Classic_Boat_2016-04

CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2016 73

Classnotes

BY VANESSA BIRD

T

he lines of this GRP gaff sloop

may be instantly recognisable

as those by a designer of

international renown in the early part

of the 20th century. Look even closer,

and its roots and similarity to one of

that designer’s most well-known, and

arguably fi nest, small boat designs

can clearly be seen. For the hull

design of this 15ft 8½in (4.8m)

daysailer comes from the pen of none

other than Captain Nathanael

Greene Herreshoff, the so-called

Wizard of Bristol, and although the

construction method of this GRP

boat was not one yet familiar to him

• indeed it had yet to be developed
  when he drafted the design – the hull
  lines, with jaunty sheer and long keel,
  remain virtually unchanged.
  This class is known as the Cape
  Cod Bull’s Eye, and was fi rst
  launched in 1949. The design from
  which it originated was the
  Herreshoff Bull’s Eye, which is more
  commonly known as the Herreshoff
  12½. Designed in 1914, by a
  66-year-old Nathanael Herreshoff,
  the Herreshoff 12½ proved an
  immediate success with local sailors,
  and 364 were built between 1914
  and 1943 by the Herreshoff
  Manufacturing Company at Bristol,
  Rhode Island, before production
  moved to Quincy Adams Yacht Yard.
  Tweaked in 1938 by Herreshoff,
  with improvements including a
  modifi cation to the placement of the
  tiller, it then became known offi cially
  as the Fisher Island Sound Bull’s Eye.
  However, in 1947, Cape Cod
  Shipbuilding at Wareham in Maine
  took on the mantle, and acquired the
  rights to the Fisher Island Sound
  Bull’s Eye, and the yard has been
  building it ever since, albeit in a new
  guise. This was developed in 1950
  when it produced the fi rst of the new,
  GRP incarnations of the Bull’s Eye,
  which was named the Cape Cod
  Bull’s Eye, after its builders.
  The hull lines of the Cape Cod
  Bull’s Eye are identical to the 1914

Herreshoff design, but a small

moulded cuddy that offered sailors

some protection from the elements

was introduced, designed by

Herreshoff’s eldest son, Sidney, who

worked at Cape Cod Shipbuilding.

The rig has changed little since

1914. Both Marconi and gaff sloops
      were offered with the original design,
      with gaff more common. With the
      introduction of the Cape Cod Bull’s
      Eye, however, the Marconi sloop rig,
      complete with an aluminium mast,
      was specifi ed, and a spinnaker was
      designed for downwind performance.
      Under sail, the Bull’s Eye is well
      known for its seaworthiness and
      good performance. The cockpit is
      roomy enough to hold four or fi ve
      sailors, but the design is handy
      enough that one or two will also
      suffi ce. As the Cape Cod Bull’s Eye is
      a one design, unchanged since 1950,
      older boats remain competitive and
      the class enjoys a healthy
      membership of both new and old
      boats. Incredibly it has also been in
      continuous construction since 1949,
      an achievement not many can claim.
      Today, there are around 50 fl eets
      of Cape Cod Bull’s Eyes along
      America’s East Coast, and although
      the design is not offi cially allowed to
      race against the wooden Herreshoff
      12½s, there is a healthy racing
      programme among the class.

NEW BOATS

Cape Cod Shipbuilding still builds

the Bull’s Eye, with new boats

costing around $32,000 (£22,185).

Since 1972, the yard has also built a

GRP version of the 1914 Herreshoff

12 ½ design, using the original

Herreshoff patterns and jigs.

capecodshipbuilding.com

SECONDHAND BOATS

On the secondhand market, Bull’s

Eyes fetch between $3,500-$15,000

(£2,427-£10,400).

DOUGHDISH

The Cape Cod Bull’s Eye may not be

allowed to race offi cially alongside

its wooden counterparts, but the

Doughdish, built today by

Ballentine’s Boat Shop, can. The

lines of this GRP version of the

Herreshoff 12 ½ were taken off three

wooden hulls by Bill Harding,

founder of Doughdish Inc, who also

built the Stuart Knockabout (see

CB305). The Doughdish does not

have a cuddy, and is rigged as a

gaff er, although Marconi is available.

doughdishllc.com

WOODEN HERRESHOFF 12½

For those who prefer Herreshoff ’s

design as it was originally conceived

in wood, new versions of the

Herreshoff 12 ½ are available from

Artisan Boatworks in Rockport,

Maine. The yard has been building

the design in traditional bronze-

fastened, cedar on oak and

composite construction since 2006,

and also produces a beamier,

shallow draught version with a

centreboard, the Haven 12½,

designed by the late Joel White.

artisanboatworks.com

© JAN WALKER

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA

15ft 8½in (4.8m)

LWL

12ft 6^3 / 4 (3.8m)

BEAM

5ft 10in (1.8m)

DRAUGHT

2ft 5in (0.8m)

SAIL AREA

140sq ft (13m^2 )

DISPLACEMENT

1,350lb

(612.4kg)

Next month

OSPREY

Cape Cod

Bull’s Eye

Vanessa’s book, Classic Classes, is a

must-buy. Please bear in mind that

this book provides only a snapshot of

the myriad classes in existence.

The GRP Bull’s

Eye was fi rst

launched in 1950,

based on a

design from 1914