Top Hat History.

[Phillip]

Evening All,

I'm trying to tie up all the loose ends I have with the history of our Top Hats.

So, I'm looking for three people

1. Denis Whitely
2. Tom Cyran [spelling may be wrong]
3. Peter Luewedi [spelling may be wrong]

Tom and Peter worked for Baker, Denis Whitely [I have lost his email] lives in Melbourne and owned the first moulded Top Hat from Mouldcraft.

I am also looking for the first Mark 1. Here are the clues I have:

"The first Baker Top Hat was ‘Contango’. It was Baker's demo boat so some of the first buyers may have sailed in her.
"Contango" had a Royal Blue hull with a white top. She was sailed by Geoff and his 5 to 6 workers in the Pittwater afternoon races every Wednesday."

Somebody also sent me a jpeg of the Illingworth class yacht "TOBY JUG". The copy sent is distorted and I would love a better copy if that is possible.
You will all eventually see how this yacht fits into our history.

If anybody has info they do not want to post on this forum, please PM or email me, see right hand side of panel.

[Phillip]

Morning All,

We have located Denis Whitely but not the other two gentlemen [see first post 1].

What we are looking for now is anybody who may know a person[s] that worked for the following two organisations during the 1980's or 1990's.
These two organisations were the major agents for Mark 2 and 3's during that period.
We are trying to get some stories from this source and maybe a number for the Top Hats that they sold.

1. Roseville Bridge Marina, Sydney.
2. Queensland Marine Services, Lawries Marina, Mooloolaba.
There was a Melbourne agent and I hope to post that name later, just have to dig it out of the files.

We are also looking for photos of the two factories during the time they were producing Top Hats.
Mouldcraft at Frankston Melbourne
Fibreglass Yachts [Baker] at Perak Street Mona Vale.
Formit at 1 Johnson Road Wyong.

We are hoping that some of the original buyers took photos of their Top Hats at the factory and that those photos survive.

[Gramps]

Evening All,

"Somebody also sent me a jpeg of the Illingworth class yacht "TOBY JUG". The copy sent is distorted and I would love a better copy if that is possible.
You will all eventually see how this yacht fits into our history.

Hi Phillip,

Have you seen the photo of the Illingworth style Top Hat I posted and is now in the Top Hat 0 Gallery? It might be useful.

Gramps

[Phillip]

Hi Gramps,

Yes I have seen it. I'm waiting on one interview to be done and then I will start to put together the history of Top Hats.

I am aware that what we produce now may change if new info comes to light.

What I really need at the moment is to talk to someone who brought their Mk 2 or 3 direct from Formit.

And also, someone who had a Top Hat agency as I indicated in an earlier post.

[Troppo]

Hi Phillip

Good on ya with doing the history. The Top Hat is a classic yacht so I reckon it's worthwhile gathering the history before it is lost.

cheers

Louis

[davet]

Just as an update Geoff Baker was also building boats in Garden St Narrabeen.
I joined Geoff there in 1964 and he purchased the site in Perak St and build a tilt slab factory.
Even our "windows" where laminated on the concrete and screwed in along the eastern side