Fortune 30

[SloopJonB]

I posted this in another forum with no results so before giving up I am going to try it here in the hope someone missed it before.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the sailing qualities of the Fortune 30 cutter? It was designed along Friendship sloop lines by Bob Fortune and Stan Huntingford and built in Vancouver B.C. in the 70's. They were moulded by Coopers and finished by various outfits including several homebuilts from hull & deck kits.

I know quite a bit about the design and variable construction but I'd like some input from anyone who has sailed one.

[mitiempo]

I have never sailed one but have seen more than a few over the years. Good looking boat in a solid traditional way. There is a nice one at Portside marina in Brentwood Bay.

I'd guess they aren't the best to windward but many good boats aren't either. I don't think they are a design with many vices. The current condition will be the biggest issue after several decades and possible owner modifications.

I'm old enough to remember Bob Fortune, who was a weatherman on the CBC I think. I remember reading in Pacific Yachting about his creation of the boat with Stan Huntingford. Probably in the early 70's. Stan's designs were all aimed at offshore use which was Bob's intention as well. I have seen badly built Huntingford boats but I think the designs were good. It seems that they were built by Philbrooks in Sidney.

A quick search shows 5 for sale in B.C. - prices of 8900, 14,000, 19,900, 22,900, and in Gibsons one for 34,800.

FORTUNE 30 CUTTER - Vancouver Sailboats For Sale - Kijiji Vancouver Canada.
fortune 30 by philsbrook - Vancouver Sailboats For Sale - Kijiji Vancouver Canada.
Sailboat Listing Used Preowned Passage Yacht Sales Ltd.
Sailboats: 30' Fortune Cutter - Listing #: 3029
Windward Yachts Brokerage Sailboats for Sale: 30 Fortune - 1978. Sunshine Coast, BC

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

I'm old enough to remember Bob Fortune, who was a weatherman on the CBC I think. I remember reading in Pacific Yachting about his creation of the boat with Stan Huntingford. Probably in the early 70's. Stan's designs were all aimed at offshore use which was Bob's intention as well. I have seen badly built Huntingford boats but I think the designs were good. It seems that they were built by Philbrooks in Sidney.

Thanks Mitiempo. I too am old enough to remember Weatherman Bob and in fact sat with him in the cockpit of one at a floating boatshow at the Bayshore back in the day.

We were discussing the fact that the boat had the most comfortable cockpit I ever sat in (still does). He couldn't remember the word "ergonomics" so when describing how he and Huntingford developed the plug he said they "assed" it into shape - sat in it and then made changes, sat in it again and so forth. It really worked! If you get the chance to sit in one, try it and you will see.

The reason for my post is that I have some concerns about its light air performance. I expect it is no ghosting rocket but if it's a real dog in our local conditions I don't want one.

I spoke to a guy in Squamish who has a wood near sistership - actually a duplicate of Huntingfords personal boat. He said it performs well in light stuff so that was a help, especially considering his boat was a ton heavier and had a full (not cutaway) keel.

[mitiempo]

I don't think it is a light air speedster but the sails, like a light drifter will make the largest difference. Heavy boats with long keels can be good in light air.

I was probably at the same boat show.

[Fish_Out_Of_Water]

I've got a couple of magazine articles from “back in the day" featuring the Fortune 30 that include accommodation / sail plan drawings as well. They're PDF's so I can't upload them here but if you're interested let me know your email address I'll forward them.

[bobperry]

The Fortune 30 project started when Bob Fortune came to Jay Benford for a design. I know, I worked for Jay at the time and we were in the same room. Jay took the lines of a 20' Wittholz catboat and blew them up, literally, to 30, changed the bow and called it his own. I was just a kid, probably 20 or 21 years old but even then I thoght that was a weird way to do a "new" design.

I quit working for Jay so I can only speculate on what happened after I left but I would imagine that Bob and Jay had some falling out over the project and Bob went to Stan to take over the design work. Stan was a very good designer.

What I would like to know is where the dividing line is between the work that Jay did and the work that Stan did. Was Jay's work on the design totally discarded? Did Stan start from scratch? When I look at the pics I think I see the same hull that Jay drew. But I could be wrong.

This kind of stuff interests me.

[mitiempo]

I don't think Jay did that very often. Most of his designs look rather unique.

[bobperry]

Brian:
I worked for Jay in two segments for close to four years and I assure you that it was Jay's standard way of coming up with a "new" hull. He would change the bow and the transom but the rest was usually a "spalsh" of an existing design that he scaled up or down to suit. Jay justified it by saying that this way he knew the boat would work. Go back and look at a lot of Jay's early designs. You will see down in the right hand lower corner the initials "RHP". That's me. I was there.

We all have our own way of designing boats and Jay's way has worked for him so Kudos to him for that. I like Jay's work and I agree his boats are unique at least cosmetically. But for me, part of my make up that said to me, "You can do better" was the arrogance of starting each new design with a blank sheet of vellum.

To each his own.

[mitiempo]

Either a blank sheet or a development of one of your own past designs makes sense.

[bobperry]

Brian:
It may depend on how you define "development". I can barely spell it.

Only in one case did I "knock off" one of my own designs and that is when I designed what was to bcome the Polaaris 43. It was a twin to the Valiant 40 with 12" more freeboard. I had been told it was to be a one off. Then the client bum took the design to Taiwan and had several built without paying me a dime in royalties.

The rest of the time, while paying lots of attention to my previous designs, I started with a bare sheet of vellum with no other set of lines under it. I was brash. I always thought that "this time I'll do it better." That's what drove me. Still does.