I taught myself to sail on a 1930's Teak Lady Pac Lin when I was 18 ( 1965). I got the use of it through a "maintenance charter".. all I had to do was haul the boat, strip it;s varnish and bottom paint, reef it's seam, pay and recaulk them, apply 6 coats of hand sanded varnish, a barrier coat, and bottom paint ! This took a couple of weeks in a small boat yard in Sausilito.. working 12 hour days. When the day came to launch she was gorgeous, I pushed her off the dock.. and had NO CLUE what to do next. I spent that summer sailing SF bay, mostly with no charts, and no depth sounder or lead. I did Every Stupid Thing an Idiot with no knowlege of boats can do.. and the Teak Lady got me through it. The boat still had cotton sails, a pluged up shaft log where a Kermath Sea Pup had once been installed. I think there was a british sea gull motor.. but that might have been the 1958 Teak Lady I bought about 1976. All of my sailing time on both teak ladies counted toward my USCG Master's License..which I got in 1990. The boats are Carvel Planked with teak. They are Copper Rivet Fastened, have bronze keel bolts and a cast Lead keel. Draft is 3 feet. Sail area ( main and Jib) is 186 Sq. Ft. All the deck fittings are bronze. Eyes for mooring ropes, hause pipe , with threaded cap and key, deck traveler for self, horse for main sheet, "winches" which have no handles. This IS an ocean capable boat, with excellent manners in a sea way.. a long keel and well balanced rig means she will steer with tiller lashed, and with twin jibs and sheet led aft can self steer simply downwind for days. I had long intended to use a Teak Lady for a single handed circumnavigation.. but simply didnt have the money, skills, or guts when I was young enough. The outboard rudder and boomkin is a complication for self steering gear.. but can be done. If one really wanted to show how a non motorized single hander can circumnavigate without power or modern gear... this boat, though low on cubic carrying capacity... Can Do It. While the cockpit appears overly big.. the foot well is quite small, very water tight, and strong. The opening into the lazarette should be positively secured and gasketed off shore. Ideally, a nav station/galley should be built to fit into one of the berths, and lee cloth used to keep the solo sailer securely in his/her berth. there is a good deal of room under the cockpit (no engine) under the berths, and in the long drawers. Enough for water, provisions, and gear. The 5/8th rig is what it is. A genoa makes this boat move at hull speed easily.. and she does well in light air and in heavy weather. A stunningly good if very small sailboat. Capt. Larry Rau I think I have a hause pipe key and couple of other bronze parts to give to a Teak Lady Owner.
I taught myself to sail on a 1930's Teak Lady Pac Lin when I was 18 ( 1965). I got the use of it through a "maintenance charter".. all I had to do was haul the boat, strip it;s varnish and bottom paint, reef it's seam, pay and recaulk them, apply 6 coats of hand sanded varnish, a barrier coat, and bottom paint ! This took a couple of weeks in a small boat yard in Sausilito.. working 12 hour days. When the day came to launch she was gorgeous, I pushed her off the dock.. and had NO CLUE what to do next.
I spent that summer sailing SF bay, mostly with no charts, and no depth sounder or lead. I did Every Stupid Thing an Idiot with no knowlege of boats can do.. and the Teak Lady got me through it. The boat still had cotton sails, a pluged up shaft log where a Kermath Sea Pup had once been installed. I think there was a british sea gull motor.. but that might have been the 1958 Teak Lady I bought about 1976. All of my sailing time on both teak ladies counted toward my USCG Master's License..which I got in 1990. The boats are Carvel Planked with teak. They are Copper Rivet Fastened, have bronze keel bolts and a cast Lead keel. Draft is 3 feet. Sail area ( main and Jib) is 186 Sq. Ft. All the deck fittings are bronze. Eyes for mooring ropes, hause pipe , with threaded cap and key, deck traveler for self, horse for main sheet, "winches" which have no handles. This IS an ocean capable boat, with excellent manners in a sea way.. a long keel and well balanced rig means she will steer with tiller lashed, and with twin jibs and sheet led aft can self steer simply downwind for days.
I had long intended to use a Teak Lady for a single handed circumnavigation.. but simply didnt have the money, skills, or guts when I was young enough. The outboard rudder and boomkin is a complication for self steering gear.. but can be done.
If one really wanted to show how a non motorized single hander can circumnavigate without power or modern gear... this boat, though low on cubic carrying capacity... Can Do It. While the cockpit appears overly big.. the foot well is quite small, very water tight, and strong. The opening into the lazarette should be positively secured and gasketed off shore.
Ideally, a nav station/galley should be built to fit into one of the berths, and lee cloth used to keep the solo sailer securely in his/her berth. there is a good deal of room under the cockpit (no engine)
under the berths, and in the long drawers. Enough for water, provisions, and gear. The 5/8th rig is what it is. A genoa makes this boat move at hull speed easily.. and she does well in light air and in heavy weather. A stunningly good if very small sailboat. Capt. Larry Rau I think I have a hause pipe key and couple of other bronze parts to give to a Teak Lady Owner.
Read my story. I might take on a TL in my old age.. if some one has one. SF/Bodega Bay.
The original carved tiller was not up to the task.. and should be replaced with something stronger.