Offered a boat, but what is it?

[Lazy Dan]

New member here, and hardly any experience. I've been offered an abandoned project.
The previous owner left the country and the seller does not have any info except that it is a "Colin Archer".
So I went there and it's a double ended ketch, LOD: 32, BEAM: 8,8.
Can't find any existing boat that fits those measurements.
Does anyone know what plans the builder could have used?

[TR]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

Those are not the usual Colin Archer proportions. L. Francis Herreshoff did a few double-enders of approximately those proportions and your boat could be a version of one of those designs. Wagon Box is 30'3" by 8'10", Dulcinea is 30'9" x 7'8", Design #93 is 30' x 8'9", and Diddikai is 36'6" x 8'8".

[Peerie Maa]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

New member here, and hardly any experience. I've been offered an abandoned project.
The previous owner left the country and the seller does not have any info except that it is a "Colin Archer".
So I went there and it's a double ended ketch, LOA: 32, BEAM: 8,8.
Can't find any existing boat that fits those measurements.
Does anyone know what plans the builder could have used?

A photo would be good, especially of her stern.
8'8" on 30' is a bit narrow for a Colin Archer, even Spitsgatters are beamier than that.

[stromborg]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

32'x8'-8" is slipping down towards the "canoe yawl" end of the double-ender spectrum (CY in the traditional sense, not necessarily a two-masted yawl rig) as an example, the mighty Westsail 32 has an 11' beam. I suspect "Colin Archer" is used as a shorthand way of describing a stocky double-ended boat.

To the OP, pictures would really go a long way towards helping identify the boat.

ETA: While Colin Archer is most well known for his big Pilot and Rescue boats he was a fairly prolific designer, there could well be a set of plans out there to these dimensions. I don't know where this plans are cataloged or even if they are for that matter.

[Edward Pearson]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

Taken a look through John Leather’s Colin Archer book...and there’s nothing shown that narrow I can see.

Atkin drew a few but nothing to those dimensions either. Can’t see anything in Albert Strange’s catalogue. Or Aage Nielsen’s book.

Pictures would likely get you an answer, yacht designers have a look usually.

[Lazy Dan]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

Very close. Especially the cockpit on the Diddikai. But was that a double ender?

[Lazy Dan]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

A photo would be good, especially of her stern.
8'8" on 30' is a bit narrow for a Colin Archer, even Spitsgatters are beamier than that.

Here's her stern.

[Lazy Dan]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

I suspect "Colin Archer" is used as a shorthand way of describing a stocky double-ended boat.

To the OP, pictures would really go a long way towards helping identify the boat.

I would think so too.

[Woxbox]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

The look of the boat got me wondering about George Buehler's designs. But a quick review of what's online doesn't show a true match, though there are double-enders bigger and smaller. The subject does have a home-made air about her, though.

[Lazy Dan]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

The look of the boat got me wondering about George Buehler's designs. But a quick review of what's online doesn't show a true match, though there are double-enders bigger and smaller. The subject does have a home-made air about her, though.

Yes there is a resemblance.
It's hard for me to tell what parts are original but the hull has a completely different feel to it than the rest.

One thing I've noticed is that most boats that look like her have a different rudder attachment. As a novice I don't know the correct term so I'll attach pictures of it.

[Larks]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

Old lifeboat conversion - nicely done

[Lazy Dan]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

Old lifeboat conversion - nicely done

Interesting. Is there more to tell?
Age? Did they just use the hull for the conversion? Where was the lifeboat built?

[wizbang 13]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

A canoe stern lifeboat ?

[Peerie Maa]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

A canoe stern lifeboat ?

Just so, not a lifeboat anything.
She is a canoe sterned motor sailer or auxiliary yacht.

That deck is a mess, it needs to come off.

[Larks]

Re: Offered a boat, but what is it?

there was meant to be a question mark after my comment....(??) - but why not a canoe stern lifeboat??? (NB: I know nothing about double enders....)