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Seller's Description

Blackwatch 24, 1980 Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico

Beefy, capable cutter-rigged sloop has a full-keel for stability but is easy to trailer and launch. Excellent lake boats and sturdy coastal cruisers, these bullet-proof boats have made intrepid voyages, and will sail along at 5 knots effortlessly. It’s shoal draft and well-appointed cabin makes it a comfy overnighter or camp cruiser.

The company that made these, Bluewater Boatworks (Dave Autry), initially called it a 24. An article Octorber 1979 issue of “Sail” magazine titled “Texas Traditional” begins, “This traditional-looking 24-foot trailer/sailer has some unique features…” The Blackwatch Fleet posts this note: “Dave Autry’s boats must be numbered among the rarest production boats ever manufactured. Dave’s company, Bluewater Boatworks of Amarillo Texas, molded only 82 Blackwatch hulls between 1979 and 1981.”

The accommodations include: two bunks, a galley with sink, ice-box, and a single burner propane/butane stove, voluminous chain locker, and ample storage in the cabin, and two large lazarettes in the roomy cockpit. This cutter has a 5’ long bowsprit, all original Wilcox-Crittenden bronze hardware, 2 Perco bronze opening ports (and 2 fixed), and forward hatch. Hank-on jib or a furler can be added; the club-footed staysail is self-tacking and has reef points, the main sail has three sets of reef-points for storm sailing.

The Blackwatch has about a 2300 lbs. displacement loaded, with 800 lbs. being lead ballast. The boat is unique in that it’s design is simply a smaller scale of a “blue water” vessel built to cross oceans. Further evidence of its pedigree can be seen in its materials (bronze fittings, mahogany toe rails, teak bowsprit), the sail configuration (a double-reefed main, self-tacking staysail, flying jib), and rigging (heavy gauge stainless, quality blocks, Dacron lines). All lines are lead aft to the cockpit for ease of sail handling while making the boat ideal for single-handing.

The Blackwatch moves well in light winds; all three sails and can handle heavy air (30+) using a double-reefed main and staysail. The boat sails easily up to its 6.3 knot hull speed and is a comfortable in most any wind condition. The double-reefed main is configured for “slab reefing” where a series of smaller lines run along the boom and back to the cockpit for reducing sail in a sudden squall.

Galvanized trailer 2004, 4-stroke. 5HP Mercury outboard with fewer than 25 hours Navico TP200CX autopilot stainless boarding ladder port-a-potty manual bilge pump 1 spare tiller 1-year-old deep cycle, marine battery all new marine-grade wiring, fuse panel, on-off battery switch, new dual 12 volt outlet, new LED anchor light, new Shakespeare VHF radio antenna and coaxial cable

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Specs

Designer
Dave Autry
Builder
Blue Water Boatworks (USA)
Associations
?
# Built
81
Hull
Monohull
Keel
Long
Rudder
Transom hung
Construction
FG

Dimensions

Length Overall
18 6 / 5.6 m
Waterline Length
17 5 / 5.3 m
Beam
7 6 / 2.3 m
Draft
2 0 / 0.6 m
Displacement
2,300 lb / 1,043 kg
Ballast
800 lb / 363 kg

Rig and Sails

Type
Cutter
Reported Sail Area
224′² / 20.8 m²
Total Sail Area
?
Mainsail
Sail Area
?
P
?
E
?
Air Draft
?
Foresail
Sail Area
?
I
?
J
?
Forestay Length
?

Auxilary Power

Make
?
Model
?
HP
?
Fuel Type
?
Fuel Capacity
?
Engine Hours
?

Accomodations

Water Capacity
?
Holding Tank Capacity
?
Headroom
?
Cabins
?

Calculations

Hull Speed
6.7 kn
Classic: 5.6 kn

Hull Speed

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.

Formula

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

A more accurate formula devised by Dave Gerr in The Propeller Handbook replaces the Speed/Length ratio constant of 1.34 with a calculation based on the Displacement/Length ratio.

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

6.73 knots
Classic formula: 5.6 knots
Sail Area/Displacement
20.6
>20: high performance

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.

Formula

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.
20.57
<16: under powered
16-20: good performance
>20: high performance
Ballast/Displacement
34.8
<40: less stiff, less powerful

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.

Formula

Ballast / Displacement * 100

34.8
<40: less stiff, less powerful
>40: stiffer, more powerful
Displacement/Length
192.0
100-200: light

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.

Formula

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
  • LWL: Waterline length in feet
191.97
<100: ultralight
100-200: light
200-300: moderate
300-400: heavy
>400: very heavy
Comfort Ratio
13.5
<20: lightweight racing boat

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.

Formula

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam1.33)

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
  • LWL: Waterline length in feet
  • LOA: Length overall in feet
  • Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
13.52
<20: lightweight racing boat
20-30: coastal cruiser
30-40: moderate bluewater cruising boat
40-50: heavy bluewater boat
>50: extremely heavy bluewater boat
Capsize Screening
2.3
>2.0: better suited for coastal cruising

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.

Formula

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

  • Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
2.28
<2: better suited for ocean passages
>2: better suited for coastal cruising

Notes

This boat has also been called the BLACKWATCH 24 (the over all length including the bowsprit is nearly 24’) Blue Water Boatworks was located in Amarillo TX (USA).

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

View on SailingTexas.com

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