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FJ PALMER. The 12 metre R/C model.
I don’t know how many of you out there are interested in Australian 12 metres in general? I find it a very interesting subject.
Some of the research that I have been digging up in presentation of this story to you has been interesting in itself. The number of people that are interested in the subject is quite large and the books on the subject are of a big range. The second hand book market is a likely place to get these books really cheap! And yes, this is where I mention a few of them, that if you to are interested in Australian 12 metres, these will be for you. “Ben Lexcen, the man the keel and the cup” By Bruce Stannard ISBN 571-13396-7. “America’s Cup Challenge Down Under” by Bavistock, “Boating legends of Sydney Harbour” by Fred Thomas ISBN 7344- 0925-7, “Born to Win” by John Bertrand ISBN 553-05118-0. All of these books you can purchase for under $10.00 each at a good second hand book store.
I consider the Stannard book really good. This shows plans of the Australia& A 11 yachts and most of Lexcen’s other designs. But I know how it goes when you write a book about something and when you thought you had the facts, but it is only the “Facts” as you have them in front of you or what were given to represent the facts. This is where the “hard yards” come in, in story telling. The Bertrand book is very inspirational to anyone that races boats.
According to my mate Ted Day who has got some of these yachts of old Australian 12 metres in model form, said they came originally from Sydney University that did the 12 metre research in it’s test tank they had there. This tank was not too long by international standards for today, being about 120ft in length. It was enough in those days (circa 1960) to get some idea of a yacht design.
One of Ted’s 12 metres is moulded off one called, “FJ Palmer”. I don’t know if it ever had a proper name as such, for as far as I can work out this boat only got to the tank test model stage. In Ken Beashel’s history in “Boating Legends” he too had a part in the construction of quite a few 12 metre challenges and he did play a part in the FJ Palmer model in particular, because he was still an apprentice at George Riddles Boat Yard in Careening Cove. Ken’s job was to help out and observe the “FJ palmer” at the tank testing at the Sydney University. This Fred Palmer owned Stamina Clothes. People about my age will remember Stamina School Clothes and the cards (with sheep) we kids got from the company.
Fred Palmer, the man, was a yachtsman of renown in the late 1950s and sailed a 10 metre yacht called “Even” to some success including winning the Sydney to Montigue Island yacht race in record time and taking line honours in the Sydney to Hobart race and quite a few other races in his time. (See photo of Even on the slips at Berry’s Bay in Sydney Harbour, circa 1960). It appears that he stopped with his campaign to race for the America’s Cup when Frank Packer’s Syndicate bought out the “VIM” 12 metre from the USA, as a trial horse for the 12 metre “Gretel”.
Well, this boat made from the tank test model, turned up the other day at our Scarborough lake and when it was sailing, it appeared to be doing really well for a little known 1960s Aussie 12. The model is just a little bigger than a EC12 and a bit smaller than an A class. Give it time to get tuned up a bit, a new set of sails would help and a few things like this. The boat is neatly made and fitted out with RMG winch etc. I’m sure the yacht will be a real goer. Ted uses a EC12 rig on the boat.
Now as we were talking about these 12metre. Ted produced another of these hulls out of his cavernous Landrover. An Australia 1 hull. This also had some “Variations” about it. Ted said he had not done anything to it but had received it that way.
At first glance, this could in the general structure of it be recognized as a variant of A1. While it “sported” an obviously ‘added on’ Australia 11 keel. It was so badly put on that it was not sitting right. Clearly the boat was not Australia 11 for it had a distinctive stepped section near the rudder just like Australia KA5 did. The bow was close to being that distinctive one that A1 had. The plan of the yacht towards the bow (the sharp end) was more rounded than A11. So the hull was a lot closer to Australia 1 than anything else.
So I went and checked Stannard’s book on Ben Lexcen and had a look at the Australia 1(KA5) drawing and sure enough this hull had a lot of the stuff this plan was showing. So with a bit of luck, this could be a great find in the right hands?
There are a few other examples of 12 metres that started, as models I would like to mention. The book “Boating Legends” talks about two larger models that the “Advance” Syndicate which Alan Payne were trying out. Initially steered by vane control but switching to R/C to complete the testing. These models were of the larger variety being in the region of about 20 foot long. These two variants were raced in Broken Bay and the Hawesbury River. Bill Bollard, the bloke who drew some of the drawing in my second book (“Model Racing Skiffs of Australia” ISBN 9580 191-0-X) was one of the people who helped Payne in the draughting and experimenting of these models and the “Advance” design for the 83’ America’s Cup.
There is a very rich history that we have not tacked into yet on the Australian 12Metres. Most of the people in there have something to do with the Model 12 metres in some ways in their boating histories and if we tap the surface you will find that these people are interested in these models, still.
If you have any questions or information on these 12 metres please contact me on: shcrewes@bigpond.net.au
Historian. 2008 |
