Wooden ballast keel sloop "RASCAL"

The ballast keel wooden sloop "Rascal" was donated in 2021. The donor purchased her in California, after she had been stored covered and dry for 30 years. Her western red cedar planks were fastened to her steam bent oak frames with galvanized screws (much corroded below the water line) in the previous owners' misguided refastening effort. Volunteers here have nearly finished replacing all the fastenings with copper rivets.

LOA 22' 6"
LWL 17' 5"
Beam 6' 6"
Draft 3' 11"

Her designer and builder are unknown. Rascal is rumored to have been built in Washington state after 1946. She was actively raced a few decades ago in San Francisco bay.

In our search for her designer, we were initially excited by her similarity to Norm Blanchard's Knockabout Jr. design. After seeing our photos of Rascal, the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle told us that she is "built too well" to be a Blanchard, and they see similarities to a "BJK" design.

There was also a thought that Rascal is a Bird type. The San Francisco Maritime National Park said: "It does not appear to be a San Francisco Bay one design. The birds are quite different in fact - we are now proud caretakers of the oldest of the extant Birds - (Bird #2, the CURLEW, 1922!). Which leaves the Seattle area, or Southern California." To us, the signs seem to point to Seattle.

There are no markings or numbers to be found anywhere on Rascal. Her cutaway bulb iron keel, extra rugged chain plates, and masthead shape are her most unique features.

We can provide a list of what has been done and what still needs to be done in the restoration of the boat, some of the work is grunt and some will give someone the chance to practice ship carpentry and rigging. In short: replace 2-3 planks; bung, caulk, fair, and paint the hull and transom; patch fiberglass at top of ballast and keel; make a tiller; reinforce rudder; recaulk the deck; mast repairs; build a boom; reinforce the sails; plan and make running and standing rigging.

Videos available upon request.