is a cruising boat, plain and simple. Its proportions are about as common-sense and moderate as you can get. The boat is clean, almost austere in appearance, with very little exterior wood trim. You’ll find a teak caprail, teak grab rails, teak ply cockpit seats, and that’s about it. It is a true medium-displacement boat: heavy by contemporary racer/cruiser standards, but very reasonable for an offshore cruiser with a waterline almost 27′ long.

Sailing Performance

The Nic 35 is no racing boat, but she’s no slug, either. Her PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) rating of about 156 is some six seconds per mile slower than the Ericson 35-2, but some 20 seconds per mile faster than a “pure” cruiser such as the Tayana 37 or Crealock 37.

A moderate fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder underbody allows reasonable performance in light air, despite a smallish sailplan. The working sail area is just about evenly divided between the foretriangle and mainsail.

The rig is a simple masthead sloop, with double lower shrouds and single, airfoil spreaders. The mast is a tapered, anodized Proctor spar, which is filled with foam to deaden sound. Halyard winches are mounted on the mast.

While the sailplan never changed, there were many minor revisions to the rig over the years. Early boats have roller-reefing booms, while late boats have slab reefing. Winch specifications and options changed over the years.

Most early boats have halyard winches that are large enough for hoisting sail, but too small to allow you to easily get a person to the masthead. We wouldn’t want to hoist a 90-pounder up the mast with the standard Lewmar 8C winches. Larger halyard winches were optional—Lewmar 16 or 25. The 25 is as small a winch as we’d want to use to hoist anyone aloft, and even that would be work for most people.

The mainsheet traveler bisects the cockpit just forward of the wheel, so that you have to step over the traveler and onto the cockpit seats to go forward from the steering position. While the mainsheet’s position just forward of the helmsman is reasonable, the driver cannot easily trim the mainsheet, which secures to a cleat on the front of the teak traveler support. It would be a simple matter to replace this awkward arrangement with a modern traveler, with the sheet ending at a cam cleat on top of the traveler car.

The cockpit seats themselves are short and not very comfortable, with a high, nearly vertical fiberglass cockpit coaming. The deep cockpit does give excellent protection from seas and spray. One of the best features of the cockpit is a moldedin dodger coaming, much like you find in this country on S&S-designed boats such as the Tartan 37. When fitted with a good dodger, the entire forward half of the cockpit will be bone-dry in almost any conditions.

Despite the fact that the aft side of the deckhouse slopes forward, the companionway is built out slightly, making it vertical. This allows you to remove the top dropboard in light rain, even with the dodger down. The companionway hatch slides have Tufnol runners, allowing the hatch to move easily. This is typical of the good structural detailing in boats from C&N.

Cockpit volume is huge. A bridgedeck protects the companionway, but the high coamings could allow the cockpit to fill almost to the top of the hatch in a major pooping. Later boats have large flapper-protected pipe scuppers through the transom in addition to big cockpit scuppers. We’d suggest retrofitting these to any older boat to be used for offshore voyaging.

Shroud chainplates are just inboard of the low bulwarks. They consist of heavy stainless steel “hairpins,” and are bolted through what would be the beam shelf on a wooden boat. We had some reservations about this construction when we first looked at it more than a decade ago, but after finding no chainplate damage on a similarly-fitted Nicholson 40 that had been rolled over and dismasted, we can’t argue with the strength of the installation. Lloyds approves it, and they’re notoriously conservative.

Like most boats of the 1970s, Nicholson 35s tend to be under-winched. Standard jib sheet winches are Lewmar 40s or 43s. Larger Lewmars were optional. We’d go for the biggest self-tailing genoa sheet winches that could fit on the coamings, and we’d make it a high priority for shorthanded cruising.

The low bulwarks give an enormous feeling of security under sail. The side decks are wide, and there is a grab rail atop the cabin trunk on each side, although the rail’s flattened shape takes a little getting used to. The molded-in fiberglass non-skid is soso.

Teak decks were an option, but not a commonly chosen one.

In general, sailing performance is what you would look for in a serious cruising boat. The hull shape is uncompromised by any rating rule. The ballast/displacement ratio of 42%, with the lead concentrated quite low in the molded keel, results in a reasonably stiff boat by any standard.

Sailing performance can be improved on any boat by replacing a main and genoa more than a few years old. You’ll never get racing boat performance out of the Nic 35, but you also won’t have to work yourself to death to get acceptable speed, either. That’s not a bad trade-off.

A variety of engines have been used in the Nic 35, all diesels. Early boats have the ubiquitous Perkins or Westerbeke 4-107. Later boats have a smaller Westerbeke L-25 or a marinized Volkswagen Rabbit diesel. Given our druthers, we’d take the Perkins engine. But there’s a complication here. Early boats, recognizable by a prop shaft that emerges from the aft end of the keel, utilize a hydraulic drive rather than a conventional transmission. The engine faces aft under the cockpit bridgedeck, with the hydraulic pump mounted on its back end. The hydraulic motor is in the bilge at the aft end of the main cabin.

Hydraulic drives are a mixed blessing. They allow the engine to be mounted anywhere, but most marine mechanics don’t know how to work on them. However, heavy equipment mechanics anywhere in the world can solve most hydraulic problems. On the downside, a major problem requiring replacement of the hydraulic motor or pump in a non-industrial area could be a real headache.

Later boats have a more conventional exposed shaft and strut. The engine is mounted further aft, under the cockpit, and the shaft is driven through a V-drive. Access to the engine in either installation is poor. On V-drive boats with a quarterberth, you can get to the front of the engine through the quarterberth.

With no quarterberth, it’s a crawl through a cockpit locker. The back of the engine is accessed through removable hatches behind the companionway ladder.

Control when backing is better with the V-drive installation, since the prop is much further aft. Likewise, tight maneuvering ahead is better with the same prop configuration, since you get good prop wash over the rudder.

In all boats, the fuel tank is a fiberglass molding. It is not integral to the hull, but is glassed in after the hull is laid up. We have heard no reports of failures of the tank.

Fuel capacity varies from 33 to 40 gallons—adequate for a cruising boat, but a little on the skimpy side for true long-term independence.

Construction

There’s nothing to fault in the construction of these boats. Some hulls—but not all—were built under Lloyds survey. A Lloyds Hull Moulding Note—which covers the basic layup of the hull, installation of bulkheads, and the deck molding—is fairly common, as it added nothing to the cost of the boat other than a survey. A full-blown Lloyds 100 A-1 certificate is rarer, since it added substantially to the price of the boat.

Nicholsons was an early user of isophthalic polyester resin, although it was only used for gelcoat. This made Nicholson 35s more blister-resistant when new, but it probably doesn’t substantially reduce a boat’s tendency to blister if it is left in the water constantly for years. Structural work in these boats is first-class. We’ve never understood why good-quality European boats in the late 70s and early 80s seemed to have much neater glass work than most production American boats of the same period, but they do.

The lead ballast casting is dropped into a molded keel cavity, then heavily glassed over. The outside of the keel molding of any boat with internal ballasting should be carefully examined for grounding damage.

There is a deep bilge sump under the cabin sole just aft of the fiberglass water tank. This will keep bilge water where it belongs until it can be pumped overboard.

Two 90 amp-hour batteries were standard on early boats. They were increased to 128 amp-hours each on later boats, and the alternator size was increased to 60 amps. If you want to go to bigger batteries on an older boat—a must for serious cruising—you’ll need to install a bigger alternator if you don’t want to run your engine all the time.

Many small changes were made to the interior design and decor over the years. In addition, the Nicholson 35 was built to order—you didn’t buy one off some dealer’s lot—so there is a lot of minor interior customizing. This was encouraged by the builder, and the prices for modifications were reasonable. It makes buying a used boat more complicated, however, because the combination of features you’re looking for may be hard to find.

The forward cabin on all boats is pretty much the same. There are the usual V-berths, but unlike a lot of boats, they don’t come to a point at the bow; there’s plenty of foot room. The berths could be converted to a big double, but you won’t find that on most boats.

A chain pipe runs vertically between the berths to the chain locker on many boats, rendering moot any modification to a double berth. The chain locker under the berths does keep the weight of chain low and fairly far aft, if you’re willing to make the tradeoff.

Padded vinyl liners are used on the hull sides, rather than wood ceiling. This looks good when new, but gets tired after a few years. We’d prefer wood. Wood ceilings can be refinished; vinyl can only be cleaned.

The earliest boats have white melamine-finished bulkheads, which lend to the general austerity of older models. Later boats have teak-veneered bulkheads, but the teak used is generally fairly light, so it doesn’t dramatically darken the interior.

Ventilation in the forward cabin is poor. A low profile Tannoy ventilator installed in the aluminum-framed deck hatch was standard, but these don’t move nearly as much air as big cowl vents. Original specs called for cowl vents over the forward cabin, but we’ve never seen them.

Aft of the forward cabin is a full-width head. Camper & Nicholsons used this same basic design on several boats, and it works well. You may not like the idea of walking through the head to get to the forward cabin, but it allows a much larger head than you’ll find on the typical boat of this length built in the 1970s.

There are good touches in the head, such as a stainless steel grab rail in front of the sink, and a mirror that angles upward so you don’t have to bend over to shave. Using the full width of the boat for the head allows its use as a dressing room without undue contortions.

Early boats do not have pressure water, nor do they have hot water for a shower. These creature comforts came later in the production run, but they can be added to older boats without much trouble.

There is very little wood in the head—just trim around locker doors—which makes it easy to keep clean and dry. A single Tannoy vent provides limited ventilation, but there’s plenty of room on deck over the head to add two cowl vents in Dorade boxes.

This would help ventilate the entire boat, and would be high on our priority list.

You’ll find a lot of variations in the main cabin, and which ones are most desirable is really a matter of choice.

All boats have a U-shaped dinette to starboard, with a permanently mounted dropleaf table. On the later boats we’ve looked at, the table is mounted on a heavy tubular aluminum base, securely bolted to the cabin sole. It is one of the sturdiest tables we’ve ever seen. The design allows the table to be reached from both the dinette and the starboard settee, giving lots of elbow room for five for dinner, with elbow-to-elbow seating for seven close friends if a lot of passing of food isn’t required.

There is storage space under the dinette, with lockers and bookshelves behind the seat back.

Starboard side layout varies. As originally designed, there is a straight extension settee, with a pilot berth outboard. The pilot berth was deleted on many boats, increasing storage space but visually narrowing the cabin. On a serious cruising boat, the extra storage would be a plus, since both the dinette and settee can serve as good sea berths. All berths, incidentally, are fitted with lee cloths—something you don’t find as standard on most American boats, even boats sold as serious cruisers.

Ventilation is provided by an aluminum-framed hatch over the middle of the cabin, plus two small water-trap cowl vents at the aft end of the main cabin. For use in the tropics, you really need to add more cowl vents, at the very least.

Minor changes were made in the galley over the years, but they were not earth-shaking. The earliest boats have good locker space, but no cutlery drawer. This was added under the counter on later boats. It would be a simple retrofit.

Nice molded teak counter fiddles on early boats were replaced by functional but tacky aluminum fiddles on later boats. Galley counters are covered with plastic laminate, and some of it is hideous: Godawful speckly-tweedy stuff, sort of in keeping with the interior decor we’ve experienced in unnamed cheap bed and breakfast joints in the UK.

There’s good storage space in the galley, with lockers outboard, a big pantry locker under one counter, a pot locker under the stove well, and another locker under the sink. The sink itself is quite small.

The icebox is outboard of the sink, next to the stove. It’s a good-sixed box—five cubic feet—and insulation is adequate for northern climates. In the tropics, we don’t think it would make the grade.

A gimbaled two-burner Flavel propane stove with oven and broiler is standard equipment. It is painted steel—as are most European galley stoves—and will be a ripe candidate for replacement on older boats. The stove well is narrow, so it may take some searching to find a stove that fits. Force 10 makes a stove that is narrow enough to fit most European stove wells, but you’ll probably have to special-order it, as most American boats take a wider model.

The propane supply is a paltry 10 pounds, so you may well end up looking for ways to expand that. A Marine Energy Systems two-tank molded gas locker should fit in the starboard cockpit locker if you don’t mind giving up some storage space.

All in all, the galley is very good for a 35′ cruising boat; exceptional when you compare it to most American boats of the early 1970s.

Although all boats have a nav station at the port after quarter, the layout varies tremendously.

There are two basic configurations: an aft-facing nav station, which uses the dinette for a seat; and a forward-facing station, using the quarterberth head as a seat.

With the aft-facing station, there is no quarterberth; you get an extra cockpit locker. You also get a real curiosity: a belowdecks watch seat next to the companionway, elevated high enough so you can see out both the companionway and the cabin trunk windows.

This is a real seagoing feature, but will be wasted space on boats that are only used for coastal cruising. Offshore, with the boat running under autopilot or steering vane, the watch seat allows you to sit below, out of the weather, while still keeping a reasonable watch unless you’re in crowded shipping lanes.

On some boats, the watch seat was deleted, and replaced with a big hanging locker. This would be a feasible and desirable modification on boats not used for serious cruising.

Both nav station layouts have a big chart table, good bulkhead space for mounting electronics, and space for navigation books and tools. It’s a tough call as to which arrangement is better.

The quarterberth would make an excellent sea berth. We’d rather sleep in a quarterberth than a pilot berth, particularly in a warm climate. At the same time, a wave down the companionway can douse you in big-time fashion in the quarterberth. We’d take our chances, opting for the quarterberth and forward-facing nav station.

Headroom is over 6′ throughout. The long windows of the main cabin make for a well-lighted interior.

A molded fiberglass water tank holding about 70 gallons fits under the sole in the main cabin, smack on top of the boat’s longitudinal center of flotation, where it belongs. This is marginal water capacity for long-distance cruising—we’d like to see at least 100 gallons, even for a couple—but it would be simple enough to install auxiliary tanks under both the dinette and settee. A second tank is a good idea on any boat, in case of a leaky tank or a contaminated water supply.

On early boats, the tank is filled from inside the boat—no deck fill. This avoids any chance of salt water contamination from a leaking filler cap, but it complicates tanking up: you have to drag hoses or jerry cans belowdecks.

The tank vents properly, inside the boat rather than outside. Most American boats have water tank vents on deck, many of them in the side of the hull. To put it bluntly, this is really dumb. If a boat spends a lot of time on one tack with the vent submerged, salt water will siphon back into the tank. Heavy water on deck can even get into vents mounted on the side of the cabin.

With the exception of the aluminum galley fiddles, most of the interior changes over the years are a distinct improvement. Storage is excellent for long-term cruising.

Conclusions

This is a real-live, serious ocean cruiser. It’s not pointy at both ends, doesn’t have a full-length keel, isn’t shippy looking, and doesn’t have oodles of nicely-fitted exterior teak to drive you wild with pleasure at the boat show, delirious from endless maintenance when you have to live with it.

The cockpit is uncomfortable, but can be improved with seat cushions and back cushions. It’s a shame the cockpit seats aren’t long enough to lie down on.

The interior is roomy and comfortable for cruising, lacking only a permanent double berth—a shortcoming that can be remedied, albeit with some work. The interior lacks the space and privacy of current 35-footers best suited for marina living or coastal cruising, but is functional for offshore sailing, particularly for a couple.

We wouldn’t hesitate to sail this boat anywhere, with virtually no changes. It demonstrates commonsense design and high-grade construction, even though it’s not fancy, and there’s not a gimmick to be found: no microwave, no stall shower, no recessed lights, none of the things that some people think they need for comfortable cruising.

The hard part, of course, is finding one. English boating magazines have a lot of Nicholson 35s for sale, but there are not too many on this side of the pond. Actually, that might be an advantage.

Buying a boat overseas is relatively painless, and you save yourself the trouble of sailing across the ocean before you can cruise Europe. Buy a boat in England, cruise there for a couple of summers, laying the boat up over the winters. Then, when you retire or get that long-awaited sabbatical, you can do some “real” cruising. You could do a lot worse.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Well kind of found this after the event !! Just bought a Nic 35 – I’m not a sailor ( bit of Dinghy sailing in my teens ) but have a friend who is so it will be a fast learning curve . Did some research before buying but hadn’t come across this before today , has just strengthened my reason for going for a Nic 35 instead of my other options . Looking for any other information and advice ( Is there an owners group ? ) I’m based in France and the boat will be on the Med for the foreseeable future .

Congratulations on your new ownership – great choice of boat! There is an active and informative Nic 35 owners association on Facebook.

Hi Raymond,

I keep the register for the Nic 35s and have owned Argonaut of Rhu for 20 plus years. Which Nic did you buy and where are you located? There is an active group of us who used to be on yahoo but now we are on groups.io. If you send me your email address I can give you more info. I do not use facebook or any other social media. [email protected] is my email address.

The dining table is on the port side of our Nic 35 (Hull 78), launched ’73.

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1976 Camper and Nicholsons 31

• Description

Seller's Description

This 31’ Camper and Nicholson is hull number 6. Has undergone extensive rebuilds and upgrades to her hull, diesel engine, electrical systems, standing rigging, and running rigging making her a one-of-a-kind dependable world class cruiser.

From 2014 to 2018 she underwent a complete overhaul that included but is not limited to a rebuild of the Yanmar 2QM20, all new running rigging, complete rewiring, osmosis blister removal, outfitted with an overbuilt aluminum stern arch, interior and exterior lighting upgrades, and teak and mahogany interior upgrades.

In 2016, under consultation of one of the last surviving Camper and Nicholson architects of the 31, the standing rigging was changed from the original through deck backing-plate mounted shrouds to exterior chainplates. Whereupon the hull was reinforced at the new chainplate mounting locations and the deck to hull joint was reworked from stem to stern and a reinforced integral toe rail was worked into the joint design.

This vessel has been outfitted for single-handing with all roller furler sails and includes a Cape Horn Wind Vane.

As of the creation of this listing, upgrades and work on the vessel is on-going and the listing, photos, and price will be updated to reflect this.

Equipment: -Yanmar 2QM20(2015 rebuild) -BlueSea Systems distribution panel model 8408 AC Main 6 Positions/DC Main 18 Positions(2016) -Xantrex LinkPro battery monitor(2016) -2 Trojan T-105 6-volt batteries house bank(2017) -New Force 10 Stainless Steel 2-Burner Gimbal Galley Range (2022) -6 winches including 2 Lewmar self-tailing winches -Strong aluminum stern arch(2016) -300 watts solar power(2016) -Fresh and saltwater Whale Galley Gusher foot pump operated taps in SS galley sink(2016) -M1 Mantus anchor 45lbs(2019) -CQR anchor 45lbs -Fortress anchor -Lavac manual head with spares and rebuild kits -Rule-Mate 1100 automatic bilge pump(2022) -Rule 3700 bilge pump(2022) -Henderson MKV manual bilge pump

Spares and extras: -Extra chain and 120’ rode setup for emergency anchor deploy -Extra 3-strand rode -Brand new 300’ spool of 5/16” Samson braided nylon extra running rigging -Many spare parts for Yanmar engine -Wind scoop hatch ventilation -Seaway triple block 3/8” w/ twist shackle -Harken 8mm ratcheting single block -Snatch blocks of various sizes -2x 1/2” stanchion mount blocks -2x 1/2” Tuphblox double blocks -2x RWO triple blocks -1/2” ZSpars single block -3/8” RWO single block -4x SS pad-eyes w/rings -2x SS Ronstan pad-eyes -2x 1/2” bronze pad-eyes -2x heavy duty 3/8” SS pad-eyes -2 bronze pelican clips 5” -Bronze swivel carabiner clip -1/2” galvanized anchor swivel -3x galvanized 3/8” anchor shackles -2x galvanized 3/8” anchor swivels -2x galvanized 5/16” anchor shackels -Davis Secure chafe guards -Assorted wooden bungs -Westmarine SS rigging kit -2x heavy duty lewmar T-track Jib Lead Car -Spare Sta-lok fittings for shrouds -Various extra deck cleats -12mm Lewmar double line clutch -Spare wildcat for windlass -Rechargeable airhorn -Spare lavac pump w/ 2x rebuild kits -Whale Gusher bilge pump w/ rebuild kit -Whale floor button style foot pump -Extra seals for Gebo portlights -Extra seals for hatchs -Rule 800 emergency/utility bilge pump with extension leads

Many more parts and equipment are aboard and will be listed soon.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

The NICHOLSON 31 replaced the NICHOLSON 32, and proved to be nearly as popular. The folkboat type design appealed to serious long distance cruisers and single-handers.

This listing is presented by SailboatListings.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

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1977 camper nicholson 31

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NICHOLSON 31 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of NICHOLSON 31. Built by Camper & Nicholsons and designed by Raymond Wall, the boat was first built in 1976. It has a hull type of Long keel w/trans. hung rudder and LOA is 9.31. Its sail area/displacement ratio 14.05. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by Yanmar, runs on Diesel.

NICHOLSON 31 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about NICHOLSON 31 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, auxillary power tank, accomodations, contributions, who designed the nicholson 31.

NICHOLSON 31 was designed by Raymond Wall.

Who builds NICHOLSON 31?

NICHOLSON 31 is built by Camper & Nicholsons.

When was NICHOLSON 31 first built?

NICHOLSON 31 was first built in 1976.

How long is NICHOLSON 31?

NICHOLSON 31 is 7.37 m in length.

What is mast height on NICHOLSON 31?

NICHOLSON 31 has a mast height of 10.63 m.

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