>Anyone know where one can get a P-15 with the lateen rig? Sounds like just
>what I am looking for. Does IM still offer the option?
You're in luck. One of the four known lateen-rig Potters is for sale in San
Diego. It has the standard rig as well and can use either.
To my knowledge, IM (or HMS Marine) only built two lateen rigs, although
they did offer it as an option. The first they built was for the author
Larry Brown (Frugal Yachting, etc), and that boat was custom built in other
ways as well. The second was for Lars Mulstrom, who is on this mail list.
But they did a poor job of it, and it started to come apart when Lars put
it to the test. However, the local dealer in Annapolis apparently did a
superb job in reconceiving and reconstructing it, and Lars was extremely
pleased with the final product. IM was not offering a lateen rig the last I
heard.
It's pretty easy to modify an existing Potter 14 or 15 to a lateen rig. The
sail rig itself is an off-the-shelf Sunfish or Aquafinn rig, including
mast, gooseneck, two spars, and sail. In order for the boat to be properly
balanced with the lateen rig, the mast has to be located at the forward end
of the cabintop, about a foot forward of the standard mast step.
A hole is cut in the cabintop and an aluminum tube is mounted through the
hole and securely attached to the cabin sole. The tube is the socket that
receives the Sunfish mast. A bolt through the tube establishes the depth
the mast is buried in the mast socket. Depending on what model Potter you
have, you may need to stiffen the cabintop, since the cabintop and the base
attachment support the mast in lieu of stays.
My lateen-rigged Potter is the first generation of U.S.-built Potters. It
is constructed differently from the later models in that it uses more wood
and does not have a fiberglass liner. It had a gunter rig like the original
(and current) UK-built Potters.
I added additional plywood doubling to the cabintop and I attached the mast
socket tube to the cabin sole (the bunk deck) using a boat trailer roller
bracket. To further distribute the mast load I plan to build a plywood
shelf in the cabin that will surround the mast socket and attach to the
side and forward deck. It will also provide useful storage of bulky
lightweight items, clothing, sails, sleeping bags, etc.
Steve Barnes, who is also on this list, owns the Potter that is for sale in
San Diego, and you will probably hear from him. There are photos of three
lateen-rig Potters on the West Wight Potter web page: Lars' "Always," my
"Manatee," and Steve's "Popeye."
<http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/modifications/Variants/Rig-Variants.htm>.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA