Slocum`s Spray

manx......

Find a copy of William (Billy) Atkin's book Of Yachts and Men. In it he discusses the design, construction, and sailing of Fore An Aft and her decedents, Ben Bow and Tally Ho! It's entertaining and interesting reading.

You'll find the Hess designed Bristol Channel Cutter much bigger inside than Fore An Aft. My friend Bryan Gittins, down the road in Cedar, builds the big sister to the BCC, the 34' by 11'7" Channel Cutter, which is positively huge. http://www.channelcutteryachts.com/

 

Thank you BATAAN!! I am now devoted to Lyle Hess. What neat boats these!

 

Tad: thanks. I do have the Billy Atkin book, "Of Yachts and Men". I love the book. Not knowing much about sailing i am at everyones mercy of what type of boat to chose. Also Bataan has been very helpful, to which i am very grateful.
I am going to research The BCC's and although (not wood) will seriously consider fiberglass. Just a note I had 1 Lobster boat made from fiber glass, ( i have owned 5 boats). I hated it due to the liveliness of the hull, too jumpy and tender for me. I sold it after 2 years use. Any educating me in this area of hull materials would be much warranted and appreciated.
Thanks again manxman

 

Glass Lobsterboats are quite a bit lighter than wood, so have a different motion. Many other lobstermen have said the same thing about a new, jerky and uncomfortable motion when they switched to glass boats.
A glass cruising sailboat weighs about the same as the wood equivalent, since we're talking about a design with outside ballast, and the difference between the two is not really noticeable.
Here's another series of nice, simple, f/g cruisers for you to drool over, from a builder of BCCs too, Cape George Marine Works.
This yard is close to me and I've seen a number of their boats.
Always highest quality workmanship with excellent, moderate hull designs. Last year a somewhat worn and faded, black Cape George Cutter about 40' long pulled into our harbor in NW WA state, and as I helped them tie up the woman on board said, "I can't believe we were in New Zealand last month!"
Here's the CG 31', and their Lyle Hess 28'.
The CGCs have more room than the Lyle Hess boats, are not quite as direct-heritage traditional, and are more modern. Oh, and they sail better I am told.
To get a view of extensive cruising and a circumnavigation in a very small, engine-less Lyle Hess, read the books by Larry and Lyn Pardey, in many libraries, SERAFFYN, SERAFFYN'S MEDITERRANEAN ADVENTURE, etc.
If you can find the book BLUE WATER CRUISING by Griffith, it's a very good primer on ocean cruising in a cutter, though larger. He circumnavigated in 60 degrees south....
http://www.capegeorgecutters.com/

 

I think your idea af a light boat making faster passage is valid only in fair seas . I am going through my recollections of sailing yachts I saw offshore and except for some races all the sailing yachts that I saw were reefed down pretty hard so they were not sailing very fast even when the wind was below twenty knots the boats were reefed down. Being tossed around like a fresh donut in a sugar bag just isn't fun after a couple of days. Most were under a refeed main with no jib but most of my observations were in the North Atlantic and not in the fair weather of more southerly oceans

 

It is a sad but true fact that many (too many) people, rich enough to own a yacht and sail her over the ocean do not have or want to have and learn skills, achieve stamina and mental approach to sail the boat properly -i.e. to set optimal sails for conditions, to go forward and change headsails, .... .
As I did notice from my fairly small practice, they often opt for "safest" and least physically/mentally demanding option.
They understand fully, that their skills are developed for other things, and often only care to sail good enough to reach the destination. If it mean trading 1/3 of speed for necessity to steer with attention and trim the sails (a few cm of this or that string over powered winch) every half an hour or so, why not?
Probably the Slocum's Spray type boat would suit their style of sailing better, but...

I have a feeling that nowadays there is an accepted norm to OWN more potential in your toy than you will ever care to USE to full or even half extent .

 

Well - I'm very surprised that anyone has replied to your post in view of your rather rude comment.
Wiseacre: A person regarded as being disagreeably egotistical and self-assured; one who pretends to knowledge or cleverness.

However, having said that, the only disparaging remarks I and several others have made in this thread relate to the Bruce Roberts version of 'The Spray', a design which has precious little to do with either Slocum's original Spray, or Culler's version of it.

Some of us have actually sailed in BR's 'Sprays' and our disparaging comments are therefore based on first-hand experience.

 

Thank you BATAAN! I am going to search for those books. I am also going to check out the link to CGC. Very impressed with the two drawings you provided. I am very grateful for all of your assistance, and for taking the time to respond to my posting. This has given me a whole new tack on my decision making and has taken me away from my traditional and narrow minded approach to this subject.
I really love CGC's vessels. What beauty and quality!! Your word "drool"
is very appropo (sp.) here! thanks

 

Some new photos of SPRAY have surfaced. 1906 on the east coast.
http://ptsail.org/2012/02/28/new-photos-of-spray-and-slocum-found/

 

Thanks Bataan, always good to see more pics of this legendary boat & sailor. Is that Joshua sitting there on the boat in the 2nd pic? Whoever that is they either just crawled out of the mud or the photo quality was bad...probably the latter.

I really enjoy looking at the old B/W photos Frank Hurley took of Shackleton's Endurance & crew during that famous expedition. Impeccable photos for their day.

 

Yes, that's the Captain wearing his old worn shore going suit.

 

Pulling the 46' x 10" mast from BERTIE today to overhaul rigging. I'll post a few pics as I go along to show some traditional stuff like serving and seizing. We plan a trip to the Queen Charlottes (Haida Gwaii) and around Vancouver Island next summer so the preparations have begun. Also on the wish list is a low-draw freezer.... After almost 30 years with this *****, I still love her.

 

Bertie seems like its heavy, whats displacement? Rig also looks small, what luff and SA?

 

Hi Goodwilly. Still building that design you developed?
Loaded it's 46,000 lbs the travel lift operator said. Main is 1000 sq ft, jib staysl and mizzen I'm not sure but usually big enough. The lines are modified some from SPRAY but are pretty much this DRAWING but more keel aft, a more upright transom with outboard rudder giving longer waterline, enabling me to lift the buttocks some. Here are a couple more photos. Sails very very well in light air if not too much wave action, points better than many gaff boats when properly trimmed (important), tacks and handles like a big catboat with just the main up, any number of reefs on any point of sail in about 90 seconds.

 

Does the main mast weigh roughly 450 lbs?