 SCULPIN |
SCULPIN, an original 21’ Herreshoff Fish Class sloop that’s listed in the Herreshoff records as SQUID (hull #816), was delivered to the Seawanhaka Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, Long Island, for a Franklin Remington in April of 1916. Mr. Remington lived on the Driftwood estate on Centre Island and was an avid sailor/racer. He owned the boat (whose name he changed to SCULPIN while she was being built) until 1921 after which she switched hands several times. From 1932 to 1937 she was owned by John Foster Dulles (Secretary of State under Dwight D. Eisenhower) who sailed the boat out of Cold Spring Harbor until the next owner moved her to Southport, CT. Her history goes on, and includes time spent in Brooklin, ME, as WEST WIND, and a donation to Mystic Seaport. Her complete history is well documented, and a search of the New York Times archives results in many pages describing her successful early racing career. SCULPIN requires a rebuild, but the majority of her planking and her ballast keel are reusable. We have all of her original bronze hardware as well as her original Marconi rig (she was gaff-rigged in the beginning). This is one of the few original Fish boats that can be traced back to her original hull number. A museum-quality rebuild could be undertaken for significantly less than the cost of building a new Fish. (See TULIP and LOUISE) It would be wonderful if this important historical artifact, once restored, could eventually find its way back to either Oyster Bay or the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol, RI. The Seawanhaka Yacht Club, in particular, has such a rich history of classic yachting that SCULPIN would be a welcome and prestigious link to its past noble heritage. We want the restoration of SCULPIN to demonstrate our respect for and commitment to historical accuracy and the preservation of as much of the original material as it’s practical to recycle. Despite our recent success employing edge-glued planking and laminated backbones, it is important to remember that Artisan Boatworks also excels at traditional museum-quality restoration. One of the most important considerations when employing epoxy adhesive and modern coating technology to wooden boats, is in knowing when and where to use them. Using the wrong substance in the wrong application can result in foreshortened life as well as a loss in historical value. |
