HMCo #1287s [12 1/2 for A. J. Drexel-Paul]
Particulars
Later Name(s): Pamplemousse (1979 - 2002), Pollywog (2002 -)
Type: 12 1/2 Footer
Designed by: NGH
Contract: 1935-12-12
Delivered: 1936-6-1 ?
Construction: Wood
LOA: 15' (4.57m)
LWL: 12' 6" (3.81m)
Draft: 2' 6" (0.76m)
Construction Class and Number: #1282-6
Rig: Sloop
Sail Area: 140sq ft (13.0sq m)
Keel: yes
Ballast: Lead outside
Built for: Drexel-Paul, A. J.
Amount: $895.00
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: Class of 20.
Current owner: Private Owner, Northeast Harbor, ME (last reported 2007 at age 71)
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 #1287s [12 1/2 for A. J. Drexel-Paul] 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 065-064 A (HH.5.04660); Rudder and Hangers for 12 1/2 Footers, # 744 Class (1935-03-22)
- 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 #1287s [12 1/2 for A. J. Drexel-Paul] 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 #1287s, a 12 1/2-footer for A. J. Drexel-Paul.] Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection. Bristol, RI, December 12, 1935. (370 kB)
Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Herreshoff Marine Museum. Original building/sales contract. Vessel description, scantlings, payment terms, delivery date.
Supplement
From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray
Year: 1936
E/P/S: S
No.: 1287
OA: 15
LW: 12.5
D: 2 1/2
Ballast: Outside lead
Amount: 895.00
Notes Constr. Record: Class of 20.
Last Name: Drexl-Paul
First Name: A. J.
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.: 1287
Contract Date: 1936-07-13
Org. Owner: A.J. Drexel-Paul
Current Rig: Marconi
Mast Partner: chrome-plated, One-piece
Home Port: Northeast Harbor, ME
Prior Owners: Rosencrans Baldwin - ???? - 1979 - Seal Harbor, ME - ; Isabel Storey - 1979 - 2002 - - Pamplemousse
Current Name: Pollywog
Current Owner: Patrick & Elsie Wilmerding
Owner Since: 2002
Sheer-strake: Oak
Restored By: Jean Beaulieu
Note: Owned by Patrick and Elsie Wilmerding of Chestnut Hill, MA and sailed in Northeast Harbor, Maine. Originally built for A. J. Drexel-Paul, and later owned by Rosecrans Baldwin of Seal Harbor, Maine until 1979. She was renamed "Pamplemousse" by Isabel Storey then. She was sold in the fall of 2002 to Patrick and Elsie Wilmerding of Blue Hill, Maine and Massachusetts, and was renamed "Polywog". She is under the care of the Classic Boat Shop of Bernard, Maine. Mr. Wilmerding sailed Tarbaby in Maine when he was younger, a boat that now belongs to Alfred Slanetz.
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)
"Dates of contract '12th day of December 1935' and delivery 'on or about June 1, 1936' from original contract in collection of Herreshoff Marine Museum." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 15, 2015.)
"Built in 172 days (contract to delivered; equivalent to $5/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.
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