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In January 2013 we purchased this lovely 37 foot sail boat. It was originally built in Taiwan China and was ordered by a New Jersey couple in 1977. This particular boat design "Island Trader" was made and sold from China between the years 1975-1988.
After quite a few years, the boat changed [...]
hands and eventually ended up being docked in Port Charlotte Florida where she foundered in hurricane Charlie back in 2004. At that time she was raised at the docks from her partially water filled hull and underwent an extensive retrofit with new electrical wiring and upgraded masts. Since that time she has been in various ports such as Marco Island, and other various South West Florida locations. Circumstances yet again allowed the boat to end up in St. Petersburg Florida, and that is where we first saw the China Clipper in person, at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina where the vessel was up for sale. Nothing more extensive had been done to refurbish the vessel since 2004, so we found her in disrepair and in need of cosmetic surgery.
Glenn has always wanted a sail boat his dream became my dream and together we moved ahead with the purchase.
Since that time we have began the slow process of doing a full rehab on the sail boat. It was our original intention to have the boat eventually docked in Key West Florida. I am happy to say that 3 years later we have accomplished our goal and now have the vessel as a full time live aboard in Key West.
Over the past 3 years the amount of work done on the vessel has involved major and minor repairs with most of the time being spent on cosmetics. Structurally speaking the boat hull is very sound, and for the boats age, it is in pretty darn good shape. When she was first pulled from the water, after being in the water for 5 consecutive years, the hull barnacle build up was moderate, but to our amazement when Glenn spent 8 weeks sanding her hull, there was not one spot of delaminating or blister. WE COULD not get over how thick and beautiful the hull was and the excellent condition it was in. It goes to show that these Taiwan fiberglass hulls from the mid 70s are an excellent source of strength and quality. Back at that time Fiberglass building was new and the builders did not know how much fiberglass was needed for structure soundness so they went a bit overboard. In years following the introduction of fiberglass boat building, it was discovered not so much product was needed to get same strength and structure reliability so hulls after that time became thinner and thinner, we luck out in getting this "TANK of a boat" with this extra thick Fiberglass situation. When you knock on the hull, it sounds like you are knocking on cement. I almost wonder if it could be an ice breaker in Alaska? This well built hull is very sturdy yet flexible to take on the displacement of the ocean when sailing, especially in foul weather. I cannot stress enough how well this boat can take rough seas.
Since the purchase and rehab we have had two over night sailing experiences with the vessel in foul seas and the applied stressors of such conditions from the waves, swells and wind gusts, have proven to us that this boat can come away unblemished and appears to be built like the Rock of Gibraltar. I have been told that the stresses placed on a boat during high winds is quite extreme, so it is a comfort to know how well this vessel has been constructed.
She truly is a beauty. We love the lines the Teak and the old world charm this Ketch has. She was manufactured and Built in Taiwan by United Ocean Industries. Sold through Marine Trading International, NJ, (USA).
A famous yacht builder from the 1930s and 40s, "Hugh Angleman" built a 35 foot gaff rigged ketch called the "Sea Witch". Our vessel design was inspired from the original "Sea Witch". Hugh designed the Sea Witch specifically for himself and he captured a look from the "Great Clipper Era" The Sea Witch was completed in 1939.
Due to the Angleman history, this has lent to our admiration of this sail bout and why we love the design and lines of our boat so very much. Classic and different, now reaching final stages , she turns heads. You do not see many of these boats around and when we do we just smile and feel so proud. I cannot tell you the people that stop and asked us what kind of boat is that? It is beautiful. I tell you when we hear that we feel like proud parents of a kid on the honor roll.
The boat has a 4.5' shallow draft and full keel, which makes this vessel ideal for Florida and the Caribbean due to the shallow seas and the full keel is also a plus for repelling snagged crab and lobster traps that so plague the Florida coastal waters. The length of the fiberglass hull is 34 feet long with a 3'.33" bow Sprit the LOA is 37'.33". The displacement is 18,000 lbs., because the Keel sports a 6,000 lb. lead ballast, and believe me it is a comfort to know that when the toe rail is riding in the ocean after a strong gust, she rights herself immediately. She sails gentle and steady in fair seas. It is common for us to reach 5 knots under normal sail. We motor at 5 knots and with sails up and motor sailing we average 6.5 - 7 knots. She is considered a long distance cruiser for circumventing the world, however we will only be going short distances with her at first. Her beam is 12' which is the width of the middle of the boat and provides for a stunning middle cabin and settee area. Because of the beam and the way the boat is designed if you are at the waterline directly at the stern looking forward the boat takes on a very squatty wide girth and the look just ads to her charm. It is very, very different that most production sail boats.
Being a "Ketch" means she has two masts, a main and aft mizzen, and four sails total. The sail and mast configuration help to keep the vessel well balanced on the open water. The masts themselves have been upgraded since 1977 as mentioned early from the hurricane Charley event in 2004, and at that time the original wooden masts went away and were replaced with Reef-Way "in mast" Shaffer roller furling retractable sails, a huge upgrade for this style boat. The original Volvo Penta diesel engine has been replaced by a V-1501 Kubota diesel marinised by Universal Atomic IV. When we refurbished the Kubota diesel, we first laid down airplane grade aluminum stringers that an engineer helped configure for the motor to mount too, It was at that time, my son who does SAR rescues for the US Coast Guard was with me for a couple of weeks and his influence on installing the stringers and mounts was valuable because he brought aboard his Technical Knowledge of working with different metals and specs he is so accustomed to in the air industry with the 65's (Helicopters he works on) in his unit.
The Kubota to date has had a complete head and valve job as well as new rear main oil seal and retainer plate, and a state of the art spring less damper plate. We replaced the old 1982 HURTH transmission with a new beefed up version of the HURTH Z-F10: 2:1 Ratio. Along with the new transmission we installed a drive saver and a new PSS drip less shaft seal. The Rudder post has been repacked with floss after 30 years of use. The old Prop when the vessel had the Volvo Penta was a two blade left hand turn, and that was changed to a Brand New Michigan Wheel 3 blade Right hand turn Prop. (We are slightly over propped but within a very good range).
In the pictures you will see while she went from "Forest Green" in color in 2013 to her current classic flag blue hull and snow white cabin and decks.
The China Clipper Teak scrolled Stern Placard I have re done with red letters, and the boat overall sports many red accents from the anchor to the accessories to the prop to the fine scroll work in the Teak bow panels.
The original Teak decking is gone. These Taiwan built Island Traders are known to develop severe leaking in later years and due to this leaking issue, they are known as "Leaky Teakies". One of the main components in our re core process was not to have the stanchions bolt through the decks to the cabin below. Glenn and I came up with what is called G-10 Cakes. This is 10 or more layers of fiberglass laid up in a thick cake and all bolts and hardware that need to go through the core, go through this glassed in cake instead so bolts go through pure fiberglass and not the wood core, thus avoiding water penetration into the core of the deck alleviating the risk of rotting out the new core.
We have painstakingly re cored the entire vessels decks including the cockpit and new fiberglass outer skin of the decks. They have been painted and anti slip applications in traffic area's with pumice. When the Cockpit was re cored, the entire pedestal and steering components were braced, reinforced and made much more sturdy than they were when we first purchased the vessel. As you can imagine crowding almost 40 years in age many of the deck structural components needed refurbishment, replacement or upgrade. The cockpit pedestal has been upgraded with a custom built gauge box and we added 12 volt USB port access for use with I-pad navigational systems. The original black Iron diesel tank was replaced with an identical fabricated matched aluminum fuel tank complete with polishing returns to scrub the fuel and a very large clean out access point. It is 40 gallons in capacity and we have determined we average .5 gal diesel burn moving 5 knots with the Kubota at 1600 RMP. The upgraded marine Ocean Breeze A/C and heating unit has been refurbished with hard start relay and new thermostat and circulating water pump along with a new salt water strainer. All the plumbing throughout the vessel has been replaced with PEX flexible plumbing with brass and stainless steel fittings so the vessel is now a pressurized with city water system when at shore, along with an upgraded valve system to fill the fresh water 160 gallon stainless steel tank with pressurized city water without having to open the water through hull on the portside deck. The 160 gallon freshwater tank still can be filled the old fashioned way when not at dock. All port lights have been pulled and re sealed. My hope is to eventually upgrade the existing bronze rectangle port lights with New Found Metal Round Stainless Steel 12" ports that I feel with give the vessel a 1930s look after that upgrade.
The Butterfly hatch has had the double pane glazed windows replaced with double pane safety glass, and the stationary ports and V-birth hatch have had the old Plexiglas removed and replaced with new Plexiglas.
As far as what Teak remains, I have spent hours meticulously sanding and refurbishing the Toe Rail, placards, rub rail and bow pulpit and bowsprit along with the eyebrow that runs on the side of the cabin all the way round. The Teak carved designs and scroll work, of the baluster newel posts that sit atop the taffrail have been brought back to their original luster along with the companion way doors, hatch and grab rails. The end product was well worth all the labor. The Teak and Stainless wheel that steers the vessel as well has been carefully refurbished and brought back to its original beauty. I have made custom canvas covers for the Wheel and companion way doors and hatch along with the V-birth hatch. The new custom made canvas covers all snap into place and look really handsome.
As part of our retrofit to the vessel we removed all unnecessary through hulls that were below the waterline, maintaining only two below waterline the engine cooling intake and the central air conditioning intake. The rest of the necessary through hulls were moved to the waterline for added safety and less liability. All the seacock's and valves were replaces with the top of the line insuring vessel safety and seaworthiness. In addition to the Teak refurbishment, bulk heads were replaced, as well as new allure cherry waterproof vinyl plank flooring throughout the vessel. The cabin ceiling has been upgraded with PVC vinyl wainscoting panels and the cabin walls have been upgraded to vinyl sheeting that is washable and bright white. The upgrades to the ceiling and walls all contribute to waterproof materials with no threat of mold. The salon settee area has all new upholstery and cushions. All the lighting has been upgraded to LED lighting lessening 12 Volt battery consumption. The double bank 12 volt marine batteries have all been replaced a total of 8 batteries.
Most of the wall plugs have been either upgraded or new ones added, along with USB capability to making it very convenient for all our electronic devices such as I-phones and I-pads.
The galley was moved from Aft to Starboard, sacrificing an existing starboard birth. The Galley retro fit included a new 110 volt ceramic two burner cook top, dishwasher, full size stainless steel deep sink with stainless steel drain board, a wonderful electric Breville Oven and fabulous 3.5 cubic foot 12/110 volt refrigerator freezer. The new butcher block countertops sports very nice appliances and red accessories. The face of the galley cabinet still is in the process of receiving a teak frame with solid teak paneled doors. Where the aft Galley once was, that has now been converted to a wonderful navigational map table and office space with the same butcher block countertops as used in the galley.
The hot water tank was replaced with a wonderful Isotherm Stainless Steel insulated 10 gallon tank that works off 110 volt or engine cooling system when not on shore power. I cannot tell you HOW HOT our water is. It literally can scald you if you are not careful. It is perfect for the dishwasher to work optimally because the water is so hot.
Stay tuned as we continue to breathe life back into this charming boat in the Robbins/Singer fashion.
We are expecting to have this vessel for a long, long time. Please enjoy our photo's as we push forward in our never ending labor of love to keep this vessel in tip top shape.
We have kept the name "China Clipper" because that is her original name, and so fitting given her history with Hugh Angleman's involvement in design and the fact she comes from Taiwan builders.
It is said that it is very bad luck via Sailor Superstition to change the name of a boat without going through the a very involved traditional name changing practice which insures no bad luck follows a vessel, but truly when you look at this boat and its history there really is no other fitting name I would rather have. Follow us on our journey as it continues to unfold. Our Mascot "Lola" is part of this venture and she just LOVES being on near and round the boat. She has made the perfect Sea Going Dog... So as we grow old together the three Salty Dogs...head out for the far reaching blue horizon and are looking forward to all the adventures that lay ahead.
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