Herreshoff America Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Nowak & Williams of Bristol, Rhode Island, built the resulting beamy, shallow-draft daysailer and weekender during the 1970s. More than a hundred vessels were ultimately produced from the same molds through the 1970s and into the 1980s. The tooling proved adaptable: it later yielded the Eagle sloop, the cat-ketch Herreshoff Scout, and a string of motor launches. The molds themselves subsequently passed to Squadron Yachts and then Nauset Marine.

Design and Construction

The America measures 18 feet 2 inches overall, with a 17-foot 9-inch waterline and a full 8-foot beam. Her breadth is close to half her length, giving this tubby little boat real presence on the water.

She displaces 2,500 pounds, including 500 pounds of inboard lead ballast, and draws just 1 foot 10 inches with the centerboard. That makes her a genuine minimal-draft boat. The hull is solid fiberglass, a material one owner preferred to earlier construction methods.

The sheerline is anything but ordinary. It follows a compound curve, sweeping upward from amidships toward both ends and laterally from bow to transom—a pronounced gesture on a catboat. A rubrail masks that curve, while the large fiberglass “barn door” rudder gives her a blunt, purposeful profile aft.

Rig and Handling

The catboat rig places the mast well forward in the bow and carries a single sail. The builder lists a 260-square-foot hoist on a 23-foot 6-inch mast, while one owner’s 1973 example carries a 250-square-foot gaff-rigged mainsail on its original aluminum spar stock.

With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio near 23, the America is surprisingly lively for her 17.75-foot waterline. Owners have reported screaming along at close to 6 knots and finding her as easy to manage as they had hoped. Much of that ease comes from the simplicity of the single-sail rig.

A distinctive American flag is painted on the sail. Some boats have a tabernacle mast step, while others show the mast stepped through the deck.

Cockpit and Accommodations

The cockpit is notably large; one owner observed that it was bigger than the cockpit on a Catalina 25. Below, the America has a two-berth cabin with a Porta Potti.

Large teak seats and a teak coaming cap finish the cockpit, with hatch doors and trim in the same wood. The outboard sits in a well, where it is easy to reach.

That teak does require attention. One owner found the seats, coaming cap, hatch doors, and trim peeling, discolored, and worn. The same owner cut vertical pieces of teak to cover the bare fiberglass on either side of the companionway.

Known Issues

The main documented weakness is the centerboard trunk. One owner identified it as the only place a serious leak could originate in an otherwise sound hull. Buyers and owners should therefore treat any moisture below as suspect around that joint.

Otherwise, a 1973 owner described the hull as solid and sound at forty years old.

Refits and Ownership

Owners have adopted modest, practical upgrades. One built a tabernacle by sleeving the original mast with Schedule 40 marine aluminum pipe ordered online. Others have considered replacing the outboard in the cockpit well with a newer electric-start model that could trickle-charge a small house battery.

The boat’s Facebook community and a January 2008 Good Old Boat review reflect an active, well-documented owner culture around this classic fiberglass catboat.

The Verdict

The Herreshoff America is a charming catboat with genuine historical roots. She sails well above what her length might suggest while remaining trivial to handle. Her shallow draft and beamy layout make her a forgiving coastal cruiser, but owners need to budget for two practical realities: possible leakage at the centerboard trunk and the upkeep of weathered exterior teak.

Pros