[ JULY 2022 ]
BROKE R’ S BE ST BY RANDY WOODS
1929 80’ Custom Classic Fantail Own a piece of Northwest maritime history with Deerleap, an 80-foot, wood-hulled Classic Fantail yacht that has plied West Coast waters for nearly a century. This month’s Brokers Best listing is a true historic treat for all boaters. Built in 1929 by Vancouver, British Columbia’s Hoffar-Beeching Shipyards, Deerleap is an 80-foot, wood-hulled Classic Fantail yacht that has plied the waters of the West Coast for nearly a century and is still going strong at her current moorage in Port Orchard. For the last 40 years, the craft has had the same owner, who has painstakingly maintained the vessel and burnished its reputation for understated elegance. Still appearing like a vision straight out of the Roaring Twenties, the handsome yacht was originally built for Andrew McLimont, president of Winnipeg Power and Light. Deerleap was first powered by Hall-Scott gasoline engines and was built specifically for excursions from Mexico 46
to Alaska, providing maximum views through its wide windows, wraparound teak decks, and roomy foredeck. Today, the layout is nearly identical to the original design, with a large observation salon and teak-lined formal dining room midships on the main deck, featuring a mahogany period table for up to eight people under a crystal chandelier. Signs of the yacht’s opulent heyday include silver service and serving pieces, cut-crystal decanters, and dinner china embossed with the ship’s name and logo. The compact galley is located forward, equipped with a period O’Keefe & Merritt four-burner propane stove and electric oven, a microwave, a trash compactor, and a full-sized LG refrigerator and freezer. To port, the window
over the galley sink lets in plenty of natural light and stunning views. Two steps up from the galley, a spacious pilothouse is fitted with a fully modern suite of navigation electronics and bow-thruster controls to make mooring easier. A day head has been added just aft of the pilothouse. Aft of the main deck living area, French doors open to what is perhaps the vessel’s most notable feature: a spacious, covered aft deck surrounding a central teak dining table. A new Sunbrella fabric shade provides protection for the semi-circular seating area that lines the fantail. Deerleap has had a colorful history since it was commissioned. For a few years, it was conscripted for military service during World
