Chubby Girl project - 9’ ocean crossing sailboat

Chubby Girl is the smallest member of Antrim’s oceangoing design portfolio. She was designed for Wilbur Spaul, who had a very specific brief - a 9’ boat he could build himself and sail from Hawaii to San Francisco. This would be the smallest boat to make the trip. (The current record is held by Gerry Spiess and his 10-ft Yankee Girl.)

Chubby Girl is actually the second of Wilbur Spaul’s tiny, ocean going “pocket cruisers.” The first Chubby Girl was designed and built by Wilbur himself in a Walnut Creek garage. But even after improvements she proved too heavy and ungainly for the voyage. So, Antrim came up with a solution for a new boat that would keep costs down but still provide the light and stable platform needed. This was to build the boat using an existing mold for a 9’ tender, also an Antrim design. The new Chubby Girl was constructed using two hulls from this mold plus a spacer in between.

Once completed, Wilbur and Chubby Girl left Berkeley, went out the Golden Gate and sailed about 150 miles, intending to complete the trip to Hawaii. Unfortunately he was beset first by calm weather and then by rough cross swells from a tropical storm off Baja, and made the decision to turn back.

Sadly, Wilbur won’t be able to try for another run due to health problems. The boat is available to purchase to anyone who might just want to give it a go.

Read more about Wilbur's journey at his blog: http://chubbygirlcruising.com

Hear Wilber interviewed on Ben Shaw's Out the Gate podcast