BLUE LIGHTNING is a sleek and sophisticated 22ft trailer-sailer with exceptional performance and comfortable accommodation

BLUE LIGHTNING is one of a series of sports trailer-sailer designs ranging from 5.5 metres to 7 metres LOA. My design portfolio also includes high performance sailing dinghies.

BLUE LIGHTNING is capable of speeds in excess of 20 knots (yes, we've been there!), yet has 3 comfortable full size berths with sitting headroom, cooking facilities, an icebox, a toilet, electrics, and bags of stowage space. She is the culmination of over 20 years of thought into what makes the perfect trailer-sailer. There is nothing like her in production today (except BLUESTORM!). She could scare the pants off you, or she could be the performance estuary cruiser of your dreams!

BLUE LIGHTNING is designed for coastal and estuary cruising, where her fully retractable centreboard is a great benefit in shallow waters. She draws only 22cm with the board up.

She is constructed using Epoxy/wood/glass composite techniques, giving a stiff, light and very low maintenance boat. For my own boat, I used WEST epoxy resins and materials.

Mast and boom are by Z Spars. Sails by Number One Sails.

125kg of lead ballast is moulded into her fully retractable centreboard. Her empty weight is just 700Kg, the sailing displacement (2 crew) is 1000kg, and the full towing weight, including trailer and cruising inventory, is 1150Kg. Yes, she really can be towed behind an ordinary family car. I have towed her 300 miles behind a Citroen BX at an average speed of 50 mph.

If all this sounds too good to be true, click on a subject button at the top or bottom of this page to get further information, or download a full set of study plans below.

Video of Blue Lightning planing off Walton-on-Naze, Essex, November 2005. (17 megabytes - right click the link and click 'Save Target As.." to save it on your PC).

Bill Schmidt is building a BLUE LIGHTNING in Australia - see photos of his building progress here.