VINTAGE 20thC SMALL ENGLISH GAFF RIGGED "J CLASS" POND YACHT c.1930

A fantastic vintage 20th Century gaff rigged J Class pond yacht. Featuring two tone wood, two fore sails, main split sails, brass detailing and mounted on a matching wooden stand. The yacht is an example of British pond racing yacht and would have raced against similar yachts in competitions, club against club, all over Britain, sometimes against overseas clubs as well. Just like in real sailing competitions, to make things equal in the race, waterlines had to be the same length, plus overall area of the sails needed to be the same.

This yacht would have been part of the Pond Yacht Club scene, competing in Britain against other similar yachts. Of carved wood construction, the hull is colloquially termed as bread and butter. This means that the hull construction consists of layers of wood about one or two inches this layered on top of one another and then carefully carved into the desired shape. It also uses “Braine gear self-steering“. Named after the inventor George Braine, this type of steering uses a counter pulleys and, in a single stride, its invention it advanced model yachting from being a more or less childish pastime to a sport calling for great skill and accuracy which boomed in the early part of the 20th century. Today these pond yachts are extremely decorative and a great addition to any home.

Reference Number: D11141