HMCo #1304s [Amphicraft for Charles A. Welch]

"Nov 1 1935 {1935/11/01} N. G. HERRESHOFF 6 WALLEY STREET BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND Dear Francis, I am exceedingly interested in your letter of 29, {1935/10/29} describing your tests of dinghies. It is the kind of racing I would enjoy, and wish I was young enough to take part. In the small light craft and crew to windward to give stability, there is no doubt at all your So & So is the better length for 72 (square)' sail. As I view it, your boat with narrow waterline and less stability requires expert sailing, and only then is she superior, and the "firm stability" of the other boats is more practical for that sail area. However, - I got ship mate with a very cranky boat, much more on the extreem than yours, - many years ago, - a light row boat I had designed for a yachts boat, that could beat in the N.Y.Y.C. 'Owl & Gamecock Races', I put on her a light leg-o-mutton sail, I never dared to get on her gunwhale but would lay along inside, out of the wind. She went so fast and even in a seaway, so fast & dry, I got to be very fond of her, and would take quite long sails in the winter. I have been interested [p2] making a comparison of the three boats you had trials of. Sidney says the Amphi's are about 12.7 ft on water and weight of hull & all equipment 225 lbs. So lengths are (L) 11.5 - 12.7 - 15.0 The natural speed, without planing formula = statute miles per hour 4.3 - 4.63 - 5.02 Displacement with 1 - 150 lb person, cuft 5.3 - 5.9 - 6.6 Cube root of displ formula 1.74 - 1.81 - 1.87 Ratio of cube root to L, in percentage 15.2 - 14.3 - 13.5 Displ with 2 - 150 lb persons - in craft, 7.7 - 8.3 - 8.9 Cube root of displ 1.97 - 2.01 - 2.06 Ratio, of cube root to L, in percentage 17.6 - 16. - 13.8 Many years ago I concluded, vessels to be capable of plaining must have cube root of displ. not over 16 percent of water line, (or useful length) By this, it would appear the length of your boat gives her great advantage in a breeze, and more than enough to overcome greater wetted surface. In light wind & smooth water wetted surface may be paramount. When it comes to planing speed - extra weight in a boat causes her to generate deeper waves,, - of which she is trying to clime up the incline, - which has become steeper when more weight is carried. All well here -Your affect - Father -" (Source: Mystic Seaport Museum, L. Francis Herreshoff Collection, Box 17, Folder 11: Letter from N. G. Herreshoff to L. F. Herreshoff.)

"L. FRANCIS HERRESHOFF Yacht Designer 20 LEE STREET MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS ... October 29, 1935. {1935/10/29} Dear Father: The weather here has been very pleasant this week--end so that Saturday and Sunday, both mornings and afternoons, we raced dingheys her in unofficial races trying different types together and I thought you might like to hear about it. There were only three dinghies and they were as follows: 1. H.M. Co. Amphycraft, owned and sailed by Mrs. C.A. Welch, one of the best small boat sailors here. This boat had a good Ratsey sail and regular double boom and all equipment as furnished and in first class shape. 2. A late and good "B" class dinghy owned and sailed by Frank Mather, who is a first class sailor. This boat had a very good loose fitted sail with boom near the foot of the sail.3. My dinghy "So and So" in first class shape with a fair Ratsey sail lashed to a round mast and boom. We raced probably sixteen races over various courses ranging from 2 to 3 miles. We tried on the starts and other maneuvers not to take advantage of one another so as to test the boats. We soon found out that So and So was much the fastest on reaches so that we tried to arrange the races as much as convenient, windward and leeward. The following is about the average results. In a breeze of 15 m.p.h. or so the three boats seemed to go almost in proportion to their overall length. The rigs, models and handling seemed to make little difference. In breezes of 4 to 6 m.p.h. So and So ran the fastest but all were about the same speed when close hauled. In very light weather all three boats were very even indeed. We tried some races with a crew of two and some with one aboard and So and So took the extra weight better. I was very surprised that So and So did not beat the other boats more. [p2] I was also surprised that both dingheys with the loose footed sails ere at their worst reaching and runing but this may be because of the model. In strong puffs when running the other dingheys planed some and varied their speed considerable but So and So steadily pulled away from them without planing but maintained a higher average speed. All three boats have the same S A, same mast height, and same beam at the gunwale. Their lengths and weights are -- [Table inserted here.] The Amphi craft is (except for rigging and unrigging) much the best boat for the average person. I sailed her in one race when Mrs. Welch sailed So and So and I beat her quite easily, probably because Mrs. Welch was not used to such a cranky boat as So and So, which I have grown used to. In a real choppy or rought sea So and So is in a class by herself and much faster than other small craft she has been near. I would like to see one built on her molds 20' long with about 100 s. qft. SA; nearly all decked over and 100 lb. centerboard. In rought weather I believe she would be as fast as the Development Boats and might hold the sailing canoes which are not constant performers. Next spring I am going to try to buy or borrow a rig from Amphy craft and try to find out if it is the length and model, or the rig, which makes So and So reach and run well. But for my own use I require a rig that can be doused instantaneously for I often go some distance off and we have squalls here which will capsize small craft even under bare poles. With the present rig I can get everything below the rail and the oars out in a few seconds. I will say again that I was surprised that in a smooth sea So and So did not beat the Amphi craft as much as I expected and it may be that a still longer boat would [Vertical table in left margin.] [p3] not be any faster with this S. A. So you see I learned nothing but had a good time just the same. Yours affectionably Francis signed" (Source: Mystic Seaport Museum, L. Francis Herreshoff Collection, Box 17, Folder 11: Letter from L. F. Herreshoff to N. G. Herreshoff.)

"... AMPHI-CRAFT. Center-board Dinghy. Sail area, 72 sq. ft.; o.a.l. 13'; beam, 4' 8''. Oak frames; mahogany or cedar planking; teak trim; teak rudder and center-board; Everdur fastenings; polished bronze fittings; spruce spars; standard equipment.
$425
Sail-away Bristol ...) (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Advertisement.] Yachting, March 1937, p. 96-98.)

"The Amphi-Craft was to be an all-purpose boat having wider appeal and a more affordable price than most Herreshoff Mfg. Co. boats. Although the design was aggressively advertised ..., only fifteen boats were built. They were elegant and, for what they were, rather expensive.
Two of the boats are known to have been preserved (#1276 at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and another at Mystic Seaport [#1388s]), and they show some features worth knowing about. For example, the mast is in two piece so that it will store inside the boat, the wishboom rig holds the sail in its most efficient shape, and the rudder is pivoted to kick up in shallow water.
Although the Amphi-Craft hulls were built upside down, as was the Herreshoff custom, the shop's method, used for the larger craft, of bending the frames directly over the molds gave way in these and certain other small craft to ... a jig-type setup in which the boat's frames are bent over ribbands sprung around and fastened to widely spaced molds. This system requires less lofting and allows the intact jig to be left undisturbed, boat after boat; it has long been a favored method among other builders.
Except at the bow, this boat's frames run continuously side to side across the keel and are held at each end by turnbuttons at the sheer. ...
Sidney Herreshoff designed not only the Amphi-Craft but also a special trailer to go with it. The Herreshoff Mfg. Co. built the trailer as well as the boat, using running gear purchased from the Indian Motorcycle Co. and a steam-bent, varnished oak frame complete with the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. logo hand-lettered in red paint. ..." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 190.)

"[Item Description:] Handwritten notebook titled on outer cover 'Droughting Room. Blue Prints Record' providing a list of drawings with information in columns titled 'Issued To', 'For Job', 'Date', 'Date Returned', '[Date] Destroyed', and 'Remarks'. Vessels mentioned are #1266s BELISARIUS, #1267 FROSTFISH, #395p Owner Launch for St.Y. VIKING, #1265s NITRAMON, #1204s SILVERHEELS, #1233s RAINBOW, #1276s PRIM, #1275s MITENA, #907s PLEASURE, #931s NASSAU, #711s VENTURA, #900s IRIS, #982s WATER LILY, #891s WILDFIRE, #1147s WEETAMOE, #954s MARY ROSE, #880s JOSEPHINE, #788s MANATEE, #1146s ENTERPRISE, #1212s TRONDA, #1282s 12 1/2 for H. V. Reed, #1302s Amphicraft for N. F. Ayer, #1304s Amphicraft for Charles A. Welch, #1286s 12 1/2 for Mr. Maitland Alexander, #1311s Amphicraft for Dr. Seth M. Milliken, #1313s Dinghy for #663s RAMALLAH ex-ISTALENA, #1314s HMCo Yard Skiff, #408s PELICAN, #1315s BRENDA, #396p Power Tender for FONTINALIS, #397p Power Tender for FONTINALIS, #329p CAROLA, #1318s Sailing Dinghy for Henry S. Morgan; #1316s NOVA, #1319s Tech Dinghy, #1317s MANDOO II, #405p Surfboat, #1379s Fish Class for H. M. Lautmann (MERRY HELL), #1385s TINKER TOO, and #1384s AVANTI. 23 pages were used. Undated, the dates range from October 1934 to September 1936." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Notebook. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.106. Box HAFH.6.3B, Folder Blue Print Record Book. No date (1934-10 to 1936-09).)
① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪ ⑫ ⑬ ⑭ ⑮ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱

Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #1304s [Amphicraft for Charles A. Welch] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

Year: 1935
E/P/S: S
No.: 1304
Rig: Amphi-craft Wishbone
Amount: 510.00
Notes Constr. Record: No trailer.
Last Name: Welch
First Name: Charles A.

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.

"Regular Amphicrafts had a higher sheer than the prototype #1276s Prim as per a note on plan HH.5.02083 (028-081) Sailboat to Carry on Trailer [Amphicraft const./sail/spars] (1935-02-16)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 18, 2019.)

"Plan 28-82 from which this boat was built was drawn 1935-04-13." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. October 26, 2009.)

"HMCo's 'Blue Print Record' (MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.106. Box HAFH.6.3B, p. 11) suggests that Rigger Petersen was busy with this boat around April 19, 1935, which may suggest that it was finished shortly after." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. October 3, 2018.)

"Weight Hull 174lbs. Complete with Equipment 216lbs." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Note on plan HH.5.02083 (028-081) 13' Open Sailboat to Carry on Trailer [Amphicraft const./sail/spars] (1935-02-16). Haffenreffer-Herreshoffer Collection. MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

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