Wright-built K sailboat (photos)

[CharlieSanti]

trying this again back on imagestation! http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/pac584850a70adaf27af572988f67f467/fc7f33e3.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid55/p4288558844656abe458d25c2e242563d/fc7f33e6.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid54/p0b179709adfcebe5df10a87640b292af/fc85d6ad.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid54/p2f96e97ae1d98b5a5d00ee676a6bef40/fc85d6fa.jpg
In 1932 Murray Wright was approached by Rochester, NY city manager Ted Briggs. He was a big man who wanted a fast but comfortable and stable sailboat. Murray worked on designs until he found one he liked. That was in 1934. Once built, it was the beginning of the k-boat line.
Initially it had no name. Then Murray's father, Dr. Alexander Wright, suggested it be called Kohinoor or k-boat. This was after the famous Kohinoor diamond, a treasure of great value. When the k-boat first appeared in 1934, the kohinoor was the largest uncut diamond. Now like the diamond, the k-boat has been refined and polished till it represents the ultimate in high quality design, engineering, and craftmanship.
Lovingly built the 16 foot boat had mahogany decks, red cedar planking, white oak ribs, and mahogany-finished interior. Early frames were oak, around hull #280 marine plywood was used. One of the features was a 110-pound steel centerboard which enhanced the boats ability to sail into the wind. Each was constructed withh 3000 copper cut nails, hand clinched into the ribs. It took a week or more to build one.
K-Boat 'Lucy'
-hull #309 of 323 built
Restoration:
-replaced stem
-replaced 13 planks using original nailing method
-removed and rebuilt centerboard trunk
-replaced transom trim and bracing
-refinished boat and mast after wooding
-replaced lines and rigging
-resewed sails and replaced battens
History:
-sold to YMCA camp on Keuka Lake (Camp Iroquois)
-sold to second owner who started to attempt restoration
-I purchased 4 years ago and started the restoration you see today
-I also have #118 and #134
-Wright-Built Boats
Dundee, NY

Charlie Santi

[ 03-16-2003, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: CharlieSanti ]

[Hwyl]

Very nice. Are those sails cotton? What will you use her for?
Thanks for posting the pictures

[Donn]

Great job. Are you aiming to collect them all? :D

[CharlieSanti]

Sails are a cotton blend made in the 60's by a sailshop in Toronto. I plan to sail her on Seneca Lake and maybe a race or two on sundays there are about 15 k-boats left in the area. I am looking at 2 more one for $1000 and another for $1200. Not sure I have 20 boats now time to sell a couple. Charlie

[estaben]

Charlie,
Where can I view the photos??

Steve

[BETTY-B]

Sure would like to see those pics...

DAN

[P.L.Lenihan]

Sure would like to see those pics...

DAN

So would I but the thread is something like 5 years old and imagestation long gone................

Peter

[BETTY-B]

So would I but the thread is something like 5 years old and imagestation long gone................

Peter


Hahaha! I fell for that old one? Hahahahah! Bummer......

DAN

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Charlie's website is still up.
Ain't heard from Charlie for awhile.
A true woodenboat man.



http://charliesboats.8m.com/

[MickG]

Charlie: I learned to sail at Camp Cory on Kueka Lake in K Boats. We had #1, 39,47,44 among the fleet. Presently I have an unnumbered K Bpat b uilt by Murray Wright as a "rule beter" Very light, with no sawn frames,mahogany trasnom with no sawn frame, and very thin ceder decks. I understand the Mujrray brought it to the Kueka Yacht Club and ran one race, which he won by a huge margin, and was told not to bring the boat back to race The boat is in excellant condition, needing only a fresh coat of paint and varnish The boat is located in Western New York. I would like to hear fdrom you. Mick

[MickG]

Does anyone have an e-mail or phone # for Charlie Santi? Thank you, MickG

[botebum]

Charlie's website is still up.
Ain't heard from Charlie for awhile.
A true woodenboat man.



http://charliesboats.8m.com/

According to his website he owns 1 K-boat and 4 Penn Yans. He needs to check in and let us know what caused this severe change of allegiances.:rolleyes:

Doug

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Does anyone have an e-mail or phone # for Charlie Santi? Thank you, MickG


I remember Charlie well,nice guy.
I did a little WBF research and came across this post from a few years back.
It listed his (then) new e-mail addy.

Charlie always enjoyed helping the new guys and really liked his wooden boats.

Might be worth a shot Mick.


"CharlieSanti Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Horseheads,NY
Posts: 197



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, Sorry that it appears I have vanished. I am still around trying to deal with my failing health. The email address posted in my profile no longer works. Use csanti@stny.rr.com. As far as the Penn Yan CZT in question. There are several ways to cover the boat depending on its use. If you are restoring for show fair the hull with a good one part fairing compound and cover with untreated canvas filled with an oil base weavefill. For active use with 25 or more hp I have had very good success with dacron based aircraft fabric. They are a little tricky to use but not to bad once you get used to it. Fair the hull with a polyester two part filler like Evercoat #27. Then coat perimeter of transom with aircraft fabric adhesive. Allow glue to fully dry and the start tacking fabric in place with a clothing iron. After fabric is in place evenly heat fabric from center out to allow it to shrink to the hull surface. I then sew the fabric into a single section to cover hull. Lay sewn seam down the keel and apply cement to gunwale perimeter of hull. Slowly using an iron after adhesive has set begin tacking the fabric in place. Then slowly start shrinking the fabric in all directions to tighten and remove wrinkles. The fabric shrinks at different rates depending on the amount of heat and you soon learn how to let the heat work. I have also found that using pinking shears at the transom seam make it almost disappear. After fabric is applied coat the hull with epoxy, prime, paint, and apply oak trim parts.
The third option I have used is to cover the boat with two layers of glass cloth using epoxy resin instead of polyester. This does work but the additional weight does slow the boat down alittle and has an affect on the 'Swifts' amazing turning ability at speed.
As far as CPES I have started using it during re-assembly of the boat and after fairing the hull before application of chosen fabric. The aircraft adhesive seems to work well with CPES it almost acts like a primer.
I hope this information is helpfull. I will make sure to check back for more comments and questions. I will be back in the hospital at the end of the month for a day or two, but now using my work laptop I can check my email and this forum.
Charlie"

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

According to his website he owns 1 K-boat and 4 Penn Yans. He needs to check in and let us know what caused this severe change of allegiances.:rolleyes:

Doug

That website is antique.
I can't believe it's still up.
Last time I talked to Charlie, He had aquired(rescued) a few more Wright K's, bringing his total to like 20 boats overall.
He was a Penn Yan and Finger Lake boat expert.

I'm afraid most of his photos have crashed with imagestation.
He was amazing I tell ya.

[estaben]

Hello all,

If anyone has a photo of the Wright built Model K 16ft sailboat rigged,
I would love to see it. I just bought # 306 and I'm missing a few parts and details.

Thanks,

Steven :confused:

[Charlie Santi]

Hi all,
Steven I can not find and rigged K-boat photos that show any detail. I will rig mind this spring and take some photos to post. Let me know just what it is you need so I photograph it.
Charlie

[Charlie Santi]

Hi all, (again)
I am still around. csanti@stny.rr.com is my current email address. I will help with research of finger lakes boats as requested.

[cdmulford]

Charlie: I see this thread is very old, but since I just came across it while looking for K-Boat pictures, I thought I would relay some old K-Boat history.
Back in 1944 my dad 'Charlie Mulford' bought K-Boat #126 from Murray Wright. I was 7 at that time and so started my initiation into sailing at 'Cooper River Yacht Club' in Collingswood, New Jersey.
Three more K-Boats were eventually brought into the yacht club over the 10 years my dad I sailed together. These boat were really great boats to sail and we ended up dominating (winning in 8 of 10 years I sailed with him) in a class called 'open class' where you raced with a handicap depending on the boat you were sailing.
Then in 1952 or 53, Murray invited us up to his place to race in the Nationals.
We came up to the finger lakes with one other sailor (Ed Hutchenson) and stayed at Murrays summer place at either Keuka or Cayauga lake. They Nationals were held at either Keuka or Cayuga lake (as you see I can't remember which).
We ended-up tieing for 1st place but lost in the run off to one of the local sailors and even experienced a flash storm late one afternoon with 50 to 70 mph winds. Some guys got caught out on the lake and were flattened out like they were toy boats - but I don't think any real damage was done.
I never got over how welcome Murray and his family made us all feel, and even offered me a job working on his farm the next summer. I hope he will always be remembered for these wonderful cedar strip planked boats and their great handling.

-chuck mulford-

[Landon]

Just parked k boat #23 in the driveway. The Finger Lakes Boating Museum records shows it as being owned by a Dr.A F Wright which they believe was Murray's father. Pretty Neat.

[Landon]

Owned by him in 1938

[Mark CZT]

Hello all,

If anyone has a photo of the Wright built Model K 16ft sailboat rigged,
I would love to see it. I just bought # 306 and I'm missing a few parts and details.
Thanks,
Steven :confused:


I remember Murray Wright from my teen years (1960's) at Keuka Lake in New York State. He had lake frontage with a storage barn about 1/4 mile from my parents place. I met him a couple of times and he was a real nice, down to earth, guy. I knew another person, at the time, that owned a K-boat and he would take sailing often. He even let me sail it a few times. For a kid that knew nothing about sailing other than navigating a Sunfish, that K was a real experience. There are are a couple of, older, small, photos on the Finger Lakes Boating Museum web site of a K under sail on the following site:

http://www.flbm.org/Buildr/builders.htm#

Be sure to scroll down to "Wright Built Boat Co.", the last link on that page.