A Small Cruising Sloop: Edson I. Schock's 1965 Pocket Cruiser

Not every sailboat needs to be big to take you somewhere. Edson I. Schock's small cruising sloop packs a cabin, a ballast keel and an auxiliary engine into a modest, planked hull. The sloop rig keeps sail handling familiar, while the engine gets you home when the wind fades. It is a plan for the patient builder who dreams of weekend passages, quiet anchorages and a snug place to sit out a rain shower.

A Small Cruising Sloop at a glance

Detail	A Small Cruising Sloop
Type	Cruising sloop
Construction	Planked hull with ballast keel; small cabin
Power	Sloop rig with auxiliary engine
Designer	Edson I. Schock
First published	Sports Afield Boatbuilding Annual, 1965, pp. 52–59
Plan sheets	8

Cruising on a small scale

A ballast keel gives stability and lets the boat stand up to a breeze, which is essential for cruising rather than just day sailing. The small cabin turns a sail into an overnight trip. Pairing a sloop rig with an auxiliary engine is a practical combination: sail when it is pleasant, motor through calms or into a crowded harbor. Eight sheets cover the planked hull, keel and rig.

The original plan sheets

These are the 8 original sheets from 1965, scanned from the magazine. For building, use the full-size PDF in the download section below.

Who designed it

Edson I. Schock drew this small cruising sloop for the Sports Afield Boatbuilding Annual of 1965, pages 52 to 59. The eight sheets cover the planked hull, ballast keel, cabin and rig.

Before you build

• Get professional help to cast or fit the ballast keel and its bolts, since they carry the boat's stability.
• Ventilate the cabin and engine space well, especially if you use a fuel-burning auxiliary.
• Learn to reef the sloop rig early, and practise it at the dock before you need it under way.

Download the plan

The complete 1965 cruising sloop plan in one file: all eight sheets ready to print or open on a tablet in the shop.

Download the complete plan (PDF, 8 sheets, 3.7 MB)