Fiery Cross: The World’s First Canting Keel Boat
1945-1958
Build Date
Jim Young
Boat Builder
LOA 45ft (13.7m) LWL 41ft (13.5m)
Length
7ft 2 (2.18m)
Beam
Launching Fiery Cross
Fiery Cross was launched in 1958 becoming the worlds first canting keel boat. Designed and built by Jim Young, he hoped Fiery Cross would help him change from being a contracting boat builder to a boat designer and builder. Inspired by a L. Francis Herreshoff design in his book ‘Common Sense Yacht Design’ Young was able to develop his innovative boat even if the world was not quite ready for it.
Building and Racing Fiery Cross
Jim Young recounts in his memoir that after the war in the 1950s the boat market in NZ was very small. Money was tight, import licenses were needed to get engines into the country and the use of native timbers was illegal. It was in this environment that Young designed and built Fiery Cross.
Built by Young in his spare time, Fiery Cross took years to complete and required a new technique to speed up the process. This technique used 40 x 22mm stringers with 18mm glued double diagonal kauri planks. FishingBoating.world believes Fiery Cross was the first laminated and glued hull to be built in New Zealand.
The fin for Fiery Cross was made of hollow mild steep with a 2.2 ton lead semi bulb. To attach the fin to the keel two steel hinges were used. To control the keel a steel tube was installed vertically and attached to a 100mm round stainless steel shaft which went through a gland. With this set up the shaft was bent to 22.5 degree maximum.
Fiery Cross was built firstly for coastal cruising as it was fast, had 6 berths, a galley, a toilet and a Ford 10 petrel engine. However, wanting to make a name for himself in the world of boat design Young decided to race Fiery Cross.
But racing a innovative new boat is easier said than done. To comply with the rules Young had to race Fiery Cross with the keel fixed. He even had to sign a declaration that he would not break the rules by swinging the keel during a race. Although without any spare money to spend getting the keel moving he was not able to break their rules anyway. Instead he sailed with the keel fixed for years. It actually took 50 years from Young’s build of Fiery Cross for the ban on canting keels to be relaxed in yacht racing. Now the canting keel is being used in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Making the canting keel swing
When Young decided to make the keel swing years after the boat was first built he enlisted the help of Des Townson. They anchored Townsons’s boat Serene off Bean Rock Lighthouse in Waitematā and started to experiment with Fiery Cross’s keel. It took some trial and error to get the system working effectively. At first when they went into the wind the boat stopped completely and they couldn’t get the boat moving again. But eventually they got it going.
Almost a Disaster
Another story Young recounts in his memoir is the time he was working painting Fiery Cross on Birkenhead wharf. With the weather calm he chose to keep the boat on the wharf with a stern anchor down and planning to check the boat when the tide came in. Waking up an hour late he rushed to the wharf to see the nose of the boat stuck under the wharf. There was still a bit of free board at the bow and the stern was lifting out of the water with the rudder visible. Panicking he found a timber jack hoping to use it to push the boat out but as he was rushing to get organised he heard a crash and the rigging rattle as the boat escaped and came to float as normal. With only minor damage Young escaped disaster.
Fiery Cross After Jim Young
Afters some years Young decided to sell Fiery Cross as he was concerned being the designer and builder of Fiery Cross was giving him a reputation for building unconventional boats. So he decided the time was right to move onto other projects.
In 2005 Nigel Clarke and Gary Underwood purchased Fiery Cross. Underwood a well-known boat builder was impressed by the concept of canting keel but re-faired the keel with cedar as he thought it was a terrible shape. He also replaced the original engine in the boat with a 18hp Kubota and installed a wind vane self-steering unit. Some time later Underwood sold his share of the boat and brough an ex-fishing boat instead.
FAQ
References
To research Fiery Cross we used the websites below and Jim Young’s memoir Jim Young: Designer, Boatbuilder, Sailor
fishingboating.world, sail-world.com and boatingnz.co.nz.
Related Posts
Positive Touch – Launched in 1982 Positive Touch became the first Rocket 31
Heatwave – One Ton Cup racer designed by Jim Young
Tickled pink – Designed by Jim Young and built by Roger Land to be the first Young 88 (depending on your opinion