Laurent Giles Vertue V35

Full specification

Wooden ships comments on this Laurent Giles Vertue v35

In 1936,  a 25’ yacht called Andrillot was launched from Moody’s at the top of the Hamble River. Designed by Jack Laurent Giles’ office in Lymington, she was to prove the first of many of these little yachts which came to be recognised as the best small yacht ever sailed and later adopted the class name Vertue.

Another 9 boats followed. Andrillot was gaff rigged, the other 9 were Bermudian rigged with what became known by the awkward name of a slutter rig, that is a masthead sloop rig but with a lazy inner forestay from stemhead to the upper spreaders allowing a staysail to be set inside the jib thus making her a cutter.

3 of these early boats have gone, 7 well identified remain alive and well.

In 1946 the design was altered with an extra strake to give more freeboard and cabin volume, the coach-roof extended forward of the mast with a dog-house and the mast mounted on the coach-roof to allow free passage forward below deck.

Several more Vertues were built after the war and the class became popular, most boats being built by Elkins in Christchurch.

Since those early days, several hundred Vertues have been built, several have made extraordinary passages and all have given their owners that rare pleasure of being one of a select band of sailors, a Vertue Owner.

In an effort to break into the American market with this now popular little yacht, Humphrey Barton from the Laurent Giles office sailed Vertue XXXV across the Atlantic with an old Army chum in 1950, a feat reckoned to be suicidal at the time. A water tank took the place usually occupied by the engine and an effective spray-hood/cock-pit cover was rigged but otherwise Vertue XXXV was a standard Elkins Vertue. The voyage took 47 days.

 

V35 remained in the US until in 1997 she was found by the present Italian owner at Martha’s Vineyard, purchased and shipped back to Venice for a major refit.

Since those days she has sailed from Venice and adjacent ports and only advancing years now oblige the owner to think of looking for a new owner for his boat, perhaps the best known of all the these great little yachts.

 

Builder:                      Elkins of Christchurch, UK

Build date:                1950

Lod                            25’3”

Lwl                             21’6”

Beam                          7’2”

Draft                          4’6”

 

Construction.

The hull was reported at the time to be built of Krabak, probably described by a casual observer as mahogany but in fact a tougher, closer-grained hardwood from Thailand and Malaysia.

The back-bone, stem and stern post, shelf, stringers and deck beams are all English oak.

The frames are sawn English oak approx 2” x 2 ½” at 2’ centres with two steam bent oak timbers between all fastened with copper nails and roves. Hood ends and garboards fastened with bronze screws.

 

1997. All paint and varnish coatings removed, hull  found to be sound with only a few small repairs required. Repainted and re varnished.

           All new Blake sea-cocks.

 

Long external lead ballast keel, 4500lbs.

In 2003 the keel was dropped and rebedded with new bronze bolts

Vertues are built with a number of heavy oak floors and some galvanised steel straps – 4 under the mast step and several in the ends.

2008 strap floors treated and repainted.

New bronze Blake sea-cocks

 

Original deck laid in T&G Baltic pine and covered in canvas as was traditional for small yachts at the time.

 In 2010 the canvas was removed, the pine deck overlaid with 2 layers of thin marin ply, epoxy/glass sheathed and painted with varnished mahogany king plank.

Varnished mahogany capping to the toe rail.

All steel deck fittings regalvanised including the stemhead fitting incorporating twin                                                                                                                                    chain rollers, outer fore stay anchor point and inner fore-stay anchor point with an                                                                                                                                     over-centre release lever.

 

Oak Sampson post on the fore deck.                                                          

2004 stainless steel push-pit to the original design incorporating the main sheet anchor point.

 

Vertues are identified by “short dog-house models” and “long dog-house models”.

This is the short dog-house model with a single large window in each side. The dog-house roof on the long dog-house model is 4” longer with twin windows each side.

Coach-roof and cock-pit coamings in varnished mahogany with bronze port holes.

In 2010 the cabin roof treated in the same way as the deck with new mouldings.

 

Cock-pit with bridge deck, seat/lockers each side and seat across the back opening to access the lazarette. All seats lids in scrubbed teak. Self-draining well.

Original vertical action bronze bilge pump and original compass, both recessed in the bridge deck.

 

Two wash-boards and sliding hatch to the cabin entrance, all in varnished mahogany.

 

Rig.

Bermudian cutter rig on varnished hollow spruce mast stepped in a galvanised shoe on the cabin roof.

 2004 New mast by Cantieri Alto Adriatico

 2010 new stainless steel mast step

 Roller reefing varnished spruce boom sheets to the new Elkins stainless steel push-pit.

 

All stainless steel rigging.

1997. All new rigging.

                                                                      

Internal galvanised chain plates.  Removed and regalvanised

Twin spreaders

Twin lowers, intermediates and cap shrouds.

Standing back-stay to a V ash bumpkin over the transom

Outer fore stay, stemhead to masthead.

Inner lazy fore stay, stemhead to upper spreaders on quick release over-centre lever.

Running back-stays on Highfield levers to the upper spreaders.

 

Sails.     New 2000 sails by Hood

Mainsail

Genoa

Staysail.

Jib         New 2010 by Hood

Original cotton storm jib

Original cotton mainsail with V35 logo.

 

Running rigging by Marlowe Ropes

Halyards in white Dyneema

 

Winches.

Pair of original bronze bottom action sheet winches on the cock-pit coamings

Pair of original bronze mast halyard winches.

Spinnaker pole   New 2004 to original design

 

 

Machinery.

Yanmar 1GM10 10hp fresh water cooled diesel engine, flexibly mounted on the centre-line with conventional shaft drive to centre-line 3-blade Radice prop. Single lever controls.

6 knts in calm water.

 

Tanks                        Fuel                                         10 galls steel tank to port of the engine

                                    Water                                      10 galls steel tank to stbd of the engine.

 

Electrics.

2 x 12v batteries. Engine belt driven alternator charging. Change over switch.

Shore power connection

12v circuits to lights and navigation instruments.

 

 

Accommodation                                           2 berths

 

The cabin space below deck is divided into two parts – a saloon cabin with 2 settees, galley ad chart desk and a fore peak area with stowage and heads.

 

Fore peak with chain locker right forward.

Baby Blake sea toilet on the centre-line under mahogany joinery, the fore hatch above.

1997 sea toilet rebuilt by Chillington Marine UK

Full set of spares.

 

Seat lockers each side in varnished mahogany.

The original design showed a pipe-cot to port. The frame supports are still in place.

 

Bulkhead under the mast step with double doors to the saloon cabin.

Port and stbd settee berths, the forward ends in trotter boxes under cupboards.         Ship’s sides with varnished mahogany slats, new 2008

Part bulkhead each side with Elkins chromed hand rails.

Galley in after port corner rebuilt 1997 with stainless steel basin, pumped overboard, brass water pump. Recess with single burner Origo spirit stove. Slotted plate stowage above under the side deck.

Chart desk to stbd rebuilt 1997 to original plans, cupboard under.

New bunk cushions in red vinyl       New 2009

Varnished teak sole boards.

Varnished mahogany coamings

6’3” head-room in the dog-house in way of the galley and the chart desk.

 

 

Equipment.

 

Navigation

Compass recessed into the bridge deck with original polished copper hood.

Clock and barometer

Icom VHF radio

Garmin GPS

Walker log

Masthead tri-colour nav lights.

 

Safety gear

Solimar 4-man life raft

4 life jackets

Flares

Medical box
Life buoy horse-shoe
Stainless steel stanchions with twin guard wires.

 

 

Ground tackle

Original 30lb Duck anchor

Chain

 

Deck gear

Mooring warps

Fenders

Full boat cover

12v bilge pump

New manual pump 2000

 

 

If you want to own yachting history then you need look no further. If you want a good Vertue then they don’t get much better than this.

 

 

Disclaimer:

These particulars have been prepared in good faith from information provided by the Vendors and are intended as a guide, Wooden Ships cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. The Purchaser should instruct his agent or surveyor to validate all details as necessary and satisfy himself with the condition of the vessel and its equipment.