SHPOUNTZ 38-40 Gaff Rigged Schooner
MAM'RACOON Version
Gaff Rigged
One-off amateur construction based on a 1995 design by Daniel BOMBIGHER
Surveyed in 2006
Recent photos from April 2026!
Main features:
Overall length (including bowsprit): 15.78 m
Total deck length: 13.16 m
Hull length: 12.50 m
Waterline length: 11.21 m
Maximum beam: 4.13 m
Draft: 1.50 m
Headroom: Approximately 2.00 m
Open-plan interior (loft style)
1 very large double berth forward to port / 1 large single berth aft to starboard / 2 berths possible in the saloon
Long keel
Wheel steering when docked and large tiller steering when underway (photo)
Materials: Molded wood on laminated frames (mahogany + marine plywood + glued teak slats) - all epoxy-coated
Displacement: Approximately 13,000 kg / 15,000 kg
Balloon: Ballast Lead embedded in an epoxy coating, approximately 4800 kg
According to the final construction report dated March 22, 2006:
"Very high-quality technical construction, conforming to industry standards."
Numerous additional photos and videos are available upon request before scheduling any visit.
Viewings are by appointment only, following an initial phone conversation.
The boat is sold with all equipment.
(We do not currently have a detailed inventory; there is a large amount of equipment and fittings to be seen on site.)
Sale due to bereavement - all serious offers will be considered (no trades).
The boat is well-built, but the new owner will need to update it in several areas:
- some elbow grease to restore its appearance
- painting will be necessary
- engine overhaul
- electrical system overhaul
- hull antifouling will be required (the last antifouling was done around 2021/2022).
Important: given the current situation, there will be no handover or familiarization with the vessel.
As the boat is unusual, we will not be able to answer all questions. Xboat will not provide a quote for any work.
A word from the Architect Daniel BOMBIGHER:
The LADIES form a series: deck length: 13.20 meters
- beam: 3.90 meters
- draft: 1.50 meters
- sail area: approximately 130 m²
- maximum load: 13 tons
The 13.20-meter Lady of Bermuda is undoubtedly the yacht in which I have incorporated the most innovations! Its design and construction specifics make it a true yacht, priced only slightly higher than a well-equipped plastic boat of the same size.
My primary goal was to design a fast and easy-to-maneuver boat, and I'm not kidding! I'm not at all athletic, and I never have been. I'm an offshore sailor who enjoys cruising and appreciates simplicity and efficiency on board. Above all, I like arriving safely in port and in top form! It was during an extended stay in the St. George's Lagoon in Bermuda that I first admired American bugeyes and Bermudian schooners. Their magnificent shapes, of rare elegance and incredible simplicity, command admiration. Their hard-chine hulls with pointed sterns, built using the traditional planking technique, inspired me to transpose them into marine plywood. Note that this isn't lightweight marine plywood used for strakes and bulkheads, but rather thick marine plywood on a robust frame, resulting in a solid, high-displacement boat with high inertia.
With its V-shaped hull, the boat is seaworthy in all conditions.
Its handling is exceptionally pleasant: no rolling or pitching.
I managed to design the chine so that it is horizontal and aligned with the waterline.
This makes it virtually invisible! Even when heeled! Lady of Bermuda boasts the grace of a rounded hull; it's a true yacht! Or rather, a Lady! thanks to its clean, elegant lines.
Marine plywood construction has thus reached the level of luxury yachting and, for the first time, has been granted prestigious status, while also becoming a reliable, robust, and durable construction method.
Thanks to epoxy resins, maintaining this yacht is, of course, very easy.
Its Bermuda rig, or three sails, is remarkably simple and can be handled single-handed.
The sails can be hoisted in 15 minutes and lowered in 2.
The interior layout is designed for a family or a couple wishing to entertain friends. Everything is spacious and generous: galley, chart table, desk, saloon (two single berths or one double berth), cabin with a double berth (1.50 m x 2 m), and a head with a shower. Everything is large, which is quite unusual for a boat of this size. This impression is further enhanced by the fact that communication with the forward cabin is via a bulkhead in the form of a wide opening:
When closed, it isolates the forward cabin and preserves privacy.
Open below deck, the boat forms a vast cabin offering panoramic views along its entire length.
The Lady of Bermuda is suitable for all types of sailing: weekend cruises, tropical crossings, and even northern latitudes.
The construction method used for the Lady in its standard hard-chine version cannot be implemented by an amateur.
However, the boat can easily be finished from a bare hull, or the main finishing work can be carried out by a shipyard.
For amateurs wishing to build such a yacht themselves, I have designed a version with a rounded hull, simplified by the molded wood technique.
Two sail plans are available for this version:
- Belles des Bermudes, Bermuda rig
- Mam' Racoon, gaff rig. (This is the model presented in this document).
Warning! These amateur versions must be built upside down and turned over! The budget required for the purchase of materials, fittings, and accessories depends on your choices, and you should expect between 6,000 and 8,000 hours of work depending on your schedule.
"We recommend that any buyer of a used boat have a marine surveyor approved by insurance companies inspect the vessel to ensure they are fully informed about its overall condition before making the final payment to the seller."
