Ventnor Moth for sale

One of the more pleasant aspects of putting together a blog about Classic and Vintage era Moth Boats is the unearthing of a survivor boat.  Particularly so if the survivor is more or less intact and hasn't been subject to change from period authentic hardware.  Such is the case of the subject of today's post.  The current owner of this boat first contacted fellow blogger Tweezerman and Tweezerman, in turn, tipped me off.  After exchanging a few emails I rec'd the following ad with photos to share.  Interested parties can contact the seller directly.

Classic Ventnor Moth circa 1947

This is a post WWII Ventnor Boat Works moth.  It was bought from Ross Equipment Company in Norfolk, VA by my grandfather.  It was used sparingly by my mother for a few years.   The boat has been stored in garages for at least the last 55 years.  The boat and all the equipment are original except for the sail.  The sail appears to be an aftermarket sail from Hilton Head, SC.  The sail is the correct size and is in good shape.  The boat needs work to make it sailable.  I do not know how much.  The boat is located in Winston-Salem, NC.  I would like to find her a good new home. Sale Price:  $500.

Email: burtonkshields@gmail.com

A bow view of the boat and her equipment.

A relatively rare builder's tag.  I've seen a couple versions of this tag but many boats either didn't get one at the works or lost the tag along the way.

Russ Equipment Company was a general seller of boats, including war surplus.  From what I can gather they are no longer in business.

A view of the cockpit.  Note the broken floor board. Nice to see a natural finish inside the hull. The future owner will be spared the task of removing peeling paint from around the frames of the boat.  I've been there, done that--not fun.

A view from the stern.  The period correct barn door rudder with wishbone tiller appears in good condition.

 

The sail appears to be relatively new and is not the Egyptian cotton sail originally issued with the boat.

Sail maker details.  This tells us that the sail is no older than postal zip codes or telephone area codes.  A quick google search suggests that either the loft is out of business or has changed its name.  A quick phone call might prove me wrong, but I'll leave that up to the prospective buyer.

In sum, this appears to be a nice way for someone to enter into the world of Vintage Moth Boat sailing and racing.  I hope to see this boat on the race course soon!

A Greek Classic

Over the past few months, I've been corresponding with Greece based sailor Vassilis Gerostathis.  Vassilis grew up sailing different small dinghy classes including Lightenings, Flying Dutchman, wind surfers etc. before moving up to big boats.  He recently wanted to return to his sailing roots and questioned me about Classic Moth Boat plans.  I explained that shipping plans to overseas addresses tends to double the cost and after sharing photos of different Moths and directing him to other internet sources he struck out on his own and developed his own design using the Mistral and Europe shapes as a starting point.

He originally wanted a Europe dinghy shaped transom but decided to go deeper in the interests of stability.  None the less, hull is deeply veed.

The sharp stem is very much like a Mistral.

Vassilis opted for a three stayed rig based on available windsurfer parts. 

After the first beach launch he has decided that a kick-up rudder is a good idea!

Lots of rocker in the keel line.  She should be frisky.

I like the over-sized inspection port in the main bulkhead.

On the way to the beach for the maiden sail.

This aspect of a boat with a mind of her own is familiar to all Mistral sailors.

I wonder how that windsurfer sail would measure against the CMBA rules?  Looks good!

Lovely sailing waters.

The proud owner indicates that he's gone swimming a time or two but the boat is easy to right.  He has a short list of things to change and hopefully that will include a Moth sail with a proper circle-M insignia!  Well done Vassilis!

youtube videos of the boat in action can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSgkKfZ5fnI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEOWoDBHdA