Following are excerpts from an email exchange (authors names omitted) on the connnections between the Newport, Gloucester, and Neptune boats. It isn't much, but if you have what you expect may be one of these boats, this may be all the information you can find.
"Gloucester bought Lockly-Newport in 1982. They bought the molds for the newport line. An outfit in Chanute(sp), Ks. now has the molds. I looked them up on the internet and it seems they are only building the 23 ft version. The Neptune 16 (rumor has it) is a derivitive of the Newport 16. Heresay says the Newport owners ex is/was building the Neptune. That info could be bogus, but the similarity is amazing. I believe it is still available from Capital Yachts in Harbor City, Ca."
"According to the SBJ article from Aug/Sept 1983 issue: "C. William Lapworth originally designed her in the mid-sixties for Robert Dorris as a daysailer that would sell against the Lido 14 in Southern California. She was called the Columbia 15 back then, and had no cuddy. ...Dick Lindsey, who asked Lapworth to add the cabin and renamed the boat the Newport 16." There is no date given for the addition of the cuddy."
"Yup, Gloucester Yachts of Virginia built the 16, 19, 22, 23, and some smaller ones as well (though I don't think they were named Gloucesters). When Gloucester closed production, the molds for the 19 were picked up by Quickstep who built it as the Quickstep 19. They, too, have ceased production. The 22 was picked up by Classic Yachts of Chanute Kansas, who still make them on a semi-custom basis. I don't know what happened to the 16 and 23. Somewhere in my files I have the name of the designer who designed the 16 -- it may have been Bill Lapworth who designed it as the Neptune, I think. The 22 was designed by a different designer. "
"So far as I know, the 22 is the only one still in production.I have never heard of a 22 Newport by Capital Yachts. I am not saying they do not exist, just that I am not familiar. I do not recall seeing one on the Newport Owner's website, either. I have a 28' and a 33'. and it has been difficult to obtain information on the boats built by Capital as Newports are not all that common in the Galveston area. I'd like to hear more about the 22'."
"I am about to finish full restoration of what I believe is an older (circa 1965-55) Newport 16. There is no identification anywhere on the hull. The only clue is that the previous owner says it is a Newport 16 and N 16 on the original mainsail. It has a fixed keel, cuddy cabin that will sleep 2, built in potty and is built like a tank. I cannot find much info on Newport Boats and nothing at all on the 16. If anyone has any leads or links pls let me know."
"A friend and I compared notes a few years back. He had a Gulf, also a Capital Yacht model. Gulf's were the pilot house versions of the Newports. His 29 Gulf was so similar to my 28 Newport that they appeared to have come from the same mold. He had attempted to visit the firm in Calif. about 1993 and found it closed down. The only model we identified in addition to those two, were the Neptunes, which appear to be the smaller line of Capital. The web site with the owner's names has been really useful. I'd suggest you contact the site manager for help. Also, start at the top of the owner's list and work down. I've done that to a limited extent - there were some who did not respond but most will. I know nothing about the Gloucester."
"Newport 16 was first. Neptune 16 was an off shoot of the Newport 16. Different sail plan (shorter boom) and dog house (which reduces foredeck area). Gloucester 16 was made from the Newport 16 molds/tooling that Gloucester bought from Newport. Who bought the Newport/Gloucester 16 molds could have been Classic in Ks. You might e-mail them and find out if they have the molds. Classic has a web site and they still make the Newport 23', but they call it something else. My boat is an old Newport 16 manufactured in 1973 and does not have a hull ID number. It was made prior to the hull number requirement."
"She may be a Neptune 16. Neptune's were the smaller size sailing vessels built by Capital Yachts. Capital was often referred to as Newport"
"Look at the capital yacht web site http://www.bitblaster.com/~ jon/newport.html. It has a spec. section on the Neptune 16. Not a great deal of information, but some."
"Thank You! I have looked at it and the description does not match. Thus I suspect it may be an original Newport 16."
"Thank You for the info. Went out on maiden voyage this afternoon. Very light winds, but what a little sweetheart! I will post a photo in a few days and maybe you can let me know if it looks like your N16. I saw a picture of a Newport 24 or 27 for sale and the sail markings were identical...N over a dash with boat length underneath."
"You may have a Newport 16. I have been looking into the connection between Newport and Neptune. Look in the book "Sailing on a Microbudget" by Larry Brown. There are a couple of pages discussing the Glouchester 16 which I think the author says was originally the Newport 16. There is also a picture of a Neptune 16, which the author says is a West Coast offshoot of the Glouchester/Newport 16. I think given the vintage of your boat, it is quite possible it is a Newport. You would need to find out when Neptune boats were made; they may not have been made until after your boat was made."
"Try Lockley Newport. Our 17 foot is a Lockley Newport. That was the only info we were able to find out on it."