On the Drawing Board
KITTIWAKE II
Building upon EPB's successful partnership with naval architect Walter Ansel on the East Passage 24, our team began re-imagining a classic Herreshoff sloop fitting our vision of the ideal daysailer.
In 1907 the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company drew the lines of a graceful 30' knockabout sloop. Launched the following year for the New Bedford textile magnate Henry Tiffany, Kittiwake proved to be nothing short of stunning. With Captain Nat's Kittiwake as inspiration, Ansel determined that a slightly smaller, Marconi rigged version of the knockabout would retain the seaworthiness of her larger predecessor, but would be easier to sail singlehanded.
Our new scaled down design offers a more efficiently built, economically maintained, and more easily handed sloop while still retaining all of the classic Herreshoff grace and performance of her predecessor.
LOA 26’8” - BEAM 7’2” - Draft 4’ 3 1/2” - Disp. 4,200lbs
Inspiration
KITTIWAKE | HMCo. No. 678
Originally 30’ overall and gaff rigged, Kittiwake proved to be a “very stable and seaworthy boat” as well as fast, winning races both on Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound.
In the 1980’s, she was donated to Mystic Seaport Museum where she is slated to be a permanent exhibit in their Well’s Boat Hall.
Construction
Kittiwake II will be built to the standard Herreshoff scantling rules. The double planked hull will be an outer layer of mahogany glued to an inner layer of cedar. Her centerline, frames and deck structure will all be made from white oak. All fasteners will be high quality silicone bronze, as will her custom hardware.
The fractional rig will be constructed from clear, vertical grain Spruce and matched with custom sails fitting your preferred material and style. Matching her timeless style, her running rigging and blocks with keep their traditional looks and feel, but perform to modern expectations.
Kittiwake II’s displacement will be 4,200 lbs., of that being 1,952 lbs. of external lead ballast.
Classically Inspired & Traditionally Built
The delight of sailing a quick and responsive knockabout cannot be understated. Response time to the tiller is immediate to the sailor's command and the hull's refined shape will accelerate in the smallest zephyrs of wind. While performance and beauty are not the only important aspects of a yacht's design, N.G. Herreshoff was a genius at making them standout. We think that Ansel's scaled down lines and modified curves will continue that proud Bristol legacy and we can't wait to see her come to life.