HMCo #1427s [11 1/2 Potter Dinghy]

"Fifty-five years ago, Frostbite dinghy racing was all the rage, very popular and quite competitive, particularly on the East Coast. Everyone was doing it, and a lot of big names were involved both in the designing and the racing of these little boats. But what had begun in the early 1930s as a loosely organized, devil-may-care, saltwater sport using utility yacht tenders, soon became expensive, hell-for-leather racing in custom machines. In an effort to bring order to chaos on the race-course, the pre-eminent yachting publication of the day --- The Rudder --- sponsored a design contest in 1934 to produce a one-design Frostbite dinghy that could race under strict rules [see Rudder August 1934, p. 34].
The competition was conducted not unlike a 'blind' wine-lasting, wherein the entries are judged solely on their merits, with no names attached which might predispose the judges. That the entry submitted by the firm of Potter & Strawbridge was, in this regard, the unanimous choice of The Rudder's blue-ribbon selection committee, underscores the achievement of this winning design. After minor changes were made to the Potter plans, the boats of this class were clinker-built of cedar on oak, with hackmatack knees, and Honduras mahogany for transom, centerboard, sheerstrake, thwarts, and trim. Spruce spars, brass hardware, and stainless-steel rigging completed these craft. Frostbite dinghy racing has declined in recent years, but fiberglass versions of the Potter design still actively race at the Newport Harbor (California) Yacht Club, where Nick Potter was a member.
Particulars
Length 11 '6"
Beam 4'8"
Sail area 72 sq ft
Weight 150 lbs
[Photo caption:] Puller B-class One-Design Frostbite dinghies under construction at Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., 1934. As soon as the Potter entry was declared the winner of The Rudder's design competition, 24 of these boats were ordered from Herreshoff by prominent East Coast yachtsmen. Other boats were constructed (also in multiples) in the mid-1930s at shops in New York, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, and California." (Source: Skahill, Thomas G. "A Winning Frostbite One-Design." WoodenBoat Magazine, No. 83, July/August 1988, p. 42.)

• Anon. "Winner Announced in Dinghy Competition. Potter & Strawbridge's Design Chosen by Jurors from Twenty-seven Designs Submitted." Rudder Magazine, August 1934, p. 34-35. (1,129 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Design description of the winner of the Rudder contest for a frostbite dinghy. Profile, lines, construction plan. Twenty-six boats of this design were subsequently built by HMCo.
• Anon. "One-Design Frostbite Class Building." Rudder Magazine, November 1934, p. 23 (939 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Construction progress report. Owner names. Photo. Sailplan.

Month: Jul
Day: 26
Year: 1937
E/P/S: S
No.: 1427
OA: 11 1/2'
Rig: Cat
CB: y
Amount: 400.00 [sic, i.e. 365 ?]
Notes Constr. Record: Potter dinghy Shipped by steamer from Weyerhouser's at Portsmouth, R.I. 8/5/37. Less $35.00 each commission to Potter.
Last Name: Potter
First Name: Nick

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

"Dimensions (11 feet 5 3/4 inches by 11 feet 3 1/4 inches, by 4 feet 7 1/2 inches and a draft of 7 1/4 inches) from Anon. 'One-Design Frostbite Class Building.' Rudder, November 1934, p. 23." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. June 12, 2014.)

"[Sail area 72sqft.]" (Source: Rudder Magazine, November 1934, p. 23.)

"[Displacement (150lbs).]" (Source: Skahill, Thomas. "A Winning Frostbite Design." WoodenBoat, July / August 1988, p. 42.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.