Overview
The Gozzard 31 is a Ted Gozzard clipper-bowed cutter introduced in 1990 and built by his own yard in Goderich, Ontario. John Kretschmer calls it a genuine offshore cruiser in a small package: traditional looks over modern construction.
Design and Construction
The keel is a not-quite-full keel, cut away aft, with a full skeg-hung rudder; the hull has enough forefoot to limit pounding. Hull and deck are both cored with half-inch foam, with solid laminate in high-stress areas, and the hull-to-deck joint is bonded with 3M 5200 and stainless fasteners under a teak caprail. The hull is 31 ft on deck and about 36 ft overall with the bowsprit. Good Old Boat’s reviewer describes the hull and deck as vacuum-bagged sandwich with knitted double-bias E-glass skins either side of a foam core. Only 20 Gozzard 31s were built.
Under Sail
The standard cutter rig sets a high-cut yankee and a staysail from a deck-stepped mast. Kretschmer calls the boat a surprisingly good performer that comes alive in about 15 knots, with the helm balanced under yankee, staysail and full main. The shroud chainplates are outboard, which limits how tightly the headsails can be sheeted. In 15 to 20 knots Good Old Boat’s reviewer found the boat comfortable under full main with the staysail balancing the helm, with only a slight amount of normal weather helm. With the longer keel she was a little slow coming about and fell off some before picking up speed on the new tack. The staysail is self-tacking, sheeted to a traveler just forward of the mast.
Buyers Notes
The interior makes masterful use of the space, with a saloon that converts to a double berth. The wheel is on the small side and engine access is only adequate. Most issues are age-related; check the standing rigging. The saloon sits forward and there is no V-berth. The boat reviewed had a 51-gallon stainless water tank in the bilge and a 55-gallon aluminum fuel tank in the bow, with its engine reached by removing the companionway stairs and opening panels in the quarter berth.
