oliver lee yacht designer

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Hunter 490 Yacht / Sailboat

Hunter 490 Yacht

Made by Hunter Boats Rochford Essex in the 1970’s, 80 Hunter 490 ‘s are said to have been built (I have never seen sail No 80 highest is 41).

The Hunter 490 was designed by Oliver J Lee who was famous for model racing yacht design but also designed the Squib one time Olympic Keel Boat alias Hunter 19, Hunter Europa, also the Hunter 701.

Hunter 490 ‘s are very quick capable, safe small cruisers and can give most of the competition a clean pair of heels. The Hunter 19 “WILLING GRIFFIN” was smallest competitor in the transat.

(Photograph by Ian Johnston)

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Length : 4.9m Beam : 2.01m Weight : 1000lbs Sail Area : Main 6.50m2 Jib 4.65m2 Portsmouth Yardstick : N/A Berths : 2-3

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• Models of Oliver Lee

Author Topic: Models of Oliver Lee  (Read 23826 times)

Little rascal.

• Full Mayhemer
• Utter Bloody Chaos !!
• Location: Hampshire

Re: Models of Oliver Lee

Bobtheboatbuilder.

Hello Jon I knew Oliver, raced at CRYC and up until a couple of weeks back owned two of his mid 80's marbleheads, I spent hours with him in his workshop in Burnham on Crouch while my boats were being born, if you would like photos of the boats, let me have your email and I'll bang a few off to you, do you know, I don't recall them ever have a "type/model" name just simply oliver lee marblehead, he was way ahead of his time then and everybody knew him, he produced the F1 of the model yacht world in my opinion. It was whilst doing some of my own enquiring research into Oliver that I came accross your interest. I was looking for something that he, Oliver, once designed and produced in small numbers................a fascinating mini half tonner or one tonner, may even have been a Dragon I think, I can't remember, also can't recall if it was keel or centreplate but, the helm would lie down in the hull and operate the rudder with their feet whilst operating the sheets in the same way as a full size boat...........brilliant and I want one if anybody has any idea of one available. Anyway, let me know if you want some Pics Chris

mikejohncarr

• Location: newark notts

one for sale on e/bay item no2207739932187 1.5 mtr ex chelmsford club been in storage for 28yrs looks lovely slug

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Hunter Boats

The first Hunter boat was built in 1969 and for over half a century the name has been associated with some of Britain's most succesful production cruising and racing boat designs.

The company was founded in 1968 and the first design produced by the new company was the Squib, an open keelboat designed by Oliver Lee in 1967.

David Thomas Joins

In 1975 David Thomas became the main designer producing the iconic Hunter Sonata and Impala 28 Cruiser Racers which to this day continue to offer competive One-Design racing and have their own National Championships.

Racing Yachts

Throughout the 70s the company produced many racing yachts including the Formula 28 and HB 31 designs by Steven Jones. The HB 31 was the first production boat to use kevlar laminates in its hull construction.

Move to Cruisers

By the 80s the company started building cruising yachts with the Hunter Horizon 26 and 32 Models winning the Best Production Boat of the Year and Best Production Cruiser of the Year awards respectively.

Return to Racing

1995 saw the company build the Hunter 707, a highly succesful sportsboat which went on to win the Yacht of the Year awards the following year.

The present

Hunter Boats was bought out in 2003 by the Select Yachts Group and in 2009 Lauren Marine of Southampton purchased the rights, moulds and tooling for the Hunter range of boats including five designs.

List of Hunter Yachts

Listed below is a summary of boats built by Hunter.

Number Built:

Number in ha:, class association:, links and attachments.

Displacement Fin:

Displacement twin:.

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• Boat Identification

Oliver Lee "Trapper" Marblehead

By Biggles September 16, 2019 in Boat Identification

Recommended Posts

I think I've bought an Oliver Lee Trapper yacht, I've looked on the Internet and can't any information or photos to confirm what I've got.

I have an A rig and 2 other sails that have never been used. 

Any help gratefully received, thank you!

Link to comment

Share on other sites, michael golding.

Hi, Oliver Lee died many years ago, he was a yacht designer of some repute not just models just check the internet and you will find lots more info. Mike Golding ex Trapper sailor.

Thank you Mike for the info, do you have any photos of your "Trapper"?

Dont have any photos but the trapper marblehead was a nice yacht for its time , generally in glass with a rounded deck , basically no sharp edges anywhere, wont be competitive now but will sail nicely also generally conventional rig.

Thank you Mike!

• 2 months later...

Believe that there is a copy of Model Boats magazine for sail on Ebay currently, that has a review  from 1978 when the yacht was available as a kit.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MODEL-BOATS-Magazine-July-1978-Trapper-Yacht/113943608256?hash=item1a87917bc0:g:dc8AAOSw6VRbDIe5

• 5 months later...

On 16/09/2019 at 12:24, Biggles said: I think I've bought an Oliver Lee Trapper yacht, I've looked on the Internet and can't any information or photos to confirm what I've got. I have an A rig and 2 other sails that have never been used.  Any help gratefully received, thank you!

I worked with Oliver Lee many years ago, we manufactured model yachts, the one I was involved with was a 1metre f/glass hull from what I remember maybe 1 1/2 metre ,I have a photo of Olivers, I think, prototype Trapper, but I fancy the one I was involved with was not a Trapper.. Graham Spraggins Rochford.

Hi I am sure Oliver also did a 1 1/2 metre yacht not too many made but sailed nicely intended I think as a one design class

I had a "proper" sized Oliver Lee boat- an Anderson 26, and he knew how to design a pretty and quick boat...

North Essex

6 hours ago, Mike Ewart said: Hi I am sure Oliver also did a 1 1/2 metre yacht not too many made but sailed nicely intended I think as a one design class

Yes, I think it was an attempt to get a one design class started that never caught on.

This thread has prompted me to have a look through some old files, and in an attempt to assist with the original post have located this photo of my Trapper, which I think was the Mark 6 version. This was the final version before it was replaced by the Tracer design.

I know my boat was originally registered in 1985 and suspect this photo was taken around that time.

• 2 years later...

On 28/04/2020 at 16:00, NigelC said: Yes, I think it was an attempt to get a one design class started that never caught on. This thread has prompted me to have a look through some old files, and in an attempt to assist with the original post have located this photo of my Trapper, which I think was the Mark 6 version. This was the final version before it was replaced by the Tracer design. I know my boat was originally registered in 1985 and suspect this photo was taken around that time.

Could you tell me more about the construction of the Trapper I believe i ave just bought one second hand (my first boat) and I want to restore it. I have concerns about the fibre glass being flexible and thin, and then how to re paint it as the current paint is very crazed. 

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National Squib Review

The distinctive Squib has quietly sold over 800 boats, making it one of the most popular one-design keelboats at events such as Cowes and around the country. Rupert Holmes took one for a spin…

Approaching its 40th aniversary, the Squib is quietly one of the most popular classes in the UK. Turnouts at class events are consistently high — last year’s nationals, for instance, saw 89 boats gather at the Isle of Wight’s Royal Victoria YC. It was the ninth largest championship fleet of the season and the most numerous keelboat nationals. It’s also one of the more popular classes at Skandia Cowes Week — before the rise of the SB3s, it was second most popular in White Group, behind only the XODs. The annual inland championships at Rutland are always oversubscribed, with the numbers capped at 50.

Almost 850 Squibs have been built in the 39 years since the prototype was launched in 1968, and class builders Parker Yachts build a dozen new boats each year. The association has over 600 active members, sailing in 23 fleets throughout Great Britain — from the South Coast to Scotland — as well as a further five fleets in Northern Ireland and Eire.

Why is the Squib so enduringly popular? ‘It’s an affordable, low maintenance, closely matched onedesign class and only needs two people to race, so there are no hassles with organising crew,’ says Steve Warren-Smith, vice commodore of RVYC. Owner Hilary Martin adds: ‘It’s an easy boat to sail, but it’s very hard to sail it well — there are many very good sailors who don’t make it to the front of the fleet.’ Another secret of the class’s success is perhaps that it appeals to a wide age range — competitors at last year’s nationals ranged in age from 10-84. With its inherent stability the boat is also ideal for people with disabilities and has been used extensively for RYA Sailability purposes.

The Squib was designed by Oliver J Lee as the first design for a then-new boat builder, Hunter Boats, and was an immediate success.

In the late 1960s the Squib was very much a state-of-the-art design, with a short low-centre of gravity keel and high aspect ratio rudder set well aft. Flat aft sections promote surfing in moderate conditions. The boat’s light displacement offered good light weather performance and allowed it to be towed by almost any car. Heavy weather performance was also good — a 50 per cent ballast ratio, with much of that weight in a bulb at the bottom of the keel, gives the ability to keep sailing even in Force 6-7 conditions.

By comparison to today’s standards, the boat is somewhat heavy, the draught moderate and beam relatively narrow, which restricts sail-carrying ability and results in a comparatively low powerweight ratio. In addition, the symmetrical spinnaker is rather small.

The Squib design quickly spawned a number of offshoots. First was the Sandhopper — the same boat but with shoal draught and triple keels, enabling them to be kept on a drying mooring. Some 45 Sandhoppers have been built to date, including five recently by Parker. They are popular on the East Coast, with active racing at Thorpe Bay YC and Maylandsea Bay SC.

In the early days of Squib production, Peter Poland of Hunter Boats asked Oliver Lee if he could put a lid on a Squib, so that he could go cross-Channel JOG racing in a boat that would cost ‘…less than a full set of instruments.’ The result was the Hunter 19. It was another instant success and was followed in 1974 by the Europa, which used the same hull, but had a larger coach roof, more interior space, and a self-draining cockpit.

It would be unthinkable now to turn such as small boat into a cruiser, but perspectives were different in 1970 and they proved to be excellent sea boats, capable of far more adventurous voyages than their small size would suggest — demonstrated beyond doubt when David Blagden successfully completed the 1972 OSTAR singlehanded transatlantic race in his slightly modified Hunter 19 ‘Willing Griffin’.

And development

Nowadays the oldest boats — those with sail numbers up to 150 — are particularly coveted, partly because their keels came from a very fair mould. Later boats (up to numbers in the mid-late 700s) were effectively mass produced — at one stage Hunter was producing one every other day and attention to detail inevitably suffered.

Sailmaker Dick Batt owns No. 51, which is in immaculate condition. Despite being near 40 years old, boats from this era are still winning races, although many have been stripped to the bare mouldings and keel, before being comprehensively rebuilt.

Oliver Lee held the license to build Squibs until his death in 1993, although they were moulded by Hunter Boats. In 1994, the license was awarded to Barker Brewer boats, who built 12 Squibs, until building passed to Parker Yachts in 1997, with boat number 783. Since then, some 70 Parker boats have been launched and an average of nine new boats are currently built each year. These are a match performance-wise for the coveted early boats, but at a price.

New boats must adhere to the strict one-design rule, however, Bill Parker says they have made improvements through paying close attention to detail. This includes tight control of the weight of each element of the boat, fitting beams and floors while the hull is still in the mould so there’s no distortion of the hull shape and properly sealing all wooden parts to prevent weight gain and degradation due to water absorption.

A move to laminate sails is being discussed, although the distinctive tan colour would be retained. Despite the higher initial cost the longer life of laminates is appealing, especially for jibs, which can loose their shape relatively quickly.

Our test took place in a Force 3-4 at RVYC, on a bright and warm Sunday in November during the club’s Frostbite series. The club is home to one of the largest fleets in the UK, with over 40 Squibs, at least 25 of which regularly race over the summer.

We sailed ‘Hussar’, boat number 501, owned by Anne and Martin Harrison. They have owned the boat for three seasons and Anne in particular has sailed Squibs for some time, first at Sea View YC, and later at RVYC. They have extensively upgraded the deck gear, including traveller, mainsheet, a powerful 12:1 kicker and backstay controlled from the helm — the crew controls almost everything else. There are no winches — luff tension is achieved via a mainsail cunningham and a tack downhaul for the jib.

The Squib’s a comfortable boat to sail, whether hiking in a breeze or sitting on one of the cockpit seats in light airs. Built in buoyancy tanks fore and aft, plus small bags under the seats, provide overall neutral buoyancy, so the boat won’t sink if it’s swamped, but also it can’t be sailed unless it’s bailed out and it may not support the weight of the crew. Putting this is context, this is better than a Dragon — three of which sank in the Solent during the 2006 season — but not as safe as later designs with self-draining cockpits.

The Squib is responsive and reasonably quick to manoeuvre and in some ways comparable to a big dinghy. The position of your weight, and the way in which you move it, is vital to success, the boat should be kept flat upwind, and pumping the kite on the wave tops will promote surfing in moderate conditions.

Roll tacking whenever conditions allow is also beneficial, but unlike a dinghy, the boat will slow in the tack. Therefore, minimising the number of tacks in an upwind leg is important, as is maintaining clean air. Also, the boat is not close-winded compared to more modern designs, so maintaining boat speed is more important than pointing.

The boat is very sensitive to the amount of twist in the sails, especially in light airs — matching mainsheet/traveller with the barber-hauler position and jib sheet setting is crucial. Although warned about this at the outset, I raced with the main rather too flat to my cost.

Our photo shoot took place separately, during the Southern Area Championships, hosted by Hamble River SC. Despite light winds the racing was close, with mini ‘races within a race’ clearly going on at different levels of the fleet.

National Squib Review: Verdict

Around £14,000 including VAT will buy a well setup new Squib that’s ready to sail with owner’s choice of deck fittings. Second-hand boats in need of TLC can be bought for less than £2,000 and £3,000 will buy a good example. At this level, there is virtually no depreciation, apart from the ongoing replacement of sails. Boats that have recently been reconditioned on a no-expensespared basis are an exception and may cost considerably more.

The Squib shows that fantastic class racing can still be enjoyed, even at prestigious events, without a huge budget being required. Keep an eye on those tan sails!

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• Sailboat Guide

Hunter 701 (Lee)

Hunter 701 (Lee) is a 22 ′ 11 ″ / 7 m monohull sailboat designed by Oliver Lee and built by Hunter Boats Ltd. between 1971 and 1975.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Also available with lifting keel. (Draft-BU: 2.5’/BD: 4.16’)

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