HMCo #295p [Power Launch for St. Y. Tarantula]

"[1914-01-19] Mon 19: Fine & clear [in] AM. Overcast [in] PM. Wind SW to W moderate. Temp[erature] 17deg. early. ... Taken order for 20' power launch [#295p for steam yacht Tarantula] for W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1914. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"... No. 295 [#295p] - 1914. 19 1/2ft Motor Launch (Model E Sterling) W.K. Vanderbilt. 1240.68 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 22% [Profit Margin] = [$]2018.17. [Time & Mat.:] 1240.68. [Contract Price:] 2000.00 ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Penciled untitled calculations, apparently made to determine appropriate profit margins for future cost estimates, after the death of his brother J.B. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. Undated, between 1915 (when #313p, the latest boat on this list, was built) and 1919 (when #367p CORSAIR, the first launch not on this list, was built and a price for her had to be determined).)

"... W. K. Vanderbilt's big steam yacht Wayfarer, formerly the Warrior, was at Bristol, R I. last Tuesday [April 6, 1915]. The yacht, which is in commission, was sent to the Herreshoffs' to receive a launch recently completed. ... [Note: The identity of this launch is unclear. Was it #295p [Power Launch for St. Y. Tarantula] which had been contracted for by W. K. Vanderbilt more than a year ago in January 1914? Two launches for Wayfarer, #297p and #298p had already been delivered in January 1915.]" (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, April 11, 1915, p. 63.)

"... A new 27-foot power launch built by Herreshoff's for Alfred G. Vanderbilt's steam yacht Wayfarer was given a trial in Bristol Harbor last week by Sidney Herreshoff. The craft, which is planked with mahogny, developed 20 miles an hour in several trials over the mile course. ... [Note: Again, identity of this launch is unclear. Was it #295p [Power Launch for St. Y. Tarantula] which had been contracted for by W. K. Vanderbilt more than a year ago in January 1914? Two launches for Wayfarer, #297p and #298p had already been delivered in January 1915. Note also, that the HMCo altered Wayfarer old port launch by adding a 'hunting cabin' as per plan 96-111 dated May 11, 1915.]" (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, April 25, 1915, p. 53.)

"[Item Transcription:] [Penciled calculations, apparently made by NGH to determine appropriate profit margins for future cost estimates, after the death of JBH:]
No. 313 [#313p] - 1915. 26ft Steam Lauch for CAROLA. 2255.93 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 50% [Profit Margin] = [$]4511.86. [Time & Mat.:] 2255.93. [Contract Price:] 4500.00
No. 294 [#294p] - 1914. 30ft Steam Lauch, Oil burning for V. Astor. 2423.49 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 50% [Profit Margin] = [$]4845.48. [Time & Mat.:] 2423.49. [Contract Price:] 4875.00
No. 274 [#274p] - 1910. 27ft Steam Lauch for Bath Iron Works. 2485.64 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 30% [Profit Margin] = [$]4308.45. [Time & Mat.:] 2485.64. [Contract Price:] 4300.00
No. 270 [#270p] - 1909. 27 1/2ft Steam Lauch for H.A.C. Taylor. 2293.59 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 40% [Profit Margin] = [$]4271.37. [Time & Mat.:] 2293.59. [Contract Price:] 4250.00
No. 298 [#298p] - 1914. 32ft Motor Launch for WAYFARER. Premier Motor. 3045.99 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 30% [Profit Margin] = [$]5257.72. [Time & Mat.:] 3045.99. [Contract Price:] 5250.00
No. 297 [#297p] - 1914. 30ft Motor Launch for WAYFARER. Stirling Motor. 2327.49 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 37% [Profit Margin] = [$]4251.54. [Time & Mat.:] 2327.49. [Contract Price:] 4250.00
No. 282 [#282p] - 1911. 35ft Motor Launch. 45/65 Sterling. CORSAIR. 3514.72 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 44% [Profit Margin] = [$]6748.26. [Time & Mat.:] 3514.72. [Contract Price:] 6750.00
No. 277 [#277p] - 1911. 30ft Motor Launch ISABEL (for LCL [L.C. Ledyard] by J.B. Webb). 2573.00 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 75% [Profit Margin] = [$]5903.67. [Time & Mat.:] 2573.00. [Contract Price:] 6000.00
No. 273 [#273p] - 1910. 30ft Motor Launch for M.F. Plant (Premier). 2576.78 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 60% [Profit Margin] = [$]5497.14. [Time & Mat.:] 2576.78. [Contract Price:] 5500.00
No. 278 [#278p] - 1910. 35ft Motor (Ideal) stock boat sold to WESTWARD. 2114.46 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 40% [Profit Margin] = [$]3947.00. [Time & Mat.:] 2114.46. [Contract Price:] 4000.00
No. 265 [#265p] - 1908. 34ft Motor (Premier) [for] NORTH STAR. 2259.20 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 18% [sic, i.e. 6% Profit Margin] = [$]3199.04. [Time & Mat.:] 2259.20. [Contract Price:] 3200.00
No. 283 [#283p] - 1911. 30ft Motor (Premier) [for] ALOHA A.C. James. 2974.84 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 45% [Profit Margin] = [$]5751.35. [Time & Mat.:] 2974.84. [Contract Price:] 5750.00
No. 292 [#292p] - 1912. 40ft Motor (8 cyl Sterling) [for] F.L. Dunne. 4630.47 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 55% [sic, i.e. 30% Profit Margin] = [$]8019.64. [Time & Mat.:] 4630.47. [Contract Price:] 8000.00
No. 296 [#296p] - 1914. 30ft Motor Launch (Stillson) Stock HMCo inventoried at 3,500. 2185.60 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 20% [Profit Margin] = [$]3496.95. [Time & Mat.:] 2185.60
No. 291 [#291p] - 1912. 50ft Motor Launch (2 Sterlings) Admirals Barge USN. 8141.40 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 18% [Profit Margin] = [$]12[8]08.57. [Time & Mat.:] 8141.40. [Contract Price:] 12000.00
No. 295 [#295p] - 1914. 19 1/2ft Motor Launch (Model E Sterling) W.K. Vanderbilt. 1240.68 [Time & Materials] + 33 1/3 [% Shop Overhead] x 22% [Profit Margin] = [$]2018.17. [Time & Mat.:] 1240.68. [Contract Price:] 2000.00
[Time & Materials:] 44757.68 [sic, i.e. 44857.68]. [Contract Price:] 80625.00
[p. 2]
[Unreadable]
Time & Material for 15 boats cost 44,757.68
adding 33 1/3% average for shop 14,919.23
makes shop cost 59,676.91
To equal contract price have to add about 35% = 20886.91733
Total 80,563.82. [Undated, between 1915 (when #313p, the latest boat on this list, was built) and 1919 (when #367p CORSAIR, the first launch not on this list, was built and a price for her had to be determined).]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Cost Estimate. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDED1_00160. Folder [no #]. No date (between 1915 and 1919 ?).)
① ②

Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #295p [Power Launch for St. Y. Tarantula] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Tarantula (HMCo-made index card)
• Tarantula (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: Tarantulla [sic, i.e. Tarantula]
Type: Gasoline
Length: 19'4 1/2'"
Owner: Vanderbilt, W. K.

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

• Tarantula
• 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: Tarantula
Type: 19' 4 1/2" gasoline
Owner: W. K. Vanderbilt
Row No.: 675

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.

Year: 1914
E/P/S: P
No.: 295
Name: Tarantulla
OA: 19' 4 1/2"

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.

"Weight 1221lbs." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Penciled Notes.] Vagrant II Construction Plan 2-78. April 28, 1913.)

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