Selway Fisher Design

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Selway Fisher Design

Over 50 years of yacht and boat design, offering almost 500 plans ranging from canoes to yachts and steam launches.

Selway Fisher was started in 1982 after I had worked for almost 10 years in the design offices of McGruers and Silvers on the Gareloch (Clyde) to offer a yacht and boat design service for the home boatbuilding enthusiast modern wood and epoxy methods (stitch & tape, Cedar Strip Planking, Cold Moulding and Clinker/Ply). Most of the designs in our catalogue are individual commissions and cover canoe

s, dinghies, dayboats, pocket cruisers, yachts, motorboats and steam launches.
9 manuals written by Paul Fisher are also available from our web site describing the different methods of construction as well as sail making and model boat making. Paul is happy to discuss your individual boat design needs.

24/08/2026

I first designed the 15' Hazel Guide Bateau way back in 1983 well before the advent of home computers and design software. Construction was for traditional clinker/lapstrake construction.
A decade later I modelled the Hazel on the computer and faired the lines and produced up to date mould shapes for clinker construction followed by the plank shapes for stitch & tape construction.
These photos show a very nice recently built example by Dave Wentworth of the Heritage Coast Sailing and Rowing, Inc., Tawas City, USA using clinker ply.
Further photos and details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Rowskiffs.htm

17/08/2026

Scott Herrick built his Selway Fisher 11'6" Little Kate open canoe (5 plank version) with longer decking and floatation/storage and is seen here trialling her at Belews Lake in North Carolina - a rig will be added later. Construction is lightweight stitch and tape using 4mm plywood.
More details and photos of the Little Kate can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Opcan15.htm

11/08/2026

Just added new photos and an updated set of plans for the Highlander 9 dinghy updated to a Mk2 version - go to https://www.selway-fisher.com/index.htm and scroll down to the 'List of Latest Site Updates'.

10/08/2026

The Scottish Maritime Museum (Irvine) asked me to draw up a 35' Viking Longship for clinker ply construction. Alec Jordan produced the plank kit and building is now underway with the first 6 planks in position.
She is being built over a jig and upside down to make planking her easier.
She has a beam of 8' allowing her to carry 10 or more crew.
More details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/DoubleEs.htm

27/07/2026

A Selway Fisher Stornoway 14 with a yawl rig (from the Kingfisher 14 plans) by Peter Thomas with home made main and mizzen and sailing well. As Peter says 'I love the way she pops her nose up and rides the bow wave'.
The Stornoway 14 can also be built in strip plank and clinker ply. Further details and photos can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/GPDinghyover13.htm

20/07/2026

Peter Day's Selway Fisher 16' Felix Launch 'Happy Day' is in the water and looking great. She uses a 3KW ePropulsion unit for power instead of an inboard drive shaft and construction is strip plank. The plans also show an alternative schooner bow arrangement.
Further details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Steamup20.htm

13/07/2026

Small Boats magazine have published an article by John Larkin on his Selway Fisher Drake 13 with some nice pictures - https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/drake-13/?utm_source=mc&utm_medium=email&utm_camp aign=jul11_2026_sbn_ns
She can be built ply on frame or stitch and tape and has room for 3 or 4 but is easily sailed by just one person.
For further details go to https://www.selway-fisher.com/SharpieDory.htm

06/07/2026

It's always good to see people having fun with their boatbuilding projects - this is the first video of Rosie and Michael, (The Floating Funquest) starting the build of their Selway Fisher Hawke Bay 22''
The Hawke Bay22 is a large rowing skiff originally designed for a New Zealand client who wanted to go on rowing expeditions around the coasts of North & South Islands. She was been given plenty of freeboard and buoyancy to cater with the sharp chop experienced in offshore rowing.
Rosie and Michael have used some cardboard modelling to convert the layout making is suitable for a crew of 2 and will use their boat to raise funds for 2 charities - see the video for details - https://youtu.be/CaIxG1_BFuM?is=eztmEnC-1CvzdOE2
Further details of the Hawke Bay 22 can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Rowskiffs.htm

29/06/2026

A new clinker design for the Selway Fisher catalogue - in this case a clinker ply version of our 12'6" Outboard Motor Canoe.
A client wanted a small lightweight motor and rowing canoe and wanted to use the clinker method of construction rather than simple stitch and tape design, so we went for a hull with the same flat bottom panel as the ply version but with 5 clinker plans per side.
The mould shapes are given full-size and, with her long and lean canoe shape, she would make an easy introduction into the world of clinker construction for someone wanting to give this method a try.
Further details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Mcanoe.htm

Address

24 Lancaster Drive
Melksham
GL155SL

Website

http://www.selway-fisher.com/, https://www.selway-fisher.com/blog_&_latest_news.htm

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