This Uffa Fox designed Flying Fifteen started life as the Kon Tiki and was later named as the Fish. LOA 20′ (6.09m), LWL 15′ (4.57m), beam 5′ (1.52m) draught 2′ 6″ ((0.76m). She was built in 1950 -52 by joiner Robin Attrill in the backyard of his mother’s house in Glenorchy and is believed to be the oldest carvel Flying Fifteen built in Australia. She is tight seam carvel with 3/8″ Huon Pine below the water line, King Billy above. Ribs of Huon/Celery Top Pine. She was originally used in Elwick Bay north of Hobart then was moored in Bellerive where she took part in the District Dinghy Class, a hotchpotch of dinghies from 11 – 14′ but due to her sailing qualities, regularly cleaned up. She was later owned by Ken Reeve. She was acquired by Huon Valley Youth services in 1997 and was duly given to the LBT in 2001 to be renovated as part of the Huon Challenge Mentoring Project. Some financial support was given by the Huon Valley Council and by the Department of Health and Human Services. Her completion has been the result of many hundreds of hours from many, many people but special thanks are due to Doug Barton and John Young who have both taken a special interest in her and who have largely been responsible for her completion. She has been out for a few sails off Franklin and impresses with her slipperiness through the water, her easy acceleration in even the gentlest puffs of wind. Kon Tiki underwent a major restoration in 2018. At this time John Young supplied more information about her and an earlier restoration: read it >>here<<, and >>here are photos<< of the first restoration in the early days of the LBT. In 2021 Kontiki was added to the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. |
