Abandoned Boat for sale

[Fossil]

For sale; an English boat abandoned in Pahia, North Island, New Zealand. Has been claimed/siezed by the local authorities and will be sold with full title.

Bidding closes Wednesday. Has already reached NZ$3,575 (about 1600 UK pounds).

A long shot, I know, but the boat's name and home port are visible. Any ideas on the make? Anyone know the story?

Full details on the sale at http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts/keeler/auction-701412913.htm.

 

[jerrytug]

Well she has reached the value of the self-steering..
A bit sad, she made it all the way from Rye, then left to go mouldy, just needs a lot of elbow grease by the look of it!

 

[l'escargot]

A couple of references from a quick internet search: a dead link on an old registry of shipping and a boat of that name and that size in the 1984 OSTAR registered to a Brian O'Donaghue

 

[VicS]

Also found the reference to 1984 Ostar

I reckon its a Rival 34 http://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/archives/rival-34/rival-34.htm

 

[Tranona]

Definitely not a Rival, far too broad hull and lumpy coachroof. Looks home finished inside but plenty of potentially good gear.

 

[VicS]

Definitely not a Rival, .

Yep you are right transom completely wrong shape

 

[l'escargot]

Possibly a Nich ?

 

[Seajet]

It could not be much less like a Rival, wrong coachroof, bow, probably rest of hull & interior.

Not a Nic' either unless some obscure 1970's racer with a different lid.

I suspect not a British design, maybe American ?

She seems a feasible fixer-upper for someone with the skills and time; I just feel sorry for the original owner, there seems to be a sad story there.

 

[l'escargot]

It looks like there may be a record of a a boat named Gamble Gold registered in 1979 in the East Sussex Records Office.

Towards the bottom of this page: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=179-rss&cid=-1#-1

Ship's registration papers: Rye RSS/13 [n.d.]

Former reference: RSS 13

Contents:
These consist of correspondence and other papers including builder's certificates and declarations of ownership. They were held initially by the port of registration, and sent to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Papers for ships no longer in existence were then destroyed periodically, which has led to the survival of the representative sample held here. The survival of the papers listed below is no indication that the ships are still in existence. The files are listed below under their registration numbers (although the year and the number of the vessel have been transposed from the order as it appears in the register). The files may include papers of a later date to the initial registration:

Gamble Gold RSS/13/1979/2 1979

Former reference: RSS 13/1979/2

No guarantee that it is the same boat though, just would seem around the right time and the right place...

 

[Seajet]

l'escargot I'm sure you've got her.

One thing struck me, an unusual sort of boat to keep in Rye; by no means impossible of course, and indeed more suited to someone equipping and setting off for blue water rather than operating from there for a long time.

Is Rye a registry port ?

 

[l'escargot]

...Is Rye a registry port ?

Yes.

 

[Seajet]

So she may well have been based somewhere else in the UK before the off; there's the other point that marine mortgages require/d Part 1 Registry, maybe ' the off ' was before mortgage paid, hence ' Gamble Gold ' !

 

[parbuckle]

It has many similarities to a Contessa 32 during the seventies one could purchase part build kits with the hull mostly complete with rudder and internal ballast, the coachroof and deck were seperate and portlights had to be cut , if I am right this looks to have smaller portlights and a much reinforced hull as though for extreme sailing also the interior looks to be home build and heaven knows what went on foreard looks like grannies wardrobe was cut down and squeezed in perhaps they ran out of money. I remember picking up a part build Contessa catalogue at Earl Court one could get started for 2 or 3 thousand or you could get one at various build stages , not a thing you see much of today most lack the skills time or spirit of adventure of that time. This boat is a mystery that is sure to unfold now its on this forum.

 

[parbuckle]

Someone on the auction site has suggested it could be SS34 Sparkman and Stephens I think this is possible the 33.5 ft LOA the portlights and slight squareness to the coachroof.

These boats included Edward Heaths "Morning Cloud" in their illustrious history. Interesting history on website http://www.ss34.org/index.php/category/historical-articles/

 

[Seajet]

Not an S & S 34, I pass one every time I go sailing.

I do think it has an American look though, and may well be a later lid plonked on an earlier 1970's racing IOR classic hull, when both mouldings were available; this sort of thing was not unusual in those days.

In a nutshell, the hull looks a bit Carter, the coachroof a bit Colvic !

 

[doug748]

I think Seajet and parbuckle may be right between them, American and home finished. Kiwis seem a resourceful bunch I bet it is up to snuff and sailing in the near'ish future.

Parbuckle, I think your memory may be playing you false. I don't think Contessa 32s were ever available for self build, certainly not in an organised manner. A few mouldings were supplied and mainly fitted out by other builders local to the yard. Mouldings may have been promoted by builders other than J C Rogers but that would have been later than c 1982 and on a very small scale.

 

[Eyore]

It couldent possibly be a Contessa or an S&S 34 ,its far too ugly.Looks more like a very early Dufour of some kind.

 

[parbuckle]

Just reading history from their website showing photos first SS34 mould being made in England actually finished in Burnham on Crouch and one of the builders account of meeting Edward Heath.also Seajet is that boat on their homepage the one you see every day as there are other models. Further to the Contessa 32 I am getting on a bit but I would possibly put a fiver on it.

 

[30boat]

It couldent possibly be a Contessa or an S&S 34 ,its far too ugly.Looks more like a very early Dufour of some kind.

No ,I don't think it's a Dufour.Their 34 was a flush deck,of sorts,and was even uglier .

 

[Seajet]

Just reading history from their website showing photos first SS34 mould being made in England actually finished in Burnham on Crouch and one of the builders account of meeting Edward Heath.also Seajet is that boat on their homepage the one you see every day as there are other models. Further to the Contessa 32 I am getting on a bit but I would possibly put a fiver on it.

Parbuckle,

any chance of a link to this home page please ?

The S&S 34 I pass regularly is indeed quite famous, but looks a helluva lot better than the abandoned job, especially the coachroof.

I had an American designed boat, a Carter 30 which has some similarities as it was of the same genre as the S&S, a cruiser / racer built on a 1970's IOR racer hull design.

The Carters were designed by American Dick Carter ( who did a lot of successful racers and the earlier Southerly's lift keel gear ) - the 30's were built in Gdansk Poland, fitted out with British equipment, volvo saildrives and marketed in Britain.

The Carter 33 I met had been built in Greece.

As for Contessa 32, I always reckoned not, but didn't bother mentioning it; you've lost your £5.00 there !

I remember the short period when Contessa 32's were available as kits, they were always very expensive relatively; I can't imagine a hull ending up with any old deck and anyway the transom isn't right.

American design Carter 30 ( which the abandoned boat isn't ) with IOR influnce & typical American style coachroof;

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