Conference unifix::sailing

    Your best bet would probably be to go to the Herreschoff museum
    in Bristol, RI.  It's official curator is Hallsey Herreschoff,
    grandson of the great one.  They have photos, original drawings,
    etc. and might be able to provide the history of your boat in
    particular.
    
    

    re .1
    
    a museum?  now thats big time ... but I'm too far west for that
    trip.  Have you been there?  how about a note tour?
    
    				Left Coast John

    Wow! A New York 40 is a terrific boat!
    
    I agree that time either in Bristol or on the phone to Bristol would
    be well worth the investment.  There are, however, a lot of
    non-historical things you need to think about before you embark
    on such a project.
    
    I am in the final stages of restoring a 50' German designed teak
    ketch.  Mt boat was designed as an off-shore cruising boat for passage
    making and was built in Indonesia in 1962.  I can tell you from
    experience that re-building large wooden boats is breath-takingly
    expensive.  Some thoughts:
    
    1. You must get a really good survey.  Giffy Full is the best I
       know for older wooden boats.  He is based in Marblehead, MA and
       can be reached at 617-631-4902.  Because Giff does a lot of work
       for the Navy, he is on the West Coast quite frequently and would
       probably not charge you for travel if its secheduled when he's
       there anyway.
    
    2. Herreshoff boats, particularly the NY40 and boats of that ilk,
       were built as racing machines for the New York Yacht Club.  They
       are built on light scantlings and typically have 'wasp-like'
       hull shapes.  You indicate that the hull has been re-keeled.
       This was very possibly done because the keel was working, a very
       common problem with boats of that type.  
    
    3. Make sure that the planking and fastenings are in good shape.
       At that age, the planking could be 'nail-sick' even if the 
       fastenings are fine.  Re-planking is hideously expensive.
    
    4. New mask step.  All old boats work.  To prevent the compression
       forces of the mast from opening up your garboard seams you will
       probably need to have a mast step built which creates a web which
       ties the step into several (6 or more) floors and into the frames
       where the chainplates fall.  This is an expensive proposition
       likely costing on the order of $25K or more if done right.
    
    5. Deck hardware covers a lot.  To handle the sailplan of a NY40
       without a large crew, you could easily spend in excess of $10K
       just on winches, tracks, cars, and blocks.  If you want a nice
       period windlass and other goodies to make the boat look original
       and prosperous figure another 10K.
    
    6. Sails and running rigging can be had for around 8-9K.  That hummer
       has a VERY big main.
    
    An so on.  A rule of thumb would be to figure what it should cost
    and multiply times 4.
    
    If there is any info I can help with give a call or drop a note.
    Good luck with it.

>>>   .... re-building large wooden boats is breath-takingly
>>>   expensive ....
    
So many an article in Wooden Boat and elsewhere would indicate. I was 
talking to the owner of a 41' Concordia yawl (aesthetically one of my 
favorite boats) this week. He has owned the boat for two years, and has 
recanvased the deck and done a lot of interior work. The previous owners 
spent $75 000 (!) having the hull refastened, the engine replaced, and 
some frames sistered just before they sold it. I'd be surprised if the 
sale price was much over $75 000 since the current owner is a boatyard 
worker (which is not a highly paid profession). A good friend of mine 
spent over $6000 last year for a new deck and cockpit for his 27' 1950 
wooden boat. Another good friend bought an old 36' (or so) wooden boat. 
The survey missed some problems -- problems so costly to repair that 
a new boat could be built for less. My friend, with tears in his eyes, 
cut up his boat with a chainsaw. He couldn't afford to rebuild it. 

My further impression is that the investment in rebuilding a wooden boat 
is largely unrecoverable until the boat is completely finished and 
possible not even then. Plus, the cost (dollars or time) of maintenance 
and ongoing repairs is also staggering. 

    Rebuilding an older wooden boat appears to be very rewarding, but
    I'm trying to remain realistic.  Cost of the vessel in her current
    condition is 30k, I would estimate an additional 100 to 200k for
    complete restoration.  Then there is the requirement of time and
    effort, staggering.  This energy would be better spent (for me)
    in another direction.
    
    			Thanks for the feedback!
                         
    					John (of the left coast)

    If you are looking for the rewards and benefits of owning a wooden
    boat, but the costs are too high, you might consider a smaller one.
     I bought a Herreshoff S-boat for $3100. A couple planks need
    refastening, a few ribs (5) need either sistering, or replacing,
    and the usual scraping or painting. Otherwise, she is in mint
    condition.
    
     Most of my costs have been in purchasing tools. Which I can always
    use.
    
    			Gregg