NY40 MARILEE: Restoration of a Herreshoff Classic

The 1926 Nathanael Herreshoff-designed NY40 MARILEE recently underwent a complete restoration by French & Webb in Belfast, Maine. This two-year-plus restoration was tremendously successful due to the collaborative effort of many artisans, engineers, curators and crew whose passion and commitment to the project were beyond compare. This was not your ‘typical’ restoration of a wooden classic. Modern innovations and engineering were combined with meticulous and artistic craftsmanship. With access to the original Herreshoff Manufacturing Company’s building plans and documents archived at MIT’s Hart Nautical Collections, This restoration turned out to be an amazing yacht with an equally amazing story.
This film has been made available to the public by the current custodian of MARILEE, with the purpose of sharing the amazing story of a piece of American history and the genius of the yacht designer, Nathanael Herreshoff.
Historical photos courtesy of: Hart Nautical Collections at the MIT Museum; Mystic Seaport Museum, Rosenfeld Collection; Leslie Jones Collection at the Boston Public Library; Herreshoff Museum Museum; Mariners' Museum of Newport News; Bedford Whaling Museum; Library of Congress
Copyright 2018 ©NY40 MARILEE RACING LLC
Copyright 2018 ©ALISON LANGLEY FILMS
Copyright 2018 ©ALISON LANGLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

[@zorroonmilkavitch1840]

I restore houses antique houses I work alone and I stripped each house down to the original wood and I do one a year and when I get done it's gorgeous but I'm looking at this project and my jaw is dropping and I am just staggered at the beauty and the Integrity of this craftsmanship I feel as if I am definitely not alone in the world restoration that's for sure.

[@brentstarkes9682]

Stunners… elegance on the water. Spirit Yatchs are keeping this breed alive in Great Britain.

[@LM-ci1ds]

Beautiful, without more words, from Buenos Aires Argentina, a big greeting to all.

[@GERntleMAN]

I'm sorry, but that is one of the most beautiful boats ever built. Why is it, that the most beautiful things period were built in the early 20th century? Cars, boats, watches, clothes, buildings...they just understood beauty and elegance better than we do now. Amazing work!

[@topturretgunner]

Gentlemen. As one who was exposed to the nearly hypnotic joy of sailing several years ago. The sound of the breeze through the rigging, the slap of wave against hull, the spray, or challenge of a well executed upwind tack. This video was tonic to the soul. From the wonderfully done workmanship of a beautiful restoration to the scenes of racing seamanship. I would love to be part of a 'blue water' cruise of several days aboard Marilee. That would be the best thing this side of heaven. Thank you for a wonderful video, the hard well done work ( labor not in vain) and, the moments of joyful memories stirred of overnight trips aboard a 32' Sloop on the Great Lakes. Fair winds and following seas gentlemen.

[@floridasaltlife]

This documentary was absolutely mesmerizing from beginning to end, just a huge congratulations to all involved in caring for such a grand and important boat.

[@YachtHunters]

I had the pleasure of sailing along Merilee a few years ago... so stunning and this was a great find to learn more how her restoration came about. Just magnificent 😍😍

[@BookCharlieLewis]

😅

[@wadepatton2433]

With regard to digitizing the Herreshoff collection- FANTASTIC! The more there are the more we'll see and they're so magnificent.

[@maneki9neko]

Oh yes. Quite wonderful. There are a number of collections like that were digitization will be revelatory. One of them is Leonardo's codices. the British Museum has started on that project. Their interface is clunky, and the material is incomplete, but a lot of what is of interest is on line.

[@kopeducati]

there are those utterly rare moments when one has the privilege to witness something when one knows it just doesn't get any better.. watching this video is one of them... WAW.. just WAW ....

[@GordDiv]

Typing this comment while bowing down to the craftsmanship involved in the restoration; the skill of the crew and the spectacular vision, commitment and the openness of the wallet of the owner is difficult but the only way I can acknowledge this herculean effort. Thank you everyone involved.

[@Fumingzeus]

It’s lovely to see a restoration work where cost doesn’t come into effect. Kudos to the owner, and well done to all involved. Job well done......

[@rwplace]

That is without doubt one of the most beautiful restorations I have seen. It is so good to see that type of craftsmanship alive and well and being carried out by what appeared to be a relatively young crew!

[@sgtpepper2469]

Go get em!

[@nerd1059]

Honestly, one of my favorite KZbin videos across the board. So well done for a deserving boat.

[@harbourdogNL]

Agreed.

[@dboboc]

Except the interior.

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

What a fantastic video. I have been following the lives, tales, stories, and yachts built by the Herreshoff family for many years. This is one of the best-presented documentaries that I have seen so far. I am an avid admirer of the Herreshoff built boats and hopefully one day I will have one myself. These are mesmerising yachts built with style and grace but yet built for a purpose of racing. You all have done a wonderful job of restoring her and keeping her alive for many more years to come. Well done to everyone. I built many years ago a scale model of Herreshoff's Landfall as a remote control model and still have it and use it often.

[@nathanweese3812]

So relatable, I mean, when guy was sayin "we knew we had to get this boat out on the water to race this season" I was thinking, that's like me when Im like "I gotta finish this job in time to cover my rent, so my kids will have a home" Im there with you brahda! Cool boats dough

[@orbisaustralis7608]

Thats the spirit .. thats the reason we do it.

[@coug96fan]

What craftsmanship! A work of functional art. So glad to see these ships sailing and not just sitting in a museum or a picture on a wall.

[@chicobicalho5621]

I was thinking how Capt. Nat would have been blown away to witness this restoration, the dedication and all the incredible technology used for this perfect job. I suppose all of us are blown away by this!

[@4lostinamerica]

Back in the mid 80's my wife and I were looking to purchase Rowdy, another NY40. The previous owner who was a yacht broker had started the restoration, changed plans and decided to sell it. There was a master cabinetmaker living onboard building the beautiful new traditional mahogany interior. I planned to finish the rigging and sail it from Newport Beach to SF Bay, where we'd finish the restoration, while also living aboard. Looking back I'm thankful another party purchased the boat and had the unlimited funds to restore her to a level she deserved, but every time I see her, or another NY40 in a magazine my heart skips a beat.

[@1thomson]

There are two classic beauties in this video, and only one of them is the boat.

[@wntu4]

Fully agree. She could steal my soul with a look.

[@waynelee7169]

Very well put.

[@dougsmith4678]

That was amazing. Thank you for sharing this story. That boat is a work of art! The interior of the boat is at a different level, bravo to the owner to follow his vision!

[@gregorytitus7348]

From the beginning, this boat deserved the remarkable attention to detail that both the original designer, and the eventual owner had for this remarkable piece of marine architecture. The history of this boat will extend well beyond its normal lifetime by the remarkable efforts of the restorers, and the vision of its latest owner. Fantastic videography.

[@nikolaljubicic419]

I have never seen interior as beautiful as this ! the piece of art !

[@GaryBickley]

Beautiful film of a quite astonishing boat. The team need to be congratulated on there work - superb.

[@harbourdogNL]

OK, so I'm 33 minutes into this video and just have to pause it before I watch anymore...and say wow Wow WOW....this story gets more fascinating each minute. What a stunning vessel, what brilliant craftspeople who brought her back and up to date-these shipwrights are artistes of the first order, and you can see that every one of them fell in love with this boat while working on her. Awesome. Kudos too to the owner for having both the deep pockets and the courage to allow the shipwrights to be so innovative and and inventive. I'd love to spend a few hours on her with a strong wind and a good chop on the water, it would be real sailing.I love this boat, hope I see her one day. Also, Ms. Langley, well done documentary, it could not be better!

[@McHeisenburger]

She’s an absolutely beautiful vessel.

[@Easterly888]

Being from Belfast, I'm proud that this kind of work is happening there.

[@HDXBear]

Outstanding in every regard and detail. Very much a work of art to say the least.

[@curtwpk1361]

Amazing cinematography. Alison shows as much genius as the builders. Beautiful project, beautiful documentary.

[@tomstopper5281]

‘Insanely beautiful’ could not be described any better.

[@khandakarhassan5381]

What a boat it is and what a job you have done its brilliant, it is simply more than imagination of a person he or she could think that a classic boat could born again this way. Brilliant. Simply...........

[@staxter6]

The most outstanding realised vision I've seen, Beautifully crafted.

[@mvdeehan]

Beautiful boat and well shown in this short documentary. Thank you.

[@fyrbird]

Beautiful ship! amazing craftsmanship. I could watch videos like this all day

[@jeffreystaley5266]

Spectacular. Thanks for sharing this story.

[@northwind9505]

A new respect for those who build and now restore yachts.

[@jayweiss1716]

The video is mesmerizing. The workmanship and engineering fabulous. The interior outrageous. This is functional art. Thanks for doing it. Certainly it was costly, but there are infinite ways to spend money, and the owner chose a grand one for sure.

[@darticulate8751]

Dedication by passionate designers , craftsmen and owner all tuned into making a beautiful boat sail again with improvements, well done ! Inspirational work ! One could call it a true "RESTOMOD' like in the classic car world of of rebuilds.

[@praisegod.jesusislord.256]

Beautiful boat and a beautiful story. Nice work!

[@profiskipinternational4402]

Many, many tks for sharing this outstanding experiences in every sense. A perfect example of beautyness of life, with all the hard work put into it. A deep bow to all who had been involved and make the revival of Marilee as a real master piece possible.

[@breezyjr]

I know almost nothing about sailing... but, that is an absolute beauty of a boat... Wow. And, the restoration that went into her, simply amazing...

[@49ProRatStreet]

A beautiful classy boat, I'll visit the museum one day. Great work craftsmen.

[@johnpayne2465]

Thank you for the detailed and enormous effort to document the process and evolution of Marilee. It's a credit to all involved.

[@steventrostle1825]

Congratulations to EVERYONE for a stunningly Beautiful work of Art

[@ElectrologyNow]

My friend Chris Madsen restored his NY40 "Rowdy." An amazing story.

[@martinjames9250]

OMG! --- Wow. Just, wow....... On SO many levels.

[@potusuk]

What a wonderful documentary! ~ Totally enthralled by the whole story. However, the film itself, the continuity throughout of quality, style, content considering the long timeline, seamless. Congratulations to all involved in all aspects of NY50.

[@eddomrio]

My American Daddy, Harry Hermann, bought the NY40 "Rugosa" from Mystic Seaport in 1965. We Sailed her out of The Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT. In 1966 we sailed on our way to the Canadian coast, and got as far as Booth Bay Harbour. Unfortunately, in 1969, due to his age, Harry sold the "Rugosa"... Great sailing days...!

[@robertmiller5735]

The plain curator/digitize obviously love her subject, and is beautiful. Wow.

[@mrwoo7884]

So gorgeous. Thanks for making such a wonderful video available.

[@tomharrell1954]

Wow what a wonderful beautiful boat! The design just transcends time and material. It look pleases onlooker, crew, owner and Neptune himself. Just gazing at her lines, curves and sheets is mesmerizing, relaxing and exciting all at the same moment binding the on looker to the boat and the sea. Just a glance at that boat and you feel the wind and water. Mr Herreschoff thank you for this magnificent creation.

[@epretorious]

Thank you for creating such an engaging and awe inspiring documentary about such a beautiful and iconic vessel!

[@juxtaposeism]

Outstanding project and editing.

[@davidlester6673]

Wow. What craftmanship, what art. Truly outstanding.

[@Heysupdan]

What a beautiful ship! I would have varnished the wood natural in the cabin to look like the mast, I am not a fan of the “weathered”look, but that’s just me. Outstanding craftsmanship, truely!

[@joelvoss1226]

Takes more than skill to do that job - it took a lot of passion.

[@iainbrown4945]

Incredible visual record of an outstanding contribution to the Herreshoff legacy

[@jdxtube68]

Outstanding! Please make some more films!

[@majoromg449]

I'm not even into sailing but you had me watching this astonishing half an hour vidoe of yours!

[@RobCummings]

Well done ! It's great to watch the boat on the water, but the process stuff was fascinating.

[@cawfeedawg]

She stole my heart; and the boat isnt bad either.

[@ukepenviolinfiddle]

A piece of context here: Peter Webb & Todd French managed the large boat program at the Landin School in 85/86 and supervised the construction of ALERION to the Hart collection plans. It was perhaps even more arduous than building under LR survey. Everything had to be as it was originally--including building a mould for every frame, and steam bending a massive freshly cut white oak stem. The mould took too long, actually everything did. The stem split--I remember at least twice. Finally Hart relented and allowed a laminated stem. The boat was not completed in an academic year, so it was moved to Stu Gillam's shop in K'port and the final launch was beautiful. Peter and Todd were very good teachers, and excellent shipwrights, and I cannot think of a more qualified team to carry out the Marilee project. If I were them I would be thrilled beyond belief.

[@drifter503]

Beautifully shot and edited video and a beautiful boat to boot

[@UKPete]

Just absolute perfection. Well done to all the craftsmen and women and the owner!.

[@Marine_Ret]

Boats, Technical/Engineering Data Mgt, 2D/3D Modeling, Wood, Metal, Tools...doesn’t get any better than that.

[@000001willy]

Terrific video. Superb craftsmanship. It's nice to know that someone is rich enough to pay the freight to restore a work of art like the Marilee. Drop dead gorgeous and clearly sails like a dream. Good luck in the Mediterranean.

[@piecesofbrokentime4803]

She's such a Beauty! This was a wonderful film. The perfect amount of historical facts blended with the excitement of the actual regatta/race itself. Fabulous camera/editing skills round out the story nicely. Thanks for sharing this! 👍♥️⛵🧭

[@alisonlangleyfilms5789]

Thank you!

[@stockyclark2680]

Just breathtaking. What an effort and result .

[@theolopez3299]

my family had a hand-built wooden hull 39 foot gaff rig cut sloop up until a few years ago. it needed a ton of work but once it was done it was such a nice boat and very fast, especially in races with the topsail up. it was a beautiful boat, previously owned by bob dylan’s company edit is an add-on, the brothers that started the company sound exactly like my dad and uncle who owned the boat. I am following their footsteps.

[@justinrice8509]

Great work all! And great film Alison!

[@danknox9986]

Very much enjoyed your video. Thank you for sharing.

[@seanogallchoir3237]

Wonderful thank you!

[@shoegum7362]

My god, what a beautiful creation; must be nice to have money like this to do exactly what you want without compromise.

[@frankmiller95]

Exactly. Too bad this is possible solely because we're in the second age of American robber barons. The fact that someone could do this simply to have a beautiful, functional toy is a sad commentary on contemporary American life. Before jumping all over me for this comment, l am a professional mariner who's sailed all over the world on sailboats and ships, with many thousands of ocean miles on classic and well known, S&S, Alden and Nielsen designs. At the time, none had been rebuilt to better than original specs. While it's great that it's happening, the reasons for it are not.

[@sarsebola4148]

@@frankmiller95 People have always been rich my friend. From 1920 to 2020 there is always someone with enough money to do a resto like this.

[@stevegarneau61]

@@frankmiller95 I think it's an impressive artistic and professional statement.

[@DanSme1]

Exquisite work, Alison. Congratulations!

[@imagebob]

fantastic. a dream come true. perfect. strong. it can not get better than that ...

[@carsonforrester3061]

Really amazing. Great film

[@australianwoodenboatfestiv3519]

STUNNING!

[@nancycunningham4225]

She's so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.

[@CrazyChemistPL]

Intriguing choices in the interior indeed! As far as I can see there are no divisions between cabins (with the obvious exception of the head) which I presume would make the boat really well ventilated and I applaud the idea of interior lighting. Those floor LEDs (I presume) would make the interior really bright and easy to navigate while at the same time not blinding any of the crew on deck during night sailing. I would love to hear (and see) a bit more about wheel to tiller conversion.

[@peterlandry1101]

I grew up on Narragansett Bay and was very familiar with the Bristol area where the Herreshoff Boatworks was. I always thought the Herreshoff boats were the most beautiful sailboats ever built. This video supports my claim! Other designs are more prevalent, but nothing beats Herreshoff's designs for sheer elegance. I am partial to the Friendship sloop, but would never try to race one against a Herreshoff!

[@alondrasailingclassic]

Gracias por compartir una tan bella historia....de un gran barco, felicidades.

[@waynemcclennan4226]

What a stunning boat, I loved this video and well done team!

[@chipcurry]

Superb. A ballet of sail.

[@benjaminbalazs]

An unbelievable story, and dedicated from the team. Absolute beauty, and amazing filmmaking work.

[@brianjoyce9742]

Fantastic presentation, both Marilee and production. Cheers!

[@JoesCoralReef]

Absolutely beautiful boat, great work.

[@jayspain]

A thing of beauty in many aspects

[@philipface30]

This is why I love being from Bristol

[@jeffgerndt2813]

Was there ever a more beautiful boat?!!

[@kazoosc]

the finished product, especially the interiors, has an edge that's not quite real to the eye. .. amazing craftsmanship .. fascinating documentary

[@rolandsaucier1006]

Very well done film! The boat too!

[@brewmorgan8942]

Absolutely well done///////

[@esr243]

Best 40' in a long time ... thanks

[@jonathangreenwood8730]

Check out NY48 Chinook on Facebook! Cheers.

[@glennluker6397]

Absolutely stunning.

[@J-IFWBR]

I'm Speachless.

[@VonBluesman]

Magnificent.

[@imxploring]

Great content.... and fantastic production! Well done!!!

[@GiorgioNorth]

Получился шедевр. Здорово.

[@jhyacinth]

Saw a NY 40 in Mystic Shipyard about 2008. Maybe Marilee. She was looking forelorn but you could still see the magnificent beauty within. Bravo to all those who brought her back to life. Inspiring!

[@williamlacombe5818]

Where is the mystic shipyard?

[@jonathangreenwood8730]

We restored her in 2012. Check out NY48 Chinook on Facebook.

[@marcosvitureira8664]

maravilhoso... tenho vontade de chorar cada vez que assisto... parabéns pelo trabalho e bom gosto magníficos.

[@jaguarprod]

Absolutely wonderful magnificent extraordinary. Felicitation Great Job