No Mans Land Boat
Description
The No Man's Land Boat (often spelled "Nomans Land Boat" or "Noman's Land Boat") is a traditional double-ended wooden fishing dory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by fishermen from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Named after No Man's Land Island—a rocky outpost 3 miles south of the island used for cod fishing—it was designed as a beach-launched, seaworthy workboat capable of handling rough offshore conditions while being light enough to haul ashore daily. Builders like Joshua Delano of Fairhaven and the Beetle family of New Bedford produced dozens, with lengths typically 16-22 feet. The lapstrake hull features a sweeping sheer, reverse curves aft, and an offset centerboard to avoid beach debris. Rigged as a two-masted sprit schooner (dipping lug foresail and boomed mainsail), it emphasizes simplicity and heavy-weather performance over speed. Modern replicas, like those at Mystic Seaport, highlight its enduring appeal for traditional sailors, though it's labor-intensive to build and row poorly (best under sail). A larger 28' variant, "Mabel," exists as a ketch-inspired homage.
Construction Details
| Designer | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Length | 17.667 ft |
| LOA | 17.667 ft |
| LWL | 16.480 ft |
| Beam | 6.000 ft |
| Max Draft | 3.500 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.550 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
No Mans Land Boat - SPRIT
| Luff | 9.167 ft - (2794 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 8.5 ft - (2591 mm) |
| Leech | 11.33 ft - (3453 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 84.38 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 11.875 ft - (3620 mm) |
| Head | 5.75 ft - (1753 mm) |
| Area | * 70.94 ft² |
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No Mans Land Boat - SPRIT
| Luff | 7 ft - (2134 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 5.75 ft - (1753 mm) |
| Leech | 7.167 ft - (2185 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 69.39 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 7.33 ft - (2234 mm) |
| Head | 3.25 ft - (991 mm) |
| Area | * 30.3 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.