You may have a UK B-type

Posted By: Harry Gordon, WWP14 #234, Manatee, Mountain View, CA
Date: 10/16/08 5:43p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Hull Identification Number location on early Potter (pic) (Greg Bauman WWP 14 San Pedro, CA)

The boat isn't a Mk I; they came along much later. Yours is either a first generation U.S. gunter rigged Potter or the similar UK B-type. The VIN on U.S. Potters normally begins in "HMSA," the HMS representing originally HMS Marine (now International Marine)in Inglewood, , and the "A" representing the first model Potter, the 14-footer. (The P19 has a "B".) I just looked at the title and registration forms for my Potter. They show the Manufacturer, year built, and hull number but not a VIN per se. Are you sure your hull number is not on your forms? The U.S.-built Potters began with hull number 151 in (I think) 1965, so your number won't be much higher than that if it's a U.S. boat. Your boat looks much like my own 1967 #234 except that mine has a later window design. My boat has a nameplate on the inside of the transom. I don't know when they began doing that. Your window was used on both the early U.S. Potters and the UK B-type Potters. At the time those Potters were built, HMS Marine had the U.S. rights to the Potter. In the UK, the similar B-type Potter was being manufactured by West Wight Marine Limited on the Isle of Wight. It was the first UK fiberglass Potter. The original Potter (now referred to as the A-type) was plywood. I believe the molds for the UK B-type were supplied by Herb Stewart of HMS Marine in the U.S. after he converted the WWP design to fiberglass. Despite your strange VIN, I'm inclined to think yours is an early U.S. Potter. It has the U.S. type color scheme and a bow pulpit, which was an option on the U.S.Potters. Do you have the name of the previous owner(s)? You're welcome to inspect my boat if you're ever up in the Bay Area. I might even be tempted to part with my gunter rig, which is in good condition, since I generally use the lateen rig, but I still use the gunter rig once in a while. If you contact Captain Howie of the SoCal Potter club, he can probably point you to an early gunter Potter owner in your area. (I'm assuming you are somewhere near San Pedro.) I can see bolt holes on your transom that indicate your boat had the wrought-iron removable motor mount like mine at one time. Note that the later "second generation" gunter-rigged Potters were considerably different from ours, beginning at about hull #300. They had a sliding hatch and other refinements, but the spars and sails were the same. I don't know about "WEST WIGHT POTTER, International, a division of California Jet Marine Inc." although it sounds vaguely familiar. Maybe Herb Stewart began his Potter business under that name, then renamed it "HMS Marine."