Australia II Painted Model Yacht XL
Limited Quantity Of This Item!
Designed by Ben Lexcen, built by Stephan Ward, owned by Alan Bond and helmed
by John Bertrand, the Australia II featured an innovative winged keel design
developed by Lexcen. This helped to make it very fast and maneuverable in many
conditions, and was the most notable and controversial design feature of the
boat. During the summer of 1983, as selection trials took place for the Cup
defense that autumn, it was unclear whether the keel design was legal within
the strict rules governing the 12-metre class. Questions also surrounded the
Dutch involvement in the design of the keel, which under the rules had to be
designed by an Australian. The keel design was eventually confirmed as legal
while the keel origin controversy remains unanswered. Despite being the first
12-metre to sport the new design, Australia II was not the first boat to have
a winged keel, though her success did much to make the concept popular.
The Australia II also helped the Australians with new sail technology, finally
equaling or exceeding that of the Americans. Further, Bertrand made sure he
and his crew were trained and refined to execute at the highest levels despite
the pressure of this historical match up. America's Cup: Australia II, bearing
sail number KA6, represented the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia in its
September 1983 challenge for the America's Cup. The defender, the New York Yacht
Club, had held the cup since 1851, dominating challengers and sustaining the
longest winning streak in sport. The Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand,
faced Dennis Conner sailing the 12-metre Liberty in the ocean off Newport, Rhode
Island. Australia II came from behind to prevail 4 races to 3. The victory on
September 26, 1983 was a landmark event for the nation of Australia, not to
mention the Royal Perth Yacht Club, and it eventually earned Australia II the
ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year for 1983.
The Boxing Kangaroo was the official mascot of the Australia II effort. The
win was received with much enthusiasm in Australia, with the Men at Work song
Down Under becoming the official anthem for the crew. In the film Wind, Australia
II is portrayed as Boomerang. In the mid-1980s, Australia II was sent to the
Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia for display. For the
150th anniversary of the America's Cup, the boat was removed from the museum
and shipped to the Isle of Wight, sailing with the original crew for several
days of commemorative regattas. The boat has since been returned to Fremantle,
Western Australia where it is on permanent display in the Western Australian
Maritime Museum.
It’s enormous, it’s authentic, and it’s our Australia Painted XL Limited Edition.
Built using only the highest materials such as rosewood, mahogany, teak, and
local exotic woods; this model boat was built by hand using plank on frame method
by skillful and creative master craftsmen. Each strip of rare wood is place
neatly together to form a smooth hull. It stands 9'3" high and nearly 7' long
and 1'3" wide. This is not an ordinary model yacht. This model yacht is purposely
hand built to spec and filled with amazing details. The model ship is painted
in a lustrous cream color. You can spot the title "Australia II" painted on
the side of the hull. This model ship is very detail oriented along with beautiful
metal ornaments (metal steering wheels, wooden poles, navigation area, wooden
sliders, wooden mast, front and main fabric sail with detailed stitching, "#12
KA-6" in black sticker bond on the main sail, big wooden propeller, wooden anchor,
along with other metal ornaments, etc.)
To build this model ship, extensive research was done using various sources such as museums, drawings, copies of original plans and photos of the actual yacht. Our model yacht is completely hand constructed and painted as the original color of the ship by skillful and creative master craftsmen; you will be amazed at how real it looks. This giant wooden model yacht is rested on a large painted
solid wooden stand. To enhanced value and recognition, a golden metal plate embedded with "Australia II 1983" is provided. Due to its gigantic size, the masts are folded flat down for easy shipping purposes and come with instruction guide. Assembly time is around 30 minutes.
Click
on image above to view!
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Model Yachts, or try looking at our Constellation
Model Yacht.
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