1974 50′ CLASSIC WOODEN SCHOONER “RUSSAMEE”

Boat :  1974 50′ CLASSIC WOODEN SCHOONER

Boat name :  “RUSSAMEE”

Asking price :  $39,500

Boat location :  Oriental, North Carolina

** THE OWNER IS BUYING ANOTHER BOAT,  SOOOO  “RUSSAMEE”  IS UP FOR SALE FOR A GREAT PRICE !! **

LOA: 60 feet
LOD: 50 feet
Beam: 13 feet
Draft: 7 feet 6 inches
LWL: 43 feet
Displacement: 35 tons
Ballast: 8 tons
Air draft: 57 feet
Sail area: 1250 square feet

ussamee is a one-of-a-kind flush deck, heavy displacement (77,000 lbs) staysail schooner

constructed of Thai and Burmese tropical hardwoods which sadly are no longer available.

Russamee is a seamless blend of traditional and modern and is structurally fit and ready for her

new owner to add to her colorful history.

From her maiden voyage from Thailand to Hong Kong, voyage across the north Pacific , whale studies with National Geographic and on to her 10 years in the Caribbean, there are stories aplenty to be sure. In every case she has proven to be a stout, seaworthy vessel and very forgiving.

Although not always the fastest schooner in every race she took second place in 2010 in the Great Chesapeake Schooner Race, won several regattas in the BVI and most recently(2018) received the coveted Arne Frisel Prize at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

Yearly she was sailed through the Caribbean from Culebra, Puerto Rico to Carriacou, Grenada for her annual haulout. She has made a half a dozen trouble free round trips from the West Indies to the Carolinas, rode out 2 category 5 hurricanes and several other as well. She has been engaged in the day sail charter business for the last 10 years in the Caribbean and has inspired countless people with her grace and beauty.

​

Russamee had a very through refit in 2010 when purchased by her present owner and over the

years has been kept in seaworthy condition as day sailing in the trades is often quite boisterous.

Part of the ideology of the excursions as well was to de-tox guests from the endless gadgetry of

this new age and allow for the innate senses to truly feel the power of the sea and the wind.

As a classic vessel she has a timeless elegance and here graceful lines allow for and even, predictable motion at sea with no pounding and unpredictable lurching. Her low aspect, horizontal sail plan makes for easy balancing and handling by a short handed crew and indeed she has been single handed from the Carolina’s to the Caribbean. With a mast height of 57 feet she can transit the ICW and recently did so due to adverse weather and a sightseeing desire from West Palm beach to NC on a trouble free voyage from Puerto Rico via the Dominican

Republic.

​

Russamee is now being seriously offered for sale and is presently in Oriental, NC. She has an

extensive Marad waiver for chartering in US waters if so desired. Like any boat she needs some

upgrades, always varnish, some of this and that but is ready for an inspired person to take her

through another 50 years. The engine, rig, sails , hull, are all strong and ready to go. Delivery is

possible along east coast.

​

​Machinery, engine and deck

• Ford Bomar 80hp. 4 cyl Diesel with Borg Warner 71c 2:1 reduction gear

• new heat exchanger and oil and transmission coolers (2020)

• Racor fuel filters

• 200 amp alternator for house batteries with Balmar regulator(new 2020)

• 55 amp engine service alternator(new 2020)

• 2 X 330 amp 8D Loche AGM batteries (2020)

• Group 27 engine start battery

• Trace 2500w inverter

• Xantrex Battery charger 30 amp

• 110 gal S/S main fuel tank

• 2 x 40 gal aux. S/S fuel tanks

• Rule 1.5 inch submersible bilge pump

• 2 x 1.25 Rule submersible bilge pump

• bronze 1.5 inch manuel pump

• Edson 2” portable bronze pump

• Dickerson Antarctic Diesel furnace

• Isotemp 11 gal hot-water heater 120volt or engine heated

• Saltwater deck wash pump

• Little Wonder LWM-150 R/O water maker(150 gals/day)

• Kingetc air cooled 12V refrigeration unit (new 2020)

• Maxwell HWC 3500 anchor windlass (12 volt) chain and rope gypsy

• Capillano hydraulic steering model 1350, (2) 2’x18’ bronze rams

Masts/Rigging/Sails:

• Masts and booms: solid laminated Maiyom Hom (Burmese cedar) wood with S/S fittings

• Standing rigging: 1×19 10mm S/S toggled on both ends with open body bronze turnbuckles

• Chainplates: external S/S 2.5” x ½ “ X 4 feet through bolted

• Winches: (2) Anderson 46ST 2 speed sheet

• (2) Lewmar 30 2 speed self tailing halyard winches on mainmast

• (2) Barient no.13 for fisherman staysail

• (1) Gibb No. 28 RA for genoa

• Headsail furler: Selden Furlex 400s

• Sails: all new (2013)

• Mainsail: 13 oz. Soft weave Dacron, fully battened 2 reef points

• Staysails: 13 oz. , jacklines 1 reef point

• Genoa: 9 oz, 130% furling

• Fisherman staysail 6 oz.

• Spare staysail

• Anchors:

• Primary: Rocna 55KG (120lb.) 300 feet ½ “ BBB chain

• Danforth 50-H 600 ft. 1 1/8 “ nylon rode

• 40 lb Bruce stern anchor 300 feet 7/8” double braid

​

Domestic:

• Stove: Broadwater 4 burner propane with oven and broiler, gimbaled

• (2) 20 lb. Propane tanks in deck locker

• Double S/S sink in galley

• 6 cubic foot reefer

• 140 gallons potable water in 2 S/S tanks

• hand set shower in forward head and shower sump

• (2) Blake lavac heads

• holding tank

• The interior joinery is all oiled teak with teak parquet flooring. The cabinet doors are wicker and

• the whole layout allows for excellent ventilation.

Electronics:

• Russamee is a very simple boat and traditionally sailed. She has a Simrad Ap-60 autopilot with a

• hydraulic pump, an Icom VHF radio , a depth finder and a 6’ Sestral compass mounted on the

• binnacle.

​

About the Wood in Russamee’s Construction

​

Russamee’s masts are constructed of Mayom Hom, a Thai soft wood similar to cedar.
The frames, planking, floors and various other components are trunnel fastened with Mai samper san, also known as ebony. It is very labor intensive but the most robust and enduring way to fasten a vessel with none of the deterioration associated with metal fasteners.
The rest of the construct ion consists of old growth teak.

​

Gerr lists Thai woods (not Takien-Merawan, but Lauan, Meranti, Apitong and Teak off course). I may say that Takien it is much better than many other US Gerr listed woods.

Takien it is also commonly called Yacal (commercially Merawan) and with 753 kg/m3 density (when dry), it is one of the best woods for traditional boat building and marine environment and one of the most durable high-class construction timbers, resistant to quite all marine decays (more than Teak). Some of the oldest  wooden boats existing in the world are built with this wood (some over a 100 years old, some in the UK). All earlier wooden Grand Banks had their frame in Yacal.

This is the reasons why his torically it was reserved only to boat building and denied for house construction in Thailand with the pretext to be house of the guardian spirit Nang Takien that bring bad luck or even be the harbinger of death (realy because it’s too good for boats). However, it is not as good for modern epoxy West System building as its oil release works against good epoxy glueing-penetration, high content of tannin (that turns it black under sun). And the high silica content is an issue as well. It has  excellent strength properties, very low shrinkage and movements with age. It also is one of the few woods that can be find in long planks until 13 mt of lenghts (max. trans portability) and is very fast to season (the Thai’s use it just after 3 0 days of natural dry, but it is recommended to wait at least 80 days for a board with more than 2 inches thickness).

​