K'ung Fu-tse

K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius, in Chinese) is a 3-masted ocean-cruising junk, designed and built by Tom Colvin for comfortable, independant, live-aboard cruising. Maximum time of self-sufficiency depends on fuel consumption and rainfall. Colvin single handed this vessel for over 3,000 miles on one voyage, and once cruised for 11 months without putting into port for fuel or water.

KFT under sail in the Firth of Forth

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KFT motoring (243 Kb)

KFT in Florida (746 Kb)

Rig

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All sails manually raised, and secured in pin rails. All rigging set up via deadeyes and lanyards. Once underway, all sail handling is done from abreast the pilot house. Aluminium masts and yards, grp battens and booms. Standing rigging: main and fore, stainless steel; mizzen galvanised iron, parcelled and served.
Working sails 1157 sq.ft. junk-rigged, on three masts. Triple stitched, hand-roped.
Light-weather topsail 249 sq.ft. and mizzen staysail
Build
Welded Aluminium Alloy,
Alcoa and Reynolds 5086 H 117, 1/4" plate.
5 bulkheads (non-watertight).
Wheel steering by Lunenburg worm gear rated at 50 tons.
14000lb interior ballast (lead).
Build: carvel
Stem: raked.
Stern: curved transom
Single Screw, Single Deck, Sail and Motor Ship
Tanks
Fuel 115 gallons in butyl tank fully encased in aluminium,
plus 12 gallon day tank of stainless steel.
Water 240 gallons in four integral tanks, pumped via filter to 20 gallon day tank with gravity feed to heads and galley.
Cabin tops arranged as water catchments
by-pass overboard or to water tanks.
Registry
UK Registered ship no. 147758, Leith 1991
VAT paid UK
Builder
Built and fitted out by
Keel laid 1971
Launched 1974
Engine
22h.p. 2-cylinder, diesel, 2GZ 73 223
Sabb, Bergen, Norway, 1973.
Hand or electric start
Stroke: 120mm,
Bore: 90mm
One Shaft, controllable pitch propellor.
Length of Engine Room: 4.75'
Speed: 5.5 knots @ 1550 rpm.
Electrical
12V electrical system, ungrounded and floating.
5x 80Ah gel batteries Sonnenschein. Independent batteries for navigation, starting, domestic use, and spare,
charged via four splitting diodes.
85 amp Motorola alternator
600W Soma wind-driven generator
Rediline 12V DC - 120V AC convertor
Incandescent light in each berth;
chart light, compass light, spot light; (300,000 candle-power);
fluorescent lights galley, after cabin, engine room, lazarette, pilot house;
halogen lights in heads and galley.
Pumps
Electrical bulge pump.
Deck mounted ship's pump.
Single through-hull serves engine, heads, and deck wash:
iron valve, neoprene lined, ball ram, into a sea chest.
Heads are Simson Lawrence Kentigern, 3" pumps, all bronze workings, no joker valves. All water intakes have individual strainers.
Accomodation

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The interior is finished to high standard in varnished mahogany, throughout. Sleeps six in three cabins: twin berths forward, pilot berth midships, double and pilot berth aft. In addition, the saloon settee has a lee-cloth for use as an extra visitor's berth. All cushions are atractively covered. All bunk mattresses are covered with 13oz Vivatex waterproof, mildew resistant canvas, with zippers. Double berth has two custom-made innerspring mattresses placed side by side.

Separate galley, with serving hatch to main saloon. Dickenson diesel cooking stove, with oven. Ice chest with 60 lb ice capacity, and triple that volume for food storage. Stainless steel sink and drainer, tiled surround. Salt and fresh-water supply to sink.

All interior joinery is solid tongue and groove Honduras Mahogany with the exception of one portion of main cabin, which is African Mahogany. Cabin soles are tongue and groove 1.75" Honduras mahogany. Structural bulkheads are 1.75" mahogany. Remainder of joinery is not less than 3/4", and much of it 1" mahogany. Berth bottoms, settee bottoms, and shelving are all marine plywood 1/2" and 3/4" thick. Hull is fully insulated.

All berths have individual dorade ventilators, directly to each berth. All compartments, including heads, lazarette, and chain locker are ventilated via dorade vents. 22 opening rectangular portholes with screens, and four round portholes in the scuttles, all with armoured glass. All locker door and separation doors, except engine room doors, are basket woven, of mahogany, giving excellent ventilation. There are also two basket woven doors leading to the rope locker and one to the lazarette. All upper panels in the companionway doors are louvered and screened.The forward cabin has an aluminium hatch for ventialtion and access. The main saloon has a hinged skylight, of teak. Engine room and lazarette have natural light via prisms.

Divided lockers for storage are under all settees in the main cabin, and in the bilge under all the cabin sole. In the lazarette are four lockers and two shelves.

Pilot house is of wood construction, 7'6" wide, 6' headroom, overall length inside approx 8'. It is fitted with four seats, capable of seating six persons. There are four opening windows, and two doors, one port, one starboard. A typing and writing table which locks into the starboard door and overhead is stowed behind the seat while underway. The VHF, controls for navigation lights, and horn, are installed on the overhead, accessible to the helmsman. Engine controls and wheel are between the after seats. The compass is mounted in a binnacle, separate and forward of the wheel.

Engin room has stowagefor tools and spares, and workbench with vise.

Full-sized (BA chart) navigation desk.
Separate galley.
Engine room with workbench.
Two heads with washbasins.
Ample stowage.
Ground tackle
Simpson Lawrence hand-operated windlass of 5000 lb. straight-line pull.
First Bower Simpson Lawrence Delta 55 lb. plough on 45 fathoms 3/8" stud link chain
Second Bower 45 lb. CQR on 45 fathoms 3/8" stud link chain
Kedge 45 lb. CQR plough on 30 fathoms 3/4" nylon line
Grapnel 95 lb. "coral pick"
Liferaft
Six man RFD Seasava Plus (valise) D06SE00369
Boats
Inflatable 12' Avon Sportboat S28102
Hard Dinghy 14' modified Dory carried in davits
Ownership
Equipment