TOPIC:

'Just purchased my first Albacore, trouble is there are two suits of sails, neither are original I don't think and the chap I bought it from guessed at sail number 1890, I can't see a plate or anything like that which would tell me...Is there anything anywhere on the boat I haven't spotted yet which would tell me the original number?

There should be a number stamped on the hog between the back of the centreboard case and the stern.

Unfortunately this isn't precise either... The old (Fairey) Albacore and Swordfish boats all came off the same mould and were stamped sequentially so even though not many were Swordfish the Albacore numbers became more and more incorrect as time went on - and it sounds as though yours might be quite a late boat from that source.

It IS a start point though. It needs to be put together with any other information that might be available. In particular a builders plate might be interesting. Does it have a name? Is it wooden??? There also should really be a measurement certificate which would tell you precisely, but I can understand that it might have been lost over time.

Thankyou.. had another look this morning, 1890 ..... where sill I find an approximate year for this number??

I own 1924 which was built in 1969.

Paul Sleeman
Bumbletoo 1924

IF it's 1890 then it was built by JW Davis and Son and used to be called "Poppet". It was first measured in July 1969 and formally certificated with the RYA in April 1970. I know just what it should look like - many years ago we used to have 1840 also built by Davis but two years earlier. It should have a builders plate on the transom but who knows what might have happened to it over the last 45 years?

Enjoy sailing it - that's the important bit!

Norman

Good morning all.

Have just taken paint away from the hog and find that underneath many layers there is the original number nicely carved.

1775 - Can anyone shed any more light on her now we have the "real" number?

Thanks

Tim

Hi Tim

Lo and behold 1775 is registered as X-QS-ME. It was a Fairey hull but finished by B T Cook, and listed as being built by him. I have no idea who this is but it looks like a privateer since it's the only boat registered to him.

The build date is listed as 27th June 1967 at a time when Procol Harum were busy making a fortune out of "A Whiter shade of Pale". The measurement date was 25th Feb 1970.

There's no other record of racing that I can see - it's not listed as having attended any Championships.