HIGHLAND LIGHT

Asking Price $159,000

Design: Henry A. Scheel No. 211

Builder: Lee’s Boatshop, Rockland, Maine 1979

LOA: 43′ 9″

LWL: 33′ 8″

Beam: 11′ 9″

Draft: 4′ 9″

Displacement: 19,850 lb

Sail Area: 860 sq ft

HIGHLAND LIGHT is a particularly appealing Maine-built cruising yacht: designed by Rockport local Henry Scheel, built a few miles south in Rockland by Lee’s Boatshop, and recently given a substantial refit at Rockport Marine. Few yachts have such strong ties to Penobscot Bay, and fewer still combine this degree of local history and traditional character with the systems and conveniences expected aboard a modern cruising boat.

Scheel designated her Design No. 211 and described her as “a cruising auxiliary with the Scheel Keel,” having a modern underbody, conventional transom, and a rig arranged for maximum ease of handling. She has long overhangs, a gentle sheer, shoal draft, and the steady, well-balanced appearance characteristic of Scheel’s best work.

Henry “Harry” Scheel was one of Maine’s most inventive yacht designers. An MIT graduate, he worked for the Bureau of Ships during the Second World War and later designed yachts and commercial craft from his own office. He established Scheel Yachts in Rockland in 1971 and is best remembered for his patented Scheel Keel, which provides shoal draft without the complication of a centerboard while placing ballast low for stability and sail-carrying ability. The concept was eventually incorporated into more than fifty production and custom designs.

The hull was cold-molded by Lee’s Boatshop in 1979. This method of construction retains the warmth, quietness, and structural virtues of wood while eliminating many of the maintenance concerns associated with conventional plank-on-frame construction. Multiple layers of wood are bonded into a single strong, stiff, and dimensionally stable structure, with no working topside seams to swell, dry out, or recaulk.

HIGHLAND LIGHT therefore offers the character and beauty of a wooden yacht with ownership demands closer to those of a contemporary composite cruising boat. Her 2024 survey describes her as nicely constructed from quality materials, using accepted cold-molded techniques to a good standard. The hull was found fair, with well-adhered paint and no deficiencies noted during percussion testing.

The laid teak deck, painted wooden cabin sides, low housetop, varnished coamings, handrails, and substantial joinery give HIGHLAND LIGHT the purposeful appearance of a proper Maine cruising yacht. Below, she has the settled and reassuring atmosphere of a boat intended for extended time aboard, with warm-toned joinery, paneled doors, solid fiddles and sensible seagoing accommodations.

A major refit was undertaken at Rockport Marine during 2023 and 2024 under the supervision of Simon Castle. This was considerably more than a cosmetic freshening and included:

Rebuilding the cockpit, including a glued teak cockpit sole.

Rebuilding the steering system, pedestal, engine controls, chain-and-cable gear, bronze quadrant, and turning blocks.

-Completely rebuilding the Hood in-mast mainsail furling system.

-Installing a new Harken headsail furler and carefully tuning the headstay.

-Removing and inspecting all chainplates, with four of the six replaced.

-Removing, repairing, and rebedding all portholes.

-Replacing all lifelines.

-Reworking and upgrading the electrical and battery installations in accordance with current -ABYC recommendations.

-Completing the CNG locker and system.

-Repairing and improving the blackwater system.

-Reviewing and correcting seacocks and below-waterline plumbing as necessary.

-Completing all priority recommendations identified in the 2024 survey.

These are among the less visible—and frequently most expensive—items confronting the purchaser of an older yacht. Their completion by one of Maine’s foremost wooden-boat yards adds substantially to HIGHLAND LIGHT’s appeal.

Her rebuilt in-mast furling mainsail and Harken headsail furling system allow sail to be shortened or put away from the cockpit, making a substantial and capable yacht unusually manageable for a couple. A lightly used asymmetric spinnaker carries the same lighthouse profile seen in her bow ornament and includes a handling sock made by Doug Pope.

This combination of traditional appearance and easily handled modern rig is central to HIGHLAND LIGHT’s appeal. She is a comfortable cruising home with the pedigree, appearance, and performance potential to participate in classic-yacht gatherings and regattas throughout New England. She would be particularly satisfying for someone who wants to join the classic fleet aboard a genuine locally designed and built wooden yacht without accepting the limitations of an antique rig or conventionally planked hull.

Also included is a Fairclough winter cover and pipe frame, recently repaired and resewn by Fairclough. Since the refit, HIGHLAND LIGHT has remained in the full-time care of Rockport Marine, including indoor winter storage. The owner reports that the Fairclough cover had previously provided dry, well-ventilated winter storage, allowing sails and cushions to remain aboard without mildew while creating a protected space for spring commissioning work. The original stainless-steel dodger frame is included as well.

HIGHLAND LIGHT has been in her present ownership since 2001. She has been cruised, carefully maintained, and thoughtfully adapted for comfortable sailing by a couple. Her easily handled rig, secure deck arrangement, shoal draft, and comfortable interior make her particularly well suited to owners who want a capable cruising yacht without the need for a large crew.

Her greatest distinction may be the completeness of her Maine identity. She was drawn by Henry Scheel in Rockland, built there by Lee’s Boatshop, and renewed by Rockport Marine. For someone who appreciates the history of yacht design and boatbuilding in mid-coast Maine, HIGHLAND LIGHT offers an unusual combination: the authenticity and warmth of a locally designed and built wooden yacht, the advantages of cold-molded construction, the convenience of a modern cruising rig, and the benefit of a recent refit by a first-rate Maine yard.

SPECIFICATIONS

Designer: Henry A. Scheel

Design: No. 211, 44-Foot Sloop

Builder: Lee’s Boatshop, Rockland, Maine

Year: 1979

Construction: Cold-molded wood

Rig: Masthead sloop

Keel: Scheel Keel

Rudder: Skeg-hung

Length overall: 43 feet 9 inches

Length on waterline: Approximately 33 feet 8 inches

Beam: 11 feet 9 inches

Draft: Approximately 5 feet

Displacement: Approximately 19,850 pounds

Published mainsail area: 390 square feet

Published 100-percent foretriangle: 470 square feet

USCG documentation number: 606377

CONSTRUCTION

Cold-molded wooden hull

Lead-ballasted Scheel Keel

Skeg-hung rudder

Plywood deck over wood framing

Laid and caulked teak decking

Painted wooden cabin sides

Fiberglass-covered plywood housetop

Varnished wooden coamings, handrails, trim, and exterior joinery

Rebuilt cockpit with glued teak sole

Stainless-steel bow and stern rails

New double lifelines

RECENT ROCKPORT MARINE REFIT

Cockpit substantially rebuilt

New glued teak cockpit sole

Steering system rebuilt and reinstalled

Pedestal and engine controls reworked

Hood in-mast furling system completely rebuilt

New Harken headsail furler

Headstay and furling installation tuned

Chainplates removed and inspected

Four of six chainplates replaced

All portholes removed, repaired, and rebedded

All lifelines replaced

CNG locker and system completed to current standards

Blackwater system and associated plumbing renewed or serviced

Battery installations corrected and secured

Electrical wiring rerouted, organized, protected, and upgraded

AC outlets and associated wiring serviced

Positive electrical terminals protected

Seacocks and below-waterline plumbing corrected as necessary

Priority recommendations from the 2024 survey completed

ENGINE AND PROPULSION

Yanmar 4JH2E diesel

45 hp

Freshwater cooling

ZF 15H V-drive transmission

Stainless-steel propeller shaft

Approximately 18-inch three-bladed Max-Prop

PropSpeed coating

Bronze stuffing box

Approximately 30-gallon fiberglass fuel tank

Racor primary fuel filter

Yanmar secondary fuel filter

Wet exhaust with waterlift muffler

Engine alternator

Inverter/charger

RIG AND SAILS

Painted aluminum mast and boom

Stainless-steel standing rigging

Hood in-mast furling mainsail system, completely rebuilt

Harken headsail furling system

Lewmar winches

Lightly used asymmetric spinnaker with lighthouse emblem

Doug Pope spinnaker sock

Additional older sails, including Neil Pryde genoa

TANKAGE AND SYSTEMS

Approximately 120 gallons freshwater in three fiberglass tanks

Approximately 30 gallons fuel

Approximately 12-gallon holding tank

Isotherm water heater, engine and 120-volt operation

Pressure freshwater system

Electric head

Shower

CNG system with dedicated locker

Three-burner CNG stove with oven

12-volt DC electrical system

120-volt AC system

30-amp shore power

Automatic and manual electric bilge pump

Cockpit-mounted manual diaphragm bilge pump

High-water alarm

NAVIGATION AND ELECTRONICS

Raymarine chartplotter and radar at chart table

Raymarine chartplotter and depth sounder at helm

Furuno GP-32 GPS

Standard Horizon Quest VHF

Navigation lights

GROUND TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT

CQR anchor

Danforth anchor

Fortress anchor

Manual/AC anchor windlass

Fairclough winter cover and pipe frame, recently repaired and resewn

Stainless-steel dodger frame

Boom tent