Herreshoff’s Alerion reborn as a replica
Among an array of varnished teak and mahogany hulls lining the docks, a classic beauty emerged. Thetis, a 26-foot Herreshoff Alerion built by the Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, Mass., made her debut June 25-27 at the 19th annual WoodenBoat Show held in Mystic, Conn.
"This design was Nathanael Herreshoff's personal boat that he sailed for 30-some years," says Bill Womack, president of the shop. "We based it off of the original 1914 model that's in Mystic Seaport."
Womack says everyone at the shop had a hand in Thetis, but crewmembers Bill Sauerbrey and Manny Palomo worked on her exclusively for a year and a half. The vessel was first launched from the shop on Sept. 26, 2009. A photo by Benjamin Mendlowitz of Sauerbrey and his wife, Florence, steering Thetis on launch day is featured for March in the 2011 Calendar of Wooden Boats.
"It was really exciting to have the opportunity to build a museum replica from the original," says Sauerbrey. "It's a dream job."
Sauerbrey says he was excited to work on the project because of his long-term relationship with the original Alerion. In 1988, while he was working as an apprentice at the Mystic Seaport Museum, a severe storm hit the area.
He was tasked with filling several historical boats on the hard with sandbags and he had to drill two 1-inch holes into them so water would drain out and keep the vessels in place. One of those boats was the original Alerion and drilling holes horrified the young Sauerbrey.
"Of course, the water never came up that high and they didn't float away," says Sauerbrey, who has been with the Beetle Boat Shop since 1994. "Working on Thetis was like Herreshoff giving me a second chance."
Thetis features white cedar planking on a white oak frame and is trimmed with solid, unbroken lines of mahogany and white oak. Running a hand over her is like feeling silk and one can't help but think Capt. Nat would have been proud.
"There are a lot of full-length oak pieces in her," says Sauerbrey. "We managed to get an oak log that had been set aside for the USS Constitution in Massachusetts."
S
auerbrey says the log was a "rotten mess" because of poor storage, but they found plenty of furniture-grade wood when they cut into it. Another piece of light oak came from Virginia.
"Of course, we build her upside down so you never quite know what to expect when you turn her right side up," says Sauerbrey. "There was a lot of double checking."
Womack says this is probably the best Alerion that has been built thus far because the skills and tools of today have improved significantly since the time of Herreshoff.
"We like to think that Herreshoff would be proud to sail this boat," says Womack. Thetis was certainly drawing a crowd at the WoodenBoat Show, which had 12,556 people that came through the gates, a 1 percent increase from last year's show, according to press contact Michele Corbeil.
"It kicks off the summer," says Jim Keenan of Taunton, Mass. "It's less of a boat show and more of a festival atmosphere and boatbuilding is a great hobby to have."
Keenan, who has been attending the show off and on for the last 10 years, has built a few kayaks as well as a 15-foot Phil Bolger Diablo and a Redwing 18.
"It's a fun hobby and many times is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a vessel," says Keenan. "Many of the boats I've made cost $400 to build."
The show has always been a veritable mecca for a variety of visitors - from families drawn to the historic beauty of Mystic Seaport to the die-hard boating enthusiast looking to find like minds with which to trade ideas. "I've surveyed many of the people that come here and a good portion don't have a wooden boat, but that's OK," says Carl Cramer, publisher of WoodenBoat magazine and founder of the event. "We're here to educate, to show people that building a wooden boat doesn't have to be difficult or expensive."
Cramer says the beauty of someone building his or her own boat is having the control to make it as detailed or as simple as they like. For instance, Toot Toot, a 14-foot tugboat that was featured in the "I Built It Myself" exhibit, was based on the character "Little Toot" the classic children's book of the same name by Hardie Gramatky. Mike Magnant built her between 1998 and 2002.
"My wife Louise loves this as much as I do," says Magnant, a machinist who lives in Carver, Mass. "We go out and sleep on this vessel. It's the roomiest 14-footer you've ever seen."
Magnant included a windup key extending from the transom that can rotate thanks to a small motor. With his 4-stoke 18-hp Tohatsu outboard tucked away in a well, Magnant says he's been asked while under way if his boat really is a windup.
"It's great, people love it," says Magnant. "We might upgrade and buy a Nordic Tug or a Ranger in the future, but for now we have a lot of fun with her."
Louise says the project was sometimes overwhelming for both of them, but together they can enjoy the boat of their dreams.
"We try to get out on Toot Toot every weekend with our dog, Tootsie. This is our one piece of fun, our outlet," says Louise Magnant.
Other features of the show included a workshop for families to build boats and launch them during the course of the show (roughly two-and-a-half days), a tradition that has been ongoing since 1998.
"This is where summer begins," says Cramer. "We've been fortunate to have our show for the last four years at the beautiful national setting of Mystic Seaport and we plan to stay here for the foreseeable future."
For information, visit www.woodenboat.com.
This article originally appeared in the September 2010 issue.
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