1937 Herreshoff Columbia Dinghy, HMC# 1424, Tender to TRUANT

Lent by Herreshoff Marine Museum, Bristol  RI

This 14-foot inboard gasoline-powered launch was built as a tender by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company for the 131’ Steam Yacht “Truant”. Owned at the time by the Ford Motor Company, ”Truant” was built in 1897 and the launch was ordered by Ford while the larger yacht was undergoing a refit at Herreshoff’s facility in Bristol, RI. The tender was one of three built on the lines of the Columbia dinghy and was a Yacht Fittings Catalog item for sold by Herreshoff. Crafted from Mahogany timbers in a plank-on-frame, crinkle (lapstrake) construction, the boat was outfitted with its 9hp Lauson gasoline engine, with a cruising speed of 6 knots. The tender is designed to accommodate 4-5 adults and the purchase price in 1937 for both boat and motor was invoiced at $1395.

Henry Ford, who loved to tinker and bucked the trend to re-power “Truant” with a gasoline or diesel powerplant, designed a replacement steam engine and commissioned Herreshoff Manufacturing to build the engine to Ford’s design to refit the older yacht. At the same time, he placed the order for its new mahogany tender.

Herreshoff Manufacturing Company was renowned worldwide as a premier boat builder in America, with numerous America’s Cup-winning yachts and designs to their credit. As such, their motor and sailing yachts were in demand by successful industrialists such as the Vanderbilts and Mr. Ford.

Many years later, “Truant’s tender was discovered in a barn in Indiana in superb, yet unrestored condition along with a period trailer and the Lauson engine which had been removed from the boat for storage. The only modification had been an update to the steering system from yolk-style steering to a direct tiller and rudder system. The tender was acquired by the Herreshoff Marine Museum in 2021 and remains virtually intact from how it was discovered as a Midwest “Barn Find”.

“Truant’s tender is presented on its period trailer, unrestored and unvarnished with its engine removed from the boat for viewing. The boat is a time capsule of the design, construction, and materials used in the 1930s by one of the foremost boat builders in the world.

Specifications:

Length Overall: 14’0’’

Beam: 4’8’’

Power: Lauson 9 HP inboard gasoline single cylinder

Top Speed: 6 knots