Herreshoff's Marlin

[Ed Armstrong]

In the past couple of weeks, I have come back to Herreshoff's Marlin as my "dream boat". It is going to be a few years until I retire part-time and can build one, but I can long for "the perfect (for me) boat" in the meantime. I've been through Oughtred's Eun mara & Grey Seal, Gartside's #106, the Golant Gaffer, a couple of the Atkins boats & several others, but I keep coming back to the lines of Herreshoff's Fish. Since my ideal boat is in the 20-22-foot range with a small cabin for overnighting or working aboard, the Marlin, designed as a Fish with a cabin, seems about right.

Unfortunately, I have only seen two pictures of a Marlin. This one:

http://00002vw.previewcoxhosting.com/images/oned_1421big.gif

and one of the boat being crane launched out of the Herreshoff of Bristol book.

Does anyone have pictures of the Marlin or other information? I have a list of plans from the Herreshoff/Hart Nautical Collection buried amongst other information at home. While they don't have the lines plans (Cape Code Shipbuilding being the owners of the plans), they did have a structural drawing of the cabin, IIRC.

I'm sure I'll go around the cycle between different designs once or twice more before I finally get around to building a mini-yacht (I'm currently finishing an Acorn dinghy), but this is my second time fixating on the Marlin, so I reckon it has a good chance of staying near the top of the list. :D

Ed

[rbgarr]

Here is the listing with a few photos of Chuck Paine's replica version of Marlin for reference. The builder is no longer with us, but the plans are probably available, though he would be reluctant to see the boat built by an amateur.

http://tinyurl.com/2q8cvd

http://www.chuckpaine.com/replicas.html

[Ed Armstrong]

Hmm, didn't see a Marlin on Chuck Paine's site. He did the Pisces 21, a fine interpretation of the Fish. I corresponded with Mark Fitzgerald from Paine's shop awhile back, and he was willing to sell plans for the Pisces if I could get the permission of the builder who commissioned the drawings. Chuck Paine's office also did a 25-foot replica interpretation of Herreshoff's designs that looks something like a Marlin, but is considerably larger and heavier.

Cape Cod Shipbuilding built some modified Marlins for several years following their acquisition of Herreshoff's plans (not sure if they were out of wood or glass). They were lengthened to 23' by adding a counter stern. One was on the Maine Craig's List just recently for a very reasonable price.

What I would really like to do at some point in the future is commission Brooklin Boat Yard to modify a Flatfish for cold-molded or strip construction and add the Marlin's cabin, but there I go dreaming again. I emailed them back in 2005 about redesigning the Flatfish for strip construction, and the price, while not as inexpensive as stock plans, was not out of the realm of possibility (but then I didn't actually get to the point of discussing it with my wife :) ). I suspect that it would cost quite a bit more to add the cabin.

Ed

[Lance F. Gunderson]

There was a Marlin on Craig's List recently for sale at a bargain price; on the Sheepscott River if I recall correctly. A Marshall 18' Sanderling will, by the way, sail rings around a Marlin.

[JimConlin]

The Cape Cod Shipbuilding boats were of fiberglass.

[Ed Armstrong]

It provides a better impression of the lines, IMHO.

http://downloads.c-2.com/photos/1179378377.jpg

IIRC, the picture was taken from the Herreshoff of Bristol book (someone else sent it to me). I don't know if the publishers own the copyright (if they do, I sincerely apologize for posting it, and will delete the post if requested).