Sigh… we need another project like we need a hole in the head! We were all set to hunker down this winter and focus all of our free time on rehabilitation projects on our historic home, but, upon receiving an invitation to some friends on an excursion along the Sacramento River Delta (and San Francisco Bay) next spring, Megan did a casual search for any small trailerable sailboats that might interest us. (Albeit, we hadn’t even been home for 12 hours after driving 1,700 miles over two long days.)

CraigsList be damned – she found one!

Listed simply as an unnamed “Old School Sailboat,” there were only two listing photos accompanying the full description, “No idea of make/model. Hole in the hull. Bought at auction ten years ago for the trailer but plans changed.”

Actual photo from the online listing.

The featured photo left a lot to be desired, showing what, upon later inspection would reveal to be a 10-12 inch v-shaped impact crack just above the waterline through the starboard hull  (which caused the ugly topside paint to slough off). Yuck, hell no!

To be honest, when Megan sent me the link, I didn’t even bother clicking to the second pic. Having just finished a summer of carpentry, masonry, and lumberjacking projects with a plethora of roofing, gutters, and plumbing staring us in the face back at the house, I really wasn’t in the mood to think about tackling any fiberglass and paint repair on some “crappy” trailer sailor.

Then, a few hours later Megan protested when she came across the listing again, “I mean, it’s obviously filthy and gross down below, but I’m just surprised how much space there is down below for such a tiny boat.”  Fine, fine, I decided to humor her by taking a closer look at the littered interior and immediately recognized her amazing/lucky find…

Don’t worry – we’ve started with worse!

The centerboard trunk, the opposing galley/nav station, the step/seat up to the v-berth – there was no question about it! “Holy crap – that’s a West Wight Potter!” (Technically, it is an HMS-18, the pre-cursor to the P-19.) We’ve been looking for one of these stout & seaworthy little vessels for so long that I didn’t waste any time in dialing the phone!

Wonderful illustration of a Potter 19 from Brian Gilbert.

Within minutes we had made arrangements to meet the owner at his farm that evening and forced ourselves to get back in the truck (we had just managed to peel ourselves out of a few hours earlier) and drove about 90 minutes to small cattle ranch out in the countryside. The reason there weren’t any other pictures was because the boat was COVERED in ten years of vines and leaves and dirt. But, all in all, aside from the hole in the hull and the filth, she was actually in decent shape. The only missing was the headsail  which was being used as a roof over a nearby chicken coup. Classic.

It has always amazed me how much space there is down below on this squatty trailer-sailor!

When we asked the farmer if he was absolutely sure/happy to be letting the boat go for the price of a fancy dinner and drinks, he replied, “If you don’t take her, I’ll be cutting her up and burying her next week.” Uhm… SOLD!

The farmer was nice enough to put some air in the tires and test/fix the trailer lights before we got there, but it was getting dark and we were just too exhausted from our previous days on the road to trust ourselves in securing the rigging for tow, let alone deal with a potential trailer breakdown in the dark on a narrow rural road on a Sunday night. So, the next day we returned with some heavy tie-down straps, bungees, some grease for the wheel bearings (not needed), and the lower trailer hitch. It took us maybe 10 minutes to get everything tied up properly and we were off! After a few miles we pulled over to double-check everything, especially the wheel bearings, but they were still cool to the touch! A couple hours later – our new project boat sat in the driveway of our new project home.

Plenty of room to walk around and still get up the stairs!

Yes, it is by far the smallest sailboat we’ve ever owned, but it’s also one of the most intriguing. These boats have crossed oceans, yet they can be towed to any puddle around by even the smallest of cars. Plus… the entire boat and trailer fit completely inside the carriage house – a must for winter projects!

Coming Soon: The Cleanup & Refit (Maybe? (Our plans are ambitious and contingent on cash flow.)