A beautiful piece of Tasmanian sailing heritage is preparing to return to the water.
The D-Class yacht “Peri” (D16) is currently in the final stages of restoration by the skilled team at Tasmanian Shipwrights & Co in Kettering, Tasmania. Originally built in 1950, Peri is one of the iconic Derwent Class yachts that have been part of Tasmania’s maritime story for nearly a century.
The latest little D-Class yacht D16, called “Peri”, is edging closer to completion, undergoing the final stages of her restoration by the timber experts at Tasmanian Shipwrights & Co in Kettering, Tasmania.
Peri is one of around 26 Derwent Class yachts which were built from the late 1920s through the 1950s in Tasmania. They were characterised by their whimsical names, such as Mermaid, Titania, Undine, Gnome, Goblin, Pixie and Gremlin.
While some have been lost, only Peter Pan has been confirmed as destroyed. A dedicated group of shipwrights across southern Tasmania has restored roughly 8 of these 24-foot historic racing boats to competition condition.
Now owned by father and son duo, Rob and Ryan Cawthorn, Peri was built by Rob’s father, Ted, in 1950 – a cherished memory for aunties and uncles who as children, watched it take shape while sitting on the end of a dolly.
The scope of works included scraping back the hull, removing the cabin and deck, replacing all ribs, new deck framing and restored cabin.
Nathan O’Neil, Director at Tasmanian Shipwrights & Co, reports that the next ‘D’ to return to the fleet will be painted off-white, harking back to that classical wooden boat aesthetic.
“They were traditionally painted white,” he said, adding that the brief was to honour the heritage of the boat and keep it as “true as possible”.
“Peri will retain many of her original features, such as the cabin, which we repaired, but her deck was Celery Top which we’ve replaced with Queensland Beech because it’s more durable.”
Underneath the timber deck is 9mm ply fibreglassed with 400gsm double bias fiberglass to create a “super sold substrate”.
Nathan and apprentice, Thorfinn, have been working on the historic keelboat since June 2025, and hope to have Peri back on the water by May.
They had several projects on the go, including the final touches on 40-foot Tradition, which competed in the 80th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Strip planked out of Huon Pine, Tradition was the last boat built at Creese’s Boatyard in Battery Point in 1984. The craftsmen at Tasmanian Shipwrights & Co spent 12 months bringing Tradition back to race ready in time for the Sydney Hobart.
Her owner is experienced sailor, Rob Gough, who with John Saul aboard the Akilaria RC2 “Sidewinder” etched their place in Race History by winning the inaugural 2-Handed Line Honours in the 2021 edition.
Competing as part of the Historic Fleet and faced with challenging conditions with numerous yachts retiring due to damage or crew injury, Tradition finished the 628-nautical-mile race in the early hours of 31 December – a real credit to yacht and crew.
Soon it will be Peri’s turn to emerge from the yard.
The project has required bucket loads of WEST SYSTEM 105 epoxy resin, 413 Microfibre blend, 410 Microlight for faring and 411 Microsphere Blend for filler. The final step will be Epifanes premium marine-grade varnish for exceptional durability, UV resistance and a lustrous finish.
“We’ll use Epifanes 2-part Clear Satin inside and Wood Finish Gloss for external,” Nathan says.
Once Peri is back on the water at Oyster Cove in Kettering, her owners plan to enjoy sailing and competing on board their piece of Australian yachting history, revived for future generations to appreciate.
tasmanianshipwrights.com.au
