Lakita 1961 Mitchell’s Poole

[Rona]

Writing this by chance to see if I can find some more information on a sailing boat called Lakita that was built in Poole in 1961, it stayed in the Mitchels Boat yard way back when. It is currently in Donegal and interested in the history of the boat bought by a man who went by TC Crawford
Lakita 33ft
some photos to show you the boat. Would you have any records or know where I could find some. I will really appreciate any information that can be provided as my father as just took the boat on as his next project.

 

[Tranona]

Wow! Well worth taking on. Doubt you will find much from Mitchells now as the yard closed many years ago and not sure any of the staff are still around. I kept my boat there for most of the 1980s, but of course by then most boat building had gone with just a few Barbarys and Tradewinds being completed. The actual yard is still thriving together with moorings and storage and several tradespeople renting workshops plus an up market broker/dealer

Any idea who the designer was? In the wood days, most boats were designed by Fred Parker who had an office in the yard at one time, but this boat does not look his style. Most of his sailing boats had long counter sterns and deep keels in the manner of the times. Canoe stern and bilge plates don't fit in. There is an air of Maurice Griffiths about it, but definitely not his, although in the 50s and 60s it was not unusual to have one offs that aped other designers. Is there a builders plate anywhere on the boat? a registered number? or any reference to Lloyds register.

Somebody has spent a lot of money and done a lot of good work on the boat so looks a good basis for finishing off. One slight word of warning. The engine is a Chinese copy of a Japanese engine and has a mixed history with many changes of distributors over the years. Not sure there is one at the moment. However it is a simple engine and provided you can get a supply of the maintenance consumables should be OK.

Good luck to your father and please post any future progress,

 

[jbweston]

There's an entry for a Lakita in the 1977 Lloyd's Register of Yachts saying she was registered in Poole, built at Mitchells and designed by Reg Freeman. Her home port in '77 was given as Fleetwood. This sounds like her.

Scan of the entry attached.

Reg Freeman was a well-known designer of yachts including the Seadog which was built in quantity. On a quick search there's plenty about Seadogs online and a few one-off Freeman designs sold or for sale.

Apparently Reg Freeman's son Nick restores classic cars and is based at Beaulieu. If you contact him he might be able to tell you if there are any records anywhere of the boats his father designed:
Nical Engineering

 

[jbweston]

Also her owner in 1977 is named (in those innocent days before data protection legislation) as M. A. Tozer of 17 Lindsay Avenue, Marton, Blackpool.

Bearing in mind that's nearly 50 years ago I doubt whether Mr Tozer is still around and living there, but you never know if there is a little Tozer now grown up, or someone at the address who knows one of the family.

 

[Tranona]

Reg Freeman as designer makes sense. Definite similarities to the Seadog design.

 

[Rona]

Also her owner in 1977 is named (in those innocent days before data protection legislation) as M. A. Tozer of 17 Lindsay Avenue, Marton, Blackpool.

Bearing in mind that's nearly 50 years ago I doubt whether Mr Tozer is still around and living there, but you never know if there is a little Tozer now grown up, or someone at the address who knows one of the family.

thank you for this, this has been a massive help, I have contacted Reg Freemans son and I am currently waiting for a response.
My dad has been looking around for information about the boat since he got the boat but there was no luck.
In regards to the serial number, we have not found any on the boat and no logs of anything anywhere online until now. I will keep you posted if any reply but again this has been extremely helpful.
Thank you