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The original designer/builder/owner was Chris Barker (brother of David). It was quite the talking point when launched and featured at the Boat Show and in BoatingNZ/SeaSpray articles. He probably still owns it but I'd have no idea where to find him sorry.

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There is a previous Q/T thread circa 8-12 mths old that I mentioned the boat and the owner popped up, I dont think it was the guy SD mentioned - I tried to search for the thread but no luck.. U getting a QT too Richard ?

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Hi Richard.

I tracked Chris down a few months back and had a chat re: Depth Charge, as I have always admired her. Quite a boat it would seem. Here is her story:

 

Hi Nigel

 

Thank you for your interest in Depth Charge.

 

I designed and built Depth Charge to ABS scantlings as a minimum size short handed off-shore capable sailing vessel. Launched in 1996 I have lived on her for extended periods and have cruised her from Tom Bowling Bay around North Cape to the Mercury Islands. We won a third on handicap in the coastal Classic one year, and in the last year I campaigned her, I won the long race of the Short Handed Sailing Association’s Barrier Triple Series, on line, handicap and PHRF. It blew 30 or 40 knots a couple of times and we were the smallest boat in our fleet. DC is an exceptionally seaworthy performance passage-maker.

 

The keel is a hollow steel can with a trailing bulb. Bareboat 760 Kg ? Bulb 560 Kg. The hull is strip-planked cedar and kauri, glassed inside and out and the deck is glass outside-ply-foam. The rudder is glassed cedar and kauri. The rig is a Yachtspars section sleeved to the gooseneck, swept back spreaders ¾ of modest length. The fixed 1.1 meter bowsprit gives lots of options for large headsails. We carry a masthead spinnaker with j and the spinnaker pole length being to the end of the sprit. We fly the masthead and three-quarter gennakers off the sprit or off the pole. The big gennaker is very big. Headsails include a flat masthead sail carried from the masthead to the sprit dueling as a light airs upwind powerhouse and a bulletproof heavy reaching sail. Access to the main internal space is through two large custom made sliding hatches. There is a double bunk directly under the fore hatch and aft of the mast, two single bunks double as saloon seating. The table is attached to the mast and the galley is central aft. To keep the centre of gravity as low as possible the gunwale is only 1.3 m above the keel so the only place you can stand up is in the central hatch. A rather unique and functional feature is perhaps the toilet which is outside the main cabin with separate access in the centre of the cockpit.

We beat every Y88 to Russell in shy reaching conditions one year. Another, I got all the safety gear and sails to do the round North Island. We were one of 5 boats who attempted the qualifier and withdrew at the Poor Knights in conditions where there seemed little point in whatever we might achieve being the smallest boat to sail around the North Island.

I would need to check the drawings…beam 3 meters (fits in a container) draft 2.1m, LWL 7.5, water tanks built in under the bunks, ballast tanks under cockpit seats never commissioned, black-water tank under cockpit never commissioned, aux 8HP outboard stored under cockpit floor and operated through a well in the cockpit.

I seem to remember having nightmares about Gaucho. It was inevitable the SR26s would be faster in some conditions, and Mike Beasley never stopped trying!

I still own the boat but have not used it for many years now. I spent 3500 hours building and $56,000 for the parts! She is due for reconditioning and at the back of my mind is to find a partner.

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I too remember when DC was launched. Saw it at the boat show and thought it looked awesome. Hey Nige I see it has some duelling history with Gaucho. You want it? Why don't you buy that black beast from the Harbour master?

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It got a write up in Boating mag (or was it Seaspray) when it was first launched.

 

I don't have a copy of it or a link, but I remember it because it was quite an innovative boat.

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I did a wednesday night race on it many moons back, it was very well set up and we did reasonbly well. I do have a copy of the artical in a box in storage. Shifting in two weekends time so will be able to dig it out probibly the second week of may.

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Chris and I have run into each other a lot over the years.

When I was a kid, Chris was hawking a Jim Young Round the World boat for the same race as Ceramco. Didn't proceed but was a neat looking boat and built with finesse.

When I launched Supergroove it was about the same time as Depth Charge splashing and we crawled over each other's boat in Whitianga one Christmas and raced against each other a lot. Different concepts but a similar result. Chris got busy with his components business, and has had a few other issues drawing on his time in recent years.

As a coastal racer, short handed and Wednesday night boat it is well built and could go anywhere. I reckon it would be a great boat for Wellington / Napier - places with wind and / or waves

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You might find that by the time you've met the expectation of the sale price + completely refurbished her that you've spent close to $70k., so she'd have to be a stunner of a performer.

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You might find that by the time you've met the expectation of the sale price + completely refurbished her that you've spent close to $70k., so she'd have to be a stunner of a performer.

 

At which point.....a 930 starts looking a very good proposition if ones still going to run an outbaord!

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