Two half block models on a single backing board, a Masterman 8 foot clinker yacht and an unidentified vessel
Dateearly 20th century
Object number00029553
NameHalf block model
MediumWood, metal
DimensionsOverall: Height: 170 mm, width: 1025 mm
ClassificationsModels
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Christine O'Brien
DescriptionTwo half block models on single backing board. A label beneath the smaller model on the left reads `The Masterman 8' Clinker Yacht Tender'. The model on the right, largest of the two, is unidentified. In the centre is a trade label advertising `Clinker Boat Supplies / Nick Masterman / 9 Nina St Balmain / Specialists in traditional wooden boats and equipment'.
HistoryShip builder's half block models were produced to demonstrate the shape of a vessel and were constructed by joining a series of planks together. Builders then used the model as a reference when cutting and fitting timbers for the full scale vessel.
Nick Masterman was a master shipwright who excelled at building clinker hulled skiffs and was well-known for the beautifully crafted wooden boats he produced from his small boatyard in Balmain. In an age where fibreglass was rapidly replacing the art of traditional wooden boatbuilding, Masterman was an advocate for the quality and craftsmanship of traditional techniques. Nick Masterman had begun building wooden boats at the age of 13 and had later trained as a shipwright and naval architect in Sydney. He also spent time studying in Japan at a major shipyard, and in 1978 established his own boatyard in Balmain. Masterman had also worked to recreate the butcher boat - the original Sydney Harbour runabout. Butcher boats were a regular feature in Sydney Harbour, and based out of Man O'War Steps in Circular Quay they serviced sailing ships at anchor with crew and provisions.
Masterman's reputation as one of Australia's leading experts on wooden boats led him to secure a commission to restore the steam yacht ENA. In 1983 work commenced on ENA, an enormous undertaking that involved replacing much of the deck and hull and the vessel's diesel engine with an 1888 steam engine. Once the project was complete in 1986, ENA successfully circumnavigated Australia, the first steam yacht to do so and the oldest yacht to do so.
Nick Masterman died in 1993 leaving behind a legacy of traditional small wooden boat revival in Australia.SignificanceBefore a ship was built a half model such as this was created to plan a vessel's design and to display the hull to the ship builders and clients. These skilfully crafted models are replicas of their full scale counterparts and provide details of the design and build of individual vessels. This particular model relates to Sydney based master shipbuilder, Nick Masterman.
