Boatyard blaze in Woods Hole destroys two vessels

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

A fire that tore through a storage shed in an iconic boatyard in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole today spared some antique vessels but destroyed two boats that were stored at the facility, a representative of the family-owned business said.

“It engulfed the building very quickly” at about 2 p.m., said Weatherly Dorris, 49, who runs the Quissett Harbor Boatyard with her husband Richard, in a telephone interview.

Dorris said that no one was injured in the fire, but that two family-owned boats stored at the wrecked shed were completely destroyed. She declined to say what kind of boats they were or when they were built.

She said that about a dozen other vessels appeared to be okay, though some of their parts -- such as booms and masts -- were irreparably damaged.

Those boats are wooden Herreshoff vessels dating as far back as the 1930s, and fiberglass Doughdish reproductions that were built decades later, according to Dorris.

About 1,100 Herreshoff vessels have been built, though 640 are unaccounted for, according to the online Herreshoff Registry, which bills itself as a resource for builders, owners, prospective owners and hobbyists.

The vessels range in length from 12 and 1/2 feet to about 30 feet, and are known for speed and durability, according to the registry.

Woods Hole resident Eric Little drove by the scene of the fire today and said in a telephone interview that the boatyard is very well operated.

“They do a lot of nice classic work and that’s from a boat owner,” Little said. “I used to haul my boat there all the time.”

Dorris said that firefighters battled the blaze for hours before putting it out, and she does not know how it started.

Local fire departments and State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan confirmed that their personnel were at the scene but did not immediately release further information.

Dorris said her family, which has operated the boatyard since the 1950s, plans to rebuild on the site of the damaged shed, which is total loss.

“We have a lot of fabulous boat owners that we want to continue to serve,” she said. “This is a huge setback but not insurmountable.”