At Sail in a Classic
Written By Matt Stern
Photography by Terry Pommett
Wooden boats are generally known as a labor of love, sometimes with an emphasis on the labor. Few man made objects show more elegance and grace than a finely crafted wooden boat, and devotees of classic boats would have it no other way.
For those who want the lines of a classic boat without the effort associated with wood, alternatives exist.
Two prominent boat yards on Cape Cod have provided Nantucketers with some of the finest limited production boats available that satisfy the needs of both the purest and the practical boat owner.
Howard Boats, located in Barnstable on the Cape, has crafted classic sailboats since 1938 and produced some of the more popular boats seen on Nantucket. Howard’s Barnstable Cat Boat shares similar lines to the fabled Beetle Cat,but it’s made in fiberglass to provide maximum pleasure with easier care and maintenance. Through movement of the centerboard trunk to the aft of the boat, weather helm is improved, making the Barnstable easier to sail in higher winds.
Howard also adds a lacquer finish to the fiberglass to make it almost indistinguishable from a varnished wooden boat. A wooden mast and boom give it a timeless feel. According to Peter Eastman, owner of Howard Boats, “We produce small boats with yacht-like finishes that are more than just sailboats; they become heirlooms.” Perhaps the most famous boat produced by Howard is the Indian, designed by John Alden in 1921. It can be recognized instantly by its Indian head on the mainsail.
For those who prefer handmade wooden boats, Pease Boat Works and Marine Railway of Chatham focuses on the traditional skills of wooden boat building and restoration. With their spectacularly varnished hulls and glistening brightwork, Pease boats turn people’s heads when they sail by.
One of Pease’s current customers is Nantucket resident Alfie Sanford, who commissioned Pease to build a 40-foot yawl that’s essentially a large version of an Alerion, the boat once built in Nantucket by his family’s Sanford Boat Works.
Owning an old wooden boat is not always for the faint of heart, as they typically need some form of hull refinishing every few years. But like a Stradivarius, owners of wooden boats will say there is nothing like the feel of wood when sailing their instrument, and nothing is more beautiful to watch. With the advent of wood composite construction, new wooden boats like the Starry Night being built for Sanford boasts of the durability of fiberglass with the benefits of traditional wood construction, according to Brad Pease, co-owner of Pease Boat Works.
Whether your tastes lead you to small classics made of fiberglass or larger handcrafted wooden boats, there is no better way to enjoy Nantucket Harbor than under sail in boats that hearken back to simpler times.
