Harmony
Welcome to PedShip
At PedShip, every vessel we design is grounded in our belief that making something with your hands transforms not just materials, but people. Our journey began with Harmony — a student-built sailing dinghy from 1950 — and the story of that boat continues to inspire our approach to craftsmanship, collaboration, and learning.
Harmony (1950–1951)
The student-built racing yacht that was too advanced for its time
At Shoreditch Training College in 1950, a group of final-year students set out to defy expectations. Guided not by a professional naval architect but by their own drive and discipline, they designed and built Harmony — a light, fast, and revolutionary racing dinghy.
The group’s leader, Neville Pedley, was himself a student. Believing deeply in the potential of their design, he invested his own money to fund the materials needed for construction. His vision, and the team's ambition, would create a boat far ahead of its time.
Innovation Through Calculation
When Harmony was launched in 1951 at Putney by legendary yacht designer Uffa Fox, it was immediately clear the team had built something extraordinary. So extraordinary, in fact, that it was denied a racing number — authorities claimed it was too fast for its class. Pedley was devastated. The project had succeeded beyond expectations — but at the cost of competition.
The build wasn’t just practical — it was academic. The entire project was approached through the lens of calculus and engineering theory, with detailed calculations guiding every curve and joint.
Over 22 original inventions or design features were tested and implemented — innovations that would later become standard in modern racing yachts, including:
Internal rigging: All lines ran inside a hand-hollowed mast, improving aerodynamic efficiency.
Capsize-resistant hull: Designed for maximum righting moment and sail control.
Merlin-inspired lines: The hull was based on the fast and elegant Merlin class, but tuned for even greater performance.
Built by Hand, Fueled by Purpose
The construction process involved skill, patience, and basic tools:
A Gabon veneer hull, fair and light
Stringers and frames positioned with hand-drawn templates
A mast hollowed by hand, inch by inch, to conceal rigging and reduce weight
Paddle and fittings carved using traditional drawknives and shaving horses
Every component reflected the team’s blend of tradition, theory, and fearless experimentation.
The Launch & Legacy
When Harmony finally hit the water, she wasn’t just fast — she was a symbol. Her lightweight construction and elegant form made her one of the most impressive boats ever produced at Shoreditch, but her deeper impact was on the people who built her.
“The true measure of its success is not the production of a fine boat... but in what it has done for the future and how it has affected us as men.”
That quote from the original build journal still defines the spirit of PedShip. Harmony taught its makers how to design, how to solve problems, and most importantly, how to build something together.
