Located at Crawford Boat Building in Marshfield, MA

Pure white hull, gray deck, white sail.

Centerboard model, Cetol finish on the teak, a very nice pair of 7 ½’ oars, name and pinstripe, epoxy and graphite bottom treatment, mooring cover, new rigging, excellent 2 yr. old trailer with only a few miles on it.

Roger Crawford’s comments:

I’ll start by saying that both “Ladyslipper” and her original owner Elizabeth Durant are both special to me.  I ran into Elizabeth and family at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October 1996, they were casual friends of mine from back home and were sailing south in their big sailboat headed to the warmer climes.  Elizabeth was enchanted with the Melonseed on display and decided that as a 60th birthday gift to herself she would commission a new Melonseed.  It was built for her in the early part of 1997.

I soon discovered that (like so many other women Melonseed owners) Elizabeth was a seriously good and quite fearless sailor, (See the photo above!) and we sailed together dozens of times in MS regattas and other casual group sails over the years.  She put “Ladyslipper” to the test in heavy weather many a time and both she and the boat showed the stuff they were made of.  They were the perfect match for each other, and it always warmed my heart to see them both, and the joy the boat brought to her.

When Elizabeth turned 80 (and still a remarkably capable skipper) she told me that perhaps it was time for her to sell her boat.  I argued with her and told her that even if she only sailed it a few times a year in Melonseed Regattas she should NOT sell it.  We had the same discussion when she turned 81 and once again, I prevailed.  When we were all hauling our boats out of the water the last day of the 2019 regatta, she came over to me and said that she had finally made the irreversible decision to let “Ladyslipper” go.  Saddened as I was to no longer be able to sail beside this lovely woman and her beloved and beautiful white boat, I agreed to help.

“Ladyslipper” was brought into the boat shop this fall for a complete restoration and beautification, done with at least as much passion as when she was originally built. The boat was in excellent condition for its vintage to begin with, but to “gild the lily” as they say we did $2,000 worth of work on the boat and it is stunning.   The teak was stripped to bare wood and refinished with Cetol.  Same for her spars that got 8 coats of fresh varnish.  The hull was renewed and brought back to near it’s original shine 22 years ago. The flat bottom of the hull was treated to a coat of rock-hard protective epoxy and graphite. Some of the bronze hardware was replaced. The interior gray gelcoat was redone. New rigging, bungees and anything else that we could replace was added.  Her trailer was new 2 years ago and has probably less than 200 miles on it.  The mooring cover does show a little wear and its age a bit but is quite adequate.

I can’t personally endorse this boat enough and believe that if not for the fact that it is a 22-year-old Melonseed its sale price might be higher by $750 - $1,000.  “Ladyslipper” is a perfect example of how easily a Crawford Melonseed can hold its value if well loved and well maintained.

If you would like to become the fortunate person that will be the new owner of this Melonseed that has been a big part of our sailing and social scene, and a favorite of mine for over two decades, you can contact me at the boat shop for more information.

Roger Crawford

All inquiries should be made to Roger Crawford by email roger@melonseed.com

or phone 781.837.3666