builder?

[nutmeg2go]

I'm looking at a 12 1/2 which was reportedly build in 1956. It is full keel, gaff rigged, with a sail number BB 9. Can anybody give me some idea of the origins of this boat?

Thanks

[Garrett Lowell]

Need some more info: where is the boat located, and does it have a builder's plate with builder info and hull number?

[nutmeg2go]

The boat is in New Hampshire and has neither a hull number nor a builder's plate that I can find. The sail number is the only clue I have.

Thanks

[Garrett Lowell]

Oh, I forgot to ask. Does she have a name, or a name that you know of?

[nutmeg2go]

She is named GRINGOLET.

I made an inquire to Cape Cod Shipbuilding and received the following response:

The builders plaque is really the only indicator to determine her exact year of manufacturer. If the planking is cedar, it could have been built in Bristol, RI by Herreshoff MFG or by us in the late 1940's early 50's; if it was mahogany planked, it would have been built sometime between World Wars I and II under license to Quincy Adams Shipyard. Herreshoff & Quincy Adams used the oval Herreshoff Manufacturing builder's plaque. When we began building them in the late 40's, we never used the HMC plaque; we used our own builders plaque which was square. If you look on the interior transom you may be able to detect an area where the mahogany is a different color or the fastenings where the plaque used to be. The last wooden H-12 our company built was in 1952. There are no wooden H-12's listed in the 1956 book. In 1947 and 1948 we changed to fiberglass boats but on occasion built a wooden H-12 to keep the fleet going. BB9 refers to her fleet as I assume she was part of the Buzzards Bay fleet. Hope this has helped. If you have photos of the boat (exterior & interior) we might be able to further assist you.

She has cedar planking, oak frames, bronze fastened, with a lead keel.

One possibility is that the 1956 building date is not accurate and she is of earlier construction and the plate was removed during refinishing. Another, I guess, is that it is a knock-off by a non-licensed builder.

Thanks for your interest.

[ 03-10-2005, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: nutmeg2go ]

[Dave Lesser]

Steve Nagy is compiling a Registry of Herreshoff 12 1/2's (http://www.woodenboat-ubb.com/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=6&t=003353&p=).

[SNagy]

I don't think there were any wooden 12 1/2's built that late. Cape Cod had already acquired the rights to the plans and had switched to fiberglass by then. To really know the story about a Herreshoff, you need the hull number. Without that, you can make some educated guesses about its age. If you could tell me: are the sheerstrakes oak or mahogany? are the planks cedar or mahogany? are the planks full-length or butt-blocked? That would give us a start.

-Steve Nagy

[SNagy]

Sorry - I didn't read everything you posted. The cedar planks rule out Quincy Adams. If the planks are full-length, it is most likely CCSB. If they are butt-blocked, it is most likely HMC. Is the transom and sheerstrake oak or mahogany? If you can supply a few pictures (especially of the hardware), we might be able to get a better idea.

Steve