Do you know about Bob Baker

Do you know about Bob Baker - boat designer and builder of Westport, MA? Recently, the Small Craft Workshop featured Bob Baker's work and contribution to the meaning of a boat. We are looking for people who built or own the following boats designed by Robert H. Baker -- 1950-1980.

Here's some background....

Bob Baker loved boats. Even as a child, he would find old boats and, often as possible, bring them home with him. Out of practical experience and careful observation, Bob arrived at his own remarkable technical and aesthetic understanding of watercraft.

Bob was an artist and a craftsman of the highest order, and his interests and talents are evident in his work. As Jon Wilson of WoodenBoat Magazine wrote, "Bob loved things traditional, and taught others to love them, but was not bound by tradition . . . His unfailing eye for proportion and detail was thus the object of considerable admiration for all who knew him. His subtle touch was in evidence everywhere around his shop, his house, his boats , and in the numerous designs he created."

When Bob Baker died in 1983, he left a legacy of extraordinary work - beautiful boats and boat designs, models, carvings, and a large collection of photos, sketches and plans. In many instances, Bob's work captured and illumined the vanishing craft of wooden boat building.

Bob spent his life with boats, sailing them, drawing them, restoring them, and, whenever possible, taking lines off them. His plans and drawings are a reflection of his love and understanding of design and of the sea. They are also a reflection of the ongoing commitment to Bob's work carried by his family.

Here's a list of the Baker Boats. Recognize any of them? Visit the Baker Boatworks web site for more information.

• Puddleduck. 7' 10" dinghy. Designed at St. Georges School, Middletown, R.I. Catalog plan #56.
• Dragonfly. 20' sloop. Designed at St. Georges School, Middletown , R.I. Catalog plan #21.
• Sprite. 10' fiberglass sloop. Designed for O'day. Catalog plan #20.
• Orion. 19' sloop Designed for Sailstar. Catalog plan #37.
• Tallstar. 14' sloop Designed for Sailstar. Catalog plan #38.
• Kids Pod. 12' 10" peapod. Catalog plan #18.
• Samanthe. 26' 8" gaff-rigged schooner. Catalog plan #19.
• Catboat. 20' shoal draft cat. Catalog plan #27.
• Swampscott Dory. 17' sailing dory. Catalog plan #14.
• Newport Shore Boat. 11' 5" sprit sailsail. Catalog plan #52.
• Westport Sharpie. 14' gaff-rigged. Catalog plan #69.
• Gray Boat. 16' 1" tender. Catalog plan #85.
• Shadow. 21' 1" Sandbagger. Catalog plan #93.
• Two-Forty. 20' 1" Gaff-rigged sloop. Catalog plan #42
• Little Bear. 11' 6" sloop. Fiberglass. Designed for Sailstar. 1961.
• Marscot. 7' 11" sailing dingy. Fiberglass. Designed for O'Day
• Widgeon. 12' 4" Sloop. Fiberglass. Designed for O'Day 1963.

Please contact Anne Baker if you have any information or leads.. Thanks for your help!

Anne W. Baker
29 Drift Road
Westport, MA 02790
Telephone - 508 636 3272
Email: awb02@sprynet.com