Old Cutter

[Aussie]

My Father has just aquired an old cutter and I am keen to find out about some of its history. its name is "Olive 2" and she is 30 foot long and of carvel construction, the official number is 181899 or 131899 and weighs 4 tons 47cwt. she is currently at Port Adelaide in South Australia but it believed that this boat was originally sailed from England to Australia via Darwin and Brisbane. there is no record of her on the Register of British Yachts in Australia so this may be true. If anyone out there has seen or heard of this Yacht please let me know.

 

[Peterduck]

As there were 20 cwt in a ton, it is likely that the weight is 4 tons 17 cwt. Can you recognise any of the timbers from which Olive is built? Especially the Main Beam with the official number and weight carved into it. Oak, elm and mahogany are quite distinctive, as are many of the common boatbuilding eucalypts. Construction parctices are also often distinctive of a single district of origin. My 1917 ketch is built from Jarrah below the waterline, NZ Kauri topsides, and bent ribs of 2 layers of 2" x 3/4" jarrah. All this is typical South Australian construction.

Peter.

 

[JonA]

It's not the weight carved onthe main beam but the tonnage. This is a measure of volume from the old barrel, a tun. One ton = 100cu feet in old money, now the metric equivalent.

Jonathan

JonA