This is a new Stanley 28 being finished by John Williams Boat Co. of Hall’s Quarry.
The 56-foot sailboat just starting to have her cold molded hull formed at Brooklin Boat Yard.
This is BIRDSONG of Deer Isle, which seems to have suffered some damage to her keel. She was hauled out at Billing’s Diesel & Marine for repairs.
Artisan Boat Works, Rockport
Sitting in the main shop is a Bob Stephens designed 39-foot custom daysailer for a customer from Connecticut. She was started last September and she was almost ready for the water. Alec Brainerd said, “It has been a really great project, working with a lot of collaborators to be able to do it this fast. We had Front Street Shipyard waterjet cut metal components and G 10 components; Rockport Steel did all of the metal fabrication; Lyman-Morse CNC cut the cap rail and a lot of the moldings; Teak Deak Systems did the deck; Midcoast Marine Electronics did all of the wiring; and Custom Coatings in Thomaston did the Awlgrip. It has been a really wonderful collaborative experience with all of these subcontractors and our crew as well.”
For accommodations she is simple. There is a big queen-sized berth up forward and then two short settees port and starboard, about 4 feet long, so four can sit at the drop leaf table. Then there is an enclosed head and shower, which is tight, but full standing head room, to starboard and to port there is a little galley with a microwave and a pull-out drawer with a coffee maker. “The whole boat is automated, electric winches, furling, boom, furling headsail, hydraulic main sheath,” said Alec. “The owner is in his mid-80s so the concept was for a very luxurious, very comfortable daysailer that can be sailed with minimal human power.”
On the bow there is a windlass and a hatch opens up and an arm comes out to deploy the anchor. There are several gadgets the owner wanted included.
This is the biggest boat Artisan has done and when asked if they would do another, Alec said, “I’d love to. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it going into it and I have really enjoyed this project a lot. It has just pushed our crew to a higher level and they have come through admirably on every level and I think collaborations with all of these outside vendors have been really rewarding as well. It helps you get a better boat and it is the only way we have been able to build it this fast. If we had done this project all in-house it would have been an 18-month project.”
This boat was launched at Camden in early August and underwent sea trials before being delivered to her owner in Connecticut.
Artisan stores about 80 boats for the winter and that aspect of the yard were busy right up into July. Over the winter they did a lot of finish work, but no major refits. With the new build they really tried to keep it simple with the service boats. Alec added, “Next year I think we are going to switch it and focus more on those boats, take on some smaller projects here in the carpentry shop.”
They have an original 1916 Herreshoff Fish Class to restore for a customer from Spain. She needs some frames, and floor timbers; WHIRLWIND, a cat boat, will be finished up this fall; and HEY PENNY, the Tom McNaughton designed micro-cruiser, will be launched in Rockland at the beginning of August.
BlueJacket Shipcrafters, Searsport
When not developing a spreadsheet regarding time and materials for each model produced at BlueJackets, Al Ross has been working on some HO scale vessels for the model railroad crowd. There is the sardine carrier he developed 25 or 30 years ago; a self-propelled barge, a towboat, and a lobster boat. They are mostly resin and this one has super structures all built up out of 15,000ths laser board. The coal barge is molded as one piece except for the four bitts and the towboat, both have been upgraded. Al said, “Now that we have laser boards, it is a much better product. Styrene sometimes will melt on you when you are cutting it. With laser board, you can do a lot more with it. On the towboat, originally this was just one piece, now it is two pieces. The window openings on the inner piece are just a little bit smaller than the window openings on the outer piece, so you have got a lip on the inside so we just laser cut the clear glass and you pop it in and touch it with a white glue or something that won’t fog it.” These models will be in production soon, hopefully sometime in the fall.
An update on the Coast Guard 82-foot patrol boat is all the masters have been made for the castings. Next, they need to make production molds. Al is still making some changes to the plans and instructions. He said, “Now that I am doing computer plans, they have got color and all kinds of neat stuff that we did not have before.”
Al also has a collection of some of the real old models that BlueJackets produced in the past. He has dug out the one that was done with whales. He explained, “Back in the 70s we used to offer these machine carved whale kits. There was this big one and then there was a set of four little ones. They were pretty crude, but they were nice when they were finished up. I took two of them and finished them up and then molded them. So now we have got the big whale, Moby Dick, we have got a sperm whale and a blue whale in the miniatures. We now sell them finished.”
On the wall in the showroom, you will find the whales and right next to them is an assortment of half hulls. These are real simple models to put together and paint.
If you are looking for something to do this winter, stop at BlueJackets, they are right across the street from Hamilton Marine in Searsport.
Hinckley Introduces the Picnic Boat 39
Hinckley Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Picnic Boat with the Launch of a New Picnic Boat Model with Forward Seating
Step aboard the all-new Picnic Boat 39, where luxury meets functionality for the perfect day on the water. As the first ever Picnic Boat designed with forward seating, this model redefines social gatherings, offering three separate but adjoined entertainment areas ideal for hosting your closest friends and family. With unparalleled access to the foredeck, mooring and docking become effortless endeavors. Crafted with convenience in mind, a smart sliding window mechanism grants effortless access to the foredeck, ensuring smooth transitions around the boat. No cumbersome folding doors or sharp edges—just practical, user-friendly engineering.
“From its spacious layout to its advanced features, the Picnic Boat 39 ensures every moment on board is a celebration of adventure, and unforgettable memories,” says Scott Bryant, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Hinckley Yachts” at Hinckley, we have a meticulous approach to design, obsessing over the details, combining the best DNA of past models with the needs and desires of Hinckley customers today. The overall design language of the Picnic Boat 39 demonstrates our continued commitment to building beautiful, timeless, and highly innovative yachts.”
What’s more, the new Picnic Boat 39 is equipped with Hinckley’s new JetStick 4®, so maneuvering into even the trickiest slips is a breeze, setting a new standard for control systems. And, with waterjet shallow draft technology, explore secluded coves and shallow waters with ease, accessing places others can only dream of. Experience the pinnacle of yachting excellence—only on a Hinckley.
The Landing School Announces New President
ARUNDEL – The Board of Trustees of The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design is pleased to announce the appointment of John V. Caron, Ed.D. as the School’s new President.
“I am excited to take the helm as The Landing School’s new President. The Landing School is the only school in the world offering accredited programs in Yacht Design, Wooden Boat Building, Composite Boat Building, Marine Systems, and Boatyard Management, under one roof, preparing students for rewarding careers in the marine industry. TLS’ remarkable history and reputation reflects the impact of its passionate, creative, and accomplished faculty, staff, students, and alumni on the marine industry. I am honored to join this amazing community and chart a course for continued success!”
Dr. Caron has 25 years of experience in higher education serving in a range of senior leadership roles at nationally recognized institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Northeastern University, Brown University and Excelsior University. His professional portfolio comprises executing growth strategies, launching innovative credentials into growing markets, building high performing teams and partnering with industry leaders to execute workforce development strategies. He has led operations in many areas including strategic planning, enrollment management, fundraising, curriculum development, alumni relations, faculty affairs, international education, student success, and accreditation. Dr. Caron did his dissertation research on reframing board governance at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2000, he took an off-ramp from higher education to work as a manufacturer’s rep agent providing overhead crane and material handling solutions to Bath Iron Works, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Electric Boat. Growing up in Bristol, Rhode Island known for its sailing and boatbuilding including a number of America’s Cup yachts, Dr. Caron developed a passion for the water and boating. He currently lives with his family in Kennebunkport.
“We are delighted to have John on board as our new President. His significant experience in executive level administration in higher education, coupled with his enthusiasm for the kind of education that The Landing School is renowned for and his personal commitment to student success and thoughtful leadership made the Board’s decision much easier” according to current board chair Susan Swanton.
Samoset Boat Works, Boothbay
The general construction of a lobster boat hull is done with polyester or vinyl ester resins. There is one boatbuilder, Matt Sledge of Samoset Boat Works, who claims that using those resins is from the prehistoric era. Matt swears by epoxy, which he learned by building America’s Cup racers at Eric Goetz’ shop in Bristol, Rhode Island.
The first thing you will notice is that epoxy does not smell. I have been in some shops where the smell of styrene will almost knock you over when you walk through the door. Matt added, “You have working time with epoxy resin. Granted it doesn’t kick as fast, but then it gives you the time to peel ply the laminate and then you don’t have to grind anything. I can build boats lighter, stronger, and stiffer using epoxy because you don’t use much. I do not have all that extra resin which does nothing. All you need is enough resin to stick the two together, that is all you need. So, my boats therefore are lighter, stronger, and more fuel-efficient.
When Matt worked for Goetz, he learned every aspect of high-tech boatbuilding and he is using that technology on the lobster and sportfishing boats that he is turning out.
Building a standard lobster boat hull with polyester or vinyl ester resin is fine. “Matt added, “It is okay because you have got all of your weight down low. It makes for a stable platform. With epoxy everything above your vertical center of gravity being lighter keeps the boat stiffer. A lighter boat is more fuel-efficient. That last 42 I just launched last March, DOUBLE DOWN with 5,000 lbs. of bait on, she still hit 26.1 knots. That probably brought her up to about 28,000 lbs. displacement with 5,000 lbs. of bait on.”
A lot of the time when I visit the crew is making panels. “I will get the basic green board panel from Hamilton and then depending on where it goes in the boat I might add laminate to it for structural reasons. You can lay up a panel and peel ply it in no time. If you were doing that out of poly, you would lay up the panel and it would kick and then you’d have to prep the whole surface. You wouldn’t have time to put peel ply down.
“Epoxy is also not sensitive as polyester to humidity levels,” said Matt. “That is a big plus. Epoxy is just easier to work with. You know the ratio is constant. There are different ratios for the different resins you are using. You know for the laminating resins, those are all 3:1, 3 parts resin to 1 part hardener. Putties and edge glue and filets is 5:1. If we glass a panel in the morning, we are ready to flip it over and glass the other side that afternoon.”
Matt does a lot of vacuum-bagging as it gives you a much better bond between the laminates. He only does this on the high-structural area or if it is a complex shape. He does this on a pilothouse top extension with a raised structure member on top that all gets glassed and bagged, mostly because it is an awkward shape and it keeps it light because you are sucking out any excess resin.
There is no question that it is more expensive, but the pluses outweigh this negative. Matt explained, “The 48 I did would have taken probably 8 or 9 drums of polyester resin to finish the boat. With epoxy, I used 2¼, so the cost for resin equals out because you are using a lot less of it. Remember, drums of resin all weigh the same, that is 500 pounds, so that is a lot of weight that is not in the boat.”
There are also some minor added expenses, like peel-ply. Peel ply lessens prep time and that easily saves on labor, materials, and overhead.
John Weir, Newburyport, MA
There are a lot of excellent projects that are not done in a boat yard. Two years ago, I learned that a Holland 32 was for sale to the first person who would pay the owner, Ed Shirley, his asking price, which was just a bit more than a new hull and deck would cost. I told John Weir about the boat and he made the deal with Ed.
This boat was built in 1983, named ELEANOR, and fished out of Cliff Island for a number of years. The owner passed away and she sat in a storage shed on the water at Cliff Island for a number of years before Ed Shirley purchased her. She was then taken over to Johnson’s Boat Yard in Long Island where she was repowered. She originally had a 140-hp Volvo and this was replaced with a 430-hp Cummins. Ed at the time was fishing, but also competing on the lobster boat racing circuit as MISS KYLIE. Unfortunately, at one of the races he blew a turbo and fishing was getting harder to do, Ed decided to sell the boat.
The boat was fishing out of Verona Island just below the new bridge over the Penobscot River so after John purchased her, he and some friends made their way to Verona Island to bring her to Newburyport in September. They had a great sail all the way down to the Isle of Shoals and then they got into a head sea, but still not uncomfortable. They were cruising about 1800 RPMs, going 18-19 knots, and made the trip in 8½ hours and burned about 100 gallons of fuel.
John did a couple of small trips around Cape Ann before hauling her out for the winter. His plan was to do a little bit of work to her over the winter at a friend’s place in Rowley. He then built a 16 x 38-foot bow shed with a 16-foot-high peak, which they covered with shrink-wrap. A compressor was set up in his friend’s house and power was run out.
John said, “I knew I was going to do the house over. The house was all stick built and there was some rot and that is all I planned on doing. I wanted to just run the boat and work on it for a few years.
“I knew it was really loud coming down,” added John. “We started looking into it and realized the oil pan was resting in the bottom of the hull and 5.9-liter motor mounts on an 8.3-liter motor. They kept the shaft and all the same from the 140, and just slid the motor back and I guess the motor mounts probably settled. So, I said, ‘Well, we should probably change that. I am trying to look under the floor and I knew there was a belly in the exhaust that held water. Don’t leave a carpenter with a van full of tools near your boat. I grabbed the skill saw and I just started cutting the floor.”
When John was done there was not much left. He had taken her right down to the stringers. He added, “I took the floor up on this thing a testament to ventilation. The Hollands vent the air intakes from the back corners in the stern and it pulls all of the air under the floor. I pulled the plywood floor up, which was in great shape still. The 2 x 10s that were sistered against the stringers, I took them out and used them as staging planks. After 40 years they were still in good shape.”
He lifted the motor out, and made a repair to one of the stringers, which had been cut. The engine was stripped down, sandblasted, and repainted with many of the removed parts replaced with new ones. John then started talking with Gavin Holland at Holland Boat about prices for a new top extended 18-inches and about dropping the keel down. At that point he realized he was going to have to change the shaft. John then cut the keel off, made a mould, extended it up, filled it with glass and bolted that all on. Holland Boat made a new shaft tube and a used shaft was purchased at Rose’s Marine in Gloucester. Now it was time to put her back together. With summer fast approaching John realized he was not going to be ready. He then started cutting more things apart. He modified the dash for the electronics, the engine box, and added Soundown. John wanted everything from the bulkhead back to be all done. He is hoping to make a few changes in the interior next winter. Johnson’s Boat Yard had done a nice job fitting her out below and Ed said that she was one of the most comfortable boats he ever slept in. John does want to add a real head with sink.
When spring arrived, John was ready to paint. He faired everything, which took an amazing amount of time. He then painted her with a custom colour from Alexseal. He had only painted some and was a little nervous, but he did a great job.
John made sure that he did not remove anything used in lobster fishing. He does not plan to commercial fish, but a pot hauler can come in handy. He does want to do some sportfishing and cruise. He is also planning to attend some lobster boat races and might even take part.
This is a perfect example of a backyard builder doing a fine job.
