NY40 MARILEE: Restoration of a Herreshoff Classic

Published on June 26th, 2018

The 1926 Nathanael Herreshoff-designed NY40 MARILEE recently underwent a complete restoration by French & Webb in Belfast, Maine. This two-year-plus restoration included 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.