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.

Principle Dimensions and Information

Designer: Nathanial G. Herreshoff

Builder: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company / Bristol, RI

Year Built” 1931

HMCo Hull Number: 1176

LOA: 15.83’

LWL: 12.50’

Beam: 5.83’

Draft: 2.50’

Displacement: 1,250 lbs.

Ballast: 735 lbs.

Sail Area: 140 sq. ft.

Rig Type: Marconi Sloop

Hull and Deck Construction

Full keel with transom hung rudder underwater configuration

Carvel planking

Cedar planking over White Oak frames, floors, stem, keel, deadwood and transom.

Bronze screw fastenings

Varnished, molded White Oak sheer strake.

Varnished White Oak toe rails, cockpit coamings, cockpit seats and transom.

Bare /raw teak cockpit sole.

Decks are marine plywood over fir deck beams with an overlay of Dynel cloth set in epoxy and finished with Sea Foam Green paint.

Fore and aft cockpit bulkheads are of marine plywood with White painted finish

Transom hung White Oak rudder with bronze pintails and gudgeons and varnished White Oak tiller.

Exterior color scheme: Green bottom, Blue boot stripe, White topsides, Varnished sheer strake and transom.

Interior color scheme: White hull interior and bulkheads, Sea Foam Green decks.

Deck and Cockpit Hardware

Bronze bow chocks and bow cleat

Bronze stern cleats

Bronze pad eyes for jib sheet fore deck blocks

Bronze oar lock sockets on cockpit coaming

Bronze main sheet traveler

Bronze pad eye for main sheet block

Stainless steel Harken swivel can cleat for main sheet

Bronze chain plates and stem iron

All running rigging blocks are of bronze construction

Bronze halyard cleats

Spars and Rigging

Fractional Marconi rigged sloop configuration

Varnished Sitka Spruce mast, boom and jib club

Aluminum spinnaker pole

Stainless steel 1x19 wire standing rigging (shrouds and headstay) with chrome bronze turnbuckle adjusters

Sheets (main, jib and spinnaker) of traditional 3-strand Dacron line.

Halyards (main and jib) of low stretch yacht braid.

Halyards (spinnaker and topping lift) of traditional 3-strand Dacron line

All jib and mainsheet turning blocks of bronze fabrication

Stainless steel sail track on mast and boom.

Stainless steel spinnaker pole fitting / ring on mast.

Windex (wind direction) at masthead.

Sails and Canvas

Main Sail (Center Harbor Sails)

Jib (Center Harbor Sails

Triradial Spinnaker (Shore Sails)

Canvas covers for main and club jib (Green Sunbrella)

Additional Equipment

Varnished oars (1 pair)

Oar locks (1 pair)

Danforth anchor with chain and rode

Telescoping aluminum boat hook

Dock lines and fender

Manual / hand bilge pump

Bilge bailer

Sponge

Disclaimer

Brooklin Boat Yard offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change or withdrawal without notice.