Can you help with details?

[flyingskipper]

I am restoring a sailing boat called Ceanothus, 27ft loa, 5ft draught, her designer - Francis Jones, built by Tucker Brown of Burnham 1950's. Would anyone have any information on these people as i would like a little more history of the vessel and try to obtain a set of the original plans. Any info would be great. Thanks.

 

[DanTribe]

Tucker Brown moved to and effectively became Burnham Yacht Harbour in the 1980/ 1990's many TBCo. employees are still there. Bob Cole, guvner of TBCo is still very much involved with sailing, and would probably remember your boat. Try contacting him via Burnham Yacht Harbour or Burnham Sailing Club

 

[flyingskipper]

Thanks, ill give them a ring. I have found out one thing though the amount of work involved restoring wooden yachts, you've goto take your hat off to the ones who built them.
Cheers.

 

[PeterWillis]

Apparently we published a two-page piece on Francis Jones in issue 5. I don't have it to hand, so can't tell how helpful it is, but the photocopy service is available... There have also been various letters over the years.
If you're an Old Gaffers Assoc member, you could ask your President (newly-elected), Brian Hammett - his Avola is a Francis Jones design

 

[Peterduck]

I'm sure that John Leather did a fairly extensive profile of Jack Jones more recently than issue 5. All my copies are packed way while I'm moving house, so unfortunately I can't check.
Peter.

 

[Mirelle]

Francis Jones lived in Woodbridge; his brother George was a well known yacht broker and East Coast correspondent for YM ("GAJ" for donkey's years. Curiously enough George Jones owned, for very many years, the Laurent Giles ketch "Peter Duck" originally owned by Arthur Ransome - his granddaughter now owns her, still in Woodbridge.

Francis was for some reason always referred to as "Jack" Jones. He was a very prolific designer, but his designs have a most unusual quality - he has no "house style" at all that I can see. You can spot a Laurent Giles or an Alan Buchanan or a James McGruer or a Fredk Parker or a CR Holman design easily, but a Jack Jones boat could have been designed by any of them.

One theory has it that this is because Jones employed very talented draftsmen - Holman was one and Peter Brown was another - and the boats tended to take on the characteristics of their draftsmen, so if its a long slim yawl its a crypto-Holman and if its a buxom motorsailer its a Brown!

However, this is not a sufficient explanation, as I once remarked to Peter Brown what a good looking McGruer boat "Sephine II" was and Peter replied that he was obliged to me for the compliment, as in fact he had designed her when working for Jack Jones!