Any other Fraser 41/42 owners here?
We've met around a half dozen up in B.C. now. We saw two in Garden Bay, Pender Harbor and we met an owner finished 41 named Shellback at NewCastle Island. The owners are long time members of the Blue Water Cruising Association up there (IIRC) and Shellback is their second Fraser. They finished a Fraser 30 and cruised it back in the late 70's. When they came home, they met a Fraser 41 sailing the other way and the wife asked the husband "what kind of boat is that?" He said "a Fraser 41." She said, "that's our next boat." They bought a bare hull and finished it off themselves. IIRC, it took them 7 years and they were kind enough to crack open their photo album and show us the pictures of their progress. I really admire the sweat equity that folks will put into their dreams. I don't know that I have what it takes to do that.I purchased a Fraser 41, 1977 vintage in Vancouver BC a year ago - sailed across to Vancouver Island in 25 knots N.W. and my wife on helm actually loved the boat. All old electronics have now been replaced. Various upgrades to sails, running rigging - installed new propane system etc. etc.
Boat is built extremely well, Glass work is exceptional, surveyed out really well structurally at 33 years and counting. This is a boat you can take anywhere in comfort. Sails well in light airs as well. Some cosmetics to do now but what a boat! Isuzu 53 hp is plenty. Installed new house batts and a Balmer 110 amp alternator and smart regulator - works great. Many years of good boating to be done. Radar is next. Good luck with yours!
S.V. Rain Wolf.
Hi,Hi There, Yes I have a Fraser 42 - Full Sail. Now berthed in Gulf Harbour, New Zealand. I have owned her for about 15 years now - A wonderful boat, very sea kind and comfortable.
Ray.. do you know the designer of record for the Fraser boats, then? I seem to recall that the first was designed by an airline pilot....... He rowed over to our boat up in Desolation Sound and told me the story of how "Full Sail" came about and how the DeKleer brothers started building their own version of "Full Sail" which became the Fraser 41.
Quite right, my mistake.. interesting coincidence, though, isn't it?Faster, I think you meant Douglas Cook....
This is the story I heard. An airline pilot designed what he thought would be the perfect sailboat. He built a mold and laid up three boats, one for him and two others for friends. This may have been in the late 60's or early 70's. The DeKleer brothers got the hull mold. Aire and his brother laid up hulls and then sold them to owners to finish them up. Aire and his brother also laid up some Bristol Channel Cutters and some Endurance 35's and three of the Fraser 51's. Aire said the lay up they did on their hulls was robust by today's standards. He was very proud at how strong their boats were. He said that in the big Cabo storm in the early 80's, several boats were washed up on the beach and destroyed. Three boats were salvageable. A steel boat owned by some famous French cruiser, a DeKleer Built Bristol Channel Cutter and a DeKleer built Endurance 35. They pushed the Endurance off the beach with a bulldozer. It was sailed up by the owner and refurbished. The owner of the boat confirmed this account on another sailing website.Ray.. do you know the designer of record for the Fraser boats, then? I seem to recall that the first was designed by an airline pilot..