In American Small Sailing Craft, author Howard I. Chapelle writes: “Perhaps the most noted of American rowing work boats was the Whitehall.” That was the case in New York City, beginning in the 1820s, when Whitehalls served as water taxis. Two hundred years later, the Whitehall, in its many forms, may be the most noted American recreational boat. These drawings and offsets in American Small Sailing Craft provide just enough information for an experienced boatbuilder to build the New York Whitehall. The orange highlights are errors I found; they were easily identified and worked around.
Christopher Cunningham
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I second the idea that these traditionally built Whitehalls (and close variants like our Tyee salmon wherry designed in the 1920s up in Campbell River BC) are keepers. These are boats that somehow feel they will take care of you if you take care of them. You sit in them and not on them for one thing. My wife and I have owned our 14 footer for about 26 years now and have enjoyed many adventures in it. Yes, they are a chore to take care of…but that’s part of the pleasure for us.
Tyee 1
Tyee 2
The Cosine Wherry that I built looks very much like this from a little distance and handles similarly to the description.
I bought a B&S Whitehall in Maine in about 1970. It’s a fiberglass hull trimmed out with mahogany seats, rubrails, inwales, and breasthook. The mold was taken off a wooden one as, in the right light, one can even “see” the planks in the hull (often people say: Oh, it’s wooden boat, but alas it is not). It has seen water under the keel in Lake Michigan, Lakes Mendota & Monona, Vermont lakes, Maine sea waters, northern Ontario’s Lake Matinenda and more. It has served me well for over 50 years — a real joy to go pulling. I was the very first to order some oars from the Apprenticeshop (So says Lance Lee, both then in Bath) and they too continue to serve me well.
Side note: I used a credit card to get a cash advance to pay for it and it took many months for that transaction to show as a bill in mailbox—oh how times have changed.
This is beautiful. I bought Catspaw dinghy plans from WBS but built it lapstrake instead of carvel. Great fun and it looks similar. I have average skills and it is an achievable project.