A Blog-site for sharing news and views on Jollyboats

Designed by Uffa Fox in 1953, and still actively sailed across the British Isles, Jollyboats here, now range from the thoroughly original, to one developed twin trapeze example, but the majority are still sailed within the spirit of the ‘one design’, utilising modern fittings.

The Jollyboat is a fast exciting boat designed for cruising or racing. In the British Isles, all the hulls (bar 1 under construction) were moulded by Fairey’s, in batches of 4. The boats were completed by, either Fairey’s themselves, or a variety of other boat builders/individuals. The shape and layout of the top deck was laid out in the rules, however the buoyancy could be either tanks or bags – as illustrated in the photos on the site.

Fairey built over 350 hulls, but the majority were exported, mostly to the USA and Canada. The few records and media we have access to indicate less than 100 boats were completed and sailed in the UK. We are hopeful that at least a quarter have survived. We know the whereabouts of nearly 20, and some of another 10 boats will probably be about. The rest have not be heard of for more than 50 years. All in all, a very good result.

On these pages we have endeavoured to provide basic reference material about Jollyboats, and plenty of photos. A more detailed archive of plans, association paperwork, newsletters and the like is being assembled.

The last organised British Jollyboat Association event (to our knowledge) was the 1971 Nationals, and while the association limped on for a few years after, its not existed formally for a very long time. That said, Jollyboat owners stayed in touch with each other, and with formation of the CVRDA in 1999 an umbrella association that most owners associate with has been there. Jollyboats are regularly sailed at CVRDA events, and other classic events such as the Bosham Classic Boat Revival.

The Classic Boat Museum in Cowes owns J80 ‘Comet’, so we are well served in that respect.

3 boats were owned by EISCA before the well known auction in 2017. 2 returned to private ownership and the water, 1 was lost to export.

We are always trying to expand our knowledge of the boats that survive, so if you have one and we are unaware of you, or lost contact, please make contact. Contact can be made via the main CVRDA website, or if you post on either on the CVRDA forum in the ‘Boat Chat’ section, or the CVRDA facebook page, we’ll see it.

Collection of photos from old posts detailing its latest move from the IOW. Uffa Fox’s writings elsewhere provide more detail:

The surviving boat from the first batch:

Beyond repair in 2014 & scrapped. Had been restored 10-15 yrs earlier.

(Transplanted so not written by me)

Once upon a time I was a young man and used to crew fireflies for my school friend who sailed in Chichester Harbour from Itchenor. Tim’s dad had a Jollyboat, J17 Allegria, and occasionally I would sail in her too.

Skip on many years, I thought it would be quite fun to get a j Jollyboat to show the Wayfarer fleet at Lydney YC a thing or too. After a few searches on the internet, a suitable boat was found and we set off to collect her, only to find out that the boat I had found was Allegria.

Unfortunately, when I got her home, I discovered that the hull and Keel were in very poor condition with very little sound wood aft of the mast step in the bottom of the boat.

It was too hard to let her go though, so she sat in a corner of the barn for several years awaiting a mammoth restoration, but eventually my head won out over my heart and she was given to another friend to celebrate her birthday in.

So Allegria was eventually taken by rum drinking pirates and wrecked…

Al

Restored in 1998/99 – the blog reproduced with permission below. Location now unknown.

Possibly the only surviving hull completed by ‘Blagdons’ in the south west. Notable for having no buoyancy tanks. Some photos from a windy Netley event:

Was sailed from Roa Island, and competed in many events too. Not heard of for a long time:

Not heard of for several decades, but was in Scotland:

Recently sailing again after the auction:

Sold 2023:

Bought as a completed boat from Fairey’s, and owned by the same family for nearly 60 yrs. They modernised the boat themselves – converted it to fully tanked (front tank & full length side tanks), and replaced the original spars.

As per the intro – this boat is in the Classic Boat Museum in Cowes:

At Bosham 2011? More recent photos in the Classic Boat Revival website gallery.

Sold on ebay 2011:

Along with other boats at the Fairey 50th anniversary regatta – J34or37, 36, 54, not been heard of for some time. J3 & 332 are known of:

Last heard of in 2011:

Written by Andrew in 2011:

Well this is my first ever blog.
This Fairey finished boat is being redecked with the help of my friend Ian, Jollyboat deck maestro and restorer (former owner) of the very beautiful J261 Jimini.

Project to finish:

Very much a project from ebay: