1939 Sparks and Stephens 35' lawley Weekender

[Foolish...]

1939 Sparks and Stephens designed 35' Lawley built Weekender, sloop rigged

Curious what you think of this one time fine craft. It has been stored in a dry barn for 15-20 years. It is near all original... what is left of it... I should say...

The engine... is a 4 cyl Gray Marine missing at least the ignition system... I don't know if the engine has any value at all. Don't know if it is frozen. I certainly wouldn't want to be out on the big pond with such an aged engine...

Starting at where the cockpit used to be and going aft... Most of the frames are broken... missing or a pattern of what use to be there. The Stern post(?) is a pattern of what was there. Most of the interior has been removed.

The hardware is scattered about... claimed to be in the barn... The mast is out of reach... I could see where rain water had seeped on it at one time. Staining the mast.

She has all steal bolts. Forward of the cockpit it actually looks like a decent hull, including a deck. Has sails, mast, boom, standing rigging

My question is... do you she is "save-able" or should she be retired in grace... I have no problem taking on a big task... even have the space for it... However several opinions before tackling such an adventure, would be appreciated

Foolish...th_IMAG0889.jpgth_IMAG0891.jpgth_IMAG0904.jpg

[Foolish...]

This is the link to some more pictures... When you stand where the cockpit was... you can look at the shop floor.... I don't think it was supposed to be a glass bottom boat...

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y14...eekender%2035/

[skuthorp]

Something very unpleasant has happened aft, what's with the skew transom? And that hole midships looks more like a hold than a cockpit. Pic 16 especially rings alarm bells but there will be some along who know way more than me and ask better questions. But she will not be cheap to restore I can tell that.

[skuthorp]

bump, so someone who knows more can help.

[Bill Griffin]

Are you sure that transom is skewed? Or is it the camera angle? It looks to me like there was water intrusion aft causing some rot in the frames, and maybe that horn timber? Can you get some closer, more detailed pictures? Definetly looks worth saving to me.

[nedL]

The designer was "Sparkman & Stevens". Now that we have that straightened out. -- You might want to look up Ed Harrow, he was one of the regulars here a number of years ago. He 'adopted' Phoenix, also a weekender and is basically replacing her complete backbone. Phoenix was complete & appeared to need not much more than cosmetics when he found her, but the pre-purchase launch and trials uncovered real issues witht he garboard seam and mast step area. I believe the resulting negotiations involved Ed 'adopting' her.
Given the life raft that is in its chocks on the trunk cabin I might guess she hasn’t moved since the 1950’s. It does look like you would be in for a complete re-framing at a minimum. I'll bet if there are any sails around they are cotton and at best only patterns.

Lawley was a very top end builder, and the weekender is a likable design, so there is that going for her, and the plans are still available from S&S, which would be a big help. Doubtful that this could ever be accomplished and come out ‘in the black’ financially, but if you can do all or most of the work yourself and if this is a boat that you really want then maybe. I would do a complete inventory and get a good idea of how much of the interior (including fixtures) is missing.
Considering she has been stored inside for so long there might be just about nothing in the way of rot to deal with. It might be just issues of dry & loose sound wood. Definitely need to have someone who really knows what they are looking at go over here and make a good & bad list. Is it 'doable' (?) sure, but the decission of if it is for you can only be made by you.

[skuthorp]

Think you are right about the transom Bill.

[Foolish...]

So I got the name a bit wrong... should have gone with S&S.... Sorry... Late night...

I have a note into Ed... but have not heard from him... Would you believe the current owner is expecting 5 big clams for this... It does happen to look true... I haven't taken any measurements to prove that...

There is no cockpit... only a reference hole... Most of the interior was broken out rather than taken out...

[nedL]

No problem on the designer lol -- That sucks about the interior. That would add a whole new scale to the project if if is not salvagable. If she was blocked correctly & hasn't changed shape from sitting so long her shape may be more true than one that has seen regular use for the past 40+ years. There is no point in my commenting on an 'asking price', I said what I did about Phoenix, which was 100% complete (sails & all), and floated. It's up to you to take it from there. It is not many a person who would even consider giving a project like this a second thought, so consider that as the realistic market for her. She is a timeless well respected design that if this is what you want this may be the only way to get there, but it will be a long road.

[Hwyl]

I can't add anything to what Ned L said

[Foolish...]

Are you sure that transom is skewed? Or is it the camera angle? It looks to me like there was water intrusion aft causing some rot in the frames, and maybe that horn timber? Can you get some closer, more detailed pictures? Definetly looks worth saving to me.

The bright area on both sides of the horn timber... that is shop office wall and shop floor... You can also look though the horn timber in most places...

[Roger Cumming]

It's "Sparkman & Stephens", in case Donn ever comes up here.

[Bill Griffin]

I can see the big hole where the planking is off on port, can't see any daylight or rot, but that's just a combo of my eyes and a not so good image on my monitor! And I agree, repairable but very expensive. Too bad about the interior; look at the bright side, there's "easy" access to the repairs if anyone takes on the job.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

So I got the name a bit wrong... should have gone with S&S.... Sorry... Late night...

I have a note into Ed... but have not heard from him... Would you believe the current owner is expecting 5 big clams for this... It does happen to look true... I haven't taken any measurements to prove that...

There is no cockpit... only a reference hole... Most of the interior was broken out rather than taken out...

$5000 dollars is absolutely over the top for that boat, even if every piece of hardware is still around. The owner should be looking to find a good home, and take whatever he can get in the process. The issue here is how much money do you want to spend, and how much would you spend bringing this boat back to life. On top of that, factor in all the time you would be working on it, and NOT SAILING IT. Wooden boats are at an all time low in price right now. You can get a lot of boat for not much money.

Here is the boat that is sitting right beside my own boat, and she is sound and short of a good refinishing, ready to sail. The owner is motivated.

http://www.yachtworld.com/leaving_yw...manandstephens

Scroll down and click on the 35 foot S&S pilot 'Inward Bound'