Half block model replica of 18-foot skiff JENNY IV
Model Maker
Norman Wright Jnr
(died 1996)
Date1988
Object number00005825
NameHalf block model
MediumBeech, cedar
DimensionsOverall: 100 x 685 x 110 mm, 1.4 kg
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Norman Wright Jnr
DescriptionThis half block model replica was built in 1988 after the 1952 18-foot skiff JENNY IV, designed and built by Norman Wright Junior and Bob Miller (Ben Lexcen). The text on the side of the model reads, 'Jenny iv Australian Champ 1952, Skipper - designer N J Wright the last of the ple-upeze [sic] boats (crew 5). Hence the flatter section. Njw. 89.'HistoryShipbuilder 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 point when cutting and fitting timbers for the full scale vessel. Half models rarely survive as the names of the ships they represented are usually lost or they are often mistaken for scraps of wood. The museum holds a large number of half models depicting vessels of different types, including steamships, skiffs, dinghies, launches and tugs.
Ben Lexcen (born Robert Miller) has a special place in yachting history as the designer of the yacht Australia II which won the Americas Cup from the Americans in 1983. Lexcen was born on 19 March 1936 in Boggabri, New South Wales. From an early age, Lexcen took an interest in sailing and built his first boat as an apprentice in his early twenties.
In the late 1950s, Norman Wright in Brisbane invited Lexcen to leave Sydney and join his boatyard, which had been in business since 1909. Lexcen remained there until 1961, when another friendship and partnership was formed with Craig Whitworth and the two won an inter-dominion championship in the Flying Dutchman class, after which both partners set up their own sail making business back in Sydney.
In the 1970s, Lexcen decided to set up his own business. By 1982, he designed the famous Americas Cup winning yacht, AUSTRALIA II. The America's Cup win in 1983 allowed him to establish a sizable office with intentions of becoming an international design firm. The office was successful but in May 1988, Lexcen died of a sudden heart attack.SignificanceThis model showcases the skill and ingenuity of two of Australia's most renowned skiff designers and builders. The model reveals the early shipbuilding designs of Bob Miller, before he became Ben Lexcen, the man who designed the yacht that broke the 126-year American dominance over the America's Cup.
