Roberts Tom Thumb 26 steel hull construction

Roberts Tom Thumb out sailing

Roberts Tom Thumb with its finish coat of paint

Below, this smaller sister to the Tom Thumb 26, the Tom Thumb 24, was built in Northern New South Wales and launched in July, 1997 to fulfil the owners boyhood dream of circumnavigating the globe. Note the outboard on rails on the transom and the self steering vane. Graham, the owner skipper is also 6' 4'' tall! We wish him all the best.

Roberts Tom Thumb 24, was built in Northern New South Wales by Graham - 01

Roberts Tom Thumb 24, was built in Northern New South Wales by Graham - 03

Graham writes: The hull and deck were professionally built there for a friend who could not finish it so I bought it and fitted it out myself with the very best of everything. It is a fantastic little sea-boat. I sail alone most of the time and never steer. The trick is to limit heeling, as the beamy hull picks up weather helm quickly if you sail it on its ear. (I have a wind vane and an Auto-pilot). The fully battened main and other sails from a top racing loft helps performance too. However, I like alternative rigs - I have a friend with a junk rigged Tom Thumb 24, "Minke", and have sailed in company for hundreds of miles, comparing the rigs. I walk away from "Minke" in light head-winds and smooth seas. In boisterous open sea conditions to windward I always fall off onto a very close reach (45 degrees apparent) and then there is very little in it. Downwind we are evenly matched. I can creep away at times because I have no inboard engine and don't drag a propeller, but if we have to throw in a gybe or two to clear a reef etc, "Minke" gets ahead while I am running around changing headsail poles from one side to the other and resetting guys etc. If you want to direct Australian clients to have a look at "Arion" you would be welcome, I keep the boat at the Breakwater Marina, Townsville, and won't be off cruising again for a couple of years or so. Contact details, Graham Cox PO Box 655 Townsville QLD 4810 Australia, phone : 0419436711. Cheers Graham Cox

Roberts Tom Thumb 26

Although an enlargement of the Tom Thumb 24 the Tom Thumb 26 is a completely new plan, not just a stretch job. A long waterline length, enough displacement so that it won't be thrown around by waves, shoal draft, extremely tough and very economical to build. No wonder it is so popular. It can be built utilising frameless steel construction techniques, the object being to provide the undoubted strength of steel while allowing the construction to be kept relatively light. These plans for the Tom Thumb designs (24ft and 26ft versions) are only available for multi-chine steel or multi-chine aluminium construction. This design can also be built as a 28 footer, spacing, ballast placement and sail plan being included in with the full plan set.

With a beam of 3.15 meters and headroom of 1.9 meters the interior is very large for a vessel this size. Her hull speed is a fraction over 6 knots. This vessel will take you everywhere you are capable of taking her to.

The large scale plans include full size frame patterns and you will find this boat an ideal first steel boatbuilding project.

There are several alternative accommodation arrangements and a choice of sail plans all included in the one plan package. These include a Gaff sloop, Bermudan sloop and cat rig sail plans.

The study plan has details of all of the construction techniques in steel and includes the main materials list, accommodation layouts, sail plans, building drawings, photo's of finished craft and other miscellaneous information regarding this design.