S&S 36. Bermudan sloop. Lying Scotland

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One of the best known names in yachting, the American firm of Sparkman and Stephens was started by brothers Rod and Olin Stephens in partnership with the successful yacht broker Drake Sparkman in 1929.

Their first great success was Dorade designed and built for Stephens Son to see the young business through the Great Depression and which won the Trans-Atlantic Race in 1931. Other great designs followed – Stormy Weather, Bolero and many more, currently some 2700 + designs to date.

This boat is one of 4 similar yachts built, all successful racers in their day, she is a very eye catching yacht with a remarkable performance that will give any modern yacht of her size a good run for her money.

Olin Stephens died earlier this year. (2009)

Length on deck 36’
LwL 25’6”
Beam 9’6”
Draft 6’
Thames Tonnage 9TM
Part 1 UK register

Designed by Sparkman and Stephens.

Built by Port Hamble in 1966.

Construction.
The design features a full keel, cut-away fore foot with a bustle under the short retrousse counter stern above the rudder. This was an advanced design in it’s day, an evolution between the earlier long keel and the modern fin and skeg.

Many would say that this stage of design evolution was probably the most satisfactory for a fast cruising yacht.

Mahogany planking, topsides splined and varnished and copper fastened to steamed oak timbers.
Heavy beam shelf. Unusually wide bilge stringer. The hull interior face is lined in ¼” ply through the cabin space.

External lead ballast keel. 3 bronze keel bolts pulled winter 2005/6, found good and replaced.

Yacht laid teak deck between varnished mahogany cover-boards and toe rails with stainless steel pull-pit and stanchions all round. New 07 guard wires.

Bronze stemhead fitting with twin chain rollers.
Bronze deck cleats and fair leads.

Varnished mahogany coach-roof with painted sheathed ply deck, full length varnished grab rails each side, fore hatch on the fwd end with dark Perspex opening lid.
5 dark perspex windows each side.

Varnished wave breaker carries the spray-hood, stainless steel hoops, front window.

Self-draining cock-pit well with teak laid seating as a continuation of the deck under the coamings each side and aft.

Large full depth locker to port contains sealed gas bottle locker, drained over-board, containing 2 bottles.
Locker aft.

The rudder stock and tiller emerging from the teak laid cock-pit sole so that the helmsman stands forward of the crew working the winches behind him affording better visibility. New cast bronze rudder heel fitting.

Bridge deck carries the modern compass offset to stbd of the entrance hatch.

Original bronze vertical action bilge pump in the bridge deck, refurbished and refitted.

Sliding hatch in a garage and tapered dark perspex wash-board to the cabin entrance.
Instrument display box across the sliding hatch.

In 2002 the hull was stripped to bare wood and recoated with 15 coats of Deksolje D1 and D2 to give an exceptionally fair finish. Taken back to bare wood again in 2005/6 and recoated with Deksolje.

Masthead sloop rig on keel-stepped alloy mast with new deck gaiter. Single spreaders.

Stainless steel rigging replaced in over-size in 1999 with s/s rigging screws to internal s/s chain plates, twin lowers and cap shrouds round single spreaders, single standing back-stay with wheel adjuster.

Fore stay on Stearn solid extrusion roller reefing system to a bronze stemhead fitting with twin chain rollers.

Slab reef alloy boom with new boom strut to eliminate the topping lift, kicker on a tackle. New main halyard on self-tail mast winch.

Mainsheet double-ended with twin anchor points spreads the loads along the boom – a short stainless steel horse on the coach-roof forward of the spray-hood with the tail led to a clutch alongside the sliding hatch and the main sheeting point to a car on a track aft of the cock-pit with jammer on the lower block. Second clutch alongside the hatch takes the spinnaker halyard.

Ingenious new retractable alloy bowsprit at the stem simplifies handling the asymetric spinnaker.

Pair of new Lewmar primary 2-speed self tail sheet winches + pair of smaller Barlow secondary self-tail sheet winches all on the cock-pit coamings.

New protective chromed strip along the top edge of the coamings.

Main halyard to a self-tail winch on the mast with a pair of halyard winches on the coach-roof either side of the mast with leading blocks at the mast foot.
Twin tracks each side on the side decks to take the headsails sheet leads.
Twin alloy spinnaker poles.
New geneker retractable alloy pole at the stem to take the new asymmetric spinnaker

New 2007 slab-reef mainsail by North Sails
New 2006 furling genoa by North Sails.
New 2008 asymmetric spinnaker by Quantum Sails
204 smal, slab-reef mainsail
New mainsail cover
Various old sails available incl. radial head spinnaker.

Volvo 28hp 3-cyl diesel installed on the centre-line to new 2008/9 centre-line 2-blade prop with single lever controls gives 6 knts.

During winter 2005/6 the engine was removed for a full rebuild and shop run. New valve springs fitted, valve guides okay, valves cleaned and lapped into seats. Crankshaft lapped up all sizes satisfactory. Big ends replaced with new shells.

(Standard) Main bearing shells satisfactory and put back. Pistons all satisfactory and replaced with new rings. New seals and joints throughout.

Gearbox drive splines found badly worn and recommended modifications carried out by fitting replacement drive flange.
Fuel injectors serviced.

Stern gland serviced and connecting rubber replaced. New flexible coupling fitted, propeller shaft checked for straightness and new cutlass bearing fitted. All rubber hoses replaced and engine refitted with new flexible mountings, alignment checked.

New 2003 shaft and stern gland.

2 x 12v deep cycle batteries on 12v circuits.

New 2003 21 gall. stainless steel fuel tank.

6 berths.
V-berths in fore cabin with head-room under the hatch on the fwd end of the coach-roof, lockers under.

Stbd off-set bulkhead aperture to port heads compartment with Baby Blake sea toilet (overhauled winter 2006/7), shower and hand basin drains to the WC.
Large hanging locker to stbd.

Bulkhead aperture to saloon cabin, mast against the fwd bulkhead.
Settee berths each side.
Pilot berth up behind the port settee.
Lockers up behind the stbd settee and lockers under both.

Fine, French polished saloon table folds away up against the mast.
Part bulkhead each side with s/s grab poles to;

Forward facing chart desk in the after stbd corner, the navigator sitting on the fwd end of the large quarter berth.

Port galley with new 2005 gimballed Plastimo s/s gas cooker with oven, s/s sink with pressurised H&C and salt water tap.

Top-loading cool box under the work-surface, recently relagged with 12v refridgeration unit vented into the large cock-pit locker. Good locker space under the galley, plate racks behind under the side deck.
Centre-line varnished mahogany engine box between with open steps above up to the cock-pit.

Calorifier tank behind the steps, heated from the engine.
Manual bilge pump.
Electrical control panels etc. on the bulkhead.

6’4” head-room in the cabin, white painted deckhead, varnished coamings, white painted ply bulkheads, varnished mahogany joinery and cabin sole.
All bunk cushions with new covers in 2004.
Approx 100 gall stainless steel water tank under the cabin sole, all fresh water pipe-work replaced in 2004.

Compass. New 2009 Tack Tick wireless depth/speed/wind
GPS interfaced with DMS radio VHF radio with emergency ariel

2006 Chart plotter with UK charts. Auto-pilot

6-man life raft. Flares

New 2009 fire extinguishers. Lifesling MOB system
Avon dinghy with oars. Yamaha outboard engine.
240v Honda generator Electric chain capstan on fore deck.
2 anchors and chain. Kedge anchor with chain and warp.

New spray hood, dodgers and life-raft cover. Fenders in socks.
Radar reflector Fog horn
Hand bearing compass Boat hook
Boarding steps. Pans, cutlery and crockery etc
Curtains. Winter cover with mounting hoops
Custom built winter cradle, breaks down for storage. New 2007/8 spray-hood on s/s hoops.

This yacht was in previous ownership for over 30 years, Admiral RN retd and very carefully and knowledgeably maintained with regular up-grades.

Sold to present Scottish owners in 2005 and moved north.