Home Port: Olympia, WA Year Built: 1935 Designer: Ed Monk Sr. Type: Cutter (originally a sloop) LOA: 28’ Beam: 7’4”
Built in the Ballard shipyards in 1935, Draiodoir began her life as a sloop designed by Ed Monk Sr. In the 1970s she was re rigged with the addition of a bowsprit and boomkin, giving her the cutter configuration she carries today. Much of her early history remains unknown, and we continue to search for information prior to 1977.
When purchased in 1977, she carried the name Argosy, which was soon changed to Platero, inspired by the gentle and steadfast donkey in Platero y Yo by author Juan Ramón Jiménez. Between 1977 and 1995, she underwent extensive reconstruction, including new cockpit coamings, a rebuilt cabin house with the mast led through the roof, bronze corner reinforcements, new iroko companionway boards, cedar planked decks with canvas covering, and newly built yellow cedar bulwarks with teak caps. A staysail wishbone was crafted from apple wood.
In 1995 she was sold twice, ultimately to a Coast Guard officer who renamed her Draiodoir, meaning “mischievous magician,” and added Celtic knotwork reflecting his heritage. He replaced the original Renault 5hp engine with a Yanmar 1GM10, which saw very little use.
After several years of neglect in Tacoma, Draiodoir was purchased in 2004 by our father, who rescued her from being stripped for parts. From 2004 to 2006, he restored her with the help of his two young daughters. In 2007, at ages 11 and 12, we accepted ownership of the boat and brought her to the Olympia Wooden Boat Show, where she won Favorite Sailboat.
Since then, we have focused on preservation: replacing canvas on the house with Sunbrella, refinishing bulwarks and brightwork, and maintaining her structure and character. She has appeared regularly at the Olympia Wooden Boat Show and participated in 2014 and 2025 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.
From 2014 to 2023 she remained moored in Shelton, WA. In 2024 we moved her into a boathouse at the Olympia Yacht Club. Her most recent major work (2023–2024) included a fully stripped bottom, epoxied and primed concrete keel, four coats of bottom paint, new engine mounts, and mechanical servicing.
We have cared for our “pampered grandma” for 20 years, and she is celebrating her 90th birthday. Our ongoing mission is to preserve her and uncover the missing chapters of her pre 1977 history.