Sundance — 1962 S&S Gulfstream 42, Design No. 1624

Sundance is one of only three hulls ever built to Design No. 1624, the first series-production aluminium sailboat ever made, and the last and most ambitious model in Bob Derecktor's Gulfstream line. She is believed to be the first hull built: the boat photographed under spinnaker for S&S's own 1962 sales literature, captioned “the first ’42’ launched.” A 1962 magazine advertisement for the boat lists her original owner as Clint Loyd and confirms “three now building.”

IDENTIFICATION

Design Number: 1624

Model: Gulf Stream 42

Sail Number: 666

Hull Number: 1 of 3 built (believed to be the first hull launched)

Documentation No. 287663 (stamped into the timber of the forward cabin)

DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

Builder: Robert E. Derecktor, Inc. Mamaroneck, New York, USA

Year Built / Launched: 1961 (launched August 1961; referred to as a 1962 model in contemporary S&S sales literature)

Rebuilt / Restored: Interior, deck, portlights and hatches rebuilt by current owners (exact year not on record)

Rig: Yawl, masthead, single spreader

Hull Material: Aluminium — all-welded alloy, 3/16″–3/8″ plate, built to ALCOA practice

Hull Colour: Dark grey / black

PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS

LOA 41′ 6½″ (12.66 m)

LWL 29′ 3″ (8.92 m)

Beam 11′ 0″ (3.35 m)

Draft 6′ 3″ (1.91 m)

Displacement 18,445 lbs (8.37 t)

Ballast 7,000 lbs, external lead

Sail Area 784 sq ft (72.84 sq m)

Rating Not available

ENGINE & SYSTEMS

Engine Yanmar 3JH3E, diesel inboard, purchased new by current owners not long after buying Sundance

Horsepower Approx. 39–40 hp

Engine Hours Not on record

Fuel Capacity 95 US gal (integral aluminium tank)

Fresh Water Capacity 145 US gal (integral aluminium tank)

CONDITION

• Hauled out in Haverhill, Massachusetts for approximately 20 years, cared for throughout.

• Engine run every year historically; recommissioning is currently in progress.

• No formal survey has been conducted; remaining work is estimated to be mainly cosmetic.

• Interior is clean, dry, and largely intact.

• Deck, portlights, and hatches (stainless steel, with screens) were fully replaced by the family.

• Sails are aboard; condition and originality unknown.

PROVENANCE & HISTORY

Sundance is one of only three hulls ever built to Design No. 1624, the first series-production aluminium sailboat ever made, and the last and most ambitious model in Bob Derecktor's Gulfstream line. She is believed to be the first hull built: the boat photographed under spinnaker for S&S's own 1962 sales literature, captioned “the first ’42’ launched.” A 1962 magazine advertisement for the boat lists her original owner as Clint Loyd and confirms “three now building.”

The current owner's family has owned Sundance for 25 years. Their correspondence with the Sparkman & Stephens design office in 2000, confirming Design No. 1624, is part of the boat's own paper trail today, alongside the original lines-plan blueprint, factory sales sheet, plan description sheet, and S&S drafting-room log, all retained with the boat. Much of this design history draws on yacht historian Patrick Matthiesen's 2004 account of the Derecktor Gulfstream family.