Nathaniel G. Herreshoff

1848 – 1938

Known as the Wizard of Bristol, Nat Herreshoff was an innovative and brilliant designer, sailor, and boatbuilder. Features common on boats today—sail tracks and slides, bulb keels, fin keels, and hollow aluminum masts—were all developed by Herreshoff. He designed and built one of the earliest catamarans seen in the US.\n\nSpanning a career of 70 years designing large and small sail and power boats, his influence on yacht design is unrivaled. As a designer, helmsman and engineer, he defended the America’s Cup six times: Vigilant, 1893; Defender, 1895; Columbia 1899 and 1901; Reliance, 1903; and Resolute, 1920.\n\nFor the more serious students of yacht design, most of the original Offset Books and plans are available for research at the Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum. (Nat Herreshoff worked mostly with models from which offsets were taken and rarely saw the lines of his creations on paper.)\nListed here are only a few of his 'series built' designs.

Designs (31)

Name	LOA (ft)	First Built	Last Built	Rig
ALERION	26	1912		Fractional Sloop
ALERION 26 (CARROL MARINE)	25.33	2002		Fractional Sloop
BAR HARBOR 31	49	1902		Gaff Head Cutter
BISCAYNE BAY 14	14.42	1925		Fractional Sloop
BULL'S EYE	15.71	1914		Fractional Sloop
BUZZARDS BAY 15	24.5	1899	1928	Gaffhead Sloop
BUZZARDS BAY 18	29	1903	1904	Gaffhead Sloop
BUZZARDS BAY 25	32.58	1914		Gaffhead Sloop
BUZZARDS BAY 30	46.5	1901	1902	Gaff Head Cutter
DOUGHDISH	15.83	1972		Gaffhead Sloop
FISH (HERRESHOFF)	20.75	1916	1930	Gaffhead Sloop
FISHERS ISLAND 31	43.5	1928	1946	Fractional Sloop
FLATFISH	20.25	1960		Fractional Sloop
GOLDENEYE (HERRESHOFF)	18.25	1959		Masthead Sloop
H-26 (HERRESHOFF)	26.33	1964		Masthead Sloop
HAVEN 12 1/2	15.92	1984		Gaffhead Sloop
HERRESHOFF 12 1/2	15.83	1914	1948	Gaffhead Sloop
HERRESHOFF 15	24.5	1902		Gaffhead Sloop
HERRESHOFF 20	19.83	2010		Fractional Sloop
MARLIN (HERRESHOFF)	20.75	1937	1938	Fractional Sloop
MARLIN HERITAGE 23	23	1958		Masthead Sloop
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 30	43.75	1904	1905	Gaffhead Sloop
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 40	59	1916	1926	Gaffhead Sloop
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 50	72	1912	1913	Gaff Head Cutter
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 57	85.25	1906	1908	Cutter
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 70	106	1899	1900	Gaff Head Cutter
NEWPORT 29 (HERRESHOFF)	35.58	1914	1926	Gaffhead Sloop
PETREL	20.75	1977		Fractional Sloop
S-CLASS (HERRESHOFF)	27.5	1919	1941	Fractional Sloop
SEAWANHAKA ONE-DESIGN (HERRESHOFF)	20	1916		Fractional Sloop
WATCH HILL 15	24.5	1922		Fractional Sloop