# What's the Sailboat in "Curious Case of Benjamin Button"?



## captxtina

Hi, does anyone know what kind of sailboat was used in the film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"? It's beautiful.


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## tager

A beautiful one.


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## captxtina




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## tager

I have never seen the movie, but I am willing to bet it is an R-class sloop. Because those are damn good looking boats.


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## captxtina

I looked up R-class sloops, and that is certainly a nice vessel. The sloop they highlighted in a few scenes were similar to style to the R-class, but not an R-class. ....I'm still wondering if anyone knows.


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## saltydawg

Oh, was there a boat underneath Brad Pitt in those scenes? I somehow didn't notice...


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## modul8

I haven't been able to find any authoritative answers on the internet as to the real name of the boat,or its whereabouts. gorgeous boat though.


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## Hillster

It looked similar to the Morris Sparkman & Stevens sloops with the looonnngg overhangs. My first impression was that it was a wood boat.


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## nk235

Im not sure what type of boat it is but I am also curious about it as well. I just watched this movie for the 1st time last night so it was kinda random to see this thread today...


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## CapnRon47

*Sparkman & Stephens 32*

I have not seen the movie, but did it look like this?










Supposedly this is a picture of "Button Up" from the film, but I cannot verify that either (having not seen it), but maybe this will tweak some memories.










cheers


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## TSOJOURNER

saltydawg said:


> Oh, was there a boat underneath Brad Pitt in those scenes? I somehow didn't notice...


Ahh, I totally agree with you on this point haha 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but I thought I'd say my 2 cents. I don't have an answer per say, but I do want to suggest YahooAnswers. They have saved me in so many pinches. Might want to give it a shot.

---
Mary


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## captxtina

To Saltydog: smile!

To NK235: Were you just as enamored with that boat as I was while watching it? It's funny, I actually stopped listening to the film, and was just thinking, "...now what kind of boat is that?...Brad, get out of the way, I'm trying to ID the boat." Maybe this means Brad Pitt is no longer my number two celebrity crush (Depp is #1), and this boat has taken his place. 

To CapnRon47: It had similar lines, but was much much smaller. It was somewhere between the boat in your photo, an R-class, and a Pearson Triton. 

I should have taken a screenshot of one of the scenes, but i only rented the film so now I can't. 

...well, maybe there's someone out there that knows.


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## nk235

Yes I also thought the boat was gorgeous. I tried searching myself all over the internet to find out what it was but couldn't locate it. I did notice the mast had a lot of bend in it in the movie.


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## captxtina

well, I've posted to Yahoo Answers per CompleteSailor's suggestion. If I get an answer, I'll post it here.


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## Jeff_H

I was only able to find a thumbnail photo of the boat from Benjamin Button, my first guess is a Lawley built S&S Designed Dark Harbor 20 (31 feet overall) if this is a small boat or else the picture looks like a Starling Burgess designed 8 meter that I once knew named 'Cuyuga" which was around 42 feet. I would also suggest that the boat in question could also be an International one design Class, a Scandinavian designed 5.5 or six meter, or else the only remaining 'Resolute' class. What ever Button Up is, she was probably built under the International Rule and would think this probably a Scandinavian design rather than an S&S design unless she was penned by Aage Nielsen while he was there. 

Jeff


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## captxtina

To JeffH: Thanks!
It's a beautiful boat!! One day I'd like to captain a boat like this, take her under my wing (and have her take me under her wing). 
One day. ..dreaming


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## TSOJOURNER

Hey guys is this the boat are yall talking about I haven't scene the movie but this was on the news awhile back.

Button Boat - Mississippi Ocean Springs Brad Pitt Boats - WKRG.com


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## modul8

grabbed some screenshots. hope it helps


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## modul8

next screencap


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## modul8

2more


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## sailingdog

it is a really pretty boat.


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## captxtina

modul8 said:


> grabbed some screenshots. hope it helps


thanks!


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## modul8

S&S offering:


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## captxtina

modul8 said:


> S&S offering:


I think you're spot on! 
hm, wonder what these go for?


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## Jeff_H

That was my first guess above. I understand that the Dark Harbors are being still being built in wood and glass. My sense is that you could probably buy a reatively new one for a hundred thousand or so. There are three wooden ones from the mid-1930's for sale for $20-25000 and there is a used glass one for $88,000 listed on Yachtworld. Go Knock yourself out.

Jeff


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## msl

There is a restored "R class" for sale at the Center for Wooden Boats (Lake Union, Seattle, Washington). Just gorgeous.


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## captxtina

some day, but not today.


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## TSOJOURNER

The lighthouse that co-starred with the sailboat and Brad Pitt was the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse at Madisonville, LA. The lighthouse is undergoing restoration and is expected to open to visitors through the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum next year. The crew and cast (including Pitt) that filmed those scenes worked out of the museum.


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## dart70ca

I don't think it's a Dark Harbour. I found some pic's online of Dark Harbour 20's and they don't look like the 'Button Up'.
Back on page 2 of the thread, there's a screenshot of Pitt back by the transom, shot from behind the boat. The transom there has 3 or 4 cutouts that don't appear on any of the boats yet mentioned. Could this be used as an identifying feature?

Keith


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## scottyt

it looks like an old shoe



ducking and running for cover


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## sww914

Looks like a Rhodes 33 to me, but it's been 10 years since I've seen one and it's been a rough 10 years.
The Rhodes doesn't have a hatch on the forward deck and I can't see the ports in the screen shots.
???


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## sww914

Nah, too many ports on the Rhodes. I figured they could add a hatch but I doubt that they would remove ports.
I couldn't see it until I brightened up the profile pic.


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## WheresTheBrakes

My guess is Chris Craft Apache ..


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## Jeff_H

You are kidding right? _"My guess is Chris Craft Apache"_ ..

Apache Masthead rig vs Dark Horse 20 (boat from Benjamin Button) fractional rig, Apache glass hull and house vs Dark Horse 20 wooden hull, Apache Doghouse and long trunk with step on cabin vs DH 20 short trunk that stops short of mast, Apache lots of sheer, DH flat sheer...

Sorry guy, No resemblance.

Jeff


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## smackdaddy

I wouldn't say NO resemblance:



















Just not a lot.


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## Jeff_H

I would! In fact I did. Look at the two pictures. To a knowledgeable sailor there is no resemblance. 

Jeff


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## smackdaddy

Jeff_H said:


> To a *knowledgeable sailor* there is no resemblance.


Heh-heh. Well there you go!

As a sailing Philistine - I can definitely see that they are not the same boat - but I can also see that they do have a couple of similarities. Right?


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## zz4gta

OK, so 8 months later and no answer?


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## PCP777

Some good pics of some similar boats here.

Dreaming of designs again

and here

Knockabout Sloops: Tim Lackey & the Modern Knockabout (Part 1)

The Quincy Adams 17 has the hatch but the tiller looks wrong...


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## redhead78

Looks a bit "Hinky" to me.... Red


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## billsull

According to WoodenBoat forum, she is a seven meter class sloop that was on a mooring on Martha's Vineyard as of 2007.


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## puddinlegs

What I did notice in the movie were the self-tailing winches... Tough to future proof a boat.

Hinky? Hinckley you mean?


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## zz4gta

PCP777 said:


> The Quincy Adams 17 has the hatch but the tiller looks wrong...


You think that's wrong... take a look at his headsail, mainsail trim, not to metion the leech line.


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## WheresTheBrakes

Smackdaddy, thanks for the mild +1 !

Jeff H, would you rather me PM you my next guess what's your guess by the way, monday morning quarterback ??

I saw about 10mins of the movie, and while preemptive "boatshopping" saw a boat with a sexy back end and whipped my thoughts up on this board while enjoying more than one homebrew...


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## sailingdog

BTW, if you had actually read Jeff_H's response, he clearly stated what the boat in the movie was... I seriously doubt it was a guess on his part given his fairly encyclopedic knowledge of boats... from Jeff_H's post:



> *Dark Harbor 20 (boat from Benjamin Button)*





WheresTheBrakes said:


> Smackdaddy, thanks for the mild +1 !
> 
> .


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## WheresTheBrakes

where did you get that quote ?? the only reference i could find in the thread was to a Dark Harbor 20, one of three guesses by Jeff H.. I'm pleased you got my quote right,


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## rayvaci

CoastTrash said:


> Hey guys is this the boat are yall talking about I haven't scene the movie but this was on the news awhile back.
> 
> Button Boat - Mississippi Ocean Springs Brad Pitt Boats - WKRG.com


The link is broken.


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## Donna_F

rayvaci said:


> The link is broken.


Not surprising. The thread is 2.5 years old.

Fun read though.


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## SailingStNick

Five years into this mystery, I've found the owner of the boat. He lives in my hometown and is a retired doctor as well as a renowned wooden boat builder and ocean sailor. I didn't realize he owned the boat in this movie but I will find out more about it soon. He's taken to my son and me because of our curiosity (and his ten children's lack thereof) about sailing. 

More later...


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## RobGallagher

http://yacht-export.com/en_boat_galery.php?id=15115


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## guille

Here, crew. 
Better late than never, right?
Boat name is VARUA. 
Restored by First Light Boatworks 2017/2018. Subject of "Never Lose Steerage Way" by designer/builder, John W. Braidwood

Home Port: Chatham, MA

Cheers!

Guille


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