N277 Seagull

[National 12 Webmaster]

The life of N277 Seagull.   Design: Sunshine Mk 1, designed by: Charles Currey in 1936

Prior to October 2013 the Association did not hold details of the boat name, designer, design or builder for this boat.  The boat records and this database have been updated on the basis of the postings below of the 16th & 18th October 2013.

[edwillett]

Very interesting to find N277 has turned up on eBay after all these decades, looking to be in fabulous condition. Located in Cwmbran, South Wales. Seller has very helpfully sent me additional photos which I attach below. He advises that the name on the transom is "Seagull" and we can see that she was built by Burnes Shipyard. The ebay ad describes her as an Uffa Fox dinghy, but is she an Uffa King or a Charles Currey Sunshine Mk1? We will probably never know.
Ebay Item number 131017537952. Titled as "Wooden sailing Boat" with sub title of "used wooden uffa fox sailing clinker, good condition for an old boat with a spare set of sails"

[edwillett]

Further close up pictures taken by the current owner and emailed to me. (one at a time!)

[edwillett]

next one's

[edwillett]

final two

[johnk]

The Transom looks like a "Sunshine". We should ask Tim Gatti to check with his Uffa King plans.

[Tim Gatti]

My guess is that she's an Uffa King - the close ups tend to distort the width of the transom - but the long shot of her on her trailer looks identical to the picture of MAT N341 my 1938 Uffa King attached with this posting, although the side-deck configuration is a little different. 
Not sure what the bulkhead forward of the mast step is for - it looks like it would simply retain water in the bow when she was righted from a capsize; or had a previous owner started to construct a bow tank??
I wonder why she wasn't fitted with full length stringers.

[Tim Gatti]

And here a shot of N3451 - transom looking v similar (This one was lofted from the original plans)
Tim

[johnk]

I agree that Tim is correct. It is an Uffa King.

[edwillett]

On further reflection I tend to think she should be recorded as a Charles Currey designed Sunshine Mk1. Firstly all the other boats in this build sequence are Currey Mk1's. Secondly...if I go back to the Handbook and the history of these first Currey boats we record "The Currey Sunshine was a progressive development from the Uffa King, and the first Currey designs that appeared in 1937 were nick named "Currey Crib's", as they were so close in shape to the Uffa King. These earlier boats were very succesful with Charles himself sailing Sparkle (N275) to second in the 1937 Burton Cup race with Stewart Morris placing 6th in another (Surprise N207). the Currey boats were characterised by their open, deckless layout and wooden "spaceframe" to support the mast. These early pre Sunshine (N461) boats are now formally named Sunshine Mk1's....". I also doubt very much that Burnes were building Sunshine Mk1's and Uffa Kings side by side....so my conclusion is that N277 is a Currey designed Sunshine Mk1.

[Tim Gatti]

Yes - I think Ed's correct - I hadn't looked up the Yearbook data and on doing so it is clear that Burnes Shipyard seemed  to build nothing but Currey Sunshine Mk 1's during this period...
26 boats in all from N162 'Scorn' in 1936 through to N373 'Brent' in 1938.  Looking at the photo of N207 on p181 the deckless layout and spaceframe to support the mast is clear to see.
The photos of N277 would suggest that she has undergone some 'surgery' - possibly the removal of the space frame stiffeners, removal of the forward section of the centreboard case forward of the mast step, to permit the placement of a forward 'bulkhead' and the addition of rudimentary side-decks.