Mystic Seaport recently added a new vessel to its watercraft collection, the 25-foot motorboat Gramp.
Designed by noted naval architect William Hand and built in 1915 by L. West of Port Chester, NY, Gramp is an excellent example of the fast and seaworthy “Hand v-bottom” launches and runabouts that were plentiful in the decade before World War I.
If she looks familiar, Gramp was the featured boat of our 2015 Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous. She is the only surviving example, (to our knowledge), of this revolutionary design and has been kept largely original.
The boat’s construction is carvel cedar batten-seam planking, fastened with bronze screws to white oak sawn frames, backbone, keel, and floor timbers. Her cedar decking has been covered with epoxy and Dynel.
She has a transom-hung rudder with drum steering. Her mahogany cockpit coaming, trim, and transom are finished with bright varnish.
Gramp is powered by a 62 h.p. Westerbeke Model W-70 6-cylinder gas engine connected to a Scripps 1:1 transmission with mechanical engine controls. She has a 11”X 9” 3-blade bronze propeller on a 1 1/8” bronze shaft. She can cruise as 10-12 knots with a top speed of 20 knots. She has a 30-gallon stainless steel fuel tank.
Gramp comes to the Museum from Coecle’s Harbor Boat Yard, Shelter Island, NY, where she has been maintained for many years. She will be on display in the water this summer and will be available beginning mid-July for private “Couples” cruises on the Mystic River (price to be determined by availability and itinerary).
