26' Tyler/Hill Custom Junk (2021) - FANSHI

FanShi is a 26ft, shoal-draught, home-built, plywood/epoxy, liveaboard junk. I built her on my own between September 2015 and January 2021.

She has a number of unusual features and has recently won the prestigious Bluebird Cup of the Royal Cruising Club of Great Britain, which is “awarded from time to time to a member who through the designing, commissioning, improvement or restoration of a boat or a major piece of equipment has made a noteworthy contribution to the development or heritage of cruising.  The boat was designed by David Tyler and me (Annie Hill) to a particular set of requirements.  Apart from the junk rig (in a tabernacle), unusual features include junk bow, bilge boards and twin rudders.  For all this, the boat looks very ‘traditional’.  She is based in Northland, New Zealand and is ideal for this area, but is quite capable of offshore passages.

So far, we have sailed nearly a thousand miles, and I have found the boat lively and responsive, rarely requiring the assistance of her 6hp four-stroke outboard motor.  She creates a lot of interest wherever she goes!

FanShi is a perfect cruising home and I love being able to creep right in to the beach, where I can listen to and watch the birds. The shoal draught also means that I rarely have a problem finding somewhere to drop my hook, even in a crowded anchorage.