35′ Seaborn/Blanchard Sloop
The Nautilus was built by Blanchard Boatyard on Lake Union in 1941 to a design by Ben Seaborn – one of Seattle’s most talented designers. She is looking for a new owner that can use and maintain her to celebrate her 100th birthday and beyond.
Built to the Blanchard Yard’s highest standard, she is planked with Alaskan yellow cedar on oak frames with a fir backbone; all fastenings are bronze as are the chainplates, diagonal strapping, and hardware. Spars are Sitka spruce. The cabin, cockpit, and interior is teak. Sail inventory includes an older Shattauer main and working jib in fair condition, and a newer North genoa. Water tank (poly) and fuel (stainless steel) were replaced in 1990. Engine is a Yanmar 3GM.
Equipment includes a claw anchor, tillerpilot, Gamin instruments, MaxProp, a Wallas stove/heater, and an uninstalled electric winch.
Built on Lake Union and moored there for the last 75 years (35 years by 5th owner and 40 years by 4th), she is in good condition but will need some work, including bulkhead replacement (4 sheets of 3/4″ teak plywood are included).
She is currently out of the water and stored under cover. Interior has been removed and stored indoors.
Nautilus was commissioned on February 25th, 1939 according to the plaque. The Master Carpenter’s Certificate indicates that she was built 1n 1941 by N.J. Blanchard for Ralph C James Jr, and awarded a Customs (Documentation) number in April 29, 1941. (Ralph James later bought and moved Dorade from San Francisco to Seattle)
Documentation records show that the next owner was Howard (Howie) Richmond, who bought her in 1941. Howie was then drafted into the Navy. It’s not clear if he ever got to use her much after WWII.
In 1943, Howie Richmond sold Nautilus to T. Harbine Monroe (who filmed the undulating destruction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Gallopin’ Gertie’).
Harbine Monroe campaigned her until 1945, when he sold her to Robert McCrae and went on to commission the Blanchard Yard to build the 42′ Nautilus II (now in Cleveland and similar to Kate II), the 40′ Nautilus III (the first boat of the Garden designed/Blanchard built Swiftsure Class” and now named ‘Swiftsure;) Finally the and 47’ Nautilus IV (built by Hoppen I believe), and similar but shorter than Sea Fever .
A sistership to Nautilus and likely built alongside is Sunda. She was commissioned by Bill Blethen, Publisher of the Seattle Times and now in San Francisco where she was owned by the navel architect Carl Schumaker and later Bob Rogers, who campaigned her with the Master Mariners to great success.
I purchased the Nautilus from Robert McCrae in 1991. I believe that except for the one year that she was owned by Harbine Monroe (who sailed out of Tacoma) she was moored on Lake Union or Portage Bay, Seattle.
