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NoANK Well-Smack Sloop Manhattan, built at Noank, Connecticut, in 1854 for the New York fisheries. Lines 

 taken off builder's half-model USNM 160118. 



NOANK WELL-SMACK SLOOP, 1854 

 Builder's Half-Model, usnm 160118 



Manhattan 



The sloop-rigged well-smack Alanhattan was built 

 from this model in 1854 at Noank, Connecticut, 

 for local owners. Clipper built and intended as a 

 swift sailer for use in the New York market fishery, 

 she was similar to sloops such as the Pronto and 

 Viva, built at New York by William H. Webb in 

 1842 for the Havana, Cuba, fishery. Noank ship- 

 builders had a great reputation for fine seagoing 

 sloops, having built such craft for the fisheries and 

 for whaling, sealing, and coastal trade since colonial 

 times. The Manhattan was built at the time the large 

 sloops were beginning to be replaced with schooners 

 in the New York fisheries, and represents the final 

 development of the Noank seagoing sloop model. 



Employed as smacks, these sloops had a fish well 

 amidships and were rigged with a large gafT-mainsail 

 and a single large jib, with gaff-topsail and jib topsail 

 to be set in light weather. They also had a square 

 course and small square topsail set flying, as in the 

 New "\'ork pilot schooners. Some had flush decks 

 and others low quarterdecks like that of the Man- 

 hattan; earlier vessels had high quarterdecks like those 

 of the North River sloops, and usually an open rail. 

 These vessels were heavily sparred and canvassed. 



The half-model shows a keel, clipper sloop with 

 straight sheer; a straight keel with some drag; raking 

 post and stem; a short, sharj) entrance with the 

 greatest beam well forward of midlength; and a 



long, lean run. The midsection shows a rising floor, 

 rather hard bilge, and little tumble-home ai)ove. 

 The head is long and pointed; the transom is square 

 and raking. 



Scale of model is % inch to the foot, for a vessel 

 47 feet 9 inches moulded length at rail, ai)out 44 feet 

 9 inches between perpendiculars, 15 feet 6 inches 

 moulded beam, 5 feet 1 1 inches moulded depth, and 

 drawing about 6 feet 4 inches at post and about 5 

 feet forward. 



Given by L. D. Ashby of Noank, Connecticut. 



NOANK SLOOP, 1883 

 Rigged Model, usnm 26809 



Sloops of the type and size represented by this model 

 were employed in the lobster fishery on Long Island 

 Sound from Saybrook to New London, Connecticut, 

 and on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The type 

 is thought to have originated at Noank, Connecticut, 

 and for that reason they were often called "Noank 

 sloops" though built elsewhere. The majority of 

 them were smacks between 18 and 30 feet long, with 

 centerboard and on each side of the centerboard case 

 a live well. They usually carried a jib-and-mainsail 

 rig; a few of the larger boats carried gaff-topsails and 

 jib topsails. Considered seaworthy, the type was 

 noted for its .speed, and ijoats up to about 28 feet 

 length were usually handled by one man. 



The model indicates a rather deep centerboard 

 sloop having a straight keel with some drag, a curved 

 and rather upright stem nearly straight above the 

 load waterline, an upright post, and a skeg. The 



267 



