Owens 40 ft sloop 1948 - Sold

RUBICON has been tended with great care both by her former owner - a boat builder and present owner, who knows boats and the people to bring them into good order. The result for this fine example of a Norman Owens cutter with her classic lines and demeanour is a very well equipped, upgraded and finished yacht, providing style and comfort for cruising as well as performance under sail.

The first two pictures of RUBICON shown here are by Peter Mumford - Beken of Cowes.

An extensive teak grated cockpit – with table and substantial locker stowage leads from the generous lazarette forward to the sliding hatch over trunk cabin. Companionway steps lead down to the main saloon cabin below.
The main cabin has navigation space and instruments to port with the galley stove forward abaft a semi bulkhead to the dinette area. The removable table provides infill to create a large double berth. There is a settee convertible to double berth opposite with the galley sink abaft and substantial stowage below and outboard both sides. A doorway in the forward bulkhead leads to the head to port with enclosed hanging locker starboard before the forecabin with V berths and infill to make a double. Overall the accommodation is very well lit by ports and skylights as well as electric light, doing justice to the stylish mahogany brightwork contrasting with white surfaces and deckhead. Other notable features are
- Teak and Holly sole
- Origo 6000 Alcohol 2 burner stove and oven to port
- Stainless sink with pressure H&C stbd
- Dinette seating stowage under
- Benco cabin heater

Fore cabin
- Large double berth stowage under
- 2 x hatches in deck head
- Head, Jabsco WC
- Shower with sump

Rather unusual for its time, the Owens cutters were constructed of a diagonal quarter inch interior plank with conventional carvel strip planking externally. This was apparently to reduce weight, increase strength and prevent the planking opening up. Thus in this case:
- ¼ Inch diagonal inner layer plywood on laminated oak frames
- Double planked 7/8th mahogany fore and aft
- Laminated and solid oak structural keel
- 6000 lbs exterior lead ballast
- Oak backbone and oak and bronze floor timbers
- Bronze strapping and fastening
- Epoxied and Awlgrip plywood deck with bright mahogany deck trim
- Mahogany deckhouse and toerail
- Awlgrip trunk cabin
- Self bailing mahogany and teak cockpit with ash tiller

Designed by Norman Owens and originally built by the Owens boatyard in Baltimore, Maryland, USA in 1948 she was constructed in a technique and materials that they had used to build fast motor patrol boats during World War II. Since RUBICON was built several more Owens 40 ft cutters were built through to the early 1950s by the famous Hinkley Boat Co. A sister ship, FINN Mc CAUL, was a well known East Coast offshore racer that featured in a number of the classic Newport to Bermuda offshore races in the early 50s. Extensively cruised in the waters off Maine RUBICON was bought by her present owners in 2006. Shipped back as deck cargo with her mast up she was simply lowered into the water at Southampton Docks to be motored over to Cowes a few days later. She then underwent some considerable refit works, aspects of which are noted below.

- Halyards and mainsheet lead aft to 4 Spinlock cam cleats
- Standing rigging recently checked
- Detachable inner forestay
- Harken furler for yankee
- All halyards new
- Cutter staysail self tacking sheets lead aft

- Yankee
- Staysail McWilliams 2009
- Mainsail McWilliams 2009
- Spinnaker

- 3 x Mahogany framed Perspex skylight hatches
- Teak cockpit grating
- Tiller steering
- Bronze jib tracks on rail
- Bronze staysail horse
- 2 x Barient ST genoa winches
- Manual Whale bilge pump
- Original teak and bronze mooring cleats
- CQR anchor with 43 m chain
- Chrome Lewmar windlass with foredeck and cockpit controls
- 4 x large warps and spares
- 6 x fenders

- 2 x Domestic batteries
- Engine start battery
- 220 V shore power
- Battery charger
- Calorifier
- 2 x automatic electric bilge pumps in bilges
- Bulkhead and 2 x deckhead lights in saloon
- Bulkhead and 2 x reading lights in forecabin
- Fuel tank circa 50 litre
- 2 x very large freshwater tanks

- B&G Hercules 2000 Depth speed heading wind
- B&G Hercules 790
- Autohelm ST 4000
- Sailor VHF
- Clock and barometer

- Fire blanket
- 2 x fire extinguishers
- Flares

Winter 2006 - 07
- Most of interior removed
- All the bilges and inner hull stripped back to bare wood, dried, primed and painted with Epifanes primer and bilge paint.
- Engine removed, rebuilt as necessary, painted and reinstalled with a new cutlass bearing
- Electrical systems overhauled
- New 220V shore power system battery charger and calorifier fitted.
- B&G speed and wind system installed.
- New tek-tanks bilge fresh water tank.
- All new plumbing and toilet system.
- All running rigging replaced
- New mainsail and cutter jib (have had very little use since)
- New upholstery fitted throughout

Winter of 2008 – 09
- Entire external hull stripped back to bare wood and allowed to dry under canvas
- A couple of planks only, needing to be were replaced in the topsides.
- Below the waterline, Rubicon was recaulked (and is now a very dry boat)
- The paint system for the hull was specified by Marineware thus
- 4 coats Epifanes underwater primer and 4 layers anti foul below WL
- 4 coats Epifanes underwater primer and 4 coats under coat sanded and 2 more coats undercoat plus 6 x gloss coats above WL

Winter 2009 10
- All external brightwork was stripped to bare wood and revarnished
- Awlgrip non slip decks repainted with new grit, expected to be long lasting.