America's Cup Challenger 'Vanitie'

[Emmett Smith]

So, in my pursuit of lines for Gardner's racing sloops I have decided that his 1914 America's Cup boat Vanitie is a primary objective. This boat, though larger, is about right in proportionality and pretty much the right era to be helpful in drafting an approximation of the TI One-Design. (See my other post, 'Gardner Sloop Lines')

Does anyone know what happened to this boat? Is it still around? I know it was later converted to a J boat but other than that I have no information. Does anyone have a lead on plans for this boat, or know the current or last owner?

[Paul Pless]

Can't help you other than to encourage you to bypass the TIOD and build one of these instead. ;):)

http://www.tfaoi.com/cm/4cm/4cm208.jpg

[johnw]

Not sure. Most of the bronze-plated boats were broken up in WW II when they were worth more as scrap than as boats.

[tprice]

Pretty sure there is a set of lines (small scale) in Schoettle's book "Sailing Craft". I'll look tonight and scan them to post.
Oh - a quick seach yeilds this - her blueprints for sale!
http://www.hylandgranby.com/marine_antiques_paintings_details.asp?itemID=PR115 4

[johnw]

I don't think the lines are in 'Sailing Craft,' but they are in America's Cup Yacht Designs,' and the Seattle Public Library has a copy in double-secret reference. If you sign away part of your soul, they let you look at it, and there are copy machines there...

[Emmett Smith]

Thanks guys!

An original set would be so ideal- maybe I'll see if the client will spring for it.

Mystic has something on Vanite, but who knows if they will actually get back to me and tell me what it is.

John, I'm not familiar with that book, but I will try to locate a copy. I am back east at the moment.

Thanks again!

[johnw]

America's Cup Yacht Designs 1851 - 1986

Chevalier, Francois; Taglang, Jaques (http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Chevalier%2C+Francois%3B+Taglang% 2C+Jaques)


There are two copies for sale in the world, one in New Zealand and one in Germany. You could buy one for less than $1,200, or photocopy the one in the library for free.

[johnw]

According to this site, Vanitie was scrapped in 1938.

http://www.cupinfo.com/en/jdetails1.php

[Emmett Smith]

Wow, no wonder I haven't heard of that book! I'll go see it when I'm back in Seattle. Still, 1200 is a lot cheaper than the 4500 the antique dealers are asking for that set of original blueprints... not that its any more feasible.

Looking at the blueprints online I realized that Vanitie is a centerboard boat with a partial keel, which is very exciting to me because the TI One-Designs are the same. Pretty big board!

[johnw]

In practice, I don't think Vanitie used a centerboard, although Resolute and Defiance did. Shamrock IV was equipped with a daggerboard, if I recall correctly.

[Emmett Smith]

What do you mean by 'in practice'? The drawings do show a centerboard, though I admit it seems redundant, extending from a very deep and narrow keel.

[johnw]

Vanitie had a much larger salient keel than Resolute, which had rather full garboards, and Defiance, which had a short keel. I don't think she needed the centerboard as much as the others, although those big gaff rigs did seem to require more keel than jib-headed rigs.

By the way, I did photocopy most of the lines from the book I mentioned some years ago. I might have the lines for Vanitie still, though I don't think I copied the text that went with it.