What a Difference a Year Makes

by Earl Boebert

Here we present two boats by the same designer, done just a year apart. James A. Potter was a well-known designer in the MYRAA days and immediately turned his hand to Marbleheads, producing Wampum in 1932 and more publicized Wampum II in 1933. The contrast between the two boats illustrates the rapid evolution of the Marblehead class in its earlier years. Wampum, like the 1932 Champion Cypher, owes much to the earlier Marblehead 450 class with its light displacement and long fin. A year later Potter has deepened the canoe body and increased the beam and the displacement. The result is a boat of the general form that lasted until around 1939, exemplified by designs such as Madcap, Cheerio, and Helen J. After that the West Coast designers such as Lassel and Houk came up with the “modern” form with its plumb stem and stern and full length waterline.

Either of these boats could be made into a fine Traditional Vintage M using the planking technique illustrated on this site. No sail plan was published with the Wampum plans, but the one for Wampum II will do nicely. The Wampum plans, dated November 1932, appeared in Model Yachting for March 1933 and the Wampum II in Marine Models for January 1934.

The table below shows the dimensional differences between the two boats

Wampum (1932)

Wampum II (1933)