WP dinghy?

[LeGe]

After a long search we found what we think is the ultimate tender for us. At 10 ft LOA with reasonably high top sides it is big enough for my wife, myself and our 2 elementary school aged kids. It is a factory made fiberglass dinghy with an 18 ft mast, cat rigged and with a deep enough centerboard that she will point well. And lastly, she is light enough so the first mate and I will be able to get her on the foredeck without too much of a fight.

As much as we are pleased with the new edition to our fleet we do not know anything about her and where she came from. There is a "WP" molded into the gelcoat on the bow and there is a pelican on the sail. No search for "WP dinghy" has given me any results and the only "pelican" I could find is a pram dinghy popular in Australia.

We bought her from someone in Ocean City, NJ and he knows that she used to be sailed in the Pines Lake Sailing Club in Passaic county in north Jersey but that is about that.

Does anyone know anything about the "WP" dinghy?

 

[Tom G P-21]

Could the WP actually be WB? As in Walker Bay, a very common dinghy. Photo of boat and sail would be helpful.

 

[LeGe]

No, I know Walker Bay dinghies very well. They're made from plastic/polypropylene. This one is made from fiberglass.

 

[LeGe]

Here is a picture of the logo.

 

[kloudie1]

What is the Hull Ident number.. ?? usually on upper starboard transom

 

[centerline]

it sure looks like one of the Australian pelican boats.... do a further search of them and you can see the very close resemblance.

 

[LeGe]

Unfortunately our dinghy has no HIN....

I looked at the Aussie Pelican again and am still convinced it's not our tender:
- the logo on the sail looks very different
- the Aussie boat is Gunter rigged while our mast is in one piece and the sail has a bolt rope in the luff and is hoisted in the normal way with a regular halyard
- the Aussie boat is 9'6" and ours is 10" exactly
- the Aussie boat is a pram (no pointy end in front) and ours has sharp bow.

Here are some pictures of the Aussie Pelican.

 

[Tom G P-21]

LeGe, I agree it's not a Aus. Pelican. It's a nice looking dinghy I can see why you like her. Are you sure its 10 ft it looks larger than that. Also, there looks like a sail makers logo at the tack of the sail, maybe you can try them?

 

[LeGe]

I measured her myself, 10' on the dot from transom to bow but she does look larger. Paddled her around the pond in our back yard for a bit today and she takes us 4 with ease... Very good idea about looking up the sail maker. I'll give it a shot.

 

[st nick]

Ahoy there LeGe , hail from Long Beach Island where i learned to sail as a kid I was last there in 1978 now in Tarpon Springs Fla west coast Sailing a Morgan 384. A Bahamas cruise is planned for April , have to see the swimming pigs in the Exumas ! two months or so is the plan taking the cat and poodle . fair winds ..LEE

 

[jcmeyers7]

Could WP stand for Wind Powered?

 

[Rasselas36]

After a long search we found what we think is the ultimate tender for us. At 10 ft LOA with reasonably high top sides it is big enough for my wife, myself and our 2 elementary school aged kids. It is a factory made fiberglass dinghy with an 18 ft mast, cat rigged and with a deep enough centerboard that she will point well. And lastly, she is light enough so the first mate and I will be able to get her on the foredeck without too much of a fight.

As much as we are pleased with the new edition to our fleet we do not know anything about her and where she came from. There is a "WP" molded into the gelcoat on the bow and there is a pelican on the sail. No search for "WP dinghy" has given me any results and the only "pelican" I could find is a pram dinghy popular in Australia.

We bought her from someone in Ocean City, NJ and he knows that she used to be sailed in the Pines Lake Sailing Club in Passaic county in north Jersey but that is about that.

Does anyone know anything about the "WP" dinghy?

try this link http://hindecoder.com/decoder-script.php?MIC=WPH

 

[Chasemixon]

ok so this is just a guess.. but try this link and see if it matches?
http://dragonflycanoe.com/stephens/
look under the sailing/rowing section...

 

[whycantIfindaname]

There is a WoodPussy cat boat, Weeks Yacht Yard has a link (not working) to WPcatboats.com.
Perhaps its a variant in fiberglass?

 

[marke14]

Whatever it's called, I am jealous. That is a handsome sailing dinghy!

 

[Tom G P-21]

OK, I am going to take a wild guess, from the sail logo and the initials WP, I wonder if its Walking (or Walker) Pelican. I did a quick google search and turned up nothing.

 

[PeterBld]

We had one of these (Auckland NZ) in the 80s and as you say it was an excellent dinghy. Unsinkable. And well made. The only difference I can see is the Logo which I do not recall on our one. Although it was nearly 30 years ago. We had it for many years. Lost it into the rocks in bad weather off Great Barrier Island when the painter broke (have never towed a dinghy since)
I thought it was local made in NZ.

I will check around here but suspect they may have been out of production for many years.

 

[adventuresofpearl]

I grew up learning to sail in one of those many years ago. It is called a Pelican and they were being built by a very small boat builder in Wayne, New Jersey in the late 50's and the 60's. The majority of the fleet was sailing on Pines Lake in Wayne, N.J. where the builder lived. Before the Sunfish became popular it was the boat many of the children learned in. It had a very active adult and junior racing fleet on the lake. I also believe there were a couple on Packanack lake as well. If the name of the builder comes back from my long ago memory I will post it here.

Your photos bring back many memories. I cant believe you found one in such good shape. Mine was #16

 

[adventuresofpearl]

Ok I am back. I had to contact the other old timers from the Pines Lake Sailing Club and they came through. Here is what they told me.

The builder's name was Brud Jury. Brud made the Pelicans in his shop on the corner of Black Oak Ridge Rd and Jackson Ave in Wayne, New Jersey. The shop was named Whitmore Products, hence the WP, for Whitmore Products. Brud gave it up when he became allergic to the styrene based compounds then used with fiber glass.

 

[LeGe]

Thank you so much. Now our beautiful dinghy is not an orphan anymore!!
I appreciate your help so much! It totally goes with the little I knew about her. She was indeed sailed competitively in Wayne with the Pines Lake Sailing Club...

From what I could gather she was sailed on Pines Lake by Nicholas Riciputo who was last registered for the 2007 season. Sadly, he passed away in 2008 at the age of 88. Since then our dinghy made her way to south Jersey (Ocean City) where we bought her and brought her north again to Jackson in central Jersey.

She is already very much loved by us and we are excited by the thought that this 50 plus year young girl will teach our 6 and 8 year old to fall in love with sailing.... I hope Mr Riciputo and all who came before us will be glad to know that she will continue to fulfill her purpose!

Ok I am back. I had to contact the other old timers from the Pines Lake Sailing Club and they came through. Here is what they told me.

The builder's name was Brud Jury. Brud made the Pelicans in his shop on the corner of Black Oak Ridge Rd and Jackson Ave in Wayne, New Jersey. The shop was named Whitmore Products, hence the WP, for Whitmore Products. Brud gave it up when he became allergic to the styrene based compounds then used with fiber glass.