Slocum, Herreshoff, Chapelle, Brown, Hunt, Bolger...

[spirit]

Sara and I spent Saturday, September 19 at Suzanne’s ever-so-gracious memorial + boat reunion for Phil Bolger on the water in Gloucester. Phil was extolled for his love of designing boats and unabashed free-thinking, which I thought was exceedingly appropriate.

This got me to thinking about some of my personal heroes in the boating world. They couldn't be more different.

Joshua Slocum was a salty guy who knew boats, really loved sailing, and inspired us all by sailing alone around the world.

Nat Herreshoff made models of the boats he wanted to build long before there were computers, took the lines off the models, and made thousands of truly beautiful boats, including many of our best America's Cup boats. We call him the "Wizard of Bristol," and there is a museum of his ideas and boats in Bristol, RI.

Howard Chapelle made and gathered drawings and models of early American boats, and became the curator of boats at the American History Museum in DC. The museum still has many hundreds of his models, but sadly they are in storage and cannot be seen.

Woody Brown saw and loved Polynesian multi-hulls, and returned to Hawaii to build Manu Kai, the first modern catamaran. His boat remains one of the finest examples of slim low wave-making hull design. I was 14, and have made some kind of boat drawing almost every day since.

Ray Hunt championed the exceptional idea that a boat can go fastest when its entire bottom presents a V-shape to the water. Virtually every offshore power boat now has this conformation.

Phil Bolger is beloved for designing a host of intriguing and simple small wooden boats for people like us. He wasn't afraid to try anything. I call him the "Wizard of Gloucester."

Lincoln

[Willin']

Nicely put, Lincoln.

It's sometimes amazing how such revolutionary thinking seems simplistic in hindsight.

To my mind, it was LFH rather than NGH that had an eye for a beautiful line, but that's just me.

I'd like to add Robert Henry jr., designer of the Internationals 500, 600 and 700 to the list of NA's to be admired. I'm sure there are many, many more.

[WX]

Are we likely to see any photos of the event. I for one would like to see photos of all the Bolger boats gathered there.

[CapnJ2ds]

Nat Herreshoff made models of the boats he wanted to build long before there were computers, took the lines off the models, and made thousands of truly beautiful boats
Nat Herreshoff actually drew the lines of his boats first, then cut a model from them. Once he could see the hull in 3-D, he altered the model to his liking, then re-drew the amended lines plan.

Sort of CAD designing without a computer.

Sorry if that's being pedantic, but I think it's important to remember that NGH designed scientifically.

[adam96]

Nat Herreshoff actually drew the lines of his boats first, then cut a model from them. Once he could see the hull in 3-D, he altered the model to his liking, then re-drew the amended lines plan.

Sort of CAD designing without a computer.

Sorry if that's being pedantic, but I think it's important to remember that NGH designed scientifically.

CapnJ2ds: What is your source for NGH's design method? There are over 350 models in the NGH Model Room at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, RI. Where are all the lines plans? Adam

[CapnJ2ds]

CapnJ2ds: What is your source for NGH's design method? There are over 350 models in the NGH Model Room at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, RI. Where are all the lines plans? Adam
Read it in one of the histories of either NGH or the Herreshoffs of Bristol. Can't remember which one and I don't have any of them readily to hand, but may possibly be LFH's one.

No idea where the plans are but at least some of them must be around. Have you asked at the H museum? Might be the likeliest source. Smithsonian? Some of the better known ones have been published in various books (e.g. Roger Taylor's "Good Boats" series).

Alas, in many cases, once a plan has been built to, the builder tosses it. Many classic Logan designs were lost when the backs were used for newer designs, then tossed. Let's hope that hasn't happened to NGH's.

[rbgarr]

Capn,

You aren't aware of it, but Adam96 is thoroughly tied in to the Herreshoff Museum and would know if there were lines plans for NGH designs and knows the books you mentioned. His point was that there weren't any conventional lines plans drawn prior to modeling.

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101128&highlight=sidney

LF Herreshoff, however, did draw lines plans.

[spirit]

According to:
http://www.sheridanhouse.com/reviews/captnatherreshoffreview.html

“Capt. Nat used only models to develop his yacht shapes, and there are no line drawings of those designs. He could make a model in a quarter of the time Starling Burgess needed to develop a set of lines. Capt Nat invented the crosscut sail with cloths running at right angles to the leach – the type of sail track and sail slides used throughout the world today. He also introduced screw fastenings for the planking and developed light, hollow steel spars combined with scientific rigging. He designed the first successful, full-sized fin-keel yacht, the first light-steam power plant and the first torpedo boats."

[CapnJ2ds]

Seems I stand corected. I'll have to do some re-reading when i get the chance to see where I got meself confused.

Do I understand correctly then that NGH took offsets directly from his models? Where do the lines that have been published come from? (e.g. the Buzzards Bay 32)

If no lines exist for any of the models in the museum, the thought of all that yachting history, genius and artistry being lost by a potential fire is horrifying. Is there enough genius left in the vicinity to devise a method of preserving the lines by, say, laser and computer?

[bob easton]

If no lines exist for any of the models in the museum, the thought of all that yachting history, genius and artistry being lost by a potential fire is horrifying. Is there enough genius left in the vicinity to devise a method of preserving the lines by, say, laser and computer?

The point is that NGH did not create them as part of the original design process. He did use a machine of his own invention to take offsets from his half hulls. Those offsets were used for lofting in the manufacturing area.

There's little risk of loss. NGH's offests, and in some cases lines drawings, are preserved at MIT's Hart Nautical Museum.

[CapnJ2ds]

The point is that NGH did not create them as part of the original design process. He did use a machine of his own invention to take offsets from his half hulls. Those offsets were used for lofting in the manufacturing area.

There's little risk of loss. NGH's offests, and in some cases lines drawings, are preserved at MIT's Hart Nautical Museum.
Ah! Now you remind me, I do remember reading about that machine somewhere. Still can't recall where I picked up my obviously mistooken idea.

Very glad to hear there is a second place where NGH's work is preserved.