Wooden Ships Comments on this Kim Holman Stella
Designed by Kim Holman and built by Tucker Brown in 1971.
Lucky Star is a Stella with some useful improvements added by the commissioning owner to make her a more capable and seaworthy cruising version of the well known and much loved Kim Holman design. Built by Tucker brown in 1971, she benefits from the following improvements:
Masthead rig with gold anodised aluminium mast, a safer cruising rig with a bigger foretriangle
5/8” rather than 9/16” planking, making her stronger and structurally stiffer
Self draining cockpit and small round portlights, making her more seaworthy
Possibly a slightly deeper and heavier ballast keel, making her stiffer and more capable to windward
These improvements have resulted in a very capable and fast – she averaged 6.2 knots over the ground crossing the Channel from Weymouth to Alderney in June 2022 – traditional cruising yacht, small enough to be affordable yet large enough go offshore, as shown by her extensive cruises over the years that have taken her as far as the west coast of Ireland, and the Bay of Biscay, and all points in between. She is more than capable of holding her own against Holman’s later and marginally larger Twister class yacht.
The previous owner bought the boat in 1983 and kept up with a steady maintenance regime including replacing rigging and keel bolts on a rolling program and generally keeping the boat up to a good standard for coastal cruising. She has explored the English channel extensively, been south to St Nazaire and west to southern Ireland.
The victim of a collision while on her mooring last year, she is now in need of some repairs to the bow with damage as follows:
Bent pulpit frame and damaged foredeck where the pulpit was hit
Bow roller ripped out and lost
Minor cosmetic scrapes and chafe
A fine little yacht needing some small repairs. The work would seem to be within the capabilities of an enthusiastic amateur.
Length on Deck 26’
Length Overall 26’
Length Waterline 20’
Beam 7’6”
Draft 4’4”
Construction
- Clinker planked in 5/8” mahogany all copper rivet fastened.
- Steam bent Canadian Rock Elm timbers at 9” centres.
- Grown timber floors across the centreline.
- External iron ballast keel with galvanised steel keel bolts. Replaced on a rolling program with 1 new bolt in March 2022.
- Marine plywood deck sheathed in Cascover and finished in non-slip deck paint.
- Utile rubbing strake and Sapele toe rail. Stainless steel stanchions with new guard wires in 2022.
- Khaya mahogany coachroof coamings with 3 round portlights per side in chromed bronze.
- Marine plywood coachroof deck sheathed in Cascover.
- Self draining cockpit with laid teak thwart lids and bridge deck
- Tiller steering with a transom hung rudder. Bronze Delrin bushed rudder hangings with new pins in 2022.
Rig
- Masthead Bermudan sloop rig on a deck stepped alloy mast and alloy slab reefing boom. All spars replaced in 2001.
- Stainless steel standing rigging of various ages to internal bronze chain plates.
- Forestay new in 2012. Cap shrouds new in 2001. Lower shrouds new in 2020. Backstays new in 2022. All Norseman or Sta-Lok terminals with chromed bronze Gibb rigging screws.
- Twin standing backstays, twin lowers, single cap shroud and a forestay.
- Pair of non-self tailing bottom action cockpit sheet winches and a pair of Anderson mast winches.
- Sails as follows:
- Mainsail by Gowan, 2001. Good condition.
- Genoa by Gowan, 1994. Fair condition.
- No.1 jib by Gowan, 2001. Good condition.
- No.2 jib by Gowan, possibly original. Fair condition.
Machinery
- Yanmar 1GM10 9hp single cylinder diesel installed new in 2003. New cylinder head and exhaust in 2017. Rev counter and engine hour meter installed 2018.
- Single lever controls. Stainless shaft with an Aquadrive flexible coupling to centreline fixed 2 blade manganese bronze propeller. 4.5 knots cruising speed at 1/1.5 litres per hour consumption.
- 17 litre stainless steel fuel tank in starboard cockpit locker. 30 litres of fuel cans carried in locker.
- Single 12 volt battery charged from the engine alternator. Battery located in port cockpit locker.
- New 12 volt distribution panel in 2014.
Accommodation
- 4 berths with 2 saloon settee berths and 2 singles in the forepeak.
- Steps down over the engine box with galley to port and a half-Admiralty chart desk to starboard. Chart desk faces outboard with shelves under the side deck and locker storage beneath.
- Galley has a gimballed ENO 2 burner gas hob with shelves and lockers outboard under the deckhead. Sealed gas locker drains overboard via the stern cockpit drains.
- Half height bulkheads with grab handles separate off the main saloon. Port and starboard settee berths with a trotter box either side at the aft end.
- Varnished mahogany sole boards.
- Centreline passageway going forward.
- Jabsco manual sea toilet discharges directly overboard.
- The forepeak has 2 single berths that can be converted into a double V berth with forehatch above. Chain locker beneath the berth.
Equipment
- Sestrel steering compass
- Seafarer sounder
- Stowe trailing log
- Standard Horizon Matrix GX2200E AIS/GPS DSC VHF, new 2018
- Yakker WiFi Access point, can send NMEA navigation and AIS data to smartphone/tablet
- Raymarine ST2000+ tiller pilot, new 2021
-
- Lifebuoy
- 4 x fire extinguishers
- Firdell Blipper radar reflector
-
- 25lb CQR anchor
- 30m of 8mm chain, new 2020
- 20lb CQR-type kedge anchor
- Selection of warps
-
- Pair of Gibb bottom action non-self tailing cockpit sheet winches
- Pair of Anderson non-self tailing mast winches
- Mainsail by Gowan, 2001. Good condition. 171sqft
- Genoa by Gowan, 1994. Fair condition. 191sqft
- No.1 jib by Gowan, 2001. Good condition. 122sqft
- No.2 jib by Gowan, possibly original. Fair condition.
- Mainsail cover
- Dodgers with yachts name stitched on
-
- Yanmar 1GM10 diesel engine
- 12 volt battery
- Spare fuel cans
-
- Bunk and berth cushions
- ENO 2 burner gas hob
- 2 x gas bottles
-
- Warps
- Fenders
- Deck bucket
-
- Frame for winter cover
- Stout winter cover tarpaulin
- Beige custom fitted Tenara stiched Weathermax summer cover
- Avon Redcrest inflatable dinghy with 2 part oars.
