A Concise History of the West Wight Potter

Harry Gordon

I wrote the following to answer some questions about the Potter that appeared on the Trailer Sailor Potter Forum. The questions were about the seaworthiness of the P15 and whether the boat is 14 ft or 15 ft in overall length. Some readers observed that my answer was a concise history of the Potter and suggested I make it available on a web site, so here it is:

The West Wight Potter was designed and built originally on the Isle of Wight in the early 60s by Stanley Smith, a Naval Architect, as a sailboat appropriate for "pottering" in the challenging conditions of that area. It was made of plywood and was 14 ft in overall length, 11.5 ft at the waterline. Its iron centerboard, generous beam, and modest sailplan enhanced its stability. Its hard chine gave the boat high initial stability, making it feel more secure and less tender (less tippy) than a round bottom boat, but it nevertheless has a point of no return if allowed to heel too far, and it can "turn turtle." It was never a "rowboat" but has been described as a "sailing dinghy with a cabin." Its fully retracting swing keel made the boat easy to launch, trailer, and beach.

Herb Stewart in the U.S. converted the design to fiberglass, retaining the hull shape, sail plan, and other features of the wooden Potter. His company, HMS Marine, marketed the fiberglass WWP as a 14 ft boat. A similar fiberglass version was produced in the UK. Herb also designed and manufactured a larger boat with Potter features, which he called the HMS 18.

HMS Marine was sold, and a new owner began marketing the WWP as a Potter 15, apparently including the integrated outboard mount in the overall length. He also reintroduced the HMS 18, renamed the Potter 19. The company became International Marine. Ownership of IM has changed several times over the years.

Stanley Smith sailed one of his wooden Potters to Sweden from the Isle of Wight, despite being swept ashore in Denmark. Smith was an experienced small boat sailor, having previously made Atlantic crossings in the 20 ft Nova Espero. His experience with the Nova Espero was applied to the design of the Potter and probably contributed significantly to the fact that the Potter is an exceptionally dry sailer.

Obviously, a 14 ft boat is not marketed as an ocean cruiser, but a few other intrepid souls have nevertheless made long, open water voyages successfully. A Potter was sailed from Mexico to Hawaii. Another attempted Hawaii from California, was dismasted, then jury rigged and sailed to the tip of Baja. One sailed the Inside Passage to Alaska, and another explored the back waters of Mexico to reach an isolated "lost city."

Personally, I'm still evaluating my 1967 Potter Manatee; I've only owned her for 34 years. So far she has not turned turtle or capsized. I sail mainly on San Francisco Bay, but have sailed Manatee from Santa Cruz to Monterey.