Design: Core Sound 17 Mk3
Designer: Graham Byrnes, B&B Yacht Designs
Builder: Peter Batchelor
| LOA | 5.2 metres (17') | |
| Beam | 1.87 metres (6' 1") | |
| Draft | 0.2 - 1.3 metres (8" - 3' 8") | |
| Sail area | 13.378 square metres (144 square feet) | |
| Weight | 181 - 204 kg (400 - 450 lbs) | |
| Water ballast | 136 kg (300 lbs) | |
| Displacement | 589 kg (1300lbs) @DWL, with crew, water ballast, and gear |
My Lapwing 16, Pitthirrit, was sold, and is now with her new owner, outside Nowra. This means that I had room in the garage for the next boat, so it was time to get building...
I decided to build another B&B Yacht Designs boat, this time the Core Sound 17 Mk3. This was the boat I had originally intended to build after Kirsty Ann, our Core Sound 17 Mk1. Changes to the plans resulted in a slightly larger beam, which meant that it wouldn't have fitted down our driveway at the time, but now that we've moved this is not an issue. This boat has a self-draining cockpit, water ballast, and a cabin with two berths. She should be a great boat for participating in raids, and long weekends away.
I've named this boat Nyatne (pronounced Nee Aat Nay), which means thankful, or thank-you, in the language of the Wadawurrung people, the traditional owners of the land east of Aireys Inlet on the Surf Coast, to the Bellarine, to Geelong and Ballarat, and to the Werribee River. I do have a lot to be thankful for, so I thought that it would be an appropriate name.
The build took from the middle of May 2025 until the middle of January 2026, working on the boat most days. This was by far the most complex boat I've built, and there was lots of head-scratching along the way, working out what the designer intended, how I might achieve it, and if there were extra bits and pieces that I could, or should, incorporate along the way.
Videos of the build, and sailing Nyatne, can be found at https://www.batchelors.net/boats/core-sound-17-mk3
