Alexander of Preston

A series of very superior toy boats made by Alexanders of Preston. They operated in the interwar period and after the war until about 1960. The father was a patternmaker and wooden shipwright and was employed by Fife of Fairlie before 1914. During the 1914 war he worked on flying boats in one of the S coast aircraft works. (Saunders?). After that the family settled in Preston where the father must have had some sort of woodworking business as well as his model yacht building. Based in a large house in Victoria Parage, most of the large family were involved.
As well as the toy boats, he also designed and built some very serious model racing yachts (6 Meter, 10 Rater and "A" Class) all A Class boats, were called White Heather.
His two sons won the International contest for the Yachting Monthly cup with No 8 in 1939.

The toys came in a range of sizes from 18 inches to 36 inches and were all essentially similar in form and derived from one of Alexander's 6-metre models. There were two styles. One that was the early model had a fin that was longer (chordwise) and a rudder that drooped slightly from the skeg. Just like a 1930's Alexander 6-m.

 

 

The later style, had a shorter, more vertical fin and the rudder was horizontal from the skeg. I had always assumed that the second style was introduced after 1945 when they got back into models, but possibly the the change was made earlier. These boats may have a distinctive steering gear; obviously designed to overcome the difficulties of clearance for the arms of a braine gear when fitted to a raked rudder stock hung from a non vertical skeg or sternpost

Over the years there were minor variations in the fittings and spars, with aluminium masts being found on some 1930s examples, then wood and then aluminimum again in the late production. All the boats were named, a name for each size of model, and almost all reflected the Scottish origins of the family.

It seems probable that the boats were also sold to Basett-Lowke for sale under their name. Such boats may have added features such as fixed or sliding hatches. An example of such a boat is shown below.

 

Steering detail: the ‘crab claws’ either side of the tiller apply a centring action adjustable by the knurled wheel at the rear. Helm is applied in response to tension from the boom via the pulleys; a rather smart ‘Clyde tiller’

This diagram shows how the boats were rigged.

 

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