KELANA of CLYNDER is famously the first pleasure yacht to slide down the rails of the highly respected McGruer yard in Clynder following the end of World War II. Commissioned by her owner in 1939 just prior to the onset of war the timber for her construction lay at the yard patiently waiting on peace to resume.
Unlike her meter rated sisterships she was built primarily as a fast cruiser with no compromise in design to influence her RORC rating. At the time her builders noted ‘in the main it is the fast boats which win rather than those with particularly low ratings’. With the James McGruer designed 6m racers dominating events following the war the launch of KELANA of CLYNDER was much anticipated by the yachting press. In the seasons which followed she proved to be every bit as capable as the performance-orientated McGruer designs. Since her build KELANA of CLYNDER has become a familiar sight on Scotland’s west coast with the unmistakable silhouette of McGruer designed classic.
Lovingly cared for KELANA of CLYNDER benefits from significant upgrading in recent years; her inventory highlights including:
Mahogany planking on grown oak frames
Full topsides re-paint during winter 2020/21
Galvanised strap floors, majority re-galnvanised in last 20 years.
Strap floors in way of engine replaced with stainless steel items in last 20 years.
Replacement laid teak deck.
Yanmar 3YM30AE, professionally installed April 2019.
Engine driven hydraulic system for windlass, re-piped in 2019.
New batteries installed in 2020
New saloon upholstery for 2023 season
Bainbridge Neptune 4500 gas cooker
Blakes marine toilet.
Eberspacher cabin heating
Anodised alloy mast and spars
Harken, two-speed, self-tailing primary winches
Custom-built clinker dinghy
We hold on file a copy of the original 1947 Yachting World review of KELANA of CLYNDER available on request along with a large number of additional photos.
Wintering ashore undercover in a shed KELANA of CLYNDER will be launching in mid-April and is available for viewing strictly by prior appointment.
KELANA of CLYNDER – A Brief History
Kelana’s design was commissioned just before the war but she was not built until peace returned, being the first pleasure vessel launched by McGruer and Co after the war ended. As the first post-war yacht in James McGruer’s distinguished and beautiful body of work, he put her at the head of a distinguished family of 17 ton, 30 ft waterline yawls – Kelana of Clynder, Sule Skerry, Westward of Clynder, Marguerita Helena III, and Coigach - that stood distinct from his 8-metre Cruiser Racer portfolio for which he is noteworthy.
In Kelana, we see James McGruer hallmarks in their infancy, such as the beautiful sheer running from drawn out ends, his distinctive forefoot and a post-war iteration of his fixed deckhouse. Writing about Coigach in Yachting Monthly in 1963, D Cormack, writes, ‘Kelana was, and still is, one of the most admired and successful fast cruisers/handicap racers on the Clyde and, appearing when she did, she set an immediate standard for post-war perfection that is even now hard to beat. To class Coigach as an improved Kelana is to shower her with praise.’
Kelana of Clynder was drawn for W Ross McLean and his wife, Marjorie, who together named her Kelana, meaning “wanderer” in Malay. Throughout their ownership, they raced Kelana competitively and with her dark blue hull and enviable race results, she became a quiet institution on the west coast of Scotland. During Clyde Week in 1954, Kelana raced five races, scoring four firsts and a second. She won the Clyde Week championship trophy and two further trophies that year.
Recording the second day of the fortnight, the Yachting World Annual reports, “That was the day she [Kini] was soundly beaten by W. Ross McLean in his 12-ton sloop Kelana, whose beautiful high sheer forward was seen at its best when the yachts were turning to windward on the back of Cumbrae. The bigger seas were stopping the “six” but Kelana was trampling them down underfoot, and so little was coming aboard that one of the hands was lying sunbathing in the bows in perfect comfort.”
These contemporary accounts underscore her racing performance which even today allows her to hold her own against modern yachts.
From the notes of Gordon Drysdale who researched the early history of KELANA OF CLYNDER for the article ‘Deliverance to KELANA’, featured in the Royal Thames Review 2016.
Owner’s Comment:
I have owned Kelana for over 20 years and she has given enormous pleasure to my friends and I. She has won a few races (especially passage races) and has a decent turn of speed. I did a number of cruises over the west coast as far as Barra and Torridon and she is great for a week’s cruise with 2 or 3 friends; its very nice to sit in the mahogany saloon at the end of a day’s sailing and plan the next day with the charts out on the saloon table. She is very smooth in her motion and has nice wide decks and a compact but deep cockpit – so you feel safe in her. She is a pretty boat and I always tend to get a lot of people coming over to ask about her history and take photographs.”
CONSTRUCTION
Hull Construction:
Mahogany on oak.
Grown oak frames
Galvanised strap floors, majority re-galvanised in last 20 years.
Strap floors in way of engine replaced with stainless steel items in last 20 years.
Oak beam shelf
Topsides finished in white gloss paint, professionally painted winter 2020/21.
Deck & Superstructure Construction:
Oak deck beams
Welded steel deck beams in way of mast.
Galvanised hanging knees forward of mast.
Original teak laid plank deck overlaid with new teak deck.
Teak covering boards
Teak capping rail
Mahogany coachroof sides and deckhouse.
Quartersawn pitch pine planking to finish coachroof top.
Keel & Rudder:
Lead ballast keel
Bronze keel bolts.
Laminated mahogany rudder.
MACHINERY
Engine & gearbox:
Yanmar 3YM30AE
Professionally installed April 2019.
29hp @ 3,200RPM.
3 cylinder, naturally aspirated, indirectly cooled
Kanzaki mechanical reversing gearbox
Single lever morse control
Maintenance & Performance:
Engine serviced Autumn 2022.
Cruising speed 5.5kts
Propulsion & Steering:
Stainless steel propellor shaft
Traditional stuffing type sterngland with remote greaser.
2 blade bronze propellor.
Hydraulics:
Engine driven system.
Manually engaged pump to drive windlass.
New hoses fitted 2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
Voltage systems:
12VDC onboard power system
Battery Banks:
Domestic batteries – 1x 12VDC (2020)
Engine battery 1x 12VDC (2020)
Alternator:
12VDC, 125amp.
Multi-vee drive belt.
PLUMBING
Fresh Water:
Coldwater only system.
Hand pumped faucet in galley and heads.
Foot pumped faucet in galley
Electrically pumped faucet in galley
Bilge Pumps:
2x Whale, bronze stirrup type pumps.
1 x Modern manual diaphragm-type pump.
2x Electric bilge pumps with manual and auto-switching.
Deck Wash:
Electric, saltwater deck wash system
Jabsco stainless steel twist and locker deck fitting on foredeck.
Hose with trigger gun.
TANKAGE
Fuel:
Single stainless steel tank.
With inspection hatch
Cleaned out in 2015.
Fresh Water:
Single stainless steel tank
With inspection hatch
NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT
Depth – Autohelm ST50, mounted inside deckhouse, visible from cockpit.
GPS – Garmin GPS 128, mounted inside deckhouse, visible from cockpit
Compass – Ritchie magnetic compass mounted in cockpit
VHF – Icom IC-M421, mounted inside deckhouse, visible from cockpit
DOMESTIC EQUIPMENT
Galley:
Bainbridge Neptune 4500 gas cooker, 2 burner, grill and oven with pan clamps.
Stainless steel sink
Drying rack.
Heads:
Blakes Minor manual marine heads.
Heating & Ventilation:
Eberspacher diesel fired, blown air system with thermostatic cabin controller.
Selection of dorade ventilators and opening deck hatches to provide ventilation.
Lighting:
Selection of bulkhead mounted and under deck lights.
ACCOMMODATION
Summary of Accommodation:
6 berths
1 heads
Midships galley
Accommodation Finish:
Traditional style interior.
Joinery work of mahogany finished in varnish
Hull sides finished in white gloss paint.
Deckhead finished in white paint.
New upholstery in saloon for 2023 season
Description of Accommodation from Forward:
Forepeak:
Open all the way to the stem.
Two single berths outboard port and starboard.
Storage forward of bunks
Anchor chain stowing in a box between berths forward.
Sail bin below bunk.
Heads:
Located in walkthrough from saloon to forpeak.
Double doors close to create heads compartment.
Baby Minor, manual marine toilet located outboard aft.
Stainless steel sink on sliding countertop outboard.
Galley:
Located at forward port end of saloon.
Compact L-shaped galley.
Gas cooker mounted at forward end, facing aft with stainless steel splashback on bulkhead immediately forward.
Short worktop section running aft from cooker outboard with inset stainless steel sink and drying rack.
Storage lockers below and outboard of worktop.
Shaped crockery storage until outboard of worktop aft.
Saloon:
Linear bench settees port and starboard.
Both settees converting to single berths, starboard settee base pulling out to extend bunk width.
Storage lockers outboard of seatbacks overhead with bookshelfs between.
Double dropleaf saloon table fixed centrally, with bottle storage in table.
Small countertop dresser unit forward of starboard settee and aft of port settee, drawers beneath countertop, bottle storage space beneath port settee drawer
Hanging space aft of starboard settee with countertop underneath, drawer below and outboard.
Dedicated hanging locker to port after of dresser unit
Deckhouse:
Windows forward, port and starboard.
Raised engine box aft.
Quarter berths outboard port and starboard, extending aft under cockpit.
Corner seats in aft corners port and starboard.
DECK EQUIPMENT
Rig:
Keel stepped, double spreader, masthead sloop rig.
Gold anodised alloy mast and spars.
Silver anodised alloy spinnaker pole (2019)
Standing rigging of 1x19 stainless steel with chromed bronze rigging screws.
Removable inner forestay
Running backstays, tensioned by Highfield levers mounted outboard of cockpit port and starboard.
Harken roller reefing system on forestay for roller reefing genoa.
Slab reefing mainsail.
Block and tackle kicker.
Bronze pinstop style genoa tracks mounted on toerails outboard of the deck.
Boom crutch securing in aft port corner of cockpit.
Winches:
Primary winches – 2x Harken 48, bronze, self-tailing, two speed.
Secondary winches – 2x traditional bronze winches, two speed.
Mast mounted reefing winch – 1x Harken ?? self-tailing, two speed.
Mast Halyard winches – 2x captive wire rope, bronze, two speed.
Sails:
Mainsail – White dacron, partially battened, slab reefing, 3 full reefs
Genoa – White dacron with blue UV strip. Roller reefing.
#1 Jib – High cut, white dacron, roller reefing
Spinnaker
Reaching spinnaker
Storm jib – Hank-on to removable inner forestay
Canvas Work:
Mainsail Cover.
Cockpit cover
Anchoring & Mooring:
Bower Anchor – CQR 35lb on chain rode, 60m.
Kedge Anchor – Fishermans anchor.
Grapnel anchor.
Anchor Windlass – Simpson Lawrence hydraulic windlass, chain gypsy with warping drum.
Mooring warps – Selection
Fenders - Selection
Tender:
Clinker built wooden dinghy, built by Adrian Morgan, Ullapool.
Larch on oak finished in varnish.
Gunter sailing rig for dinghy included.
Outboard – Yamaha Malta 3hp, 2-stroke.
General:
Stainless steel pulpit and pushpit rails
Stainless steel deck mounted stanchion supporting two tier stainless steel guardwires.
Guardwire gates port and starboard.
Twin stainless steel bow rollers.
Anchor stowing on deck chocks forward of windlass.
Single mooring cleat mounted centrally forward and aft
Dorade type ventilators forward of mast.
Hard wood grabrail running the length of the coachroof from the mast aft, port and starboard
Hardwood grabrail running the length of the deck house on outboard edge port and starboard.
Deep cockpit protected by coaming.
Primary winches mounted outboard of coaming on stainless steel mounting.
Secondary winches mounted outboard of coaming aft on timber mountings.
Solid ash tiller at aft end of cockpit.
Corner seats at forward end of cockpit.
Removable cockpit seat aft for use in harbour.
Removable cockpit table, securing to coamings.
Short section of deck aft of cockpit with lazzarettee locker beneath accessed through opening deck hatch.
Hardwood bench seat on pushpit rail.
Outboard storage bracket on pushpit rail.
SAFTEY EQUIPMENT:
General note on safety equipment: Any safety equipment such as liferafts, Epirbs, fire extinguishers and flares etc. are usually personal to the current owner(s) and if being left on-board as part of the sale of a used vessel may require routine servicing, replacement, or changing to meet a new owners specific needs.
Navigation Lights:
Masthead tri-colour
Mast mounted steaming light
Low level navigation lights
Deck flood light.
Life saving:
Liferaft – Seago 6 person valise raft, service due March 2021.
KIM MOB rescue sling
Horseshoe buoy with light and drogue
Danbuoy
DISCLAIMER
In this case we are acting as brokers only.
The Owner is not selling in the course of a business. whilst every care has been taken in their preparation , the correctness of these particulars is not guaranteed. The Purchaser is strongly advised to check the particulars and where appropriate at their expense to employ a qualified Marine Surveyor to carry out a survey and/or to have an engine trial conducted which if conducted by us shall not imply any liability for such engine on our part.
This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice
United Kingdom.
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