The Watkins 36, also known as the W36 and W36AC (for "aft-cockpit"), is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by

William H. Tripp Jr William H. Tripp Jr (1920–1971) was an American naval architect who created many popular wooden and later fiberglass sailboat designs. Tripp used the diminutive, ''Bill'', as his usual first name. Life Tripp was a native of Long Island, New Yo ...

and the Watkins brothers, first built in 1981. The Watkins 36 is a development of the

Portman 36 The Portman 36 is an American sailboat that was first built in 1978. Development and production The silent partner in Auroraglas purchased the rights to the center-cockpit Coronado 35/Columbia 36 design from Columbia Yachts and the tooling wa ...

and was developed into the center cockpit

Watkins 36C The Watkins 36C, also known as the W36C, is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr and the Watkins brothers. It was first built in 1981. The Watkins 36C is a center-cockpit development of the aft-cockpit Watkins 36. ...

Development

The silent partner in Auroraglas purchased the rights to the center-cockpit Tripp-designed

Coronado 35 The Coronado 35 is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr. as a cruiser and first built in 1971. The Coronado 35 design was developed into the Portman 36 in 1978 and later into the Watkins 36 and the Watkins 36C. Devel ...

and

Columbia 36 The Columbia 36 is an American sailboat that was designed by William Crealock and first built in 1967. Production The design was built by Columbia Yachts in the United States. The original Columbia 36 design was built from 1967 to 1972, with 4 ...

designs from

Columbia Yachts Columbia Yachts is a US manufacturer of sailboats, with offices and production facilities in Southern California. History Richard “Dick” Valdes and Maurice V. Threinen founded Glass Laminates, a fiberglass contract company, in 1958. Amo ...

and the tooling was modified to become the aft-cockpit Portman 36. That design was produced by Auroraglas and then Watkins Yachts, in

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

after the companies were merged. The Portman 36 was then modified by Watkins to become the aft-cockpit Watkins 36 and finally developed into the center-cockpit

Production

The Watkins 36 was produced by

Watkins Yachts Watkins Yachts and Marine was an American boat builder, based in Clearwater, Florida. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. The company was founded by the four Watkins brothers, Redford, Richard, Robert ...

from 1981 to 1983. During its production run the Watkins 36 became the flagship of the company product line and its features were incorporated in the newer and smaller boat designs that followed it, including the opening ports, Bomar hatches, through bolted flanged hull joints and the sloping cabin top.

Design

The Watkins 36 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open wat ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, with

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

wood trim. It has a

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, a ...

rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a raised

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, a

skeg A skeg (or skegg or skag) is a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an outboard motor or the outdrive of an inboard/outboard."A small fin f ...

-mounted

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. It displaces and carries of ballast. The design's hull is molded in a single piece using

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

resin and fiberglass woven roving, as well as multidirectional chopped strand fibers (MSCF). The keel is integral to the hull and the ballast is internal to the keel. The deck and the cockpit and also moulded in pone piece, also using polyester resin and fiberglass woven roving with MCSF. Plywood coring is employed for the cabin top, deck, seat and the cockpit sole for stiffness. The hull-to-deck joint is flanged, glued and then screwed into place. There is an aluminum toe rail, stainless steel through-bolted into place, bonding the toe rail, deck and the hull. An

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

well is located at the bow with a hawspipe leading the anchor chain into the "V" berth locker. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat is fitted with a British

Perkins Engines Perkins Engines Company Limited, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc since 1998, is primarily a diesel engine manufacturer for several markets including agricultural, construction, material handling, power generation, and industrial. It was establis ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

of for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . Later boats delivered had . The boat was factory delivered with many equipment items as standard, including a pressurized water system, a shower, ten opening ports and two hatches, a folding dining table in the main cabin and provisions for shore power. The design layout has a bow "V" berth and an owner's stateroom aft. The

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

is located aft, in the passageway to the owner's state room and is fitted with a double sink, a 12 volt refrigerator and a three-burner

propane Propane () is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used a ...

-fired stove with an oven. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

is aft and accessible from stateroom and the main cabin. The main cabin has of headroom and is finished with hand-rubbed teak trim, with the bulkheads and cabinetry made from teak veneer on

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

. The early boats delivered had a carpeted main cabin sole, with later deliveries with a teak and holly veneer sole over plywood. The companionway stairs tip up, providing access to the engine. The design has a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-tro ...

of .

Operational history

The boat is supported by an active class club, the ''Watkins Owners''.

References

{{Watkins Yachts Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by William H. Tripp Jr. Sailboat type designs by Watkins brothers Sailboat types built by Watkins Yachts

Development

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References