Old Quarter Tonners -Magic Bus

[SeawayVolcano]

Hi Peter,

I didn;t think any of the Seaways would have actually rated as a 1/4 tonner even though the dseign started off that way. I do know a few of the drop keel Seaways were converted to fixed keel, and I know a few others had much of their internal ballast relocated to the drop keel, though with the way they sail as designed, I've never worked out why.

I've only raced on small yachts on coastal races. Hood 23, Bluebird 22 and Endeavour 26, but I can't find a way to call the Seaway tender even with the standard setup.

I would however, like to sail on a proper Quarter Tonner like Magic Bus just to see what the real ones feel like.

As for the personal stuff. I eventually succumbed to the 04 motorbike prang injuries and closed the business. I was happy enough fighting the fatigue and pain after the spinal injury in 99, but a dozen fractures and all the other stuff took their toll.

The upside is that now I am not working 24/7 I finally get to use my yacht, even if it is mostly for rehab. :-)

[booster]

Thanks Paul B,
Interesting summary of results.
Regards,
Booster

[CT 249]

Volcano.

The Seaways definitely could rate quarter ton. In the 1978 (IIRC) 1/4 ton nationals the winner was a Davidson (Wonder Woman) from a Seaway (I think) and then a Farr 727 and another Davo. I was only 15 but I was an IOR fan who used to read all I could, and I'd still have the magazine reports somewhere.

There's about three Seaways or Seaway variants sailing at RANSA in Sydney, but the Victorian numbers have dropped off. Nice boats!

[CT 249]

Originally Posted by Paul B

After the Seaway 25 Tom teamed up with Peterson to produce the Blazer 23, also trailerable. After seeing these boats I can't understand why anyone would have been buying J24s back in those days. I guess Marketing trumps good design.

The Blazer was brought out with traps, and therefore it couldn't race as a yacht or a trailable yacht. That hurt it. It was a racing boat that you couldn't really race in standard form.

Around the same time, the J/24 was doing very well because of the OD aspect, and that was probably doing well because the guy behind it (Rob Mundle) had also succesfully introduced the Laser to Oz.

With a good backer and (IMHO) good copywriting, the J got critical mass for OD racing and that was it. Plus it had about a year or so's lead time on the S 80, Blazer and other boats of its ilk, and that allowed the fleets to get a winning lead.

[booster]

Paul B,
The results-list you supplied brings memories to life. One gets nostalgic. In -74 Rolf Magnusson had designed the quarter-tonner Kakadu, it was 2:nd at the World's the same year. At -81 or 83? Magnusson wanted to compete at the half-ton cup in Sweden. In the last minute (yes, the name of the boat was Sista Minuten in Swedish) he revamped a series-built three-quarter tonner (Contrast?) to half-tonner. A hugh cut to the aft section created a bustle in the aft sections that made even Britton Chance Jr look conservative. It just managed to qualify to the World's at the Swedish trials. Rolf Magnusson later stated that it had probably been better to build a new boat entierly. If Magnusson had used the grinder to the bow to make it less full perhaps it had helped.
Regards,
Booster

[phum]

Seaway that I remember that was rated a quarter ton had a wood fin and ballast was internal and forward (have a slide somewhere of it). Ross try that with Volcano,it might make a different boat of it. Don't think the production Seaways would rate. Sonata 8 was supposed to be a quarter tonner but would take some creative thinking to get the numbers right.
CT 249 do you have any knowledge of Public Nuisance or Highway Patrol?

[booster]

Phum!
Sorry, I have no knowledege of the boats you are writing about. There names are interseting though. Very fast looking. Was it Magic Bus that started this trend? Newspaper Taxi, Highway Patrol, Pacific Sundancer and the half-tonner Bouzaid and Pedersen sailed (Watersurfer?) and so on?
Regards,
Booster

[CT 249]

Booster, Magic Bus followed level-raters like Tituscanby (1971, Farr's first yacht), 45 South III (designed around 1974, winner of the Quarter Ton worlds 1975) and Prospect of Ponsonbly (Farr 1975 one tonner).

In order, it was then Magic Bus (76), Newspaper Taxi (76), ********* (77), Highway Patrol (about 82), and Pacific Sundance (83).

Phum, as noted on SA it looks like PN was in Sydney recently (looking nice and sailing quite well) while HP is in Lake Macquarie (looking nice in pics, possibly not going to potential).

Where is your boat? I can't find it in results anywhere.

[catsketcher]

Yeah I think it is Highway Patrol sailing at Croudace Bay yacht club on the lake. She has some reasonable sails and is sailed okay. At least she isn't sailed by a guy who runs her over the biggest fish he can find. In joke - I'll explain

Ct249 is steering Madmens Woodyard in the 87 Hobart. I creep down for some kip - right down the back of the boat - there are two sets of double decker bunks and as we are under kite I get right to the back of the boat. The bloody thing wants to put its big bum up in the air and squirt its nose into every trough. I go to sleep - then Bang!

I wake up and the boat is spinning. Groggily I get to the cockpit and everyone is screaming "Runners, the runners" and up the front getting the kite down. No one on the helm as the boat spins again. I go to the helm and find that the tiller spins in my hand - Oh I get it - rudder, not runners. CT took on a sunfish with the rudder and it fell off.

Every time I look at one of those fat IOR sterns I think - you are bloody hard to steer with no rudder.

[booster]

Catsketcher!
Your story is hard to beat. What about a rotating keel? To a half-ton cup in Sweden (-79 or -81 or -83?) Dick Carter had designed a boat with rotating keel. To manouver it a hack-board was installed in the cabin. At each tack it was planned that one crew-member had to go down to adjust the keel angle. How it all ended? Only the helmsman remained above deck and the crew was busy at the hack-board. I believe it was Hellström who later stated that only Jochen Schumann steering the 12mr with nose-rudder (cannot remeber its name) had more difficult time.
Regards,
Booster

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by booster

Catsketcher!
Your story is hard to beat. What about a rotating keel? To a half-ton cup in Sweden (-79 or -81 or -83?) Dick Carter had designed a boat with rotating keel.
Regards,
Booster

Jeremy Rogers built a boat out of the old ('79) Rogers 39 Eclipse molds for the One Ton Cup in '84. The boat was short for a 30.55 rater, and outdated, but Peterson and David Alan Williams designed and engineered a pivoting keel that was supposed to help make up the difference.

It didn't.

[Tanton]

Originally Posted by booster

Catsketcher!
Your story is hard to beat. What about a rotating keel? To a half-ton cup in Sweden (-79 or -81 or -83?) Dick Carter had designed a boat with rotating keel. To manouver it a hack-board was installed in the cabin. At each tack it was planned that one crew-member had to go down to adjust the keel angle. How it all ended? Only the helmsman remained above deck and the crew was busy at the hack-board. I believe it was Hellström who later stated that only Jochen Schumann steering the 12mr with nose-rudder (cannot remeber its name) had more difficult time.
Regards,
Booster

Another Carter boat, the Chris Bouzaid One Tonner WaAniwa, was also fitted with a rotating keel.

[booster]

Tanton!
Perhaps it was after that nervous rotating keel experience Bouzaid asked Davidson for *W*a*v*e*r*i*d*e*r* . After its first win of the half-ton cup there were rule-changes mad to the IOR. The boat was modified and Bouzaid almost liked the new lines better than the old one. Almost 100kg had to be fitted below the forstay to increase the bow-down trim. However, it was only time for one measurement, which showed to be one the safe side with some margin. The reaches became a new experience for Bouzaid: "The boat was cranky like hell, and we only had an edge". Still they managed to win the World's again.
Regards,
Booster

[Gary Baigent]

Booster, it was Chris Bouzaid who sailed the Carter One Ton design Waianiwa with the pivoting keel - but it was his brother Tony who sailed Davidson's Half Tonner Wave rider. I have a photograph somewhere of Wave rider being modified for that second year - will post later.

[booster]

Thanks Gary,
for the correction. I am not sure, though, but a rotating keel must create some nervousity in the entire family. Waiting for that photograph of yours.
Regards,
Booster