All but three of these original boats have been lost.
All the other original boats have been lost due to deterioration, fires, or hurricanes.
The boatyard had to build a new hull and to do so lofted the lines off the original boat.
The first two had fixed shaft/propeller designs as the original boats.
"The opportunity to use one of the original boats would be just wonderful for certain activities."
But the amount recovered would never have been equal to that in the original boats.
The original boats were excavated in 1946 and unfortunately had to be cut up to be moved.
These featured a number of modifications from the original boats, reputedly for cost reduction reasons.
With the upgrades tested and proven, the original 4 boats were rebuilt to the same standards between 1989 to 1995.
One of the original boats was on display there as well, but has since been removed.