new project wood ketch...opinions

hello i like this sailboat and just want to put her back in sailing condition and enjoy with the kids. she was built in mid 90s hull is oak, new diesel and not a single rotten plank. basicly she need elbow grease and love, sails and cousins..if anyone can tell me anything about this boat?

 

please someone must know what design this double ender is?

 

Welcome to the forum.

One less than flattering, partially obscured photo, no physical dimensions, etc. and you expect what?

The logical first step is a registration number search, don't you think?

 

the owner died and we don't have more info...i can measure
and post more photos

 

The registration will have the make and model on it, maybe the builder and year built too.

 

was hand built here at the boatyard, we don't have registration and will not have any.was wondering if anyone new the model. showed the boat to lin & larry pardey, they say she looks fine, but cant say more.

 

Before you go any further you need to check the laws where you are. Here in Texas, if you don't have the title and a bill of sail you can get arrested for possessing the boat in question, unless it's under 14' and isn't power driven. If you build it you must have all bills of material before getting it inspected and titled. You may have just ended up with a can of worms.

 

you don't understand we are a boatyard, the widow has donated this boat to us.

 

There is a number on the Starboard rail. It may well be a registration number of some sort. If so, that is the first clue toward finding out more about its origin and designer.

 

If you are the boatyard, well frankly you've been through this before and doing a title or registration search isn't unusual, nor difficult. Even if you come up with a home built HIN, you still have options, which typically means a lien or other "vehicle" to possession.

As to identifying this boat, well there are countless designs (antique) shaped like this, so unless there's some distinguishing feature, it'll be quite difficult. Your best choice would be the family of the deceased builder, as they have to know something or there's some plans or paper work lying around someplace.

 

talk to my boss yesterday seems we have all the paperwork on hand, will come back with more information later. id like to know more about this boat because if i don't take it, she will be striped for parts and burned as we do with many wood boats in the yard. this would really sadden me...thanks

 

It is a bit hard to tell just by a photo, but the planking doesn't look like oak. Also, it shows a lot of deterioration. For example, rot along the sheer. Strip planked boats are good candidates for fiberglassing over to give them a bit more life. It also depends on how the deck, etc. are.

 

It would seem silly to plank with oak and I agree with Gonzo, it doesn't look like any north American oak. The logical thing (sadly) is to let this puppy go and find something with some level of pedigree. By this I mean a known design, plans availability, maybe a living designer to talk with, possibly with a rig, sails, the whole bit, that's just in need of a new owner.

Another option would be to have the hull scanned, so you can pick up the lines, do the hydrostatics, arrange for the rig, etc. Getting the hull scanned is as simple as taking some pictures (specialized) which can be inputted into software and DXF files generated. Given the costs associated with getting this old gal back in shape, the scanning process will be a minor cost in the over all project.