THE SHIP
Sam Devlin sketch of his original 34' Camarone design. Burnett will be a 39' modified version of the Camarone.
Burnett will be a 39-foot ketch-rigged sailboat. It will be the first boat of its design ever constructed and is a customized version of Sam Devlin’s “Camarone” – a design that was conceived in 2005, but never built.
We told Sam we wanted a seaworthy and functional but elegant boat that will allow us to safely and comfortably explore whichever waters we choose. Whereas most boats are drawn up with couples in mind, we wanted our boat tailored to two friends going on an extended adventure together. This meant two equal-sized cabins that will provide a way to achieve some separation and privacy in what will be a relatively small living space. We wanted the design suited for use in the Pacific Northwest as that is where Burnett will reside when not out exploring the far reaches of the World’s oceans. This meant an enclosed pilot house to provide shelter in what is most often a cool, wet climate. Given that we intend Burnett to be a gateway to the many marine and coastal passions we enjoy (fishing, surfing, diving, etc.), we wanted ample storage for the equipment those passions require – or “storage up the wazoo” as Sam would say.
We opted for a ketch rig as per Sam’s recommendation. This means Burnett will have two masts and the forward mast will be taller than the mizzen (aft) mast. Compared to a sloop which has a single mast and is the most common rig for racing, a ketch rig has more sails, but the sails are smaller. Smaller sails are easier to manage, which is important for a vessel intended for cruising instead of racing (imagine trying to quickly take down a sail at night before an approaching squall hits). Sloops sail better into the wind, but because our priorities are seaworthiness and safety over speed, we chose the ketch rig.
Sam designs boats to be built with the “stitch-and-glue” method of boat building. The stitch-and-glue technique involves cutting plywood into panels shaped such that when their edges are pulled together, they bend into the shape of a boat. Metal wire is then used to stitch the plywood panels together at their edges. The panels are then joined at the seams with fiberglass prior to removing the metal stitching.
Stitch-and-glue boat building sits somewhere in the space between traditional wooden boat building (think solid wood planks bent over solid wood frames) and fiberglass boat building (think fiberglass sprayed into a mold to create one of those dime-a-dozen, factory-built boats most commonly seen on the water today). A stitch-and-glue boat can be built much faster than a similar sized traditional wooden boat, and the resulting vessel is easier to maintain because all of the wood is sealed with epoxy, preventing rot. These are the main reasons we chose a stitch-and-glue design; the building method is a good fit for the timeframe we want to complete the project in and will (hopefully!) result in a beautiful vessel capable of handling the myriad adventures we plan to take her on.
"This Camarone (Spanish for Shrimp) design follows close to my heart as the most perfect boat I can imagine. Suitable for cruising either north to Alaska or south to Mexico, she is a boat that has spent many fine hours in my dreams." - Sam Devlin on his first version of the Camarone.
Camarone 39 Specifications
Length on Deck: 39'
Length Overall: 44' 0"
Beam: 13' 0"
Draft: 5' 11"
Hull Type: Displacement
Power: TBD
Displacement: 29,400 lbs
Rig: Ketch
Sail Area Total: 846 sq.ft