Can you help identify my boat?

PAR · Aug 13, 2015

I'm very familiar with the Helson 22 (lots of them in this area and I use to work for Jopie) and that's not it's deck cap, though the hull might be. The Helson 22 had just a hint of a clipper bow and a stub keel, which I can't see well. The transom was cutout like that, but the companionway was centered, not offset. Back in the day we all used and bought each others molds. We'd put a new rig or deck cap on it and call it something else. If it was made in 1974, it should have a complete HIN on the transom, maybe hidden under some putty. It should be in the upper right hand corner, if it's the Helson hull shell mold. Keep up the good work Ranger.

BobBill · Aug 13, 2015

Lone Ranger said: ↑

It's been a long while since PAR helped me identify my boat. As I was refurbishing it, I found that the actual hull ID number was a bit longer than I thought. It says it was actually made in May 1974.

I recently found that this boat appears to be a derivative of the Helsen 22.

Here are some photos of my renovation of it so far. Although I spent far longer on it than I initially planned, I hope to get it (finally) in the water in the next few days.
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Looks "bomb diggity" comfy too.

You do it right, takes some time...

Latest project, have done about eight of them, was way more than I had planned (stuff I never figured I would have to do) plus weather took me one season longer. But it was built as planned and safe, we hope, as it should be.

No point in putting in the time otherwise, is it? And, in a loose sort of analogy, it sort of gives back more, like a pooch that imprints on ya!

Andy Helsen · Feb 9, 2018

PAR said: ↑

I'm very familiar with the Helson 22 (lots of them in this area and I use to work for Jopie) and that's not it's deck cap, though the hull might be. The Helson 22 had just a hint of a clipper bow and a stub keel, which I can't see well. The transom was cutout like that, but the companionway was centered, not offset. Back in the day we all used and bought each others molds. We'd put a new rig or deck cap on it and call it something else. If it was made in 1974, it should have a complete HIN on the transom, maybe hidden under some putty. It should be in the upper right hand corner, if it's the Helson hull shell mold. Keep up the good work Ranger.
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PAR said: ↑

That particular MIC is shown as Anarchy Powerboats LLC in Phoenix, but that's not who built it. I think I recognize the boat and it was built by Apollo Boats out of Clearwater, FL. Not a lot of information is available about Apollo, mostly because they just got killed by the other major players in the trailer sailer industry of the era. Back in the early 70's (that looks to be a '72), there were at least dozen trailer sailer poptop cruisers and this was one of them. I was working for another manufacture of 22' trailer sailer, poptop cruisers at the time, just down the street in St. Pete and we all kind of knew each other, bouncing around from plant to plant, depending on who was hiring. I think Apollo was purchased by AMF or someone, after just a few years of production. They weren't the best build going at the time and hardware was as cheap as you could install. The transom has a plywood core (I think) and this may be soft from water getting past the cut out trim and if the poptop seems to weigh a ton when lifting it, it too likely has a moisture saturated core.
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Lone Ranger said: ↑

I recently came into possession of a 20-foot trailer sailer that I'm having trouble identifying.

It is apparently a pre-1972 model, with a stamped ID number on the upper left of the transom: APL001260. Its mainsail has the number 126 on it and seems to have been made by Gleason Sailmakers.

The mast is about 22'1", plus the block atop it, and the boom is about 9'4".

It has a step-through transom, on the starboard side.

Has a swing keel, with the lowering mechanism accessible from the cockpit through an appx 4" round access port below the cabin entry. The access port is secured by a circular cover that rotates a quarter turn to open - just like the three other vent holes in the sides of the cockpit.

The cockpit cover is hinged, and has a prop rod about the size of a broomstick handle to hold it up.

The registration number on it is no longer useable to get information on it... It has been out of registration for several years and the number has been recycled but not reassigned, so no data is available there.

Any ideas?

Thanks for any help here!
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Hi Lone Ranger

Do you still have this boat? I am in Ireland and have the Helsen version and have a couple of questions.

Andy

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