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19' Oughtred Wee Seal (2003) - OPUS

  • 90A24135 4A68 447C B672 22FA8E240500

  • Owner’s Description

    Some boats are race boats. Some boats are cruising boats. Opus, a modified Wee Seal, designed by Iain Oughtred, is a boat that just seems to make people smile wherever she shows up, according to Seattle owners Lee Bjorklund and Larry Goerss.
    With Scandinavian-influenced longer ends, and great reserve buoyancy all round, Opus has proven to be an exceptionally able, comfortable, dry and sea-worthy double-ended vessel. She handles and balances well in all sorts of conditions. Opus is a shining example of a pocket cruiser that is not intimidated by distance, location, or sea conditions (within reason). She is a boat where, in the words of Wayne Roberts “the essence of simplicity is the height of enjoyment.”
    Opus is modified with a toe-rail, a Bermudan rather than a Gunter Rig and a full keel with bilge boards instead of the as designed swing keel. This modification added 10” to the draft, but created a flat, unobstructed floor in the cabin and significantly opened up the interior space. Additionally, the builder installed a motor well on the starboard side of the keel, making running under power both convenient and efficient. A Honda 2.3 h.p is used on lakes and a Mercury 3.5 when doing “larger” Puget Sound sailing. Inside, Goerss retro-fitted the bow portion and two storage units into buoyancy chambers with twist-lock watertight hatches. Electronics are solar powered.

  • Photos

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  • Comments

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    2 thoughts on “19' Oughtred Wee Seal (2003) - OPUS”

    • Brandt Faatz 5 years ago

      Looking good, Lee!

    • Kirk Gresham 5 years ago

      Hey Lee,

      So good to see your lovely and familiar, “Opus” here! I’ve always admire her and you, yourself, of course!

      Not sure if you know, I retired finally on at the end of December. Also, I bought a very wonderful little, 13.5, glued lapstrake, Melonseed Skiff that was built by Marc Barto himself, the guy who drew the lines plans of this boat for Woodenboat Magazine. He finished her in only three months, at O’Connell’s Woodenboat Shop in Chestertown, Maryland, in in 1995, and she still doesn’t leak a drop and looks nearly new! I improved her sail plan a bit, and now she also sails like a witch! Does repeated figure eights around the PT high school sailing team kids in their Lasers! Makes me feel like a teen again too!

      She’s listed in the show here too. Her name is, “La Vida e Bella” (This life is Beautiful!). Her former owner was an Italian model ship builder, and I thought the name he gave her was so beautiful, I couldn’t possibly think of changing it!

      I hope you’ll check her out. If you do, please be sure to also click on “The Lister’s Profile” because there are more photos and content that went there instead by accident.

      Hope all your family are safe and well. Tomoko and I are. Werte supposed to get our second vaccine today, but it got postponed last minute till next Thursday because of shipment delays!

      Stay healthy and safe, till we can sail or rally together again, hopefully this Summer!

      Best Wishes,
      Kirk Gresham