Lettie first touched water in the Essex River of Essex, Massachusetts in 1893. Her hull (125′ loa x 21′ x almost 11′ draft) evolved through scores of schooners pre-dating her to operate in the Atlantic fishery.
In 1885 Pioneer (102′ x 22 x 4.5′) launched into the Delaware River, shoal-draft to allow hauling sand off beaches to greater Philadelphia’s foundries. A large centerboard can drop to 12′.
Today wood-hulled Lettie carries two
engines, whereas
the iron (now mostly steel) hull of Pioneer carries only one.
The hull lines reflect the difference in habitat: Lettie has cleaved many sea miles of rough blue water, slicing through waves and rollers, whereas
Pioneer has slid onto and then back off sandy beaches, gliding there almost as on water.
I love looking at hulls on the high and dry. If you have kids, see if they like Wreck of the Zephyr. I like reading it to grandkid since it gives me an excuse to look at the art.
All fotos here by will Van Dorp. Lettie fotos from March 2009; Pioneer fotos from over a year ago.
Unrelated: Check out the youtube here that Harry sent along of Allie B & Goliath headed for sea at the start of its 6000-mile journey. Great speeded-up video and haunting music. ETA in Gibraltar: before April 1.
tugster: a waterblog 
4 comments
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March 24, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Mage Bailey
Yes, quite a pair of hulls and a moving video. Nice lighthouse too.
March 25, 2009 at 4:41 pm
richardspilman
Great photos and a very interesting comparison of the hulls. The different designs for the two very different employments couldn’t be more evident.
March 27, 2009 at 8:50 pm
bowsprite
When I first started on Pioneer and we were talking about overnight trips, I asked Brendan if there was a depth sounder. He pointed to the centerboard and said, “When the line goes slack, we’ve hit the bottom.”
March 27, 2009 at 11:04 pm
tugster
cool story about brendan