Reader Ronan Lee has got in touch to ask what the design of this boat in these photographs might be. Can anyone help?
He has been told that that it was built in the 1940s from plans that might have come from a magazine or book, and that his father learnt to sail in her in around 1947-8.
The boat’s builder has recently told Ronan that the boat his father learned to sail on was a Seagull 18 – though if so it’s clearly not the Bell Woodworking 18ft Seagull, which I think was a cabin boat and not a hard chine design like the vessel in the photographs.
‘The picture is one that I have been looking at in our old family album since my youth and has always inspired me as my father always spoke with great fondness of his time sailing in her.
‘A few years ago I started to research about her only to find out that it had been left for many years in the very harbour yard that I nosw sail from, but alas was now gone!’
I wonder whether there might be two separate boats involved in these family stories?
West Coast USA designer Edwin Monk’s plans were very popular around that time from his books ‘Small Boat Building’ and ‘Modern Boat Building’, published by Charles Scribner’s in New York and London. Could be one of Monk’s? It’s got an American “sharpie”/ Snipe look to it…
The sail number suggests there were more… but it could have been cut down from something else…
Mystery boats are always good fun!
I’ve got one of Monk’s books… I’ll try to find it and take a look. You’re right that it does have that look, but it hadn’t crossed my mind that his designs had arrived here at that era.
Gavin
I’ve was passed my father’s old yacgting books from the era by my mother recently. One, The Yachting Year, Vol 1 (Eric Hiscock – edited) 1946-7 has a very similar design by J. F. d’E. Jones, AINA. She was known as the Yachting Monthly Sharpie. She was only 16′ though, gunter or bermuda rigged. The first was built by Johnson & Jago of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, for Miss K M Palmer associate editor of Yachting Monthly. Book states that plans were being sold all over world and J&J were producing pre-cut parts for home assembly by the amateur…
It could be a stretched version, or something else. The book also shows a picture (p.39) of a Hamble River Sharpie. Deck line and raised water stop look similar. Also main sheet arrangements aft. No kicker is in use, therefore rise of boom is common too. As is the shape of the transom.
i used to have a hull like that at wivenhoe, called onus, i never knew what it was either, maybe a sharpie
What region are we talking about?
Just to clarify about the “no 8″ on the sail. I have the programme of a race held in Galway in September 1944 which has the boat registered as no 8. So this is probably not a makers hull number. Many thanks for your interest in my quest. Ronan
Does the programme suggest that there is a class of et least eight boats all of the same type?
Im afraid not. The race was held to give a boost to interest in boat building and sailing ,which had taken off in Galway as the war seemed to be coming to an end.The entire fleet consisted of 9 boats in total, which were divided into two races.Cruisers and Centreboards.
Most boats were handycapped by time to level the field.
The interesting thing ,Im told, is that our boat no 8 and boat no 7 called
“Sea Gull” were, although the only two boats racing that day that were identical, given different time handycaps.
It seems levels of helm experience and boat performance were taken into account to give everyone a fair chance .
Very different sportsmanship philosophy to where I do my racing !
Thanks again for your interest.
Ronan.
PS. The builders son seems sure that it was18′ 10” in length
.Ronan
I’ve got one of Edward Monk’s books of plans, but your father’s boat is not included. However, I’ve ordered another, which I’m hoping will include some better clues.
I must say Monk’s 15-footer bears what could be a strong family resemblance.
Gavin
Well to me it lookslike a Snipe (http://www.snipe.org.uk/) they were not 18 feet but the photo looks very Snipe size as you will see in the attached link the Snipe Clss is just 80 years old which puts it in the right age bracket. If yoy Google snipe and open the images page with a line drawing which may norrow it down. We had one in Benfleet Yacht Club in the 60′s and 70′s.
Best Regards
Dick Smith
Benfleet
Edwin Monk, Bill Crosby (the Snipe designer), Edison I. Schock… all Americans who published how to build small boats books of plans, including “sharpie” types, before and after WW2. And their designs were regularly published in The Rudder magazine.
Here’s another plausible candidate, from Schock:
http://www.dngoodchild.com/5862.htm
(at http://www.dngoodchild.com/divide_for_sail_boats.htm)
Maybe some local Galway knowledge can be gleaned here…
http://www.tradboats.ie/publications/glorious-galway.php
This link leads to some notes on the early days of Galway Bay Sailing Club in the mid-1940s, and mentions a sloop called Seagull.
http://www.kennys.ie/News/OldGalway/01092005-DunAengusDock/
The photo is from much earlier, but perhaps not as early as the writer suggests. Aren’t the white clinker sloops of the Corrib Rowing and Sailing Club pretty… and doesn’t that straight stem cutter have some personality!