HMCo #1502s [12 1/2 for Arthur C. Dorrance]

"Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer
... Shortly before World War II, a fleet of 12 1/2 footers was built for Fisher's Island. Although built on the same molds, these boats differed from the original by having a short after deck on a level with the sheer and with the tiller raised above this level. This gave more stowage aft. There was no bulkhead so the space forward of the mast was available. Floatation was provided by copper tanks under the side seats. Also, my father suggested moving the coamings inboard to provide a wider side deck and thus reduce the likelihood of swamping.
...
A. Sidney DeW. Herreshoff
May 12, 1974" (Source: Herreshoff Marine Museum Chronicle, Spring 1985, p. 3.)

"1939. ... Herreshoff had a 68-foot twin screw cruiser [#408p Avoca] set up and was building one of the Fisher's island 23-foot water-line knockabouts for Gilman Lowe [#1505s Contest], and had an order for five of the 12 1/2-footers [#1500s, #1501s, #1502s, #1503s, and #1504s] for the Fisher's Island Yacht Club, decked aft and along the sides of the cockpit coamings, and buoyancy tanks under the seats instead of under the forward deck. ..." (Source: Davis, Jeff. Yachting in Narragansett Bay. Providence, 1946, p. 91.)

"In July, 1986, I acquired a small reminder of the great Herreshoff tradition of boatbuilding with the purchase of a Fishers Island 12 1/2 footer --- Hull number 1502, built in 1939.
The Fishers Island or 'Improved Model' was introduced in 1939. A small fleet was built for racing in the very tidal and rough waters of Fishers Island Sound off the Connecticut coast. Herreshoff Manufacturing Company literature also refers to this model as the Long Island Sound Bullseye.
A. Sidney DeW. Herreshoff incorporated a number of new features into the time honored 12 1/2 footer design at his father, N.G. Herreshoffs earlier suggestion. The new features included: A raised afterdeck with the tiller coming over rather than through the transom, coamings moved inboard slightly, copper flotation tanks under the scats which eliminated the need for watertight bulkheads fore and aft, and a special, hollow spruce spar. Many of these features were designed to make this small boat safer for the youngsters that would be sailing them. This model would be less apt to swamp and sink in rough waters as the earlier boats occasionally did.
The improved model was successful at least to the degree that nearly ten years later, Sidney Herreshoff used the Fishers Island model as a basis for the fiberglass Bullseye which he developed for the Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company. The forty year old Bullseye design remains very popular to this day.
As with many wooden boats approaching 50 years of age, my 12 1/2 footer was in need of extensive repairs. In fact, most every aspect of the boat needed varying degrees of work.
From July, 1986 to August, 1987, I spent over 500 hours restoring this classic. I installed a new mast, boom, jib club, rigging, many new ribs, deck, deck beams, deck canvas, floor, bulkheads, and some trim pieces. Repairs were made to the transom, rudder, keel deadwood, seats, and copper flotation tanks. The boat was almost completely refastened.
Every effort was made to bring this Herreshoff product back to near original condition. Original wood was retained where possible. Rotted or damaged wood was carefully measured and duplicated. Tradition even influenced the color scheme chosen. N.G. Herreshoffs favored scheme of white topsides, green bottom with no bootstripe, and buff decks and floor was used.
Credit must be given to E. L. and Gordon Goodwin of the Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company who both generously offered their time, advice, and most importantly, Sidney Herreshoff's original drawings of the Fishers Island model.
The restoration of my Fishers Island 12 1/2 footer allowed me to gain a first hand appreciation for the finely engineered construction features pioneered by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. With loving care, this 12 1/2 footer is ready for another 50 years of sailing." (Source: Pesare, Michael J. "Fishers Island 12 1/2 Footer: A Restoration." Herreshoff Marine Museum Chronicle, 1988, p. 3.)

"This boat was purchased by Pamela Lenehan in September, 2006. Pam is making the boat available for the Herreshoff Museum Sailing School. Previously, Wasp was owned by Andy Mutch and his wife of Annapolis, MD. The sailed her in Linekin Bay, near the summer home in Boothbay. She was restored by Rick Prose of West Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Finest Kind Wooden Boats, in 2002. She was bought from the Herreshoff Museum. They went on a trial sail with Halsey Herreshoff. She is an ‘improved model’, which means she has wider sidedecks, copper flotation tanks, a raised lazarette, and an over-the-transom tiller. According to Andy, Halsey told him that Sidney designed the improved model after his father capsized a boat in Bermuda or Florida. She originally had mahogany transom and coamings, though Rick replaced the transom with white oak." (Source: https://www.herreshoffregistry.org/detail.php?hull=1502, retrieved November 1, 2018.)

"SWALLOW (HMCo. #1502 - 1939)
Very rare Marconi H12 with builder’s plate. She was built in 1939 for Mr. Arthur C. Dorrance of Fisher's Island, and she is in need of restoration.
SWALLOW is a very unique and rare boat. She is one of only 5 'Improved Model' boats built for customers in the Fishers Island fleet, of which only 3 are known to remain. The boats have a wider side deck and a raised afterdeck. ...
SWALLOW is offered at $8,000
Swallow comes with: Original spars, Sail covers, Sails." (Source: Herreshoff Marine Museum. Sale Offer. November 1, 2018.)

• Bray, Maynard. "Restoration of 12 1/2 Footers. Part I." Wooden Boat #56, January/February 1984, p. 93-101. (1,293 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Detailed Buzzards Bay 12 1/2 restoration step by step as performed by the Ballentine shop. Part I. Stem restoration, transom and frame replacement.
• Bray, Maynard. "Restoration of 12 1/2 Footers. Part II." Wooden Boat #57, March/April 1984, p. 93-100. (1,036 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Detailed Buzzards Bay 12 1/2 restoration step by step as performed by the Ballentine shop. Part II. Keel timber and coamings replacement.
• Bray, Maynard (with photos by Benjamin Mendlowitz). "12 1/2 Footers." Nautical Quarterly, no. 37, Spring 1987, p. 47. (608 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text), Benjamin Mendlowitz (photos). Short class portrait. Part of the larger article "Herreshoff Legacies."
• Nagy, Steve. "The Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer. Evolution Of The Class." In: Herreshoff Marine Museum (publ.). Proceedings. The 6th Classic Yacht Symposium. May 2-3, 2014. Bristol, RI, 2014, p. 1-23. (4,425 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Steve Nagy / Herreshoff Marine Museum. Short class history of the 12 1/2 as built by HMCo, Quincy Adams, Cape Cod Shipbuilding and others. Different models: Gaff, marconi, wishboom, Fishers Island. Detailed description of changes in configuration and equipment as boats were built over time. Identification guide for 12 1/2s missing their builder's plate. Photos. Original promotional material.

Month: Apr.
Day: 18
Year: 1939
E/P/S: S
No.: 1502
LW: 12.5
Amount: 775
Notes Constr. Record: Imrpoved model.
Last Name: Dorrance
First Name: Arthur C.

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.

Hull No.: 1502
Contract Date: 1939-04-18
Org. Owner: Arthur C. Dorrance
Org. Rig: Marconi
Current Rig: Marconi
Home Port: Bristol, RI
Prior Owners: Mike Pesare - 1986 - ???? - Bristol, RI - Lee Lee; Herreshoff Marine Museum - ???? - 1996 - Bristol, RI - Lee Lee; Andy Mutch - 1996 - 2006 - Boothbay Harbor, ME - Wasp
Current Name: Wasp
Current Owner: Pam Lenehan/Lawrence Geuss
Owner Since: 9/7/2006
Sheer-strake: Mahogany
Restored By: Rick Prose
Note: This boat was purchased by Pamela Lenehan in September, 2006. Pam is making the boat available for the Herreshoff Museum Sailing School. Previously, Wasp was owned by Andy Mutch and his wife of Annapolis, MD. The sailed her in Limekiln Bay, near the summer home in Boothbay. She was restored by Rick Prose of West Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Finest Kind Wooden Boats, in 2002. She was bought from the Herreshoff Museum. They went on a trial sail with Halsey Herreshoff. She is an 'improved model', which means she has wider sidedecks, copper flotation tanks, a raised lazarette, and an over-the-transom tiller. According to Andy, Halsey told him that Nat designed the improved model after he capsized a boat in Bermuda or Florida. She originally had mahogany transom and coamings, though Rick replaced the transom with white oak. Andy claims she has a builder's plate on the forward bulkhead. This may be a replacement, since boats of this vintage had the builder's plate on the transom.

Source: Nagy, Steve. "The Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer Registry." Version 2.0. August 2007. (http://h12.orrsford.com/H12_Registry_Ver_2-0.pdf, last visit May 23, 2008.)

"There were only 5 'Improved Models' built according to the builder's record (1500, 1501, 502, 1503, 1504). Again there may have been a couple more built (I heard rumors that there were 7, maybe 1509 and 1510), but there weren't many of these either. These improved boats had a flush aft deck with an over-the-transom tiller, wider side waterways, copper flotation tanks under the seats, and were Marconi-rigged. They went to Fishers Island, where they were referred to as the 'Fishers Island Model' or the 'Fishers Island Bullseye'." (Source: Nagy, Steve. Email to Claas van der Linde, November 11, 2010.)

"Sail area approximately 140 square feet by rule." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Yachts by Herreshoff. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company: Designers and Builders of Sailing and Power Craft since 1861. Bristol, Rhode Island, 1937.)

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