Gannon and Benjamin Builds a Whaleboat

Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, located in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, was established in 1980 by Nat Benjamin and Ross Gannon and has built more than 50 substantial vessels, mostly to Nat’s designs. Built in plank-on-frame construction (lapstrake or carvel, steam bent and sawn frames), their boats range in size from an 8-foot dinghy to a 65-foot schooner. The 28-foot whaleboat for the Morgan was built using traditional methods and was launched in June, 2013.

Having a boat built on the Vineyard is particularly appropriate as the first captain of the Morgan, Thomas Adams Norton, and five other of the ship’s total of 21 captains hailed from the island.