CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2019 53THREE DESIGNERS
MOTOR YACHTS
Compared to the other two, Fife’s built few motor yachts.
In 1886, while at Culzean he designed a large steam yacht
called Cassandra, which set o on a world cruise. She must
have impressed, as Fife won a contract to build an 80-tonne
steam yacht called Isis. In 1911 he designed a 61ft motor yacht
for himself named Clio as most of his own boats were. Other
than that, almost the only Fife-designed or built powered
boats were Admiralty craft and small launches.
By contrast, Herresho’s motor yacht output was
astonishing. In fact in the HMC’s first 12 years, they only
produced 10 sailing boats, as he considered steam boats
more profitable. He also designed the engines, having had
a great deal of experience of this at Corliss. Speed was
all-important and in 1885, HMC built the 94ft Stiletto, easily
beating the famous 300ft passenger boat Mary Powell, said
to be the fastest in the world, in a challenge on the Hudson
River. They also did a lot of work for the US and other navies,
for which they often received bonuses for exceeding target
speeds. In 1899, after Columbia won the America’s Cup,
Herresho’s Vamoose won the traditional race for spectating
motor yachts back to New York – a double victory that day!
In 1888 a fatal accident meant Herresho lost his steam
engine licence. Although he could still design engines, he
was no longer allowed to operate them on seagoing vessels.
This, along with the decision to stop naval work, led to the
reduction of motor and an increase in sailing yacht output.
Nicholson designed very few powered craft in his early
years but by the end of World War One, the split was even.
The Yachtsman magazine reported that the company “built
more big motor yachts from 1919-1939 than the rest of
England’s builders put together.” Nicholson’s 20 largest
motor yacht designs averaged 521 tonnes, flagship among
them the 1,629-tonne Philante, built for Tommy Sopwith.SKILLED SAILORS
Nicholson is quoted as saying in an after-dinner speech
that the secret of a great designer was to “get the right
man to sail your boat.” All three designers were very
competent helmsmen. Herresho first earned the nickname
“Captain Nat” after he helmed Vigilant in the 1893 America’s
Cup. In subsequent cup defences he was often in the
afterguard and occasionally the helm – sharing that role
with the legendary Charlie Barr in 1899, for instance.
Nicholson was a member of the afterguard on Shamrock IV
in the 1920 cup, in which the challenger won the first two
races in the best-of-five series.
Fife was also acknowledged to be a very good sailor
although there was no dispute that his uncle Allan was the
best in the family. But William was often able to show his
owners that their boats were faster than they had thought.CLIENT INTERFERENCE
All of our designers preferred minimal client input. In the
mid-1890s Herresho stopped building for the US Navy as
he was fed up with the contributions of “unqualified navy
inspectors”. In 1904 he agreed to design and build a big
schooner for the Kaiser but pulled out when the client started
making too many suggestions on principle dimensions.
Fife once built a schooner ‘on spec’ and when a potential
owner oered to buy her if Fife added 3ft to the bulwarks, he
replied “I ha’e kept her a lang while, but I’ll keep her whiles
yet, raither than mak’ a common cairt o’ her at the feenish”.
Early in Nicholson’s career, he was approached by a
potential client who wanted a boat to beat a particular
rival. Nicholson outlined some ideas regarding the design
which prompted the response “That’s your business. But
please, I want an all-white enamel and red upholstery,
Good day to you.”Above left:
Nicholson’s
Universal rule
Shamrock iV
Above right:
Fife’s Cambria
in 1930BEKEN OF COWES BEKEN OF COWES