S-Boat For sale - Lucky Pierre - 1925 Newport RI?

[Adam]

Don't see this in the registry.... Firefly is the only one I see built in 1925 and in Newport. Seems a rather nice price as well...

http://providence.craigslist.org/boa/2976745658.html

[Adam]

Oh I should have done a bit more slouthing.... She's a Lawley Built....

http://www.yachtcouncil.com/SparkmanStephensNewport/main.asp?-vessel_basic_info.asp-&vessels_id=66284&curr_id=7

History: Built by George Lawley & Son as hull #966. LUCKY PIERRE originally raced in the Southport Fleet as ERNE. She was rebuilt in 1979 by Mt. Desert Yacht Yard while she was named LUCKY PIERRE. Her previous names include: ERNE (1925-27), OBSESSION, ROVER, SEVEN BELLS (1966-67), RESOLUTE (1969-75), and LUCKY PIERRE (1978-).

[Alan]

She may be a Lawley S boat, but I can attest to the fact that Lucky Pierre is in very good shape and is no slower than HMCo. built S boats, having raced against her many times.

Adam, I especially appreciate your mentioning Firefly (hull #956), since I own her, and if all goes well, she will be launched in Newport in 4 days. While Firefly was contracted in Aug. 1925, her HMC hull # plaque says 1926, so I assume she was actually built or completed in 1926. Firefly was the first of 12 S boats built to the "956 Class," most of which went to Bar Harbor, although a few went to Marblehead.
One other bit of trivia-- the Sparkman Stephens ad that you reference has a picture of a HMC S boat (with a carved sheer), not a picture of Lucky Pierre (Lawley S boats do not have the Herreshoff sheer strake). 

[Steve]

Alan:  Thanks for the post.  The description of your builder's plate brings up an interesting topic.  We have discovered there to be at least four different styles of builder's plate.  The power boats had at least one style.  The example we have looks to be of brass, was oval in shape, and did include the year.  The sailboats had three primary styles.  The earliest boats, through 1924 were a small rectangle of German silver and did not contain the year.  The middle plate was a small oval of bronze and was used on boats from 1925 through 1930 (hull 1173).  The later plate was a larger oval of bronze, did not contain the year, and was used from hull 1174 through the end.

The plate on your boat is the middle style, of which it appears there are two nuances.  Some of these contain the year and some do not.  I went through my notes and images.  The earliest plate I found with the year is 916 and the last is 1002.

I guess the mission is to determine the range of numbers on the sailboat plates that had the year on them.

[Adam]

Alan - Question - I thought I had read that the Lawley Built boats had been excluded from official S-Boat fleet in Narragansett? Is that not true?

[Alan]

The Narragansett Bay S boat fleet allows any Herreshoff designed S boat to compete as one-design regardless of builder. Of course the majority of Herreshoff designed S boats were built by HMC, but the Lawley built boats do complete in the same fleet. There are a few Lawley built Herreshoff S boats that compete in the Western LI Sound fleet as well. I am not aware of any Lawleys in the Quissett fleet.

BTW there are 3 more Herreshoff S boats joining the Narragansett Bay fleet. Mischief was restored in Brooklin ME and is being launched on Sat. May 19 at 10 AM at IYRS in Newport RI. There will be a launch ceremony.  Squaw and Papoose are undergoing extensive restoration now.

[Steve]

Alan:  Do you know the name of the new owner of MISCHIEF?

[Alan]

Yes, Steve-- Walter Boop purchased Mischief, which will be moored in Newport.  Walter has sailed with me aboard Firefly and it will be great having his participation in the S boat fleet. I suppose the Registry should be updated. I plan to get some photos of Mischief splashing this Saturday.

[Steve]

Great ... Thanks

[Adam]

Great news - We saw - I believe it was Papoose - undergoing the resto in Bristol last month at the Herreshoff Symposium. Cool stuff.

Thanks for the clarification on the Lawley's. Wonder where I got the info from - maybe on the discussion surrounding the Herreshoff built but Alden designe S....Have to go back and look.

[Alan]

Steve,
Mischief owner, Walter's last name is Bopp. Sorry for the typo.

I have posted photos of the May 19 launch of Mischief here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/NBHSCA/Mischief#

[Adam]

Old post I know – but Lucky Pierre is still for sale - See Craigslist - and from what I gather about her condition and competitiveness - a seemingly ridiculous low price. How can one get a race ready S-boat, in very good condition – with a trailer – for under 20K?? Seems almost too good to be true.

http://providence.craigslist.org/boa/3324077902.html