Long Live Wasque
A Vineyard classic lives on in updated models from C.W. Hood
Atfirst glance, they were just molds in a Rhode Island field, stored in the tall grass out back at Little Harbor Yachts in Portsmouth. Those wearing a big spray- painted X were destined for the scrap heap.
But as Chris Hood looked them over that day in 1995, one of the shapes stood out. Hood, working at his uncle Ted Hood’s complex, went to get a closer look. “It was the starboard side of a boat, and I saw it in silhouette,” he recalls. “I fell in love with the look of the boat, the beauty of the lines. Sitting out in that field, it looked a little like a half-hull stapled to the wall. I saw it and said, ‘That’s it.’ ” Here was a boat worth building. That was on a Sunday. “I asked my uncle about it on Monday and found that it was ready to be destroyed,” Hood says. “He told me it
came with the package when he bought the Black Watch molds from C. E. Ryder. I said, ‘ How about I save you the trouble? I don’t know what it is, but it’s pretty cool looking.’ I gave him $ 100, and that was it.”
The object turned out to be the mold for the Wasque 26, one of a trio of single-engine fishing boats that came out of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, beginning in 1969 (see Origins sidebar). Alden Yachts designed the 26, and David Thompson at Vineyard Yachts built it on the island. The 21-, 26- and 32-foot Wasque models, named after an island fishing ground, enjoyed a 16-year production run before Thompson retired and closed up shop in 1985.
The molds were dispersed; the one for the Wasque 26 had kicked around for a decade by the time Chris Hood saw it in the field, beginning its rescue, resurrection and transformation — and the birth of a fleet of modern Wasques.
Rescue
At that time, the mold was a still a mystery. “I knew right away I wanted to build this boat, but what was it?” Hood says.
Boatbuilder Phil Deschamps of Nauset Marine in Orleans, Massachusetts, supplied the answer. Seeing it for the first time, Hood recalls, Deschamps recognized the mold and said, “You got the Wasque 26! You lucky dog! I’ve been looking for that for years.”
The mold was loaded onto a truck and brought to C.W. Hood Yachts, which was in Bristol, Rhode Island, at the time. That’s where construction began. As Hood says, “so began a wonderful run.” Forty-five of the Wasque 26s have been built since the debut
in 1995, followed by 29- and 33-foot sister ships that continue the Wasque line into the 21st century.
The boat Hood had in mind to build on the Wasque hull in the 1990s was a practical and seaworthy family boat with an updated layout. “Back in 1995, the lobster yachts were kicking around,” Hood says. “It was the Picnic Boat era, and even my dad was thinking of a powerboat. I wanted to make a really pretty boat, really well built, using the best materials, the best installation, the best equipment.”
All that he and building buddy Chris Stirling had to go by was an empty hull mold. Not for long, however.
Resurrection
Yacht broker Ged Delaney put Hood in touch with a customer who owned an original Wasque, a 1975 hull with a 160-hp Perkins engine. “I met the man and I said, ‘I need your boat for the winter,’ ” Hood says. The owner was offered an Awlgrip job, and the deal was made. The old boat was set up next to a brand-new hull out of the mold, and, Hood says, “we started figuring out how the boat was originally constructed.”
Just in time, too. Shortly afterward, C.W. Hood took its first order for the new Wasque 26.
A lot had changed since the 1970s, and there were improvements to make. The engine was moved aft and replaced with one that was compact. The smaller engine box made more room in the cockpit, permitting new seating arrangements. Other additions included opening portholes, hand- holds, extra stowage and simpler-to-manage systems.
“It was a beautiful boat, straightforward, easy to use and a safe boat for kids,” Hood says. “It was a great family boat.”
After the debut of the new 26, people soon came asking Hood for an updated version of the 32. Startup costs proved too high without a hull mold to work from, so the answer was to seek out one in the Wasque tradition that C. W. Hood could finish. It was found in a Royal Lowelldesigned hu l l th a t JarvisNewman built in Maine and became the new Wasque 30, debuting in 1999.
Transformation
The original Wasques were designed and equipped as fishing boats, suited to the varied waters off Martha’s Vineyard. The modern versions are intended to serve as multiuse dayboats, overnighters and weekenders, with a galley, enclosed head and versatile accommodations. The cockpit, once home to a trio of fishermen or a fighting chair, now has seating and space for water toys and socializing.
Still, there are commonalities: the single engine and the traditional hull shape, with its semiround chine, keel and protected rudder. The look crosses generations, too. “There’s the nicely raked stem, the low transom and just the right amount of tumblehome,” Hood says. “It’s proud up in the bow, with a nice sheer and the low cabin house with the teak soft- top windshield. When you see a Wasque coming into the harbor, you know what it is.”
Long Live Wasque
More than 80 Wasques were built on Martha’s Vineyard, and C. W. Hood has produced more than 50 of the new versions. The Wasque 26 has been the most popular, with some 75 built by both companies. Wasques of both generations are found on the used boat market, and Hood is asked to care for many of the boats that he and Vineyard Yachts built.
More Wasques are on the way, too. C. W. Hood also offers the Wasque 29, a couple’s dayboat/ overnighter powered by a Yanmar diesel inboard/outboard, and the Wasque 33, a fast boat for family cruising. Power on the 33 comes from twin Volvo Penta IPS pod drives, and the boat is available with the traditional Wasque soft top or as a sedan/flybridge. Both the 29 and the 33 are built at the Hood facility in Marblehead.
“I think the designs are fresh and fit in well with today’s customers,” Hood says. “These boats stay true to the traditional Wasque look, but they’re designed for today’s families, with less maintenance and more fun.”
In the old days, Martha’s Vineyard boatbuilder David Thompson used to close his letters with words that have proved prophetic: “Long live Wasque!”