HMCo #783s Katharine [Katherine]

"[1915-09-05] Sun 05: Fair. Leave Duck Is[land] early & run to Oyster Bay. Dine with Mr. Nichols and have conference about 40' class with W. B. Duncan, Geo. Cormack & Geo. Nichols. Later run to Port Jefferson for the night.
[1915-12-01] Wed 01: ... Have contract for 11th 40 footer [#783s Katharine].
[1916-02-09] Wed 09: ... Completed 15 rowboats for 40' class.
[1916-05-21] Sun 21: Very fine. ... Katharine [#783s], [the] 10th 40 footer [to have been trialled?] left with Mr. Luke & friends onboard. Another sail in PM." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1915 to 1916. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"No. 773 & Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s and #955s, #983s].
Oct[ober] 29 1915.
Frame spaces 16".
Planking 1 3/8/
Timbers at head 2 1/8 x 2 1/8 increasing both ways 5/64" per foot for 6 1/2ft, then parallel.
Deck 1 3/8". Upper side of deck is height marked (S).
Outside of keel plank 1" below rabbate (R).
Top of lead straight line, 28 1/2" vertically above bottom flat of keel. Forward end of [frame] # 17.
Make bottom of lead 1 5/8" deeper than figures." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Handwritten [in ink and pencil] notes in Offset Booklet HH.4.184.] October 29, 1915. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"NYYC 40 footers as changed 1916-17
OA. 58ft [0]in
Wl 40.76[ft]
Qbl 37[ft]
Beam 14ft 2 3/4in
Breadth w.l. 13ft 0 3/4in
Draft 8ft 3 1/4in
Freeboard 6ft 4in - 3ft 6in - 3ft 5 1/2in
Displ[acement] 811cuft = 9.33^3 = 51900lbs
Sail area actual 2074sqft
Sail area by rule 2155[sqft]
9.33 / 40.76 = .229." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Undated penciled note (ca. 1923?). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE04.)

"The following winter [1915-1916] proved a busy [one] and I had to carry on the work alone. Of the sailing craft, the eighty feet waterline steel schooner MARIETTE, the New York Yacht Club Forty Foot Class of eleven, the sixteen foot "Fish Class" of twenty-two [twenty-three boats built for the 1916 sailing season, plus three boats for the 1917 season, making a total of twenty-six], the Buzzards Bay Fifteen Foot Class of six, and several others were built." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Some of the Boats I Have Sailed In." Written 1934. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 73.)

"In 1916 the one-design class of New York Yacht Club forty-footers was built. They were in some ways rather homely craft because the committee who ordered them originally told Captain Nat they wanted sort of sailing houseboats that could be run with a small crew. ... The Forties were originally designed, however, to be cruisers with good accommodations, which could be run with a small crew and racing was expected to be a secondary consideration, so the Forties at first had rather small sail area. After the first year their sail area was increased. They were the hottest racing class of their time, and were called The Fighting Forties and The Roaring Forties. It is said that they never reefed in a race, which I can well believe, having seen them hard pressed many times. So the Forties were used for hard, hot racing instead of sailing houseboats, and I mention this as many will not know why a racing class was built so wide, high sided, and tubby. The Forties were well-built yachts, nevertheless, and have turned out to be able, useful yachts, perhaps a little lively or corky in a seaway, but several of them are still in use and much liked. Two of them under yawl rigs have won the Bermuda race, and it is believed they were the last one-design class of yachts built that were that large or were built in any considerable number by the same builder. There were about fourteen of them built altogether ...
These yachts were fifty-nine feet overall, forty feet six inches on the water line, fourteen feet six inches beam, and eight feet draft, and they rated forty under the Universal Rule.
... Although Captain Nat made them rather homely and tubby some people have said that no one else could have developed such speed with as wide and roomy a model, ... " (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. The Wizard of Bristol. The Life and Achievements of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, together with An Account of Some of the Yachts he Designed. New York, 1953, p. 302-304.)

"I probably bought the KATHERINE spars [to be used on #983s Rugosa II] in 1987 and ... KATHERINE was scrapped in 1989 (might be a year +/-)." (Source: Herreshoff, Halsey. Private email to Claas van der Linde, March 20, 2014.)

"Two Boston yachtsmen will have sloops next Summer of the new New York Yacht Club one-design 40-foot class. Arthur F. Luke ordered one of the racers [#783s Katharine] some time ago [on November 24, 1915] and recently [on December 28, 1915] an order was placed with Herreshoff for another by John S. Lawrence [#804s Squaw]." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen. Notes of the Week's Log." Boston Daily Globe, February 13, 1916, p. 48.)

"The twelve new sloop yachts designed by Captain Nat Herreshoff for the New York Yacht Club's forty-foot class and built at Bristol, R. I., have all been completed. Several of them have been launched, and two --- the Squaw [sic, i.e. #780s Shawara as per Boston Globe of April 23, 1916, p. 65], owned by John S. Lawrence, and Oliver C. Jennings's Pauline [#782s] --- have had trail [sic, i.e. trial] spins on Narragansett Bay.
Those who have seen these new craft under sail say that they are both fast and able and surprisingly quick in stays. They are handsome vessels and will doubtless prove an interesting racing class for the New York Yacht Club. A special race has been arranged by the club for this class, to be sailed on Memorial Day over courses on Long Island Sound starting off Glen Cove.
Following is a list of all the yachts in the class and their owners:
Maisie [#773s], Morton F. Plant; Rowdy [#776s], Holland S. Duell; Mistral [#774s], George E. Pynchon; Jessica [#779s], Wilson Marshall; Zilph [#777s], James D. Hayes, Jr.; Black Duck [#778s], Arthur K. Bourne; Pampero [#781s], Dr. James Bishop; Pauline [#782s], Oliver G. Jennings; Dolly Bowen [#775s], Alexander S. Cochran; Shawara [#780s], Harold Wesson; Katharine [#783s], Arthur F. Luke; Squaw [#804s], John S. Lawrence.
Racing numbers will be assigned to the yachts when they are all in commission." (Source: Anon. "Dozen New Sloops Built For N.Y.Y.C. Special Race for Forty-Footers Owned by Leading Yachtsmen to Open Season." New York Times, April 27, 1916, p. 10.)

"The following are the numbers, names and the owners of the new 40s: 1- Black Duck, Arthur Bourne; 2- Dolly Bowen, A. S. Cochran; 3 - Jessica, Wilson Marshall; 4- Katherine, A. F. Luke; 5 - Maisie, M. B. Plant; 6 - Mistral, G. M. Pynchon; 7 - Pampero, Dr James Bishop; 8 - Pauline, O. G. Jennings; 9 - Rowdy, H. S. Duell; 10 - Shawara, Harold Wesson; 11 - Squaw, J. S. Lawrence; 12 - Zilph, J. E. Hayes, Jr. To distinguish the 40s from the 50s, the numbers of the former will be in red, with the initials N. Y. Y. C. in diamond form, while the 50s will have black numbers with the initials N. Y. Y. C. in a semicircle. ...
The 40-footer Katherine, owned by Arthur F. Luke of Boston, had her mast stepped last week and will be ready to enter the first race of the season off Glen Cove Memorial Day. Capt Edward Willis, for many years in the employ of the late Trenor L. Park, and more recently on the America Cup sloop Vanitle, arrived last Tuesday [May 16, 1916] from New York to be skipper of the Katherine." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, May 21, 1916, p. 48.)

"Two months' experience with the New York Yacht Club's forty-footers has convinced some of their owners, at least, and probably a majority of them, that there is something the matter with these rather homely and certainly snub-nosed craft. They do not steer easily, nor do they make as fast time as their owners and their designer, Captain Nat Herreshoff, expected them to do. Their practically straight up and down bows and width of beam seem to make rapid progress impossible, as compared with the sharper-nosed yachts of previous years.
Arthur K. Bourne, who owns and sails the Black Duck [#778s], was one of the first to ascribe the difficulty of steering the craft to the use of the tiller, and during the Interclub cruise had his tiller removed and a wheel substituted, with some improvement in ease of handling as a result. W. W. Swan, who had his first experience with them when sailing the Maisie [#773s], which has a tiller, said she was the hardest boat to handle he ever sat in, and he won two races with her at that. Other skippers who have sailed the forties have made similar complaints about the nerve-racking and strength-eating task of keeping the craft to their work when they have a tendency to go down by the head rather than cutting cleanly through the seas.
During Larchmont race week these skippers came to the conclusion, as a result of their experiences, that the trouble with the boats was that they needed a bowsprit and a fairly good-sized Jib in order to remedy the trouble. Now there is a definite proposition among the owners to make this change in them next season and Captain Herreshoff will think the matter out at their suggestion, during the cruise of the New York Yacht Club, in which all twelve boats of this design will be tested in a series of port-to-port races.
Arthur Luke, sailing his Katherine [#783s] in Massachusetts Bay waters, has reached the same conclusion as have those who have raced the forties in the waters of the Sound, and is out for a bowsprit and jib as a remedy for unsatisfactory conditions.
While Vice Commodore J. P. Morgan has not sailed one of them, he has watched their performances, and says he is content to stick to the fifties as relatively easier and faster boats on all points of sailing, so far as his observation goes though he has not expressed himself on the bowsprit question.
Captain Herreshoff told the men when the design was submitted that the yachts would be more satisfactory as economical cruising boats than racing craft, but particularly good for racing in rough weather, something which has not yet been experienced in the races in which they have been tried. Their owners and skippers generally agree that the forties will too first-rate bad weather boats as they are now rigged. But Sound racing is generally fair weather racing.
Whatever Captain Herreshoff's decision after the N. Y. Y. C. cruise, the owners, who make the rules for the class, will probably decide this Winter to have the yachts altered before the racing season of 1917, and rigged with a small bowsprit and jibsail. Therefore it is pretty safe to prophecy that next season will see a material difference of appearance in the yachts, which have furnished a lot of sport this season in spite of their crunched-in appearance and hard steering. The change cannot be made until the committee in charge of the class has its meeting, some time this Fall, to award the series prizes. They will then settle the matter of re-rigging which has caused more discussion among the Corinthians than any they have had to mull over for several seasons." [Note: In 1917, the NY40s appeared with a short bowsprit.] (Source: Anon. "Forty-Footers Faulty. Bowsprit and Jib May Be Added to New N. Y. Y. C Class." Boston Globe, August 11, 1916, p. 6.)

"That the New York Yacht Club forty-footers will appear as a rather different type of vessel next season, with better steadying qualities in their rig, has been decided by the owners of the craft. Just what the change will be has not been settled definitely. The first of the experiments with the improvements in view was made last Friday in Bristol Harbor. George M. Pynchon's Mistral [#774s] was the yacht tested, a small bowsprit having been attached, which gave her a material increase in headsail.
Thus rigged, and with Captain Nat G. Herreshoff, the designer of the type, she was tried out against Oliver G. Jenning's Pauline [#782s] with the original rig, in a fifteen-mile spin up and down Narragansett Bay. In the thrash to windward over the first leg of the course Mistral, in her new rig, led Pauline by about an eighth of a mile, and Captain Herreshoff decided that she steered somewhat easier with this increased headsail.
In the matter of speed there was little gained, however, for on the return leg, with both yachts running free in a quartering 20-knot breeze, the Pauline picked up on Mistral and beat her to the finish by a few seconds. As these two yachts sailed a remarkably even set of races during the Summer, they were thought to be very acceptable craft for testing the new rig.
The result, however, leaves the question of what must be done to improve their sailing qualities and particularly to make them easier to steer in as much doubt as before this trial. Further experiments may be made, this Fall with A. F. Luke's Katharine [#783s], Mr. Luke having been one of the first to suggest the use of the bowsprit as a means of solving the trouble." (Source: Anon. "Want Forties Improved. New York Y. C. Owners Test Craft With Bowsprit Attached." New York Times, October 15, 1916, p. 17.)

"Commodore Percival Purchases the Yacht from Luke Estate.
BOSTON, March 8 [1919]. --- ... Vice Commodore Lawrence F. Percival of the Corinthian Yacht Club has purchased the Herreshoff 40-foot one design knockabout Katharine from the estate of Arthur S. Luke, and will use the boat at Marblehead, racing her against the Squaw [#804s], owned by John S. Lawrence. The Katharine is 59 feet over all, 14 feet 5 inches beam, and 8 feet draft. This class will come out this year with several modifications including short bowsprit, larger jib, and an additional lead ballast. One of them was thoroughly tried out by Herreshoff before deciding upon these changes, and it is said that they are much faster than before." (Source: Anon. "To Race The Katharine." New York Times, March 9, 1919, p. 24.)

"... it is reported that the New York 40-footer Katherine, owned by Thomas H. Shepard, will not be in commission this season, ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Globe, June 7, 1925, p. A62.)

"... Thomas H. Shepard of the Corinthian and Eastern Yacht Club has sold the New York Y. C. 40-footer Katherine to Lester Brion of New York, who will race her in the class on Long Island Sound. Katherine has been owned locally for a number of years and was flagship of the Corinthian Yacht Club when Lawrence F. Percival was commodore. ..." (Source: Fowle, Leonard. "Outlook Of Marblehead Racing Of 1930 Season." Boston Globe, May 11, 1930, p. A63.)

"The demand for boats that started early last spring has kept its pace during the months of July and August and many sales and charters have been reported during that period by various brokers.
The office of Sparkman & Stephens, Naval Architects and Yacht Brokers of New York and Providence, was particularly active and among the sales effected through that organization were the following: ...
The N. Y. Forty Footer Katharine sold for Lester Brion of New York to Austin Smithers of New York. ..." (Source: Anon. "Business Activity On Increase." Motor Boating, October 1933, p. 117.)

"... Raymond Demere [brought to the Miami-Nassau race] his New-York 'Forty' Katharine from Savannah ..." (Source: Anon. [Title?] Yachting 1937, vol. 61, [p. 67?].)

"The year 1916 saw the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. launch a dozen New York 40s for members of the New York Yacht Club. The boats were alike in shape and rig, but owners could select from several interior arrangements. Soon, because of the intensity of their racing, they became known as the 'Fighting Forties.'
Designed as roomy flush-deckers --- some yachting writers criticized them as 'sailing houseboats' --- the New York 40s lacked the grace of their predecessors, the New York 50-footers ..., but were less expensive to operate, requiring fewer paid hands and less costly boatyard maintenance. Given their overall dimensions and freeboard, it is doubtful if a designer other than NGH could have created such good-looking hull shapes. The New York 40s have some hollow in their bows, a handsome sheer, and nicely sculpted transoms; they remind one of the Cup defender Resolute [#725s], foreshortened to fit within a 59-foot overall length.
Although not planned for ocean racing, one boat of the class, Memory [ex #778s Black Duck], rigged as a Marconi yawl, entered the Bermuda race of 1924 --- and won! Perhaps because of the publicity accorded Memory, two more boats, Marilee [#955s] and Rugosa II [#983s] ... were ordered shortly afterward. ..." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 82.)

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary dimensioned sailplan with hull profile of a raised deck gaff sloop with long polemast and topsail and no bowsprit. Titled '39ft w.l.' With calculations arriving at a total sail area of 1739sqft (1949sqft including topsail). Compare with HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) titled '39ft WL Class' of August 1915 marked 'Not used' which shows the same boat but with shorter overhangs. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s). On verso another sketch of a different (unidentified) hull profile." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0226. WRDT04, Folder 21, formerly MRDE08. No date (1915-08 or earlier?).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary dimensioned sailplan with hull profile of a raised deck gaff sloop with club topsail and bowsprit. Titled '39ft w.l.' With calculations arriving at a total sail area of 1574sqft (1788sqft including topsail). Compare with HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) titled '39ft WL Class' of August 1915 marked 'Not used' which shows the same boat but with shorter overhangs. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0227. WRDT04, Folder 21, formerly MRDE08. No date (1915-08 or earlier?).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary dimensioned sailplan with hull profile of a raised deck gaff sloop with polemast and no topsail or bowsprit. Titled '39ft w.l.' With calculations arriving at a total sail area of 1562sqft. Compare with HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) titled '39ft WL Class' of August 1915 marked 'Not used' which shows the same boat but with shorter overhangs. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s). On verso two other sketches of a different (unidentified) hull profile." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0228. WRDT04, Folder 21, formerly MRDE08. No date (1915-08 or earlier?).)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) (marked 'Not used on the original). Blueprint preliminary general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile. Titled '39ft w.l. Class. Scale 1/4in = 1ft. Aug[ust] 1915'. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s). On verso two other sketches of a different (unidentified) hull profile." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0007. WRDT08, Folder 1, formerly MRDE08. 1915-08.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) (marked 'Not used on the original). Blueprint preliminary general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile. Titled '39ft w.l. Class. Scale 1/4in = 1ft. Aug[ust] 1915'. With penciled alterations including longer overhangs, lower freeboard and a half-section. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s) and showing the first sketch which made the 39ft Class a 40ft Class." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0048. WRDT08, Folder 5, formerly MRDE10. 1915-08.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter marked 'Copy' on gothic-font 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R.I.' stationery re New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s):] Dear George:-
I am sending you two plans [probably HMCo Plan HH.5.02174 (029) and HMCo Plan HH.5.08072 (096-112)] for the proposed 40ft Class. That with stub ends and raised deck which you saw last week and another having less freeboard and longer overhangs. This is intended for a form with a little deeper deadrise floor and more ballast and would have a cabin floor area nearly equal to that in the first design. I think this will please the eye better.
You will notice I have arranged for one state room and the saloon aft, which I think would be a much better arrangement, since they would really be used but little to live in by the owners.
The rig is as we talked of the other day and I think would be very satisfactory and practical for a boat of this class.
The 'stub end' would take the same size rig by haying a short bowsprit, or a similar rig a little smaller.
I have been looking up about the cost of such boats, and it appears by comparison with the shop cost of others near this size built in recent years, we could not make the cost for a small class at less than Ten Thousand Five Hundred ($10,500.00) dollars each. If we had a larger number or a good amount of work of any kind to keep our shops properly employed and so keep the percentage of overhead charges down, am quite sure we could offer a lower figure. [p. 2] I hope to hear from you soon, as we do need the work, and it takes some time to develop plans and get the raw material.
Mr. Tod is intensely interested about the challenge from ATLANTIC, and will, without doubt, start with his yacht [#722s KATOURA] in good order.
Yours sincerely, ...
NGH/NBS [N.G. Herreshoff / Newell B. Sheldon]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Cormack, George A. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDW02_00540. Folder [no #]. 1915-08-27.)
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"[Item Description:] Hull sections with pinpricks and calculations titled '40ft w.l. Approx. disp[lacement] 775 - D^(1/3) = 9.17. With scantling calculations using the fundamental factors and formulas as set forth by NGH's Rules for Wooden Yachts. Waterline length and visual comparison with sections in construction plan strongly suggest this to be related to the NY40 class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Undated, ca. September 1915?" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Midship Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0399. WRDT04, Folder 34, formerly MRDE08. No date (ca 1915-09).)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter marked 'Copy' on gothic-font 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R.I.' stationery re New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s):] Dear George:-
I am glad to know there is so much interest in the new class and there is so good prospect that it will go through:-In reply to Pynchon:-
1. Of course, the low sided boat could he raised and it would give more room, but the freeboard shown on sketch is already higher than the [New York] fifties, and the displacement greater in proportion than the fifties. To get the room shown in a 40ft water line boat I have already gone to an extreme. For an individual boat to suit only the owners taste it is all right, but for a one design class to be popular, I think I have proposed as bulky a boat as would be wise to. If greater cruising accomodations are required 40ft water line is too small.
2. If I were to build a boat of this size for my own use I would certainly put in a wheel with the binnacle on a stand; this means a greater first cost and possibly not quite so fine steering in mild weather. If a tiller was to be used, a portable binnacle would be best and it could be set where most convenient.
3. I would suggest that the owner have his option of an after stateroom or an arrangement shown on sketch. I like the arrangement shown best. [p. 2] 4. I intended having main and topmast preventers on one tackle and a few other details in rig, appropriate to a boat of this size, a little different than the ordinary custom.
In the first three months we would probably not complete over three boats, after that, if a large number were ordered we could probably turn out one every ten or twelve working days.
Hoping you are quite well, and that I will see you soon, I remain,
Yours sincerely, ...
NGH/NBS [N.G. Herreshoff / Newell B. Sheldon]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Cormack, George A. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDW02_00570. Folder [no #]. 1915-09-03.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02161 (029-067). Blueprint general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile titled 'Preliminary Plan for 40ft Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]'." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0011. WRDT08, Folder 2, formerly MRDE08. 1915-09-23.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections on verso of 'Office of Voluntary Meteorological Observer, U.S. Weather Bureau' stationery titled '40ft NYYC Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Sept[ember] 25, 1915. Scale 1/2in. W.l. 40.00ft. From finished model'. With calculations arriving at a total displacement of 754cuft = 48280lbs and a wetted surface of 598sqft. Also calculations showing changes in displacement when immersed 6in deeper and less deep." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06390. Folder [no #]. 1915-09-25.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Lead for 40ft NYYC Class No. [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Scale 1/4 & 1/16. Oct[ober] 1915'. With calculations and note '773 Class 40 footers. Desired 23650lbs lead with c.g. .5760 of w.l. ...' and concluding with 'Result --- With top of lead straight line parallel to bottom flat 2.44 above it c.g. 24.14 frame = .57 of w.l. Weight 58306lbs ...'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08150. Folder [no #]. 1915-10.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections on verso of 'Office of Voluntary Meteorological Observer, U.S. Weather Bureau' stationery titled '40ft NYYC Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Oct[ember] 22, 1915. Scale 1/24in. 40.00ft w.l.. (From finished model). Q[uarter] beam length 36ft 4in'. With no further notes or calculations." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06460. Folder [no #]. 1915-10-22.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled dimensioned sketch of a shackle and upper part of a block with note 'Merriman Bros. Dec[ember] 10, 1915. Arrangement of Shackle & Bolt for Upper Runner Tackle Block #773 Class --- 40-footers [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s and #804s]'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00190. Folder [no #]. 1915-12-10.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.12148 (146-034). Photostat sailplan titled 'NYYC 40ft Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]'." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Photostat Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0195. WRDT08, Folder 15, formerly MRDE02. 1916-01-05.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter on 'Columbia University in the City of New York. Department of Physics' stationery:] I have taken the following as the average water line for the 40-footers [New York 40s: #773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]
Length over all 59 ft.
Overhang forward (forward point of measurement - center of pin through topmost stay) 10.45
Overhang aft 8.30
L.W.L. 40.25
This seemed to be a very fair average for a number of the boats. Where the chains were absent, we used an equivalent weight of lead, so that I feel certain that these figures will be satisfactory.
Can you send me at your early convenience, the displacement, draft and quarter beam length corresponding to the above established plane? [p. 2]
I was very much interested in your criticism of my suggested method for determining sail areas. As far as I had been able to learn, the gaff angle was nearly constant, while the boom angle varied, and my conclusions were based on this supposition. I do not see any easy method of determining this area if the reverse is the case. To determine the actual area at the time of measurement still seems out of the question, as the method of measurement should be as much as possible independent of weather conditions.
Thanking you again for your letter,
Yours sincerely, ... [With penciled note by NGH:]
At 40.25ft w.l. Displ. 772cuft (= 49408lbs). Draft 8.05ft. At 40.76ft w.l. Displ. 811cuft (= 51904lbs). Draft 8.13ft.]" (Source: Webb, Harold W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_02570. Folder [no #]. 1916-06-01.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter on 'Columbia University in the City of New York. Department of Physics' stationery:] I am in receipt of your letter of June 4th, giving the displacement and draft of the 40-footers [New York 40s: #773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s] at L.W.L, 40.25. Could you send me also the quarter beam length at this L.W.L.? With these one-design boats, I should prefer to have the quarter beam length as determined from the plan rather than to trust to actual measurement.
Thanking you for your trouble,
Yours very truly, ... [With penciled note by NGH:]
36ft 3in at 40.25[ft] w.l.
36ft 2 3/4in at 40.00[ft] w.l.]" (Source: Webb, Harold W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_02590. Folder [no #]. 1916-06-05.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with pinpricks titled 'NYYC 40 footers (773 Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s ]). Reduced to scale of 3/8in per ft. For NYYC Model. Oct[ober] 20, 1916'. No further notes or calculations." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_03870. Folder [no #]. 1916-10-20.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Penciled note on verso of a trade card by Engineering News Record, advertising the 171-page book Accounting and Business Methods for Contractors:] NYYC 40 footers [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s] as changed 1916-17
OA. 58ft [0]in
Wl 40.76[ft]
Qbl 37[ft]
Beam 14ft 2 3/4in
Breadth w.l. 13ft 0 3/4in
Draft 8ft 3 1/4in
Freeboard 6ft 4in - 3ft 6in - 3ft 5 1/2in
Displ[acement] 811cuft = 9.33^3 = 51900lbs
Sail area actual 2074sqft
Sail area by rule 2155[sqft]
9.33 / 40.76 = .229
---
AU REVOIR [#681s] C.b. - 1908
From original calculations:
Oa 50ft 0in
Wl 38ft
Beam 14ft 0in
Breadth w.l. 12ft 10[in]
Freeboard 4ft 0 3.4[in] - 2ft 7 1.2in - 2ft 7 1/4in
Displ[acement] 433cuft = 7.56^3 = 27800lbs
7.56 / 39 = .195
Outside lead 10500 lbs
Sail area 1352sqft
Note: Yacht was 1 1/2in deep in water when equipped - indicating hull & aux. power was heavier than estimated (about 40cuft = 2560lbs) [Undated (research shows the advertised book on the trade card to have been first published in 1923 and followed by a longer version in 1931)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Note. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06980. Folder [no #]. No date (ca 1923 ?).)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan 74-75. Blueprint detail plan titled 'Quick Working Shackles for Blocks Hal & Double Sheets. Job 1-336. Mentioned vessels include: #711s, #712s, #713s, #714s, #715s, #716s, #717s, #720s, #721s, #773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s, #891s, #955s, and #983s." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (Newman, H.F.) (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0184. WRDT08, Folder 17, formerly MRDE06. 1923-03-12.)
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"[Item Description:] Brokerage listing (File No. 770) for #783s KATHERINE. Dimensions, particulars (Rig: New York 40, Location: Brooklyn, N.Y., Price: $12,500). Remark 'Best-equipped of all the New York Forties today'. Undated, a penciled note in the upper right corner suggests 'Dec 1937' (although this may also be a reference to the date she was sold)." (Source: Belknap & Paine, Yacht Brokers (creator). Broker Listing. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.111. Box HAFH.6.3B, Folder Brokers Listings. No date (1937-12 ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #783s Katharine [Katherine] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Davis, Charles G. "Racing on a Forty-Footer." Yachting, December 1921, p. 265-268, 309. (3,596 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No. Wonderful account of New York 40 racing during the eventful 1921 cruise of the NYYC, written by yacht designer, artist and author C. G. Davis, who had sailed on #773s Monsoon ex-Maisie.
• Kleinhans, Lewis. "New York 40s and 50s." In: Schoettle, Edwin J. Sailing Craft. New York, 1928, p. 229-243. (3,032 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No known copyright restrictions. Class description and history.
• Sauerbrey, Florence. "The Fighting Forties." Maritime Life and Traditions #18, Spring 2003, p. 50-61. (5,411 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Class description and history. Vessel biographies. Lines plan. Construction plan. Sail plans (sloop and yawl).

• Katherine (HMCo-made index card)
• Katherine (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.

Name: Katherine [sic, i.e. Katharine]
Type: Cutter
Length: 40'
Owner: Lenke, A. F.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

• Katherine
• Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.

Name: Katherine
Type: 40' sloop
Owner: Arthur F. Luke [sic, i.e. Lenke?]
Year: 1916
Row No.: 334

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

Month: Nov.
Day: 24
Year: 1915
E/P/S: S
No.: 0783
Name: Katharine ?
LW: 40'
Rig: Cutter
K: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Amount: 10,000.00
Notes Constr. Record: Single head rig. Cabin C. Wheel 280,00
Last Name: Luke
First Name: A. F.

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

"Fitted at HMCo with a bowsprit in 1916 to alleviate severe weather helm (as per Maynard Bray)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 5, 2008.)

"See also: Mystic Seaport, Daniel S. Gregory Ships Plans Library, Cox & Stevens, Inc. Collection. 6 sheets of plans for 59 ft. NYYC 40 class sloop, KATHARINE (built 1916), designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Dates on plans range from 07-1933 to 10-1937. SP.1975.1.34.373." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. February 13, 2011.)

"#783s Katharine
Class number: 11
Sail number: 4
Completed rowboat: 1916-02-09 Wed
10th NY40 that was trialled
Delivered to owner and sailed off: 1916-05-21 Sun." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 6, 2011.)

"Sail number 4 in 1916 with the numeral in red surrounded by the initials N.Y.Y.C. in diamond form as per the New York Herald of May 17, 1916, p. 13." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 11, 2012.)

"As is common with many boats, different (and over time increasing) displacements were reported for the New York 40s. A measurement certificate for #804s Squaw, dated June 30, 1916, in the collection of the Hart Nautical Museum at M.I.T. listed a displacement of 755 cubic feet equaling 48320 lbs. In about 1932 NGH was asked to calculate the ballast ratio of #983s RUGOSA II and penciled down a number of back-of-an-envelope calculations which have survived in the Herreshoff Archives of the Herreshoff Marine Museum (HMM Subject Files, Folder 37 new, 27 old). There he noted that the mean displacement of the original NY40 class boats as measured by H.W. Webb in July 1925 at a LWL of 40.75 was 811 cu.ft. equaling 51800.0[sic, i.e. 51900] lbs. The mean weight of the original NY40 ballast keels NGH noted as having been 23800 lbs plus an extra piece forward of 724 lbs for a total of 24574 lbs. To this was added another 800 lbs in the winter of 1916/17 for a total of 25374 which translated into a ballast ratio of 48.8%." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 16, 2017.)

"One of four NY40s originally contracted for with a steering wheel instead of a tiller as per a note in the Construction Record. The steering wheel option cost $280 extra (see Construction Record note) and was recorded as job no. 8446 (see note in casting list 025-096)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 8, 2020.)

"Launched between 1916-04-21 and 1916-05-20, according to information from N. G. Herreshoff' diary." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 6, 2010.)

"[Displacement at 40.25ft w.l. and Draft 8.05ft = 772cuft = 49408lbs. Displacement at 40.76ft w.l. and Draft 8.13ft (i.e. 1in deeper) = 811cuft = 51904lbs.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Penciled note on letter by NYYC measurer Harold W. Webb dated June 1, 1916. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

" … Displ[acement] 811cuft = 9.33^3 = 51900lbs ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Undated penciled note (ca. 1923?). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE04.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.