HMCo #697s Toboggan

"[1910-01-28] Fri 28: Have order for Sonder class boat from R.W. Emmons, #696 [sic, i.e. #697s Toboggan]. ...
[1910-02-24] Thu 24: No. 697 [Toboggan], Sonder class boat set up.
[1910-05-14] Sat 14: Finish planking #697 [sonder class Toboggan]. ... Mr. Emmons here in PM.
[1910-05-26] Thu 26: Launched Sonder class boats #695 & 697, Peg & Toboggan.
[1910-05-27] Fri 27: Rigged & tried Peg [#695s] & Toboggin [#697s]. ...
[1910-05-28] Sat 28: Messrs. Emmons [owner of #697s Toboggan] & Parkinson[?] here to try boats. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1910. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"Jan[uary] 29, 1910.
No. 697 [#697s].
Frame spaces 8".
Deduct for timbers 7/8" at head, increasing 3/32" per foot.
[Deduct] for planking 5/8".
Stem sided 2 1/4".
Keel 1 1/4" above rabbate, and in the middle part, over deadwood, for 3/8" to 5/8 below rabbate, depending of stock.
Sheer line given (S) is to underside of deck. Deck 5/8".
Note, Keel, below 3.4.0 line is to be canted aft, so that foot of frame spaces will fall 16" aft of true position, and profile modified slightly, as per drawing." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Handwritten (in pencil and ink) note in Offset Booklet HH.4.171.] January 29, 1910. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"Of the smaller sailboats built by the Herreshoff Company during these years were the sonder boats 'Skiddoo,' built for Herbert M. Sears; 'Alarm,' built for Max Agassiz; 'Toboggan,' built for R. W. Emmons; and 'Bibelot,' built for Harry Paine Whitney." (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. 271.)

"BOSTON, January 29th, 1910.
Mr. N. G. Herreshoff, Bristol, R.I.
My dear Mr. Herreshoff:
I beg to acknowledge receipt of contract for Sonder boat ordered by Nelson Emmons and myself, and note the terms of contract, which seem to be correct and satisfactory, except that I would request that the hull be left bright instead of painted white, and that you furnish us with a small number three jib, and that the mainsails be provided with three sets of eyelets; also that one of the mainsails be made of slightly heavier canvas, the ordinary number used I think is No 6, at any rate make one of slightly heavier canvas than the other.
I would further ask that the compass be if possible cased in on the floor of the cockpit and covered with a heavy piece of glass, whereas, all the rest of the floor boards we would like to have made so they can be removed. We would like to have the mainsail provided with a jig that can be led and managed conveniently from either quarter. The washboard along the sides of the cockpit we would like to have made very low so that it will be as convenient andocomfortable as possible when two are on the weather side; the forward piece, on the other hand, we would like to have V shaped as you make them, flared and quite high.
We would like to have the runners provided with a jam cleat in place of an ordinary cleat as it is much easier to handle.
Please do not spare anything, but make the boat as absolutely light as it can be, a veritable aluminum saucepan, and you can call her the 'Toboggan'.
I will send check for first payment, and sign contract next week.
Yours very truly, ..." (Source: Emmons, R. W. [Letter to N. G. Herreshoff.] Herreshoff Marine Museum Correspondence Folder 11 (new). Access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff. January 29, 1910.)

"BRISTOL, R I. April 30 [1910] --- Three small racing sloops, one [#697s Toboggan] for Robert W. Emmons 2d and one [#695s Peg] for Galen M. Stone, both for the sonder class for racing at Marblehead, and the third [#696s Foraminifer] a mahogany centerboard sloop for racing at Buzzards bay, are practically ready to take the water at Herreshoff's. The sonders are of a type savoring of the racing machine in all particulars, and those who have seen them claim they will be hard to beat in windward work, judging from the lines." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, May 1, 1910, p. 57.)

"BRISTOL, R I, May 28 [1910] --- The Peg [#695s] and Toboggan [#697s], two of the little fleet of three sonder boats which Nat Herreshoff designed for Massachusetts yachtsmen this spring, took the water successfully today, the Peg, owned by Galen M. Stone of Boston, at 10 in the forenoon, and the Toboggan, for Robert W. Emmons 2d, former owner of the racing sloop Avenger [#666s], also of Boston, at 3:30 in the afternoon.
The boats are practically alike in model. The topside colors are in contrast to each other, the Peg being painted white, while the Toboggan is finished in the natural mahogany. Both boats are planked with mahogany.
They have shallow but wide sterns, and the bilge forward extends well out toward the turn of the forefoot, where it blends into the bows. The forward ends are quite shallow and set close to the water.
Large deck space from forward to aft and a cockpit for the helmsman and his assistants almost amidships, make up the deck line. The crafts are almost devoid of sheer, in fact, to the eye they look as straight as an arrow on deck. A knockabout rig and a sail area larger than most of the sonders and a pole mast without any bowsprit complete the rig.
The dimensions are 22 feet on the waterline, 32 feet overall, 7 feet beam and about 6 feet draft. The Toboggan is to leave Saturday for Boston." (Source: Anon. "Toboggan --- Peg. Boston-Owned Sonder Boats Launched. Former for Robert W.Emmons 2d, Peg for Galen M. Stone. Bristol Craft Practically Alike in Model." Boston Globe, May 27, 1910, p. 8.)

"Notes from the Week's Log. ... Toboggan and Peg [#695s] are the names of two of this year's sonder racers built at Herreshoffs. The former, which is owned by Robert W. Emmons 2d, was expected to leave Bristol for Boston yesterday, the other is owned by Galen M. Stone. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, May 29, 1910, p. 51.)

"Bristol Notes. BRISTOL. R I, June 11 [1910] --- The new Sonder boat Toboggan, owned by Robert W. Emmons 2d, E Y C, met with a rough experience on her trip around the cape under sail and had to be towed back here and repaired this week. The light framework and planking, even with bracings fore and aft, was not strong enough to hold the yacht in shape in the pounding of the chopped seas of Nantucket shoals and the craft began leaking. After the craft arrived here Sunday she was taken out of the water and the work of truing the model was started. The yacht sailed from here for Boston on June 2, and returned June 5 in tow of the power boat Thetis of Boston, the latter remaining here during the repairs in order to take the Toboggan in tow again, when she makes the second start for the eastward." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, June 12, 1910, p. 39.)

"... Robert W. Emmons' sonder racer Toboggan [#697s] has been straightened out as well as could be by Herreshoff after a week's work, and is now at Buzzards Bay. ..." (Source: Anon. [No Title.] Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 21, 1910, p. 4).

"Bristol Notes. BRISTOL, R I, July 2 [1910] --- ... Nat Herreshoff, the designer, has been away a week, cruising in Buzzards bay, aboard his steam yacht Roamer, to observe Robert W. Emmons 2d's Toboggan since she was refitted and braced inside. The Toboggan won, showing that she is in her original form, notwithstanding the straining." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, July 3, 1910, p. 48.)

"The sonder boats, Bibelot [#699s] and Toboggan [#697s], owned by Harry Payne Whitney and Robert W. Emmons, have been laid up until next spring in the Herreshoff yards. The Bibelot is one of the three chosen to go to Kiel next year to race against the German sonders." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, September 16, 1910, p. 2.)

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Crossed-out penciled pantograph hull sections and calculations titled '#697 Sonder Class [TOBOGGAN]. Model Made Jan 21, 1910. Lines just before sandpapering. 18ft 8in l.w.l. 7ft 10in beam. 5ft 6 1/2in draft. 32ft 0 1/2in [LOA]'. [TOBOGGAN's Model 326 is annotated as having been made in February 1910, suggesting there might have been a second, prior model made in January 1910 that was subsequently destroyed or has not been identified yet.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE02_04940. Folder [no #]. 1910-01-21.)
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"[Item Transcription:] I beg to acknowledge receipt of contract for Sonder boat [#697s TOBOGGAN] ordered by Nelson Emmons and myself, and note the terms of contract, which seem to be correct and satisfactory, except that I would request that the hull be left bright instead of painted white, and that you furnish us with a small number three jib, and that the mainsails be provided with three sets of eyelets; also that one of the mainsails be made of slightly heavier canvas, the ordinary number used I think is No 6, at any rate make one of slightly heavier canvas than the other.
I would further ask that the compass be if possible cased in on the floor of the cockpit and covered with a heavy piece of glass, whereas, all the rest of the floor boards we would like to have made so they can be removed. We would like to have the mainsail provided with a jig that can be led and managed conveniently from either quarter. The washboard along the sides of the cockpit we would like to have made very low so that it will be as convenient and comfortable as possible when two are on the weather side; the forward piece, on the other hand, we would like to have V shaped as you make them, flared and quite high.
We would like to have the runners provided with a jam cleat in place of an ordinary cleat as it is much easier to handle.
Please do not spare anything, but make the boat as absolutely light as it can be, a veritable aluminum saucepan, and you can call her the 'TOBOGGAN'.
I will send check for first payment, and sign contract next week." (Source: Emmons, Robert W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_27920. Subject Files, Folder 11. 1910-01-29.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'No 697 [#697s]. From finished model. Feb[ruary] 1910. Scale 1/12. LWL 18ft 8in. TOBOGGIN [sic, i.e. TOBOGGAN]'. With 'Note - Final measurements show 40lbs too little displacement and to correct it frames will be set up raised 1/4in amidships from floor and graduated out in a harmonic curve to 0 at each l.w.l. nd. Lwl 18.8. Ex[treme] beam 7[ft] 9 1/2in. Draft 5.6. [LOA] 31[ft] 11 1/2in[in]'. Wth calculations arriving at a total displacement of 3995lbs '40lbs small' and a wetted surface of 178.5sqft." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_01220. Folder [no #]. 1910-02.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'No. 696 [#696s FORAMINIFER (note: last digit appears to be crossed out and corrected to 7 resulting in #697s TOBOGGAN but the required 3025lbs lead are clearly related to FORAMINIFER I] Feb[ruary] 27, 1910'. With calculations and note '#696. 21ft Buzzards Bay Class. Required 3025lbs lead at .537 of w.l. 3025lbs lead = 7350cuin [at] .537 of w.l. = ... 29.05 frames' and concluding with calculations and note 'Result. ... 7350[cuin] at 29.05 [frames]'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08470. Folder [no #]. 1910-02-27.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Lead for #697 [TOBOGGAN] Scale 1/4 size. May 1, 1910'. With calculations and note 'Required 1450lbs lead with c.g. at .603 of l.w.l. l.w.l. 18ft 8in. Frame space 8in. ....' and concluding with calculations and note 'As keel is too far forward to get lead as required, decided to change the direction of frame spaces before 3.40 height by moving fowd[?] aft 2 frame spaces'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08510. Folder [no #]. 1910-05-01.)
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"[Item Description:] re #699s BIBELOT (with a few annotations by NGH), in envelope marked 'personal' by sender: mainsail set, battens, boom very light and more limber than the old one, gaff also very light and limber, would be well for us to have another gaff made, slightly heavier, and of stiffer wood, little wooden stops on gaff too small to keep gaff bridle from slipping, rigging to be shortened as turnbuckles were nearly screwed up as tight as they could go, previous rigging on both BIBELOT and #697s TOBOGGAN had been much tighter, would prefer shorter spreaders, runners are a great improvement and very convenient and will be perfect if track is lengthened six inches, we tried carrying the spinnaker around the fore-stay and found it worked perfectly, if you will remove both cleats from bottom of mast and place two cleats in cockpit and put snatch block with strap around the mast for spinnaker halyards, that will be an improvement, need a new main sheet, present peak halyard too long, cut off spinnaker pole and reduce big and small spinnaker to proper measurement of present rig, reduce present seats in cock-pit to about one-third their present size and also one-third their weight, also take out all floor boards on a line with these seats, old chain plates can be sawed off, snap hook with swivel to be spliced into end of balloon jib halyards in place of the sister hook, if you think well of Mr. [Charles] Adams' arrangement for the main sheet jib you can put the two necessary blocks on the boom, present jamb cleats are a size too large for the rope that you now have, will eventually order another suit of sails but shall wait until I see Whitney before doing so, whether to make them of No. 6 or no. 7 duck is the question, North Shore fellows use No. 7 and consider No. 6 slightly too light, No. 6 you made for TOBOGGAN and BIBELOT is excellent except that I do not think it would stand more than half a dozen races, smaller jib to use with single reef, wish you would also devise some small and very light cleats to reave the reef errings through, batten pockets in jib, do not forget to put on the pulverized cork between guard rails forward, I told Sidney that I would like to have sails taken off, want to say that I am extremely indebted to you and the boys for all the interest you have taken and I hope that the results from the same when we get to Germany next spring will be satisfactory to us all" (Source: Emmons, Robert W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_20920. Correspondence, Folder 60. 1910-09-27.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Order book with carbon copy duplicates of instructions given by NGH. Relevant contents:
§17: Work Order [For] #695s, #697s [or #696s ?]. Spars (1910-02-08)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Order Book. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE08_04730. Folder [no #]. 1909-10 to 1914-11.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #697s Toboggan even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Toboggan (HMCo-made index card)
• Toboggan (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: Toboggan
Type: J & M
Length: 18'8"
Owner: Emmons, R. W.

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

• Toboggan
• 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: Toboggan
Type: 19' sonder boat
Owner: R. W. Emmons
Row No.: 685

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: Jan
Day: 28
Year: 1910
E/P/S: S
No.: 0697
Name: Toboggan
LW: 18' 8"
B: 7' 9"
D: 5' 6"
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Amount: 2400.00
Notes Constr. Record: Sonder Class.
Last Name: Emmons
First Name: R. W.

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.

"Sonderklasse Rule boats were the result of a German measurement rule that limited the sum of a boat's waterline length, beam, and draft to 32'. In addition, the sail area was fixed at 550 square feet, the displacement had to be at least 4,035 lbs, the boat was to be single-planked with a minimum plank thickness of at least 5/8", and the boat could not cost more than $2,400." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 26, 2015.)

"Built in 118 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $20/day, 35 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"Sail area (550sq ft) as per Sonderklasse rule limit." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 26, 2015.)

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