VESSEL HISTORY – SUMMARY
NISCA, a 40’, 1924 Piute Class, Express Cruiser from the William Hand, Jr. collection was built on the Connecticut River at the Portland Yacht Yard, Portland, Connecticut. Apart from being homeported in the 1930’s in Rockport, Maine, an excursion to Florida by transport in 1987, and on her own bottom in 1995, as well as several recent excursions downeast, NISCA has remained afloat in Connecticut waters for most of her 96 years.
Given the name PATTIE II by R. E. Patterson of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1924, she cruised the New England waters for about six years briefly acquiring Rockport, Maine, as a homeport.
Sold to Judge William Malone around 1930 the name changed to NISCA II after a former outboard powered ‘rowboat’ he motored down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans in the 1920’s. NISCA is an Ojibwa (Anishinaabe) name for ‘GOOSE’. The name (NISCA) has stayed with her to this day.
William Hand, Jr., produced similar preliminary design drawings in the 1920’s for RUDDER and other magazines on a monthly basis from his office in New Bedford, MA. Although the original plans for NISCA (Pattie II) were lost in a fire at the Portland Yacht Yard after she was built, her design is like many of Hand’s drawings originating in the 1920’s.
The original 1924 saloon was open to the elements having a pipe frame with canvas top behind a hard windshield. Fore and aft companionways were protected with weather boards and hatches. The second saloon, circa 1930 had a fully enclosed, raised paneled design built with mahogany. In the 1950’s a modern Chris Craft style house with fly bridge, said to be designed by Winthrop Warner, remained until 1989. From 1989-94 NISCA underwent extensive restoration and was re-launched with a new saloon, bruynzeel decks, new apron, keel, stem, oak floor timbers, 100 new oak ribs, cedar planking (carvel), diesel motor, and updated electrical, navigation, plumbing and refrigeration systems. The new house was built in a 1930’s style from teak. The cabin sole is teak and holly over oak timbers. Forward of the helm is a full galley leading to two berths and original head, and fore-peak rope locker. The main stateroom, shower and second head are aft of the saloon and upper helm station. The documented design is 40’ LOA x 9.5′ at the deck and 7.5′ at the waterline.
Over time NISCA has been powered by three different engines. Starting reputedly with a Van Blerck, 200hp, E-8, then a 125-130hp Sterling FS, followed by a turbo, GM-471-T, 190 HP, they have all given way to the present ISUZU MTC-3, six cylinder turbo, inter-cooled, 235 hp diesel motor.
Since restoration NISCA has won more than 15 awards including six Best in Show, 40’ and Under, awards at Mystic Seaport’s Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous.
NISCA has been recognized in two publications, Ron McClure’s Classic Wooden Motor Yachts, 2003, and The Book of Wooden Boats, Vol. III, Benjamin Mendlowitz and Maynard Bray, 2010.