Tracing Boats built by Bill Sutton at Wakering

[Jan Harber]

In the 1950s and '60s Bill Sutton (Sutton and Wiggins) built about 24 wooden boats at his Wakering, Essex yard, many to Lloyds A1 spec.
The first two were the 10ton centreboarders Amaris (for local builder Jack Silk) and Elizabethan (for Lt Cdr J.N. Wise DSC RNVR). These two were near sister ships to my father Jack Coote's Blue Shoal, designed by A.P. Bayzand and built by Souters of Cowes in 1950. Bill also built a 10ton centreboarder, designed by R.F. Freeman, in the same year as Elizabethan (1953).
I would like to find out what happened to these shoal draft boats and whether they are still afloat. Amaris was certainly still to be seen on the East Coast up to the 1990s (and I know that Blue Shoal, re-named Moonfleet is in Suffolk).
Bill built three Guy Thompson designs: Crisela, Callisto and Calliope VIII (re-named Moidart); the Robert Clark-designed Glen Maid; and from 1958 a string of Alan Buchanan RORC and EAORA racing yachts for owners mostly at Burnham on Crouch or the Medway.
These included Vae Victis, Vendetta (for David Clarabut at Upnor), Bonnet Rouge, Capella of Burnham, Cavalier of Kent, Dauber and Scorpion of Wyke (who went to Bridlington). Some of these were, I believe, of the Vashti class, and some can be traced on the very good Buchanan Owners Association website.
Bill's son and nephew are doing some family research and they too would be interested to hear if any of the fine wooden boats built by their dad and uncle are still going.

 

[tillergirl]

I am pretty certain I have seen Scorpion of Wyke on the visitors moorings at Calais during the 1990's. Not that that helps much.

 

[Keith 66]

Jade a Wakering 33 was recently sold from Woodbridge, another sister ship was based at Benfleet some years ago, at Leigh was Crackerjack based on the 33 but longer, they also built Mapleleaf class centreboarders.

 

[Jan Harber]

Yes, there is a photo of Scorpion of Wyke on the Buchanan owners website so it looks like she could still be around but not sure where.
The 23ft Mapleleafs were popular clinker-built centreboarders and they built a number of them at Wakering in the late '60s early '70s. Was the Wakering 33 a larger version of these?
I remember Crackerjack being at Leigh, didn't she have an accident being dropped from a crane at Johnson and Jago's yard one time and having to be rebuilt?
Another boat that Bill built early on (1956) to be kept on the foreshore at Southend was Cee Jay for C.J. Morehouse (owner of the Kursaal); she was quite big, about 40ft and could be seen off the Southend seafront for many years certainly up to the '80s; I think she may have ended up in the Med.
Still hoping that someone out there may know what happened to the three centreboarders, Amaris, Elizabethan and Quintet built in 1952 and '53 (they were among the first boats built by Bill Sutton).

 

[Keith 66]

The maple leaf was a clinker built centreboarder & not really comparable to the Wakering 33 which was a strip planked bilge keeler, very well built i believe three? of the 33,s were built plus Crackerjack which was very similar but with a longer counter. She was being moved by crane at Two tree island in the early eighties when the crane lifting her fell over, the crane jib went across her cockpit & damn near cut her in half. She was rebuilt by Whisstocks at Woodbridge.

 

[BonnetRouge]

Bonnet Rouge is in Norway. I have pictures on Facebook - search for Thomas Benz Norway.

 

[Jan Harber]

Good to hear that the Vashti/Queen class Bonnet Rouge is still around, although have not been able to find the photos you mention. Do you know at what time she went to Norway? She was built in 1959 and I think may have been on the East Coast originally. In the 1978 Lloyds she was listed as being at Inverkip, and in 1967 she was at Donaghdee, NI. Both these entries say that she was ex-Jabula, which makes me wonder if that was her original name. Perhaps there was a South African connection (apparently Jabula is Zulu for rejoice).

Re Crackerjack, I have discovered she was not built by Bill Sutton but by Whisstocks in 1973, designed by Alan Hill (who maybe also designed the Wakering 33s). I think the re-build after her crane accident may have been done by Johnson and Jago, which is where I recollect seeing her.

The 28ft Oakleafs and 23ft Mapleleafs, built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, still come up for sale from time to time. Not sure if Bill was involved with all of them. I believe Chandler and Smith were the original builders; Derrick Smith joined forces with Bill at some point to become Sutton and Smiths.

Still hoping for news of the centreboarders Amaris, Quintet or Elizabethan...

 

[Keith 66]

Crackerjack was definately rebuilt at Whistocks, She often used to lay up at J & J's.

 

[carl2]

have you contacted Lindsay, at Suttons?

 

[Jan Harber]

I do know Lindsay at Suttons, we used to lay up our lift keel Hunter 701 there in the 1980s and my dad, Jack Coote, kept his Twister, his Scimitar keelboat and later his Dragon Cluaran there in the winters up until the year he died, 1993.
Lindsay and Ivan (who passed away a few years ago) took over the yard from Bill but I don't think they were ever involved in any of the wooden boat building activity which ceased when they came to Wakering. Ivan's speciality was cranes, ex Admiralty/Navy vessels and equipment that seemed to often come from Chatham.
Amaris, built by Bill in 1952 for Jack Silk, was also laid up every year at the yard, so I will see if Lindsay can shed any light there.

 

[mylo]

There's a Sutton & Wiggins Gaff cutter for sale in Port Penrhyn (Scott Metcalfe's yard).

 

[cleeve]

Colleen & Neil

Some info for you! We are currently restoring/rebuilding the Cavalier of Kent an Alan Buchanan Vashti class, which is a long term project. We were fortunate to find her laying up in Pembroke, Wales, and brought her back to our home in Somerset.

 

[Sniper]

I saw 'Scorpion of Wyke' on the Orwell last Summer, so I'm guessing she's East Coast based. She looked very smart.

 

[sailorman]

In the 1950s and '60s Bill Sutton (Sutton and Wiggins) built about 24 wooden boats at his Wakering, Essex yard, many to Lloyds A1 spec.
The first two were the 10ton centreboarders Amaris (for local builder Jack Silk) and Elizabethan (for Lt Cdr J.N. Wise DSC RNVR). These two were near sister ships to my father Jack Coote's Blue Shoal, designed by A.P. Bayzand and built by Souters of Cowes in 1950. Bill also built a 10ton centreboarder, designed by R.F. Freeman, in the same year as Elizabethan (1953).
I would like to find out what happened to these shoal draft boats and whether they are still afloat. Amaris was certainly still to be seen on the East Coast up to the 1990s (and I know that Blue Shoal, re-named Moonfleet is in Suffolk).
Bill built three Guy Thompson designs: Crisela, Callisto and Calliope VIII (re-named Moidart); the Robert Clark-designed Glen Maid; and from 1958 a string of Alan Buchanan RORC and EAORA racing yachts for owners mostly at Burnham on Crouch or the Medway.
These included Vae Victis, Vendetta (for David Clarabut at Upnor), Bonnet Rouge, Capella of Burnham, Cavalier of Kent, Dauber and Scorpion of Wyke (who went to Bridlington). Some of these were, I believe, of the Vashti class, and some can be traced on the very good Buchanan Owners Association website.
Bill's son and nephew are doing some family research and they too would be interested to hear if any of the fine wooden boats built by their dad and uncle are still going.

Capella of Burnham was Ramsholt based in the early 70s she was a "Vashti" Class

 

[kuijvenhoven]

KUDOSO (or: KUDOS'O)

In the 1950s and '60s Bill Sutton (Sutton and Wiggins) built about 24 wooden boats at his Wakering, Essex yard, many to Lloyds A1 spec.
The first two were the 10ton centreboarders Amaris (for local builder Jack Silk) and Elizabethan (for Lt Cdr J.N. Wise DSC RNVR). These two were near sister ships to my father Jack Coote's Blue Shoal, designed by A.P. Bayzand and built by Souters of Cowes in 1950. Bill also built a 10ton centreboarder, designed by R.F. Freeman, in the same year as Elizabethan (1953).
I would like to find out what happened to these shoal draft boats and whether they are still afloat. Amaris was certainly still to be seen on the East Coast up to the 1990s (and I know that Blue Shoal, re-named Moonfleet is in Suffolk).
Bill built three Guy Thompson designs: Crisela, Callisto and Calliope VIII (re-named Moidart); the Robert Clark-designed Glen Maid; and from 1958 a string of Alan Buchanan RORC and EAORA racing yachts for owners mostly at Burnham on Crouch or the Medway.
These included Vae Victis, Vendetta (for David Clarabut at Upnor), Bonnet Rouge, Capella of Burnham, Cavalier of Kent, Dauber and Scorpion of Wyke (who went to Bridlington). Some of these were, I believe, of the Vashti class, and some can be traced on the very good Buchanan Owners Association website.
Bill's son and nephew are doing some family research and they too would be interested to hear if any of the fine wooden boats built by their dad and uncle are still going.

My boat is a design by A. Buchanan. Specs are:
31 x 9 x 4.8 ft.
build in 1957 by Sutton, Wakering Road, Southchurch
registered in Hull, May 1958
name : KUDOSO (now written as Kudos'o, which sounds better in Dutch !! )
first owner Mr. Geoffrey Armstrong, Kingston u/Hull
2e ,, Mr. Paul Griffith, St. Albans
3e - 8e owner also known
I am no. 9
Kudos'o is well build and doing well. This June we were in Normandy and South England. In light (over 7 knots) and stormy (force 7-8!) weather she is a stable, comfortable and speedy one. I try to keep her as good as I can for she is worth it.
Does anyone know anything about her name. Is there any relation with the word Kudos? And I am still looking for her drawings.
Besides: Capella of Brunham is lying in the Netherlands too and doing fine as well. Can give you more info if wanted.

 

[Jan Harber]

Good to hear that Kudoso is alive and well in Holland, and also Capella of Burnham.

Bill Sutton's nephew has some archive photos of some of the Buchanan designs being built at Wakering and launched. He thinks some of these may be of Kudoso. I will try to get scans sent to you in due course.

Afraid I cannot help with the name except to say that in the 1967 Lloyds Register of Yachts, there is a Buchanan designed yacht named Kudos built in 1955 and registered in Hull. Kudoso, built in 1958 was also registered in Hull. Several Buchanan designs at that time had owners who sailed and raced from Bridlington (which is why the port of registry would have been Hull).

There is a Buchanan Owners Association and it might be possible to trace some lines for Kudoso from their website. Certainly the lines of some Buchanan designs have been published in the past in Classic Boat magazine to illustrate an article about Alan Buchanan but I am not sure exactly when that was.

 

[Cloona]

Jack Coote of East Coast Rivers - ?

responsible for some of the happiest days of my life - thank you

 

[Andrew1963]

Wakering 33

I'm the proud owner of a Wakering 33 designed by Alan Hill, who wrote to me last June, informs me that 4 of this type were built by Sutton and Smith, no 1 SURITA, no 2 JADE, no 3 Ester Ruth and no 4 CRACKER JACK. I have his drawings.

The Teck deck must be redone but otherwise in good condition. I would like to hear from previous owners of JADE, their exploits, etc...

JADE is currently in Arcachon on the special "Quai patrimoine" reserved solely for wooden Yachts, (we have a magnificent 'Fife' as neighbour!).

 

[Andrew1963]

....

Re Crackerjack, I have discovered she was not built by Bill Sutton but by Whisstocks in 1973, designed by Alan Hill (who maybe also designed the Wakering 33s). I think the re-build after her crane accident may have been done by Johnson and Jago, which is where I recollect seeing her.

...

Crackerjack is a Wakering 33, the 4th in the series. Any news of her ? I've found the Suria, the 1st in the series and I own the 2nd, so where is the 3rd, Ester Ruth ?

 

[Jan Harber]

Jack Coote of East Coast Rivers

Jack Coote of East Coast Rivers - ?

responsible for some of the happiest days of my life - thank you

Yes, Cloona, the very same. And if he were still here, he would have been delighted to hear you say that... thank you. Jack died in 1993.

Jan