The Herreshoff Registry
Overview
The Herreshoff Registry is a repository of information on the sailing vessels built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (HMCo). The company built 1100 sailboats between 1893 and 1943, many of which are still in existence. Of this number, 364 were 12-1/2 footers, making this venerable daysailer HMCo's most popular product.Registry Documents
The HMCo Sailing Vessel Registry contains entries for each of the sailboats the company built. Current status is noted for each, indicating whether the boat has been found, has been destroyed, or is unaccounted for. Boats that have been found without a known hull number are also listed. The HMCo 12-1/2 Registry is a subset of the larger document and presents information unique to the class. Another document is the 15-Footer Fleet Registry, which documents the existing fleet, whether the boat was built by HMCo or is a newer reproduction. This document also records fleet ID numbers to facilitate class racing. Additionally, there is a catalog which has abbreviated entries for the known existing vessels. All of these documents are in PDF format, so you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Some are fairly large, so if you are using a dial-up connection it may take a while to download.Database & Forum
Go to the Database link in the menu to search the database. You can find boats by hull number, class, name, or owner. You can also find the boats in a particular location and even plot them on a zoomable map. You may notice that some boats in the database have hull numbers in the 9000-range. These numbers are not actual HMCo numbers, but are used to signify vessels that have been found without a known hull number.The online discussion forum is a great vehicle for exploring the Herreshoff world. There are sections for discussing design classes, specific boats, restoration, and an area to post boats available for sale. The forum is freely accessible for viewing, though you must register for an ID to post or to use the Private Messages feature. The process to obtain an ID is immediate, easy, and free. It is also flexible, so you can make as much or as little information about yourself public as you wish. Please check it out.