Description

Amayllis II is extant an on display at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. She was built for K. T. Keller, a Chyrsler executive who was presuaded to order a close replica of NGH's orginal 1876 Amaryllis by Captain Nat's son, A. Griswold Herreshoff, who was an automotive engineer with Chrysler at the time. Amaryllis II was designed NGH and his eldest son, A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff, who also was in charge of her construction. NGH Herreshoff was essentially retired from HMCo but remained involved in special projects such as this revival of his old dream of expanding interest in catamarans. Only one other experimental catamaran named Sea Spider (hull # 1519 and one of the last sailboats) was built by HMCo. Even then, the catamaran was still considered radical by western yachtsmen. No orginal plans of NGH's orginal catamarans exist at MIT. In fact, very few plans appear to exist of Herreshoff boats prior to NGH officially joining his brother John as a partner in 1878. The catamaran idea seems to have come to NGH when he was on leave from Corliss Steam Engine Co. sailing with his other blind brother Lewis in Europe in 1874. His brother Lewis wrote several articles about NGH's brief and intense involvement with catamaran development. He wrote that NGH's motivation was to make the fastest sailboat possible. NGH studied oceanic multihulls but determined to develop a new type based on his best experience and engineering training. NGH first experimented with models and became excited at the prospect of high speed. His first rig for Amaryllis employed a rig he used in his model with a mast from each hull meeting at the peak. This rig failed on his first trial and he redesigned with a single mast supported on the structure bridging the two hulls. This arrangement was entirely different than oceanic types which typically shunted the mast step from end to end when changing directions. NGH also designed a unique ball joint arrangement that joined his hulls to the bridging structures, providing a certain degree of independent movement for each hull in a seaway. This was a basis on which he was granted a U. S. patent for his catamaran in 1877. NGH entered his catamaran in the Centennial Regatta organized by the New York Yacht Club and won handily. He was later disqualified because the yachting world was not yet ready to accept such radical vessels. This was a significant frustration for NGH who felt special classes should have been created. NGH independently designed, and had built at this brother James yard, a series of more than seven catamarans that were developments from his catamaran sailing experience. He fully intended this to be an independent enterprise but found that the costs were higher than expected and the market was certainly not ready for these radical new high speed flyers. Indeed, the commercial market for catamarans did not take hold until Hobart Alter was successful in creating a global market with the Hobie Cat in the 1960s. NGH was clearly far ahead of his time with his development of the first modern western catamaran. It was also turning point for him as well because he soon resigned his postion at Corliss Steam Company and joined his brother as a partner full-time in 1878 to form the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. NGH wrote later in life that he enjoyed sailing his catamarans more than any other vessel he designed.