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1950 Alfred Mylne Co. Alfred Mylne Sloop 'Trefoil of Kames'

bute argyle

£40,000 inc. VAT

Engine

-

Total Power

-

Engine Hours

NA

Class

Sail Classic

Length

8.65m (28.38ft)

Year

1950

Model

Alfred Mylne Sloop 'Trefoil of Kames'

Capacity

Boat Details

Description

Wooden Ships Comments on this Alfred Mylne Sloop ‘Trefoil of Kames’

Designed by Alfred Mylne and built Alfred Mylne & Co. in 1950.  She was design No.414 and is the last yacht designed and built by the late Alfred Mylne Snr.  Mylne once said this design was the best small cruising yacht he ever produced and her history would support that with her extensive voyages around the west coast of Scotland.

Mylne came up with the design in response to a great desire in post war Britain for affordable yet capable cruising boats at the start of what would become prolific years of wooden boat building in the UK.  The size of boat meant she was easy to handle yet capable of offshore sailing and large enough for 4 berths and a heads.

Built from stocks of high quality timber Mylne hid away from prying eyes before the War, the quality of the original build is clear, but her price tag of £2,500 was several times that of a regular cruising yacht at the time, indicating the quality of materials and time that had gone into her construction.  The book matched mahogany of the saloon doors is another small indicator of the quality of this yacht.

Commissioned by Mrs Jean Wilson, her voyages in this yacht Trefoil of Kames became legendary as she singlehandedly charted every corner of the west coast of Scotland, with her work used in the fledging Clyde Cruising Club Directions, a volume that would go on to become the bible for west coast cruising.

After first seeing Trefoil and falling for her charms as a 5 year old boy, the present owner was put through a rigorous ‘interview’ with an elderly Jean Wilson and was granted permission to become the custodian of Trefoil in 2004 with a few stipulations:

-She must always be called ‘Trefoil of Kames’

-She must always be blue

-She must always be sailed on the West Coast each year

-She must never be sold to England

The owner has stood by these stipulations to date but of course is happy to sell the boat out of Scotland if an interested buyer from elsewhere shows themselves.

 

Over the next four winters, a major refit of the boat was carried out including major hull repairs, replacement of systems and a rebuild of the interior.  Nothing was done in haste and any changes to the original design were not acted upon without extensive sailing to ensure the changes were for the better.

A fascinating yacht with a wonderful history that has proved herself as one of Mylnes great designs despite being one of the smallest boats in his back catalogue.  Proven as deceptively fast and very seaworthy, she will take any weather thrown at her and is a delight to sail in any conditions.

June 2026 survey report available.

 

Length on Deck            28’3”

Length Waterline         22’10”

Beam                               8’1”

Draft                                4’8”

Sail Area                        367sqft

Thames Tonnage         7TM

Construction

Hull

Planked in best Honduras mahogany above the waterline and Pitch Pine below the waterline.  The seams are splined from deck to keel.

Copper rivet fastened to steam bent timbers, with a mix of Canadian Rock Elm and oak from the Isle of Bute.

External iron ballast keel fastened with wrought iron bolts.

Wrought iron strap floors across the centreline.

 

Decks and Cockpit

Straight laid Douglas Fir deck sheathed externally in epoxy glass cloth.

Varnished teak toe rail all round.

Self draining cockpit with varnished mahogany thwarts and teak coamings.

Tiller steering with a transom hung rudder.

 

Superstructure

Elegant coachroof that finishes just aft of the mast with a gently radiused coachroof deck.

Varnished teak coamings with bronze portlights.

Coachroof deck is straight laid T&G cedar sheathed externally in GRP cloth and finished in cream deck paint.

Varnished mahogany sliding companion hatch.

Rig

Spars

Masthead Bermudan sloop rig on a keel stepped hollow varnished spruce mast.

This is the original mast designed and built by the Mylne yard using the best quality clean spruce available

Slab reefing varnished spruce boom and spinnaker pole.  These are both original spars.

 

Standing and Running Rigging

Stainless steel standing rigging from 2010 to internal galvanised chain plates.

Twin spreaders with twin lower shrouds, intermediate shroud and cap shroud.  Twin standing backstays.

Rotostay roller furling headsail system.

 

Sails

Mainsail, 2002 by Iolaire Sails in very good condition.

Genoa, 2002 by North Sails in very good condition.

Various older sails.

 

Winches

2 x self tailing cockpit sheet winches

3 x non self tailing mast winches

Machinery

Engine

Yanmar 2GM 18hp twin cylinder diesel engine installed new in 1988.

Engine stripped and rebuilt in 2019 with a complete cylinder head rebuild plus new fuel pump, water pump, alternator, starter motor and engine mounts.  Injectors refurbished.  Engine refitted in 2022.

Mechanical gearbox to a centreline fixed 2 blade propeller giving 6 knots cruising speed.  Approximately 1.5 litres/hour consumption.

 

Tanks

Stainless steel fuel tank under the cockpit sole.

 

Batteries and Electrics

2 x 12 volt batteries charged from the engine alternator.

Solar panel with regulator.

Accommodation

Berths and Headroom

3 single berths including a quarter berth and 2 x saloon settee berths.

5’10” headroom in the saloon.  4’6” headroom in the forepeak.

 

General Description

Steps down from the companionway into the cabin.  Quarter berth to port and chart desk to starboard.

Door into the main saloon with the galley to starboard and some nice mahogany joinery to port.

Main saloon has a dropleaf centreline mahogany table with a settee berth either side.

2 lockers and a shelf either side behind the settees under the side deck.

Centreline door into the forepeak which contains the heads and storage space.

 

Galley

Plastimo Neptune gas stove (new 2026) with 2 burners and a small work top space alongside.

 

Heads

Plastimo manual sea toilet discharges directly overboard

Equipment

Sestrel steering compass

Hummingbird sounder and log

Raymarine DSC VHF

Raymarine ST400Plus tiller pilot

Hummingbrid chat plotter

Garmin GPS

Hand bearing compass

 

1 x manual bilge pump

1 x auto electric bilge pump

2 x harnesses with life lines

Jackstays

 

40lb+ Fishermans anchor

300’ of 10mm chain (new 2025)

20lb Fishermans anchor

25lb CQR anchor

2 fathoms of chain + 20mm warp for kedge

Simpson Lawrence electric anchor windlass (rebuilt 2023)

Fenders

Mooring warps

 

Bunk and berth cushions

Plastimo Neptune gas stove (new 2026)

Jabsco manual sea toilet

Water jerry cans (6 gallons total)

Plastic bowl for galley

 

Mainsail, 2002 by Iolaire Sails in very good condition

Genoa, 2002 by North Sails in very good condition

Various older sails

Mainsail cover

2 x self tailing cockpit sheet winches

3 x non self tailing mast winches

 

Spray hood (new 2026)

Inflatable dinghy

2 x 12 volt batteries

Solar panel

Boat Summary

Make:

Alfred Mylne Co.

Model:

Alfred Mylne Sloop 'Trefoil of Kames'

Boat Type:

-

Boat Class:

Sail Classic

Build Year:

1950

Refit Year:

-

Hull Number:

-

Deck Plans:

Propulsion

Engine

Make:

-

Model:

-

No. engines:

-

Year:

-

Hours:

-

 

Type:

inboard

Fuel:

diesel

Propeller Material:

-

Total Power:

-

Specification

Dimensions

Length (Overall):

8.65m (28.38ft)

Length (Waterline):

-

Beam:

2.5m (8.20ft)

Min Draft:

-

Max Draft:

1.4m (4.59ft)

Min Bridge Clearance:

-

Weigths

Gross Weight:

-

Displacement:

-

Tanks

Fresh Water Tanks:

-

Fuel Tanks:

-

Holding Tanks:

-

Speed & Distance

Max Speed:

-

Cruising Speed:

-

Range at cruising speed:

-

 

 

Miscellaneous

Windlass:

-

Deadrise at transom:

-

Hull Material:

wood

Life Raft Capacity:

-

 

 

Accomodation

Seating Capacity:

-

Guest Cabins:

-

Guest Heads:

-

Cabin Headroom:

-

Crew Cabins:

-

Crew Heads:

-

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