The lobster Boat REMINGTON hauled up for the winter at the Henry R. Abel Co. in Somes Sound on Mount Desert Island.
The 28-foot custom hull designed by Doug Zurn under construction at John Williams & Company in Hall’s Quarry.
A stern view of the colonial merchant vessel ELEANOR, which is having major work done above the waterline at Bristol Marine in Boothbay Harbor.
Bristol Marine, Boothbay Harbor, ME
On the railway they have ELEANOR, one of the Boston Tea Party boats for The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum in Boston, which is in for a four-month quick fix. The Tea Party took place on 16 December 1773 and those from the Sons of Liberty dumped over 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. There were three vessels, BEAVER, DARTMOUTH and ELEANOR, involved in the attack. BEAVER was owned by John Rowe of Boston, who was a merchant, selectman and smuggler and her master was Captain Bruce. The design for the replica is based mostly on the merchant vessel LONDON. They then took the fishing vessel UNCLE GUY, which had been built in Rockland in 1936 and converted her into this colonial merchant vessel. They began by removing the pilothouse, engine, and winch. They then began removing her planking so they could change her shape. They then added the bow bulwarks, aft house, and the stern with galleries. Then came the figurehead and rigged her as a three-master. This conversion was done in Gloucester about 15 years ago.
The window is short since she needs to be back in Boston and on exhibit this spring. She needs some serious work at bow and stern quarters as well as a transom replacement. Everything from the waterline down, she is copper sheathed, and that all looks good, so it is an area that they are not touching.
At the bow, the portside seems in rather good shape but will need some surface repairs. The starboard side they have opened up and had started to replace the rotten timbers. There is also a section of the stem that will need to be replaced. Right at her waist they have removed some of the planking so they can see if there are frames that need to be replaced. Back aft they have much of the stern off and are trying to replace as much of the rotten areas as possible.
The deck is good, but they are replacing some of the bulwarks.
One of the big worries when doing a project like this is the availability of the needed wood. Fortunately, they had some left over from other projects, which will get them through.
This is a big project and to do it in the time frame needed so, they have added some woodworkers. Other work in the yard is mostly annual maintenance on a variety of wooden boats.
They do have a bid out on a big project off-site, but they will not hear until after the first of the year.
Brooklin Boat Yard, Brooklin, Maine
On the main shop floor, they are building a 56-foot cruising sailboat designed by Mark Fitzgerald for a couple from California. Much of the interior is done. Her deck and cabin were built up in the Odd Fellows Hall and that was getting ready to be moved down to the main yard where she would go into the paint booth. Much of the interior was built off-site and is modular. This was to be painted just after the holiday break. The teak deck was going down and some of the interior was being put in place. At the same time, they are putting in the tankage, engine, generator, and the systems. Once everything is hooked up and the interior pieces are in place the deck will be put on. She is about halfway complete.
In another building there is a German built boat built in the early 1970s and owned by a former Senator. She was neglected for a number of years and is now undergoing a major refit.
In the same building they have a 1930s 56-foot Fedship, which is having her bottom redone along with some interior work. The interior panels have started to delaminate and they are going to make her look like new again.
They have a couple of Johns Bay Boats in storage that are having some benches and other items built this winter.
In March they are starting a 47-foot Downeast power cruiser that was designed by Will Sturdy of Brooklin Boat Yard’s design department. She is narrow by today’s standards and sports hard chines. This should make her sea kind and push easily through the water. Her hull will be cold moulded, built with Douglass Fir with a teak deck and painted cabin sides. As for her interior, she will have a Herreshoff-style with painted panels trimmed in cherry as a Douglas fir sole. The contract was signed in early December.
There is a rumour that the next Wheeler 55 is underway, but that is not true. The second Wheeler 55 is still on hold as her owner took a CEO position with a company and does not have the time yet. They are thinking she might get going this fall.
As for the first Wheeler 55, she went very well, topping out at 30 and cruising easily at 25. What they did notice was that she was too noisy. They determined that there was a bearing too close to the transmission and that was pushing the sound through it. With further research they found that they did not need that bearing so it was removed and a little Soundown was added to help decrease the sound. Brian Larkin, President of BBY, said that they have reduced the sound issues by about 75 percent and to decrease it anymore could get very costly. However, he thought that the sound level they presently had would not be an issue. The boat is presently at the yard and they have ordered a pair of Veem propellers, which are used by the fancy sportfishing boats and that will lower the sound issue a little. Also added was a spray rail as the chine did not quite push the water down enough. Everything else on this boat worked perfectly, which is difficult to do on a custom boat.
There is another very interesting project in the works, but they have not had a signed contract. An owner from the mid-Atlantic coast owns PT-3, which was a test boat, built by the Fisher Boat Works of Detroit, MI in 1940. She was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron One as a test platform. She had a very interesting design, which was done by George Crouch, but she was also smaller than the other designs. Her dimensions were 58-feet in length with a beam of 18-feet. Due to her length, she could not carry more than one torpedo tube per side. She was powered with twin 1,350-hp Packard engines. The U. S. Navy decided to go a different way and transferred her to the Royal Navy in 1942. Her designation was now HM MTB-273. However, this transfer was cancelled, and she was then transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force the same year. Her new designation was BRAS D’OR (M 413). They used her as a rescue boat for the reminder of the war when she was returned to the U. S. Navy in May of 1945. She was then sold to a private citizen and has been neglected for quite some time.
Steve White, former owner of BBY, has been talking with the owner about totally rebuilding PT3. The owner has purchased a pair of period correct Packard engines. Brian said that they are still talking with the owner, and he seems serious about the project.
I was able to refer them to Al Ross of BlueJacket Shipcrafters in Searsport, who has a vast knowledge of small surface combatants. He was able to supply them with all sorts of information, but did not have any plans.
These projects are interesting and if you ask what is going to be original, they might tell you her name or her shadow. Most of the time it is a new boat. One such project was the rebuilding of the motor yacht APHRODITE. This boat was lightly built and has a couple of broken floors. When asked how the yard she is currently at was going to repair them, Brian said that he suggested using ¼-inch G-10 on either side and putting an oak veneer over the G-10 to make them look original. He said that they wanted to use carbon, but Brian thought that with salt water in the bilge he would worry about electrolysis.
The Hinckley Company, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Hinckley is pleased to announce the appointment of Gavin McClintock as its new Chief Executive Officer. McClintock, a dynamic industry leader who previously served as Chief Financial Officer for Safe Harbor Marinas and as founder of the marina group Tidekeeper, is honored to join the company known for its unique blend of extraordinary craftsmanship and its extensive service and support network along the Eastern Seaboard.
With a focus on advancing the release of exceptional products, expanding services to new locations, and preserving Hinckley’s passion for timeless designs, McClintock is also dedicated to providing a world-class customer experience that reflects Hinckley’s reputation for attention to detail.
“I am honored to join the Hinckley team and look forward to stewarding the company into this exciting next chapter. Hinckley’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship is unparalleled, and I am excited to join this talented crew to continue to build on its storied heritage while enhancing our customers’ experiences and upholding the standards that make Hinckley one of a kind,” said McClintock.
Hinckley is honored that Geoff Berger, who has served as CEO, will continue to support the company’s long-term vision and strategy as a member of the Board of Directors. Berger’s leadership over the past five years has been instrumental in building a talented and dedicated team, fostering sustainable process improvements, and advancing Hinckley’s commitment to uncompromising quality. His lasting influence will continue to guide the company forward.
John Williams Boat Co., Hall’s Quarry, ME
Two months ago, they finished off a Stanley 28 dayboat for a customer from Manset. She had a nice interior finished in the Herreshoff-style. She had a V-berth, galley, and head. She had two side boarding doors in the cockpit, a bow and stern thruster and Zipway trim tabs. She is powered with a Yanmar diesel.
As soon as she was out of the shop in came a custom 28-foot hull designed by Doug Zurn for a customer from Florida. She will be powered with a 300-hp Mercury V8 outboard, which will be bolted to a custom Armstrong bracket. She has a teak windshield and has a simple interior. She is scheduled to be completed the end of winter when she will be shipped to her owner in Florida.
A Stanley 36, which was built in 2007, has a new owner from Seal Harbor, who is having her undergo a three-year refit. This year they are soda blasting the bottom. They will then put on a barrier coat and then Awlgrip her. They are also rebuilding the main engine, redoing the exterior varnish and a lot of odd jobs. One of these jobs was removing the original Sitka spruce mast and replacing it with a more modern, smaller teak mast for the pilothouse top. The bow pulpit was removed to give the boat a clean look.
A Bridges Point 24 has a new owner and she will be in for a new interior and replacing some of her rigging.
A Hinckley 40 Jetboat is being repowered. Both engines are out, and Billings Diesel & Marine of Stonington will be assisting them with the new engines.
The paint booth is busy as they are Awlgripping four or five boats this year. They just finished an AJ 28, and she is being followed by an MJM 34. Next will be a Stanley 36 and then a Hinckley Bermuda 40.
Another interesting project is putting in a side boarding door on a Wesmac 38. She will also head to the paint bay to be Awlgripped.
The yard stores about 200 boats, which all need some degree of work, and about another 50 come in to be serviced before going overboard for the summer. They have 13 wooden International One-Design sailboats, which are now 86 years old. They also have a number of Luders 16, Herreshoff 12½s and a couple of Bunker & Ellis power boats, which are all wood and need extra attention.
They have not taken on a new customer in three years. They want to make sure that they can give their current customers the best of care and feel that if they added more boats, they could not do that.
R. E. Blood Boatworks, Newcastle, ME
Inside the main building they have a 20-foot Lyman built in the 1960s, Two years ago they replaced the stem and last year they repowered her after her engine blew. The engine is a 302 Ford, which was rebuilt by Redline. When they repowered her, they changed her raw water-cooling system to a closed system. This year they replaced the wiring. They have also been giving her a cosmetic upgrade.
The Concordia that they have been working on for the last couple of years is still on hold. Last year her owner had a water issue with his Apogee 50. This meant the crew came off the Concordia and headed for Kittery to rewire the entire boat last winter. They also replaced some woodwork along with the fuel tanks. The owner began sailing her early last summer, but then the transmission let go. She was brought to the Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol where the gear was removed and replaced.
SARABAND, a 35-foot sloop designed by Sparkman & Stephens, is back. Last year they removed her sternpost and re-bolted it. This year they are working on the front end. Where the forefoot meets the keel there is a lot of water coming in. They have removed the mast step so they can get at the keel bolts, which will be removed and replaced. They will also replace stop waters and a couple of planks. The head of the mast has an issue and that will be repaired. This was Olin Stephen’s favourite double-ended, but it also might have been the only one he designed.
SPARROW, Crocker design, is in and the stern is out of her. She has 19 broken frames, and these are being sistered to make her stiff and then they will re-plank her with new planks. This boat was given a new keel and some planking two years ago. They have also replaced her deadwood, rudder, and transom.
There was a Sparkman & Stephens 30 in for storage and she may need some minor work, which they plan to do in the spring.
Just outside her was a boat that had been abandoned in the Damariscotta River. She was hauled up and they were waiting for final approval before they disposed of her.
A Concordia 39 was leaking forward between the forefoot and the keel. They will remove several planks and figure out how the water is getting. They thought that the keel bolts had loosened up, so they will be replaced, and they probably will also replace the stop waters while she is open.
MICKEY FINN, which was built by Paul Rollins of York, is in for storage. However, they did remove a couple of planks in the stern to make sure everything was okay back there. They will repaint the deck in the spring, and they will rebuild a couple of the hatches and then varnish them all. They also expect to remove the engine and shaft at some point and rebore the shaft and put a shaft tube in. Another problem they need to deal with is she picked up a worm when she was in the Bahamas. That will need to be dug out before it becomes a major issue. Most of the work this year will involve the deck.
The lobster boat VICIOUS CIRCLE came in to be repowered with a 550 John Deere. The owner has decided to hold off on that but wants to add more of an interior. They will also switch her over from wet to dry exhaust.
Strouts Point Wharf Company, South Freeport, ME
With everything hauled up and put away for the winter, they are now beginning work on their winter projects.
In the main shop they have a Spirit 46, which is a cold moulded sailboat from England, with her keel off. They will then lift the boat so they can repair some cracks and the rust. They also need to make some repairs to the frames.
One of the Concordias, MIRAGE, changed owners and the new owner wants to make some changes. Cumberland Iron Works made a new anchor roller out of bronze and that will need to be installed. He also wants some cosmetic work and at some point, maybe a new engine.
A Bruno 38 was recently purchased by one of their customers and she needs some major work. All the cabinetry is delaminated, and it was thought that she had been full of water at some point. So, she will be getting a new galley and head. This will be a fun project.
A person from New Hampshire was building a Crocker designed sailboat, but unfortunately, he died with just the keel done. His wife did not want to sell it originally, but finally she parted ways, and her new owner found a yard in Maine that would finish her off. The lumber was harvested from a wooden lot in Northern Maine. The helm is out of a favourite apple tree and the mast was built of white pine. The deal was that if the yard finished the boat, he had to store it with them. Well, this year they did not have the help, and he was able to store her at Strouts. They have not really done an in-depth inspection, but she looks like she has been well maintained. The boat is named CRICKET and has carved cricket on her bow painted in gold leaf.
This yard stores a number of classic wooden boats, and it will take them right into the spring to get them ready for the upcoming season.
