Snipe

[jwaldin]

Anyone know of a web site that has Snipe class boats as the focus?

[Jack Heinlen]

Your google broke or sumpthin'? ;)

http://www.snipe.org/home.html

This was just the first on the list. I didn't look at the others.

A neighbor had a glass one which I sailed with her occasionally. They're fun little boats, if a bit stodgy by today's standards. It takes a breeze of wind to get them to plane.

Thirty years ago they were the largest class in the world, so they must have something going for them.

A more modern boat, available in moulded ply and about the same size, is the Albacore. Round bilged, Proctor designed I believe. Now there's a hot little ticket.

http://www.albacore.org.uk/

Unless you want to be exotic, with trapeze and such, in a dinghy the Albacore is as much fun as two people can have with their cloths on. Quite managable for an adult and a boy or girl it will also daysail three, or even four in a pinch. It's a great boat.

One of my heart's sorrows was when another neighbor traded their Albacore for a Chrysler Bucaneer. tongue.gif

Why do you ask?

[ 12-06-2003, 10:56 AM: Message edited by: Jack Heinlen ]

[N. Scheuer]

My best friend and I owned Snipe #7910 as teenagers. Brother Paul may post a photo of NIKE (contraction of Nick and Kent) when he sees this. Paul now has another old wooden Snipe in his garage.

Moby Nick

[ahp]

My first real sailboat was a very old Snipe that I bought from a neighbor for $100.00. I sailed it one season, but had a lot of fun with it. It sailed well. The cockpit is rather small, a footwell really. OK for two but crowded with more.

[Paul Scheuer]

This would be that heirloom Snipe photo from about 1957. That's Nick at the bow, me posing in the cockpit and yourger brother standing. Other brother behind the Brownie.

The current Snipe project is a "free boat" that came with no rudder, no board, no deck, a loose transom and other signs of neglect. For the trip home, I put safety chains back to the axle because I wasn't sure the trailer would make the trip n one piece. Progress has been slow.

I did contact the Snipe Association for measurements and have the contact info somewhere.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid60/p1446d18e3f3fac7e00aaffb81572fc62/fc50309a.jpg

[J. Dillon]

I built a snipe back in 53, it was my 2nd home built boat Then the planking was 3/4" thick red cedar. I agree it sure had a small cockpit but kept the weight in the middle. You couldn't stray too far off F&A trim.

I sure had a lot of fun in that boat.

JD

[Ben Fuller]

Another varient is the Jet 14, an early Fox hull, I think the Avenger, with a Snipe rig, a deck, and a spinnaker. Somewhat more nimble than an Albacore. There are still some woodies, hot molded Siddons and Sindle hulls around. Prized for their stiffness.

Ben Fuller in a blizzard beset Cushing Maine.

[jwaldin]

My first sailing experiences where on a Snipe in the middle 60s on the Ghost damn 20 miles west of Calgary. The Bow river flows into the damn from Banff. Every afternoon we would sail that Snipe, my now departed sister Beverly, my father and me. Bev was 6 I was 7. It was our fathers first sail boat. The first summer we sailed with the jib sheets backwards. On a port tack he used the starboard sheet! I'll be posting some photos of 'Mr. Roberts' on jws pics this week.

[jwaldin]

Hi Jack,
Oh yes, some of us know of the Chrysler Bucaneer.
Lets not think about it just now as we are remembering the great Snipe class.

[jwaldin]

The first 'Bucaneer' I looked at was 'on the hard' in a used car dealership going cheap. It was December on Vancouver Island. The interior was 'appointed' in imitation white polar bear fur throughout-including the deck beams. What a sight! And all full of mold and mildew. Oh Dear!

[jwaldin]

Jack' I'd prefer not to discuss my broke 'google' with you. Viagra some say is the answer but I don't agree. It's a state of mind I think.

[Ocean Spray]

I sailed a Snipe back in the mid-sixties,#13082,a great boat. At the time the class was growing at the rate of
over one thousand boats built every year.
The class is now filled with race course lawyers!

[John Bell]

There's a big fleet of Snipes at our lake. I like the looks of them, but watching them share the same race course with Thistles and Y-Flyers makes them seem a little stodgy. Has the Snipe class ever considered spinnakers?

[bheys]

Jack you've got it right about the Albacore being alot of fun. My dad bought #3192 in 1968 and it still sits our back yard. It is quite a bit worse for the wear these days and I have built Oughtred's Fulmar to replace it. When the Albacore was in it's prime it was very fast in most all conditions. It would get up on a plane with very little provocation. The boat is rewarding to someone looking to improve their sailing skills and at the same time it is a great boat for any one just wanting to messabout. Not too good for single-handing. I always liked to be at the tiller because the person forward ran a good chance of getting soaked if the wind came up. We did a lot of sail-camping with that boat.

[Evan Showell]

Apologies for the blatant hijack but, as I have said before on here, the Jet 14 is a blast. Uffa Fox International 14 hull lifted from "Alarm" the 1935 Prince of Wales Cup winner, paired with a Snipe rig.

All up weight is c. 285 lbs, with about 40-50 of that in a steel centerboard -- aluminum board optional, but not favored because it is thicker.

The class is active in the Middle Atlantic states, with hotbeds of activity on the N.J. lakes and in the Annapolis area. There is winter frostbiting in the Annapolis area and Florida mid-winters. The race calendar is fairly well packed throughout the typical May - October season.

The Midwest, Ohio especially, has several active fleets. Next year's nationals are in Cleveland in August.

The class website www.Jet14.com (http://www.Jet14.com) is pretty good.

New glass boats, fully tricked out, will set you back about 7 Gs sans trailer, sails and covers.

Fortunately, I know of a glass boat available locally (Northwestern N.J. for substantially less). I also have a line on a wooden boat that probably needs a bit of work but that I believe can be had for $100.00 or thereabouts (no trailer) for someone able to get themselves to Shelter Island, N.Y.

The class website has ten boats for sale, the majority presently scattered throughout the Northeast. The class is a fun bunch of folks and eagerly welcome new enthusiasts. It is a strict one design class, no trapeze and the dynamics of the boat don't rely on gorilla-like strength or weight to sail.

I'd be hapy to chat with anyone interested about the class or available boats of which I am aware. I own 212 and 307, both wooden hulls. 212 (built in 1957) will be sailing again next year. 307 may be as well.

[ 12-07-2003, 09:07 AM: Message edited by: Evan Showell ]

[Gavin Atkin]

I hadn't heard of the Jet. Anyone know what Uffa Fox thought of it?

Gavin

[Alan D. Hyde]

I built a plywood Snipe about 1966, with plenty of help and advice from my father. They make a 6'6" guy feel like he's in a small boat.

If you look at the design, it's a lot like a Lightning, only smaller.

Not too fast in light airs, as has been rightly mentioned.

Alan

[jwaldin]

The Lightning and the Snipe are almost identicle except the Lightning is about 2' longer. I've sailed both. Both plywood construction. My lord how they both pounded! Both fast but heavy. You swore your teeth were going to break when you hit a three foot wave travelling at hull speed or more. And they are wet! Great boats to learn to sail in!

[LisaS]

I have Snipe #10230 in my yard on her trailer. She was built in 1952, and I restored her in 1990. That boat can be a LOT of fun to sail, if there's wind. My older son learned to sail on her before he moved up to the bigger boats, and tells people that the most fun he's had on a boat was the day he dumped it on purpose. He wanted to see just how far he could push it, and found out. He was about 9 years old. Zach went straight to the big boat and still prefers the big boat to the Snipe....silly kid.

Lisa

[johnw]

I'm thinking about getting an older Snipe with a friend and putting a modern rig in it. Anyone have an idea whether we'd be competetive? This is a planked 1954 Snipe. In 1971 they changed minimum weight from 425 lb to 381 lb, so I'm wondering how weight sensitive they are. The old boat's bound to be about 44 lb overweight, even if it was built on minimum weight in the first place.

[N. Scheuer]

Back when I thought Snipes were "the end of the World" in sailboats, and used to converse with more knowlegable people about them, I seem to recall them saying that the Snipe's bow lines wouldn't support the thrust exerted by a sninaker. They thought the boat would just drive her bow into the water.

Moby Nick