By Christina DiMartino 

      As long as people have been interested in “big” boats, they’ve been interested in models that depict them. The earliest records of ships under sail show that man took to natural bodies of water more than 3,200 years ago. Most evidence is found in Egyptian petroglyph and pot drawings, and in models generally found in burial tombs.

      Craftspeople continue the practice of model boat building still today, and pond boats are one of the categories. These differ from others in that they are “working models,” used in the sport of pond sailing. Their beginning probably stemmed from their use in marine-related research. One of the earliest records of working models in the U.S. is in a letter from Benjamin Franklin to Sir John Pringle on May 10, 1768. Franklin reveals how he dragged a six inch model boat through a 14 foot tank in a series of experiments to determine the effect of water depth on the speed of a boat. The test results led to engineering studies by those engaged in canal construction in the U.S. and England later in the century. Since that letter, many other documents indicate miniature models were built and tested before engineering full-scale ships began so ship builders could determine potential problems and conditions.

      Recreational pond sailing in America became increasingly popular from the late Victorian period through its heyday in the 1930s. In England, however, it can be traced back to nobility in the early 1600s.

      Antique and collectible pond boats have become increasingly difficult to find in the past decade because of their gaining popularity. When found, they’re often in grave disrepair. Many were the “toys of youth,” and, as such, were subjected to all the perils that one might imagine.  They usually have been treated with whimsical disregard, frequent alteration, repainting or merely the ravages of time.

Much of the pond boat renaissance in the past decade has to do with their appeal as decorating accents. They’re often used to create a feeling of “warmth” in banks and corporate offices because of their folk-art appearance. Some, however, collect primarily for the sport of sailing. Several pond boat organizations in the U.S. have members who have spent years researching and studying the history of the boats. John Snow, president of the U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group in Marblehead, Mass., is one known expert. He says the group promotes model yacht racing and has grown to 120 clubs across the country since its inception in 1971.

“Pond boats became extremely popular during the mid 1980s,” Snow says. “The interest in folk art helped spur the interest, then they began appearing in decorating and home-design magazine editorials and advertisements. The result was new collector interest.”

Snow says they’re also called pond yachts and model yachts. “Today they’re a popular item with antique dealers, decorators and auction houses, including those available on the Internet,” he says. “Boats built before World War I are in high demand and extremely rare. But because they’re folk art, and often found buried in attics and cellars, they continue to surface -- usually in need of refurbishing.”

The increased popularly is riddled with warning to the inexperienced, however. Snow says the genre waxes and wanes with imitations. Ben Martin, a partner with Emmons & Martin Antiques in Essex, Mass., agrees, but says reproductions aren’t necessarily a bad thing.

“The market now produces authentic looking, top quality replications,” Martin says. “This helps keep authentic pond boat prices from becoming unaffordable. Many people want them for decorating purposes rather than for a collection, so they’re appeased with good reproductions at less expensive prices.

Martin says there are no rules related to the authenticity of a pond boat. “Craftspeople often built them to simulate a real boat,” he says, “but there’s no way to know if details -- from keel length to the anchor -- are precisely accurate and to scale.”

Two primary models generally interest collectors, according to Martin. One, the A-Class models, are up to 85 inches long with masts up to nine feet high. “Collectors often display this class without the mast because it doesn’t fit into their homes,” he says. “Class A boats were built between the 1920s and 1930s, and are the first international class of pond racing boats that are still sailed today. The construction technique was commonly plank-on-frame, and built to exact scale of a full-size boat. Buttock-style construction, however, was also used at the time. This technique entails gluing planks of wood together then carving the boat.”

The other, the Marblehead Class boats, average 50 inches and range between seven and eight feet tall. “This class was invented in Marblehead in the early 1930s,” Martin says. “About 50 percent of the ones we find today were made in the plank-on-frame method, and 50 percent in buttock-style. Today a Class-A models made between 1920 and 1940 can demand as much as $15,000. A Marblehead Class in good condition brings as much as $8,000.”

      Collectors should not be afraid of buying a pond boat that has had extensive restoration, if done well, Martin says. “It won’t lessen the model’s value,” he says. “I often find hulls with no details or plans, but if the structure is in tact, it’s a guide to what kind of a boat it is. There may be small traces of where hardware was originally positioned, but otherwise it’s the restorer’s dream boat from that point and he is free to develop it any way he chooses. The best advice for collectors, especially novices, is to make sure the boat not a reproduction, and, like paintings, buy what you like.”

      For those who’d like a taste of pond boat sailing before embarking on it as a collection, clubs are scattered across the U.S. A search on the Internet using the key words “pond boats, model yachts or pond yachts” will guide queries to a malady of clubs and groups who sail regularly. If you live in the New York City area, or visit between early April and mid November, you can see pond boats sailing on the Conservatory Water Pond in Central Park every Saturday. John Tucker, vice commodore of the Central Park Model Yacht Club, says the group formed in 1916. “We draw about 50 people every week,” Tucker says. “Structured racing begins at ten a.m. Many of our members store their boats in the clubhouse next to the Conservatory, so those who would like a good sampling of pond boats can view them during club activity.” 

Where To Find Authentic Pond Boats

      Antique retailers and auction houses often market top quality pond boats. Because they’re truly folk art, however, collectors say they often surface in the most unlikely places. Check yard sales, flea markets and even thrift stores for values, especially for hulls that are in need of renovation. Don’t limit your search to any particular area -- or country. Anywhere in the world there is water, you’re likely to find model boats native to that region.