At Buxton Boat, they are progressing. The hull is done and Peter Buxton and Tim Clark are putting in the internal structure.
At Sargent Custom Boats in Milbridge is refurbishing a Crowley Beal 33, which will be going to Bonaire in the Caribbean.
C. W. Johnson, Inc., Harpswell, Maine
In the first bay is Tom Clemons’ Morgan Bay 43 hull and top waiting to have her engine installed, which will be done by Chip Johnson. The engine is a 1,700-hp V-12 MAN, which was purchased as a running take-out in Florida last year. The engine is sitting in the stern of the boat and they were waiting for the shaft and tube to arrive, which was coming from Rose’s Marine in Gloucester, Massachusetts. There will only be a V-berth down forward and tankage under the platform. Really a quite simple boat. The big wait is on the gear, which is almost a year away from arriving. This means we will not see her at the lobster boat races this year.
In the next bay is Chip’s lobster boat, FIVE STARS [Calvin Beal 42; 750-hp Renault-Mack]. He had a problem with his manifolds leaking on the main engine. He removed them and then sent them off to Marine Exhaust Systems in Alabama. This engine was from a French tank and when it arrived it was green with all sorts of turbos and a nightmare of pipes. Chip removed all of this and put on a Caterpillar turbo. Now he is working on adding a bow thruster. He said, “The bows don’t come out of the water on these very much until you get going. I would say probably 16 or 17 before that is clear of the water.” He was just in the beginning phase of trying to figure out a configuration around the hole on each side to make sure that the water flow was good.
Next, Chip is bringing in Matt Clemons’ lobster boat and he will be repowering her with a 1,000-hp FPT. Chip will assist in getting the old engine out and the new one in, some fabrication, but a lot of the work will be done by Matt.
By April, Chip will be focused on fixing his dock, which had some damage to the crib. They have a spud barge coming to assist with the project.
Holland Boat Shop, Belfast, Maine
In the first bay is a Holland 38 being finished out as a custom cruiser for a customer from San Diego, California. She will sport a custom top with tear drop side windows and a sweeping curved on the back end down to the coamings. A first at the shop is the installation of a Seakeeper 4, which was a challenge due to the lack of height under the platform. The boat is powered with a 550-hp Cummins and will have accommodations for a nice liveaboard. Down below will be berths, full galley, and head with shower. In the shelter there will be a settee that can be made into another berth and a few other amenities, such as a cooler. Out in the cockpit there will be a bench seat against the stern deck.
In the back right corner of the shop is a Holland 32, that is being finished out as a pretty simple boat for a customer from Yarmouth. She is ready to have her interior placed in and get everything under the platform done so they can put the platform down. She is powered with a 355-hp Cummins and will have a 100-gallon fuel tank.
In the lay-up shop they have four 14s underway and they are getting ready to layup a 38 for Roque Island. They were getting the guns cleaned up for spraying and then they were going to get the mould ready. This boat will be finished out by Holland’s and is a simple boat. She will be used for running people back and forth to the island. They think they also have another Holland 38 hull and top to layup and ship out as a kit.
Little River Boat Shop, Cutler, ME
When the lobstering season ended and everything was up, they hauled into the shop a Calvin 44 hull and top and began finishing it out as a split wheelhouse lobster boat for a fisherman from South Thomaston. She is powered with a 13 liter in-line 6-cylinder 800-hp Scania, with a 2.5:1 ZF transmission to a 2½-inch shaft from R. E. Thomas Marine Hardware. The stainless-steel rudder was built in-house.
This boat is all composite construction, with the exception of the two aluminum fuel tanks, 300 gallons each. They added a three-foot extension built right into the boat and altered the windshield and bulkhead. Most lobster fishermen like the windshield moved ahead two feet on this model, so they moved the bulkhead ahead two feet. They also like the roof raised. This top was removed and raised five inches. With these changes the roof ends up being too short, so they will add to it. This is the third 44 that they have done. The first one they did the same way. The second one they asked for the top without the roof and windshield on it. It only takes them a day to lay up another top.
Down forward there is a V-berth and an extra bunk on the starboard side. The only other things down below will be cabinets and a work bench. Up in the shelter they have made a place for a Craftsman toolbox. There is no galley, but there will be a place for a Keurig coffee machine and a microwave oven. She also has a 7kW Westerbeke generator, which was supplied by Billings Diesel & Marine in Stonington. The steering station inside the split-wheelhouse will be on the port side with the companionway in the middle. At the back of the split-wheelhouse there will be a bench seat.
There are three lobster tanks in the center of the boat. The center hole is going to be a floodable tank that will hold eight crates, four deep, two high. Then on each side, it will have sprinkle tanks. There will be PVC pipe around the top of them that will spray saltwater on top of the lobsters. This water will drain out and be pumped overboard so you are not carrying around the water weight. These tanks will hold eight crates each, so he has got capacity for 24 crates under the floor.
They are hoping to have this boat done and out mid-spring.
Next, they have a Libby 47 coming in to be repowered. She is having her MAN replaced with a 16-liter Scania. They also have work to do on Josh Cates’ and Jeremy Cates’ boats. This is mostly annual maintenance items.
Sargent Custom Boats, Milbridge, Maine
In one bay they have a Northern Bay 41, which was a 38 stretched three feet, being finished out as a sportfisherman for a customer from Long Island, New York. She is powered with a 900-hp Volvo and will be well fitted out. Down below she has a V-berth, two additional bunks, a hanging locker, and a head with a shower. Up in the house is a full galley and a booth-type settee. She also has a 9 kW Northern Lights genset, two insulated fish boxes and 600 gallons of fuel under the platform. They started her 28 July and hope to have her done and out the door mid-spring.
After this one is completed a Calvin Beal 36 hull and deck will be coming in to be finished out as a pleasure boat for a customer from Brooklyn, New York. This will be followed by another Calvin Beal 36, which will be another pleasure boat for a customer from Martha’s Vineyard. After this is an RP 42 going to be finished out as a lobster boat.
In the other bay is a Crowley Beal 33, which was originally built for Jeff Eaton of Deer Isle some 20 years ago. Jeff sold her to Kevin Murphy of Lamoine. A customer from Bonaire called looking for a boat and Joe Sargent, owner of the shop, showed him this boat. The caller purchased the boat and is now having Sargent Custom Boats do a total rebuild. They modified the main bulkhead, added to the length of the roof, built a small engine box, and put some different styled stiffeners in the shelter top. They have faired the inside of the boat and were waiting for the painter to come in and spray the high-build primer on. She is scheduled to be also done this spring.
