j francis jones naval architect

**ossygobbin** · 18-08-04, 15:40

hi
has anyone any information on j francis jones, naval architect and yacht designer. i am reserching him and his work/designs as part of the restoration of my kestrel 22, a wooden estuary sloop designed by him in 1956. thanks ian

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**Mirelle** · 21-08-04, 23:15

JF (Jack) Jones - Lived in Woodbridge, Suffolk; had a loft in the Ferry Dock warehouse as his studio. More or less inherited the practice of William Maxwell Blake.

His brother George was a yacht broker and for many years wrote the East Coast section of YM's "Around the Coast" under his initials GAJ. George owned Arthur Ransome's "Peter Duck" for several decades; his daughter, Jack Jones' niece, now owns her and still keeps her on the Deben.

Jack Jones had two draftsmen who went on to become designers in their own right; one was "Kim" Holman and the other was Peter Brown.

A peculiarity of Jack Jones' designs is that he does not seem to have had a house style; almost all his boats look as if they had been designed by someone else; he seems to have turned his hand to pretty much anything.

For example, "Corista" looks uncommonly like "Dyarchy" (in fact Corista has a foot more beam and a foot less draft) whilst "Sephine II" looks as if she were by James McGruer.

If there is a house style it is perhaps beamy motor sailers, since he did a lot of them.

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**Christian Hobart** · 22-11-10, 15:23

I am wondering if anyone can help?

I own a Francis Jones designed MFV and I am tryign to find out as much information as I can about her.

She is a Haven Class which I would describe as more of a "Gentleman's powered/sailing vessel" than a true MFV. She is 27' by 9'6'' in the beam and round bottomed as is the style of East Coast boats. She has a new Beta Marine 35 hp engine, (very nice and slightly over-powered), which is clearly a replacement for the original engine.

I am totally re-building her. I think she sank at one point! Certainly there was a lot of detritus in the bilges and she was in woefully bad order when I bought her which is great in a way as I can fully restore her to her original glory.

She was built in 1963 by Clapson and Sons on the Humber river. The sail is really a steadying sail but she is a great design with lots of room below for a family.

I am trying to find out absolutly as much as I possibly can about this boat or about Francis Jones himself. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it.

Yours,
Christian Hobart.

**Kukri** · 23-11-10, 14:58

I am pretty sure that I have a Yachtsman's Annual for shortly after WW2 which has plans and a description of the Haven Class. I'll have a look. Several were built - it was a sucessful design.

**Christian Hobart** · 23-11-10, 15:43

Thank you very much for your reply. If you can find anything that would be great. I have very little to go on and I am keen to try and put together an album of some sort on the Haven Class - and of course the re-building of my boat! I am not sure yet how she will sit on the water given that I am totally re-building from the ground up so to speak but she should be ok. Certainly we are not skimping on anything on the quality side. She should work out well.

One thing I have done is pull aft the cabin bulkhead slightly. This has been done so that we can have a little more room for a cabin for the family. It also allows for a sort of double bed scale for a couple plus chart table plus dinette! As ever things are pretty tight on a boat!

If you know of anyone who has ANY further detail on this boat type I would really be grateful.

Yours, Christian.

**ianc1200** · 25-11-10, 20:57

Found this in a 1964 MB & Y;

**Christian Hobart** · 26-11-10, 16:14

Thank you very much for the picture of the Haven Class. I much appreciate this. She looks good in the water - all I have known is my boat out of the water so far!

If you can lay your hands on any further backgroud stuff and/or pictures then I would very much appreciate it.

Yours, Christian.

**joliette** · 30-11-10, 20:30

Originally Posted by ossygobbin

hi
has anyone any information on j francis jones, naval architect and yacht designer. i am reserching him and his work/designs as part of the restoration of my kestrel 22, a wooden estuary sloop designed by him in 1956. thanks ian

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I owned Le Frais about ten years ago. She was built by Woodstocks at Woodbridge in 52 I think, featured in the Yachting World Annual of the same year. She's a masthead sloop around 27ft LOA. Sailed like a dream! You got the feeling that Francis Jones had designed her to sail to windward up the North Sea. I last spotted her at Ryde, dried out on her long keel, a few months ago.

**sailorman** · 30-11-10, 21:09

Originally Posted by joliette

I owned Le Frais about ten years ago. She was built by Woodstocks at Woodbridge in 52 I think, featured in the Yachting World Annual of the same year. She's a masthead sloop around 27ft LOA. Sailed like a dream! You got the feeling that Francis Jones had designed her to sail to windward up the North Sea. I last spotted her at Ryde, dried out on her long keel, a few months ago.

Whistocks ( Claude )

**lynx** · 22-04-11, 08:32

Does any know the where about of our old yacht 'Captain Jewel' we sold her in 1986. it was a part exchange for a steel hull. (Bay Class). We bought her in October 1981.. 34.6" pitch pine on oak. and sycamore interior rear cockpit wheel steering. It went to Bristol Docks where we bought the steel hull from,was there in 1987. I have been told that there was a plan of the yacht and description in Ýachting World´ when she was built.