We’ve been having a lot of fun with our Instagram page. Carly Sisson has been carefully selecting a fleet of standout boats that qualify as classics, and her selections are going over well with Soundings readers. Which boats are topping your list of favorites? Here are a few. I hope you are enjoying these snapshots of great builds as much as we are.
1. HOLLAND 34 Last Call is the first Holland 34 ever built. She is an extended version of Glen Holland’s popular 32-foot lobster hull, which gained fame in the 1980s and 1990s when Holland’s father’s boat, Red Baron, dominated Maine’s lobster boat races. Holland built more than 180 of the 32s, which were often finished by other Maine yards. Last Call has been dubbed a gentleman’s lobster boat, although a few things hint that she is more than a workboat. The cabin features a galley and V-berth, and the interior is finished off in classic Herreshoff style—white with mahogany trim.
2. JARVIS NEWMAN 36 This boat came from a mold taken off Irona, a wooden lobster boat designed by Raymond Bunker and built by Ralph Ellis. Bunker was Jarvis Newman’s father-in-law. He let Newman make the mold to bolster his business. Newman sold many of the hulls to builders who would finish them with decks and cabins. There were 90 Newman-built hulls shipped between 1971 and 2001. Half were finished as lobster boats; the other half as recreational craft for the yacht crowd.
3. WHITICAR 56 Whiticar has a global reputation for producing seaworthy sportfishing boats. Picasso, a 56 launched in 2001, is a good example of the yard’s skill. The hull with deep forefoot, modestly raked stem and high forward freeboard was designed to handle big seas. The bottom was triple-planked with solid mahogany, laminated with epoxy resin and cloth, and vacuum-bagged for strength. Originally powered by a pair of 1,150-hp diesels, Picasso ran 35 knots at top end. In 2012, the boat received a refit and was relaunched as Never Enough.
4. BLACK KNIGHT At the start of the America’s Cup off Newport, Rhode Island, in 1983, the cannon was sounded from the deck of Black Knight. This striking race committee boat was on loan from a member of the New York Yacht Club. Its glossy black hull, gleaming brightwork and classic lines created a sense of purpose appropriate to the then 132-year-old international competition. An 82-footer with a beam of 20 feet, she was designed in the 1960s by Walter J. McInnis. Built in East Boothbay, Maine, by the Goudy & Stevens Shipyard, she continues to ply waters today.
Jeanne Craig
[email protected]
May 2025
