Sparkman & Stephens 48 ft Yawl - Sold

When asked about the restoration of this yacht in 2004, Olin Stephen’s views were polite but firm …The great man had spoken and the ‘lead keel up’ restoration of TOMAHAWK carried out by Brian Pope and the Ocean Yacht Company would adhere to the original drawings – the result is spectacular.

Much of the original fabric of the boat was in poor condition and was painstakingly replaced with great care, generosity and quality. The aim was for this timeless classic to be a usable family cruising yacht.

It is possible her lines were inspired by the New York 32, a design Stephens drew at the request of the New York Yacht Club, who wanted seaworthiness, grace and speed. TOMAHAWK has all of these, is harmonious in every line and would rest easily on the eye of a yachtsman from any era.

- Yanmar 100hp (aprox. 650 hours ) turbo charged diesel.
- Twin self pitching propellers via hydraulic drives – shafts are p-bracket supported.
- Alternator off main engine powers starting battery
- 2nd alternator powers 2 x 160 AH domestic batteries (new 2009/10)
- 2KW inverter providing 240 V to outlets in accommodation

The accommodation and its appointments have been totally rebuilt – a light New England-style concept with white painted wood and varnished detail. The cabin sole is teak and holly. The main cabin is open plan and contains a large chart table at the bottom of the companionway, and moving forward; 2 settee style berths (port and starboard) with pilot berths outboard and the galley forward (amidships)

The galley is very large for a boat of this size, with a sink and fawcett for washing dishes on the starboard side and to port, a gas fuelled, gimballed oven with built in hob. There are also plenty of surfaces on both sides for preparing food, again a bonus on a classic yacht!


Forward of the galley is the forepeak and anchor locker in the bow. This area can be used as a conventional vee berth or for sail storage.

The aft cabin is made up of two single berths, many storage lockers and because of the white bulkheads, deck heads and skylight feels roomy. There are reading lights and spotlights.

Adjacent to the door for the aft cabin is the door for the head, which is a wet room style, fitted with water closet style WC, shower and sink. It is well lit and well ventilated.

A reverse osmosis plant water maker provides fresh water while the yacht is at sea. Control panel in bathroom.

The main mast; new in 2011 by Collars is to a modified original design by Ed Burnett.
New main boom by Collars to original design 2012
The main mast mizzen, booms and spreaders are made of ash and varnished - fittings are bronze and stainless steel. There is an alloy (Allspars Plymouth) and wooden spinnaker pole

The sails were all new at the time of the restoration in 2006 with additions and replacements since including
- 145% genoa Doyle design made by Sailtech 2009
- Storm trisail
- Storm staysail
- Working yankee
- Med Yankee
- Working staysail
- Med staysail
- Mainsail; Doyle NZ design made by Sailtech 2011
- Mizzen; Doyle NZ design by made by Sailtech 2011
- Asymmetric 95% mid girth 1.5 oz nylon Doyle 2009
- Spaysail (asymmetric stay sail) Doyle 2010

TOMAHAWK is of a mahogany over oak wood frame construction – all frames were replaced in 2006 and are laminated oak which has been bonded with SP Systems epoxy. All fastenings are silicone bronze ensuring the restoration was in keeping with the original build quality of the yacht.

Wide swept teak side decks ease sail handling

The superstructure consists of a well proportioned coach roof / trunk cabin, mahogany planked with a varnish finish on the sides and a white painted finish on the roof.

On the coach roof there are ventilators including conventional hatches; dorade vents and butterfly skylights. There is also a beautifully crafted gas locker and pin rack around the base of the main mast.

The cockpit is deep, and the side seats are located at the same level as the main decking. They are wide and form the bridge deck at the forward end, with the companionway offset to starboard, similar to the New York 32. The cockpit is very workable, with a large or small crew, and is divided into a helmsman’s area aft, by the main traveller. TOMAHAWK is wheel steered and she has her original compass binnacle.

All winches are bronze - this vessel has a mixture of her original Merriman Bros hardware and very complimentary Lewmar gear (deck mounted sheet winches and mast mounted halyard winches); bronze sheet tracks; Harken blocks sympathetically sheathed in ash.

Ground Tackle
- Aluminium Fortress anchor
- 50 m galvanised steel anchor chain
- 25 metres of 8 plait rope
- Muir VCR3500 windlass

TOMAHAWK was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an ocean racer in 1938; the preliminary drafting carried out mainly by Gilbert Wyland, who worked closely with Olin Stephens. The vessel was built by Carl E Kistler for Dr. Thomas Heffernan at Barrett Boat Works in Spring Lake, Michigan.

TOMAHAWK was well built of mahogany over oak, bronze fastened and diagonally strapped with teak interior and teak deck – she is similar to the Olin Stephen’s designed New York 32s in quality, shape and size: 48 ft 3 in to their 45 ft 4 in LOA, 11 ft to their 10 ft 7 in beam, 7 ft 5 in to their 6 ft 6 in draught, but with shorter overhangs.

TOMAHAWK did race – achieving 5th in class in the 1947 Annapolis to Newport race, then with her first owner Paul W Hyatt and went on to have a long history of good results. Hyatt reportedly took enormous pleasure in owning and racing this well appointed yacht – and over several years, his son sailing with him, grew up on this boat during the summers on Long Island Sound out of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club until he was 15 years old - around 1955. TOMAHAWK was subsequently owned privately and also cruised for much of her life.

Nearly 60 years after the boat was built, and having passed through the hands of a number of owners, the yawl had fallen on hard times. Her immediate previous owner purchased TOMAHAWK from the boat builder who had the vision to see the yacht still had the potential to be restored to her former glory.

The complete restoration was carried out at the Ocean yacht Company, Penpol, Cornwall. All her frames and most of her planking needed to be replaced, but her coach roof, spars, horn timber, stem, stern, rudder, bronze knees and deck fittings were reused.


Since re launch the yacht has completed an Atlantic crossing in just over 16 days and competed in various classic events including the Antigua Classics Week.

On Deck:
- Raymarine -Yacht heading and pilot status
- Raymarine - Wind direction and speed
- Raymarine- Speed, log and echo sounder read out

At Chart table:
- Icom ICM601 – VHF
- Raymarine – E80 radar
- Digital Yacht Nav System GPS/plotter

- X2 2KG Fire extinguishers
- Flares
- EPIRB –located next to chart table
- 6 man Life raft
- Danbuoy
- Radar reflector

- Strip Varnish toe rail, re varnish. Repaint topsides 2011
- New pipe work to heads and clean up heads area. By Ocean Yachts 2012
- Strip coach roof sides re varnish. Strip floor boards re varnish. By Ocean Yachts 2012