Weymouth- Like golf balls and diamonds, historical treasures are, often as not, uncovered “in the rough.”

“The rough,” in this case, is a rather forlorn-looking boathouse on Commercial Street.  Inside the weatherworn structure is “Wasaka III,” a 50-foot power yacht which has amassed some impressive historical credentials -- one which have become a source of perpetual fascination for its owner, David Higgs.

To being with, “Wasaka III,” circa 1912, has managed in its 63 years to ensnare the lives of some of Greater Boston’s more prominent figures.

First on the list is the late Ralph E. Winslow, an internationally know naval architect.  MR. Winslow, a lifelong resident of Quincy, designed the yacht, which carried an original price tag of $15,000.

During his illustrious career, Mr. Winslow was the construction superintendent of the Herreshoff Co. a Bristol, R.I. firm known throughout the world for its high caliber of naval architecture.  He later became a senior naval architect in the War Department, designing during World War II the first 110-foot submarine chaser.  He also designed the first diesel-powered yacht.

Following its completion at the prestigious Britt Brothers boatyard in Lynn, “Wasaka” began a sea-going odyssey which included eight different ownerships and brought the yacht to the South Shore.

During the 1930s, “Wasaka” was owned by two Weymouth residents.  Its fourth owner was Augusta Summers of Front Street and its fifth owner , Elmer R. Blenis of Mill Street.

Neither, however, had the nautical background of Warren B. Nott, the crafts sixth owner.  His career was detailed by Mr. Higgs, who just happens to be his grandson.

According to Mr. Higgs, his grandfather started out as an apprentice at Fore River shipyard.  By the time of his death 10 years ago, Mr. Nott had become the superintendent of machinery at Fore River, overseeing in that capacity the engine rooms of the Bainbridge and the Long Beach, two nuclear powered warships.

Mr. Nott also supervised engine construction on the tanker Manhattan and was consulted during construction of the Nautilus, this country’s first nuclear-powered submarine.

Mr. Higgs’ research, a collection of letters, photos, index cards, photo-copied material, and newspaper clippongs, has helped him unravel at least one chapter in the boat’s past. after this country entered World War I in 1917, the Wasaka was used to patrol area waters in search of German submarines, according to Mr. Higgs.

This was certainly not an unprecedented move on the part of John J. Martin, a Boston banker who owned the boat at the time.  Dozens of other small craft owners made similar gestures of patriotism.

Walking from fore to aft on the boat is like a trip through a nautical museum. “Wasaka” is powered by a salt water--cooled engine, installed in 1934 and , according to Mr. Higgs, “still going strong.”

Other contemporary equipment includes the yacht’s original timepiece -- a brass Seth Thomas ship clock which still works; a bank of batteries installed around 1920 when electricity replaced kerosene as a shipboard source of light; and a 1916 chart of Boston Harbor.

The boat also has a dummy smokestack.  According to Mr. Higgs, steam-powered yachts were still very popular in 1912 and, in fact, were considerably more prestigious because they required a hired crew to run time.  He says the stack appears to be nothing more than a pretense to wealth, an early twentieth century version of “keeping up with the Jones.”

“Wasaka” is finished in varnished mahogany in may areas, anther sign, Mr. Higgs said , of an antique. It also has its original flagstaff and mast.

Virtually the only sign of anything modern is the sight of an empty beer car of a crumpled fast food restaurant gag -- in this case the remains of a solitary laborer hard at work.

Indeed, Mr. Higgs is as much the craft’s caretaker as he is its chronicler.  He has had it in the water each of the past two summers, and hopes to make it seaworthy again by spring.

When underway, the yacht handles “like a tug boat -- slow and powerful”, according to Mr. Higgs.  He added that the boat was designed and built during a transitional period in American yachting, it has the narrow back of a sailing vessel, but yet is is enginedriven.

Mr. Higgs is a member of the Braintree and Minot Yacht Clubs, and he said his boat is the oldest and biggest in both.

He is also a card-carrier in the Antique and Classic Boat Society, a New York-based organization.  His primary interest is gas-powered antiques, a category of ships which, he said, has attracted faint notice until recently.

“People used to be interested  almost strictly in wind-powered vessels,” he said. “But that’s beginning to change.  Steam and gas-powered yachts seems to be enjoying a resurgence of late.”

Mr. Higgs’ unquenchable thirst for more information about the “Wasaka” in particular, and power boast in general, is far from satisfied.  Like and diligent detective, he clams to be waiting for the clue which will somehow unlock the wealth of information