Lapworth 32

[Daniel Wolf]

Hi,

I'm looking at an old '58 Lapworth 32, hull appears solid, needs lot of work, but well equipped. Can anyone tell me anything relevant about the boat? I'd take it way offshore.

Thanks!

Dan

[labjab]

The L-32 is one of my favorite designs: flush foredeck and a doghouse aft. As usual, pretty things aren't necessarily practical. The L-32 was built, I believe, in Newport Beach at Chapman & Kalijian and the first several had the reindeer names: Prancer, Dancer, etc. Hard-chine, relatively narrow by contemporary standards, they sailed quite well. And, as most Lapworth designs, have large cockpits, great for, say, southern California and coastal cruising. If I recall correctly, the hulls are strip-planked mahogany. Or are they plywood? I think strip-planked. Which brings me to the heart of the matter. The boat is biodegradable. It's wood. If it's strip-planked, the edge fastenings are about wasted away, I suspect. You're asking for a lot of work. Everyone's heard "I don't care if it needs work, I'm good with my hands." But I think you're buying a kit, and there are a lot of unfinished kits of boats , airplanes, everything. And the materials aren't cheap, either. You say also the boat is well-equipped. I'll bet the newest thing on the boat is a 15-year-old VHF radio.
Advice: Save your money and buy a fiberglass boat. Wooden boats are a marriage; fiberglass boats are a tryst. That said, there's a wonderful example of an L-32 in San Pedro at Holiday Marina whose owner has been married to it, I believe happily, for many years. What do I know?

[Daniel Wolf]

Thanks for the very good advice and information - I'm happy to be receiving it. A dash of reality is good for the soul.

I have, however, gone ahead and put a deposit on it. The total price was only $1700, and the gear on it is worth far more than that, so I've got that to fall back on. The main equipment I'm thinking of is winches, roller furling, Yanmar 13hp diesel (working), stanchions, and portlights and hatchcovers, all of the best quality. This boat appears to have been equipped by a serious bluewater sailor, as stanchions. etc. are backed by 1/2" stainless plates. It strikes me as possible that the boat was kept up very well until the very last owner who let it run down.

It appears, however, that the hull is quite tight (an out of the water survey will be better than my careful guess); there's very little water in the bilge, and I encountered no rot or softness anywhere I poked, nor did I notice any spreading whatsoever in the strips. (Yes, you're right, it is mahogany from what I can tell. Do you happen to know what kind of mahogany is likely? There are several species, each with its own characteristics.)

Incidentally, a friend runs a nonprofit organization that helps a lot of refugee kids and teens from wartorn countries, and we may make it a project for them, to learn while they fix and have fun sailing.

So, I'm crossing my fingers. I'll let everyone know what I finally find I'm into!

Thanks again!!

Dan

[Bill Conner]

Hi Dan!

I was curious to know where you are with your Lapworth project. Did you go ahead with the purchase and did the boat turn out to be in good condition? Have you ever seen any drawings for the boat?

[Dan Wolf]

Hi back, Bill, Thanks for writing!

I did purchase the Lapworth, and it's turned out to be a very nice boat, I've had a couple very nice sails on her. I've found some things that I hadn't found before, like several broken frames, but they're relatively straightforward repairs, much easier than all the cosmetic work that I've yet to get started on, with all the other stuff going on in my life, like divorce, sale of house, father dying in a car accident just before escrow-closing while on way to give away my late brother's daughter at her wedding, moving into a new place, struggling with custody issues, etc. etc., need I say more?? :)

No I haven't seen drawings for it yet. I've been meaning to call Bill Lapworth but I haven't gotten around to it. Amongst other things I have to find out her displacement for mooring purposes, and it would be nice to document her eventually.

In the meantime I'm looking for a larger boat to actually live on. I'm kind of in love with a 50' 1916 Alden yawl in excellent condition but I'm still vacillating; also thinking about a Junk. Advice is always appreciated!

Thanks for writing!

Best regards,

Dan

Hi Dan!

I was curious to know where you are with your Lapworth project. Did you go ahead with the purchase and did the boat turn out to be in good condition? Have you ever seen any drawings for the boat?

[Bill Conner]

Wow! It sounds like your personal affairs are ballistic! Good luck and I hope you get everything in order. Fixing cracked frames is probably easier than cosmetic work. But, with the new power tools and chemicals, it's all gotten easier. I would suppose that replacing planking could be a chore. A friend of mine has his eye on a Lapworth and he and I are trying to gather as much info as possible about the boat. We will be curious to know about your progress. I would like to get some drawings to 1. give to him 2. build an accurate scale model and 3. study the feasibility (physical, cost, and legal wize) to build a brand new boat. So please keep us updated and good luck! You are in San Diego, right?

Bill

[schooner man]

What size lapworth were you hoping to purchase. I have been considering a Lapworth 36