Old Quarter Tonners -Magic Bus

[booster]

Perhaps I was right although it was a half-tonner. Still I think Gary B has a point in Eivind. The small wings on the cabin that Baul B talked about is Still. The lever arms is typically Finland sisu, as well as the connection of the tiller to the rudder stock.
Regards,
Booster

[CT 249]

The quickest Kelly half tonner was the very expensively built Don Quixote, IIRC. It went quite well; top 10 in a worlds or two, IIRC. Chloe was a similar boat at 38 feet.

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by CT 249

The quickest Kelly half tonner was the very expensively built Don Quixote, IIRC. It went quite well; top 10 in a worlds or two, IIRC. Chloe was a similar boat at 38 feet.

I recall DQ getting a lot of press because it was one of the first "baked" boats with carbon skins and, I believe, honeycomb core. However, I don't recall it doing very well in competition.

Chloe was a very small Two Tonner at 38 feet, and was crushed at the SORC they attended ('79 or '80?).

[simon wheeler]

rumour has it on the boats in our fleet is magic bus but has been renamed runaway bus. Google that as the have their own website. If not what you want email quarter ton class and some one will get back to you
Simon

[CT249]

Runaway Bus is a slightly different design; more freeboard and a narrower stern, IIRC.

I have a copy of an article about its first Burnham Week in storage somewhere; it's definitely a different boat.

[CRM]

My snap on #381 is of Magic Bus in San Fran and looks much different than the boat featured in the Runaway Bus.com.uk site. The site was very interesting, as a boat builder I just love coverage of projects that way. Pictures cover many elements not included in a texts.

As I remember Magic Bus It was moored along side a Santa Cruz 27. Both had very low freeboard with the Bus having a nice sweeping IOR deck shape, and a wide stern.

I've just checked out some snaps of a Mark 1 IOR Ted Irwin 1/2 tonner. Apparently a fixed keel model. all in all the Florida boat is the most Pin tail boat yet. Looks a little like the hard chine, drop board boat a few pages back.

crm

[CRM]

Apparently the alum. B. King drop board boat is on its way to Eden, Oklahoma. The boat was loaded up today and now on its way to the Oklahoma City area.

crm

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by CRM

I've just checked out some snaps of a Mark 1 IOR Ted Irwin 1/2 tonner. Apparently a fixed keel model. all in all the Florida boat is the most Pin tail boat yet. Looks a little like the hard chine, drop board boat a few pages back.

crm

The Irwin 1/2 Ton did have a chine. I thought they were all daggerboard boats. The design was based on the One Tonner in the photo as you noted.

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by CRM

Apparently the alum. B. King drop board boat is on its way to Eden, Oklahoma. The boat was loaded up today and now on its way to the Oklahoma City area.

Hopefully she will get some sort of nice restoration.

Let us know if you hear anymore.

[steveo-nz]

It seems so long ago that I started this thread!
We have since purchased the 1/4 tonner blackfun, here is an update from: www.crew.org.nz

One of NZ's sailing Icons is in Wellington, getting ready for a new life. Thanks to Brett Linton for this report:


In 1977 Blackfun won the NZ Quarter Ton championship and was then the boat that was going to defend the Quarter Ton Cup. The World championships had been won by 45⁰ South and Magic Bus for New Zealand the previous two years.

Lack of funds prevented what was potential threepeat and Blackfun stayed in New Zealand. She did compete in the Quarter Ton Cup when it was held in NZ in 1980, but designs had moved on and she finished mid fleet.

The revival of the Quarter Ton Class in the UK caught our eye a couple of years ago and a plan was hatched. It was while tyre kicking on Trade Me that Jamie and I discovered the we had in fact hatched identical plans. Obviously better to be partners that to start a bidding war, we checked out the stock of boats in New Zealand and found several boats of interest.

We decided to see if we could go over to the UK and charter a boat for the Quarter Ton Cup and Cowes Week. We made contact with Louise Morton, who is queen bee of the Quarter Ton Class, and she put the word out amongst the boat owners that a rag-tag bunch of Kiwis wanted to come over and use their boats. Everybody wants to do the Quarter Ton Cup and there were no boats that were available, but we got a reply from a chap that wasn't going to be doing Cowes Week.

Diamond was the boat. She is a 1984 Dubios design and has been updated for IRC.

4 Kiwis and a local lad who was charged with keeping us off the rocks, were the team for Cowes. The racing was tight, the socialising friendly. Cowes Week was great and we finished second. One point separated the first three boats.

To be eligible for the revival Quarter Ton Class, boats need to have been rated as a Quarter Tonner under IOR between 1968 and 1996. If the boat itself was never rated, then a sister ship has to have been. The boats are now rated and raced under IRC, which means that the things that made them good under IOR, no longer apply and there lies part of the challenge.

The fleet is varied and among the front runners are the Farr 727 45⁰ South and the Whiting design Runaway Bus. 727s are well suited to IRC conversion because they have a fair hull compared to many other Quarter Ton designs.

Back in NZ, still buzzing about the Cowes effort, we decide to action the plan. Having seen the UK fleet, we had a better idea of the type of boat that would suit. We made a trip to Auckland and made contact with the owner of Blackfun. She was sitting in a cradle on his front lawn and was some way off going sailing again. A month later we were back with a borrowed Ross 780 trailer.

Our design team assembled on the lawn and took measurements and photos. Laurie Davidson has come on board and has redrawn the lines. Brett Bakewell White has been optimising the IRC rating.

The third member of the design team is Blackfuns original skipper, Roy Dickson. Roy is a great sounding board and always has sage advice.

Now the action is centred on getting Blackfun back in the water. Modifications to the boat include a new keel and a taller rig.

Next season we will sail her in Wellington and then look to compete in a few regattas that may including BOI race week.

In 2011 Blackfun will be loaded into a 40 foot container and, 34 years late, she will head off to take on the Quarter Ton world. She will be based in Cowes for the season and there are about 8 events that she will likely compete in. The intention is to have different people come and sail in different events.

If you have a Quarter Tonner and want to share our container, give us a call.

We are keen to hear more about the history of Blackfun, so if anyone has stories about the boat (true or otherwise!) we would love to hear them.


Regards

Brett Linton
info@lintonsails.co.nz
027 4871611

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by steveo-nz

It seems so long ago that I started this thread!
We have since purchased the 1/4 tonner blackfun, here is an update from: www.crew.org.nz

Outstanding.

I received info this week from the owner of the 1977 daggerkeel QT Blitz, aka Rat Race (1-1-2-2-4 in the 1977 NAs).

The boat arrived last week after a cross country drive from New York, where it has been for the past 20 years. Some plywood work needs to be done on the transom and cockpit, but otherwise not bad shape.

I belive the daggerkeel case will also be rebuilt, with an eye toward using a retractable bulbed keel instead of the unballasted board.

There is also a plan to add masthead kites like Blackfun has.


The Farr 727 here in SoCal is also being worked on and hopefully both boats will be racing locally next year.


Roy Cundiff (1978 World Champion) was looking for the boat he won in, the Yamaha 25 Magician V. Last known location was somewhere in the North of Japan about 15 years ago. If anyone knows anything about the current location let us know.

[steveo-nz]

Originally Posted by Paul B

Outstanding.

I received info this week from the owner of the 1977 daggerkeel QT Blitz, aka Rat Race (1-1-2-2-4 in the 1977 NAs).

The boat arrived last week after a cross country drive from New York, where it has been for the past 20 years. Some plywood work needs to be done on the transom and cockpit, but otherwise not bad shape.

I belive the daggerkeel case will also be rebuilt, with an eye toward using a retractable bulbed keel instead of the unballasted board.

There is also a plan to add masthead kites like Blackfun has.


The Farr 727 here in SoCal is also being worked on and hopefully both boats will be racing locally next year.


Roy Cundiff (1978 World Champion) was looking for the boat he won in, the Yamaha 25 Magician V. Last known location was somewhere in the North of Japan about 15 years ago. If anyone knows anything about the current location let us know.

From what I understand and due to them being rated under IRC, masthead kites are too big a penalty at this size with out any real increase in speed, we will only be running fractional kites

The picture of Blackfun above was in the old format, should hopefully be ready in 6months, will post some pics of the new look then.

[Brooks Dees]

Hi Steve;

I'm not sure if anyone answered your original question as this thread is gynormous and my lunch "hour" is only 30 minutes. My Friend Jon owns Magic Bus and she's a lovely little boat. Showing her age but showing better than myself. She's here in Alameda on the San Francisco Bay. She has not been out in a while but she normally plays on the estuary here on the week nights in summer.

If you've already got this information, sorry to repeat myself. If not and you need mroe, drop me a line.

Cheers!

Brooks

[explorer2203]

Hi there! Been reading these forums for a while and just registered.

Just about to have a survey done on a modified Jim Young Rocket 31. Took it out for a test sail last Saturday and was surprised at how quick it is! This one has swept back rig, full height centerboard case but the aftermarket 9 foot keel with bulb is fixed in position. Despite extending 9 feet under the hull...it comes up over 3 feet inside the hull! It is one solid keel set up

Needs a good tidy up but looks in pretty good shape structurally - survey will confirm (Or not).

We were out in 25 knotts gusting 30 and whilst she heeled over a bit she was very easy to control and it wasnt hard to keep her on track despite the heavily shifting winds. Its a big volume 30 footer but nothing downstairs other than a bar (Must have been built in NZ LOL).

I am buying it for fast coastal passagemaking, blasting around the harbour and some overnighter's. Kids think it is cool which is always important.

Will put some info up here about what I do with it from a fitout perspective / repair and maintenance post purchase if anyone is interested in reading it.

Cheers

Craig

[Ramona]

Originally Posted by explorer2203

H
Will put some info up here about what I do with it from a fitout perspective / repair and maintenance post purchase if anyone is interested in reading it.

Cheers

Craig

Well of course we would be interested Craig. I'm interested in the same style of boat, daysailing like 99% of most keel boats seen about the place. Draft of this boat sounds interesting. Its probably a real problem for most people and is one of the reasons these sort of yachts sell cheap.[/i]