T
here is a beautiful classic boat at the other end of the
show that would make for a great video!” exclaimed
Digital Editor John Turner when we bumped into each
other on the docks of the Palm Beach show.
He was right.
Th e stunning 1913 Matthews, Nymph, was attracting boat nuts
like fl ies to a bug zapper.
Swatting them away was a young woman, representing Ocean
Independence brokerage, who had spent the last four days guard-
ing the boat.
Like my fellow boaters I sauntered up to plead my case and—if
necessary—beg for the opportunity to go aboard. I walked up,
cleared my throat, and smiled.
“By appointment only,” she said with a cool tone and a stare
reminiscent of the Queen’s Guard.
Eventually, I got past the gauntlet, no thanks to my charm.
Standing at the ship’s entrance, one hand on the mahogany caprail
and the other extended was Nick Linder, the 24-year-old captain
of Nymph.
With an intimate knowledge of the boat and a sense of confi -
dence beyond his years, he took John and I around and explained
how a 7-year, $2-million restoration gave this piece of living his-
tory a second lease on life.
“Th e topsides and interior were stripped, although we kept the
hull, which had been glassed over. And we kept as many origi-
nal pieces as possible—like this Titanic-style throttle,” Linder
explained, as he gripped the rechromed controls. “We’ve added a
bow and stern thruster, which is really important when swinging
the [75-foot LOA] boat into a slip.”
I admired a simple, yet sweet-looking forward spotlight and
noted how similar its handle and movements were to today’s
spotlights.
“Th at’s an original mechanism, a 104-year-old idea and it
works very well,” said Linder. “It’s been re-chrome-plated. A lot of
captains who come aboard say they’re jealous because their push-
button version doesn’t shine exactly where you need it.”
Forward, I inspected the windlass, which again reminded me of12 POWER & MOTORYACHT / JUNE 2017 WWW.PMYMAG.COM
LOGBOOK
The More Things Change...
Daniel Harding Jr.
[email protected]anchor tackle I saw aboard new boats at the show.
Th is walkthrough was my last at the Palm Beach event, which many
consider the end of the 2016-17 boat show-season, during which I had
been led through more than 100 boats over the course of seven shows
on three continents. So, I had the marketing points down pretty well
by now. Single-level living; bright and airy spaces, aft galleys that ser-
vice the cockpit and forward dining area, en suite, en suite, en suite ...
But when I stepped belowdecks on the Matthews, through a saloon
rich with brightwork and dripping with history, and entered the
galley, I was surprised by what I saw. Big windows and smart use of
space created a bright atrium overhead, something builders today are
racking their brains to achieve.
Th e master stateroom and VIP were comparable in size, though
headroom was less of a priority in 1913, and featured reasonably sized
berths with a couch beside them. Th e master and captain’s quarters
both had private entrances, and the most prominent social space was
the cockpit, where handsome wicker chairs made it easy to imagine a
titan of industry fl ipping through his morning paper.
“We have an in-line-six, 178-horsepower John Deere single turbo.
It cruises at about 1900 rpm and we’re burning 5 gph and getting
roughly 2 mpg,” added Linder as we continued through the accom-
modations level. “One of our cheapest costs on the boat is fuel.”
Between the boat’s effi ciency, the single-level living area, the atrium
in the galley and the emphasis on social spaces, you would think I was
walking through a cutting-edge motoryacht, not a turn-of-the-last-
century, wooden-hull cruiser.
Th is past show season proved to me that we’re in a Golden Age of
innovation, from smarter uses of carbon fi ber to design by virtual
reality, hybrid propulsion systems, forward-looking sonar, and apps
that control the entire onboard experience. Th e industry is changing,
and for the better.
But as I stepped off the Matthews and my eyes readjusted to the
Florida sun, I could clearly see that good design—like a love for being
out on the water—is timeless. U