Herreshoff 46 ft Gaff Cutter Racer Cruiser 1903 - Sold

Having recently undergone a carefully researched, museum quality, keel-up restoration, including reinstatement of her gaff cutter rig, NELLIE is today in a condition that befits her status as a rare Herreshoff yacht. Indeed, NELLIE\'s sister ship, TRIVIA, is deemed of sufficient importance to be held at the Herreshoff Marine Museum at Bristol, RI as an example of the great man\'s work.

The care of the 2010 restoration has seen many of today\'s modern sailing aids incorporated without sacrificing the vintage Herreshoff feel, while design amendments, with careful reference to the other yachts of her class, have increased her ability to be enjoyed for both sailing and relaxation.

Such is the esteem in which this class is held that in his biography of his father, L. Francis Herreshoff wrote of the trio of 35 ft waterline sloops, AZOR, TRIVIA and NELLIE: “These three were among the nicest all-around sail boats of their size ever built.”

VAT is unpaid on this yacht

In 1902 and 03, the Herreshoff Mfg Co built two virtually identical full keel yachts to the 35 foot racer/cruiser class, based on the keel / centre boarder AZOR that had come out a few months earlier. All were built for highly influential clients: AZOR for J Malcolm Forbes and TRIVIA for Harold Sterling “Mike” Vanderbilt, while the last built, NELLIE, was for Morton Freeman Plant.

Wealthy from the railroad business he inherited from his father, by 1903 Morton had been busy making use of his fortune, commissioning his new home in New York City, now known as The Cartier Building, as well as constructing Branford House, which today is a campus of the University of Connecticut. 1903 also was a busy year for \'Captain Nat\' and the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co: there was great publicity and interest swirling about the new America’s Cup defender RELIANCE and Plant’s two other yachts - the 127 ft steel schooner INGOMAR and PARTHENIA a 131 ft wooden-hulled steam yacht - also got their share of attention.

NELLIE, named after Morton Plant’s first wife, Nellie Capron of Baltimore, Maryland, was only briefly known as such as Plant sold the yacht after 18 months to Henry Parmalee, who renamed her ISHKOODAH. She has subsequently been named EDIANA, MARIQUITA and BUTTERFLY.

Except for a brief time in Narragansett Bay from 1906 – 1908), she has been in western Long Island Sound for her entire life.

- Long leaf yellow pine planking on white oak frames, centreline and wood floors
- Refurbished double planking above waterline with newly replaced single planking below
- All bronze fastening and ballast keel bolts replaced in 2010
- Original 5 in bronze structural strapping around entire deck and hull structure refurbished in 2010
- 3/4 in Bruynzeel plywood deck vacuum bagged between ceiling and canvas covering, fitted in 2010

Built as a racer / cruiser her interior provides an amount of comfort, in the way of luxurious chests of drawers and drinks cabinet, that would have been eschewed on pure racing yachts. In her recent extensive restoration, the galley has been moved aft for convenience, while the details, mouldings and \'feel\' of the interior have all been maintained.

- Six berths arranged four in saloon as slide out doubles above sofas and two in the fore peak
- All timbers, where new, are as original, such as bulkheads in cypress and mahogany cabinetry
- Companionway steps over engine give access to galley with standing headroom
- Square bronze galley sink bowl and bronze manual cold tap to port with drop in locker to side
- Three-burner gas stove and gimballed oven concealed to starboard with nav station in lockers behind
- Forward to saloon with seating benches to port and starboard and slide out double bunks above
- Drawer storage beneath all bunks and benches
- Centrally located, double drop leaf mahogany saloon table between sofas
- Half bulkhead to port forward with hanging oil lamp on aft side
- To starboard one of two original chests of drawers with leaded glass cupboard above
- Heated hanging locker forward
- Forward to port, head with standing headroom and vanity unit with varnished mahogany surface
- Vintage Baby Blake WC and round ceramic sink bowl with manual tap
- Hidden hot and cold shower head in storage beneath
- Forward to owners cabin vee berth with deck hatch over
- To port is second original chest of drawers for storage and chain locker right forward
- 12 V lighting throughout augmented with oil lamp in saloon
- Espar diesel forced air heating throughout accommodation

The rig fitted during the recent restoration has been slightly enlarged from her original
- Mainsail sheeted via traveller and car to aft deck
- Head sail sheets led to cockpit with no winches or blocks
- Stays and shrouds in 1 x 19 stainless steel wire to bronze chain plates
- Keel stepped mast newly built from Sitka spruce by French & Webb
- Boom and gaff are hollow construction in Sitka spruce
- New sails by Nathaniel S Wilson of Boothbay, Maine; hand sewn and knotted

- Large, rounded cockpit with reconditioned original wheel and binnacle aft
- Binnacle contains restored Kelvin & White compass
- Cockpit seating all around with buttoned leather cushions and high, rounded coaming
- Double drop-leaf saloon table can be repositioned to cockpit for open-air dining
- Wide side decks lead forward
- Varnished mahogany coach roof with companion hatch, skylight and deck hatch on centreline
- Foredeck with remodelled booby hatch, windlass, Sampson post and bowsprit
- Windlass newly cast to original Herreshoff design and reconditioned.
- 2 x Fortress FX-85 anchors
- 2 x 50 ft galvanised anchor chain and 300 ft of 1 in anchor rode
- 1 x 25 ft galvanised anchor chain and 300 ft of 1 in anchor rode

- New Westerbeke 55 HP 4 cyl normally aspirated engine
- 2.5:1 ZF 25A gearbox driving 1 ¼ in dia stainless steel shaft
- Three-bladed Flexofold bronze feathering propellor
- Helm wheel mounted at aft of cockpit on traditional binnacle
- Original refurbished Herreshoff rack and pinion helm system
- Skeg hung rudder on 1 3/4 in bronze stock
- 1 x 12 V engine battery
- 4 x Discone EV 305 6 V batteries wired to power 12 V domestic system
- 125 A Amptec alternator
- 1 x 100 US gallon stainless steel freshwater tank
- 25 US gallon plastic black water holding tank with dual deck or overboard discharge
- 2 x domestic gas tanks with suitable regulator and gauge
- Bronze sea cocks for: cockpit drain, engine raw water intake, heads raw water flush intake, heads discharge, waste holding tank discharge and sink drain

- Simrad autopilot
- Garmin 5208 chart plotter
- Garmin 5208 GPS system
- Uniden Oceanus VHF with 2 x wireless mics
- Simrad depth sounder
- Garmin GPS speed instrument

- 4 x Mustang self inflating lifejackets with integral harness
- 4 x Crew overboard marker strobes
- 8 x Universal fit lifejackets
- 1 x EPIRB ACR satellite Cat II 406 Mhz
- 1 x crew overboard throw ring
- 1 x SOLAS flare and distress signal kit
- 1 x Marine medical kit 3000
- 1 x Felco wire rigging cutters
- 1 x Lobster pot cutter
- 1 x Inflatable radar reflector
- 2 x Compressed air horns
- 3 x Dry chemical fire extinguishers
- 1 x Electric and 1 x manual bilge pump with emergency facility on engine raw water pump

The focus of NELLIE\'s 2010 restoration is described by her current owners as being \"curatorially accurate\" and great care has been taken to seek authentic, historical advice at all stages of the process. Where new items were required to be made, all materials and details were maintained as original and all modern conveniences, such as engine and electronics have been kept \"in the background\".

The recent restoration was completed in two stages either side of a change of ownership in 2007. Prior to this date, and at the start of the restoration, NELLIE was owned by Independence Seaport Museum of Philadelphia with work carried out by DN Hylan of Brooklin, Maine. All other work since then has been carried out by hand selected craftsmen based in South Berwick, Maine, with oversight from a dedicated project manager.

When she was stripped at the start of the project, the hull structure was found to be in remarkably good condition, perhaps due to her having spent long, continuous periods afloat. This resulted in only the stem, horn timber, fore-keel, keelson, quarter knees and transom requiring remedial work along with replacement of all frames, floor timbers and below waterline planking.
Despite previous damage caused by a fire in 1959, much of the interior was still original and so items such as the matching butternut timber chests of drawers, saloon storage cabinets and many items of hardware were removed to storage. In time, these items would be refitted where appropriate and used as reference material when it came to constructing new items.

Following the change of ownership, it was decided that a more rounded cockpit design - from one of NELLIE\'s sister ships, AZOR - would be incorporated and the cabin trunk would have to be modified to suit. Work continued with replacing deck beams and deck, while the cabin trunk and other deck work was redesigned and manufactured off-site by French & Webb at Belfast, Maine. It was also deemed necessary to free up space for tankage by removing the quarter berths from the original layout.

- Extract from The Classic Yacht Symposium 2010. 13-page explanation of the 2010 restoration
- Marine Surveyor’s report from 2009