Only 14 feet overall, the TS 14 is almost as spacious as her bigger sister and is better looking. Actual cost, ready to sail, was $443 when built in 1967 without trailer and outboard motor.

Nina, a home-built Hartley TS14 trailer sailer, is owned by Colin Gage of Beecroft, New South Wales. Designed by Richard Hartley as a smaller predecessor to the popular TS16, the 14-foot yacht offers impressive accommodation and a spacious cockpit despite its compact size, making it easy to store in a standard garage. Built by Gage over three years prior for a total of $850, (1970 prices) including the trailer and a 4-hp Evinrude outboard engine, the boat proved remarkably economical by keeping component costs low, such as utilizing coachwood marine plywood for the hull and Oregon pine for the spars.

The review highlights Nina’s versatility and practical performance on the water. Despite a tight cabin space where a centerboard case splits the interior, the boat can sleep two adults inside, with room for additional family members under a cockpit boom tent. Throughout her initial three years, the boat proved her capability by cruising extensive New South Wales waterways, including the Hawkesbury River, Myall Lakes, and Port Stephens, while also achieving competitive racing success with the Parramatta River Yacht Club.

During a test sail on Kogarah Bay and Botany Bay, Hopkins noted that while the narrow side decks were quite slippery, the boat handled beautifully once the sea breeze filled in. The offset outboard motor configuration required steering via the main rudder for optimal maneuvering, but the little yacht effortlessly outpaced local skiffs when running under full power. Ultimately, the Hartley TS14 as an ideal, budget-friendly pocket cruiser for capable amateur builders and families seeking weekend adventures without the financial burden of a larger yacht.

• Nina, now features a non-skid deck paint applied to keep guests on board. Slippery decks are dangerous.
• The cockpit is surprisingly roomy. Four adults would have no knee trouble while seated two-a-side and three could hike together if necessary.
• The boat hull was to plan, very strong, with many stringer-touching frames and foam buoyancy under the cockpit floor (she’s not self-righting, but she’d never sink).
• Nina proved to be a docile lady on all points of sailing.
• Fingers must be kept away from plate case opening at all times, the heavy plate comes down with a whang (Hopkins 1970: 30-33). 

FACT BOX

• Boat: TS14, Richard Hartley designed trailer sailer.

• Owner: Mr Colin Gage, 10 Bingara Road, Beecroft, NSW.

• LOA: 14 ft

• Beam: 6 ft 6 in.

• Draft: 4 ft 6 in. (board up — 9 in.)

• Genoa: 53 sq ft

• Storm Jib: 16 sq ft

• Mainsail: 84 sq ft

• Spinnaker: 14 ft 6 in. luff , 7 ft 8 in. foot.

• Height of Mast Above Cabin Top: 18 ft.

• Length of Boom: 9 ft 3 in.

• Centreplate: 5/16 in. ms plate.

• Frame: Oregon

• Hull Material: ¼ in. coachwood marine plywood.

• Mast and Spars: Oregon.

• Costs: (home built making many fittings):

  • Hull: $230.

  • Sails: (genoa and main) $127.

  • Timber for Masts/spars: $28.

  • Centreplate: $8.

  • Rigging and fittings: $50.

  • Trailer and winch: $207.

  • Outboard Motor: $200.

  • TOTAL: $850. (These costs relate to building receipts 1967).

Source: Hopkins, Paul (1970) ‘$850 Built This Mini Yacht’, Seacraft, December, pp. 30-33. Historical photograph reproduced for identification and historical research purposes. Copyright remains with the original rights holder.

Quick tip: Keep in mind that trailer sailers can vary quite a bit, even within the same class. Take the RL28, for example: they might not all have outboard wells as designed. Some originally may have had inboard engines, and when those were removed, the owners swapped them for a standard outboard mounted on the stern.