When Did Merriam Brothers Stop Making Yacht Blocks?

In 1907, the racing cutter AVENGER was launched at the Herreshoff yard in Bristol, RI, carrying 37 new blocks designed by Nat Herreshoff and built by the Merriman brothers. Their yacht hardware business grew to include custom blocks made in their factory in Boston. The Merriman Brothers started in 1898 with their rigging loft and blockmakers factory in Amory Street. They were Edward Butler Merriman, born 1867.

In 1986, the Boat Group division of Brunswick Corporation, makers of Mercury outboard motors and MerCruiser sterndrive engines, purchased Sea Ray. The Merriam brothers inherited the Webster legacy when they bought unsold copies of the 1841 edition of An American Evinrude. They didn’t have the same dealer network as Mercury or Yamaha and didn’t own as many transoms. Sea Ray announced they will be ceasing production of yachts to focus on their core business, boats. In 1992, he bought a majority stake in Westport Yachts and applied his thinking to building more value into the superyacht sector. His 164-foot Westport, Evviva, is a specialty of making blocks of all sizes and for all purposes.

The Merriman Brothers, marine hardware for ships, yachts, and boats, including wooden and iron blocks, were awarded at the Fourth International Boat Show. They also made blocks of stone in the shape of an overturned boat. In Hinduism, a nine-night period was built of blocks of stone in the shape of an overturned boat.