RAKU's Heritage

CHINCOGAN 52

The Chincogan 52 is one of our better known designs, and for good reason. With several examples making regular forays into the Pacific and Asian waters, and in at least one case a circumnavigation in progress, this design is well established as great sea boat and a comfortable live aboard cruiser capable of clocking up long mileages while being easily sailed single or two handed.

Most of the boats are sailed by a couple or just one owner on passage, with guests invited on location in favoured cruising grounds.

With the 52 no longer in production we've taken the basic concept, tweaked the lines to give it a more contemporary style, added some new features, but otherwise stayed with the basic concept to create the Raku 54 and Raku 60 cruising cats. 

Most of the 52's had the cockpit roof at the same height as the main saloon. Geoff and Lucy raised the height on Soul and it's very practical. They do a lot of cruising in tropical waters and they're able to drop zip up covers all around for shade and protection from the elements if the weather gets foul.

There's nothing pretentious about Soul's interior. It's uncluttered, functional and has a pleasant ambience. There's no saloon table in these photos.

The table is in the cockpit. Geoff built a lightweight composite table that they simple carry outside when they arrive at an anchorage. You can see one corner of it in the photo at right.

The stove is on the aft bulkhead close to the gas locker which is in the cockpit. 

Geoff's not going anywhere without his quiver and Soul has big storage lockers forward in the hulls for surfboards, bicycles, deck chairs and other equipment that's otherwise hard to store. The quiver is bigger now since Geoff added a SUP to the range of toys.

The Chincogan 52 The  Countess has her helm stations aft and outboard. This arrangement works quite well and has the advantage of putting the helm in easy reach of the mainsheet traveller controls.

 For the Raku 54 we've allowed for both possibilities. You can locate the helm aft as shown in this photo, or it can be on the bulkhead as it is on Soul.

 The cabin front on the Chincogan was modified after Soul was built to provide a broad vertical window with better visibility forward and less heat through the windows.

This is similar to the cabin treatment on the Raku 54  and Raku 60

Note also that The Countess does not have the raised roof  like Soul. 

Beautifully finished interior on The Countess and a spacious feel helped by the light from the forward facing window which also provides ample ventilation at anchor.

The Countess has a central bathroom arrangement in the port hull.