Herreshoff Hull Numbering

[Adam]

Is anyone getting sick and tired on my questions?

Anyway, I had always thought Herreshoff hull numbers were priimarilly sequential as well as used only once. IE, for the most part Hull 503 was designed (not necessarilly built) before #504, and that # 503 was used only once regardless of type - sail, power, or row, or other.

Is this a true statement?

[HerreshoffHistory]

#503s, 1899, Vim [15 Buzzards Bay First Boat], designed by NGH, Buzzards Bay Fifteen
#503p, 1943, APc88, designed by McInnis, Eldredge, Navy Coastal Transport

[Steve]

Adam: As far as I know, your understanding is correct with one exception.  HMC kept 2 builder's records - one set for power boats and one for sailing boats.  The numbers do have overlap, meaning there could be 2 boats with the same number.  One would be a sail boat and one would be a power boat.

[Adam]

OK - that's what I was Getting at -Thanks Guy's - I now understand the observation I made (I used 503 for that reason)... So did the steam power boats get builders plates with a "P"? I don't see such with the sailing vessels - IE - an "S".

[HerreshoffHistory]

No, the steam vessel plates did not get a P and you were supposed to know for yourself if you were dealing with a sail or power vessel.

Which was quite okay back then but can lead to all kinds of problems in today's computerized times.

The plans at Hart Nautical Collections for instance only have a building number reference and it is up to the user to figure out if it is power or sail. Usually this is fairly easy because the plan title leads you the right way, but the computer can't make that decision. In order to come up with unambiguous plan references a fairly complex set of rules had to be developed.

Power vessels:
HMCo # is <400
HMCo # is >=400 and <=935 and >=Year1935

Sailing vessels:
HMCo # is >=435 and <500
HMCo # is >511 and <600
HMCo # is >=935
HMCo # is >619 and <700
HMCo # is >700 and <800
HMCo # is >807 and <900

Ambiguous cases (could be sail or power)
HMCo # is >399 and <435
HMCo # is >=500 and <=511
HMCo # is >=600 and <=619
HMCo # is 700
HMCo # is >=800 and <=807
HMCo # is >=900 and <=935

Only the ambiguous cases had to be decided on a case-by-case bases. The others could be processed by the computer. Which was absolutely necessary given that its more than 13900 plans.