Ann Chivers has kindly sent us the following photos and articles which feature the VJs, Skates, Moths, Lightweight Sharpies, Yachts etc which were built by wooden boat maestro Laurie Chivers at Perth, Western Australia from the mid 1950s onwards.
Laurie was also a championship winning sailor, and his boats and championship wins are recorded at the bottom of the following article written by Ann Chivers.
========================================================
“Laurie Chivers’ sailing and his boatbuilding of dinghies and yachts. Written by Ann Chivers, June 2023.
Laurie’s first interest in sailing dinghies began in January 1955, aged 17. For the sum of 30 pounds which was saved from his apprenticeship wages, he bought a Vee Jay called ‘Gay Donna’ from the Mews family in Claremont. He thinks the former skipper was Donna Mews, daughter of the family.
Laurie commenced sailing at the Claremont Yacht Club shortly after purchasing the Vee Jay. However not long into his new venture he hit the Karrakatta Bank near the Claremont YC, breaking the metal centreplate and damaging the boat.
Not to be deterred Laurie then decided to build a new boat for himself. He built this in a small lattice shed at the rear of his parents rented home in Nedlands, and started sailing it at Nedlands Yacht Club at the start of the 1956 season. This Vee Jay was called ‘Venom’.
Laurie had taken up a Carpentry/Joinery apprenticeship in 1953 aged 15. However in late 1957 and not yet finished his apprenticeship, he decided to leave the building job and started working for himself in the small shed, building some Vee Jays, timber spars, and purchasing a Talurit splicing machine.
Laurie would often be requested to take the Talurit machine and wire etc to a yacht club to rig a yacht.
In 1959 he built his first Skate (also called ‘Venom’). At this time Laurie’s neighbours allowed him to remove some pickets on the dividing fence and use their larger garage for building some dinghies.
By 1960 however, the work had increased and some of the neighbours were a little unhappy about the late hours at which customers would be calling.
It was in this year 1960 that Laurie, with the help of his father, built the workshop at the Nedlands Yacht Club.
At the NYC shed he built Vee Jays, Skates, 14ft Dinghies, Lightweight Sharpies, Moths, Rainbows etc.
In 1962 Laurie built a new Vee Jay for John Bertrand – for price of 90 pounds.
He also built timber yacht spars for dinghies and larger yachts, built in both spruce and Oregon. In the small NYC workshop Laurie also manufactured a range of stainless steel fittings for the spars.
In 1963 it was realized that the shed at NYC was too small, and a new factory was built in Melville, south of the river. The NYC shed continued alongside the Melville factory until 1969 when Laurie ceased business there, and all boatbuilding was then done at the Melville premises.
At the Melville factory the range of timber yachts increased and more Vee Jays, Skates, Moths, Herons, GP14, Cherubs and Flying Ants were added to the production plus YW Diamonds, and Juno yachts.
By 1966 the manufacture of timber spars ceased, and Laurie began making aluminium extruded spars. In 1973 the alloy spar making side of the business was called Champion Spars.
The C/S2 section was recommended for Vee Jays and in 1980 the cost of a Vee Jay mast retailed at $275.00. Wholesale price was $132.00 + sales tax of 19.80%
By early 1970s Laurie ceased the building of sailing dinghies, and production turned towards pleasure boats, fishing boats and pilot boats up to 16.5m.
LAURIE CHIVERS’ SAILING HISTORY:
In 1956 Laurie joined Nedlands Yacht Club and sailed there in Vee Jays and Skates, plus a year in Moths. He finished at NYC in 1968 and in 1969 sailed his Lightweight Sharpie ‘Red Rooster’ from Mounts Bay Sailing Club until retiring from sailing in 1996.
Laurie’s last Sharpie was called ‘Two Three Two’ which was named after the sail number of his first Skate ‘Venom’.
Laurie Chivers’ boats and sailing results:
VEE JAY CLASS:
1957/58 ‘Venom’ 2ND Place Mosman Bay Sailing Club (WA)
1958/59 ‘Venom’ 1st Place Mosman Bay Sailing Club (WA)
MOTH CLASS:
1961/62 ‘Venom Jnr’ 1st Place Nedlands Yacht Club
SKATE CLASS:
AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS:
1959/60: ‘Venom’ Australian Champion – sailed at Nedlands Yacht Club WA
1960/61: ‘Venom’ Australian Champion – sailed at Georges River Sailing Club NSW
1963/64: ’Venom’ Australian Champion – sailed at Nedlands Yacht Club WA
SKATE CLASS:
STATE CHAMPION 1959/60: ‘Venom’ State Champion – sailed Cockburn Sound
1960/61 ‘Venom’ State Champion – sailed Cockburn Sound
1961/62 ‘Venom’ State Champion – sailed Cockburn Sound
1965/66 ‘Venom’ State Champion – sailed Cockburn Sound
1968/69 ‘Venom’ State Champion – sailed Swan River
SKATE CLASS:
CLUB CHAMPION 3 years running:
1959/60 ‘Venom’ 1st place Nedlands Yacht Club
1960/61 ‘Venom’ 1st place Nedlands Yacht Club
1961/62 ‘Venom’ 1st place Nedlands Yacht Club
LIGHTWEIGHT SHARPIE:
1971/72 ‘Red Rooster’ 1st Place Mounts Bay SC Championships”
Ann Chivers, June 2023
=======================================================
Photos of Laurie Chivers boats:
Laurie Chivers VJ ‘Venom’ #1
Laurie Chivers ‘Venom’ #2
Laurie Chivers, Barry James (apprentice) and Jack Chivers NYC workshop 1962
PICTURE OF LAURIE CHIVERS WORKING ON HIS NEW VJ AT NEDLANDS-SUBIACO YACHT CLUB #1
PICTURE OF LAURIE CHIVERS WORKING ON HIS NEW VJ AT NEDLANDS-SUBIACO YACHT CLUB #2
Various timber sailing dinghies at the Melville factory 1965-70 pic by JM Falls
VJ 1965-70 Melville factory #1
VJ 1965-70 Melville factory #2
VJ 1956-70 Melville factory #3
VJ 1965-70 Melville factory #4
Chivers VJ ‘Triad’ skipper John Bertrand and crew Geoff Augustine pictured at NYC 1963. John and Geoff won the Junior VJ Commonwealth Championship in 1963-64
Vaughan Thomas and Chivers VJ ‘Blue Streak’. Vaughan was WA State Champion and was one of the top VJ sailors in Australia during the 1960s
WA State Champion ‘Blue Streak’ Vaughan Thomas
More of Ann and Laurie Chivers’ photos and articles will be uploaded soon
vauclusejunior 
You must be logged in to post a comment.