For Sale: 1981 Scout Fairchild 30' Fiberglass Raised Deck Cruiser

*Featured in Nautical Quarterly volume 8

One of fewer than sixty (ALL FIBREGLASS) Scout 30s built in the late 1970's and early 1980's and one of only 3 built in a motor sailer configuration. She was designed by noted powerboat designer Ben Ostend and but by Fairchild Yachts in San Diego. The Scout 30 was designed to evoke the grace of an earlier time. Generally speaking, some of the most beautiful pleasure craft of all times were designed and built during the period between the first World War and the great depression. That particular era was one in which the entire approach to yachting was on a level of affluence, elegance and grace. In most cases the yachts of the 20's reflected that ideal amalgam of charm and function that typifies enduring designs in any field.

The Scout 30 makes no concessions to nostalgia. There is nothing about her design that is extraneous or superficial and the overwhelming resemblance to a yacht of the 20's is not just a contrived marketing stratagem. On the contrary, it is the result of a desire to arrive at the most natural configuration for a 30' flush deck motor cruiser.

The reproduction of this twenties design has resulted in a motor yacht that can be defined as the "ultimate statement in refined elegance. The Scout 30 is elegant, comfortable and simple- pure and simple.
The Hull and Deck are Fiberglass. All fittings are brass or bronze and she will cruise for 1000 miles at 6 knots, consuming well under a gallon of diesel fuel per hour. Cruise 6.5 knots Max 8.0 Knots. Her Perkins 4108 turns a such a modest RPM that she is almost silent running either from the cockpit of the saloon.

There are about 50 examples of this yacht in North America and as one of the first owners of the Scout 30 said, "We must have one of these - we feel that something like this belongs in our family, it will be an heirloom"

Solid Fibreglass Hull. Balsa Cored Deck
Built by Fairchild Yachts in San Diego 1981
Sloop Rigged/aluminum spar/ awlgrip LP paint. Sails in excellent condition.
USCG Documented
2016 All External wood is Mahogany. 12 Coats Epathanes and Flagship Varnish 2016
*The boat is in magnificent condition in every respect, mechanically and cosmetically.
Total Refit 2015-2016

ACCOMMODATIONS
Berths Port and Starboard. 6" foam cushions. New Upholstery. Stowage under berths
Upholstered Seat at foot of companionway with hanging locked behind. Stowage under
Enclosed Head with polished brass fixtures, counters, hot and cold pressure water, shower. Accessed by Dutch Doors.
Marine head with holding tank
Chain Locker in head with mirrored access door. 30' 5/16 Chain w. 200' 1/2"line. Fortress 16 Anchor
Two large hanging lockers
two opening skylights in saloon
Eight 6" Bronze opening ports. One 18" Bronze opening port
Full Headliner with wood battens
Wood Ceilings above bunks in saloon
Lazaretto Hatch over aft deck allowing access to over 100 cubic feet stowage.

GALLEY

L Shaped Formica counter top (11 sq. ft)
2 Burner Electric and Alcohol Stove
Large Icebox
Large Cabinets below stove and sink
Drawer set beneath counter
Large Cabinets above Counter
Pressure Hot and Cold Water

ELECTRICAL

New12 volt DC and 110 volt AC Electrical Distribution Panel
30 Amp 110v AC Shore power
Galvanic Isolator
3 Series 31 AGM 12 Volt Batteries (new 2016)
New 30 Amp Battery Charger (converter)
Battery Selector Switch
New 50 AMP Engine Driven Alternator
4 110 v AC plug Receptacles
2 12 v DC plug Receptacles
LED bulbs in lighting fixtures

RUNNING EQUIPMENT

Perkins 4108 Diesel Engine 700 Hrs TT. Excellent Condition. (New Top End. New Riser, New Heat Exchanger, New Raw and Circulating Pumps, New Oil Cooler) New Front & Rear Main Seal (No Oil Leaks) All New Hoses, Belts, Etc.. Cruise 6.5 Max 8 knots
Rebuilt Hurth 1.9.1 Transmission (reduction gear), Excellent Condition
*Sloop rigged. LP painted aluminum mast and boom. Main and Jib in like new condition.
1 1/4 Stainless shaft
3 Blade Bronze Prop
Full Engine Instrumentation
20' Bronze Edson spoked wheel
Reconditioned Hynautic Hydraulic Steering (2016)
Benmar Autopilot
Emergency tiller steering on rudder shaft head
Electrical Bilge Pump. ITT PAR Jabsco Belt Driven
All Bronze Seacocks
All Metal below waterline is bonded
50 Gallon Aluminum Fresh Water Tank
2 50 Gallon Fuel Tanks (100 gallon total)
10 Gallon waste tank
Cockpit Seat with Propane Stowage
Brass Air Horn w.compressor
Brass and Bronze Running Lights
Cockpit Full Headliner with wood battens
4 Docklines and 4 Fenders
Full Canvass Cockpit Enclosure 2015. New Isenglass 2016
3 canvas and wood deck chairs
Mahogany Folding Transom Boarding Ladder (8 Step)
Varnished Teak Ensign and Burgee Flag Staffs

Throwable lifering
4 PFDs

MEASUREMENTS:

LOA 30' 7"
LWL 30'
Beam 9'8"
Displacement 11,000 lbs
Ballast 2000'
Fuel 100 Gallons
Water 52 Gallons
Hot Water Heater 6 Gallons
50 hp Perkins 4108 6.5 knots at 1900 RPM .6 GPH

Should you have an interest in the Scout, please call me. Howard (858) 353 6038

http://www.powerboatlistings.com/view/45524

The Asking Price of the Scout is $59,000.

Great looking boat, these Scouts have a real cult following. Good luck with your sale.

Draft? Please.

Draft

The Scout draws 2.5 feet

She is berthed at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego

Thanks.

A very pretty boat and simply way too tender for anything but canal cruising in no wake zones.

Scout 30

I do respect your opinion, however, based on my experience, I must disagree with your contention regarding the Scout's seaworthiness.

I regularly take the boat to Catalina, an 80 mile trip 25 miles offshore. Encountering 6-8 seas and 25-30 kit winds on numerous occasions is of minimal concern as she tracks and handles remarkably well in such conditions. Similar conditions off Point Loma (San Diego) in breaking seas in no way compromises her sea worthiness or diminishes my feeling for safety.

The 2000 lbs of internal keel ballast and a reefed mainsail, coming off the wind a bit and taking the seas on an angle reduces any rolling tendency to a minimum. She is clearly not one designed to cross the Pacific, but on the other hand as a coastal cruiser (San Francisco to Ensenada Mexico and parts in between) she has never been a disappointment in any manner.

I have encounter conditions as described above in a hard chined boat and what may be best described as snap rolling tendency, is far more uncomfortable than that exhibited by a "stabilized" soft chined Scout.

I feel my experiences with the Scout are similar to those other Scout owners. Please refer to the Scout Owners Group website.

Differing opinions is what makes horse racing

I will venture the motorsailing version is a bit more steady than the motor only version....typical but I do not have any real experience with one, just lots of sailing exoerience in general and how major sails can reduce roll...

Hello Howard,
Nice boat. I see a few similarities with my own boat, including the fact that it is 1 of 3 built in a motorsailer configuration. I can attest to how much the sails stabilise the tenderness. The difference is like night & day when the sails are raised.

It appears you would have about 300-350 square feet of sail area with main & jib. That would be plenty to steady things out and sail on a beam reach, or when motorsailing close hauled.

I do not have a photo of the hull, but there is a full length keel

Yes, I found one on the web and compared it to mine. If anything, I think your hull shape may be less tender than mine.

My wife and I spent 5 years restoring and cruising Madelon in the late 70s early 80s. She is a 1927 35' ACF designed by Eldredge-McGinnis and could very well have been the model for the scout 30.

For the doubters, she was a very able coastal cruiser that has seen many miles up and down the east coast and extensive (my ownership) in Chesapeake Bay.

Let the nay sayers eat cake

BTW, if you zoom in the picture you will see her registration as DC 225, she was the 225th boat ever registered in Wahington DC and we kept her numbers.

Paul

Paul, your opinion is well taken, and on point. Thank you

The 1920's Seattle Boat Builders N.J. Blanchard and Lake Union Boats built notably similar boats, namely the Blanchard Standard Cruisers and the Lake Union Dream Boats. These were built between 1926 and 1929. Clearly, the Scout 30 designer Ben Ostland drew upon the designs of Leigh Coolage as well as Eldridge-Mcginnis and others of the time.

My interest in the Scout manifested itself in the fact that Ostland was able to design a fiberglass rendition of the original wood hulled raised deck cruisers thus allowing considerable more usable interior volume by being able to eliminate the frames and such as well as retaining the raised sheer. The end result is a boat with significant interior space and cockpit area.

The narrow beam was inherent in the 20's designs as it allowed smaller and less expensive engines to drive the boat to hull speed. The same holds s true today in that Scout's fuel burn at hull speed is less than 1 gph.

Howard

Sweet boat . A real head turner . I like everything about it .

Thank you Marty

I've always loved the Scouts, from the day I saw the first rendering before the first build.

Having followed them over the years I have to say that this is the best presentation I've seen of any that have been on the market in a long time.

One question: is the manual faucet in the galley for salt water or draining the icebox?

Beautiful boat.

I prefer one of the originals - see avatar. My boat is a 1936 32' boat built in Sausalito by Nunes Brothers Boat and Ways. I don't know the designer but she looks a lot like a Blanchard 36. There is also a Ted Geary design that looks almost identical.

I run 7 knots on about half a gallon an hour.

Conrad

The brass hand pump in the galley is two fold. 2 way valve directs either salt water or ice box drained water.

Thank you for the compliment.

Howard

If I had a boat house or more time and money, I would have a Leigh Coolage Lake Union Dream Boat. It is just the tenure of ownership incurs a real responsibility to preserve it for future generations, a task I am not able to perform. The Scout releases me of that obligation. I did in fact look at a Coolage design Lake Union Dream Boat. I estimated it would take 300 hours per year to maintain in th same fashion that 60 hours per year needed by the Scout

As the owner of a Scout 30 for the past 16 years I can attest to the boat's capability as a coastal cruiser. It's handled everything we've thrown at it with no complaints. I can also verify the burn rate at around half a gallon an hour at about 7 knots. I've never seen a Scout with the sailing rig but have often thought it would be neat to have.

Hi Carl,

Olive Oyl was the first Scout I ever saw and the reason for my ultimate quest for one. I believe she was built in Canada? Did they continue the numbers where Fairchild left off? Elizabeth is the next to last of the San Diego variety #12

Howard

AScout said:

Hi Carl,

Olive Oyl was the first Scout I ever saw and the reason for my ultimate quest for one. I believe she was built in Canada? Did they continue the numbers where Fairchild left off? Elizabeth is the next to last of the San Diego variety #12

Howard

Click to expand...

Yes, she was built by Express Yachts Ltd who bought the molds & started building the Scouts in Ontario. The hull numbers restarted from 1 & went to around 34. They stopped building in '87 so the run only lasted a few years. They changed or added a few things including teak for all of the exterior wood, quite a bit more wood on the interior a propane oven, a bowsprit & a one piece pilothouse roof.

I'm sure you've probable noticed that the prices on these boats has been climbing lately. There was recently one listed on Yachtworld for $89,000 & there is one there now at $105,000. I also recently saw another one on Craigslist with an asking price of $99,000. It should be noted that all 3 of these have been repowered but even so yours looks like one hell of a good deal.

1986 Scout 30 Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com