The Columbia Sabre
and the Ericson Scorpion
were very early candidates for the project that eventual became the Shields conversion, Bolero. At first they seemed like ideal candidates based on being descendants of the 5.5 meter racing class.
The story that I remember is that Columbia created molds for a fiberglass version of the 5.5 meter but the class organization decided to stay with wood. So having the molds Columbia created a "cruising" version, the Sabre. When Bruce King moved onto Ericson her took the design and created the Scorpion.
I actually test sailed an Ericson Scorpion but wasn't thrilled. I wondered if the extra weight from the 5.5 meter heritage was hindering its performance.
Here is a summary of some performance data that I assembled at the time.
I was comparing my candidates to my, then current, Bluenose Sloop and my other idea, the Atlantic. From a pure performance view I thought both the Sabre and Scorpion were a bit heavy and under canvased for my purpose.
That said, I still think these boats have beautiful hulls. Although I think both cabintops might need some window dressing.