The boat featured is not currently for sale by Boatshed. The boat information and images presented are part of Boatshed’s back catalogue of the 25,000+ boats we have listed in the last 20 years and appear here for general information and guidance purposes about Boatshed and our boat selling systems and services

Gaff Rigged 61 Topsail Schooner

USCG Inspected Charter Vessel
£0 Sold / Unavailable
  • Boat REF#  ·  316160
  • LOA  ·  18.59m
  • Year  ·  1977
  • Construction  ·  Wood
  • Underwater profile  ·  Long keel
  • Berths  ·  10
  • Engine  ·  1 x Diesel 230hp, John Deere 6068AFM85 six cylinder diesel (2018)
  • Lying  ·  San Juan Islands, WA USA - Shown by Appointment
Boatshed Seattle
Boatshed Seattle
Dave Carleson

The boat featured is not currently for sale by Boatshed. The boat information and images presented are part of Boatshed’s back catalogue of the 25,000+ boats we have listed in the last 20 years and appear here for general information and guidance purposes about Boatshed and our boat selling systems and services

Extra Details

Designer Bob Sloan
Builder Bob Sloan
Lying San Juan Islands, WA USA - Shown by Appointment
Fuel capacity 454.5 ltr Total - 2 Tanks
Water capacity 727.3 ltr Total - 2 Tanks
Holding tank capacity 113.6 ltr Total - 1 Tanks
Last survey 24/05/2022

Mechanical

Engine 1 x Diesel 230hp
Engine make and model John Deere 6068AFM85 six cylinder diesel (2018)
Engine Hours engine1= 855
Engine Cooled Indirect
Steering Wheel
Drive Shaft
Prop(s) 28 x 24 RH four blade bonze
Fuel consumption (approx) 18.2 ltr /hour At Cruising Speed
Cruising speed (approx) 8 knots
Generator output 6KVA
Generator Hours 237

Maximum speed will be reached via sails and therefore is unavailable.

The engine was installed in 2019. The John Deere 6.8L PowerTech diesel is turbocharged and aftercooled. This is a modern high-pressure common-rail (HPCR) model with full electronic control. Fuel consumption is approximately 4 GPH at 1500 RPM per specifications.

The generator is a Northern Lights 6 KW model housed in a full sound shield enclosure.

The engine room is a delight. There is good access to all of the equipment. All is clean and orderly.

Dimensions

LOA 18.59m
LOD 18.59m
LWL 15.95m
Beam 4.75m
Draft Max 2.44m
Displacement 39,009kg
Headroom 1.91m
Storage On marina

Rig

Schooner rigged Shipwright Wood spars (2013) with galvanised standing rigging (2015)

Sails

Mainsail Force 10 - (2010)
Headsail Force 10 - (2010)
Other sails Gaff Foresail (2010)
Staysial (2010)
Main Gaff Topsail (2010)
2010 (2010)

2009 The standing rigging was completely overhauled and replaced.
2010 A new set of sails.
2012/13 New mainmast. Chainplates removed, re-galvanized, and reinstalled.
2014/15 Running rig overhauled and upgraded
2015/16 New foremast.
2016/17 New bowsprit. New Kranze iron of bronze. Bronze chainplates on the whisker stays.
2017/18 New Main Gaff.

Comments on the sails and rigging from the surveyor:
"The masts are solid Douglas-fir and are less than 10 years old. Equipment on the mast was well secured. The spars are also solid wood and are in good condition. Finish is firmly adhered."

"Stitching was found tight and not UV degraded. Boltropes were without chafe. Cloth was clean and without mildew. The lines aboard are in very good condition. The sails were made by Force 10 Sails on Marrowstone Island, Washington. The rigging was inspected by world-renowned tall-ship captain, rigger, and sailmaker Wayne Chimenti when the vessel was brought to the Pacific Northwest."

Force 10 Gaff mainsail;
Force 10 Gaff foresail;
Force 10 Staysail;
Force 10 Jib;
Force 10 Main gaff topsail;
Force 10 Fisherman staysail;
Force 10 Gollywobbler (flying sail)

Electrical Systems

12 volt battery, 110 volt generator, 110 shore power voltage, 5 batteries charged by: engine, shore power, generator ;Chargetek Automatic Battery Charger

Construction

Construction Wood
Underwater profile Long keel
Finish Paint finish

Vessel Length Over All is 80 feet.

From the recent 2022 survey..." SPIKE AFRICA presents the appearance of a well designed and constructed wooden sailing vessel that is structurally sound and in very good condition. The overall impression is that the vessel was initially well-built to robust scantlings, and has been extensively restored starting in 2009 then culminating in 2019".

This vessel was built by Bob Sloan in Costa Mesa, CA. The schooner was built over seven years and launched on Valentine’s Day 1977. The current owner has completed an extensive re-build and re-fit including the masts, the rigging, new engine, generator and sails.

This design is heavily influenced by East Coast style coasting schooners which were designed to carry cargo. The scantlings of these vessels are robust to meet the demanding nature of their work. Certain design features such as the broad transom stern, the boxy cabin-house construction, the clipper bow, and raised quarterdeck, immediately convey the east coast influence on this vessel.

The schooner has a clipper bow with an engraved cutwater and billethead. The forefoot is moderately curved and turns into a long, straight keel. The rudder is keel-hung. A small counter-stern extends the hull aft of the rudder and meets the broad transom. The deck is on two planes, with the forward deck starting at the bow and extending to just forward of the mainmast. A break-timber provides a step-up onto the quarterdeck, which is encircled with wooden stanchions and railings. The cockpit has a circular footwell. Cabin houses are boxy with cambered overheads. Davits hang off the stern to lift the dinghy.

Scantlings:

Bulkheads: Solid-wood.
Clamp: 5-3⁄4” sided x 1-3⁄4” molded.
Deck:
Sub-deck: 1” tongue-and-groove Douglas fir, laid fore-and-aft. Deck: 11⁄2” Douglas fir, sprung parallel to rail.
Deck Beams: 3” sided x 4-1⁄4” molded, apitong.
Floors 3” sided on 20” centers.
Frames 6” sided x 4-1⁄2” molded, double-sawn apitong, on 20” centers.
Keel: Originally built with Douglas-fir. 12” to 161⁄2” wide. Purpleheart was employed for a repair in 2010.
Longitudinals: 9-1⁄4” sided x 1-1⁄2” molded.
Planking: 2” Douglas fir.
Shelf: 5-1⁄2” sided x 1-1⁄2” molded.

Additional tankage:
15 gallon Water Heater (120v or engine coolant heated);
Two (2) five gallon propane tanks

Waterline Boats / Boatshed does not independently verify capacities and measures which are sourced from seller-provided information and/or published literature.

Accommodation

Total # of berths 10
No. of double berths 4
No. of single berths 2
Cabin(s) 3
Handbasin 2
Heads 2 heads (Manual)

The vessel is laid out from bow to stern as follows:

Forwardmost is the chain locker, accessed through a watertight hatch in the fo’c’s’le. The fo’c’s’le holds two pilot berths, a double to port and a single to starboard with stowage beneath both. A small workbench is also in this compartment as well as an enclosed head.

Passing aft through a watertight bulkhead door leads to the center cabin. This area was previously used for cargo but has been converted to accommodate passengers. To port is a U-shaped settee and table that can be converted to a double berth. To starboard is double-berth.

Moving aft through another watertight door leads to a small area forward of the engine compartment. In this space, an enclosed head to starboard and double pilot-berth is to port. Passing through the head leads to the engine compartment. A passageway on port leads up to the main salon.

In the main salon, a passenger berth is tucked under the deck to port. The captain’s quarters are port-aft, with a double-berth and full-sized chart table. Raised over the engine is the galley table and built-in settees. The L-shaped galley is to starboard-aft. Centerline steps lead up to the aft deck.

5 burner gas cooker/stove

Accommodation

Cooker/stove
Grill
Oven
Sink
Refrigerator
Freezer
Pressurised water system
Hot water system
Cockpit shower

The vessel is laid out from bow to stern as follows:

Forwardmost is the chain locker, accessed through a watertight hatch in the fo’c’s’le. The fo’c’s’le holds two pilot berths, a double to port and a single to starboard with stowage beneath both. A small workbench is also in this compartment as well as an enclosed head.

Passing aft through a watertight bulkhead door leads to the center cabin. This area was previously used for cargo but has been converted to accommodate passengers. To port is a U-shaped settee and table that can be converted to a double berth. To starboard is double-berth.

Moving aft through another watertight door leads to a small area forward of the engine compartment. In this space, an enclosed head to starboard and double pilot-berth is to port. Passing through the head leads to the engine compartment. A passageway on port leads up to the main salon.

In the main salon, a passenger berth is tucked under the deck to port. The captain’s quarters are port-aft, with a double-berth and full-sized chart table. Raised over the engine is the galley table and built-in settees. The L-shaped galley is to starboard-aft. Centerline steps lead up to the aft deck.

5 burner gas cooker/stove

Deck Gear

Warps
Fenders
Davits
Swim Ladder

windlass
1 anchors
(CQR, 60# galvanized)
121.92m of chain
dinghy (2014)
(RIB)
9.9hp outboard, Yamaha, Short Shaft (2014)

Nav Equipment

Compass
Speed
Log
Radar
VHF
VHF DSC radio
GPS
Chart plotter
Navigation lights
AIS Receiver
Echo sounder

6” Danforth Constellation, binnacle-mount, top-read magnetic card;
Standard Horizon Matrix GX3000S VHF-DSC (with AIS and GPS);
Icom IC-M24 Handheld VHF;
Standard Horizon RAM3 Remote Control Microphone for VHF;
Furuno NAVnet MFD Display with radar, charts, GPS, depth sounder;
Furuno Universal AIS;

Safety Equipment

LPG Detector
Carbon Monoxide detector
Liferaft
Life jackets
Life buoys
Horn
EPIRB 406MHz
Boarding ladder
Emergency steering

4 bilge pumps (1 manual / 3 Electric)

(2) 12 VDC 3500 GPH Rule electric bilge pumps;
(1) Engine Power Take-Off (PTO) bilge manifold pump;
(1) Whale Gusher 25 GPM manual bilge pump;
(5) Bilge compartment alarms;
(2) Watertight door alarms;
25 person Revere inflatable liferaft, recently inspected;

Broker's Comments

7 VIRTUAL TOURS - 1 VIDEO - 104 PHOTOS - FULL SPECS & BROKER'S COMMENTS CAN BE VIEWED OF THIS VESSEL!

HEALTH DICTATES THAT THIS BOAT NEEDS TO SELL!

SPIKE AFRICA has become an icon in the world of active schooners. Bob Sloan, the builder, took seven years working mostly alone to complete the construction of the boat. He took time away from other builds taking place in his boat yard to prioritize completion of this vessel.

Upon completion he set out operating her in a traditional way as a long distance cargo vessel, hauling racing sail boat gear for boat races like the Transpac and others in Mexico. He also used SPIKE AFRICA to tow the racing sailboats back to their home ports as well as providing commercial towing for the insurance companies. This boat also towed a 115' Feadship motor yacht across the the Atlantic from the Mediterranean Sea. SPIKE AFRICA traveled more than one million sea miles and transited the Panama Canal more than 50 times.

The current owner has completed a total re-build and re-fit and has used SPIKE AFRICA as a very successful charter schooner in the Pacific Northwest and includes a current USCG Certificate of Inspection (COI) for continued charter work. This level of certification requires a diligent inspection for vessel structural and mechanical condition and safety compliance annually.

The surveyor commented favorably on the vessel in his 2022 report summary:

"SPIKE AFRICA presents the appearance of a well designed and constructed wooden sailing vessel that is structurally sound and in very good condition. The overall impression is that the vessel was initially well-built to robust scantlings, and has been extensively restored starting in 2009 then culminating in 2019."

Wooden Boat Magazine #70 (available on-line) has a wonderful article about the builder, Bob Sloan and the story of the schooner SPIKE AFRICA. She's an exceptional historic vessel in outstanding condition, ready for continued service and truly representing an exceptional opportunity for her next owner.

These boat details are subject to contract.
Note: Offers on the asking price may be considered.

Where the particulars herein give details of a boat, whether new or used, they are intended to give a fair description of the vessel but are not guaranteed as accurate or complete. They shall not form part of any offer or contract for the sale of the vessel. The prospective purchaser is recommended to independently check the particulars and the vessel. The vendor is not selling in the course of a business unless otherwise stated. Personal property is excluded from the sale of the vessel unless specifically included in the listing specification above or in a purchase contract. Personal property may be equipment or gear not permanently attached to the vessel including but not limited to: artwork, entertainment equipment, fishing equipment, TV receivers, recreational equipment, kayaks, tools, and personal appliances. Photos that may incidentally depict owners' personal property do not convey that such items are included in the sale of the vessel unless such items are specifically listed herein. At all times, where the particulars herein give details of a new boat and/or a new boat to be supplied/built by a builder/manufacturer, or a boat to be chartered, via our introduction, we do not guarantee or assume responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of any information offered by third-party companies in respect thereof including without limitation new boat builders/manufacturers, charter companies and/or companies/businesses which are ‘Friends of Boatshed’. We shall not be responsible for, or party to, any transactions, contracts or agreements between you and such third-party providers of products or services and it is incumbent upon you to verify such details direct with such entities and contract with them at your sole discretion and on terms that you agree.