Eight Bells - Laurie Chivers
By John Fairfax
Laurie Chivers, Barry James (apprentice) and Jack Chivers Nedlands YC workshop 1962
If you are sailing today you probably started in a ply dinghy in the 1970's. As teenagers we were inspired by the generation of 1960's champions like Laurie Chivers and John Bertrand. Every detail of rig setup and sail twist would be scanned each month in the brilliant photos of these guys published in Seacraft magazine.John Fairfax writes
It is with great sadness that we’ve learnt that Laurie Chivers passed away and our thoughts are with his family and members of the Nedlands YC in this sad time. Laurie was hugely influential in Australian dinghy sailing and design. The West Australian Vee Jays and Skates that he built from the late 1950’s to the mid-1960’s totally dominated both classes. His Vee Jays were easily identified by their unique hull shape because Laurie took advantage of measurement tolerances and introduced a hull with a pronounced spring in the bow and a long straight planing run, which made his Jays unbeatable flying machines in a breeze, taking full advantage of the newly introduced twin planks. Those of us who sailed Vee Jays and Skates at the time remember his claim: ‘Only Chivers Spars have the two red bands - your guarantee of perfection’. They were the ultimate status symbol.
Laurie was a champion sailor and won many state and national titles. He was National champion three times in the early 1960’s in his Skate VENOM with Ken Court. Skates were an early development class that allowed inventive designers and boat builders to work the rules and test shape performance.
Richard Court one of five brothers sailing at Nedlands YC and later Premier of WA recalls;
Laurie Chivers was very successful at building high quality lightweight VJ’s, Skates and hollow timber spars used prior to aluminium being introduced. Laurie and his father built a workshop as an extension of the original clubhouse which is now the WA Yachting Association’s offices and he built up a most successful business building these lightweight racing shells and many of the fittings in stainless steel and plastic, designed in a very innovative way. Laurie was also the representative for Herrick Sails which had a good reputation at that time.
Skate legends Doug Jeffkins from Lake Macquarie (second from left) and Laurie Chivers in classic Terry Towelling hat. National Championships WA 1995-96. Chivers archive
Ann Chivers on Laurie 2023
Laurie’s first interest in sailing dinghies began in January 1955, aged 17. For the sum of 30 pounds which was saved from his apprenticeship wages, he bought a Vee Jay called GAY DONNA from the Mews family in Claremont. He thinks the former skipper was Donna Mews, daughter of the family.
Laurie commenced sailing at the Claremont Yacht Club shortly after purchasing the Vee Jay. However not long into his new venture he hit the Karrakatta Bank near the yacht club breaking the metal centreplate and damaging the boat.
Not to be deterred Laurie then decided to build a new boat for himself. He built this in a small lattice shed at the rear of his parents rented home in Nedlands, and started sailing it at Nedlands Yacht Club at the start of the 1956 season. This Vee Jay was called VENOM.
Laurie working on a new VJ outside his Nedlands YC shed around 1960. Ann Chivers via vauclusejunior.wordpress.com
Laurie had taken up a carpentry joinery apprenticeship in 1953 aged 15. However in late 1957 and without finishing his training, he decided to leave the building trade and started working for himself in the small shed, building Vee Jays, timber spars and purchasing a Talurit swaging and splicing machine. Laurie would often be asked to bring the Talurit and wire to a club to rig a yacht.
In 1959 he built his first Skate, also called VENOM. Laurie’s neighbours allowed him to remove some pickets on the dividing fence and use their larger garage for building dinghies. By 1960 the work and orders had increased and some of the neighbours were a little unhappy about the late hours at which customers would be calling.
Laurie, with the help of his father, built a workshop at the Nedlands Yacht Club where he built the popular off-the-beach dinghies like Vee Jays, Skates, 14ft Dinghies, Lightweight Sharpies, Moths and Rainbows. In 1962 Laurie built a new Vee Jay for John Bertrand for a handsome price of 90 pounds.
Chivers VJ TRIAD. Skipper John Bertrand aged 17 and crew Geoff Augustine from Chelsea YC in Victoria. Here at Nedlands YC in 1963 where they won all 5 heats of the Junior Commonwealth Championship. Ann Chivers via vauclusejunior.wordpress.com
He also built timber spars for dinghies and larger yachts using both Spruce and Oregon. In the small Nedlands YC workshop, Laurie also manufactured a range of stainless steel fittings for his spars. Australian circumnavigator, Bill Nance limped into Perth in 1963 after losing most of his mast half way across the Indian Ocean. Laurie made a new one for his Laurent Giles CARDINAL VERTUE.
By 1963 the shed at Nedlands was too small, and a new factory was built in Melville, south of the river. The Nedlands shed continued alongside the Melville factory until 1969 when Laurie ceased business there, and all boatbuilding was then done at the Melville premises.
Various timber sailing dinghies including Vee jays, Skates and Diamonds at the Melville factory 1965-70. JM Falls from Chivers Archive
At the Melville factory the range of timber yachts increased and more Vee Jays, Skates, Moths, Herons, GP14, Cherubs, Flying Ants, Y W Diamonds and surf boats were added to the production. Martin Bunny in Aust. Classic Dinghy Network noted, ‘Laurie was instrumental in kicking off the lovely van de Stadt designed ‘Juno’ 22’ coastal cruising yacht. He built them initially in marine ply then multiple in fibreglass. Many happy races and overnights at Rotto and Cockburn in my Juno’.
Dutch designed van de Stadt Juno 22. Ply chine construction. ACDN Facebook
YW Diamond in the Chivers shed. Surf boat oars with two red bands behind. Chivers Archive
By 1966 the manufacture of timber spars ceased, and Laurie began making aluminium extruded spars. In 1973 the alloy spar making side of the business was called Champion Spars. The C/S2 section was recommended for Vee Jays and in 1980 the cost of a Vee Jay mast retailed at $275.00. Wholesale price was $132.00 + sales tax of 19.80%. Chivers spars were so highly regarded they sold in Melbourne through Anchor Marine and the Bosun’s Locker.
By the early 1970s Laurie ceased building sailing dinghies and production turned towards pleasure, fishing and pilot boats up to 16.5m.
A Prize Chivers
For dinghy devotees, finding an original Chivers boat is a holy grail. There are none more beautiful than the rare reverse clinker ‘mouldie’ Moth FELUCCA that was on show at the Hobart WBF in 2023. She was built by Laurie for Doug Mitchell in 1962. Doug sailed in the 1962-63 Moth Nationals at Hobson's Bay YC and then sold her in Victoria after the regatta. She was found in Geelong in 2021 and restored by Ralph Ballard in 2022. Her owner Richard Gibson then rebuilt and refurbished the spars, blades and rig.
Boomer nostalgia mixed with boomer funds is underwriting the rescue and restoration of many important Australian dinghies. Thats a good way to spend the super and get back on the water, even if the wetsuit is a bit tighter.
FELUCCA in Hobart City Hall AWBF 2023. Photo Richard Gibson