Great South Bay Proposal?

[Adam]

Interesting design on the Bray site (Saw the updated site posting on WBF)....Never built, but do we know a proposal for whom? Seeing is John and I both grew up on GSB, and the timing of the design was not far from the development of the Narrasketuck Class (1934) - I wonder if there was a push for one designs by one or more clubs....Jon, did you know about this one?

http://www.brayprints.com/prints/whats-new/902/great-south-bay-proposal/

[HerreshoffHistory]

The Great South Bay Class was designed at the request of H. Havemeyer. Plans are dated Dec. 24, 1927.

[Adam]

Thank you HH - Very interesting - I assume a member of the wealthy Havemeyer's - wonder if this is the same H. Havemeyer that owned a NY30? Would be quite unusual for the North Shore/Sound/Newport crowd to be on the south shore of LI. We of that side of the tracks were more the sandbagger types   

[HerreshoffHistory]

Certainly a member of the sugar Havemeyer family. H.O. Havemeyer was a good customer of HMCo, having ordered #530s Electra, #545s Pleasure, #550s Toby, #582s Electra, and #607s The Flight over the years.

#530s Electra and apparently also #582s Electra were specifically designed for sailing on Great South Bay. Likewise, #607s The Flight, was very shallow and probably designed for Great South Bay. And #550s Toby was the shallow-draft Buzzards Bay 15 built by HMCo, suggesting that she was built for Great South Bay, too.

[Adam]

Thanks Again HH - Yep Seems the Havemeyer's were members of the Bay Shore YC..... Learn something new every day about ones own backyard... Interesting article - see time period (Mid/Late 20's) - as well as the folks who used to sail in that area of GSB.

http://www.bayshoreyachtclub.com/documents/BSYC_History.pdf

[Adam]

Steve I think there is a typo on 550 - "This boat had a keel 1-1/2" deeper than normal." I think it's the other way as HH pointed out....

[Steve]

So here we have an interesting discussion.  The standard Buzzards Bay 15 had a draft of 2'3", board up.  The builder's record for #550 indicates a draft of 2'2", which would indicate a shallower draft.  Comments from current owner and restorer Scott Chapin, however, refer to the 1-1/2" deeper keel, and the notes in the build record indicate that the keel was "as 503", with the lead lowered 1".  This information is conflicting, or misleading at the very least.  I believe Claas was referring to the fact the the BB15 had a shallower draft, as compared to the deeper draft of the Newport 15.  Claas ... do you have any further insight?

-Steve

[HerreshoffHistory]

I also note the discrepancy, but cannot explain it. I do note that the HMCo construction record usually states "lead deepened" when it comes to 15-footers. Only in this case did it say "lead lowered". Whatever that means.

[b.beardsley]

I know a little more about Toby. I don't have the plans in front of me, but as I remember the shallower keel is shown on Toby. Scott doesn't really have the boat - he cold-molded a new hull over an old one which he says was Toby (and I'm inclined to think he's right), and then used the lead and what hardware he could for the new boat. He actually re-cast the keel into a different shape. Incidentally, he says he didn't destroy the old hull, gave it to someone else, but couldn't remember who when I talked to him several years ago. Anybody heard of this?

[Steve]

Bill:  I understood that he laminated a new skin right over the top of the old hull.  He gave the original hull away?  .. that's a new one on me.