1959 Custom Cheoy Lee Long Range Trawler

HULL & DECK:

• 2021 White gloss Awlgrip “whisper grey” hull, red and blue boottop, red bottom (new bottom paint Fall 2022).
• Carvel planked high quality solid teak, 1 ½” planking on Yacai frames (2 ½” x 4” sawn and bent), ¼” copper riveted and bronze fastened in the garboard areas.
• 1 ½” teak planked and caulked over plywood decks in excellent condition.
• Teak and plywood superstructure, painted white with teak trim.
• Teak rudder, strapped with bronze on 2” S/S shaft.
• Boarding gates with bronze steps, on both sides of vessel.
• Two rectangular ports; five round ports in hull topsides.
• Teak and S/S handrails throughout vessel.
• Diagonal bronze strapping across the interior planking and blocks where the planks butt together, from the garboards to the underside of the deck.
• Hull is round chines, with full length teak keel – keel is fitted with worm shoe.
• The bottom was wooded and epoxy primed with Interlux Interprotect and the hull topsides Awlgripped.
• Billing’s Diesel & Marine replaced the get home deadwood and adjoining teak plank, 2004.
• Flush main deck and bridgedeck above the main cabin.
• Engine room is located in the forward section of vessel, accessed by watertight entry on foredeck.
• Two watertight bulkheads located at fore and aft sides of engine compartment.
• Pilothouse has port and starboard midship doors, and door to after deck.
• The after deck is covered and includes a teak dining table with seating. This area is enclosed with removable canvas and Isinglass side curtains.
• Flybridge is reached by stairs on starboard side of lounge area. The steering station and seating is forward; aft is an area for the paravane stabilizers.
• 1996 owner built the rubrails of three laminations of 2” pattern grade Honduras mahogany.
• Teak bulwark about 34” high at bow.
• Side and stern rails are stainless, capped with teak handrail.
• Teak taffrail.
• Anchor and anchor davit at bow.
• Anchor windlass.
• Deck stepped mast/dry engine exhaust stack.
• Two deck boxes either side of deck.
• Cabin superstructure is teak plywood, painted white with teak trim.
• Three windshields framed in teak.
• Three deck hatches – bow hatch is watertight; bridge hatch to flybridge; aft hatch to aft cabin area.
• Flybridge deck is fiberglass over 1” marine plywood.
• Two steel (Replaced Fall 2022 with aluminum) Paravane boom stabilizers with braided topping lifts, mounted midship port and starboard and are operated by two electric winches.
• Aft end of bridge deck has an area for dinghy with derrick to lift or launch it, also area for kayaks, etc.

TANKAGE:

Fuel: 2400 gallons in 4 black iron tanks (fuel tanks believed to be full).

Water: 400 gallons in 2 tanks, one Monel, one S/S to port.

Holding: 15 gallons in S/S tank; 30 gallons in poly tank.

ENGINE & MECHANICAL:

• 2001 Detroit 6-71 diesel, 195 hp, FWC, installed by Billings Diesel & Marine, with under 7500 hours.
• 2 ¾” S/S shaft.
• Bronze 5 blade prop 37” x 17” RH.
• 2 blade bronze auxiliary folding prop RH, on a 1 1/8” S/S shaft (a “Get Home” prop for emergencies.
• Watertight stuffing box installed on shaft going through hull at stern.
• 2001 Twin Disc 504-37 transmission.
• Dual Racor 1000 fuel filters.
• Morse type cable controls.
• Paravane stabilizers.
• Full engine gauges.
• Dual steering stations – chain to cables via sheaves to rudder quadrant.
• Fuel transfer pump to transfer fuel between tanks to maintain trim.
• Reverse oil changing pump.

ELECTRICAL:

• AC/DC electrical systems.
• 2018 Northern Light 16kw generator, on starboard side.
• Yanmar 12kw 3QM generator, 30 hp, on port side.
• 2-32V battery chargers - one new 2020; 1-12V DC charger.
• Delco alternators are 32V & 12V.
• Two separate 32V DC battery banks; 8-8D batteries, one for ship service, one for invert service.
• 12V & 32V circuit panels.
• 50 amp , 250V shore power system and cables are available.
• Raritan hot water heater.                                                                   
• 3000w inverter, 32V to 110V Heart inverter.
• WaterMaker Inc watermaker.
• Pro Safe Transformer 12V to 110V.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

• A very special layout with superb varnished joinerwork.
• Salon to port includes with nav station and galley and dinette area.
• Centerline helm station is all the way forward with helm seat and companion seat.
• The dinette seats 8 people comfortably. The galley has double S/S sinks, a Force 10 LPG stove and oven.
• A spiral staircase, starboard of nav station, leads to accommodations below.
• A lounge is on the port side with enclosed head to starboard.
• Next aft is the owner’s stateroom to port and head and shower to starboard.
• Below the owner’s bunk is an emergency “get home” engine.

ELECTRONICS:

• Winfred White Constellation compass at main helm & 7” gimballed Saura Keiki compass on flybridge.
• Furuno GPS Navigator.
• Furuno Navtex receiver.
• Furuno 48 mile radar; Furuno 24 mile radar.
• Datamarine Standard Depthsounder and one Furuno depthsounder.
• 2 Robertson AP22 autopilots; one interfaced to Jefa rotary drive at helm and one to Benmar Cetec “S  drive at rudder shaft.
• Horizon Spectrum VHF and ICOM ICM602 VHF.
• ICOM SSB/Ham radio.

EQUIPMENT:

• Chelsea clock and barometer.
• Anchor light; masthead light; running lights (32V DC).
• Bell.
• East Coast and Bahamas charts.
• PFD’s.
• EPIRB - ACR.
• Kahlenberg triple air horn.
• Loud hailer.
• Search light Caryle & Fitch 1 million candle power (2018 total service at factory).
• Fire extinguishers.
• Avon 6 person offshore liferaft (needs inspection – sold AS IS).
• 4 Rule 32V bilge pumps with float switches; high water alarm.
• 14’ Aqua Pro RIB & Yamaha 25 hp outboard.

OWNER COMMENTS: CHAMPION (formerly Feng Shui) was designed by William Lapworth for the owner of Union Oil when he retired from sailboat racing, having designed two TransPac boats for him. It was built in Hong Kong by Cheoy Lee Shipyards in 1959. Its third owner was Larry Briggs, famed passagemaker whose first of four circumnavigations was aboard CHAMPION in 1980. It was subsequently sold to Hollywood star George Johnson (husband of Totie Fields) who sailed it over to Europe through the eighties, returning to the states in 1990, where it remained under the shed at Atlantic Yacht Basin till his death (and my purchase) in 1995. It coincided with my sale of the 63’ William Hand, having traveled over 50.000 miles during 12 years of stewardship.

Over the last 27 years my wife and I raised (and at times homeschooled) our children, living on Block Island and the Bahamas. We have made at least twenty round trips and logged 75-80,000 miles in safety and comfort (not without an extraordinary amount of work) in all seasons with CHAMPION. I installed a hydronic (hot water) heating system with 13 Runtal (Swedish) radiators throughout the vessel. Almost all of our trips south are in the frigid winter months. Although CHAMPION is air conditioned (two separate Marine Air units), we rarely need them winters in Bahamas and summer in Great Salt Pond.

I have equipped CHAMPION to comfortably remain “off grid” and moored for truly extended periods of time. Massive battery systems (two 32V DC banks of 4-8D each, and 2-12V DC engine/genset start banks) power several inverter systems. Charging comes from the GMC main (32V DC and 12V DC alternators) or from two separate diesel generators: 12KW Yanmar or a 16 KW Northern Lights. Refrigeration is a 12/110/propane Dometic full size refrigerator and a 110V custom freezer/frig with holding plate. With 2400 gallons of fuel, CHAMPION is capable of truly extended trips away from home.

Most of the more important cruising essentials have backup systems…two autopilots, both Robertsons, with different drive units. One is a Cetec Benmar “S” drive on the rudder shaft, and the other is a planetary gear driven Jeffa sprocket drive (Norwegian) at the helm. Repeater topside at flybridge, as well as VHF, depthsounder, and searchlight controls. My searchlight is a mighty Carysle and Fitch milspec remote control million CP unit mounted on the stack, an essential piece of equipment for night travel. I have two radars, both Furuno (48 and 24 mile), Two VHFs (ICOM) and SSB (Icom) and Furuno Navtex. No plotter, as I use my laptop.

The most interesting thing about CHAMPION is the location of the engine room…in the forepeak of the boat. It has its pluses and minuses. It provides for extraordinary living space below, and the tremendous fuel and water storage becomes more centrally located amidships. Engine and genset noise levels are better contained as well. Not so fun to do engine room checks in bad weather. CHAMPION has an older (but serviceable) aluminum AquaPro 14’ RIB with a new 25 hp 4-stroke Yahama. It’s a two person launch from the top deck with a SS commercial winch….virtually maintenance free and totally reliable after a thousand uses. The paravanes were installed by Larry Briggs (closely following Bebee’s plans in Cruising Under Power) and they are essential to comfortable cruising. I rarely leave the harbor without lowering the booms (like all fishing trawlers). I can be patient as to when (or if) I deploy the “birds.” Although CHAMPION traveled tens of thousands of miles with that paravane setup, I was always uncomfortable with the lack of retrieval (short of lifting the booms and bringing the birds in by hand).

After examining many fishing boats and long range trawlers (eg Bebee’s own Passagemaker) I installed a second retrieval line to the birds, each rigged to a 5 ton winch inboard on each side of the boat. By merely slowing down and pushing a button, the birds can be retrieved, either for entering a harbor or to eliminate seaweed. We often travel multiple days with the paravanes deployed. It slows CHAMPION by a knot….small price to pay for comfort. Although the reputation for GM 6-71’s is legendary, (all my vessels have been so powered, and I have rebuilt a few), when given the opportunity to buy a brand new one shortly before the Clean Air Act banned two stroke diesels, I could not resist. Billings Marine installed the new Detroit and new Twin Disc gear, along with a new Northern Lights genset and a wish list of engine room upgrades…a fitting reward for a classic teak vessel with so much life ahead. The copper riveted hull (both topside and bottom) were redone by Billings. The bottom was wooded and epoxy primed (InterProtect) and the hull Awlgripped. I re-Awlgripped the boat last year….two coats 545 primer and two Whisper Gray topcoats. I got 12 years out of the last job. The pictures don’t lie. As per our conversation last….my main reason for selling CHAMPION is age. I’ll be 75 this summer. That being said, I am not retiring the boat. At summer’s end (on Block Island) I will haul out at Wickford Cove Safe Harbors for Sept/Oct (as I have for three decades) and will then head back to Hopetown. I have a list of projects to do on the vessel, whether it sells or not. I intend to leave every tool and spare part aboard and would feel remiss if not given the chance to delve into every aspect of Champions needs and operation with a new owner. As mentioned, it will be at AYB for May and most of June before heading for Block Island for the summer.

Potential purchasers should assume that items on the vessel at the time of viewing, but not specifically listed on this specification sheet, are not included with the sale of the yacht. These specifications are believed to be correct but cannot be guaranteed. Specifications are provided for information purposes. Data was obtained from sources believed reliable but is not guaranteed by owner or brokers. Buyer assumes responsibility to verify all speeds, consumptions, capacities and other measurements contained herein and otherwise provided, and agrees to instruct his surveyor to confirm such details prior to purchase. Vessel subject to sale, price and inventory changes, and withdrawal from market without notice. 

Mechanical Disclaimer: Engine and generator hours are as of the date of the original listing and are a representation of what the listing broker is told by the owner and/or actual reading of the engine hour meter. The broker cannot guarantee the true hours. It is the responsibility of the purchaser and/or his agent to verify engine hours, warranties implied or otherwise, and major overhauls as well as ALL other representations noted on the listing.

DISCLAIMER TO BOARD VESSEL: In the event the Buyer boards the vessel either on land or in the water without a broker or owner, the Buyer(s) agrees and understands he boards at his sole risk and liability.