Wianno Sr.

#99 Wiggle - as reported by Sam Lawrence - not a particularly good restoration candidate!

#76 as she was..... ......and today

Wianno Senior #87 Alert in 1940 ......Alert at our shop today

Thank you all for the interest in the Wianno Senior class restorations. We wish to submit a challenge to all those actively interested in the Wianno Sr. class. We want to restore a dozen wooden Wiannos to race condition for the 100 year anniversary in 2014. If we are going to keep the original class boats strong into the next one hundred years, we need to start conservation efforts NOW.

Hull #60 Coming along.

Board of Governors member Bill Lawrence's son Sam has once again forwarded us an updated report he composed about Raised Deck and Extended Deck Wianno Seniors . Thank you again for your submission Bill and Sam.

Hull # 48 last summer at Cape Cod

The house of Whisper ...modified deck house and original lanterns.. ..looking down the sheer from the transom

I recently had an opportunity to visit with Peter and Norma Stanford, co-founders of the South Street Seaport Museum in NYC and the National Maritime Historical Society, and owners of the famous Wianno Senior hull #26 "Whisper".

They are remarkable people, not only for their national preservation accomplishments, but for their meticulous documentation of Whisper. They have a wealth of correspondence regarding Whispers maintenance and modifications going back to the early 1950’s; wonderful photographic collections, and hand illustrated log books detailing many of their Whisper voyages.

Whisper has evolved into something more than a Wianno Senior. The modifications to the boat are extensive. The centerboard trunk is gone, the iron ballast is moved 6” aft; the boom is shortened, the cabin trunk has been redesigned, and there is an additional bridge deck aft of the cabin. The hull shape has remained essentially unchanged. These modifications should be dealt with differently from a restoration viewpoint as they were design “improvements” on top of required repairs, and these new features are well documented in the photographic records. The photographs taken during the trips to Georgia (“Three Reefs To Georgia”) and Nova Scotia all clearly show this very modified watercraft.

What a piece of history. What do you do with a vessel like this??

Wianno #72 - ready to roll from Kingston, NY to our shop.

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Wianno Senior Hull #72 - safe and sound after a road trip from Kingston, NY to the Berkshires.

I would like to thank Dek Ulian, veteran Wianno Sr. sailor and former owner of the oldest existing Wianno hull #7, for his unrelenting drive to help us locate old Wianno hulls. We would not have been able to start this initiative without him. Dek is also the author of "A Sailor's Notebook", an informative and colorful account of sailing Wiannos on Cape Cod. A must read for every Wianno fan. It is available through Amazon.com.

New Wianno Senior Ceilings with original bead board profile, and how we get them that way.

Wianno Senior class Board of Governors member Bill Lawrence's son Sam has forwarded us an updated report he composed about three unique Wianno Seniors were built in 1930. One of these boats, Alert #87, will be here from the Museum Of Yachting towards the end of winter. Thank you for your submission Bill and Sam.

Speaking of Alert, I was at Ned Crosby's boat yard in West Barnstable, MA. this past Saturday. I picked up a rough Junior, and photographed Alert and a fiberglass Wianno Senior. I don't know who's boat this is or who built it - but I can say that the workmanship was of high quality and the hull was beautifully maintained. I am sure that she sails well...But...there is just something missing. Send me to a boatyard and show me a Wianno Senior or Junior, or even a Beetlecat - and I want to jump right in it and check it out firsthand, rub my hands over the finish, and poke my head in the cabin or under the deck and smell the air. It is just something that you feel invited to do.

But with the fiberglass Wianno, I can admire it from the ground, walk around it and admire the flawless paint job. But I don't feel compelled to exercise any other of my senses.

Maybe it's just me!! What do you think? Am I right???

Alert at Ned Crosby's Boatyard on the Cape.

A beautiful -glass Wianno Senior at Neds. A well executed modern reproduction of a classic boat. But, somehow different.

Check out the class organization on the Wianno Senior class association web page. Take a look at available boats on Wooden Boats For Sale.

Hull #72

I personally surveyed hull #72 on Monday, August 24. I have to say, that out of all the Wianno Senior hulls I have looked at, this one is in the best original condition.

#115 Hazel Coe- a number of years ago. Wianno Sr. Mimi - hull #36 on the Cape

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Last modified: 9/1/11