The Kipper Perriauger Project

By Gene Tozzi

Throughout the second third of the 18th century up until the age of steam, one of the most common sights on the Hudson River was the Dutch style perriauger, sometimes called a pettiauger. Almost every ferry along the River used a perriauger as their vessel of choice and traders used them to carry goods from town to town on what was then the only reliable avenue of commerce, the Hudson (or North) River. With the advent of steamboats, the perriauger was abandoned in favor of the faster and more efficient side wheelers, one of the most famous being the Mary Powell.



These once ubiquitous craft were then abandoned and forgotten. In the spring of 2007 this will change. For the first time in over 150 years a perriauger will once again ply the waters of the Hudson River to pay homage to the nautical history of the Hudson Valley and the part these craft played. The First Ulster County Militia, the organizers and sponsors, along with the City of Kingston, of the Biennial Revolutionary War reenactment “The Burning of Kingston,” in partnership with the Capitol District Maritime Academy in Alpaus, NY, a BOCES school for at risk boys, will build and launch a reproduction Dutch style perriauger. At 23 feet long and 7 foot wide (beam), she will be the only one of her kind, as far as we can tell, anywhere in the world.



The Hudson River perriauger may not be known even to those familiar with maritime history. They were, however, an important part of the life on the river in the 18th century. The word “perriauger” (also “pettiauger,” “perigua” or even “petty-yauger”) is considered by some to be a corruption of the Spanish word “piragua,” which means “dugout.” Others believe the word comes from the French “petit-augre” (“little messenger”). Still others feel it is merely a Dutch spelling of the word “pirogue,” and local tradition credits the Dutch with the introduction of this craft to the Hudson Valley; the use of “lee-boards,” a traditional Dutch adaptation, lends credence to this view. In the South, these were often dugouts, as the southern perriaugers were often carved from a single cypress log. Sometimes the log was split and planks were added in between to give more beam to the vessel. Along the Hudson River, however, these vessels were much different and built from planks on frames, usually, from what few descriptions we can find, lapstraked—one plank overlapping the one beneath it and riveted together along the seam.



The uses of these singular craft were as varied as their names. Most ubiquitous as ferries along the Hudson—almost any town with “ferry” in it’s name was usually serviced by a perriauger. One in particular ran between the Rondout and Kipsbergen (Rhinecliff Landing) for many years, owned and operated by a man named Jacob Kip in the 1750s, who inherited both the vessel and the business from his father and therefore our project name: “Kipper Perriauger Project.” Noah Elting, in 1793, ran a ferry between New Paltz Landing (Highland) and Poughkeepsie. Perriaugers were also used extensively to move goods between towns on the river and were designed with a large hold and shallow draft to ply the shoal waters of this Hudson River. They were also enlisted in the Continental Navy and saw service in defense of our Highlands. Though most common in the 1780s and in the early to middle 19th century, there are several references in Revolutionary War accounts to indicate the perriauger was a common sight on the Hudson during the 1770s, and a local newspaper article with references to a perriauger dates from 1760. The vessel had largely disappeared by the end of the Civil War, replaced by the faster steamboats.

The types of perriaugers were varied on the Hudson, and included rigs described as “modified schooners.” The most common type appeared to be what is known as a “cat-ketch.” Like a cat boat, the foremast was stepped well into the “eye” of the bow of the vessel, not more than a couple of feet aft of the stem. This positioning eliminated the need for a headsail or jib, necessary for sailing efficiency into the wind. The main mast was stepped amidships for maximum drive. Often the foremast was raked forward and the mainmast raked aft. This increased the craft’s performance to weather (into the wind), while giving room to rig a staysail between the masts for those times when the wind was light. The sails were bent aloft to short gaff spars. This rig was easy to handle and two man crews were normal. There were variations on this rig; one, notably, stepped two masts amidships near both rails and joined them at the masthead. This was used as a ferry and this configuration allowed wagons to come aboard without interfering with the mast. Single masted examples have also been recorded and these typically carried a headsail. These vessels were the forerunners of the famous Hudson River Sloops of the 19th century who take some of their design from the simple Hudson perriauger. Lengths varied considerably, with the smaller around 30 feet and the larger ones in the 75-foot range, tonnage from 20 to 65 tons. These were shallow draft boats typically with holds of less than 5 feet deep.



Bow shapes were both scow (blunt) and sharp-ended. Some had a full deck with cargo hatches, while others were open or partially decked. Though there appears to be many possible variations, the perriaugers were all flat-bottomed, shallow-drafted craft with lee boards to prevent leeway while under a strong breeze.



The Kipper Perriauger, when complete, will be a smaller example of the craft. The overall length will be 23 feet with a waterline length of 22.5 feet. She will have a beam of about 6.9 feet amidships and freeboard of about 32 inches. She should draw under 2 feet fully loaded. She will be double-masted and carry two gaff-rigged sails. The main mast will be boomed. She will ship leeboards on both starboard and larboard (now called port) and the helm will be a tiller-steered rudder. The masts will be stayed and, most likely, rigged with rat lines to make access to the masthead easier. We envision deadeyes to adjust the shrouds with forged chain plates to make them fast to the topsides. She will not be decked except for a small cuddy in the bow and will carry four rowing stations for those days when the wind fails and the “ash breeze” (oars) is needed. She will be constructed of cedar planking lapstraked to frames with white oak bottom and ribs. She will be sharp ended with a flat transom to mount the rudder. Ballast will be provided by the movable ballast (crew) and supplemented by barrels of cargo. For those uncertain times during the struggle with England, she will sometimes be armed with a swivel gun mounted in the bows. And we feel she will see action when the British forces come to burn Kingston this coming October.



For the construction we can thank the students of the BOCES Maritime Academy and their skilled instructor, Greg Pattison, of Alhaus, NY, for the effort. Greg is the Technology Teacher there and is the heart of their boat building program. Quite literally, had it not been for them, this project would not be possible. The students of the Academy will have the privilege of naming her. We have requested a name from classical mythology; they will make the final decision when the craft nears completion.



Gene Tozzi is a corporal in the First Ulster County Militia of Kingston. He is also, with Dean Barnes (the president of the organization), the originators of this project and its co-directors. Gene is a long time sailor with a sloop in the Rondout Creek, and both he and Dean are very active with historical sailing organizations. They are conferring with the Maritime Museum on the Rondout in Kingston to work in cooperation with them, and they hope to dock the perriauger there when finished. Their goal is to bring this part of Kingston’s history to light and share it with the people of Kingston and Ulster County. They plan to do school programs, weekend sails and perhaps even a revival of Jacob Kips ferry to Rhinecliff for a few interested visitors. They hope to be as ubiquitous on the River now as they were then.