This is the Mussel Ridge 48 ALL OUT in her final stages of construction at Oceanville Boat Works in Sunrise.
At John’s Bay Boat Co. SARI ANN I is in for some major work. The engine, a 3208 Caterpillar was removed and workers cleaned the engine room and making a major repair on the portside washboard.
The 1924 Chris Craft in at Woodman Boat Works in Kennebunkport has been turned over so they can put a new bottom on her.
Atlantic Boat – Brooklin, Maine
There are a number of boats in the main shop in for a variety of work. One is a 1989 Duffy 26, and she is in to have repairs made to her trunk cabin top, which was being crushed by the windshield. The windshield was removed, the affected area re-fiberglassed and made structurally heavier to withstand the weight of the windshield. They also removed the cupping in the teak deck and did a full cosmetic upgrade. Next to her is a 40-year-old Dyer 29, which was also in for a total refit. This included replacing the engine, redoing the electrical and fuel systems, and repairing three of the four fuel tanks. She is almost finished and will be heading to her homeport in Massachusetts in March. There is also a Northern Bay 36, and she is in for her regular annual maintenance as is a Robinhood 36 powerboat.
In another building there is a Duffy 31, which had a new 250-hp Yanmar diesel installed. This boat had been trucked all the way from Michigan, her owners saying that ‘You guys built it, you should be able to put this new engine in.’
For new boats, they have a launch under construction for Mystic Water Taxi System of Mystic, Connecticut. They currently have two of these canopy launches, and with an upswing in business, they wanted to make sure that they could provide without fail the services that have been scheduled. This boat is U. S. Coast Guard certified and that means they are at the yard frequently making sure that the boat is finished to their safety standards. This boat is about fifty percent done and they expect to have it completed and delivered to their owners in mid-spring. This boat will be named SWAMP YANKEES.
In a back work bay there is a sailboat in to be repowered and a new refrigeration system installed. She had a small Yanmar diesel that is being replaced with a Beta engine. The engine was still working well, but where the boat is homeported, Long Island, New York, they can easily get a Beta repaired. They also did a lot of cosmetic work.
As for new boats, they have done a number of quotes, but no one has signed on the dotted line yet. They felt that without a new build, they were able to get some projects done that they wanted to get finished. Another reason they are holding off a bit on new builds is the uncertainty of the possible upcoming tariffs. Most businesses will be affected if tariffs are implemented and that would cause the cost of a boat to increase significantly. They said the margins would never absorb them.
The storage is full and each one of these boats needs some degree of work before they go back over. One interesting fact is that they had a lot of boats that were for sale over the last year. Some of these owners were aging out or they just were not using the boat enough to justify the cost. They do not broker boats; this is done by someone else. However, they usually get work from the new owner, so it works out for them in the long run.
Bittersweet Landing Boat Yard – South Bristol, Maine
One of the most efficient yards on the coast has to be Bittersweet Landing Boat Yard. This is a husband/wife team, with a few additional employees, who work extremely well together. They will start in the spring and get the three hundred or more boats they have in storage ready for the water. Just after 4 July they go into what they term “limp mode,” as they deal with breakdowns and may be a grounding or two. As the end of summer nears, they start ramping up getting the boats hauled and put away for the winter. This is full on, no slow down, until the week before Christmas. At that time, they close up the buildings and then start hauling in the docks, which also includes floats for a number of their customers. After that they may have a couple of or more boats in the main shop for some work, which keeps the crew going until it starts all over again.
One of the boats in the shop is a 1971 Dyer bass-boat style, hull #111, which was powered with a gasoline engine that gave up the ghost and passed away. The customer wanted to repower, so they found him a used Volvo diesel, but the owner went way beyond that having them completely refurbish her. She has a new windshield, toe rails, and paint from stem to stern, top to bottom.
I am always amazed at some of the new gadgets I see from time to time, and they had one they were going to add to this boat. It was a surface mounted LED running light, which mounts right in the rub rail, made by Taco.
Next to the Dyer was a Catalina 42, which needs some deck and rail work as well as repairs made to the rudder. This boat had an aluminum extrusion with a vinyl insert around the hull, which had been damaged about 15 or 20 feet by her previous owner leaving it on a dock during a good blow. That has been changed out, and the new owner liked the idea of bringing the white deck color down to it and making the topsides look a little smaller. That was prepped and primed in white and the owner agreed that it looked much better. As for the rudder, it had split, and water had gotten in. They drilled holes and got most of the water out but have also set some nice warm halogen lights up and are drying it out as much as possible. When they get her as dry as possible, they will seal her back up.
Then next to her is a Lord Nelson tug, which had a lot of work done on her last year. Presently, the owner is thinking of repainting her as the family members think she looks like a bathtub toy in her red and white paint scheme. The thought is she would look much better all blue. Other work on this boat includes changing the copper lines out for Sea Star hoses in the steering system.
There are also some smaller jobs that go on in the storage sheds. When they see a warmer weather window, they put a heater in the boat and get done what they need to and move on to the next. However, most of these projects can be done in the spring when it is much warmer.
Friendship Boat Works – Friendship, Maine
ABBY D. is in for general maintenance. The owner purchased the boat for his kids to use lobstering and he had done a lot of the work himself. He painted the hull and made a few of the minor repairs. They helped the owner, but fortunately did not have to do much sanding.
Before this project, they had a 17-foot lapstrake boat come in, which was built in Bristol 22 years ago. The owner brought it to them and asked if they could fix it. They brought it in and called the owner to inform him of how much work was needed. They told him the stern was gone, as was the platform. The owner said he figured that there was a lot that needed to be replaced and told them to go ahead. They ripped out the platform, a couple of lapstrakes, the seats and the console. The platform was replaced with Coosa fiberglassed inside and out. They added a centre plank to the flat bottom so that when she gets hauled up on the beach it will protect her bottom from getting scuffed up. They then gel-coated it and the owner was more than pleased at how she turned out. There was also a rowboat sitting in the shop and when the owner saw that and asked if they could build him one of them.
The rowboat in the shop was getting repaired, which they were swapping for their plowing. Neither knew who was going to come out on the better end of this deal. Until the end of February it looked like the plow guy, but it is probably even as of now.
They have a mould for rowboat, but that is much higher sided. They also have one similar to the Repco and the Young Brothers rowboats, which Jim Gergely took a mould off of. They are thinking of making a couple and setting them out by the road to see if anyone will buy them.
Next in the shop will be a Calvin Beal 34, which will be finished out as a dive/sportfishing semi-liveaboard. Randy Young said that the interior would be simple, berths and head down below, couple of captain chairs at the bulkhead and a settee with a winter back. She will be powered with a 450-hp Cummins. He also wanted a 400-gallon fuel tank, a pot hauler, livewell, heat and air conditioning and a swim platform to get divers on and off the boat.
Oceanville Boat Works – Sunrise, Maine
Inside was a Mussel Ridge 48, which has been finished out as a lobster boat for a commercial fisherman from Boothbay Harbor and named ALL OUT. For those that follow Oceanville Boat Works on Facebook, you have watched them finish her out and already know she was launched at Billings Diesel & Marine in Stonington the end of February.
Down below there is a double berth, head with shower and plenty of storage spaces. This boat is powered with a 1,000-hp MAN. There is also a 6-kW generator, which will help charge the batteries while he is fishing.
Under the platform, in the centre, is the 725-gallon fuel and two lobster tanks, which go down each side. They each will hold 14 crates. There is also the new high-tech steering system from R. E. Thomas, one of the first boats fitted with this. The platform was constructed using a 1-inch composite panel, glassed on both sides. When the boat was nearly completed, they added a rubber deck.
There was also a nice stainless steel bait tank on board, which was bult by KB Welding of Southwest Harbor. They did all the metal work on this boat, including davit, tank hatches, trim, exhaust, and sheathing.
Next to ALL OUT was a 1958 15-foot Mercury sailboat, which was in for a facelift. They ground her down completely, removing all the cracks and crazing and then put three coats of high build and sanded that down and put three more coats on. Next comes the barrier coat, 2000 Interlux, and there will be four coats of that before Awlgripping. Next, the keel will get bolted back on and the bottom painted. The owner is happy with how she looks. He has an old Seagull outboard so she will look like a brand new classic when finished.
Next in the shop is a 40-foot lobster boat from Boothbay Harbor, which will get new fuel and lobster tanks, and a rope locker. She will be followed by the John’s Bay 36-foot lobster boat WHISTLER, owned in Stonington. She will have all her windows resealed and the shelter top Awlgripped, rubber decks, and then lots of varnish in the wheelhouse.
Following this repair work, they have an Osmond 50 coming in to be finished off as a lobster boat. This will be followed by two Wesmac 46 cruisers.
Shop to Shore – South Bristol, Maine
In the shop, but not for long, was an Able 34, which over the years has had a complete makeover. The major changes included a new windshield with more rake, a house that was more streamlined and a new console. This was started when Covid hit and was finished last year. This year, they added more coats of varnish, in some cases six or eight coats. They also built a couple of boxes for two fire extinguishers, EPIRB and a handheld horn. This owner uses the boat as much as possible, and one can see why. She has been moved out and they will finish the varnish in the spring.
Next to the Able 34 is a varnished mast from a 30-foot sailboat. The varnish was stripped, and they made a small repair at the mast step and then revarnished. Next, they will strip the hull and repaint that.
A 40-foot Consolidated cruiser needs to come in so they can remove the engines and make repairs to the hull and then re-install the engines. This boat was built in the early 1940s and has a double planked bottom. Her first layer is cedar and that was covered with mahogany. The problem is that the cedar is not in great shape, but they are hoping when she swells up, she will be good to go.
They have 22 wooden flat bottom skiffs built by McFarland of South Bristol. These have all been covered with fiberglass and they need to be ready late spring.
Out in the storage yard they have TYCONA, a 1945 Chris Craft from Sebago. They also have a Lyman runabout that they will put a new deck on the aft part.
