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I was searching through some photographs and came across this picture of Val Howell's (spelling?) folkboat that he raced in the first solo Atlantic race with Chichester et. al. It was moored right next to me after my first launch.
I always liked the folkboats but they were too small inside to make my short list.
Wow! Doublespreader rig...external chainplates...what a cool looking Folkboat. So what is the current story with the boat? Any more pictures? Thanks for posting the picture....
The same folkboat was in WoodenBoat magazine #180 a few years ago.
Not much has changed. The owner is college aged and has a lot of conflicting activities at the moment. The boat sat on the mooring all last year and didn't go anywhere. Currently the boat is at Green's Point boatyard in Ipswich MA. I think they plan on freshening the exterior paint this spring.
The interior was stripped as part of the extensive rebuild and has remained rather simple inside. That's probably a good thing with this boat. Before the rebuild there were several bulkheads with an enclosed head and V-berth. Opening it all up made it much more useful. The trim inside is rather basic and more work could be done.
According to my friend that rebuilt the boat it was in very tough shape. Built by an impromtu British beer party a few months before the race and not exactly built to high standards. The structure has been re-engineered and stiffened up quite a bit since then. On the original OSTAR race this boat had to stop in Bermuda for repairs. As I have been told Val was tightening up the keel bolts by hand half way across the Atlantic.
She sails in my local waters and I see her around occasionally but I don't have any more pictures. Sorry.
I love the look of the original Folkboats and I am told this boat sails exceptionally well. I keep trying to get a ride on her with no success to date.
-Britton
Work is overrated.
Most everything you read on the Internet is wrong.
Thanks for the update....I imagine the boat does sail very well....however I wonder how that powerful double spreader rig compares to the traditionally more conservative single spreader fractional rig found on most Folkboats. I do like the stoutness of the external chainplates...and having an inner stay is interesting. Well hopefully she gets the attention she deserves in the next year or so...thanks again for the info...