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.
 |
| 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!
I just love to see and read about these old boats. They deserve to be used and not just shipped off to a museum. You can see hints of a 'Sneak Box' origin in the design!
ReplyDeleteYes, Moths through the mid to late 1940s do bear a resemblance to the smaller versions of the sneak box gunning boats. Since the sneak box originated in the Barnegat Bay region of New Jersey and Moths got their start not far away in mind of an Atlantic City man, the cross pollination is not hard to imagine.
ReplyDeleteHey
ReplyDeleteQuestion does this boat have a number stamped on to the top of the keel trunk? Mine does and I am wondering what it is.
@snapputz: I've seen these numbers stamped into one of the end pieces in several Ventnor Moths. My assumption is that they are Ventnor Boat Works production numbers. They are NOT IMCA racing numbers. As for this boat I have not seen it up close (only the photos which the current owner has provided). I'm not sure if he is aware of this number in his Mother's boat. The same number is often seen in pencil, written on the original Ventnor Boat Works cotton sail, in the tack area close by the Ventnor Boat Works ink stamp. Where are you located and how long have you had your Ventnor Moth?
ReplyDeleteI'm in Oregon. I've had my boat for about 3 weeks. Number 45. What's it take to get a IMCA number. How do I post pics?
ReplyDeleteGo to mothboat.com and click on the contact link. Send an email. I'm the class secretary so I will see it. You can attach some pix of your boat to that email. We can discuss boat numbers and membership in the CMBA via that email.
ReplyDelete