Hello. I’m building Revell’s Yacht America, and am not quite sure about the correct colors. Mainly, what is the correct color for the hull above the waterline? I’ve seen builds of it on the internet where it was painted black, but the box art shows is as a dark brown. I’d greatly appreciate any input!
She was black hulled, coppered below the waterline and had white cabins and hatches when she won in 1851. But, in the 1890s, she was white.
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I can’t remember where, but I have seen a photo of America with the white hull. I do not recall ever seeing a model of her in white…including the one in my avatar, which I built in 1968.
Okay, thanks! I’ll go with black.
Well, that was during her most famous time, of course she would be always remembered as having a black hull.
What I have to laugh at is that when she was raced in the 1890 period AMERICA’s Cup regatta, in her white guise and with heavy rigging, and being close to 50 years old, she still finished some 11 minutes a head of the British Contender!
Not too shabby for an old gal.
There is a Book entitled “The Low Black Schooner” Yacht America 1851-1945 written by John Rousmaniere published by Mystic Seaport and Museum ISBN #0-939510-04-9, 1986.
This is a great referance to the history of the vessel. On page 59 they have a photograph of her dockside (White overall paint) under wraps until she was put into service as a Packet to the Cape Verde Islands.
Jake
I haven’t done any serious reading about this ship in a long time. I do remember, though, that the museum where I used to work (the Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Virginia) had the skylight that originally stood on her quarterdeck. It was bright, varnished wood, with polished brass hinges - not painted.
Mystic Seaport has her rudder, in the original NYYC building there. The Confederacy scuttled her when they used her as a blockade runner. The North raised her.
During her original racing days, ‘America’ was painted all black above the waterline, with a gold leaf rubrail and trailboards. Subsequently, she was used as a blockade runner by the South, and then as a patrol vessel by the North, during which time she was all black (she had also acquired a topmast for the foremast at this time, along with an additional topsail and jib). After the war, she was returned to yacht status and was painted white. I have built this model in white with a black strake, all black (original racing colors), green with a black strake/bulwark, and several others as well. My favorite color combination is black with a white strake, not because this was any sort of historical color combination for ‘America,’ but I think it should have been!