William Hand
Encyclopedia
William H. Hand, Jr. has been described as one of the most prolific yacht designers of the 20th century with an exceptionally good eye for handsome boats. Hand’s career began around 1900 with small sailboats, but soon shifted to V-bottomed powerboats. They were his specialty until after World War I when he directed his talent to seakindly schooners including the famous Bowdoin (Arctic schooner)
and LOTUS (schooner). Later during the 1930s, motorsailers became his passion, examples still sailing include Guildive (ketch). Hand’s office was in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
.
The New England Hurricane of 1938
and accompanying tidal surge damaged or destroyed a good deal of Hand’s design work and records. Hand’s surviving drawings are at the Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
Schooner Nathaniel Bowditch
Bowdoin (Arctic schooner)
The schooner Bowdoin was designed by William H. Hand, Jr., and built in 1921, in East Boothbay, Maine, at the Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard now known as Hodgdon Yachts. She was designed for Arctic exploration, under the direction of Donald B. MacMillan, and has made 28 trips above the Arctic Circle...
and LOTUS (schooner). Later during the 1930s, motorsailers became his passion, examples still sailing include Guildive (ketch). Hand’s office was in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Fairhaven is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located on the south coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean...
.
The New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
and accompanying tidal surge damaged or destroyed a good deal of Hand’s design work and records. Hand’s surviving drawings are at the Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum
MIT Museum
MIT Museum, founded in 1971, is the museum of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It hosts collections of holography, artificial intelligence, robotics, maritime history, and the history of MIT. Its holography collection of 1800 pieces is the largest in...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Schooner Nathaniel Bowditch
Existing Examples
- BowdoinBowdoin-Places:In the United States:* Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine* Bowdoin, Maine, a town* Bowdoin Street , in Massachusetts** Bowdoin * Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, Montana...
- Zodiac
- Lotus
- Guildive
- Hindu
- Elsita
- William Hand
- Schooner Nathaniel Bowditch
- Noreaster (motorsailer)