[SOLD] Sparkman & Stevens 24 cruising yacht

[HappyGuy]

The Sparkman and Stephens 24 keel yacht “Blue Gum” that I restored and launched in Sept 2013 and sold last year is up for sale again by the present owner. See https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats...hens-24/217550
She is located in Brisbane, Australia.
This yacht would be suitable for a young couple looking to do some extended coastal and offshore cruising.
She is a smaller version of the yacht Jessica Watson sailed around the world in.

A sister ship was sailed single handed in 2003 from NZ to France via Vanuatu, Darwin, Cocos Keeling, Reunion, Madagascar, Cape Town, Barbados where his brother joined him, the Azores then to France.
When I restored “Blue Gum” I did some modification to make her stronger and more seaworthy as I had planned to take her up to New Caledonia, Indonesia and around Australia but unfortunately I ended up on dialysis before I could do that.
Some of the modifications I did was to glass the hull/deck joint, fit four 2inch diameter drains in the cockpit, a Yanmar 7hp diesel engine and Gori folding prop with rope cutter, two 70 litre water tanks, holding tank, all LED lighting including navigation lights, dorade vents in fwd cabin and a modified Belcher wind vane self-steering gear which I modified from a horizontal vane to the more modern inclined vane and remade the casting that held the vane to one from solid aluminium.
There is a little footage here of sailing with the self-steering gear engaged – both going to windward and running. Dolphin24.org - A Website For Dolphin Owners and Others Interested inthis Classic Design
Some photos of “Blue Gum” can be seen on this website Dolphin24.org - A Website For Dolphin Owners and Others Interested inthis Classic Design
In 2016/17 my younger son and family took “Blue Gum” cruising up the Queensland Coast as far as Bundaberg and from there north to Lady Musgrave Island at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef and then back to Brisbane. Their youngest child was just a month old when they went aboard.

Unfortunately some of the details listed on the for sale advert are incorrect
Here are the corrected details
The hull and deck was built by Mc Dell Marine, Henderson, Auckland NZ.
Displacement is 4600 pounds (About two tonnes)
Fuel consumption about 1 litre per hour.
Water – two 70 litre tanks.
No refrigeration – but there is a reasonable sized ice box..
A forward and main cabin
Manual toilet with holding tank
Mast is Aluminium with stainless steel rigging. Rigging is 4 yrs old.

[john61ct]

Nice boat! Is 4'6" headroom correct?

[HappyGuy]

The headroom is 5 feet 7 inches in the main cabin
Sitting headroom in fwd cabin

The video of Blue Gum sailing under self steering is here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vPbhefPXbo

[HappyGuy]

The website about a sister-ship sailing NZ to France is here
Dolphin24.org - A Website For Dolphin Owners and Others Interested in this Classic Design

[HappyGuy]

Sorry - head-room is 5 feet 8 inches - not 5 feet 7 inches.
I am 5 feet 7 1/2 inches and I can stand easily inside.

[john61ct]

Sorry, assumed it is a Dolphin 24 from the website references.

So not any "production" design?

[HappyGuy]

All the S&S 24 yachts built in NZ are exactly the same hull design as the US Dolphin but had a fin keel designed by Olin Stevens for the heavier weather encountered in that part of the world (NZ is partly in the roaring 40's).
As well as the fin keel the mast is taller (30 feet above cabin top) with IOR rig.

The earlier S&S 24 yachts produced had the S&S design cabin, then a new locally designed deck was made and fitted to the hull. This deck has slightly more head-room.
Some 50 or so boats were built - some with the S&S cabin and some with the later design.

Blue Gum has this later deck design - but it had a couple of bad flaws which I corrected when I did the restoration.

Both versions sail in NZ in the same class and because they are such a great sea-boat usually don't change hands very often.
I had Blue Gum for over 20 years.



When I had her in NZ it was not uncommon to bash home against 35 knots of wind with many miles of fetch after a weekend away.
With a clean bottom she will happily average 5 knots in a breeze of 10 knots towing a light plywood dinghy.

Here is some history of the NZ S&S 24 yachts
Dolphin24.org - A Website For Dolphin Owners and Others Interested in this Classic Design

[HappyGuy]

NOW REDUCED TO A$15,000 - A bargain for a yacht that will take to anywhere you want to go!!

[Fore and Aft]

I met your son and his family at Tin Can Bay marina. They looked pretty happy considering how small the yacht was. Are they going to go cruising again?
Cheers

[HappyGuy]

My son and family certainly enjoyed their cruise on Blue Gum.
I asked them if they would do it again and there was a resounding YES!! from Dave and Cherrie-Anne- but would like a bit bigger boat next time.
Extended cruising on 24 feet for five people including a baby a few months old is pushing it a bit. (They were away for four months - but they proved it can be done - and they came back still a happy family)
.
They sailed as far north as Bundaberg and then out to Lady Musgrave Island fifty odd miles north of Bundaberg. They said that being at Lady Musgrave was the highlight of their voyage.

They then did an overnight passage back down to the west coast of Fraser Island then back across the Wide Bay Bar and worked their way back to Brisbane. No real dramas along the way at all.

A young couple with perhaps one or two kids would have a ball doing extended cruising in this boat.
I set it up properly for extended cruising including offshore but was not able to do that myself due to health issues unfortunately.
I had planned to take her up to places like New Caledonia,Bali and around Australia.

Blue Gum is a very sea-worthy boat and would take anyone around the world if they wanted to.
(A sister ship was sailed from NZ to France via top of Australia, across Indian Ocean, around South Africa, up the Atlantic to the Caribbean - all single handed - then across to France with his brother in mid 2000's I think.
His best run was 157 nautical miles in 24 hours between Vanuatu and Darwin.
He averaged over 110 miles a day sailing up the South Atlantic - so these boats are no slug - yet have a good comfortable motion at sea.

I have learned that size doesn't have a great bearing on sea-worthiness. The important factors are good design and sound construction. Blue Gum has both of those.

[HappyGuy]

Blue Gum was sold after my son and family did their voyage - and is back on the market again by the new owner who it seems used it mainly for accommodation when in town.

It might be a while before my son and family go cruising again. Dave had long service leave at the time and with bringing up 3 kids as they get older saving enough may take some time.
But sure they would love to go cruising again if they could afford the time and cost.

[HappyGuy]

This vessel has now been sold. The new owner got a real Bargain!!
Plans to do some offshore sailing in her I understand