A fiberglass Herreshoff? Yes gentlemen, elegance is also made “of plastic”
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A Herreshoff is to an American sailor what a Dinghy 12′ is to an Italian. Just as the Dinghy that started out in wood more than a hundred years ago also moved on to fiberglass construction, so the Herreshoff 12 1/2 found new life in the 1970s under the name Doughdish and a plastic construction. The name of this boat has a curious origin: it seems to come from an Italian enthusiast who called it “twelve” (the boat measures 16 feet overall but 12 at the waterline). But let’s take a step back in time and look at the history of these vessels.
In 1914 N.G. Herreshoff designed and built the first of several hundred of this 16 feet with auric armoire, used primarily to teach beginners to sail in Buzzards Bay (Rhode Islands, U.S.) but which soon became a sought-after medium for sailors of all skill levels. The reason for such success is surely to be found in the “ingenious” design that has enabled this boat to become a true cult, that is, one of the most popular boats in the world and still relevant today more than 100 years after its first launch, without any changes having been made to the lines.
Perhaps it was success on such a scale that prompted the launch in the 1970s, after wooden production had stagnated since 1950, of the the Doughdish, a fiberglass reproduction of the first Herreshoff, born with the same intent as its illustrious predecessor namely to be used as an elegant school boat but also to be an ideal one design for racing. This type of construction makes it easy for owners to maintain, without going to the timeless elegance of the lines.
Among the strengths of this boat are definitely stability and safety thanks to its long keel capable of forgiving beginners’ mistakes: the boat remains stable wherever the crew decides to sit. Its open and generous cockpit, compared to other boats of similar size, is capable of accommodating up to four people on board for quiet day trips but is also well organized to be carried by a single person. For this reason it is a perfect daysailer that can be used by grandparents for outings with grandchildren as well as by racers of all ages. The traditional auric rig can be replaced with a marconi rig, and a spinnaker is provided for both. This class is especially active in New England (U.S.), where the top five clubs host very large fleets that compete in fierce regattas.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Lung. overall: 4.6 meters
Lung. float: 3.8 meters
Larg. : 1.5 meters
Designer: N.G. Herreshoff
Year launched: 1914
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