BALLERINA II Bilge Keel 6.56 Meter Sloop Designer ROBERT TUCKER

The BALLERINA II designed by the famous British yacht designer Robert Tucker originally started off life as a half-deck day boat in the very early 1950's. During the mid 1950'sthe day boat had a 'lid" fitted and subsequently metamorphosed into the familiar BALLERINA II.

In her hayday in the late 1950's/early 1960's, BALLERINAs were in production, originally in hard chine plywood which was changed to hard chine GPR, yet still built by the same company. Many hundreds of BALLERINA's have been constructed both professionally (by the Penryn Boatbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd., Cornwall, England) and by amateurs.

The BALLERINA was designed originally for cruising but a large number have been raced including a modified version which took part in one of the single-handed transtasman races which crosses the Bass Strait, one of the roughest stretches of water in the world during the middle 1970's, and came second overall in a race that it was a feat in itself to just finish, let alone get into the medals.

BALLERINA II is distinguished by her powderhorn sheer, well raked transom, and transom hung rudder.

The original design featured a triple keel arrangement with a central casting providing the main ballast weight set below a deadwood, plus additional steel plate bilge keels.

Accommodation is for three of four adults in full length berths with galley facilities set between. It is possible to fit an inboard engine (in a motor well), small petrol or even a modern lightweight single-cylinder diesel.

Good storage capacity is available, either in the forepeak lazaret area or within the cockpit lockers.

The Ballerina II is a well proven bilge keel cruising vessel. It has some famous "relatives." including:

SHRIMPY a 18 foot Caprice bilge keel Robert Tucker design that once held the record of being the smallest boat to be sailed around the world. All of this great adventure is recorded by Shawn Acton in the now hard-to-find book Shrimp: A Record Around the World Voyage in an 18 Foot Yacht.

SEA DART a Robert Tucker Debutant Mark I with an overall length of 21 feet. The Sea Dart must certainly rank as one the world's most famous yachts of any size. She was the boat that Tristan Jones would truck to the Andes, sail her on Lake Titicaca, and then manage to transport the little vessel across South America. She became the basis of Jones's classic book, The Incredible Voyage.

LINKS of interest relating to the BALLERINA II:

Ballerina Home Page compiled by Thomas Lee, Librarian

Trailer for a Ballerina II (note: this link leads to a directory of 8 photos and a sketch)
Some Interior Pictures of the Ballerina II (note: this link leades to a directory of pictures)

PENRYN, Ballerina Sail Number 217, owned by Margaret Carr Lee, Ontonagon, Michigan.
BALLERINA Sail Number 220, owned by Dave Corkum, New Brunswick, Canada.
DANCING GIRL a Ballerina II being restored by Jon Palmer, Liskeard, Cornwall, England.
ALINGA, a Caprice design by Robert Tucker. Owned by Alan Deely, Sidney, Australia.
SEA DART home page.
SHRIMPY a 18 foot Robert Tucker designed bilge keel boat that sailed around the world.
TUCKER DESIGNS, 15 Wrenfied, Boxmoor, Hamel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
BALLERINA a Yachts and Yachting Test. Reprinted from Yachts and Yachting October 25, 1968.
PENRYN Boatbuilding & Engineering Co. Ponsharden, Penryn, Cornwall. England
ROBERT TUCKER British yacht designer