Fleet
Sailboats
Gracie S |
Pete Kubatsky |
The original Gracie 'S' was built in 1893 and operated in San Francisco Bay as a pilot schooner and measured 95 feet from bow to stern. A pilot schooner was a service boat that took harbor pilots out to ocean-going ships to pilot that ship back to berth. The schooner operated for 50 years and was fitted with steam engines roughly 15 years after its construction. She had a pair of two cylinder oil-fired steam engines, each connected to a propeller. Supposedly bought by the actor Sterling Hayden in 1947 and he took his family to Tahiti on it. The ship later made an appearance in the movie Sea Wolf. Pete is scratch-building this model ship using a very complete set of plans from the Smithsonian Institute which were commisioned by the WPA in 1938. The 1:27 scale model will hold 11 lbs of ballast and have six sails. The model made its maiden voyage in the spring of 2003.
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| The hull in progress laying on the Smithsonian Museum produced plans | Side view showing the progress. Plenty of work left on the rigging | |
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| Decking is starting | Close-up of the below-waterline treatment to the hull to appear like a copper clad hull | |
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| The 'Gracie S' doing what a sailboat is born to do |
Viking |
Tom O'Dell |
Tom has several boats and he feels this is one of his best efforts
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