Construction Details:
Length 18 Feet (5.50 Metres)
Beam 5.5 Feet (1.59 Metres)
Planked with Douglas Fir
Copper riveted Plank and Batten construction
Below water is Diagonal Carvel, double planked with canvas between the layers.
Keel, Ribs and Trim are White Oak.
Awards:
Best Runabout 1993 Victoria Real Estate Board Classic Boat Festival
Best Open Power 1994 Victoria Real Estate Board Classic Boat Festival
1st - Launch Class 1998 Concours d'Elegance Lake Tahoe
Best Open Power 1998 Victoria Real Estate Board Classic Boat Festival
History of
the 1936 Swiss Craft Milan
The 18 foot launch MILAN was built
in 1936 by John Faul AG in Horgen, Switzerland,. Original photos and bill of
sale available.
MILAN is powered by her original
25hp 4 cylinder KERMATH Seacub engine. I have a copy of the original engine
manual.
She is Douglas fir planked with
Oak trim, plank & batten construction, copper riveted. I am her third owner.
I found the boat lying in an
industrial quarry shed on the Lake of Zurich, Switzerland in 1975. She was
totally neglected, but did have her original Kermath engine and fittings. The
cushions were rotten under the threadbare tarp...but this tarp probably saved
her decks. I knew the boat was worth saving as I knew the reputation of the John
Faul Company and I knew Franz, the owner and his son Hanspeter, personally.
After negotiating with the quarry
owner to buy MILAN, I went to get a tractor to tow the boat away. In the
interim, certain pieces had been removed. Gone were the steering wheel and the
navigation lights.
I spent close to a year doing a
total restoration. As I had a copy of the original engine manual, I could do a
complete overhaul. One of the biggest jobs was the removal of several layers of
paint inside the hull. The planking had several gouges but no major planks were
replaced. I built a new oak steering wheel to replace the missing one and
replaced all the cushions. I put the boat in storage in 1976 and commenced to
build my offshore sailboat. In 1980 I sailed from Marseille, to settle
eventually in BC Canada. In 1992 MILAN was shipped to BC as part of my
"settler's goods." MILAN is an Award winner.
Owner: Ulrich Briner
Represented by
Clark Wooden Boats, Gravenhurst, Ontario
www.clarkwoodenboats.com |
