Fife One Design

Full specification

Wooden ships comments on this Fife One Design

Arguably the most exquisite Fife of all and certainly the most accessible. This wonderful little yacht has all the attributes of the classic Fife design, the lift to the counter, the long fine bow and a perfect, sweet sheer line. And after 80 years she looks as good and sails as well as she did the first day she was launched from the Fairlie yard in 1934.

The Fife One Design was commissioned by the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club from Wm Fife 111 in 1926 and this yacht is the only one built by W. & R.B. Fife at Fairlie in Scotland. The class is unique to the RAYC and races in the Menai Straights and Conway. These boats are sometimes known as the Conway Fife One design.

15 boats of the class were built by A.M. Dickie & Sons at their Bangor yard, North Wales and there  is still a very active racing fleet. In recent years 22 boats were built in grp and the race fleet now numbers 33 boats.

It should be borne in mind that Peter Dickie whose family yard was based at Tarbert a little further down the coast from the Fife yard served his time as a marine architect in the Fife drawing office and there was close cooperation between the yards. Another brother then branched out and open the yard not so far away by sea in Bangor N Wales.

This very special yacht has come into the market for the first time in over 50 years of present ownership. She had previously sailed in Gibraltar and returned to Plymouth by her then Naval Captain owner. A life buoy with the letters RGYC is still on board. At that time she was copper sheathed.

Planked in 5/8” mahogany fastened with copper nails and roves to steam bent Canadian rock elm timbers on an oak back-bone.

Approx 2000lb of external lead ballast keel secured with bronze bolts.

Oak floors.

The original planked and canvas sheathed pine deck was replaced around 1990 with the present marine ply deck, painted with a 2-pot polyurethane deck paint. Varnished mahogany cover-boards and king plank. Shallow mahogany toe rail all round inboard

Bronze deck fittings and stemhead fitting.

Cock-pit coamings in varnished mahogany. Loose helmsman’s seat across the back of the cock-pit with solid mahogany fixed bench seats each side further forward can accommodate 4 crew.

A loose varnished mahogany shelter with sliding hatch in the well-cambered roof fits over the coamings  giving more protection to the cock-pit in open waters but is seldom carried.

Rig.

The original rig was a fractional bermudian sloop on a keel-stepped varnished spruce mast with single spreaders and jumpers above and running back-stays, typical of the period.

In 1960, early in his ownership the present custodian built a new mast and rigged her with twin spreaders and a standing back-stay with the headsail set to the stemhead from the upper spreaders and she has sailed with this rig for over 50 years.

Stainless steel standing rigging A bronze angle bar on each side deck, bolted through the beam shelf below takes the shrouds.  Bronze mast fittings.

The working rig sets some 250 sq’ of sail.

Sails:

Mainsail by McKillop Sails, Kingsbridge approx 10 years old. The main is slab reefed to a rectangular section varnished spruce boom

Working jib.

Large jib.

Spinnaker. (ex Dragon and seldom used)

Equipment.

A solar panel is rigged to charge a 12v battery which feeds a 12v bilge pump.

Collapsible grapnel-type anchor with short length of chain and plaited nylon warp.

Heavy fisherman anchor.

Steel winter cradle on castors.

Old life buoy.

A number of old style life jackets

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.