Re: C-14 west wight potter

Gordon (hlg@pacbell.net)
Wed, 19 Aug 1998 00:17:58 -0700


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>Dear Fellow "Potters"
> In 1993 I bought a C-14 Potter #79 . I have been
>unable to find any information on when this boat was built. I 've tried
>International Marine but they told me they don't keep the Potter records prior
>to the buyout. When I look over the Potter web page I have not seen any
>information on the C-type boats. I had one gentleman from England tell me he
>thought the boat might have been built there. The sails have a tag that shows
>they were made in the U.K. I really like this boat and even though I will be
>getting a larger boat I will not be selling her. I sail out of Fall River, Ma.
>and enjoy sailing on Naragansett Bay. She can take fairly rough waters and I
>like being able to bring up the keel and go into shallow inlets. If anyone can
>help me I would greatly appriciate it . I think I have a fairly rare boat on
>my hands and would like to someday pass it on to a family member and feel it
>would be nice to have the complete history on her.
> Thank-you
> Steve Oliveira
>(Brup@aol.com)
> C-14 "Mydaoff" # 79

Steve-

Apparently you have a UK-built C Type Potter, possibly the only one in the
U.S., although I was told there was a British Potter on the Napa River here
in Northern California at one time.

I just happen to have a copy of a brochure for the C Type WWP and also a
copy of what is apparently a magazine review of the C Type, entitled,
"Little Legend - Dave Greenwell sails the West Wight Potter."

The C Type appears similar to my own gunter-rigged #234, which is one of
the first generation of the U.S.-built Potters. Mine was built in 1967, and
I've had it since 1970. I'm presently using a lateen rig, but can still use
the gunter rig. I believe the U.S-built Potters were the first fiberglass
versions and the fiberglass UK-built C Type came out a little later. The
original Stanley Smith design, as you probably know, was plywood.

I'm working on getting a legible scan of the two one-page documents. If I'm
successful, I can e-mail them to you and will also put them on the Potter
Yachters web page. I may have to use a pretty high resolution to keep the
text legible, so let me know if you have a size limitation for attachments
to your e-mail.

The C Type was also available as a junk rig, and I have a (bad) picture of
that version somewhere but can't find it at the moment.

Harry Gordon
P-14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA