50 Foot Custom Cold Molded Camper Nicholson

Description

Axel Heyst is a classic ocean racing boat that was one of the early applications of light weight cold molded construction. This is a very well built boat that is lots of fun to sail and can win races. I have raced her off shore in some pretty significant conditions and she hasn't complained at all. At one point (with a prior owner, decades ago) she was dismasted and rerigged with what is essentially a deck-stepped SC-50 rig and an oversized pole. She rates 96 in PHRF, but with a little wind can blow the doors off of a J-105. In fact, once I sailed well ahead of and around the front of the entire San Francisco J-105 fleet! With a bunch of wind this boat will surf in the mid teens.
A project boat, but one that will result in a fast and beautiful vessel that turns heads wherever she goes.
8 foot draft, disp. = 23,000 lbs
I have a pretty busy schedule but I'm happy to provide additional information or photos upon request.
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Strong preference and better price consideration given to a purchaser who can provide a good home to this very special boat. Would consider donation to a wooden boat program.
Let's talk.
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Other information/comments:
12/29/17 - Hi, Everyone: Thanks for the interest in this boat. 35 people watching. Wow! A couple of tips on this. I did lower the "buy-it-now" price as mentioned earlier and, as I've also mentioned, I'm not that particular about price. That said, though, if $35,000 is a barrier for you, you really should think twice about a boat this size. A 50 foot boat is not twice the operating cost of a 25 foot boat. More like ten times. You could easily spend $15,000 just buying a couple of sails for this boat. Yes, you can save a lot buying used sails, but you also need slip fees ($5000/year), insurance ($1200/year), Haul out and bottom paint ($2000/year). So, really, there is no problem spending $1000/month on this boat with minimal sailing.
Here's another issue: Note that the draft of the boat is eight feet. Lots of places where I am (San Francisco Bay Area) you can't find a slip with that much deep water that is also 50 feet long. If you aren't already in the San Francisco area, you could easily spend $10,000 - $20,000 to have the boat shipped to your location.
Don't get me wrong, this boat is a ton of fun to sail. But operation and maintenance on a 50 foot boat is not a trivial undertaking. The purchase cost is the smallest cost that you are facing! :)
12/15/17 - Conversations about the boat with a couple of people - I'll try to post my answers to their questions in the next couple of days (I hate to appear technologically inept, but for some reason e-bay doesn't want to post my e-mail replies!)
12/13/17 - Lowered the "Buy it Now" price so it doesn't seem so intimidating. My main concern is that the boat find a good home! :)
12/8/17 - I am a little confused by messages I am receiving from e-bay: It says there is a message, but I can't find the message. If you have sent me a message and don't get a response within a day or two, please send another! I appreciate the interest I am receiving very much and will do whatever I can to help provide information about the boat. - Jim
12/8/17 - I think I've set this advertisement to roll over a couple of times. So even if the advertising time is expiring, it should be back up against shortly.
11/30/17 - Axel Heyst was repowered by a previous owner. The engine location was moved aft and converted to a sail drive.
11/29/17 - I encourage anyone considering making a purchase offer to communicate with me first. I'm keeping the "buy it now" price relatively high so as to discourage anyone from purchasing the boat impulsively without a complete understanding of what is involved. I am certainly willing to consider a lower price for a purchaser who is knowledgeable about cold molded construction and repair practices and/or who can demonstrate the resources necessary to take care of this boat.

11/27/17 - Although I've mostly sailed Axel Heyst in a sloop configuration, the boat was originally designed to explore a cutter rig that used a Genoa stay sail combined with a high cut jib as shown on the cover of "Further Offshore" by John Illingworth - one of the designers of this boat. This is a delightful book and has photos of several boats that are very similar to Axel Heyst. (I'll try to get a better photo)



11/26/17 - Additional photos added (yuck - the deck looks horrible - it hasn't been cleaned in a while, and I think there was a bunch of ash from the Sonoma/Napa fires. I'll give her a wash next time I am there).

- Standing rigging replaced at refit in 2006. Not sailed very much since that time - in very good condition
- 16" 3 - blade Max Prop
I'm not sure how to place links into the eBay description, but a comparable boat can be found on Yachtworld dot com by searching for "Camper Nicholson 1965". The asking price is about $250,000.
"Cold Molding" is a type of wooden boat construction. Instead of using planks, thin sheets of wood are glued together in a laminate. This makes a very strong and light weight boat.