Palmer Scott & Company, Boat Yard
Palmer Scott & Company was established in 1935 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. After a fire burned it to the ground in 1936, the business was relocated to the north end of New Bedford, Massachusetts, on the Acushnet River.
"After the fire in 1935 and the reestablishment of the company in New Bedford, the company built several rather fabulous wooden yachts. I remember one, a powerboat, that had a spiral staircase down to the main cabin with a snake as the banister, ending with the head of a cobra. Another yacht had a mahogany tiller carved in the shape of a muscular man's arm with a rolled-up shirt sleeve, ending with the hand curled around a ball. It took a full case of scotch to keep the carver lubricated enough to finish the project.
As soon as war was declared, Palmer Scott & Co. went into full-time government work. During this time, my father was sent to South America to find sources of lumber. He found trees suitable for boat construction in the jungles of Brazil, but each tree took 6 months to a year to extract. After WWII, the demand for 'gorgeous' wooden yachts waned. Palmer Scott was approached by a brilliant chemist to construct fiberglass boats. Together, they developed the first vacuum-molded fiberglass hull, inciting protests from old-time wooden boat builders who said the company now 'sucked boats.'
In 1954, Hurricane Carol caused significant damage, wiping out much of the north end yard. This effectively ended Palmer Scott & Company, though Marscott Plastics survived and transitioned into George D. O'Day Associates. Some blueprints may survive, and I am trying to locate them for your reference." – T. S. C.
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This town is home to many seafaring stories.