Enterprise 44" Limited Description
Overall dimensions: 44 H x 5" W x 34" L (1:42 scale)
This newly designed, Limited Edition, museum-quality, scale replica Enterprise sailboat is offered exclusively by Handcrafted Model Ships. This sail boat includes a numbered Certificate of Authenticity signed by HMS Founder and Master Builder Richard Norris, as only 50 will ever be made. Accurate in almost every detail to the original Enterprise sail boat, this Enterprise sailboat offers features not available by other sellers, and has many upgrades over all other sailboat models available.
This is a pre assembled model. Models are shipped with the sails unassembled. All rigging, lines, and stays have brass hooks attached. They easily hook into eyelets on mast, boom, sprit, or deck. Pictured instructions with numbers on the hooks allow anyone to easily assemble this sailboat model in less than 4 minutes. This allows us to offer the model at a reasonable price. If assembled, the shipping cost alone would increase the cost by an additional $100
- Additional and higher-quality deck details
- Authentic cloth British flag
- Additional deck planks have been added and stained to match the actual Enterprise sailboat
- Additional and higher-quality solid brass metal railings and cleats have been added
- Highest quality, accurately scaled solid metal ship wheel
- Accurately detailed structures on the deck including windows
- A scale tied-down lifeboat on the stern of the deck, to mimic the actual Enterprise America's Cup sailboat
- The hull is meticulously painted the actual colors of the original Enterprise America's Cup sailboat. Look closely on the hull and you can see the individual planks and wood grain
- Highest-quality sails and additional rigging over all other models:
The sails are slightly starched to hold their shape and a higher quality and higher thread-count material is used, similar to that of the actual Enterprise sailboat at the time it sailed. We offer three unique sail materials that are matched to the different eras of model yachts we offer. Also, additional rigging lines have been added to be more true to the actual Enterprise sail boat.
Our Enterprise model sailboat is built with rare, high quality woods. Hand painted the actual colors of the Enterprise America's Cup sailboat. Enterprise America's Cup sailboat model has fabric sails with detailed stitching.
More America's Cup Limited Edition Sailboat Models to choose from:
To build this model ship, extensive research was done using various sources such as museums, drawings, copies of original plans and photos of the actual Enterprise yacht. Visit our
Frequently Asked Questions or call with questions.
Enterprise 44" Limited History
The four boats built for the 1930 defense were Enterprise, Whirlwind, Yankee, and Weetamoe. While none were shaped by Nathanael Herreshoff, who though alive was in failing health, Whirlwind was designed by his son, L. Francis.
William Starling Burgess' heritage weighed heavy upon him: his father, Edward Burgess, had designed three victorious defenders: Puritan, Mayflower and Volunteer. In 1930, he was commissioned to build a defense contender by the businessman Harold S. Vanderbilt. This was not the first of Starling's tribulations.
William S. Burgess left Harvard halfway through his studies, and made his debut in naval architecture. At the turn of the century, he built an aircraft under license to the Wright brothers. He was an inventive, curious engineer, with a desire to innovate and improve.
In 1930, he designed the J Class Enterprise, nicknamed the mechanical boat, the model of which he tank tested before building. His brother, Charles Paine Burgess, carried out sail and rigging tests in the University of New-York wind tunnel, and inspired by studies by Doctor Manfred Curry, designed the famous Park Avenue boom. The mast was a masterpiece in riveted duralumin. Nevertheless, Enterprise had a struggle to be selected in the American trials against Weetamoe, Yankee and Whirlwind. In the final race, thanks to the masterful hands of Mike Vanderbilt, Enterprise crushed Shamrock V, just before the finish, Starling Burgess was awarded the honor of steering his boat to victory.
Sir Thomas Lipton's last attempt was a dismal failure against Mike Vanderbilt and his Enterprise. But popularity of this famous owner of the Shamrock Yachts was such that the public response to a subscription to award him a souvenir cup in gold massive.
Overwhelmed, the ordinarily loquacious gentleman was scarcely able to utter a few words, "although I have always lost, you make me think I have won. Today Enterprise was too fast but I will come back to win this damned America's Cup".