C.W Paine Designer comments

Dimensions
LOA: 20′ 9″
LWL: 16′ 4″ BEAM: 7′ 2″
DRAFT: 2′ 11″
DISPLACEMENT: 3250 lbs
BALLAST (ext. lead): 1600 lbs
SAIL AREA: 260 sq. ft.

With the completion and launch of Classic Boat Shop’s first PISCES 21, “SERENDIPITY”, I can now comment with authority on the design, its intentions and their realization.

The objective of this newest version of Nat Herreshoff’s famous FISH design was first and foremost, to retain the general look and sailing qualities of the original.  To this end the overall length and visible profiles of the bow and stern were left unaltered, as were the disposition of varnished and painted wood elements.  Just like the originals, Classic Boat Shop’s PISCES 21 has a varnished wood transom, cockpit coamings and seats, rudder cheeks, tiller and spars.  Apart from the absence of ribs, one might think one was sailing a perfectly restored original, and she even sounds the same going through the water, for she is made of wood.

There were, however, some very subtle changes which were aimed at improving minor niggles that have filtered down to us over many years of study of the Herreshoff designs.  Chief among these is the weather helm… original FISH tended to carry the helm hard over in a press of wind, making the rudder as much a brake as a turning device.  This we have addressed both by moving the center of lateral resistance slightly aft and the center of effort of the sail plan forward a touch.  Having sailed the boat, I can attest that the helm is an absolute delight, and the rudder angle much more moderate than on the originals, as the accompanying photos will illustrate.

We have also made the yacht more stable, perhaps not so much in critique of the original design as in answer to changing trends among the sailing fraternity- folks today seem to prefer their yachts more stable than at the beginning of the millennium.  So we spread the ballast out over a greater length and girth, thus lowering its center of gravity and still reduce the draft by two inches, and even widened the water plane by a small amount to increase form stability.  In combination, these minor tweaks give the hull just enough more righting moment to stand up to the stronger and less porous sailcloth materials used today- a change I am sure Captain Nat would have made himself had he lived to see the advent of dacron sailcloth.

Finally there is the most significant improvement- elimination of all those seams and fastenings.  The PISCES is wood, but cold molded wood, a technique which uses wood veneers and 100 percent waterproof epoxy to fashion a hull – shaped piece of marine plywood.  The result is every bit as durable as fiberglass, totally leak proof and far stronger than plank on frame construction.  Yet it retains the stiffness, insulation qualities, and importantly even the same sound moving through the water as carvel planking.

And how does she sail?  Beautifully.  She’s just as fast as the originals, quickly reaching hull speed in each puff of wind.  The sheeting angles are a bit tighter than her predecessors, and I sense that this has brought about the desired result of enabling her to point a bit closer to the wind.  She has the regal feel of stately reassurance that can only come from a ton and a half of displacement, half of which is ballast.  And she is truly a delight to helm, never taking over and rounding up into the wind but always answering even the slightest hint of tiller input.  With this lovely boat and a pup tent, you could cruise your home waters from one hail of admiration to the next, delighting in the beauty of her wake as it trails astern.

Chuck Paine, Designer   November 1, 1999