Believe this was from John Hurley

Spring Loaded was built in NZ for Warren Johns, a long term Middle Harbour Yacht Club member. It was at the time of build Bruce Farr's latest design, built to win the Half Ton Cup, World Championship, which was sailed in Sydney in I think about 1975. The original configuration was for IOR, IMS did not exist at that time.

Warren sailed the boat in a series in Aukland and then shipped it to Sydney. He had previously owned another boat called "Flamenco" a heavy displacement mast head design. He saw the new Farr designs when he sailed in Aukland and knew it was time to move to the new light displacement designs.

The yacht was successful locally in the MHYC and CYCA Short and Long Offshore Series and Winter Series when first built - She was against the best Kiwi boat, which was sold Sydney and called "Newspaper Taxi" - a Murray Ross design.

In the subsequent 6 months of the build, Bruce Farr changed his mind and his new yachts (about 5 of them including Swuzzlebuble) were clearly bigger, faster and better boats. They had lift keels and were very unstable/dodgy offshore. The IOR Rule and Australian Safety Regulations were subsequently changed, and they lost their rating advantage, but not before they and one of Harold Cudmore's Paterson Designs (which won the half Ton Cup in Sydney) dominated that regatta.

I sailed on the boat with Warren and for many years on his other boats, we did a lot of work to improve it, including: Spinnaker Launchers, intensive hull bumping and a series of bigger rigs. The new rigs went to twin inline spreaders and diamonds with runners and checkstays, replacing the first rigs single aft swept spreaders. 

We had trouble with the rigs. We broke two of the new masts for various reasons, but were reasonably competitive with everyone except the new Farr Designs. The last mast we broke the day before the Worlds and we sailed with the original mast and got walloped badly.

Warren was very upset, and it was another 20 years before he spoke to Bruce Farr again. That last boat was "Heaven Can Wait" and it was a very fast and successful boat, but that is another story.

Warren kept "Spring Loaded" for and while and it ended up in Queensland I think.

* Brett Jones used to sail on boat - lives in the US but could possibly contact him.

* Geoff Adams from Central Coast used to be sailing master - Geoff used to be a sail maker and could be related to Adams Boatshed family. Believe he owns Adams Sails About Us | Sail + Shade Newcastle, Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie (sailandshade.com.au)