SALTY

1931, Herreshoff 12 ½, 16’

In 1914, Robert W. Emmons and a group of fellow Buzzards Bay sailors approached NG Herreshoff to create a small boat suitable for their children to sail, especially in chal­lenging Buzzards Bay wind and sea conditions and to become familiar with the characteristics of the type of larger sailboats to which they might graduate later on.

The resultant boat was the Herreshoff 12½ (sometimes called the Buzzards Bay Boy’s Boat) and great class was born. It is unlikely that in 1914 or 1915 the genius of Nathanael G. Herreshoff or the inspiration of Mr. Emmons could have foretold the unique popularity and longevity of the design we have now seen for more than 100 years. She is still considered to be one of the finest, if not the finest, small sailing yacht designs ever created. And as it turned out, the boat was perfect for all ages in the family, not just the kids.

As was his custom, Mr. Herreshoff designed the 12½ by making a half model of the hull and then recorded measured offsets from the model. The offsets were used to build a series of skeletal mold frames in the build­ing shop, and the framing and planking of the hull were then formed on and around the skeleton. The hulls were thus fashioned in an upside-down position, then removed from the mold frames, turned right-side up on their keels and completed. The mold frames were re-used to build successive hulls with the same con­trolled procedure, assuring the desired uniformity from boat to boat.

No lines drawings or construction plans were necessary. Mr. Her­reshoff would specify, in detail, the sizes and types of all the materials to be used, and the workmen assigned to the job would repeat their process in each stage of construction under Mr. Herreshoff’s supervision, right down to all the special hardware, designed by Captain Nat and cast in the shop foundry. At some later time, two additional sets of mold frames were employed. All told, 364 12½s were built by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

Mr. Herreshoff died in 1938. Starting before his death and continuing after, manufacturing of the 12½ was carried on by the experienced, well-trained employees of the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. until 1943. 

Built in 1931 (and originally named Gurgle) Salty has been in the same ownership for 50+ years and under the care of both Brooklin Boat Yard and Brooklin boat builder Eric Dow for many of those years. Salty is in very good condition and ready for another half-century of providing sailing enjoyment to generations to come.