"Daring" - US 800 Re-Surfaces - Hmm! Maybe Not?

Mike Scott, from the Pacific Northwest, has been on a roll recently. He has picked up two International 14's. The first appears to be Stuart Walker's Souter Mk I, US 800, the I-14 featured in many of the photos of Stuart racing his International 14.

Tom Price talked to Stuart, showed him the photos, and

Stuart doesn't believe this is Daring (even though it 

has sails with the US 800 number. It could possibly be 

US 791, an earlier Casson that was owned by Robert Savage

of Balboa California, imported in 1965.

The Souter designs were very comparable in speed to the Kirby's during the single trapeze days, being a favorite design on the Chesapeake, as the very fine bow was able to superbly handle the random bobble off Annapolis. Mike Souter, operating a boat building operation out of the Isle of Wight, was a master at cold-molding the 14 hulls, although I don't believe he did that many - Bill McCutcheon becoming the main English builder of cold-molded hulls.

Mike Scott sends some pictures along of his acquisitiion. This 14 definitely has the distinctinve high knuckle/chine up forward of the Souter and the typical Uffa-type deep rocker under the mast. The hull is now painted a orange/red.

Here is a photo of Stuart Walker's US 800, "Daring" taken when Stuart took delivery of her outside Souter's boat building shed during the 1960's.