SOLD – 50′ Gaff Sloop – Vela

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Vela is a plank-on-frame, gaff sloop designed and built in 1996 in Rockport, ME by her owner, a long time Maine Windjammer captain and Off Center Harbor contributor.  Vela’s aesthetics, fit out and maintenance philosophy are pure work-boat.  She’s inspired by, and draws elements from, Gloucester sloop-boats, New York pilot schooners and Maine sardine carriers, but she is at the same time a purpose-built uninspected charter boat.  She was designed for that purpose,  incorporating her builder’s decades of experience in the passenger carrying traditional sail industry and optimized for ease of use and affordability to maintain and operate.

Vela sized and rigged such that she can effectively handled by one person.  All the hardware is straightforward, heavily built and easy to service.  The deck is free from clutter and all the sheets are kept outboard and lead aft to the cockpit.  Her work boat finish scheme (no exterior varnish, lots of oiled and painted surfaces) is as low maintenance as can be and looks fantastic.

Vela’s paint and urethane pine interior is open-planned, comfortable and efficient.  She provides all the necessities and not many distractions, perfect for experiential education and group charters. The priority on simplicity applies to the systems as well.  Her standard marine propane stove, manual head, manual freshwater system and manual windlass don’t require power.  She could be cruised for weeks without turning on the engine.  Vela’s interior has been modified and reconfigured countless times before and could easily be again.  She has no ceiling planking.  The bulkheads aren’t structural and nothings glued in place.

There are a range of possibilities for a boat like Vela.  Her current owner has most recently used her as a platform for experiential education, taking Maine youth and Wooden Boat School students sailing out of Brooklin, ME.  Before that she was a successful charter boat in Martha’s Vineyard for a decade.  She could be inspected to handle more passengers, fitted out with a yacht interior or sailed privately as she’s configured now.

Attendees of the WoodenBoat School, Eggemoggin Reach Regatta participants and followers of Off Center Harbor will likely recognize Vela.  She has been a figure in Brooklin, ME for quite a few years and is a favorite in the local wooden boat community.  She looks great, sails exceptionally well and has a proven record in the charter business.  Vela will be on the dock, under cover in Belfast, ME this winter and available for showings.

Notes:

-Federally Documented

-Gambell and Hunter Sails New in 2018

– Off Center Harbor Video

HULL COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE 

Hull Material and Construction – Carvel planked with cedar planking and oak framing,

Frames – Sawn oak frames, 2” sided and molded 6” at keel to 3” at sheer, 16″ OC

Planking — 1 1/2″ cedar except top three strakes are 1 3/4″ oak

Fastenings – Bronze

Keel & Stem – Oak

Deck Beams – Oak 2” x 3”, 16″ OC bolted into top of frames

Deck planking – White pine 2″ x 4″

Ballast – Outside lead keel 16,500 lbs with bronze bolts

Interior Description – Urethaned natural wood

PROPULSION MACHINERY 

Main Engine Model – Perkins 156

Fuel Type – Diesel

Rated Horsepower – 60

Age of Unit, Last overhaul and/or Hours of Operation – Approximately 40 years old

Reduction Gear and Attached Units – 1.5 to 1 reduction

Engine Cooling System – Fresh water cooled with heat exchange

Engine Exhaust System – Wet exhaust with water lift muffler to port and stb’d overboard discharge

Fuel Piping – Rubber fuel hose

Ventilation – Natural

Shaft Material and Size – 1 1/2” diameter stainless steel

Stuffing Box – Dripless Lasdrop

Shaft Bearing (s) – Rubber cutlass in a strut and interior bearing

Propeller – 21″ diameter max prop, two-blade

STEERING SYSTEM

Type – Edson double worm gear

Number of Stations – One

Rudder – Wood

Rudder Post – Wood

TANKAGE AND PIPING 

Fuel – Aluminum 75 gal

Fresh Water – Portable plastic tanks

Cooking Fuel – Propane, tank on deck

Waste (Sewage) – Plastic 30 gal

Through Hull Fittings Below Waterline – Sea cocks

RIGGING 

Rig – Sloop with two head sails and a gaff topsail

Mast – Wood, spruce hollow made up of 8 pieces

Boom and other spars – Wood, spruce solid

Standing Rigging, Type and Material – Galvanized steel wire, spliced and served with dead eyes and lanyards

Mast Support, Step, Partners – Mast steps on keel, partners on deck

Chain Plates – Steel flat bar on outside of hull

Running Rigging, Type and Material – Dacron, three-strand

Winches – None

Sails —- Main, two jibs and topsail, clipper cloth new 2018

DIRECT CURRENT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 

DC System Voltage – 12 volts

Storage Batteries, Number and Type – Four group 24 in two banks

Battery Stowage – Wood tray

DC Wiring – Boat cable

DC Power Distribution System – Switch panel

DC Circuit Protection – Circuit breakers

Electrical Monitoring System – Voltmeter

Battery Charging System – Engine alternator

ELECTRONIC NAVIGATION SYSTEM 

Compass – Yes

GPS/Chart Plotter – Garmin Handheld

Radar – None

VHF Radio – Motorola fixed and handheld

Fathometer – None

Knotmeter – None

Autopilot – None

Clock – Yes

SAFETY EQUIPMENT 

Personal Flotation Devices (PFD’S) – Type I, 8 adults and 5 child

Throwable Devices(s) – Horseshoe buoy

Sound Signals — Bell and Conch mouth horn

Visual Distress Signals – Flares, expire Sept 2020

Navigational Lighting – Portable LED lights

Lifelines, bow and stern rails – Bulwark

Ventilation – Natural

Smoke detector – None

Carbon monoxide detector – None

Boarding of person from water – Boarding ladder and dinghy in water

Radar reflector – None

Survival Suits – None

Life Raft – None

Portable Fire Extinguisher – Three B-1 dry chemical

GROUND TACKLE 

Bow Anchor – 50 lb Fisherman with 300′ 3/4″ nylon

Spare Anchor – 100 lb Fisherman with 200 of 3/8” chain

Windlass – Manual Willis

TOILET FACILITIES 

Marine Sanitation Device (s) (MSD) – Wilcox Crittenden Manual pump toilet