BETTY

Taking part in Cowes Week for the first time will be a new thoroughbred with exquisite lines and superb sailing characteristics.
Alfred Westmacott designed the Solent Sunbeam in 1922 and many believe it was his masterpiece.
The first boats raced at Cowes in 1923 and earlier this year the
Sunbeam Class approved the building of a trial boat with a GRP hull and deck. The new boat was launched and raced on 8th July, just 20 weeks from the cutting of the first timber moulds to create the hull plug - is this a record? She was moulded by Mark Downer on the IOW and then fitted out by Haines Boatyard at Itchenor.
She has been christened "Betty" in memory of the late Betty Moore, who owned and raced her Sunbeam for 61 years.
"Betty" will be racing in Cowes Week with sail number V51 as part of her trials to ensure that she sails level with the existing wooden built
Sunbeams. Her successful adoption by the Class would allow the expansion of the Solent Sunbeam Fleet based at Itchenor on Chichester Harbour, as the cost of new wooden Sunbeams has become a major deterrent to the commissioning of new builds.
The GRP hull and deck should also simplify and reduce the cost of annual maintenance. As for "Betty", she looks fabulous with her navy hull, cream deck, and varnished wood trim.
The aim of the project is to enable you to own and race either a new composite or a traditional wooden Solent Sunbeam - based at Itchenor, Chichester Harbour.

Contact: Phone 07785 232 012 or Email Class Captain

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Betty" greeted at Itchenor by Thursday evening sailors.
Now Haines will be adding the shipwright work, rigging and Coppercoat.

Roger, Alan and Ryan, Haines showright

 

Ryan making the covering board

 

 

Proud Owners, Alan Stannah and Roger Wickens

 

Photo Sue Kent

 

 

The Sunbeam Keelboat Class Looks to the Future

Meetings of both the Solent and Falmouth Divisions of the Sunbeam Class agreed the Sunbeam lines will be used to build a boat in GRP.

This boat is now being built to race on level terms with the existing wooden boats. It is planned that the new boat will be ready to race at this year's Cowes Week. The Sunbeam already has a modern rig and it is hoped wood shy sailors will be tempted to join the Class to enjoy the unsurpassed sailing qualities of this classic racing keelboat. The Sunbeam is acknowledged to be the design masterpiece of Alfred Westmacott, who fathered many of the popular Solent dayboat classes.

The Solent Division is also investigating the feasibility of epoxy treatment of existing boats to reduce the annual maintenance requirements. The Sunbeam was designed using first class building materials and because of this the older boats have been well maintained and are in excellent condition.

The first seven Sunbeams raced in Cowes week in 1923 and a total of 48 Sunbeams have been built in wood using traditional methods.

The Class, which has a unique and varied history with many colourful characters amongst its past members, inspires extraordinary camaraderie amongst its owners. These exquisite yachts regularly race both midweek and weekends at Itchenor in Chichester Harbour with an annual migration to Cowes Week and at Falmouth in the Carrick Roads and the Bay with an annual migration to Fowey.

For further details please contact classcaptain

Two Complementary Resolutions have now been passed
by the Solent Division and Falmouth Divisions.

RESOLUTION 1:
“That Alan Stannah and Roger Wickens be permitted to use the existing CAD
Sunbeam drawings and patterns to develop and build a new GRP boat at their own
expense. The boat to be built with the intention of racing on level terms with the
existing Sunbeams and thus having the same overall weight, weight distribution, sail
area, rig and other significant features of the existing boats.”
NB italics added by Falmouth.

RESOLUTION 2:
“That the meeting notes that when this boat is built it will be permitted by the
Solent Division to race with the Division in all their normal races with sail number
V51 for a period of time reasonably sufficient to determine if it can be fairly judged
to perform on level terms with the existing wooden Sunbeams, if necessary making
modifications to it to achieve this aim.

EGM January 2010 See full minutes

 

These photos were taken on 11th May and show the deck in place, dry fitted at that time to mark the position of the deck beams and size the bulkheads.
Mark has since taken the deck off to glass onto the deck the beams, and install in the hull the fore and aft bulkheads. The aft bulkhead is a complicated moulding that includes the new boxes below the helm seats, the purpose being to boost the volume of the stern buoyancy compartment and at the same time provide a simple base upon which to fix the helm seats and the crew quadrant seats.
As the photo shows the hull below the coloured gel-coat is currently translucent but will be treated with epoxy coppercoat antifouling by Haines.
The keel, being made by Irons Bros in Cornwall, is due to arrive this week
.Roger 

 

STANNAH / WICKENS were delighted to announce the birth of "Betty" at 10.56am on 7th May 2010 at Mark Downer's works at Sandown Airport, IOW. Many anxious men were in attendance and after the use of hammer, chisels, and forklift she emerged from her mould and weighed 419kg

 

Some of the Sunbeam Team visited the Mark Downer's factory today, Wednesday 21st April, and as you will see tried out the cockpit !

Monday 19th April was the day on which the gelcoat, topsides colour RAL 5013, underwater colour clear, was placed into the hull mold. In the succeeding two days "Betty" has now progressed to nearly being a complete hull. The deck plug has been finished and so the deck mold should follow very soon.

An intense exercise has taken place to replicate the weight and weight distributation of existing Sunbeams in the new hull, and when the frames and bulkheads have been installed the new hull will be weighed and any correction judged necessary will be made

 

 

The Completed Mould is complete, ready for laying up.

 

THE PLUG COMPLETED

 

 

 

Available for ownership, share holding, syndicates crewing and charter

Come for a trial sail.Contact Us