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Cape Cod Shipbuilding
Cape Cod Shipbuilding is an American boat builder based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The company specializes in the manufacture of fiberglass sailboats.
The company was founded by brothers Myron and Charles Gurney in 1899.
The company started as a wagon maker in central Wareham, constructing wagons for local businesses. With the invention of the rubber tire they began to branch out into other fields. Their plant was on the Wareham River, which provided access to Buzzards Bay and so they occasionally built skiffs for their own recreational use. A customer offered to buy one skiff that they had built, but rather than sell it, they built him a duplicate, starting them in the boat building business.
A new company was launched in 1899 to build boats, which the brothers named the Cape Cod Power Dory Company. It built wooden sailboats and skiffs. One of their most well-known early designs was the 1925 Cape Cod Knockabout, designed by Charles Gurney.
As the company grew they built lifeboats and an 80-foot (24-meter) launch which displaced 60 tons (54 metric tons), named Saltaire. It was the largest vessel launched to that time and the town residents came out to watch it christened and launched in the Wareham River.
In 1919, the new Narrows Bridge was built over the river below the plant and that restricted access to Buzzards Bay. The company was moved to a new property below the bridge, called Idlewild, which was on land owned by William Minot. The company name was changed at the time of the move to the Cape Cod Shipbuilding Corporation. The new property allowed spreading the buildings constructed out to avoid the risk of fire. Buildings were constructed for wood storage, milling, boat assembly, painting, a showroom and an office with a view over the whole operation. The company built both pleasure boats and commercial boats during this period.
When Charles Gurney died the ownership passed to G.S. Williams and the plant entered a decline in product quality and employment dropped to one employee. The operation was purchased by Les Goodwin in 1939. Goodwin and his wife, Audrey, moved into the office to live, to turn the company around. They enlisted well-known boat designers, including Philip Rhodes and Sparkman & Stephens to produce designs for production, including the Rhodes 18 and Cape Cod Mercury 15.
During the Second World War the company was leased to National Fireworks and was named the Wareham Shipyards to give it better access to strategic materials. It produced small tugboats, launches and smoke boats, all with drafts of under 15 ft (5 m) due to the depth of the river at the plant. The company built 40 ft (12 m) tugboats at a rate of six per month, employing over 100 people.
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Cape Cod Shipbuilding
Cape Cod Shipbuilding is an American boat builder based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The company specializes in the manufacture of fiberglass sailboats.
The company was founded by brothers Myron and Charles Gurney in 1899.
The company started as a wagon maker in central Wareham, constructing wagons for local businesses. With the invention of the rubber tire they began to branch out into other fields. Their plant was on the Wareham River, which provided access to Buzzards Bay and so they occasionally built skiffs for their own recreational use. A customer offered to buy one skiff that they had built, but rather than sell it, they built him a duplicate, starting them in the boat building business.
A new company was launched in 1899 to build boats, which the brothers named the Cape Cod Power Dory Company. It built wooden sailboats and skiffs. One of their most well-known early designs was the 1925 Cape Cod Knockabout, designed by Charles Gurney.
As the company grew they built lifeboats and an 80-foot (24-meter) launch which displaced 60 tons (54 metric tons), named Saltaire. It was the largest vessel launched to that time and the town residents came out to watch it christened and launched in the Wareham River.
In 1919, the new Narrows Bridge was built over the river below the plant and that restricted access to Buzzards Bay. The company was moved to a new property below the bridge, called Idlewild, which was on land owned by William Minot. The company name was changed at the time of the move to the Cape Cod Shipbuilding Corporation. The new property allowed spreading the buildings constructed out to avoid the risk of fire. Buildings were constructed for wood storage, milling, boat assembly, painting, a showroom and an office with a view over the whole operation. The company built both pleasure boats and commercial boats during this period.
When Charles Gurney died the ownership passed to G.S. Williams and the plant entered a decline in product quality and employment dropped to one employee. The operation was purchased by Les Goodwin in 1939. Goodwin and his wife, Audrey, moved into the office to live, to turn the company around. They enlisted well-known boat designers, including Philip Rhodes and Sparkman & Stephens to produce designs for production, including the Rhodes 18 and Cape Cod Mercury 15.
During the Second World War the company was leased to National Fireworks and was named the Wareham Shipyards to give it better access to strategic materials. It produced small tugboats, launches and smoke boats, all with drafts of under 15 ft (5 m) due to the depth of the river at the plant. The company built 40 ft (12 m) tugboats at a rate of six per month, employing over 100 people.