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.

08/06/2026

The first photo sent by Ian King, the present owner of the Selway Fisher 16' Grey Swan pocket cruiser 'Heather Ann', made me smile - she started life as a personal project back in the mid 1970's when I was working in the design office of McGruer & Co on the Gareloch in Scotland. McGruers were designing and building a series of IOR Quarter Tonners at the time - 34' cold moulded racing machines and I guess, for myself, I wanted to design and build a traditionally 'attractive' boat.
Of course, with all the sailing I did, there was no time to build her myself but several did and Heather Ann is a fine example bult in the 1990's on the opposite side of the World to Scotland - from Ian - "I purchased Heather Ann from the fourth(?) owner in about 2017, taking the long trip from Bundaberg to Canberra over a 2 1/2 day return trip. Heather Ann has made trips north to Pancake Creek and south to Big Woody Island of Fraser. Lots of little improvements and additions have created a wonderful " tiny ship", that is a real head-turner."
Over the years the design has had several additions including a strip plank version, cat rig and several different keel arrangements including a long deep keel.
Further photos and details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/PCup16.htm
The final photo is of another attractive build - 'Pickle'.

01/06/2026

Greg Goodman's Selway Fisher 21' Solway Whaler is looking very nice and is almost ready for the water. Although primarily for rowing and motoring she will eventually have a rig using a simple slotted leeboard arrangement and you can see the structure for this fitted to one side.
Further details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/DoubleEs.htm

28/05/2026

I have put new photos put up on the Selway Fisher web site for the Trinity 55' Motor Yacht, 21' Solway Whaler, 15' Greek Fishing Boat and the 23' Martlet Pilot Cutter - www.selway-fisher.com

26/05/2026

The strip planking on Roberto Teranti's Selway Fisher 15' Greek fishing boat is complete and now needs to be sanded and faired before glass sheathing - the external stem has been laminated and will be finished on the bench before being fitted over the sheathing.
See more details at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Mcup16.htm

18/05/2026

Ben Mackereth's Selway Fisher 14' Raven canoe is named "Coolibah" after a famous Australian Native tree and is used to
fish and explore the rivers and lakes of sub-tropical Queensland. Ben says she paddles beautifully and handles two adults and a Labrador well!
On request I shortened the original 15'7" Raven to a length easier to car top and portage - and store! Several have been built mainly using Exterior ply.
Further details and photos can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Opcan15.htm

11/05/2026

Julio Martinez's Selway Fisher 23' Martlet yacht is planked and getting ready for final sanding and then glass sheathing before the deadwood/skeg and outer stem etc are fitted.
You can see the 2 different directions of plank - most is from the gunwale down over the bilge and then as the planking found the bend and twist too difficult planking restarted from the hog towards the bilge.
Further details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Yacht2024.htm

04/05/2026

Further photos for the next stage of John Flowers' smart Selway Fisher 15'4" F***y fantail launch as he starts to fit the steam plant which is based on 'Tiny Power' castings. With seating and Teak over deck fitted, she is not far away from launching now.
Further photos and details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Steamup20.htm

27/04/2026

Just received photos of John Flowers' Selway Fisher 15'4" F***y launch under construction - so here is the framework and first ply planks going on. The F***y Launch has a fantail stern and this example will have steam propulsion.
Further details can be found at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Steamup20.htm

20/04/2026

Another Selway Fisher 10' Outboard Motor canoe exits the winter workshop - this one by Matthew Hyde Edwards has a few alterations - the main one being a slight decrease in length by 6" to 9'6" so that she does not overhang the transom beam of his motor cruiser.. Eventually Matthew is going to fit a daggerboard case so that he can sail her too.
Further details of the design can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/Mcanoe.htm

13/04/2026

I drew the 16' Able design, based on a traditional Suffolk Beach Punt for the Revd. J.M. Mountney in 1993 to be built in clinker ply. She represented the slightly deeper trad' punts which had an extra plank 'rove' on to make them deeper for the fishing work they were doing. Later that year I was asked to redesign the plans for an original lower freeboard version which became the Kae design.
I came across this photo and video of a nice example of the Kane built in New Zealand which needs a little resetting of the mainsail and now called Ruby. https://youtu.be/QJXofEaAYRM
The other photos of another Kane ,is the one built by Iain Gardner who originally asked me to design her.
With a beam of 6'6" and firm bilges the Kane and Able designs are substantial sea boats designed for choppy waters. Further photos and details can be seen at https://www.selway-fisher.com/OtherDB.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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