NAHMA

NAHMA

35 ft 1966 L. Francis Herreshoff Cruising Ketch

Watkins Glen, New York   |  Asking $50,000

DESCRIPTION

L. Francis Herreshoff brought a boatbuilder’s understanding of wood and a sailor’s sense of proportion to yacht design. His work ranged from the modest H28 to the celebrated ocean racers TIOGA and TICONDEROGA, and earned him a place in the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Fellow designer Clinton Crane wrote, “I know no living designer who has a better eye for form.” NAHMA’s appeal is equally tangible: an elegant sheer and counter stern, a versatile ketch rig, and useful cruising accommodations in a boat of less than 35 feet.

Built in 1966 by Kenneth McAlpine and Son of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, NAHMA measures 34 feet 8 inches on deck, with a 10-foot beam and draft of approximately 4 feet 10 inches. Her main, mizzen, roller-furling headsail, and club staysail divide the sail area into manageable pieces and offer several combinations as conditions change. Below, opposing settees, a proper galley, an enclosed head, and separate forward sleeping accommodations make good use of her dimensions. Her clipper bow, bowsprit, and varnished mahogany cabin complete a handsome little cruising yacht, with the character to reward a glance back from the dinghy and the accommodations to make staying aboard a pleasure.

Her history includes ownership by a cruising writer and photographer and her husband, who sailed her on the Chesapeake and along the Maine coast after completing their circumnavigation aboard HERETIC. Their accounts and photographs of NAHMA appeared in Blue Water Sailing and Classic Boat, recording the sort of sailing for which she is so well suited: exploring quiet creeks, moving between island anchorages, and enjoying the coast at a human pace.

Before her present ownership, NAHMA received substantial attention at Brooklin Boat Yard, including replacement mahogany cabin sides reported new in 2013. Her present owner acquired her in 2014 and brought her to Seneca Lake, where sailing and improving the boat have been a central interest for the past twelve years. With some fifty years of boatbuilding and fine joinery experience, he recognized the quality of her original hull and set about bringing the interior and deck details up to the same standard.

The results are worth looking at closely. Panelled locker doors, properly proportioned mahogany trim and fiddles, a custom skylight, and a pull-out double berth have improved both her appearance and her usefulness. More substantial work has included rebuilding the upper transom and associated framing, recovering the cockpit, side decks, and cabin top with fabric and epoxy, and replacing the cockpit coamings. These are the sorts of improvements that take considerable time and care, and are an important part of the value of a well-kept wooden boat.

NAHMA received fresh bottom and topside paint in 2026, followed by stripping and revarnishing of the toerails. She offers a handsome, manageable classic with a documented cruising history and the benefit of sustained attention from a knowledgeable owner. Located at Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake, she is available for viewing by appointment.

CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENTS

NAHMA is carvel planked in mahogany over steam-bent oak frames, with an oak backbone and floor timbers, and external lead ballast. Her cabin sides and exterior trim are varnished mahogany. Plywood decks provide a stable base for their protective sheathing.

Highlights of the work completed before and during the present ownership include:

– Replacement mahogany cabin sides by Brooklin Boat Yard, reported new in 2013.

– Upper two-thirds of the transom replaced, with repairs to adjacent side and deck framing and added blocking for running backstays and docking cleats.

– New transom cap and an upper rudder bearing supporting the rudder head.

– Cockpit stripped to bare wood, corners filleted, and surfaces sheathed in fabric and epoxy before painting.

– Old fiberglass removed from the cabin top and side decks; sound plywood retained and recovered with fabric and epoxy, paint, and SoftSand nonskid. The previously renewed fiberglass foredeck was retained.

– New cockpit coamings with larger scuppers, revised forward support blocks, and additional height aft for comfort.

– New tiller, replacement sections of toerail, and a replacement port companionway rail.

– Custom pyramidal skylight with quarter-inch acrylic glazing.

– Extensive interior joinery improvements, including panelled locker doors, mahogany moldings and fiddles, four new drawers, and a new folding panelled head door.

– Port settee converted to a pull-out double berth, with cushion backs forming the infill.

– Mizzen recut by Grant Gambell and boom shortened to improve windward trim and bring the boom end within reach from the stern.

– Bottom and topsides painted in 2026; toerails stripped and revarnished later that summer.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Below, painted surfaces and varnished woodwork give the cabin a warm, traditional appearance. Opposing settees flank a drop-leaf table, with the port settee extending into a double berth. Storage outboard is accessed through custom panelled doors that open inboard, and the new skylight brings light into the main cabin.

Forward are sleeping accommodations, a hanging locker, and an enclosed head. The folding head door can also close across to the hanging locker to provide privacy for the forward cabin. The galley includes an Origo two-burner alcohol stove with oven, a sink with hand pumps, and an icebox. The owner reports that the stove and oven work well. A removable panelled box beneath the bridge deck provides access to the engine area.

PARTICULARS

Year built: 1966

Builder: Kenneth McAlpine and Son, Shelburne, Nova Scotia

Design: L. Francis Herreshoff, with modifications; original plan number unconfirmed

Length on deck: 34 ft 8 in

Beam: 10 ft

Draft: Approximately 4 ft 10 in

Hull: Carvel mahogany on steam-bent oak frames

Ballast: External lead

Steering: Tiller

Engine: Beta Marine three-cylinder diesel, reported installed in 2006

Location: Watkins Glen, Seneca Lake, New York

Asking price: $50,000

ENGINE AND EQUIPMENT

Auxiliary power is provided by a freshwater-cooled Beta Marine diesel driving a three-bladed feathering propeller. The equipment recorded in the 2014 survey includes a spare fixed propeller, a 12-volt electrical system, shore power and battery charging, electric and manual bilge pumps, and a manual marine toilet with holding tank. The survey is useful background documentation; equipment and operation should be confirmed during inspection.

SPARS AND SAILS

Hollow spruce masts, stainless steel standing rigging, a bowsprit-mounted roller-furling headsail, and an inner forestay with a club staysail form a versatile cruising rig. The 2014 inventory records predominantly Sobstad sails, full-battened main and mizzen, a Tides Marine track system, a light-air reaching sail, and Barient self-tailing sheet winches. The subsequent mizzen alteration is described above. The present sail inventory and condition should be confirmed with the owner.

ELECTRONICS AND ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT

The earlier inventory includes Garmin chartplotter and radar, a West Marine VHF, and a Raymarine depth sounder. The owner has not used the inherited navigation electronics, so they are offered without a representation of current operation. An electric tiller pilot, not installed during his ownership, and a solar panel are also included. An 8-foot rowing pram with oars accompanies the boat; it was designed to stow inverted on the cabin top, and the owner reports that it tows easily.

Please call or email for further information, the owner’s detailed account of repairs and improvements, and arrangements to view NAHMA.