Display Boats - On Land
Flinders
Type: Sail & Row Dinghy
Length: 3.65m
Beam: 1.25m
Draft: 200mm
Construction & Materials: Huon pine copper & bronze fastened.
Flinders is a home-built clinker dinghy designed by Gartside Boats design #130. She was launched in 2014 so will be ten years in 2024. She is constructed in Huon Pine with copper and bronze fastenings. Floorboards, spars and oars are Douglas Fir.
She is bright finished and is a joy to sail and row.
Sjospray
Type: Skerrieskiff
Length: 5.28m
Beam: 1.43m
Draft: 13cm
Weight: 75kg
Construction & Materials: Glued lapstrake clinker plywood
Iain Oughtred design: Double Ended Dory Skiff. Professionally handcrafted by a Canberra builder in 2014. The hull embodies some features of the dories and faerings. They are a simple design, with a flat bottom, two strakes and dagger board for sailing, and a lifting rudder.
The sail area is moderate, as these really are rowing boat hulls, with the waterline beam of about 1m. They are certainly fast and manoeuvrable under oars, but like the dories and faerings, they slide along very easily with just a wee sail, responding instantly to trimming of the sheet and slight shifting of the live ballast. The hull has built-in buoyancy for and aft.
The balanced lug rig offers the best combination of simple safe handling and good performance.
White Wings
Type: Sailing Dinghy
Length: 3.65m
Beam: 1.67m
Draft: .25m
Construction & Materials: Batten-seamed carvel in Australian Red Cedar (Toona ciliata)
This 12-foot (3.7metre) 'gunter rigged' sailing dinghy is understood to have been built in 1939, by an unknown builder in Sydney. It represents the typical seam-batten carvel construction used for many open boats of this period. An examination of its lines, construction and arrangement shows, that it resembles the Australian 12-foot Cadet dinghy of the period. Dinghies and tenders were generally used for short trips to and from yachts moored away from shore, as general runabouts and for recreational sailing.
Red Devil
Type: Sailing Dinghy
Length: 4m
Beam: 3m
Draft: 150ml
Construction & Materials: The kayak and outriggers are made from 4 and 3 mm plywood using the “Stitch and Glue” method. The plywood panels forming the hull are stitched together using copper wire. The joins are then tacked fiberglass, then the wire is cut off and fiberglass applied inside and outside to complete the build.
Red Devil is a home built wooden kayak with two outriggers that transforms the kayak into an efficient sailing craft. She is 4.5 m LOA with cross beams extending to a beam of approx 3 m.
I built her from plans supplied from Chesapeake Light Craft of the USA over 6 months during the COVID lockdowns. She carries 5 sq m of sail on a single self-supporting mast.
H.M.C Laura
Type: Bahama row boat cradle
Length: 3.5ft
Beam: 2ft
Height: 4ft
Construction & Materials: Made using Marine ply and Tasmanian Oak and constructed via stitch and glue.
Display Boats - On Water
Shrimpy
Boat Type: Bilge keel sloop, classic
Boat Length: 5.4m
Boat Beam: 2m
Boat Height: 2m
Boat Draft: 700mm
Construction & Materials: Plywood over oak with spruce mast and boom.
Robert Tucker designed, built by Hurley boats in Liverpool, England in 1958, the Silhouette mk2 is a bilge keel sloop. Made for the big tides of England, she can stand up straight when dried out.
Built for stability not speed - she can handle a blow and some rough water! She was a wreck when I got her.. the gumtree ad said “make good sandpit or kids cubby” so it was a great covid restoration project!
An English man by the name of Shane Acton once sailed a sister ship around the world….. at the time the smallest vessel to do so!
Gumnut
Boat Type: Gaff Cutter
Boat Length: 6.7m
Boat Beam: 1.82m
Boat Height: 6m
Built in 1887 up in Sydney out of NZ Carri, has been all over, Tasmania, Paynesville and Melbourne. Has been maintained as original as possible.
Lucienne
Boat Type: Cutter
Boat Length: 10m
Boat Beam: 2.4m
Boat Height: 12m
Boat Draft: 1.4m
Construction & Materials: Carvel Planked NZ Kauri
LUCIENNE was originally named BERYL and is a yacht built around 1917/1918 by James Charles Dowdle, a Jeweller of Richmond. First registered in 1917 at St. Kilda Yacht Club.
BERYL was listed as a B class yacht from 1919 to1922 at the St. Kilda Yacht Club and later, after the Great Depression, was listed in the Auxiliary Cruiser class. Lead ballast in the bow of the yacht indicate the boat was designed as a motor-less vessel and the ballast is reactive to the addition the aft motor weight.
It was sold to S. Bird in 1926 and in 1934 it was sold again and left St Kilda to sail with Hobsons Bay Yacht Club. In the late 1950's the boat was sold to John Collins of Royal Geelong Yacht Club.
During the early 1970's John may have sold the boat. In the mid 1980's the boat was returned to Geelong where it was moored at the Lagoon Boat Club.
In 1987 the boat was purchased by Denis Taylor and Scott Powell of Melbourne, they trucked it to their Melbourne factory for a major overhaul, including a redesigned coach house, a complete new fit out in Honduras mahogany and NZ kauri, new beech laid decks with a jarrah and Huon pine bowsprit. Mahogany was also used for panelling in cockpit and the coach house, jarrah was used on the gunwales and rubbing rails. A new Oregon mast and boom were crafted, and a time capsule was reportedly placed inside the hollow boom. After four years of work, the boat was relaunched in 1991 at Geelong.
Since 2013 the boat has been undergoing a holiday program of restorations. These have involved replacing the rotten deck with a new Fuegian teak deck and replacing internal structural floors and ribs. The 41-foot mast was rebuilt after some rot was revealed during the 2018 Wooden Boat Festival. With restorations now completed, but always ongoing, and is regular social racer at RGYC.
Peter Robyn
Boat Type: Warington-Smyth
Boat Length: 9.14m
Boat Beam: 2.53m
Boat Height: 12.8m
Boat Draft: 1.58m
Construction & Materials: Douglas Fir (Oregon Pine)
A copy of a 1948 Sir Nigel Warrington-Smyth design built in 1950 in Marrickville, Sydney. Currently penned at RYCV. Eponymous star of the YouTube Web series "The Peter Robyn Show"
Renene
Boat Type: Cutter
Boat Length: 9.7m
Boat Beam: 3.65m
Boat Draft: 1.7m
Construction and Materials: Huon Pine Deck: Jarrah Keel, Stern, Stem; Spruce Mast
Renene, with a rich history dating back to its launch in 1956 in Hobart, Tasmania, has witnessed various phases of sailing and restoration. Notably, in 1976, Bud Bacon's relocation to Pittwater marked a new chapter, as he, Kent, and a crew sailed Renene to Careel Bay for family and friends' enjoyment.
Passing on to Kent Bacon in 1993-1994, the boat underwent sailing adventures and extensive restoration, including the replacement of all iron fittings with stainless steel.
Joining CYAA in 1997, Renene became a part of a select group with 23 years of consecutive membership. Over the years, it underwent significant transformations, such as a new mast and rigging in 2004 and a major rebuild in 2013.
The boat, now equipped with a Perkins Diesel 4108-46HP after a 2014 dismantling and rebuild, continues to actively participate in SYC and CYAA activities, upholding its legacy of providing enjoyment to family and friends.
Julia Jane
Boat Type: Vertue 25
Boat Length: 7.9m
Boat Beam: 2.22m
Boat Draft: 1.4m
Construction & Materials: Wooden, Carvel build. Huon Pine hull/spotted gum ribs. Burma solid teak.
Sloop/cutter Launched 1965. Designed by Laurent Giles; built by John Griffin, Sydney. The Vertue Class of yacht designed by ‘Jack’ Laurent Giles dates from 1936.
Julia Jane was commissioned by Lambert (Pos) Latham, and built in NSW by John Griffin. Instructions from Latham, a Melbourne-born millionaire, owner of Ellerston pastoral station in Scone NSW and member of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, were to build regardless of expense.
With a hull of Huon pine (Teak garboards) and 11/4 “ thick teak deck laid directly on top of the deck beams the cost was somewhere near £10,000 for the 25’7” vessel when in 1962 Griffin was building his 30’ ‘Crown’ boats for £4,500. Griffin personally selected the Huon pine tree and had it transported to Sydney where the tree rings dated the tree over 1,000 years old.
Athena M110
Boat Type: Masthead Sloop
Boat Length: 8.9m
Boat Beam: 2.85m
Boat Height: 9m
Construction & Materials: Launched in Kettering, Tasmania 1972. Huon pine carvel hull masthead sail. Built by Lionel Jensen & designed by Len Randall. Long Keel Sloop. Displacement 4.5 tonne.
A classic former ocean racing yacht, built by Bill Barnett in Sydney in 1968. Design by Sparkman & Stephens, New York, when at the height of their design period in the 1960's. Timbers used include: Honduras Mahogany, old growth Canadian Oregon, Queensland Maple, American Spruce, and Brynzeel Mahogany Plywood. Construction is cold molded - 4 layers of Oregon ( 25mm thick in total) glued with resorcinol adhesives, combined with laminated Queensland Maple frames, all over a stainless steel backbone. Three ton lead keel. Current owners: Michael Rhodes and George Fisscher. Today, one of the quicker boats in Port Phillip's classic yacht association races.
Boambillee
Boat Type: Former Ocean Racer
Boat Length: 11.09m
Boat Beam: 3.2m
Boat Draft: 1.9m
Construction & Materials: Cold molded timber yacht built in 1968 to a Sparkman & Stephens design.
Twice circumnavigation Tasmania. Almost lost in storm in 2008 in Mornington Harbour on mooring. Rebuilt to original in 2008/2009. Engine upgraded to 18.5 Volvo Penta diesel. Member of SSCBC, MYC, ORCV and Classic Yacht Association.
A good solid yacht that handles well in rough weather with full length keel. Main Sail 2 reefing positions. Anchor winch (2018) operated from dodger / wheelhouse with the VHF remote. From Shipwright Richard McDonald, Mornington Marine.
Nymphaea C194
Boat Type: Gaff Rigged Cutter
Boat Length: 26ft 6ins
Boat Beam: 10ft
Boat Height: 30ft
Construction & Materials: Built by C Blunt in 1946 in NZ Kauri as a fishing vessel.
Charlie Williamson and his son Ken owned “Nymphaea” and fished out of Port MacDonnell South Australia for crayfish until 1973. Originally, she had a Chev 4 petrol engine (car engine) and with the high cost of fuel after the war, they used the gaff sails as much as they could to reduce costs. They had a 65-pot license and fished as far as the Continental Shelf in the Great Southern Ocean. I (David Coyle) purchased Nymphaea in 1973 and completely restored her to her present condition over the next 40 years. All the planking, ribs and decks are original. A new mast, spars and rigging along with cabin and self-draining cockpit were added. She has been fitted with new centerboard case and plate and a 36 hp Volvo Penta engine. Since completion she has sailed to many Geelong Wood Boat Festivals and to the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart Tasmania in 2019.
Why Knot
Boat Type: Sala 40. King Billy Pine strip planked construction
Boat Length: 12.2m
Boat Beam: 3.43m
Boat Draft: 1.37m
Construction & Materials: WHY KNOT also has a timber tender little Why Knot.
‘Why Knot’ a 7-berth blue water cruising masthead sloop. This Salar 40 was designed by Laurent Giles of the UK and build in Australia by Barry Wilson. The hull is stripped planked King Billy Pine. Timber deck, pilothouse and internal structure. Stainless steel deck fittings, pulpit, push-pit. She is powered by a Yanmar 4JH4-HTE, 110HP Diesel with shaft drive.
Pearl
Boat Type: Double Ended Net Boat
Boat Length: 8.5m
Boat Beam: 2.6m
Boat Draft: 0.6m
Construction & Materials: NZ Kauri
The 28-foot net boat Pearl was built in Port Melbourne, Victoria in 1939-1940 by fishermen Bill Audley and Les Johnson, with design by Jim McIlvanna. Constructed from NZ Kauri salvaged after a ship collision, Pearl was initially sold to McIntosh but confiscated during WWII. Returned post-war, she faced storms and was eventually bought by Henry Briggs. In 1956, Oppy Beazley acquired Pearl for family fishing, used for long line fishing until the 1980s. Dugga Beazley later fitted Pearl for Couta Boat races, winning notable competitions. Today, Dugga sails Pearl in St Kilda Harbour.
Avian
Boat Type: Tumlaren
Boat Length: 8.4m
Boat Beam: 2m
Boat Height: 11m
Construction & Materials: Carvel construction of Huon Pine
Avian was built in Melbourne by JJ Savage in 1938 to Knud Reimers design as part of the growing One Design class being promoted by the (then)St Kilda Yacht Club. She has raced successfully on Port Phillip for 85 years.
Enterprise
Boat Type: Net boat
Boat Length: 9m
Boat Beam: 2.7m
Boat Height: 9m
Construction & Materials: Carvel construction, kauri planking
Enterprise is a double ended net boat built in Port Melbourne in 1937. From around 1940 she was owned by Tom Jenkins who fished with Enterprise from Port Melbourne before moving to Kirks Point and later Port Albert. She was restored by Dugga and David Beazley in 2002 and has been at St Kilda since then.
Goolara
Boat Type: Passage Maker
Boat Length: 20m
Boat Beam: 5.3m
Boat Height: 7.4m
Construction & Materials: Ex timber Pilot cutter built by MSB Goat Island 1956
Goolara was a pilot cutter built in Sydey 1956. After finishing Pilot duties in 1979 she was used by RVCP until falling into disrepair in the earlt 1990’s. The restoration and conversion to a passagemaker took 2 ship wrights 8 years to convert her. She has cruised the East Coast and the Coral extensively in the last 5 years.
Boat Type: Rowing Boat
Boat Length: 12ft
Boat Beam: 6ft
Boat Height: 3ft
Construction & Materials: Marine ply and Tasmanian constructed via stitch and glue
Jameson was built by students under the guidance of the traditional shipwright Tom Whitfield at Scotch College in 1995. This particular dinghy was not finished at the college, so Tom completed the planking and then placed it in the loft of his workshop. In 2013, stewardship was transferred to Michael and Phillip. They installed a rear seat and painted her. It is now used for rowing around at Patterson Lakes.
Jameson
Boat Type: Motor Sailer
Boat Length: 14m
Boat Beam: 3.7m
Boat Height: 14m
Construction & Materials: Huon Pine, strip plank construction
Built in Hobart and launched in December 1979, Jendiri has had a rich history both in Tasmania water and further afield. This includes a period where she was in commercial survey for several years.
Apart from her mainsail and jib, she is powered by a six-cylinder Ford Lehman main engine of 120 horsepower. On a recent voyage from Adelaide to Melbourne she averaged 7.25 knots, completing the trip in 69 hours.
Jendiri
Joan
Boat Type: Couta
Boat Length: 24.6ft
Boat Beam: 6ft
Boat Height: 24ft
Construction & Materials: She is a Lacco boat made from timber
Joan is a 1933 original couta fishing boat. She is a Lacco boat made from timber, a new deck was added in 1990's.
Julia
Boat Type: Couta
Boat Length: 22ft
Boat Beam: 8.10ft
Boat Height: 20.6ft
Construction & Materials: Kauri planks, oregon deck & mast
Built in 1935 by Queenscliff's famed Peter Locke and restored in 1983 by Charlie Strong at Port Melbourne. A fine example of the smaller couta boat.
Lizzie
Boat Type: Port Phillip Bay Net Boat
Boat Length: 28.6ft
Boat Beam: 9.6ft
Boat Height: 25ft
Construction & Materials: Lizzie is a gaff rigged carvel constructed net boat. The planking is New Zealand Kauri original planking. Jarrah keel , stem and stern post. Oregon spars.
Lizzie was built by J. Savage on the Yarra River in 1910. She was built as a sailing double ended net boat for fishing the northern end of Port Phillip. She was used as a commercial fishing boat until 1986 when she was purchased by the current owners who have enjoyed her recreationally to this date.
Lupa Wylo
Boat Type: Herlin Classic
Boat Length: 10.6ft
Boat Beam: 3ft
Boat Height: 12ft
Construction & Materials: Herlin Classic, carvel planked, jarrah and Kauri.
Built in 1935 at Clauscens Shipyard in AdelaIde as an ocean racer for Bill Birnie, it was the last of his 13 yachts of the same name. In the 1950's and 60's it competed in ocean races including Melbourne to Devenport and Queenscliff to Port Lincoln.
The current owners have had Wylo for 10 years based at RGYC, where it has been harbour raced with varying success. In addition Wylo has had two Bass Strait crossings to exhibit at the Hobart Wooden Boat Festivals in 2015 and 2017.
Margaret Pearl
Boat Type: Ex Cray Fishing Vessel
Boat Length: 18.25m
Boat Beam: 5.2m
Boat Height: 15m
MARGARET PEARL is a timber fishing vessel built in Tasmania in 1958 from locally sourced hardwood. She was designed by RH (Dick) Thompson who was a boat designer from the Tamar river and over the years designed hundreds of fishing, commercial and recreational vessels - many of them quintessential Tassie cray boats. Built by Jack Behrens of Tasmanian hardwood - mainly blue gum. She has a displacement of approximately 40 tonnes. Her working life started in Stanley where she fished for crays under the ownership of Cyril “Dodger” Long until about 1977. Dodger was a well-known cray fisherman in the area and has his name on one of the points along the coast of north-western Tasmania. She fished with success in Tasmania and survived a number of mishaps including finding a rock off Three Hummock Island in the 1980s which nearly sank her. There were three other owners in Tasmania all mainly in the cray fishery before she was sold to Portland in 2004. There, she was converted for shark fishing, and lay idle following the owner’s death in 2010. Jim and Sam Woods purchased her in poor condition in 2015 and steamed her to Queenscliff where a five and half year restoration project followed. She has been restored to work as a domestic commercial vessel and undertakes charter work around Port Phillip as well as extended family cruising.
Nikaylah
Boat Type: Wooden Motor Cruiser
Boat Length: 31ft
Boat Beam: 9ft
Boat Height: 8ft
Construction & Materials: Carvel planked with Huon pine on hardwood ribs. Ply deck.
Built in the late 1930’s. Was originally a yacht with a drop centreboard. Hull is Huon pine. In the 1970’s was converted into a motor cruiser including raising forward deck. Has recently undergone extensive refit by a qualified shipwright.
Robyn May
Boat Type: Timber Motor Boat
Boat Length: 21ft
Boat Beam: 8ft
Boat Height: 6ft
Construction & Materials: Round bilge carval planked cedrata timber topsides splined.
She is a snapper 21 designed and built by traditional boat builder Garry Stewart From Port Fairy and launched in October 2023. It’s been built by a craftsman with traditional timber and the workmanship is perfect.
Sanmarkay
Boat Type: Ketch
Boat Length: 36ft
Boat Beam: 9ft
Boat Height: TBC
Construction & Materials: Cedar planked over white oak ribs mahogany cabin and below teak cockpit
Canadian built 1953 to William Garden design as a cruiser/ racer by Bisset and Gilsteen commercial boat builders of North Vancouver.
Scimitar
Boat Type: Keel
Boat Length: 13.7ft
Boat Beam: 3.6ft
Boat Height: 18.5m
Scimitar is a classic wooden racing yacht from the late 1950’s era. She has six sisterships that won many races in the USA and Europe. She was built in a boatshed in the backyard of Frederick Purcell's home at 47 The Esplanade in Drumcondra, Geelong. Builders were Adelaide shipwright George Butcher, Fred and Barry Purcell, and Henry Hamann between 1958 - 1961. Most of the hull construction was completed in 5 years, but family deaths, births, marriages and the loss of the original plans when Barry lost his home in the Ash Wednesday bushfires caused the building project to continue for the next 25 years by three generations of the Purcell family. She was launched Barry Purcell and family in Williamstown in 1986 and now sails from RYCV owned by family members Prof. Damian Purcell (RYCV Vice Commodore) and Dr. Andrew Purcell.
Sycamore
Boat Type: Sail
Boat Length: 10ft
Boat Beam: 3ft
Boat Height: 3m
Construction & Materials: Stripped plank timber cutter
Cutter rigged sloop self built launched 1990.
Sandpiper
Boat Type: Motor Launch
Boat Length: 9.1m
Boat Beam: 2.74m
Boat Height: 9ft
This boat was built in 2020 during Covid lockdown 5 months from start to finish. Is a member of Somers Yacht Club where during the 1970's was the largest fleet of mirrors in the Southern Hemisphere.
Morning Star
Boat Type: Couta
Boat Length: 24.4ft
Construction & Materials: Kauri
Morning Star, a snapper and long line fishing boat, embarked on its journey under the custodianship of the Bertotto family in 1935, replacing its predecessor wrecked in a storm. Operating out of Sandringham, Victoria, the boat, with its distinctive green hull and cream decks, became a familiar sight to locals as Joe and Bill Bertotto ventured out to sea for fishing expeditions, reaching as far as Port Arlington and St Leonards. In the early 1950s, Morning Star transitioned to the ownership of Davey Dawes, serving as a fishing vessel known for its resilience in challenging seas. Notably, in 1956, Dawes made headlines by hunting and shooting a 10-foot pointer shark that had attacked a young lifesaver during a championship event, showcasing the boat's role beyond mere fishing.
Through subsequent custodianships by individuals like Bert Harrison, Bill Bleakley, and Tim Phillips, Morning Star underwent various transformations, including restoration efforts and changes in ownership. In 2011, Rob Tucker acquired Morning Star, driven by sentiment and a connection to its storied past. Under his stewardship, the boat continued its legacy, participating in races and regattas while also embarking on journeys across Port Phillip. Tucker's admiration for Morning Star's enduring performance pays homage to the craftsmanship of its early builders, highlighting the timeless quality of this maritime icon, which stands as a testament to its enduring legacy over 85 years since its launch.
Swallows & Amazons Forever
Boat Type: Mirror Sailing Dinghy
Boat Length: 10.10ft
Boat Beam: 5.2ft
Boat Height: 16
Construction & Materials: Mirror dinghy Built from 6mm Sapelle Mahogany Plywood topsides and Deck with Hoop Pine Gunwales Centreboard and Rudder are Laminated Queensland Cedar and Hoop Pine as well as Thwart Bottom of boat is 6mm Gaboon ply. has a set of South Eastern Sails on a modern Bermuda Rig.
Gypsy
Boat Type: Double Ended Net Boat
Boat Length: 28ft
Boat Beam: 12ft
Boat Height: 6ft
Construction & Materials: Wood
I had been Commercially fishing with this boat for 30 years and have had Dugga Beasley restore it for sailing.
Selovin
Boat Type: Cray Boat
Boat Length: 35ft
Boat Beam: 13ft
Boat Height: 9ft
Construction & Materials: Timber Carvel Hull
Ex-commercial cray boat built in Queenscliff by Cayzer in 1966 fished in South Australia and Queenscliff.
Karinda
Boat Type: Motor Cruiser Sail
Boat Length: 32ft
Boat Beam: 8ft
Boat Height: 9ft
Construction & Materials: Huon pine strip planked
Karinda was built in Tassie in 1971 from Huon pine. She has a 6xylnder diesel.
Una J
Boat Type: Sailing Sloop
Boat Length: 13.7m
Boat Beam: 3.26m
Boat Height: 15m
Construction & Materials: Timber, Spotted Gum & Qld Beech Planking.
Built in 1948 in Snails Bay, Balmain, Sydney by John Davis. Designed by Don and Alec Book. Current owner has enjoyed vessel since 2008 with steady restoration and enhancements with considerable improvements carried out by Shipwright Richard Blake. Regularly sailed single hand and capable offshore.
Ruby Merle
Boat Type: Couta
Boat Length: 22.5ft
Boat Beam: 8.7ft
Boat Height: 6m
Construction & Materials: Timber boat - kauri, houn, oregon, iroko, karri, iron bark.
Built in 1947 by Peter Locke for commercial fishing out of Queenscliff, changing owners and ports from Lorne then back to Queenscliff… fully restored to sailing condition in 2010 by shipwrights Brett Almond and Chris Ratcliffe with assistance by the current owner
Sailing Races wins include Division 2 Queenscliff Maritime weekend 2016, 2018 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival Portarlington to Geelong Passage Race and Couta Boat Cup, 2022 Geelong Wooden Boat Portarlington to Geelong Passage Race.
Marie Louise III
Boat Type: International 8CR
Boat Length: 12.8m
Boat Beam: 2.43m
Hull constructed of 1 1/8inch huon pine planks over 2 x 1/1/2 inch laminated ash frames @ 8 ½ inch centres, Canadian Spruce mast and boom.