AMERICAN BEAUTY is a Whitehall Tender that was built by students at the WoodenBoat School and designed by the Rice Brothers from East Boothbay, Maine. Back in the 1800s, Whitehalls were used as a commercial craft, ferrying materials and crew to shore from large schooners and square-rigged ships. Eventually, the Whitehall entered the recreational world and remains a favorite of amateur boatbuilders to this day.
AMERCIAN BEAUTY’s bow
AMERCIAN BEAUTY
AMERICAN BEAUTY in Brooklin, Maine
Rowing AMERICAN BEAUTY
AMERICAN BEAUTY slices through the water
AMERICAN BEAUTY profile
Are plans available for this specific Whitehall boat?
Maybe have a look at John Gardner’s Building Classic Small Craft pages 228-230. That 14′ sailing Whitehall might have a lot in common with AMERICAN BEAUTY with perhaps more buoyancy ahead. Gardner mentions “four lengths of boat built from these molds 14ft. Boat as shown (…)” then gives molds and frames spacings for 15′, 16′, and 17′ LOA. AMERICAN BEAUTY would fall between 14′ and 15′ LOA if my guess is right. Breadths are same. Gardner’s boat spritsail cum jib rig dictates a slightly different thwart and rowing station distribution compared to “ American Beauty”, single spritsail may not.
We’ve owned a very similar-sized Whitehall for nearly 30 years, keep it in the water year round and row it on a regular basis. (Several hundred miles a year probably!) We’ve also owned dories and wherries and faerings over the years (not to mention bigger boats) but we always seem to come back to the Whitehall as the boat “we will never sell!” It just seems to do everything right and feel just right. At least for us.