Historical
Historic Vessel Research
Noank Sloop
"Noank Sloop" is a generic term for a type of sailing inshore and near-offshore fishing boats built in the late 19th century along the coasts of Eastern Long Island Sound, Fishers Island Sound, and Narrgansett Bay. The engine-driven lobstering and stern-trawling fishing boats built in the same area in the 20th century derived from the Noank Sloop.
The models that are linked below are of the boat shown as Figure 95 in Howard I. Chapelle's American Small Sailing Craft
Chapelle's lines and offsets are derived from a half-model of and photographs of a boat built about 1886 in Wickford, Rhode Island by Saunders.
LOA 23'-2"; Beam 8'-9.5"
We created these 3D models from Mr. Chapelle's offsets.
Color Model of Noank-type Sloop
3D Lines Drawing of Noank-type Sloop
(3D lines drawings like this one don't look very good in the "3D PDF Reader" app on iOS devices - they're much better on a PC or Mac desktop or laptop.)
Maritime Museums
We have a long history of association with a number of maritime museums, including Mystic Seaport Museum; The Herreshoff Marine Museum; the Hart Nautical Collection of the MIT Museum; Strawbery Banke Museum; and the former Museum of Yachting.
Restoration vs. Preservation
This paper is based on a talk Ed gave to the Museum Curator's Conference in 1985. One of the topics of the meeting was a discussion of whether maritime museums should restore artifact boats in their collections. Ed, being a commercial restorer of boats, was asked to speak on the assumption that he would talk in favor of restoration. Instead, he attempted to make a case for maritime museums preserving, rather than restoring their most valuable artifact boats. A number of attendees at that Conference asked him if he would put his thoughts in writing, and this paper is the result. The paper has been quietly distributed through the maritime museum community over the years, and may have had some small influence on museum policies.
Read Ed's paper on restoration of small-craft in museums