A GAIA Class S&S- For Sale
I covet this boat for many reasons. Firstly, she’s an S&S from an identical era to our first wooden boat COTTON BLOSSOM the yacht that began the love affair with sailing. Secondly, the Gaia class was the template for the first Swan 36, the marque which we now live aboard. Thirdly, she’s built out of Huon Pine, the greatest boat building timber in the world, and fourthly, she’s beautiful.
So when Stephen Kelly approached SWS to help find a new custodian for her, we were delighted to try and help.
MARIA VAN DIEMAN was built in Williamstown, Victoria in 1964/5 and was presumably named after Cape Maria van Diemen, the westernmost point of the North Island of New Zealand. Surprisingly for a boat that’s only 60 years old, the name of the builder has been lost!
Stephen writes “a couple of shipwrights believe she would have been professionally built due to the design and the quality of construction. I have other sources suggesting that a DG Nicholls (the original owner) built her, but whoever it was, her current condition after 60 years is testament to their skill.”
The hull is hull strip planked, copper nailed Huon Pine sheathed in fiberglass and epoxy on laminated Spotted Gum frames. The Keel timber is thought to be Jarrah. All hull fastenings are cooper/bronze and the floor frames and keel bolts are silicon bronze. Both are in extraordinary condition once you get past 50 odd years of paint and grime. The keel is lead.
There is evidence of repairs to some framing (in the bow) however almost all her framing is original and in good condition. While replacing a couple of old skin fittings in th hull Stephen remarked that “it was remarkable to see zero deterioration on the end grain of the Huon Pine even in the absence of a sealant!”
In 1965/66 Peter Hill a CYCA member for nearly 60 years (who died in 2022) purchased the boat and trucked it from Melbourne to Sydney. Another mystery here is that they believe the boat was never launched in Melbourne prior to the trip up the Hume Highway!
Stephen again…
“I have corresponded with James Hill – Peters’ son – James did a number of Sydney to Hobart races on her in the 60’s and has fond memories of her. He believes she had never been in the water when she arrived in Sydney and that the sails were unused. This makes sense as MARIA VAN DIEMAN was entered in the 1965 Sydney to Hobart but did not compete as she was not finished in time. Under the ownership of Peter Hill she raced very successfully such that in 1967 Peter took her to Le Harve for the One Ton World Cup to represent Australia. James remembers she did not do so well there due to the light winds. He noted Peter went to the extreme measure of actually taking her engine out to try and make her more competitive. This did not go so well as the light winds and strong currents conspired to make even getting to the start line difficult!”
After Peter Hill’s ownership she returned to Melbourne and competed in various races there before another Sydney Hobart in the 1980’s. Since then she has been owed by a number of people and made her way to Brisbane, Queensland, where Stephen purchased her from a gentleman that had owned her for about fifteen years, the last few spent on a swing morning in Moreton Bay rarely being used.
“When she came out of the water to have her bottom cleaned she a had a veritable coral reef system on her! Luckily the growths came off relatively easily with no damage to her skin.”
Since purchasing her Stephen has worked through a steady list of jobs trying to get her back to a sound condition and now her hull and structure are good. The old Yanmar 3GM30 has been attended to. New prop, cutlass bearing and numerous components have been installed. The mast was taken out to remove the very old steel mast step which had deteriorated badly and with the guidance of a local shipwright, they replaced it with a new timber step integrated into the bronze frames and keel. The mast was checked, repainted, new rigging and a new self-furling headsail installed. She was anti-fouled April 2025 and the annual engine service was done in August. Stephen is asking $39,000 for her but he’s happy to negotiate.
I’m constantly amazed at the value for money of really special wooden boats in Australia. Here we have an example from one of the great design houses of all time, built of the best timbers in the world, with a storied past, excellent provenance, and continuously maintained. It could be yours for less than the cost of Nolex 30 plastic trailer sailer!
For more information contact Stephen directly spkelly1965@gmail.com