HMCo #1208s Frances
Particulars
Later Name(s): Eo
Type: 12 1/2 Footer
Designed by: NGH
Contract: 1931-9-8
Delivered: 1934-7-14 ?
Construction: Wood
LOA: 15' (4.57m)
LWL: 12' 6" (3.81m)
Draft: 2' 6" (0.76m)
Construction Class and Number: #1206-3
Rig: Sloop
Sail Area: 140sq ft (13.0sq m)
Keel: yes
Ballast: Lead
Built for: Parsons, J. Russell
Amount: $1,000.00
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: #1206 Class. Order [to build] Issued Sept. 8/31.
Current owner: Private Owner, Brooklin, ME (last reported 2007 at age 73)
Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.
Model
Model number: 716
Vessels from this model:
Original text on model:
"12 1/2' Buzzards Bay boy class 24 boats 1915 scale 1/10 size three [sic, i.e. four? #806, #813, #815, #817?] boats 1916
16' w.l. Oyster Bay "Fish Class" 23 boats 1916 scale 1/12 size sections 1/13 lengths 3 1/2 added at bow on deck" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)
Model Description:
"12'-1/2' lwl Buzzards Bay 12 1/2-class of 1915, HMCo's most popular creation with some 360 boats produced. Also, with change in scale and proportionally longer bow, the Fish class sloops of 1916 and beyond." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)
Related model(s):
Model XA2-1_01 by NGH (1914?); sail
Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.
Offsets
Offset booklet number(s): HH.6.146-6
Offset booklet contents:
12 1/2-footer class, Fish class (Cape Cod Shipbuilding Embargoed)
Offset Booklet(s) in Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. (Restricted access --- see curator.)
Drawings
List of drawings:
Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
HMCo #1208s Frances are listed in bold.
Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
- Dwg 079-091 (HH.5.05900): Chain Plates & Mast-Band for Port Boat on "Roamer" (1902-05-03)
- Dwg 079-091 (HH.5.05901): Fittings for Port Boat on # 215 (1902-05-03)
- Dwg 130-124 (HH.5.10432); Sails > # 744 Design for Buzzard's Bay Boy's Boat (1914-10-11)
- Dwg 128-142 (HH.5.10269): Sails > Sails for No. 744 Class (1914-11-20)
- Dwg 081-111 (HH.5.06203): Spars for # 744 and Class (11 Boats), 12 1/2 Footer (1914-11-21)
- Dwg 081-111 (HH.5.06203.1): Spars for # 744 and Class (11 Boats), 12 1/2 Footer (1914-11-21)
- Dwg 065-064 (HH.5.04659); Rudder Hanging for # 743, Rudder and Hanging for # 744 Class (1915-02-15)
- Dwg 074-060 (HH.5.05348); Anchor for # 744 Class Made of Manganese Bronze (1915-03-30)
- Dwg 025-159 (HH.5.01916); List for # 744 Class, 12 1/2 Footers (1926-03-22)
- Dwg 148-000 (HH.5.12238): Construction Dwg > Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer (ca. 1931)
- Dwg 076-118 (HH.5.05569); Construction Dwg > Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer, 15'-8" O.A. x 12'-5" W.L. x 5'-10" Beam x 2'-5" Draft (1931-07-06)
- Dwg 076-118 (HH.5.05569.1); Construction Dwg > Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer, 15'-8" O.A. x 12'-5" W.L. x 5'-10" Beam x 2'-5" Draft (1931-07-06)
- Dwg 128-142 [057-001] (HH.5.10270): Sails > Sails Plan 12 1/2 Footer Class (1934-06-04)
- Dwg 142-090 (HH.5.11837): Compartment Details for 12 1/2 Footers (1934-07-18)
- Dwg 130-124 (HH.5.10433); Sails > 12 1/2 Footer Class Gaff Rig Sail Plan (1938-02-19)
- Dwg 076-118 C (HH.5.06086): 12 1/2 Footer Class Gaff Rig Spar Details (1938-02-23)
- Dwg 076-118 C (HH.5.06086.1): 12 1/2 Footer Class Gaff Rig Spar Details (1938-02-23)
- Dwg 076-000 (HH.5.06088): 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Spar Details (1938-02-25)
- Dwg 076-118 D (HH.5.06087): 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Spar Details (1938-02-25)
- Dwg 076-118 D (HH.5.06087.1); 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Spar Details (1938-02-25)
- Dwg 130-124 B (HH.5.10434); Sails > 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Sail Plan [2 Plans] (1938-03-01)
- Dwg 130-124 B (HH.5.10434.1): Sails > 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Sail Plan (1938-03-01)
Note: The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is copyrighted by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Permission to incorporate information from it in the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné is gratefully acknowledged. The use of this information is permitted solely for research purposes. No part of it is to be published in any form whatsoever.
Documents
Archival Documents
"[Item Description:] Spreadsheet listing original contracts (from 1923 to 1940) by HMCo in the collection of HMM (from the gift of Everett Pearson). Listed boats are: #380p, #381p, #388p, #389p, #391p, #392p, #393p, #395p, #886s, #933s, #934s, #954s, #955s, #962s, #983s, #999s, #1002s, #1017s, #1054s, #1055s, #1057s, #1074s, #1078s, #1122s, #1125s, #1130s, #1131s, #1147s, #1152s, #1153s, #1154s, #1156s, #1157s, #1164s, #1170s, #1173s, #1174s, #1175s, #1175s, #1176s, #1177s, #1179s, #1180s, #1191s, #1192s, #1193s, #1195s, #1196s, #1198s, #1199s, #1200s, #1201s, #1202s, #1203s, #1206s, #1207s, #1208s, #1209s, #1210s, #1211s, #1212s, #1213s, #1214s, #1215s, #1216s, #1217s, #1218s, #1219s, #1220s, #1222s, #1224s, #1236s, #1226s, #1227s, #1228s, #1230s, #1232s, #1234s, #1237s, #1238s, #1240s, #1241s, #1243s, #1244s, #1245s, #1246s, #1247s, #1248s, #1249s, #1250s, #1251s, #1252s, #1253s, #1254s, #1255s, #1256s, #1257s, #1258s, #1259s, #1260s, #1261s, #1262s, #1263s, #1264s, #1265s, #1274s, #1275s, #1277s, #1279s, #1280s, #1281s, #1282s, #1283s, #1284s, #1285s, #1286s, #1287s, #1302s, #1303s, #1315s, #1508s." (Source: Rickson, Norene (creator). Table. Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection Item LIB_4220. HMM Library Rare Books Room (HMCo Contracts), Folder [no #]. No date (2010s ?).)
1 2 3 4
Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #1208s Frances even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.
Further Reading
-
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. -
Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Contract for #1208s Frances, 12 1/2-footer.] Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection. Bristol, RI, July 9, 1934. (808 kB)
Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Herreshoff Marine Museum. Original building/sales contract. Vessel description, scantlings, payment terms, delivery date.
Supplement
From the 1920 and earlier HMCo Index Cards at the MIT Museum
- Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.
From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray
Month: Jul
Day: 9
Year: 1931
E/P/S: S
No.: 1208
Name: Frances
OA: 15'
LW: 12 1/2'
D: 2 1/2'
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead
Amount: 1000.00
Notes Constr. Record: 1206 Class. Order Issued Sept 8/31
Last Name: Parsons
First Name: J. Russell
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.
From the 2007 12 1/2 Registry by Steve Nagy
Hull No.: 1208
Contract Date: 1931-07-09
Org. Name: Francis
Org. Owner: J. Russell Parsons
Org. Rig: J&M
Current Rig: gaff
Mast Partner: hinged
Home Port: Brooklin, ME
Current Name: Eo
Current Owner: Cynthia Stroud
Sheer-strake: Oak
Restored By: Michael Warr
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.)
Link to the Herreshoff Registry
The Herreshoff Registry, founded by Steve Nagy and later administered by Teeter Bibber, can be particularly useful for researching the provenance of Herreshoff-built sailing vessels. Permission to link to the Registry is gratefully acknowledged! Note: The Herreshoff Registry was offline in Spring of 2022. As a temporary measure here is a link to a backup file from January 2021. It is unclear how much the Registry has been updated since then.
Research Note(s)
"As per orginal contract in collection of Herreshoff Marine Museum this boat was built for J. Robert Parsons of West Orange, NJ." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 9, 2015.)
"As per Construction Record 'Order [to build] issued Sept 8/31' for the entire #1206 Class (#1206s - #1211s). As per contract in the collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum contract date '9th day of June 1934' for delivery 'on or about July 14, 1934'. This boat was thus built on speculation and could not be sold until two-and-a-half years later." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 9, 2015.)
"Built in 1040 days (contract to delivered; equivalent to $1/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 9, 2025.)
"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.
Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, adaptation, or distribution of any part of this document or any information contained herein by any means whatsoever is permitted without prior written permission. For the full terms of copyright for this document please click here. Last revision 2025-05-09.
© 2025,