WB204_CVR1_Subs.

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204

THE MAGAZINE FOR WOODEN BOAT OWNERS, BUILDERS, AND DESIGNERS

VETERAN
Rocking the Boat
Bandsaw Adjuster
Sister Framing
Paper Jet
ROANN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

VETERAN: A Pacific Northwest Purse Seiner SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

The Best of the Eastern-Rigged Draggers NUMBER 204
Minimally Invasive Frame Repair $6.25
Stepping Up to Speed Under Sail $7.99 in Canada
The Boat as Teaching Tool in New York City £3.95 in U.K.
204_Cvr2.xp 7/24/08 1:57 PM Page Cvr2

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September/October 2008 • 1
TOC204_FINAL.QXD 7/28/08 4:05 PM Page 2

Number 204
September/October 2008

50 ROANN
The best surviving
Eastern-rigged dragger Walt Ansel
58 The Stewards of AIMÉE LÉONE
How decades of good owners spelled survival
for an elegant cutter David D. Platt

Page 58

FEATURES
30 The Bandsaw Beveler
Turning a regular bandsaw
into a ship saw Walt Ansel
40 Installing Sister Frames
from the Outside Page 64
A careful repair staves
off a restoration Thomas M. Wells 64 Stepping Up to Speed
The Paper Jet 14 Dan Segal
44 The Pacific Northwest
Yachting Photography 70 Taking Care of VETERAN
of Asahel Curtis Scott Rohrer Under Nick Fahey, a classic Puget Sound
purse seiner lives on Tom Jackson

84 Rocking the Boat

Old ways teach kids new
life lessons Steve Rappaport

Page 50
Page 40

2 • WoodenBoat 204
TOC204_FINAL.QXD 7/28/08 4:05 PM Page 3

Page 84

DEPARTMENTS
5 Editor’s Page
The Language of Craft
6 Letters
13 Fo’c’s’le
Deadwood David Kasanof Page 30
15 Currents edited by Tom Jackson
READER SERVICES
33 The Apprentice’s Workbench
Rails and Moldings Harry Bryan 108 How to Reach Us
80 Launchings… 112 Boatbrokers
and Relaunchings Karen Wales
116 Boatbuilders
89 Designs
OCEANUS Then and Now Robert W. Stephens 126 Kits and Plans
92 In Focus 132 Classified
The Buzzards Bay 30s
photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz 143 Index to Advertisers

99 Wood Technology
Separating Mahogany SUPPLEMENT Insert Page 16/17
from Substitutes Richard Jagels
Getting Started in Boats
101 The WoodenBoat Review Volume 12: Home Boatshops Karen Wales
• The Six-Metre—
100 Years of Racing Chris Museler
• Kelly: A Father, A Son, Cover: VETERAN
An American Quest Llewellyn Howland III is a survivor of the
Pacific Northwest’s
• Rockler’s Thin Rip Tablesaw dwindling purse-seiner
Jig and Bead & Radius Bits Karen Wales fleet, thanks to
• Transatlantic with Street Sally Erdle the efforts of her
• Books Received caring owner.

110 Calendar of Events

144 Save a Classic See Page 70.
GREY DAWN: A Robb-designed Photograph by
keel centerboarder Maynard Bray Neil Rabinowitz

September/October 2008 • 3
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4 • WoodenBoat 204
EdPage204_03.QXD 7/21/08 11:04 AM Page 5

EDITOR’S PAGE
41 WoodenBoat Lane • P.O. Box 78
Brooklin, ME 04616–0078
tel. 207–359–4651 • fax 207–359–8920 The Language of Craft
e-mail: <woodenboat@woodenboat.com>
web site: <www.woodenboat.com>
Djamal Kazi-Tani is a boatbuilder from Algeria. Kazi-Tani, as he is called,
PUBLISHER Carl Cramer spent three weeks at WoodenBoat School here in Brooklin this past sum-
EDITORIAL mer in a sort of reciprocal arrangement, following my own visit to his coun-
Editor Matthew P. Murphy try 18 months earlier. In December 2006, I’d been invited to Algiers—the
Senior Editor Tom Jackson
Associate Editor Karen Wales capital—to serve on a panel discussing plans for a new maritime museum
Technical Editor Maynard Bray
Boat Design Editor Mike O’Brien
there. This museum, still in the works, would have a central facility in the
Contributing Editors Harry Bryan, Greg Rössel capital city, and numerous satellites celebrating regional maritime history
Editorial Assistant Robin Jettinghoff
Copy Editor Jane Crosen in various port towns—including Kazi-Tani’s, Beni-Saf.
ART & PRODUCTION Algeria’s maritime past spans millennia. Ancient artifacts are littered
Art Director Olga Lange along its littoral; people using little more than fins and snorkels have
Associate Art Director Blythe Heepe
retrieved 2,000-year-old clay amphora. The coast is largely unsurveyed
CIRCULATION
Director Richard Wasowicz archeologically, and one can only imagine the bronze and marble statuary
Associates Lorna Grant, Pat Hutchinson preserved there in relatively shallow water. These valuable and ancient
TECHNICAL PROJECTS Manager Tom Hill
items are the stars of the show for the proposed new museum, but the
MARKETING & SALES
Associate Publisher Anne Dunbar boats that carried them—and their descendants—seem overlooked in the
ADVERTISING planning. In fact, during our visit, there was very little discussion of water-
Director Todd Richardson craft. But there’s a rich history of vessel development and trade along the
Manager Michele Corbeil
Coordinators Wendy E. Sewall, Laura Sherman North African coast, and it deserves documentation and celebration in
Classified Kate Holden Algeria.
Sales Associates
New England: John K. Hanson, Jr., 207–236–8622 So arose our interest in inviting a student of boatbuilding to
Mid- and South Atlantic: Frank Fitz, Ray Clark, WoodenBoat School last summer. To what end? Educational programming
401–245–7424
Central: Scott Akerman, 207–799–4145 is growing in importance at maritime museums worldwide. Many institu-
West Coast: Ted Pike, 360–385–2309
tions replicate, restore, and conserve historically important boats. We saw
RESEARCH
Director Anne Bray an opportunity to offer a glimpse of this profession to Algeria’s future mar-
Associates Patricia J. Lown, Rosemary Poole itime museum professionals. It’s a baby step, for sure. But our hope was
BUSINESS that a few weeks at WoodenBoat School would spark a nascent vision.
Office Manager Tina Stephens
Staff Accountant Jackie Fuller The invitation was extended through the U.S. embassy in Algiers, which
Associate Roxanne Sherman in turn put it to the country’s department of fisheries. In the end, it wasn’t
Reception Heidi Gommo, Rosemary Poole
THE WOODENBOAT STORE
a university student who accepted the offer. Rather, it was Kazi-Tani, an
<www.woodenboatstore.com> established builder of large fishing vessels. He is smart, curious, charming,
1–800–273–SHIP (7447)
Jody Allen, Scot Bell, Elaine Hutchinson, and quick to learn—and knowledgeable, too. Although his native language
Ann Neuhauser, Bob Noessel, Chet Staples is French, and his English had atrophied in the two-and-a-half decades
WOODENBOAT SCHOOL since his university days, the man immediately began assimilating new
Director Rich Hilsinger
Business Manager Kim Patten ideas—and sharing his own—upon his arrival.
WEBSITE Kazi-Tani brought with him two envelopes of color photographs. One
Manager Greg Summers photo showed his family—wife and three children—back home in Beni-
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Jonathan A. Wilson Saf, a five-hour drive along the coast west of Algiers. Another showed his
President and General Manager James E. Miller shipyard, which was packed with wooden vessels. But for the North African
WoodenBoat (ISSN 0095–067X) is published bimonthly in January, architecture and the earthen-colored flat ground, the scene might have
March, May, July, September, and November in Brooklin, Maine,
by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc. Jonathan A. Wilson, Chairman. been from 1880s Essex, Massachusetts: Large sawn-frame vessels up to 70'
Subscription offices are at P.O. Box 54765, Boulder, CO
80322–4765; 1–800–877–5284 U.S. on deck stood in various stages of completion—in frame, partially planked,
Subscription rate is $32.00 for one year (6 issues) in the U.S. and its
possessions. Canadian subscription rate is $37.00, U.S. funds.
completed and ready for launching. One image displayed three iroko logs,
Surface rate overseas is $45.00, U.S. funds per year. Periodical 3' in diameter and 20' long, just arrived from Niger; the next showed a
postage paid at Brooklin, ME 04616 and additional mailing
offices. In Canada, periodical postage paid at Toronto, Ontario mammoth bandsaw mill reducing these to planking stock. The flat-bottomed
(Canadian periodical Agreement No. 40032149, GST Registration
No. R127081008). skiff upon which we’d decided to launch our program suddenly seemed
U.S. POSTMASTER: Please send Change of Address (form
3579) to P.O. Box 54765, Boulder, CO 80322–4765.
a bit elementary for this man—though more advanced concepts would
CANADA POSTMASTER: P.O.Box 122 Stn Main, Niagara Falls, follow. But Kazi-Tani assured us, in gestures and basic English, that he was
ON L2E 6S8
learning new things—despite struggles with communication.
Copyright 2008 by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted The language of boatbuilding is universal. “Sometimes,” said Kazi-Tani,
without written permission from the publisher. “when the teacher speaks quickly, I do not understand. But when he
CONTRIBUTIONS: Address all editorial communications to
Editor, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616–0078. shows…when we pick up the tools and work, it is very clear.”
WoodenBoat is a largely reader-written magazine. Care is taken
with unsolicited contributions, but we are not responsible for
damage or loss.

30%

PRINTED Cert no. SGS-COC-003253

IN U.S.A. To view the winner of last issue’s cartoon-caption contest, turn to page 8.

September/October 2008 • 5
Letters204_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 11:06 AM Page 6
LETTERS
Penn Yan
Attention: M. Murphy,
The article in WB No. 203 on Penn Yan
was ver y interesting and informative.
However, it appears that an omission
should be corrected: The owner-
restorer of the beautiful boat on the
cover and at the start of the article on
page 72 is Don Groeschner of New
Milford, Connecticut.
Paul Erickson
Norwalk, Connecticut
Good Books
Dear Matt,
My mother sent me Daniel Robb’s book
Sloop shortly after I started working in a
small boatyard near here. Like the author,
I’m originally a summer resident of
Cape Cod, remember the Quissett H 12 1⁄ 2
fleet, and helped restore one. Thus it
was a delight to read, especially his
digressions—and particularly the one
about Thoreau. Robb visited Walden Pond
with new Harvard students on an orien-
tation week day trip. I grew up near
Walden and walked to school on occasion
past the pond and the site of the cabin.
Robb’s sensitive understanding of
Thoreau was matched by his clear-eyed
writing about boat restoration. Thanks
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to Art Paine for recommending it so my
dear Mom could send it along!
Dave Tew
West Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Editor,
I was delighted to read in your last issue
(p. 106) Jon Wilson’s review of the new
release of PRINCESS by the late Joe
Richards. In addition to being beautifully
written, PRINCESS offers humorous affir-
mation and warm insight into the com-
plicated relationship between people and
our wooden boats.
It’s also a joy to see (at last!) examples
of Joe Richards’s paintings, which so
complement his memorable saga. Thanks
for bringing this work to the attention
of another generation of wooden boat
enthusiasts.
Johnson Fortenbaugh, Jr.
Chestertown, Maryland
WoodenBoat:
I just received the latest issue of Wooden-
Boat and read with the greatest interest
the book review of PRINCESS New York . It
filled in, for me, the details of Joe
Richards’s later years. However, I have
information of his earlier connection to
PRINCESS. My dad owned a hardware
Creating The Ship’s Half Model ...
Since 1790 the
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been used to
study hull design.
Today it has become
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store in New York City, and Joe, while
rebuilding PRINCESS, stopped in often to
purchase tools and fastenings, not to men-
tion just to chat about his project. He gave
a copy of his finished work, sadly not
inscribed, to my dad in the middle 1950s.
The copy still in my possession is dated
1956 and labeled “First Edition.”
It might well have been his influence
on my dad to have him end up building
his own boat—described in a WoodenBoat
article by my brother Jan Herman enti-
tled “Murray’s Ark” (WB No. 148) and
then by extension to me, creating a life-
time of messing about in boats—includ-
ing several projects (with a partner), a
Whitehall skiff drawn by Chapelle, Harry
Bryan’s Handy Billy (WB No. 159), and
Herreshoff’s Coquina (WB No. 187).
I retraced Joe’s voyage south 10 years
ago, reading passages in time to his own
descriptions. The coastline has changed
much, but it was not hard to “see” the trip
through his eyes in coincidence with my
own. So I blame Joe Richards for the bug
he passed on to two generations of
Hermans. The world needs more men like
him, able to instill the love and lore of
boats in others.
Irv Herman
Charleston, South Carolina
W hen the artistry
becomes the mastery
of form.
9214 15th NW
Seattle, WA 98117
(206) 789-3713
www.halfhull.com
Letters204_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 11:06 AM Page 7

Perfectionism
Hello Matt,
Congratulations and thanks for publish-
ing a delicate and very controversial
human subject matter with Lawrence W.
Cheek’s outstanding article “Perfection-
ism & the Wooden Boat.” This is an
important and little-discussed subject that
lurks in the hearts and minds of many
wooden boat owners, builders, and enthu-
siasts. The idea is, of course, substantially
promoted by the always picture-perfect
professional photographic images in
WoodenBoat magazine and other boating
publications.
To always seek perfection in the things
we do can be a destructive force and a
slippery slope to fall down. It takes a long
time in life to realize this, and some peo-
ple never do learn or subscribe to any
middle road. A friend of ours summed it
up neatly with this personal description:
“A perfectionist is a man who takes great
pains doing things and then passes it on
to others” (like spouse, children, family,
co-workers, and friends). Informed and
applied moderation in our chosen pro-
fession or actions can also be virtuous and
rewarding. As a 30-year member of the
Antique & Classic Boat Society, I have wit-
nessed the phenomenon of overdone and
deep-pockets perfectionism elevate the
hobby to new and grand heights, but it
has left just as many casualties along the
way as it has gained. Thanks again to you
and author Lawrence W. Cheek for pub-
lishing this much overdue and thought-
provoking article.
Joe Fossey
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Setting the Record Straight
Dear Tom Jackson,
It was great to read in your July/August
Currents column, in the “Around the
yards” section, about the re-building of
the Bath-built schooner MARY E. This ves-
sel does seem to be the only surviving
wooden commercial sailing vessel built
on the Kennebec River, which is saying a
lot. Folks at Maine Maritime Museum are
very interested in this vessel, which was
rebuilt in the 1960s on what is now
museum property. Congratulations to
Matt Culen, Josh Herman, Capt. Eric Van
Dormolen, and all the others who have
worked hard to give this significant
schooner a new span of life.
The column contains some misinfor-
mation, however, and I cannot resist tak-
ing the opportunity to set the record
straight. MARY E was not built by William
T. Donnell, but by Thomas E. Hagan, still
in Bath but a few shipyards further up the
river. Hagan partnered with Donnell in
1866, in the building of a boat, so the men
knew each other pretty well (it’s a small
town). But, still, different yards. Also,
Donnell did not build 91 vessels, as stated.
He built 63 in partnership with Gardiner
Deering, then 9 on his own after the part-
nership broke up, and his son Harry built
2 in the same yard while the old man was
still around to keep an eye on him. So
that’s 74, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Another 34 were built in the same yard
under different owners, most of them
before William T. Donnell was born.
Maine Maritime Museum does indeed
have William T.’s house open seasonally
to the public, as mentioned in the col-
umn.
One more niggle and then I’m done:
William R. Donnell, who rebuilt MARY E
in the 1960s, is William T. Donnell’s great-
grandson, not his grandson. You can tell
because each generation changes the
middle initial. William T. had a son
William R ., who had a son William T.,
who had a son William R., and so on. It
matters because this William R. Donnell
is still around, and has a clapboard mill
in Sedgwick, Maine.

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September/October 2008 • 7
Letters204_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 11:06 AM Page 8

LETTERS

Whew! I feel better now. This is a
significant vessel, and it’s my job to make
sure that these historical details are
remembered correctly.
Nathan R. Lipfert, Senior Curator
Maine Maritime Museum
Bath, Maine
Air–Sea Rescue Boats
To the Editor,
It was pure pleasure to read “P-399: SEA
HORSE” in WB No. 202. I grew up around
boats in Southern California in the 1950s
and ’60s, and converted AVRs (Aviation
Rescue Boats) were a common sight and
an exciting image of speed and daring
with their distinctive reverse sheer and
speedboat hulls.
One of the better-known boats was
BLUEFIN, owned by the State of California
and used for fish and game enforcement
for many years. In its blue-gray patrol boat
livery it was quite a stunning sight.
Unfortunately, most converted AVRs were
repowered with smaller diesels and oper-
ated in semi-displacement modes, so we
never saw one at speed. The lead photo
of SEA HORSE helps to correct this bit of
missing memory.
Tom LaMers
via e-mail
Editors:
I read with great interest your article on
“He already has your ears—that’s enough!”
On last issue’s Editor’s Page, we challenged you to
submit captions for the above cartoon. Brian Manahan
of Newcastle, Maine, won the contest and will receive
a stylish fleece-and-nylon vest from the WoodenBoat
Store. Thank you to all who participated. —Eds.
the 63' Aviation Rescue Boats (AVR) built
during WWII (WB No. 202). Many of
these boats went on to form the backbone
of the Sea Scout Program in the San
Francisco area. These boats proved to be
excellent for training. They were oper-
ated by volunteers and budgets provided
by the skippers and parents. As I remem-
ber, there were the NORTHLAND, FAR-
ALLON, CHASER, REVENGE, and several
others I have, regrettably, forgotten. Sadly,
many of them were retired in the late
1970s and ’80s, having served long careers.
The U.S. Navy deserves some credit for
making these boats available to the Scouts
and at times providing material, assis-
tance, and facilities. There were several
privately owned AVRs to be found along
the West Coast. I believe the OREL is still
to be seen in San Rafael. Some, if I recall
correctly, ended their days as targets by
the U.S. Navy out of Port Hueneme in
Southern California.
Most of the boats were repowered with
two 6-71s, but a few had 8-71s and other
more powerful plants. I remember many
days spent on the SSS NORTHLAND (Sea
Scout Ship No. 52) and enjoyed my time
tremendously. Many of the Scouts involved
in the program continued on in the mar-
itime industry and are now pilots, mas-
ters, and chief engineers onboard the U.S.
merchant ships.
Carl Gruelund
Master, G.T. COLORADO VOYAGER
On page 38 of that article, in the sidebar on
Dair Long, we mistakenly referenced WB No.
123 in regard to PT boats; the proper issue is
WB No. 129.
Want to comment on the current issue? You can do
so online at <www.woodenboat.com>, or by postal
mail at Letters to the Editor, WoodenBoat maga-
zine, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616.

Apprenticeshop
The

“This place can make you feel like a capable

person – not just of woodworking and seamanship,
but of meeting any challenge.“ Ellery Brown,
‘07 Apprenticeshop Graduate

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A SCHOOL FOR TRADITIONAL
BOATBUILDING & SEAMANSHIP
643 Main Street Rockland, Maine 04841
207-594-1800
Learn more at: www.atlanticchallenge.com

8 • WoodenBoat 204
204_pg9.qxd 7/31/08 9:22 AM Page 9
WBShow204.qxd 7/24/08 10:48 AM Page 10

Thank you for another spectacular WoodenBoat Show!

Over 13,000 wooden boat enthusiasts joined us at Mystic Seaport this year for a festival
of wooden boats, boatbuilding, exhibits, and demonstrations. We enjoyed talking to so
many of you, and are excited to announce that we will return to Mystic Seaport next
year, June 26-28, 2009 to bring you another fantastic WoodenBoat Show!

“Mystic Seaport and the WoodenBoat Show are the perfect marriage.
I look forward to celebrating their next anniversary!” ~ Jay P., Concord, MA
WBShow204.qxd 7/24/08 10:48 AM Page 11

WoodenBoat magazine and Heritage Marine Insurance

proudly announce the
WINNERS of the 2008
Concours d’Élegance
JUDGE’S CHOICE AWARD
LONG WHITE CLOUD
Paula & Stephen Pepperell
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
APHRODITE
Charles Royce/Brooklin Boat Yard
OUTSTANDING INNOVATION AWARD
PEACE IV
Ann & Nev Clement

SAIL Awards POWER Awards

Professionally Built Professionally Built
1st Place: BeetleCat 14, Beetle, Inc. 1st Place: ARUNDEL, The Landing School
Honorable Mention: CHARLOTTE, Gannon Honorable Mention: FIRST LIGHT, Pease
and Benjamin Boatworks
Owner Built Owner Built
1st Place: BONNIE SEA, Nathan Rome 1st Place: TANGO, Hank Bravo
Honorable Mention: CJ, Andrew Kitchen Honorable Mention: KISA, Svein Kopfelt
Professionally Restored Professionally Restored
1st Place: BERNICE, Rockport Marine 1st Place: EULIPION, YNOT Yachts
Honorable Mention: SINGOALLA, East Honorable Mention: MOUSE II, Vintage Yacht
Passage Boatwrights Share
Owner Restored Owner Restored
1st Place: GABRIEL, Barry & Sue Blaisdell 1st Place: SUNSET, Antique and Classic Boat
Society
Owner Maintained
1st Place: LONG WHITE CLOUD, Stephen & Honorable Mention: LIL’ DARLIN, Allen
Paula Pepperell Marine Intergration
Professionally Maintained
MANUAL POWER Awards 1st Place: APHRODITE, Brooklin Boat Yard
Professionally Built Honorable Mention: SUMMERTIME, Thomas
1st Place: Columbia Dinghy, Taylor & Townsend Custom Marine
Snediker Owner Maintained
Honorable Mention: Courting Canoe, Salmon 1st Place: TRUE LOVE, Fred & Fran Roffe
Falls Canoe Honorable Mention: BETTY HUNT, John
Owner Restored/ Maintained Snyder
1st Place: WHISPER, Herb & Sally Pollock Sponsored by
Owner Built
1st Place: LADY BUG, Bryan BoatBuilding

Join Us Again Next Year At The WoodenBoat Show

June 26-28, 2009 at Mystic Seaport
www.thewoodenboatshow.com
204_pg12.qxd 7/24/08 1:23 PM Page 12

Winning Beautifully.
Anna, the new Sparkman and Stephens
designed 56-foot tribute to Stormy Weather,
has the best of both worlds. Traditional styling
and optimum performance. With beautiful
modern sails that compliment her classic
lines, Anna won the Spirit of Tradition class at
the 2007 Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. For sails
that enhance your wooden boat, contact your
local Doyle loft.

www.doylesails.com 1-800-94-DOYLE
BETTER ENGINEERED SAILS
12 • WoodenBoat 204
Focsle204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 10:58 AM Page 13
Deadwood
by David Kasanof
I am about to embark on a great
effort, but the task before me is so
daunting that I sometimes despair.
My task is to purify and streamline
nautical language and to purge it of
borrowed words.
I have wracked my brains and
made rather a poor
start. Barque and salon
are all I can come up
with for words of French
origin. I’m sure there
must be many more,
though. The trouble
is that some French
words are pretty
sneaky. Red-blooded
American terms like
captain and chart
look suspiciously
like modified
French to me.
I’m putting
them on my
list of suspects.
You can’t be too careful.
I hesitate to go gunning for words
of Dutch origin, because if I got rid of
all of those, there would be virtually
no vocabulary left. It’s the opposite
of the French problem. One can
hardly think of a boating term that
isn’t of Dutch origin. It’s not surpris-
ing, because the Dutch taught the
English everything they think they
know about sailing, including the
very word boat (from the Dutch boot).
Even keelhaul comes from the Dutch,
who were the first to employ this
motivational technique.
So, getting rid of Dutch words is
indeed tantamount to getting rid of
the entire vocabulary, which is obvi-
ously not a good idea. On the other
hand, if we could find good red-
blooded American words to take
their place, we might manage. We
took jagt and made yacht out of it, so
maybe we could get rid of yacht and
substitute something not so Dutch
sounding, like horse.
Before you dismiss this idea, con-
sider: Horse is sometimes used, espe-
cially on old gaffers, to denote what
is more often referred to as a traveler.
The only difference is that the horse
is usually of extremely stout con-
struction and does not allow the
mainsheet block to…well…travel
quite as far when the vessel comes
about. The point is that we don’t need
two words for things that are so sim-
ilar. Also, horse makes no sense what-
soever as a name for the mainsheet
traveler, and it makes equally no sense
when applied to what we once called
a yacht (once jagt ).
The horse-traveler duplication is
only part of a more basic problem.
Our nautical vocabulary just has too
many words. We don’t need so many.
Do we really need helm, wheel, tiller,
and steer? If you want someone to
steer, why not just tell them to steer?
I once asked someone to “take the
helm,” and they laughed at me. I
think they said something like, “Well,
FO’C’S’LE
la-di-da!,” and they
were right. Steer would
have covered all the rel-
evant possibilities. The
boat had a wheel, and my
crew probably had
noticed that
it wasn’t a
tiller. Also,
PETE GORSKI helm is of
Scandinavian
origin, related to helmet
and even home (holme), generally the
seat of authority. Seat of authority?
Hah! Having once lived aboard, I
know that the poor dummy who hap-
pens to be steering isn’t the seat of
anything, much less authority: object
of ridicule and criticism, perhaps, but
a long way from authority.
In addition to near duplications
of terms, there’s too much clutter in
our vocabulary. We have names for
things that don’t really need names.
Attentive readers of this publication
know the meaning of flam, defined
in a recent issue. I once knew what
that word meant, but I have forgot-
ten, although I remember that it’s
different from flare.
I propose the following rule: If you
forget what a boating term means 24
hours after learning it, you probably
never needed it. Admittedly, if we got
rid of all linguistic deadwood, we
might have some difficulty talking to
each other. Come to think of it, that
might not be such a bad thing.
September/October 2008 • 13
204_pg14.qxd 7/24/08 1:27 PM Page 14

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Elements of Boat Design
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September 21 - 27 with Bill Thomas

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Coastwise Navigation
August 31 - September 6 with Dick Devoe

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Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:00 AM
CURRENTS
A new chapter for
Danish ketch FRI?
by Tom Jackson
F or David Moodie, every piece of the
77' 9" 1912 Baltic ketch FRI has a story
behind it. Many of these stories are his
memories of fellow sailors. Many of these
TOM JACKSON (BOTH)
were volunteers who, starting in 1971,
sailed together to far-flung parts of the
world, almost always carrying a cause of
environmental protection or world peace,
often under the Greenpeace banner (see
WB No. 87). For Moodie, the fo’c’s’le scut-
tle built by hand in Sri Lanka, the head
decorated with peeling paintings, this
piece of wood from Fiji, that piece from
Australia, the windlass bar forged by
Pitcairn Islanders, the clever fold-up work-
bench built on deck—all of it is deeply
meaningful.
But now, it appears that the relation-
ship between man and boat is coming to
an end. FRI, moored for years now at the
Ring-Andersen yard in Svendborg, Den-
mark, where she was built, is badly in need
of extensive restoration. She’s covered
with an awning to keep the rain off. She
even went to the bottom not long ago.
(It’s unclear what happened, but her
pumps may have been shut down igno-
rantly or maliciously by a neighboring
boat’s crew, allowing her to settle enough
for water to flood through topside seams
that had dried out and opened up.) The
kind of work she needs now is beyond
the means of most individuals. But it
appears that as one chapter in FRI’s life
closes, a new chapter may be opening—
without Moodie this time.
As of this writing, she was expected to
be purchased by an association with a view
toward making her a day-sailing charter
boat out of Svendborg, under her origi-
nal name, ANNE MARGRETHE. Thomas
Bretton-Meyer, formerly of the Denmark
Maritime Center in Svendborg, which is
on the island of Fyn about two-and-a-half
hour’s travel west of Copenhagen, is one
of the principals in the association. He
said the boat was expected to be hauled
for a survey in early June. The association,
however, is already aware of the scale of
the project—Bretton-Meyer estimates
needed repairs at about 5 million Danish
kroner (about U.S. $1.05 million).
“I think the story of how she ended
up in the condition she’s in now is a story
of my stubbornness, Danish stubborn-
ness, and an inability to meet on any com-
mon ground in the end,” Moodie said.
Considered one of the oldest and most
Page 15
Edited by Tom Jackson
The Danish-built Baltic trader FRI, which served environmental and social causes
for decades with owner David Moodie (right) at the helm, appears to be entering a
new phase of her life, as a charter boat.
original of the existing Ring-Andersen
boats—and with a colorful history in her
own right—she was considered for
restoration funding from government
sources because of her historical impor-
tance. But the money never came
through. In 1997, Moodie had much of
the port side and more than half of her
sawn frames replaced at Ring-Andersen
at a cost of about U.S. $120,000. But the
easygoing lifestyle Moodie and his
Danish-born second wife, Therese
Kristensen, had during their years of sail-
ing didn’t translate well to life alongshore
in Denmark. Moodie was never licensed
as a skipper, for one thing. FRI for many
years typically found a legal niche by
being leased out to organizations like
Greenpeace, and under these contracts
she was not considered a passenger-
carrying vessel. Danish authorities, not
known for their looseness, didn’t look
kindly on that type of arrangement, or
other operations aboard FRI . Moodie
takes delight, for example, in telling of
slinging young children for fun rides in
a cargo basket (literally a basket, acquired
in India during his voyaging and capa-
ble of carrying a quarter ton of cargo),
but such dockside antics were quickly
halted by local port officials.
Moodie’s relationship with FRI started
in San Francisco with no experience and
limitless ideals. He and his first wife and
his two brothers bought the ship from an
owner who had used her to ship a cargo
of beer and whiskey to the United States.
After some training from the previous
owner—and anyone else they could find,
coming as they did from Ohio with no sea
experience at all—they set out for Hawaii
and the South Pacific. Early in their first
voyage, the crew was belowdeck when two
of four candles in a circle extinguished
simultaneously, and all agreed that the
last candle alight would determine their
next course. They protested nuclear
weapons at Bikini Atoll, went to Hiro-
shima, Japan, for the 30th anniversary of
the first nuclear bomb, served as a plat-
form for Greenpeace New Zealand’s
founding, carried solar electrical panels
to Tonga, and sailed on any number of
other cause-related voyages in several
oceans.
If the association is successful in restor-
ing FRI to sailing condition, a rather dif-
ferent future is envisioned. Bretton-Meyers
says that as an important local type, the
boat will fit in well with the regional char-
ter boat fleet, working out of Svendborg.
She’ll be capable of carrying 30 passen-
gers for day trips or 12 overnighters. “In
this moment we’re trying to find money,”
Bretton-Meyers says. He himself has expe-
rience running sail-training programs for
young people, and on such a basis “it was
possible to keep these boats alive in these
conditions. It’s a very good tool to think
together, to work together, to cooperate
sailing in nature, in the sun, the rain, and
everything they have to do together.”
For Moodie, the boat’s survival into a
new era seems bittersweet. On the posi-
tive side, she’ll sail again, if all goes well.
And, after all, she’ll be sailing in her native
waters. But on the other hand, her cen-
tral purpose for so long will be part of her
past, and not likely part of her present or
her future.
“I think the story of the ship is so
wonderful, and the story isn’t going to
die—maybe it will resurface in some new
way,” Moodie says. “Everything I see is a
story, and there were so many wonderful
people.”
September/October 2008 • 15
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:05 AM
CURRENTS
For information about the new association
or the restoration, contact Thomas Bretton-
Meyers at +45–6222–3454, or see <www.anne
margrethe.dk>, which is in Danish only.
Around the yards
■ Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay,
Maine, builder of some of the largest cold-
molded wooden yachts to come out of any
yard, has been branching off in other
directions in recent years. After complet-
ing a carbon-fiber prototype of a fast
special-operations boat for the U.S. Navy,
in concert with the University of Maine’s
Advanced Engineered Wood Compos-
ites Center in Orono, the lessons learned
have made their way into the yard’s yacht
construction.
Exhibit A is a 62' Café Racer expected
to launch in fall 2008. She is essentially a
performance cruising sailboat—but with
three “en suite” heads, a washer and dryer,
and a fully outfitted galley, she can’t be
considered a pure racing machine. The
yacht is constructed almost entirely with
carbon fiber to a design by Bill Tripp. The
only wood involved in the project came
during setup: Alaska yellow cedar plank-
ing 3 ⁄ 16" thick provided the first layer of a
multi-part lamination for the hull, to give
the yacht the warm feel of wood below-
decks. Built upside-down over permanent,
cored carbon-fiber bulkheads and tem-
porary frames set every 16", the hull was
first planked up with yellow cedar in some
areas and plywood where aesthetics
weren’t important or desirable (for exam-
ple in the chain locker, under the engines,
and in way of her integral carbon-fiber
fuel tanks). Once the wood layer was
established, one layer of carbon fiber was
laid in epoxy. After it set, the rest of the
hull—meaning more carbon fiber, a 1"
lightweight core material, and exterior
layers of carbon fiber—were installed in
a single infused lamination.
Half-jokingly, I asked lead builder and
longtime employee Robbie Ham for a 25-
word definition of infusion, and he came
through with it, running only a little long:
“Basically, it’s a complete dry layup on
an airtight surface, using a full media
of some sort. You build into your part a
way for the glue to move around, and
once it’s under vacuum, you have one,
two, or however many vacuum ports that
go to a bucket of glue. With the vacuum
at one end or around the perimeter, you
suck the glue into the laminate. Once
your laminate’s wet out—which you can
see—you close off the feed, and the vac-
uum pulls the part down to full vacuum.
When the glue kicks, it’s done, in one
step for the entire lamination.” Wood
comes back into play where the bulkheads
meet the hull sides; laminated Douglas-
16 • WoodenBoat 204
Page 16
COURTESY HODGDON COMPANY
fir cleats epoxied to the bulkheads are in
turn epoxied to the hull sides. Where load
is great—for example, in way of the mast
partners and the hydraulically operated
drop keel that itself weighs almost nine
tons in a boat that displaces only 19 tons
altogether—the bulkheads are tabbed
directly to the carbon fiber in the hull,
after the wooden form was removed.
So you ask, dear reader, what in the world
has this got to do with wooden boats? In
the past, Hodgdon has spent as many as
four years building over-the-top cold-
molded sailing yachts like SCHEHERA-
ZADE, WINDCREST, and ANTONISA and
power yachts like YOREL and LIBERTY
(see WB No. 156, 138, and others). But
with expanding yard space and a grow-
ing work force—upwards of 100 employ-
ees now—the yard is perfecting the use
of advanced composites to round out its
services and even out its work flow. Never-
theless, the company has no intention of
turning its back on wood construction by
any means.
In June 2008, the yard opened a new
facility in Richmond, Maine, specifically
for high-end interior joinery, not only for
its own yachts but to increase its ability to
work as a subcontractor for the mega-
yacht market hither and yon. The move—
involving 20 employees now, with potential
to grow to 60 within a year—cleared the
building shed where ANTONISA was
constructed in the 1990s. With that move,
Hodgdon Yachts now has the capacity to
simultaneously build three large yachts
as long as the largest it has built so far.
No doubt some of those will be cold-
molded or a blend of wood and compos-
ites like Kevlar and carbon fiber, techniques
Hodgdon Yachts is not alone in pursuing.
For Robbie Ham, mastering carbon-
fiber infusions has become part of his pro-
fession. “I think familarity-wise, it would
be a lot more comfortable to be back
doing wood,” he says. “This is a learning
curve to me. We’ve hired some compos-
ite people, and we’ve trained a bunch of
composite people ourselves, but I’ve been
doing wooden boats so long, it’s kind of
Hodgdon Yachts, Inc. in
East Boothbay, Maine, has
been using a lot of carbon
fiber in its constructions
lately—and almost exclu-
sively in this 62’ Café Racer
designed by Bill Tripp.
With recent expansion at
the yard, several large
yachts can be built
simultaneously, and given
Hodgdon’s track record of
high-end cold-molded
yachts, many of them will
be built of wood.
second nature. Obviously, selfishly, it would
be easier on me if we were doing wooden
hulls, because I understand it. But I do
understand that we’ve got to be ready to
do whatever, because this is the type of
construction that these fast boats are
going to require.”
According to company representative
Ted Smith, designers played a key role in
steering clients toward advanced compos-
ites, but it’s possible that as they come to
understand Hodgdon’s engineering tech-
niques, those accustomed to working in
anything but wood may take another look
at cold-molded construction, and maybe
the clients will, too. Buyers have been
known to come to appreciate wood’s qual-
ities during construction—and even more
once they start taking their boats to sea.
“It doesn’t squeak, it doesn’t make any
noise, it’s seakindly, all of that,” Smith
says. “That’s a leap of faith—they don’t
know going into it.”
Yard owner Tim Hodgdon, too, still
has his heart in cold-molded construc-
tion. “Absolutely,” he says. “We’re con-
stantly looking at that kind of project—in
fact, we’ve got one right now that has a
possibility of going forward for cold-
molded construction. I’m still a firm
believer in that. But because of the scale
of the company, and so forth, it’s pretty
hard just to bank on that kind of construc-
tion.” Fifteen years ago, the company had
perhaps six employees. “Now, I don’t
know, I’m not even sure—maybe over a
hundred now.” And growing.
Hodgdon Yachts, 14 School St., P.O. Box
505, East Boothbay, ME 04544; 207–
633–4194; <www.hodgdonyachts.com>.
■ Walsteds Baadeværft in Thurø, Den-
mark, has had a pair of vintage 12-Meter
racing yachts in its regular care in recent
years. Most recently, the yard touched up
the topsides of ERNA SIGNE, which a new
owner wanted to have bright-finished. The
William Fife–designed yacht, launched in
1912, has been in Walsted’s care for some
years and is in impeccable condition. As
of May 2008, she was also having a galley
204_Pg17.xp 7/24/08 11:29 AM Page 17

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All wooden boats are now competitive.

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Do you remember when Aug.9 Corinthian Classic Regatta
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WoodenBoat Publications • P.O. Box 78 Manhattan, NY
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207-359-4651 • www.woodenboat.com For complete information, please call
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write to WBRS, P.O. Box 188, Mystic, CT 06355.

September/October 2008 • 17
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 5:41 PM Page 18

CURRENTS

TOM JACKSON (BOTH)

Left—Thorvald Walsted, who with his
sister Sonja runs the yard founded by
their father, stands in the companion-
way of ERNA SIGNE, a 1912 William Fife
12-Meter yacht recently refurbished.
Above—The 1932 Johan Anker–designed
VEMA III, which was given a thorough-
going restoration by Walsted’s in 2000,
is regularly maintained by the yard.

refit and minor interior modifications. She
is 62' 4" LOA, with a beam of 11' 1", and a
draft of 8' 6". The yard also continues to
care for VEMA III, a Johan Anker–designed
12-Meter. The yacht was extensively rebuilt
and restored in 2000 at Walsteds, and she
continues to have annual maintenance at
the Thurø yard. VEMA III, designed in
1932, was composite-constructed, mean-
ing she had wooden planking over steel
frames. Her original galvanized mild
steel frames were replaced with stain-
less steel during restoration. At the same
time, the yard rebuilt her skylights and
deck structures, gave her a new deck and
covering boards, splined and restored her
topside planking, restored her interior,
renovated and updated her galley along
the lines of the original styling, and found
ways to insert systems—such as hydraulic
power winches—with a minimum of dis-
ruption to her original interior cabinetry
and finish style.
The yard is run by Thorvald Walsted
and his sister Sonja, after their father, Aage
Walsted, retired in December 2006 at the
age of 84. From time to time the elder
Walsted still comes by the yard, which is
a short walk from his home, but he’s
reportedly spending most of his time in
his garden these days.
Walsteds Baadeværft A/S, Saugskærvej 21,
Thurø DK-5700, Svendborg, Denmark;
+45–6220–5168; <www.walsteds.com>.
I Russ Peterson writes from Juneau,
Alaska, with news that he is deep into the
restoration of a 65' LOA 1926 mailboat,
SEAL, in conjunction with his shipwright
friend Michael Svensson. The restoration
is the third boat in this size range that
Peterson has undertaken, and he’s been
learning quite a lot about the history of
his latest project.
“SEAL was the first boat built, in 1926,
for the Territory of Alaska, well before
statehood,” he writes. “SEAL served as a
territorial mail and supply ship serving
Juneau to Glacier Bay and all the little vil-
lages and towns along the way. The
National Park Service has a lot of her pho-
tos posted on their site as well—many dis-
cussions took place on board SEAL about
making Glacier Bay a park in the first
place. She has only had two private own-
ers since her service time for the territory
and into statehood.” The best photo of
her he has found came from the wall
of the Pioneer Bar in Sitka, and he’s done
taped interviews with one of the former
territorial captains and with Tommy
Osborn, a fisherman who owned the boat
when Peterson first saw her.
“I fell in love with her about 20 years
ago, when I was restoring a 1931, 65' sail-
boat called the RELIANCE here in Juneau.
I have been restoring SEAL for four years
now, hand-to-mouth, one job at a time to
pay for one project at a time, struggling
to get time off between wages to actually
‘do’ the work.” At the end of his day’s
work as a computer network technician
for the Alaska Department of Labor,
Peterson has been “running home each
evening to dive into my grubby clothes,
and pick up where I left off the evening
before, project by project.
“I’ve never taken her out of the har-
bor, and never seen the light come in any
open window through the tarps, but I
know each project brings me a little closer
to that day. My dream is to create a non-
profit, for which the only stipulation is
that I get to caretake and skipper her until
I am too old and goofy to do so anymore.
The SEAL really is the most historically
significant vessel in Juneau, since she car-
ried so much load in bringing Alaska to
statehood, and there are none left like
her in Southeast Alaska.
“When I finally got her four years ago,
she had pretty much been abandoned at

18 • WoodenBoat 204
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:05 AM Page 19

the dock for four to five years, and was in

terrible shape. No wiring at all, motor
stripped, no running water except what
strained through her deck seams! I just
rebuilt the wheelhouse, which included
restoring all the curved pocket windows,
which I made of teak and African
mahogany, with koa wood sills, all new
bronze, and more. I am making it a spe-
cific point to not only restore her using
traditional materials, but also with tradi-
tional methods such as caulked decks,
oakum, cotton, pine pitch, and tar. Last
summer, Michael and I replaced the bow
stem, and this summer we are replacing
the port sheer plank, covering boards,
and deck planking.
“Michael is a really talented guy—and
I have worked with every shipwright that’s
passed through and called Juneau home
for the past 20 years. Michael is hands-
down the best I have had the pleasure to
work with, and call a friend.”
For more information and photographs, see
the SEAL web site at <www.mvseal.com>.

■ “The yard at Hall’s Boat Corporation

on Lake George, New York, turns 100 this
year,” Reuben Smith writes. “Once a
dealer for Fay and Bowen and Gar Wood,
Hall’s still services some of the boats it
sold back in the 1920s. Walking into the
storage shed in the winter is like walking
into a museum, packed with about 70 clas-
sic wooden boats, from torpedo-sterned
launches on up to modern Hacker-Crafts.
In the summer, the covered slips are filled
with bright runabouts, same as it ever was
at Hall’s. But behind the scenes, things
RUSS PETERSON

Russ Peterson has a thing for restoring

65’ yachts, and his latest one is SEAL, a
historic Juneau, Alaska, mailboat. He’s
been working with his shipwright
friend Michael Svensson on a major
reconstruction, including the wheel-
house’s curved pocket windows.

September/October 2008 • 19
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:05 AM Page 20

CURRENTS

are very different, as the yard is under new shop, after working out of Jones River
ownership. Steve and Nick Lamando are Landing in Kingston, Massachusetts, for
now running things and have invested the past several years.
heavily in the facility, and in the crew. Pete “Steve and Nick Lamando have great

CY NDE SMITH/HALL’S BOAT CORPORATION

Bombard has stayed with the yard
through many transitions in his 45 years
of laying on varnish here. Mark Wilson
and Steve Clark run the white-glove
mechanic shop, rebuilding and restoring
period engines. Mike Reagan runs the
waterfront, working with a crew of kids
and keeping the customers happy and the
boats in the water beautiful. I am moving
to the Adirondacks to head up the boat-
ambitions for the yard, first to maintain the
historical service, but also to expand the
business into boatbuilding, restoration,
and boatbuilding programs. Already, work
has begun restoring an 1899 32' Elco,
beginning with a complete structural
rebuild on through to new upholstery and
a rebuilt original electric motor. Like a
lot of old boats at Hall’s, this Elco has
been on Lake George all its life, and the

At Hall’s Boat Corporation on Lake

George, New York, as of mid-June,
two bright-finished Chris-Craft
Sportsman boats were in for restora-
tion, an 1899, 32’ Elco was opened up
for a structural reconstruction, and a
Cape Cod knockabout was under
restoration as well. Next up? A 1928
Chris-Craft Cadet, and a 1915 Fay and
Bowen 30’ torpedo-stern launch.

new Hall’s is continuing in a great tradi-

tion of awareness and appreciation for
wooden boats on Lake George.”
Hall’s Boat Corporation, 9 Front St.,
Lake George, NY 12845; 518–668–5437;
<www.hallsmarina.com>.

■ “You have to admire a guy like

Bill Donahue,” Professional Boatbuilder
editor at large Dan Spurr writes from
Bozeman, Montana, “because he is one
of those all-too-rare individuals who was
willing to give up a profitable white-
collar career to pursue his real love in
life, at no little financial expense to him-
self and family. In Bill’s case, the career
was a bank consulting company, and the
love was—because you are reading it in
these pages—boats, of course. Growing
up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, he built
“Oval transoms, oval coamings, and nearly oval deck outlines, his first boat at age 10, and never really
gave it up, though boats were necessarily
along with cotton sails and plenty of bright wood, make Great in the background.
South Bay catboats unusually appealing, especially when viewed “Five years ago he decided it was ‘now
or never.’ So he quit his job and started
from the stern.” If you’ve never succumbed to the temptation Annapolis Classic Watercraft, mainly
of this wall calendar, perhaps the insight of Maynard Bray (he because he likes good-quality wooden
writes all of the commentary about the boats) will push you boats, but also because he perceived an
open niche in the Chesapeake Bay area.
over the edge. They always do it for us. Well, that, and the grand Donahue’s business plan is four-pronged:
photos of Mr. Mendlowitz. Opens to 12" x 24". restorations, brokerage, classes, and new
boat construction, and it is the latter that
Available from The WoodenBoat Store brings us to the Homewood Landing 24.
“The origins of this design are some-
#800-209 $15.95 (+ $4.90 shipping in the US) thing of a mystery. But first, some back-
ground. The original Homewood
To Order: Call Toll-Free 1.800.273.SHIP (7447) Landing 24, AQUILA, was built by a tal-
ented, though amateur boatbuilder by the
On-line at www.woodenboatstore.com name of Fred Touchton, about 20 years
ago. The construction was strip-planked
with 1⁄ 8" meranti veneer glued on over the

20 • WoodenBoat 204
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:05 AM Page 21

cedar planking. Frames are laminated
oak. Original power was a 30-hp Atomic
Four with 2:1 reduction gear, which gave
it a cruising speed of 8 knots and a max-
imum speed of 11. Donahue remembers
seeing it motoring up and down the
Severn River, which separates his present
shop from the U.S. Naval Academy on the
opposite shore. He calls it a ‘very elegant
cocktail launch or sundowner.’ Touchton
died about 10 years ago, and the boat lan-
guished alongside his barn. Eventually
friends of the family called Donahue to
see if he’d broker it. He did them one bet-
ter: he bought it.
clients: a Luders 16, a 22-Square-Meter
built in 1927 by Abeking & Rasmussen,
a Herreshoff 12-1/2, and a number of
1950s-era Chris-Crafts.”
Annapolis Classic Watercraft, 410
Innovation Dr., David Taylor Center,
Annapolis, MD 21402; 866–263–9366;
<www.uncommonboats.com>.
Offcuts
I f the association that plans to purchase
the Danish-built Baltic ketch FRI of 1912
CURRENTS
succeeds in restoring her and making her
a charter boat off the coast of Denmark
(see the lead Currents item on pg.15),
she won’t be alone. She’ll be amid a fleet
of large traditional wooden workboats
that operate in the charter trade in that
country, almost all of them built in
Denmark and many of them little known
outside the country.
In May, I visited with Nikki Alford, an
Englishwoman who owns the 1904 English
West Country ketch BESSIE ELLEN, built
in Plymouth and now based in Denmark.
Alford is one of a number of charter boat

“Included in the purchase was a faded

set of plans from its designer, one Thomas
Connolly of Sacramento, California. The
name of the design was a Kingston
Lobsterboat, but Donahue states accu-
rately that it is not. Efforts to learn more
about Connolly have dead-ended every
time.
“Donahue contemplated molding the
hull in fiberglass, by a subcontractor, and
finishing it out in wood himself. But yachtsman’s mirror
up-front tooling costs were prohibitive
and Donahue prefers to work in wood
anyway. The plan, then, is to restore
Touchton’s AQUILA for marketing pur-
poses…with some modifications. Dona-
hue’s son Jonathan is a marine engineer
(Pratt School of Engineering, Duke
University), and he has designed a new
console and reorganized the cockpit.
High gloss, durability, and protection,
Each boat will be custom, and can be con- that's what you need from a varnish,
figured as a center-console launch, as and that's what RYLARD has provided
designed, or a tiller-steered open boat,
cuddy-cabin weekender, water taxi, or club
since 1820.
launch. Donahue retained naval archi-
tect Mike Kaufman to do some power and With the purest linseed and tung oil,
speed calculations, enabling Donahue to RYLARD VG 63 gives the protection
spec both a diesel and gasoline engine
that will deliver performance in the 15- that your wooden boat needs,
to 18-knot range. The boat is 24' 2" LOA, and the gloss you want.
with a beam of 7' 10", a draft of 2', and a
displacement of 3,900 lbs.
“ The hull is certainly an attractive That's why RYLARD is called
starting point for any of the above, bear- "The Yachtsman's mirror".
ing a resemblance to a number of other
handsome skiffs, such as the Hampton,
West Pointer, and the Handy Billy. The
Homewood Landing 24, named after
Touchton’s boatshop, which was proximate Importers & Agents
to the estate by that name belonging to
North America
the founder of Johns Hopkins University,
Llewellyn Supply - Willmington - CA - (800 423 9800) Rejuvenation Woodworks - L. Eustis - FL - (352 2672838)
has good company in Donahue’s regular
Europe
Segelshoppen AB - Stocholm - SE (+46 08 611 82 92 Båtvårdsvarvet - Henån - SE (+46 0304-593 06)
The Homewood Landing 24 is a new Asdal trading - Arendal - NOR (+47 370 96 500) Classic Marine S. - Jakobstad - FIN (+358 6 723 12 10)
stock offering from Annapolis Classic Walsteds Baadeværft - Svendborg - DK (+45 62 25 168) Voland - Ermelo - NL (+31 0341 559 389)
Yachtfarbenkontor - Burg - DE (+49 4825 902112) Artois P. - Oostende - BEL (+32 059 323 277)
Watercraft in Annapolis, Maryland. Suncolor - Bedano - CH (+41 091 945 32 41) Rinaldi - Monaco - MC (+377 933 016 19)
Andreou - Athens - GR (+30 210 48 28 452) C.A. Petrides - Limassol - CY (+357 25 564 200)

www.rylard.com
BRAVA srl, Via Parodi 284, 16010 Ceranesi, Genova, Italy
Ph. +39 010 782 864 - Fax +39 010 783 091 - info@brava.it
COURTESY ANNAPOLIS CLASSIC WATERCRAFT

September/October 2008 • 21
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:05 AM Page 22

CURRENTS

owners jointly marketing their cruises

through an organization called Sailor
Life. She bought the 84' boat in 2000 and
restored her original rig and appear-
ance, fitting her out for charters. BESSIE
ELLEN’s working life continued in
England, and later in Denmark and the
Baltic, into the 1970s. She was near the

TOM JACKSON
end of a long project to make her a char-
ter vessel when Alford bought her and
restored her original gaff ketch rig.

COURTESY SAILOR LIFE

Sailor Life represents three such large
charter vessels, all with historic pedigrees
and workboat roots and all operating in
Denmark’s inshore waters. According to
Tonny Schnoor, the organization’s boats
aren’t well known outside the country
because regulations deny them deepwater
operations. This means they cannot ven-
ture far enough afield with charter pas-
sengers to participate in such large events
as, for example, the maritime festivals in
Brest and Douarnenez in France. Within
Denmark, however, they are gaining
ground for vacationers and also for cor-
porate teambuilding programs. In this,
Sailor Life is similar to other joint mar-
keting organizations, like the Maine
Windjammers Association, that help cus-
tomers find their way to historic boats—
the more the better. This trade keeps
Above—BESSIE ELLEN, a 1904 West Country ketch
from England, is one of a fleet of converted work-
boats operating out of Denmark. Right—The
organization Sailor Life is having TRILLE, formerly
owned by a Portland cement factory, rebuilt.
aging workboats alive for a new purpose
in a new generation.
One example is the current recon-
struction of TRILLE, ex-ALEXANDER,
now in the midst of an extensive restora-
tion in Hvide Sande in the west of
Denmark. The yard, Hvide Sande Skibs
og Bådebyggeri, has replaced the stem
and sternpost and 300 lineal meters
(almost 1,000 lineal feet) of oak plank-
ing 2 1 ⁄ 2" thick on the 74-ton boat. Much
work is yet to be done, including a new Photo credit Billy Black.
deck that will take her back to her origi-
nal configuration. A May 2010 launching
is expected. The ship was built in 1914 in
Hobro for Ålborg Portland, a cement fac-
tory. She remained in that service until
the 1960s, when she went into private own-
ership, converted to a fishing vessel and
a school ship. She languished for 15 years
before Sailor Life bought her for conver-
sion to the charter trade.
Sailor Life, Lyngtoften 61, 7800 Skive, Den-
mark; +45–51–52–19–12; <www.sailorlife.dk>

You don’t want an ordinary desk job.

Begin training for an extraordinary career in
boatbuilding, yacht design, marine systems
or composites.

The Landing School

www.landingschool.edu

22 • WoodenBoat 204
204_pg23.qxd 7/25/08 10:11 AM Page 23
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September/October 2008 • 23
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:06 AM
CURRENTS
I happened to be in Denmark in May
for a particular reason (about which
more will be forthcoming in an upcom-
ing edition of WoodenBoat ), which is why
there’s so much from Denmark in this
edition of Currents. Here’s one final word
from Denmark that I couldn’t resist: The
maritime center in the city of Svendborg
has a collection of small craft in the
nearby boat basin, which makes for inter-
esting boat-watching. One of the reasons
to walk the docks in such places is to
watch for details that may be borrowed
or adapted—or simply admired. Here is
one such idea. Keeping floorboards
under control in small boats can call for
turn-buttons or keepers of one kind or
(Danish only). BESSIE ELLEN, Hamatethy,
St. Breward, Bodmin, PL30 4PG, England;
<www.bessie-ellen.com>.
M ats Broberg writes from Stockholm,
Sweden, with news of one example
of how the Internet really should work
in the maritime history world: “ The
Maritime Museum, and the Museum
Society for Swedish Leisure Craft, have
embarked upon a major project of scan-
ning boat plans to create the world’s
We know it’s worth a little time and effort to bring
your boat back to life. Hagerty lets you increase your
boat’s value as your restoration project progresses.
800-762-2628 | WWW.HAGERTYMARINE.COM
24 • WoodenBoat 204
Page 24
TOM JACKSON
another (see Greg Rössel’s use of brass
half-oval in WB No. 198, for example).
This is a different take on the same
notion, using what appears to be simple
screw eyes and tapered, rounded wedges.
It’s an interesting variation that may work
well in some boats, especially where the
wedges can be confined to an area under
a thwart, as these are, where they aren’t
likely to be in the way of footing. —TJ
largest database of leisure-craft plans.
Plans by Knud H. Reimers, C.G. Petters-
son, Gustav Estlander, and many other
Swedish naval architects will be collected
in a database and be made available on
the Internet. The Maritime Museum, with
its 20,000 leisure-craft plans, has one of
the world’s largest collections. Included
is everything from yachts designed by
18th-century naval architect Frederik
Henrik af Chapman to plans of Pettersson
boats, as well as plywood boats and
fiberglass boats from the 1950s and 1960s.
The project started during the ‘Allt för
sjön’ maritime fair in 2008 and has con-
tinued at The Maritime Museum.” As of
this writing, the museum web site already
had high-resolution versions of all of the
gorgeous plates from Chapman’s Architec-
tura Navalis Mercatoria (1768) available
for download. See an English version of
The Maritime Museum’s web site at <www
.sjohistoriska.se/InEnglish/about.aspx>.
A web site domain,<www.veteranbaten.se>,
set up to receive the pleasure boat plans
collection, will probably be up and run-
ning by the time of this publication. The
Museum Society for Swedish Leisure Craft
is at <www.veteranbaten.se>, but is in
Swedish only.
P ete Goss, the English adventure sailor
who wrote Close to the Wind (Headline
Book Publishing, 1998) about his prepa-
rations for and competition in the
Vendée Globe Race of 1996, is undertak-
ing a very different kind of voyage this
year. Also a motivational speaker and
founder of the educational charity
Cornwall Playing for Success, Goss turned
his efforts in 2007 to building a wooden-
hulled Cornish Mounts Bay lugger,
SPIRIT OF MYSTERY—something com-
pletely out of character with his previous
204_pg25.qxd 7/24/08 11:34 AM Page 25

September/October 2008 • 25
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:06 AM Page 26

CURRENTS
CURRENTS
sailing and racing adventures. He was
inspired by the 1854–55 voyage of seven
Cornishmen—most of them landsmen—
from hard-pressed Cornwall to Australia
during that country’s 19th-century gold
rush. The original MYSTERY, 37' overall
and decked over for the voyage, made
11,800 nautical miles in 116 days, putting
in only at Capetown, South Africa, for a
week. The replica will have modern
the Vendée Globe] I cooked on a tiny
single-burner camping stove using the
toolbox as a seat,” Goss writes. “I cut my
toothbrush in half and lived off freeze-
dried food in a capsule devoid of any
character. Well, on this trip I look for-
ward to putting my feet up in front of the
wood-burner and tucking into a Sunday
roast. She will be a home from home.” A
June 21 launching was expected, with the

COURTESY PETE GOSS

equipment and more of the comforts of voyage, which will benefit Cornwall
home than either the original boat or Playing for Success and is tied in with
Goss’s modern racing yachts. “On AQUA school curricula, is set to begin in mid-
QUORUM [the Open 50 Goss raced in October. See <www.petegoss.com>.

HM MARINE
English sailor and author Pete Goss’s

HAMILTON latest construction, a Cornish Mounts

Bay lugger, promises a slower trip
than his Vendée Globe contenders—
and considerably more comfort. His
SPIRIT OF MYSTERY will follow the
track of an 1854–55 voyage from
Cornwall to Australia.
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Typographical errors are unintentional and subject to correction. CHARM III has been running charter
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800-639-2715 hamiltonmarine.com youth sailing programs.

26 • WoodenBoat 204
204_Pg27.qxd 7/24/08 1:20 PM Page 27

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September/October 2008
12"
• 27
Currents204_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:06 AM
CURRENTS
club’s youngsters are competent enough
sailors to be thought worthy of compet-
ing for Anguilla in the 2008 Scotiabank
International Caribbean Optimist Regatta
in St. Thomas. CHARM III’s owners,
Richard and Maryse West, who were
instrumental in starting the AYSC two
years ago, heard of the need for U.S.
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travel to and compete in St. Thomas.
Maryse hit on the idea of the weekly sails.
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28 • WoodenBoat 204
Page 28
she explains matter-of-factly. During these designer, Milne is arguably best known
sails, CHARM III is crewed by members for his 1961 design of the International
of the Youth Sailing Club, with an Fireball performance dinghy, a 16' flat-
average age of just 13.” Anguilla Youth bottomed, two-man, plywood boat meant
Sailing Club, <www.sailanguilla.com/aysc. to be built from a kit. Some 15,000 boats
htm>. For information about CHARM III, call have been built to the Fireball design,
+264–235–8200. which was inspired by American sailing
scow types, and later versions were fitted
with trapeze gear and flew spinnakers. In
Across the bar 1962, Mr. Milne presented his design to
Editor Bill Smart, of Yachts & Yachting
■ Peter Milne, 73, May 23, 2008, Chi- magazine, who asked Milne to write a fea-
chester, England. A prolific small-craft ture about the design. Shortly after that,
Smart asked Milne to join the staff, suc-
ceeding John Westall, the 505 dinghy
designer. Milne later succeeded Smart as
editor. He designed more than 40 class
dinghies, production cruisers, and power-
boat designs.
■ Daniel Strohmeier, 96, March 15, 2008,
Damariscotta, Maine. A 1932 graduate of
Amherst College and a 1934 graduate
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy in Naval Architecture and Marine
Engineering, Mr. Strohmeier worked for
Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard in
Quincy, Massachusetts, becoming vice-
president and head of the shipbuilding
division in 1948. A member of the American
Bureau of Shipping and a fellow of the
Society of Naval Architects and Marine
Engineers, he was awarded the 1971 Vice
Admiral “Jerry” Land Medal for outstand-
ing accomplishments in the marine field.
Throughout his years of such responsibil-
ities, he never lost his love for yachting,
sailing, and small boats. He built boats for
his children in the basement of his home
in Scarsdale, New York, and maintained
a 50-year record of sailing during every
®
month of the year. In 1951, he bought a
Find your nearest
WEST SYSTEM dealer at
Concordia yawl, renamed her MALAY, and
won numerous awards with her, includ-
ing the St. David’s Light House Trophy in
westsystem.com the 1954 Newport-to-Bermuda Race and
overall honors in the 1955 Marblehead-
Gougeon Brothers Inc. to-Halifax Race. He was a member of the
P. O. Box 908 New York, Larchmont, and New Bedford
Bay City, MI 48707 yacht clubs and also belonged to the
866-937-8797 Cabedetis Boat Club of Round Pond,
Maine, the Fales Committee at the U.S.
Naval Academy, the Cruising Club of
America, the Ocean Cruising Club, the
Storm Trysail Club, and the Little
Scorpions Club.
■ Clifford Jennings, 70, May 29, 2007,
Marblehead, Massachusetts. In addition
to his fishing and skiing passions, sail-
ing out of the Boston Yacht Club, Mr.
Jennings was a superb foredeckman on
many trophy-winning yachts, including
CRUSADER, ALITA, ARIETO, and BOOM-
ERANG . He was a veteran participant
in the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean
BRAND ® Race and competed in the Newport-to-
Safe • Strong • Reliable Bermuda Race.
204_Pg29.qxd 7/24/08 1:18 PM Page 29
WoodenBoat and Professional BoatBuilder magazines
The Pursuit of Pleasure at 2 Gallons Per Hour
Calls and letters from boatbuilders, brokers, and buyers
have put us at WoodenBoat on notice that the marine
market is changing more rapidly than we might have
thought: a lot of boats simply are not being ordered,
launched, or run this year because fuel costs are too
high, and disposable income scarce.
Conversation with some middle-class New England
boaters about their plans for this summer season
revealed that with fuel nearing $5 per gallon, burn rates
of even 4 gallons per hour are making them think twice
about spending a day on the water.
With that in mind, the editors at WoodenBoat and
Professional BoatBuilder magazines are offering a
design challenge for new, creatively designed power-
boats in any material that are efficient and fun, and could
possibly be the only vessel a boating family of modest
means might afford or need.
We will award two $1,000 prizes—one each to the first-
place designs in wood and composites/metal.
For more details email carl@woodenboat.com or visit
our web site at:
www. .com
DESIGN PARAMETERS:
I 16’6” to 18’6” overall length, stem to stern
(transom)
I 25-hp maximum power
I Must burn less than 2 gallons per hour while
maintaining a 15-knot cruising speed and carrying
650 lbs (four adults or equivalent).
I Trailerable weight (with engine) must be less
than 2,700 lbs.
I Must be able to safely (if not comfortably) get
home against a steady 15-knot breeze with higher
gusts, and a 2’ to 3’ chop.
I Submissions must be the designer’s original
work and should include lines, profile, sections,
table of offsets, accurate weight study, cost
calculations, and performance predictions.
The goal is a powerboat that’s visually appealing
and fun to operate; at the same time, it must be
efficient and safe for a family to make daytrips in
coastal or inland waters. The best designs will
balance all these elements.
Submissions should be postmarked no later than
April 20, 2009, and should be sent to:
Design Challenge
WoodenBoat magazine
P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616 USA
September/October 2008 • 29
BandsawAdjuster_5.QXD 7/21/08 11:20 AM Page 30

THE
BANDSAW
BEVELER
Turning a regular
bandsaw into a
ship saw
by Walt Ansel

M
ystic Seaport’s ship saw—or tilting-
head bandsaw—has done impressive
work during the past 30 years in saw-
ing out the rolling bevels for, among other things,
the frame futtocks for the whaleship CHARLES W.

MORGAN, the fishing schooner L.A. DUNTON, and
the replica schooner AMISTAD. Next summer, when we
rebuild the MORGAN’s bottom, I expect the ancient saw
will once again work its bevel magic. I’ve known this almost
mythical saw for a long time, and it’s a favorite friend—
quiet, very powerful, and a cutter of fair lines.
This ship saw boasts some impressive numbers: a blade
length of 20' 2", wheels of 40" diameter, a drive motor of
10 hp at 220 volts, and a 45-degree blade tilt. If you were
to stand on its 4'  4' cast-iron table—which you would be
doing if you were setting the bevel changes in the two-
man sawing operation—your eye would be drawn to a
small gold label, which says NOAH in block letters and
below it shows a profile of the Ark. Just to keep us from
becoming too smug about the saw’s vintage, it also lists
the manufacturer as Woodworking Machine Co. Inc. New
York, NY.
The old saw is built around a C-shaped, cast-iron
frame. The saw table is fixed, while the saw’s head, shaft,
and wheel move on a geared rack by means of a large
iron crank handle. The person changing the bevels con-
stantly cranks the saw to the appropriate pre-marked bevel
while the sawyer pushes the timber through the saw and
calls out the next angle. If the two are in sync (that is,
talking to each other) and if the bevels have been hit at
the right location during the cut, an almost perfect rolling
shape can be achieved. This shape, if it is picked up off
the lofting accurately, will produce a sawn frame’s edge
that will need very little fairing at planking time.
Sawn frames cut this way are lovely to look at. They are
curved and twisted, matching inside and out with the
many vertical bandsaw marks delineating the ever-
changing bevels. At first glance, their creation seems to
be an impossibility.
I’ve always thought that the home boatbuilder who
ROBERT LAPOINTE
Off-the-shelf hardware and a little inventiveness make a small
“shipsaw” out of an ordinary bandsaw. The technique is to
measure required bevels, mark new corresponding numbers
on the tilt scale, and then use the foot pedal to adjust the
bevel to hit those preset marks at the desired location as the
workpiece passes through the saw.
cannot afford the storied and fabled (also rare, expen-
sive, heavy, and enormous) ship saw should have the means
to cut rolling bevels on a smaller scale with his 14" Delta
bandsaw. Such a saw would be invaluable for sawing out
floor timbers, to cite just one example. I’ve heard of peo-
ple that have bolted a 4' 2  4 to the saw table loosened
the table nuts, and have a partner tilt the table while they
were sawing and calling out bevels. I wanted a more ele-
gant solution that would work for the singlehanded boat-
builder. Having some free time about a year ago and an
old cast-iron 14" Delta war horse to experiment on, I came
up with the following home-built bevel-cutting attachment.
I felt that a backyard beveler (or “bevelah,” as some
call it) should meet the following criteria: it should be
simple and inexpensive, and also it should be built of
hardware-store materials, not require any machining or
welding, and built in such a way as to avoid permanently

30 • WoodenBoat 204
BandsawAdjuster_5.QXD 7/21/08 11:20 AM Page 31
Mystic Seaport
shipwright
Walter Ansel
developed his
motor-driven
tilting band-
saw so he
KANE BORDEN/MYSTIC SEAPORT
could keep
both hands on
the workpiece
when sawing
rolling bevels
in boat-sized
stock.
disfiguring the bandsaw. My first thought was a foot trea-
dle with a linkage to tilt the table. I discarded this idea
because there appeared to be no way to put sufficient
drag in the linkage to hold the desired bevel. My next
idea was taken from the old Walker Turner bandsaw. (I
have lusted after one for years.) This was to use a threaded
rod screwed through a nut that was attached to an arm
mounted on the underside of the table. With little thought
about how to turn the rod, I went off to rummage in junk
drawers for parts. There I found an old variable-speed
drill body with a 1 ⁄ 2" chuck and a trigger switch that ran
despite a missing handle. Wow, man, I thought, I could
make a power-driven tilt table!
I had trouble envisioning how to mount a swiveling
nut on the end of an arm. Fortunately my friend and co-
worker Mike Franco saw a solution. Being blessed with
mechanical genius gained from many years in the for-
eign car repair wars, Mike recalled the geometry of the
weird-looking clamshell-type MacPherson strut spring
compressor. This mechanism (about which I knew noth-
ing) consists of two arms holding two trunnion rods con-
nected by a cross screw that when turned expands the
arms. He thought that if you attached two support tri-
angles of metal angle below the table, they would hold a
trunnion barrel that could rotate. The middle of the trun-
nion (the part between the angle brackets) could then
be cross-threaded for the 1 ⁄ 2" drive rod. Naturally, the
drill motor had to pivot, along with the trunnion.
Armed with this plan, I bought two 3' pieces of 1 ⁄ 8" 
11 ⁄ 4" galvanized steel angle stock for the brackets, a 3⁄ 4"
 23⁄ 4" pipe nipple for the trunnion barrel itself, and a
3
⁄ 4" flange and a 10" mating nipple for the drill support.
I also bought various 1⁄ 4" cap bolts, and a 1⁄ 4" tap. Assembly
was fairly straightforward. I bent the trunnion angles first
so that they would match each other and then bent their
tab ends to lap onto the sides of the saw table. These tabs
bolted into holes that I drilled and tapped into the
sides of the table. Placing the brackets 3⁄ 4" apart allowed
plenty of clearance for the drive rod. (Depending on the
saw, these brackets might have to be removed to change
the blade—a simple enough operation.)
To form the 3⁄ 4" pipe trunnion, I jammed a 1⁄ 2" square
nut inside the pipe and bored oversized holes in the pipe
on either side of the nut. Two wooden blocks cut to 45-
degree angles and fastened in the crotch of the brackets
hold the trunnion in place. At this point, the table swung
easily by hand, the whole setup being light yet strong.
The next job was to mount the drill motor. The Delta
I was experimenting on had a solid cast-iron column to
the left of the table. I tapped into this and mounted the
3
⁄ 4" flange and then screwed in the 10" pipe nipple. The
drill motor stand was made out of plywood loosely
U-bolted to the pipe nipple, the drill being attached to
the stand with a large hose clamp.
Now it was time for an operational test. Getting Mike
to stand by, I pulled the drill trigger slowly and the table
magically tilted. “Real smooth, real smooth, ” Mike said
with a big grin. The bevelah was on its way. I found that
double-nutting the table nuts, with some slack, let the
table swing without binding. Our sailmaker, Gary Adair,
came along next and offered the use of one of his
variable-speed sewing machine foot pedal switches, which
I wired into the drill cord. Next, I attached a simple angle
indicator, made of rod, to the table. With the drill trig-
ger clicked on and the lock button pressed, all appeared
ready for the bevelah’s first trial.
I found a nice 6 ⁄4-thick by 8"-wide piece of white oak—
a piece about the size that would make a good floor
timber for a small cruising boat. The bandsaw clicked
on and ran with its usual comfortable ticking sound.
I eased into the cut and slowly pressed the foot switch.
A lot happened at the same time. The blade didn’t break
and the saw didn’t bind, but my senses were stretched by
keeping an eye on the saw line, watching the bevel indi-
cator swing over, and trying to ease the bevel speed along
smoothly with my right foot on the sewing machine pedal.
I felt no little relief when the blade popped out the other
side of the cut. When it did, I caught my breath. The cut
was beautiful. It looked like one of big old NOAH’s efforts,
a curved cut with about a 25-degree bevel change from
one end to the other. I proceeded to make a few more
similar passes until I had a small pile of propeller-shaped
pieces of oak.
Research and development proceeded on the bevelah
for another day. The sewing machine switch proved to be
too small and melted down. A 6-amp, 125-volt motor speed
control from the Linemaster Switch company replaced
it. The biggest challenge seemed to be to get slow and
steady revolutions out of the drill motor so you didn’t
have to push the stock through too fast for careful band-
sawing. To keep the drill revolutions down to a manage-
able speed, I fitted the foot switch with a simple stop made
out of plastic bar screwed in place with stainless-steel self-
tapping screws. As in operating NOAH, once you start
the bevelah into action, you are as surely committed to
continuing the cut all the way to its conclusion as you are
when dropping a big old anchor along with 25 fathoms
of chain—there’s no stoppin’!
Walter Ansel, a shipwright at the duPont Preservation Shipyard at
Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat.
Most recently, he has been leading the two-year extensive restoration of
the Eastern-rigged dragger ROANN (see page 50).
September/October 2008 • 31
204_pg32.qxd 7/25/08 9:36 AM Page 32

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32 • WoodenBoat 204
AWB_204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 11:40 AM Page 33
THE APPRENTICE’S WORKBENCH
Rails and Moldings
Long pieces and how to make them
Text and illustrations by Harry Bryan
A s your boat nears comple-
tion, few of the remain-
ing jobs give such reward for
your efforts as the addition of
rails and moldings. While
their primar y purpose is to
protect the boat or to keep
water out of a seam, their aes-
thetic impact is pronounced,
so the details of their shape
and placement deserve care-
ful consideration. While mold-
ings may be employed in
finishing out a cabin, this dis-
cussion will focus on their use
topside and will include the
guardrails (rubrails), toerails,
and moldings applied to the
trunk cabin.
Guardrails
The guardrails on a dinghy
serve to protect the topsides
when brushing against a piling.
In most small, open boats, the
guardrails also add a measure of
strength to the gunwale area. On
larger, decked boats, the guards
serve the same function of protect-
ing the topsides while they also cover
the vulnerable edge of plywood
decking or hide the raw canvas edge
of a deck so covered. Not all boats
employ guardrails. These moldings
can give a more rugged look to the
hull, while the designer may prefer
the more refined, delicate feel of a
hull without them. You must plan
ahead if you want to eliminate guards
and instead use covering boards (planks
that cover the top of the frames)
around the deck’s perimeter.
No matter which rail profile you choose,
it is important to taper each end to
make it look right on the boat.
Photographs by Wyatt Lawrence
Rails and moldings not
only give a boat a finished
look but also add to its
longevity.
not, take care not to make
them too big unless that is the
effect you want. A common
guardrail shape is a half-
round. A 12' dinghy may use
1
⁄ 2"  1", while for a 25' boat
an appropriate size is 5 ⁄ 8" 
1 1⁄ 4". Heavier guardrails such
as those found on a large
powerboat, especially one
with a flaring bow, may
require considerable shaping
in order to look right. Rails of
this form will need a chang-
ing bevel worked on the sur-
face that contacts the hull so
The designer of your boat proba- that the rail stands at a constant
bly specified the dimension of the angle to the water.
guardrails on the drawing. If he has Regardless of their size or the shape
of their cross section, the guardrails
on any boat should taper at each
Rail with a end. There are no rules for the
drip cove and exact amount of taper (you must
metal half-oval satisfy your eye), but they would
fastened to its look right to my eye if their height
outer edge in profile were reduced by about
one-quarter. Reduce the thickness
by the same proportion. Howard
Chapelle, author of Boatbuilding,
recommends tapering to both ends
Half-round rail from the low point of the sheer. I
feel that if you taper about one-
quarter of the length of the rail
from each end, the rails will look
right with a little less effort than
shaping them the whole length.
Rail with chamfered Tapering should not be so extreme
edges that, upon looking at the boat, your
eye is drawn to the taper. However,
if you don’t taper the ends, they will
look heavy, especially if the plank
September/October 2008 • 33
AWB_204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 11:40 AM Page 34

THE APPRENTICE’S WORKBENCH

for small boats up to 25' or 30' on deck.

If scuppers will be cut into the rails,
their height may have to be increased
to 9⁄ 16" or 5⁄ 8". A rectangular shape with
slightly rounded top surface and
chamfered corners will serve the pur-
pose of stopping a sliding deck shoe
If the stem is not better than a half-round.
beveled to match Toerails usually bevel for ward
the planking, against the side of the stem. They
guards may be may blend into the bow chocks, or
snyed off (I love the chocks may sit on top of the rails.
that word) to fit In the latter case, the rails may swell
the stem’s side. out at the chock to give enough area
for mounting. Any water landing on
the foredeck will be directed aft

lines below them are tapering Toerails

toward the stem and transom.
The forward ends of the guardrails
will end at the rabbet, their ends cut
to match its angle. In no case should
the guards be carried forward of the
stem and fastened to each other. This,
according to Mr. Chapelle, “is the
mark of a lubber.” The guardrails’ aft
ends may reach the transom and be
cut flush with it, or they may be cut
off an inch or two short of the tran-
som and be cut parallel to it.
Toerails add a significant measure of
safety to any boat large enough to
require working on deck to handle
the sails or anchor. Rails measuring
around 1⁄ 2"  1" laid on the flat will do
While oceangoing vessels benefit from
taller toerails, I feel that smaller boats
need only enough height to, as the
name suggests, give the toe something
to fetch up against.

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34 • WoodenBoat 204
AWB_204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 11:40 AM
One way to deflect water that gathers
near chainplates is to build up the
toerail at their locations.
along the inside of the toerails. If the
chainplates are located in this water-
way, pay special attention to their
bedding. If the side decks (outside
of the coaming) are too narrow to
be walked on, the toerails may be
stopped just aft of the cuddy or trunk
cabin. Otherwise, they will carry on
to the stern and will need to have
scuppers cut into them at the low
point of the sheer.
Page 35
APPRENTICE’S WORKBENCH
Cuddy and Trunk
Cabin Moldings A horizontal
These trim pieces run around line such as
the perimeter of the cabintop and that formed by
cover the seam where the housetop a molding,
meets the cabin sides. The tops of breaks up the
these moldings will be even with the perceived
bottom of a slight radius needed to height of deck
ease the canvas around the edge of structures.
the cabintop. Two ways of treating An undefined
this edge are shown in the accompa- or rounded
nying illustration. corner here
would not be
consistent with
the crisp corner
at the sheer
below it.
Making Rails
Stock for rails will usually be ripped
with a tablesaw from a hard, rot-
resistant wood. In our shop, rails
are almost always finished with cham-
fers. This is partly because we do
not have a router, but mostly because
we have grown to like the shape. The
chamfer is almost always 45 degrees
Anne T. Converse
Photography
Experience the Craft
Neith 1996, Cover photograph
At The Center for Wooden Boats you
can learn to restore a boat, tie knots,
cast bronze, paint a scene, build a WOOD, WIND AND WATER
traditional kayak, sail a boat, and just A STORY OF THE OPERA HOUSE CUP
about any other maritime skill, right RACE OF NANTUCKET
in the heart of Seattle. Photographs by Anne T. Converse
Text by Carolyn M. Ford
Classes range from one-day to multi- Live vicariously through the pictures
week. Information and schedule at and tales of Classic Wooden Yacht
www.cwb.org. owners who lovingly restore and race
these gems of the sea.
10" x 12" Hardbound limited edition
132 pages, 85 full page color photographs
For more information contact: Anne T. Converse
1010 Valley Street P & F 508-748-0638 anne@annetconverse.com
www.annetconverse.com
on Seattle’s South Lake Union
206.382.2628 • www.cwb.org
September/October 2008 • 35
AWB_204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 11:40 AM Page 36

THE APPRENTICE’S WORKBENCH

To hand-plane chamfers, we have found rail can be clamped on edge along

that a long, rabbeted board (ours has a
different-width rabbet on either edge) is
useful to hold the rail.
and seems to look best if the width of
the chamfered surface approaches
but does not equal the width of the
flat that remains between the cham-
fers. We taper the rails by hand after
chamfering the whole length by
machine (bandsaw or tablesaw). The
+BNFTUPXO
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#6*-%*/(

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 :LQWHU6WRUDJH
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the bench top to taper its bottom.
There is usually not enough wood to
remove to bother using power tools
here. Draw the taper on the back side
of the rail, or at least mark where the
taper will start and the full depth of
wood to be removed at each end of
the rail.
There is a trick to hand-planing a
taper without needing to draw it out
full length. If, for instance, the taper
is to be 6' long and you will be remov-
ing 1⁄ 4" at the end, you cannot start
at the 6' mark for every stroke of the
plane, as this would produce a hard
spot and a hollow at the starting
point. Instead, start at the end of the
rail and take a 6" cut. Then follow
with a 12" cut, then an 18" cut. Keep
increasing the length of stroke until
you reach the 6' mark. These strokes
aren’t meant to be measured exactly
but to show a methodical way of
approaching the problem. Keep your
eye on the 1⁄ 4" goal and repeat if nec-
essary. While you have the sections of
rail at the bench, you should consider
working a slight hollow (1⁄ 16" max.)
along each piece’s inner face. This

6WDUWLQJDW



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will give the rail a firmer stance on
convex sections of the hull or bridge
the uneven surface created by canvas
and staples. A backing-out plane (a
ZLQWHUVWRUDJHSUREOHPV plane with a slightly convex blade)
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can be used for this work.

   ҋ/[ҋ:[ҋ+2QO\

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TWNLW
A slash scarf with a slope of 10:1 will
serve for gluing, but for a scarf that is
assembled with bedding compound it is
IDVWHQHUVLQVWRFN best to avoid a thin, tapered point by
using a nibbed end.
&3(63HQHWUDWLQJ(SR[\
&RQVLVWVRIDWRXJKIOH[LEOHUHVLQV\VWHPLQDVRO
YHQWEOHQGZKLFKDLGVLQWKHUHVWRUDWLRQRIURWWHGRU
GHWHULRUDWHGZRRG,WHP60,&3(6:47 It is impractical and unnecessary
to look for unusually long pieces of

5HTXHVWRXU )5(( wood to make rails in one piece from

stem to stern. Scarf joints, either glued
at the bench or assembled with bed-
0$67(5&$7$/2* ding compound on the boat, will ade-
RQOLQHQRZ quately join the sections. It is easier to
shape each section (usually two pieces

3OHDVHFDOORUYLVLWRXUZHEVLWHIRUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQDQGRIIHUV
that make up the length) before cut-
ting scarfs and assembling the rail.

36 • WoodenBoat 204
204_Pg37.xp 7/23/08 1:48 PM Page 37

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September/October 2008 • 37
AWB_204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 2:48 PM Page 38

THE APPRENTICE’S WORKBENCH

To seal the seam at the top of the rail,
apply a little extra bedding compound
and draw fastenings up slowly. Then
scrape the excess with a putty knife
and clean with paint thinner.
Fastening and Bedding Rails
The principal concerns when fasten-
ing rails are that they must be remov-
able in case they are damaged, and
that every precaution should be taken
to see that water does not get under
Build a Boat or Help
them. You have little choice about
where the fastening will go because
the rail is so narrow. Unfortunately, the
seam between deck and hull or cabin
side will usually be right where the
screw wants to go. Do the best you
can, angling the screw slightly if nec-
essary. I find that the spacing of the
screws will be determined by what is
needed to get a continuous squish of
sealant from one screw to the next.
An open boat will not have enough
thickness of plank to hold a rail fas-
tening, so the fastening must go into
a frame. Hopefully, you placed your
upper sheerstrake fastening down on
the frame a bit to give room. Skiffs
and other simply built boats that
don’t have decking or inwales can
have their guards back-fastened
through the planking. To install a rail
without humps or hollows, start the
initial fastening at the forward end,
installing every third screw. Then,
sight along it for problems. If there
is an unfair spot, pull the offending
fastening and fasten either side of it

Others Build Their Boats to correct the line. Then, re-drill and
replace the offending screw.
I cannot overstate the importance
Build a boat with your family or group! of adequate bedding. Bedding can be
All you need to build a boat with your family is dedication—to the project and either a polyurethane sealant (such as
to each other. Every kind of family or group is invited to be part of Family 3M’s 5200 or Sikaflex) or a bedding com-
BoatBuilding: grandparents, parents, and children; Scout troops; friends and
pound (International’s Boatyard Bedding
neighbors; associations and church groups. You need no carpentry skills;
and at the conclusion of the event, you will own your own new boat! Compound or Pettit’s Dolfinite). You
might argue that 3M 5200 or equiva-
Your organization can produce lent polyurethane is too permanent
an adhesive for a rail that is supposed
a Family BoatBuilding event! to be removable. The rail can be re-
Are you part of a 4-H or Scout group, local maritime museum, boatbuilding moved by sawing along behind it with
company, non-profit association, or other well-meaning organization? By a thin wire stretched between short
organizing a two-to-three-day event, you can introduce members of your
community to boating. All that’s required of your organization is a commitment to
sections of dowel used as handles.
producing a high-quality event for the families and groups who will participate. Follow closely with wedges to keep
tension on the sealant as you saw.
It is often difficult to close the
Family BoatBuilding is produced by WoodenBoat magazine, seam along the top edge of the rail.
online at www.woodenboat.com. Think about what happens in a hull
without much flare when you bend
the rails around, then lift their ends
to follow the sheer. The middle of the
rail will want to roll outward at the top.
Put a bit more bedding compound
along the top of the rail in anticipa-
tion of this problem, and draw the
fastenings up slowly.
Clean off the squeezed-out mate-
rial with a putty knife, then denatured
alcohol for polyurethane or paint
thinner for bedding compound. Stand
back and admire your work.

Harr y Br yan is a contributing editor to

WoodenBoat.
www.familyboatbuilding.com
38 • WoodenBoat 204
204_Pg39.xp 7/23/08 1:38 PM Page 39

National BoatBuilding Challenge

Stand Back—This Is NOT for Everyone!
Let the Pros (and Serious Amateurs) Take Over And Let the Rest of Us Cheer Them On.
The concept is simple: Teams of two build the same skiff design. They are graded on time of build,
quality of workmanship, and speed on the water against each other. These are real boats!
OPEN TO ALL! Housing contractors, plumbing inspectors, paper-
pushers, professional wooden boat builders, and general lay-abouts.
To enter or for more information, go to www.NationalBoatBuilding.com or
contact one of the organizers directly. To join the National BoatBuilding
Challenge Circuit and run your own competition, email carl@woodenboat.com.
• May 3 — Moehring Group - AV Mill Outlet National Boat Building
Challenge.
Susan Sanders; tel. 252-241-4485; info@beaufortboatbuildingchallenge.com;
www.beaufortboatbuildingchallenge.com.
• July 26 — Belfast, ME. Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce.
John Burgess; tel. 207-338-3808; baccdirector@verizon.net;
www.belfastmaine.org.
• September 6 — Kingston, NY. Hudson River Maritime Museum.
Betty Osterhout, tel. 845-338-0071 ext.16; ermm@hvc.rr.com;
www.hrmm.org.
• October 18 — Georgetown, SC. Harbor Historical Association.
This event also hosts the National Championship.
Susan Hibbs; tel. 843-546-2021; ricepaddyrestaurant@yahoo.com;
www.woodenboatshow.com/boatbuilding_challenge.html.
WoodenBoat is proud to be the official media partner and promoter of
the National BoatBuilding Challenge.
WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616.
www.woodenboat.com.

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September/October 2008 • 39
SisterFrames_05.QXD 7/23/08 10:50 AM Page 40

Installing Sister Frames

Figure 1

A careful repair staves off a restoration

by Thomas M. Wells
Illustrations by Sam Manning

T
he following article describes sister framing from
the outside of a hull without interfering with a
boat’s interior. It is not meant as a new and better
way of repairing broken frames, but rather as an alter-
native to a major rebuilding. The work described was
done on a Nevins 40 in generally good condition.
The boat had a fair hull with no apparent loss of shape,
but there were a few known tension breaks in frames
behind the bilge stringer, and some of the plank seams
in this area were a bit ragged from multiple and varied
attempts to keep the seams tight. Some of the breaks were
clearly visible—for instance, in the head where a hold-
ing tank had been installed. A few more could be observed
with a mirror. With that initial information, we suspected
more breaks behind the bilge stringer. To get a closer
look and to ascertain the full extent of the damage, a sin-
gle planking strake was removed (Figure 1). With the
careful use of a mirror, we determined that there were
many breaks; we marked the hull to map out their loca-
tions and then set to work formulating a repair plan.

40 • WoodenBoat 204
SisterFrames_05.QXD 7/23/08 10:50 AM Page 41

from the Outside

The Plan
While the goal was to restore the
integrity of the frames, there were sev-
eral factors guiding the development
of this repair solution: First, despite
the breaks, the rest of the boat was in
overall good condition. Second, while
most of the affected frames were
cracked right through, the broken
ends remained tight together. And,
finally, there was no rot.
The broken frames spanned from
nearly all the way aft to well forward
where the frames had less bend. This
meant that most of the interior would
be upset if the job were approached
from the inside of the boat. The
Nevins 40s have a full ceiling and a
considerable amount of joinery—not
to mention components associated
with water and sanitation systems.
Removing and replacing these would
add a significant amount of labor to
the job, and I wanted to avoid the
“having gone this far…” syndrome
that is inevitable when a boat is
opened up that much.
We decided that if substantial sis-
ter frames could be installed from out-
side the hull, it would make sense to
do it that way. Rather than have these
sisters lie adjacent to the original
frames, they would lie midway
between them. Some people may be
uncomfortable with middle-of-the-
frame-bay sisters, but I have concluded
that installing sisters independently
of the broken frame is the best
approach, for several reasons: First,
by not mating the sister to the origi-
nal frame, you eliminate a potential Figure 2
dirt, debris, and water collection point
(a.k.a., rot incubator). Second, you
are not tempted to through-bolt the sister to the original hull shape will determine what length frame you will be
frame, which would weaken both the frame and the sis- able to fit.
ter. And third, new fastenings are located farther away When the patterns were complete, we removed two
from originals, thus weakening the plank less. more planks, creating a three-plank window through which
to install the new frames (Figure 2). We then prepared
The Work the existing frames in the usual way for replanking,
At the break locations marked on the hull, we made pat- plugging old fastening holes, etc.
terns of the hull’s sectional shape at the outside of plank- It’s important to note that if the situation involves
ing (Figure 1). It is helpful to transfer marks on the hull multiple breaks in the same place along the hull, addi-
noting break location to the pattern and eventually to tional propping should be used to maintain hull shape
the new frames, making them easier to locate when and prevent the boat from “squatting” when planks are
installing. The objective is to extend the new frame as far removed, for the tired old frames may not be up to
as practical beyond the break; four planks or more on the job. Using the patterns—and spacers to represent
each side is good, and three is the minimum. Ultimately, planking and frame thickness—we set up bending jigs

September/October 2008 • 41
SisterFrames_05.QXD 7/23/08 10:50 AM Page 42
for laminating the frames (Figure 2). A bit of overbend
was incorporated to compensate for the small amount
of springback that occurs when the clamps are removed.
Six 1⁄ 4" laminates (Figure 3) were prepared for each frame,
yielding a molded dimension of 11⁄ 2"; the original frames
were 15⁄ 8". These thinner laminated sisters leave a little
room between hull and ceiling to allow for new-frame
insertion.
This method works because each frame is installed in
two layers. When the sisters were made, glue was applied
as in normal laminating, except that it was omitted on
the mating surfaces of laminate Nos. 3 and 4—but for
a couple of inches at the ends. To do this, we cut a
piece of plastic sheeting slightly shorter than the overall
length of the frame and inserted it between the two lam-
inates (Figure 3). When the glue had cured and the sis-
ter came off of the mold, it behaved as one piece since
the ends were glued. The frame was then cleaned up and
run through a thickness planer to achieve the proper
sided dimension. When the ends were cut to length, it
Figure 3
42 • WoodenBoat 204
became two 3⁄ 4" pieces bent to the correct shape—but
fairly flexible (Figure 3).
This flexibility of the frame halves is not only helpful
with getting frames in and out of the boat but it also allows
for some twist. In most cases, this won’t eliminate the
need to plane a bevel on the outboard face of the frame,
but it will compensate somewhat. We dry-fit the pieces
first by inserting one at a time and then bringing them
together to see how they conformed to the hull. A stiff
batten or two spanning the existing frames helped in
determining the bevel; it also provided a clamping
surface and kept the new installation fair with the origi-
nal framing. With the known bevels measured at the
opening in the planking, we could extrapolate the bevels
to the outer ends of the frame. The flexibility of the
two halves is appreciated here (Figure 4). After one or two
you’ll get the idea of how the pieces will behave and how
much overbend is required.
When fitting frames, it was helpful to have some
assorted low-angle wedges at hand to keep the halves
together and pushed against the
inside of the planking—short ones
used at the bilge stringer and long
ones slipped between the ceiling and
ends of the frame. Small wooden
hand-screw clamps were also conve-
nient for keeping the frame halves
aligned; gripping the frame, they can
rest on the top edge of the lower
plank in the opening to keep the
frame in correct position up and
down. When the fit was right, we
made registration marks on frame
pieces and edges of existing plank-
ing and bored for fastenings. The
frame halves were then removed,
glued, rejoined, wedged in place, and
fastened (Figure 4).
Dealing with Butt Blocks
When sistering in this fashion, butt
blocks in way of new frames have to
be eliminated. The solution here is
to scarf in new plank sections. Butt
blocks are most easily removed by
simply cutting the plank back to each
frame closest to the block and then
cutting 12:1 scarfs in the cut-off
plank ends. A new section of plank-
ing is then fitted to the scarfed ends,
filling the gap where the butt once
was and resulting in a continuous
plank—and no butt block to obstruct
the sister frame (Figure 4). This is
stronger than planks joined with a
butt block in the traditional fashion
(see WB No. 69).
Final Thoughts
Some additional thoughts about
frame installation may be helpful.
With laminated frames, it’s best to
size fastenings so they will engage the
SisterFrames_05.QXD 7/23/08 10:50 AM Page 43
Figure 4
inboard-most laminate of the frame. This ensures that all
glued surfaces are backed up with mechanical fastenings,
which is especially important when working with oak.
When driving the screws, work from the middle of the
frame where wedging and clamping are done more eas-
ily than at the outer ends. By working outward this way,
your previously installed screw helps to keep halves
together while you drive the next one. Some of the gluing
will most likely have to be done after frame halves are
inserted into the frame bay, because glue might other-
wise be scraped off by plank edges during frame inser-
tion. This is not as difficult as it might seem. Just move
the parts up and down in the opening to expose the sur-
face to be glued; use a hand-screw clamp as described
earlier to keep them from sliding into the bilge. A glue
brush with a 90-degree bend will be helpful when apply-
ing glue to the inboard face. Another benefit of installing
frames this way, although not on the top of the priority list,
is comfort. This entire job was basically done standing up.
There are probably quite a few boats suffering frame
breaks similar to those of this Nevins 40 (though perhaps
not as severe)—boats whose owners are uncomfortable
with the thought of delving in deep to get to the under-
lying problem. Procrastination certainly won’t help with
situations like this; they should be addressed before they
compound themselves into something more involved.
While it is correct to strive to make repairs by replacing
parts as original, this is sometimes impractical. I believe
it’s important to maintain perspective when faced with a
project like this. A well thought out and executed repair
does not have to become a restoration project.
Tom Wells runs Wells Shipwright in Greenport on the East End of Long
Island, New York.
September/October 2008 • 43
Asahel_Curtis_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 3:26 PM Page 44

The Pacific Northwest

Yachting Photography
of Asahel Curtis
by J. Scott Rohrer

P
robably no photographer
did more than Asahel Edward’s name only. The broth-
Curtis (1874–1941) to cap- ers parted ways and never spoke
ture both the natural splendor again.
and the emergent 20th-century Asahel Curtis would continue
civilization of the Pacific North- his photography, slavishly
west. The Curtis Collection at recording an era of astonishing
the Washington State Historical changes spanning the next four
Society in Tacoma features sig-

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

decades. From the agricultural
nificant images of almost every boom of eastern Washington to
cultural and natural aspect of the first ascents of many peaks
the place and its people—one in the Cascade and Olympic
of which was yachting. mountain ranges, he moved
Curtis was 13 when his fam- easily throughout the Pacific
ily moved to Puget Sound, but Northwest on a multitude of
his father died within a few days projects. His detailed 1910 doc-
of their arrival. The family was umentation of a Makah Indians’
living in Port Orchard, Wash- whale hunt off Neah Bay, for
ington, when his older brother, example, still defines this con-
Edward, moved to Seattle to Asahel Curtis documented many aspects of Pacific troversial practice.
join a commercial photographic Northwest life in the early 20th century—and He often encouraged other
business. When Edward dis- among his yachting assignments was coverage of talented young photographers,
patched Asahel (pronounced the Lipton Cup races of 1914. sharing his studio with them.
–a-shŭl) to cover the Alaska Gold Imogen Cunningham, for exam-
Rush of 1897, the younger ple, often worked there. Curtis’s
brother had been working in the studio for two years. early studio products included lantern slides, postcards,
Arriving at Skagway in early fall, Curtis headed up the and “cabinet” prints, many hand-colored and framed in
trail to Lake Bennett and what he hoped would be a 500- the popular “piecrust” style of the time.
mile sleigh ride in a crude drift boat down the Yukon An avid hiker and climber, Curtis became one of the
River to the goldfields at Dawson. Starting too late, he area’s earliest conservationists. He was one of the founders
spent the winter snowed-in at Summit Lake on White Pass. of The Mountaineers, a visionary group formed in 1906—
In the spring of 1898, low on provisions, he backtracked and still very active today—to explore Northwest wilder-
to Skagway, joined another party, and headed up again, ness areas and collect the history of those places during
this time via the tougher Chilkoot Pass. White Pass (also a critical period.
called Dead Horse Pass) was torture for men and ani- Curtis’s prolific commercial work often took him out
mals, but Chilkoot was too steep for pack trains or of Seattle to places of farming, fishing, logging, and
dogsleds. It just devoured men. Curtis captured the hard manufacturing. His photos of native canoes, square-
realities of both places on 8"  10" glass plates. riggers, riverboats, steamers, locomotives, and early auto-
Edward Sheriff Curtis would later gain wide renown mobiles followed 20th-century transportation as each
for his lavish series, The North American Indian. But in mode was eclipsed by the next. His work appeared in
1898, a heated dispute arose between the brothers after periodicals ranging from Seattle newspapers to National
several of Asahel’s Alaska images were published under Geographic.

44 • WoodenBoat 204
Asahel_Curtis_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 3:26 PM Page 45

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 12669

I n Curtis’s time, the yawl was the racing rig of choice in the Pacific Northwest, and he captured a nice one
when he found the 40-footer AQUILA reaching smartly across Elliott Bay in 1909. Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill
can be seen just off her headstay.
Built and owned by Oddie and Adolph Rohlfs, AQUILA was designed by Small Brothers in Boston,
Massachusetts. A sistership, GAZEKA, was built in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1906. She won races on both
sides of the border and served as flagship of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in 1908. A third sister, LILA, was
built by Reed & Adams and won her class on the 1907 Brooklyn-to-Bermuda Race.
In 1909, AQUILA stood by with an armed crew while semi-lawful piledriving was done to make the base for
a new Seattle Yacht Club clubhouse in West Seattle. A nearby lumbermill also had plans for the site but had
not finalized a deal. By the time an injunction was filed, the pilings were in and the club worked out final terms
with the owners. On board with the Rohlfs brothers were boatbuilder Quent Williams and violinist William
Hedley of the Seattle Symphony.
AQUILA had a waterline length of 30', 13' 6" beam, 6' 9" draft, and 1,172 sq ft of sail area.

In 1907, public interest in yacht racing exploded in
Seattle, sparked by the dramatic Canadian-American
match for the Alexandra Cup. Seattleites crowded the
shoreline to witness some very close finishes. Large sums
were wagered on the outcomes. News and commercial
photographers alike covered the races and found numer-
ous markets for their photos. Vancouver, British Columbia,
hosted a return match in 1908, but racing stopped
abruptly in 1909 when the third challenge for the cup
ended in a scandal that led to a bitter rift between the
cities of Seattle and Vancouver.
While visiting Seattle in 1912 en route to meetings in
San Francisco, Sir Thomas Lipton heard about the dis-
pute while spending considerable time being enter-
tained by local yachtsmen and their families. Ever a
supporter of the sport, Lipton offered a challenge cup for
a race involving yachts in the R class of the new Universal
Rule. The baronet’s generous intervention would revive
racing—and friendships—between these two great cities.
The yachtsmen of both cities enthusiastically
embraced the new format. The Alexandra Cup was put
away and never awarded again. When the clubs met in
July of 1914, The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club took their
new R-boat TURENGA south to face one of three Seattle
boats, all purpose-built for the Lipton Cup. Together,
they formed the first fleet of R-boats on the Pacific
coast.
Several Northwest marine photographers compiled
larger catalogs of pleasure boating images than Asahel
Curtis did—Webster & Stevens, Will E. Hudson, and
Kenneth Ollar come to mind. But Curtis was unique
in capturing the feel of summer boating on Puget
Sound with an artist’s keen eye. At the same time, he
covered the 1914 Lipton Cup races for Pacific Motor
Boat magazine with a newspaperman’s sense of history
in the making.

September/October 2008 • 45
Asahel_Curtis_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 3:26 PM Page 46

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL

SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30762
COURTESY OF SEATTLE YACHT CLUB

T he handsome 55' express cruiser

GOEDUCK (a variant of today’s
more common “geoduck” spelling
for the enormous mollusk) was built
by Johnson Bros. for W.G. Norris
in 1913. She had an eight-cylinder
Sterling gas engine and was the flag-

A n outdoorsman his whole life, Curtis had many friends at the Seattle
Yacht Club who often commissioned him to record club events
and boats. In 1913, he joined a party of club members for a cruise to
ship of Seattle Yacht Club when
Norris served as commodore in 1915.
While some have suspected that she
the five-acre site of a planned outstation at Manzanita Bay on Bainbridge may have been used for bootlegging,
Island. He climbed up a low bank to capture part of the fleet at anchor. it is not likely. Rumrunners of this size
The large schooner in the background is W.G. Norris’s 75' LA VIAJERA. always had two engines, some three.

A smartly attired party

crowds the rails of the
yawl GWENDOLY N II off
Alki Point in Seattle. Lloyd
Johnson designed “Big
Gwen” and built her with
his brother, Dean, at
Georgetown in 1907. She
became the first Seattle
boat to race to Hawaii
when she sailed the 1908
Transpacific Yacht Race
from San Pedro, California,
to Honolulu. She was sec-
ond to finish, second over-
all. A year later, her sails
show the effects of the race WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30763

and stormy deliveries.

A large brass bell that
was presented to the
Johnson brothers before
they left for California
hangs in the lounge of
Seattle Yacht Club,
engraved with the words,
“Go in and win”—still good
advice.
GWENDOLY N II was
48' 6" LOA, with a 37' LWL,
13' 9" beam, 6' 9" draft, and
2,000 sq ft of sail area.

46 • WoodenBoat 204
Asahel_Curtis_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 3:26 PM Page 47

A nother fine yawl of the

same period as AQUILA
(page 45) was Seattle architect
John Graham’s ORTONA. Built
by the Johnson Brothers and
Norman J. Blanchard in 1912,
ORTONA spent most of her
life in Southern California.
Curtis has captured her in a
typical Puget Sound setting:
reaching shorthanded down
Admiralty Inlet with Foul-
weather Bluff just visible off
WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 26658

her lee bow. Wind from the

southeast with a sky like this
means only one thing on the
Sound: changing weather.
The yacht, designed by L.E.
“Ted” Geary, was 48' LOA, 36'
LWL, 12' 6" beam, 7' 6" draft,
and carried 1,400 sq ft of sail.

Q uent Williams’s R-
boat SPRAY seems
to pose for Curtis as she
runs down the Sound
before a fresh northerly.
SPRAY ’s flat-bottomed
Sonder-type hull suf-
fered numerous penal-
ties under the Universal
Rule. She fared badly in
the Lipton Cup trials and
was the first boat elimi-
nated. With her rig well
WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30783

forward and a bowsprit,

she was probably at her
best downwind.
It appears that Curtis
was shooting from
another yacht when he
caught this sparkling
portrait. He later chose
this image for a special
“oro-tone” edition avail-
able through his studio.
SPRAY was built by
Washington K-D Boat-
works in 1914.

September/October 2008 • 47
Asahel_Curtis_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 3:26 PM Page 48

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30758

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30784

T he Royal Vancouver Yacht Club challenger was

TURENGA, designed by Edson B. Schock and built
at the W.R. Menchions yard. She gave SIR TOM better
competition than either DEFENDER or SPRAY had

T he boat of the moment was designed and skippered

by L.E. “Ted” Geary. Named for the beloved donor
of the new challenge cup, SIR TOM dominated the
done. Here, she is seen beating in flat water off
Duwamish Head. The first SYC club house, the King
and Winge shipyard, and part of Luna Park amuse-
elimination trials and went on to meet the Canadian ment center can be seen in the background.
challenger undefeated. The yacht was launched only Edson B. Schock was a native of New Jersey who
weeks before the racing, and Geary and his crew put had once worked in the New York City office of A.
her through extensive trials, ultimately swapping Cary Smith. He moved to Vancouver in 1910. Later,
out her first mast for a heavier spar before the Lipton he would move his practice to Southern California,
Cup finals. where he did most of his work before retiring to Rhode
July 16, the day of the first race for the Lipton Cup, Island.
brought fresh breezes of up to 25 knots, and SIR TOM TURENGA was 36' LOA, 22' 6" LWL, 7' 11" beam, 5' 4"
went to the front right away. Difficulties with their rig draft, with 600 sq ft of sail area. Her sails were by
forced the Canadians to sail with a shallow reef in the Griffin, and her skipper at the time of this photo was
mainsail. Geary sailed under full main, and all photos Ron Maitland.
of this leg show his boat out-pointing TURENGA by a
few degrees. Her lead at the first mark off West Point
was a margin of 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
The last leg of the first race was a reach from a mark
set off Port Blakely to the finish off West Seattle.
Starting the leg under working canvas, SIR TOM was
gradually freed up and finished under her big reach-
ing jib. TURENGA was unlucky on this leg. She hit a L ondon silversmiths
Mosley Flowers &
WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30805

light spot and finished 12 minutes, 39 seconds behind Co. of Albermarle Street
the home team. In the second race the next day, crafted this wonderful
TURENGA gave the Seattleites a tougher battle, but the piece of Victorian sil-
result was the same. Re-rigged and rebuilt several times, ver in 1913 to the order
SIR TOM would hold the Lipton Cup continuously until of Sir Thomas Lipton.
beaten by LADY VAN in 1929. Here it is pictured in
“Tommy,” as SIR TOM was casually known, looked its original form atop
good working upwind and down. She flew her spin- an oaken base. In later
naker in the popular practice of the day, with the clew years, three additional
snubbed down to the centerline well aft of the forestay. oak tiers were added to
This wasn’t a very efficient reaching rig, but it did allow accommodate all of the
the boat to be sailed very low on the runs. This image later winners’ plaques. It
of SIR TOM lifting her bow in a fresh northerly shows is still awarded today for
this setup in some detail. Six-Meter class racing.

48 • WoodenBoat 204
Asahel_Curtis_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 3:26 PM Page 49

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30757

FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE AUTHOR

T he euphoric feeling of success was short-
lived for Ted Geary. Two weeks after the
racing, Geary’s offices were destroyed in a
spectacular fire at the Grand Trunk Pacific

T o capture this remarkable photo of Ted Geary, Curtis

jumped aboard SIR TOM following the Cup races to
get a portrait of the winning skipper. The position of the
photographer in the small companionway of the R-boat,
balancing his large-format camera, might itself have made
an interesting study. Curtis’s mountaineering experience
probably benefited him this day.
dock. Of course, Asahel Curtis got into a boat
and took this picture.
The designer is reported to have gone out
a window on the second story and worked his
way along a narrow ledge until he could slide
to safety using a downspout. The drawings of
SIR TOM were lost.

I n a post-race moment, the

victorious SIR TOM crew
posed for Curtis as he came
alongside in the moorage.
Geary is on the foredeck
alongside sailor extraordi-
naire Fritz Hellenthal. On
the gaff is Norman J.
Blanchard, co-builder of
the boat. Aft, in his pina-
fore and sailor hat, is John
WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TACOMA, NEG. 30814

Dreher, sailing writer for

The Seattle Times. Missing is
fifth man, Dean Johnson.

J. Scott Rohrer, himself a two-time

winner of the Lipton Cup, is a
yachting writer and historian from
Seattle.

September/October 2008 • 49
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 1:52 PM Page 50
ROANN
ROANN
ROANN The best surviving
Eastern-rigged dragger
T
here is talk these days at the fishing port of Point
Judith in Rhode Island about Mystic Seaport’s
extensive rebuild of “their” beloved Eastern-rigged
dragger ROANN. Some of this talk is about her distinc-
tive bold sheerline that Albert Condon, her designer, drew
a little over 50 years ago, and that master shipwright Roy
Wallace crafted into oak and iron, and that her skippers
marveled over throughout her working life. Some fisher-
men in Point Judith say that we Mystic guys won’t get the
sheer right. A few who really care have come down to see
what we’re up to at the Henry B. duPont Preservation
Shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum.
It’s my job to worry about all this, as I have the privi-
lege of being Mystic’s lead shipwright on the complete
restoration effort on ROANN. I’m backed up by the wis-
dom and experience of two other veteran shipwrights,
Kevin Dwyer and Rob Whalen; I’ve had the great plea-
sure of working with these two since the building of the
schooner AMISTAD eight years ago.
ROANN is rolled out of the main shop at Mystic Seaport’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard following an extensive three-
year rebuild of her hull and deck. For 50 years, she safely brought her crews home from year-round, offshore fishing.
50 • WoodenBoat 204
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT. PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN
by Walt Ansel
Giving Her the Eye
In late December 2007, about two-thirds of the way
through ROANN’s restoration, Kevin and I found our-
selves up in the visitors’ gallery, at deck level with ROANN,
sighting that sheer. Honestly, I was sweating a bit—yes,
nervous. We had long, clear pine battens nailed to the tops
of the new stanchions at heights gleaned from the old
bulwarks, profile photographs, and Condon’s original
drawings. Our job was to blend these sources and come
up with the right sheer. In a dark moment, Kevin kidded
me and muttered that they probably wouldn’t remember
what was right anyway. After seeing Capt. Jack Westcott’s
perfect little carved model of his brother Chet’s ROANN,
I was not so sure. I’d noticed that these fisherman have
deadly accurate eyes for the shape of their vessels. Perhaps
it’s all those long hours on a featureless sea where any
boat fishing alongside is studied for days.
Kevin and I tweaked the batten up and down,
rechecked the photos and drawings, and then did it again
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 1:52 PM Page 51

Particulars
LOA 61'
LWL 56' 5"
Beam 16' 9"
Depth 9'
Fish hold capacity 55,000 lbs
iced fish
Fuel 2,000 gal
Fresh water 200 gal

ROANN’s lines show

designer Albert
Condon’s deep under-
standing of the
Eastern-rigged dragger.
Her gallows frames, set
fore and aft on one side,
is a defining feature of
the Eastern rig. Her
mid-body sections
show similarity, which
contributes to carrying
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, DANIEL S. GREGORY SHIPS PLANS LIBRARY, MYSTIC, CT

capacity and reduces

pitching.

throughout most of a damp Mystic morning. We collared A Darling of the Port

Doug Butler (supervisor of the paint shop) and put his
experienced eye on our line. We put ladders against the
inside wall of the shop and sighted the port bow at deck
level. We sighted from aft, paying particular attention to
how the topside sheer blended into the round stern bul-
wark in a distinctive S shape that resembled the back of
a wooden clog. This final sighting was taken from the top
of a steel I-beam, 10' off the shop floor, that held the chain-
fall for the ship saw.
Gradually, as we shifted our viewpoints up and down
and back and forth, we became confident in what we saw.
The low point was just ahead of the wheelhouse trunk,
the stern kicked up nicely, and the bow had that long,
high rising curve. I recalled the reassuring words of Capt.
Tom Williams, ROANN’s last skipper and owner: “I told
them you’re doing it right.” For ROANN, with her looks
and sterling pedigree, things have always been done right.
In her 50th year of fishing, Tom Williams found that
ROANN could no longer really compete with the modern
steel stern-trawlers. But owning one of the darlings of the
port made selling her a tough proposition. Everyone
seemed to be watching her and yet no one could afford
to keep her going properly.
While wintering at Mystic and engaged in various
museum-related projects, WoodenBoat’ s technical editor,
Maynard Bray, happened upon ROANN tied up in her
slip at Point Judith and thought she was “beautiful and
[might be] available.” He introduced himself, got aboard
for a fishing trip, and started discussing with Tom the
idea of ROANN retiring to Mystic Seaport. Maynard talked
about this possibility with fellow fishing vessel enthusi-
asts Cyrus (Cy) Hamlin and Rick Burrows. That summer,
with a contribution from Hamlin, Mystic purchased the
vessel.

September/October 2008 • 51
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 2:05 PM Page 52
GEORGE HINTEREGGER
ZELLA WESTCOTT
ZELLA WESTCOTT
The museum had never taken ownership of a fishing
vessel directly from her last trip. ROANN came with her
net and trawl doors on deck, food in her galley, and a few
stray flounders that were not discovered until much later.
She also came with fishing logs, oral histories, and photo-
graphs. She was “turnkey”; and for the museum, a unique
artifact. And, perhaps best of all, as Cy Hamlin observed,
she was unaltered from her 1947 configuration. Mystic
tied ROANN up as an exhibit alongside their Gloucester
fishing schooner, L.A. DUNTON. There she would repre-
sent the next chapter in the history of New England off-
shore fisheries after the cod hookers—the draggermen.
52 • WoodenBoat 204
Top—Under Chet Westcott’s
ownership, ROANN begins
her day on the Northern Edge
with swordfish high flyers
stowed along the rail and her
topmast rigged for action.
Left—Catch of large tilefish
held in deck checkers; trawl
gear is over and towing on
starboard side. Right—A
magnificent swordfish is
landed on deck. Scale is
provided by 12" deck tiles.
ROANN is 61' long, 16' wide, and draws 9' loaded. Ketch
rigged with her buxom hull painted green and black, she
has a small white wheelhouse placed well aft. The loca-
tion of this house and the fact that ROANN’s gear was
handled off the side identifies her as “Eastern-rigged.”
The net and trawl doors were set and hauled off steel gal-
lows, inverted A-shaped rigs bolted to massive timbers,
one located forward by the mast and the other aft by the
wheelhouse. Trawl cables lead from the gallows to
ROANN’s big Hathaway trawl winch that rests athwartships
in front of the wheelhouse. Her hull is divided into three
main compartments: forward, the fo’c’s’le, with living
quarters for five men; ’midships the fish hold, capacity
of 55,000 lbs of iced fish; and aft, the engineroom, with
all the attendant machinery, fuel tankage, and systems.
Two additional berths are in a small stateroom aft of the
engine. A jaunty buff-colored dory perched upright on
top of ROANN’s wheelhouse completes her appeal.
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 1:52 PM Page 53
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN (BOTH)
Left—To offer dockside protection against damage and better handling in following seas, ROANN (and other draggers) were built
with a round stern. Original builders Newbert and Wallace used massive timbers for component parts; sawn frame pairs, rim
timber, horn timber, and sternpost. Right—The top surface of her 13"-sided horn timber.
Looking Back
ROANN was built for Roy Campbell, an old-school, hard-
working fisherman from Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts.
At that time, Newbert and Wallace in Thomaston, Maine,
was the yard to have your dragger built by, particularly if
she was designed by Albert Condon. No shortcuts were
taken. Vessels were built to the highest standards by mas-
ter shipwright Roy Wallace, who would not build to a
fixed price, but would take payments. Condon was widely
recognized by fishermen as the designer blessed with the
finest eye for Eastern-rigged dragger shapes who had
ever been in the business. Roy bought plans from Condon
during the war, but cannily slowed the delivery date after
watching a friend’s new dragger get requisitioned by the
Navy.
Roy Campbell’s new dragger was set up and built in a
shed on the west bank of the St. George River. Roy Wallace
ran the crew while Herb Newbert ran the on-site sawmill
and kept the books. Other than the usual floor-mounted
stationary tools like a thickness planer and bandsaw, the
setup was minimal, consisting mostly of hand tools and
the few electric Skilsaws and drills available at that time.
(Powered hand planers, for example, did not appear until
the late 1950s.)
Construction was stout, to say the least. Curiously,
ROANN was built with steam-bent frames, unlike most
heavy-displacement draggers, which were of sawn-frame
construction. They were doubled-up oak 2 4s on 10" cen-
ters that were mortised into the keel. The double layers
were held together with clenched boat nails. ROANN was
conventionally carvel planked with 1 3⁄ 4" oak fastened with
5
⁄ 16" round galvanized hatch nails—a favored fastening
of Roy Wallace’s.
Six 3" 5" bilge stringers stretched from stem to stern.
The shelf and clamp structure was similarly heroic. Two
2" 9" pieces of oak made up a double clamp backed up
on the inside by a three-layer shelf 4" thick. The middle
shelf piece was raised to form a lock strake that the deck-
beams could be notched over. Both stringers and clamps
were through-bolted with hundreds of galvanized bolts.
A construction detail of particular interest on ROANN
was her round stern. Newbert and Wallace built many of
these, both on their draggers and their sardine carriers.
Draggermen much preferred these sterns for their
strength and their lack of corners for tow wires to snag
on. Surprisingly, they cost the same as transom sterns. On
close inspection, even by the experienced boat nut, the
round stern framing is as complex as a Rubik’s Cube. A
large, horseshoe-shaped rim timber, placed on the flat
following the sheer, forms all at once a transom, a deck-
beam, and a shelf. This timber is rabbeted on the bottom
to accept the hull planking, bolted to the horn timber
and shelves, and has the decking fastened to its top sur-
face. The top surface also has sheer and deck camber cut
into it! Ray Wallace, Roy’s son, said that Herb Newbert
used to build the rim timbers on the ground, then hoist
them up to location.
Ann Campbell christened the new boat on May 21,
1947. Named ROANN, an amalgam of both their names,
she was launched unharmed, in the traditional fashion
with bilge blocking carrying her weight on a track of
greased timbers. Ray Wallace observed that these occa-
sions were exciting when 90 tons of iron and wood slid
quickly down the ways. Quite a few vessels got away and
shot across the river into the mud.
Roy Campbell wasted no time in putting his new ves-
sel to work. We can only imagine his proud new dragger
in those days with her brand-new yellow 1300 Caterpillar
diesel down below, a great coal stove in the fo’c’s’le, and
all the cypress wainscoting gleaming bright under fresh
coats of varnish.
The Ship’s Log
ROANN carried a crew of five or six. Besides Roy there
was a mate, an engineer, a cook, and one or two deck-
hands. Everyone worked the deck, both to handle the gear
September/October 2008 • 53
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 1:52 PM Page 54
Capt. Tom Williams and his sons stand proudly
aboard ROANN, her Hathaway trawl winch in
the foreground. (Left to right) Tom Jr.,
Tom Sr., and Aaron.
and sort the catch. Roy fished well offshore,
120 miles east of Cape Cod on the “southeast
corner” of Georges Bank. The catch of cod,
yellowtail, flounder, and other groundfish
was taken out and sold in Woods Hole and
New Bedford. While it was said that Roy would
fish in any conditions with his rugged new
dragger, a sobering event five years after she
was built would severely test her.
Laying to in the early-morning hours, mid-
August 1953, out on the southeast corner,
ROANN was hit by what we would today call a
rogue wave. Roy was asleep in the fo’c’s’le,
along with one of the crew and the cook. The
engineer and another man were on watch in the wheel-
house. The great sea rose on her beam with a corresponding
trough on her other side. She fell over at 90 degrees with
her mastheads awash and was buried by whitewater.
Roy, standing on the fo’c’s’le ladder under the scut-
tle, watched her right herself from this astonishing event.
Injuries to the crew were minor cuts and bruises, the most
being sustained by the cook, who broke off the galley table
in his flight across the fo’c’s’le. ROANN was fine; she had
a few feet of water in the fish hold, a shattered wheel-
house window, a smashed dory and scuttle, and water
inside the masthead lights. The net had floated up from
the deck and tangled aloft in the springstay. Roy let the
net remain there for folks to see back at the dock.
ROANN had long been admired by other fishermen who
watched her work at sea. Chief among them was Chet
Westcott, mate aboard his brother Jack’s smaller, hard-fished,
Condon-designed dragger, JOYCE ANN. Chet managed to
talk Roy, whose wife was seriously ill, into selling in 1961.
The Westcott clan was a powerhouse of fishing talent
from Point Judith. All three brothers went on to own and
fish Newbert and Wallace draggers at the same time: Chet
with ROANN, Jack with the SUZANNE, and Carl with the
BOB & BARRY. All three boats were from the same Condon
design with slight modifications.
Chet, who owned and skippered ROANN for 23 years,
was an articulate, innovative, and highly successful fish-
erman. He dragged for groundfish as Roy had, but also
seined for menhaden and harpooned swordfish. The first
year Chet had the boat, he landed 900,000 lbs of ground-
fish and 3.5 million lbs of menhaden.
It is apparent from Chet’s fishing log (which we now
have at the Seaport) that he excelled as a swordfisher-
man. This was a late-summer, early-fall hand-harpoon
fishery. Spotting the fish was what it was all about. ROANN
was rigged with a topmast that reached 60', ratlines for
access to it, and a bowsprit, called a stand, that put the
harpooner 20' ahead of the stem. What a spectacular sight
she was with this towering predatory rig!
Chet fished the northern edge of Georges Bank, a 24-
hour steam northeast of Point Judith. Trips averaged a
week or more and utilized a spotter plane that flew out
54 • WoodenBoat 204
PHOTOGRAPHER: MARY ANNE STETS
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT
of Cape Cod. A typical log entry from mid-August 1971
found ROANN and Chet on the “edge” toward the end
of a 10-day trip. The plane appeared in the morning, spot-
ted for two hours, and got them two fish. The fog rolled
in and the plane went home. They got three more by sight
and lost one to the beam trawler MASSACHUSETTS, which
cut them off. At the end of the day they steamed into
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to ride out a tropical storm with
two other sword boats. Chet laconically noted that it blew
80 miles an hour in Halifax. A day later found them back
on the “edge” boating five more fish. Chet headed home
with, in his words, “one beautiful trip,” 30 fish aboard
weighing 8,000 lbs. His gross stock (price to the vessel at
the dock) was $9,000. Eight days later he harpooned 28
fish in a single day.
A Great Life
For 23 years, ROANN, in the words of Chet’s wife, Zella,
gave the Westcott family “a great life.” By 1984, however,
the northeast New England fisheries started to change
drastically. All the prime swordfish ground on the north-
ern edge was lost to the Canadians by treaty. This ended
successful swordfishing for Chet. With son Scott’s future
of hard offshore groundfishing ahead, Chet reluctantly
decided to sell ROANN and move to a more modern ves-
sel. Chet had been watching young Tom Williams main-
tain and fish his wooden day boat, JUDY & BETSY. He liked
what he saw and one day, while having coffee with Tom
below in JUDY & BETSY ’s fo’c’s’le, offered his ROANN to
Tom, who would become her third skipper and owner.
Tom knew that he was taking somewhat of a tech-
nological step backward with ROANN. However, she came
complete with all her gear, ready to fish, with fishing
charts—and at a reasonable price. It also helped that she
was an established port favorite and one hell of a sea boat.
Tom had the unique experience of being able to raise
three young sons in and around ROANN. The youngest,
Aaron, started going out overnight at age five. A year later
he was going on three-day trips. A total natural, this young,
third-generation fisherman was docking the boat while
standing on fish boxes and running the big Hathaway
winch by the age of eight.
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 1:52 PM Page 55
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN
Tom Williams said that the seamanship his boys learned
aboard ROANN by doing things the old way, with tackles
to handle the gear and hand-hauling the net, placed them
way ahead of their peers who had experienced only mech-
anized stern-trawling with net reels. It was very fitting,
then, that in the summer of 1997 Aaron Williams and
Scott Westcott helped bring ROANN up the Mystic River
to her retirement at the Seaport. Today, Tom Jr. and Aaron
are skippers of the family’s two state-of-the-art, modern
Left—External temporary framing was needed to hold the forefoot shape during replacement and fastening.
Right—Chris Taylor (left) and John Snyder (right) fit covering board backing blocks between deck beams. Note the locking
feature of the middle shelf piece (below Chris Taylor’s knee).
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN (BOTH)
ROANN is outfitted with new white oak deckbeams
and locust stanchions. Hatch openings are for
fish hatches, engineroom soft patch, and aft
trunk cabin. Hank Drude and Chris Taylor confer
up forward.
steel stern-trawlers, HERITAGE and TRADI-
TION, and are still fishing out of Point Judith,
still chasing groundfish on Georges Bank.
Faithful Restoration
After seven years of static display at Mystic
Seaport Museum, ROANN’s age finally caught
up with her. A 50-year-old, unrestored, iron-
fastened, oak vessel that has been in a wet
salt environment her whole life is a mainte-
nance nightmare. Her topsides and bulwarks
were soft at most butt and scarf joints The
fish-hold structural members, after years of freshwater
ice melt, had become a terrarium; the sheer clamps and
bilge stringers were completely rotted through. The tan-
nic acid from her oak planks and frames had eaten her
hull spikes down in many places to a needlelike diame-
ter. ROANN had lived out her first life as a wooden fish-
ing vessel. Her condition was not a result of neglect, but
of a natural process of decay whose final stage she faced
at Mystic in 2004.
September/October 2008 • 55
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/28/08 4:10 PM Page 56
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN (BOTH)
During the first six months of ROANN’s careful disas-
sembly and documentation, we formulated a plan of attack
with these priorities: First, to preserve her unique sheer
and hull shape; second, to restore the vessel so that she
could go to sea in a “fishing” condition; third, to accu-
rately duplicate the original structure; fourth, to keep as
much original fabric as practical; and finally, to keep the
whole restoration crew actively employed on parallel,
non-conflicting projects. We started taking ROANN apart
in the water during the late fall, 2004. We removed her rig,
wheelhouse, engine, and tanks. This brought her weight
down to 62 tons, a manageable load for a crane lift onto
land. The fo’c’s’le bunks, settees, and cabinetry were
removed in pieces as large as possible to ensure their
intact return after the rebuild. As in all reconstructions,
this early time was the time of the Sawzall, wedges, and
pry bars. The chainsaw was only deployed with great
discretion, as it was found to not cut bolts very well.
The policy of saving each piece, regardless of how dete-
riorated it was, paid huge dividends later when dimen-
sions, locations, and shapes were needed. The hundreds
of photographs taken by our shipyard documentation
man, Kane Borden, were also invaluable. Through mea-
suring, we found that ROANN was a foot longer than
designed—with the added foot at the forward engine-
room bulkhead.
We started the project with only four shipwrights—
Kevin Dwyer, Rob Whalen, Sean Kelly, and me. Sawyer and
mechanic Scott Noseworthy and yard foreman Dean Seder
did most of the mechanical disassembly. We cut the bul-
warks off at the covering board level in approximately 12'
sections. At the same time, the trawl door sheathing was
removed from the hull—along with one 13 ⁄4" hull plank
56 • WoodenBoat 204
Left—The author (left) and Kevin Dwyer (right) cut rabbets across
the new sternpost. The new sternpost bottom mortises into the
original skeg and keel timber; work carefully done by Kevin
Dwyer. Right—Using a power-driven frame bender invented by
shipwrights at Mystic, Dean Seder (left) and Rob Whalen (right)
use the invention (nicknamed the moletrap) to push a stern
frame piece out to meet the planking for clamping as the author
draws in clamps from below.
which lacked any evidence of fastenings! By February 2005
we were ready for Tom Brownell, who came with his
large hydraulic trailer and moved ROANN into our main
shipyard shop.
ROANN was originally ballasted with a combination of
iron and concrete that had been placed and poured into
her fish hold. This had to come out to allow access to her
rotted frames. We jackhammered 3" of solid cement from
the fish pens and slaughterhouse floor. In the layer beneath
it, the job began to take on the feel of an archaeological dig.
Mixed with the boiler punchings and cement were many
other artifacts: machine parts from a shop in Rockland,
Maine, jackhammers and chisels, cast stove parts, an oil
cup from an engine, and all sorts of unidentifiable iron-
mongery. We loaded all this into one dumpster at the hauler’s
encouragement and were able to get a total weight of 22,000
lbs at the scale. We didn’t realize it right away, but the oil
from millions of dead menhaden had percolated down
through the cement. This ripe bait-barrel smell, trapped
for 30 years in the ballast, filled the shop and followed our
work clothes home, to the dismay of our families.
Our first projects were tackling the backbone and fram-
ing. Rob took on the stem replacement job and Kevin the
sternpost, both timbers having rotted from their exposed
top end-grain downward. Both of these projects grew in
scope; for Rob, a new forefoot and for Kevin, a new shaft-
log and horn timber were called for. Scott was busy saw-
ing up very large, nearly perfect white oak trees for this
work, many from an abandoned tobacco farm in Suffield,
Connecticut.
With the removal of the covering boards and ceiling
we found that at least three-quarters of ROANN’s frames
were rotted beyond saving. Sean and I started removing
ROANN_FINAL.QXD 7/28/08 4:10 PM Page 57
alternate frames in the fish hold while searching for new
16', clear white oak 24 framing stock. Our Connecticut
sources exhausted, we had to buy these pieces in Virginia
and Maryland.
Bending frames this size in place inside the boat was
too daunting for a small crew, so we ended up making
patterns and bending on an adjustable jig capable of
preparing three doubled frame pairs at one setting. Bevels
were planed on before the new frames were installed.
While this worked perfectly well for her mid-body, the
bow and stern frames had so much twist they had to be
bent in the boat.
Reframing took nine months (ironically, ROANN’s orig-
inal construction time). To support ROANN and retain
her shape as we removed more and more structure, we
built eight external molds from Microlam house beams.
These were stood on end and bolted with threaded rod
through the hull. We installed cables and turnbuckles to
prevent spreading. Faced with the extent of the hull’s prob-
lems, our potential despair was staved off by our retired
steam engineer and shipwright, Barry Rhodes, who
reminded us how one eats an elephant—one bite at a time.
The three original stacked 9"  11' oak timbers that
made up ROANN’s keel were sound. We had no clue, how-
ever, as to the condition of the 1" keelbolts that held the
whole works together. So we hired a local pipe X-ray team
to check them out. This proved visionary in more ways
than one. These fellows brought their portable rig: a
columnator, a black box that held a radioactive genie,
and a portable darkroom. For some reason, they didn’t
want anyone in the shop while they did their job. They
produced clear, life-sized pictures of each keelbolt. Many
were rusted down to 3 ⁄ 4" or more. We decided to rebolt
and used hydraulic jacks and push plates to pull up the
old bolts. New bronze bolts, 1 ⁄ 8" larger in diameter than
the originals, were installed.
By late summer, the ROANN project had built up a good
head of steam and, over the next year, the Shipyard hired
new hands and gained many volunteers. Of the new paid
staff, two shipwrights, Chris Taylor and Hank Drude, came
from the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS).
A Progress Report
L aunch day was scheduled for May
17th. That day came, bright and clear
with a brisk northwest breeze that caused
all the flags to snap and stand out straight
as they bent the spars of our temporary
launching rig. It was a day of family con-
nections for ROANN.
Professor Rick Burroughs, who in his
youth was a friend of Roy Campbell, gave
an erudite speech on ROANN, offering a
discourse on her historical significance
and her possibilities as a traveling educa-
tional vessel. Captains Tom and Aaron
Williams and their families came for the launching.
Beth Van Stads, Albert Condon’s granddaughter, came
and presented the lead shipwright with one of Condon’s
handmade backing-out planes. Zella Westcott and her
Rick Remenda joined us from the Apprenticeshop, and
Jeff Morris arrived from the C.A. THAY ER restoration
project. Barry Rhodes came from the steamboat SABINO,
and John Snyder, a shipwright from Westport, Massa-
chusetts, joined us two days a week. In June, Tom Daniels,
an IYRS intern, joined us for the summer. A volunteer
team of mechanics led by Dick Wing tore down ROANN’s
V 12 -71 Detroit Diesel and completed a major overhaul.
At the same time, her long-term shipkeeper, volunteer Jim
Collins, master mechanic Mike Franco, and systems man
Craig Carter labored tirelessly on preserving mechanical
and electrical systems in the engineroom. This task was
complex beyond belief what with 12, 32, and 110 volts all
powering equipment in a space smaller than most kitchens.
The record for volunteer commuting distance went to our
master metalsmith, Wayne Whalen, who drove up monthly
from Cape May, New Jersey.
Today, as I write this in the winter of 2007–08, after
three years in the main shop, ROANN’s hull is completely
rebuilt, caulked, and primed. The brand-new old-growth
fir decking is painted on its underside and ready to be
laid in the next few weeks. The bulwarks are almost
planked, and the newly rebuilt Detroit, painted a fresh
alpine green, sits in a spotless engineroom.
Why has the restoration taken three years plus? Good
work takes time. In addition to our jobs as shipwrights,
we also worked as conservators, researchers, and docents.
We never compromised any part of our rebuild in terms
of materials or workmanship. From ordering and driving
6,000 custom-made 3⁄ 8" bronze lag plank fasteners, to cut-
ting stanchion mortises in several-hundred-year-old cathe-
dral pine covering boards, to watching in awe as Wayne
Whalen built faceted, tapered cowl ventilators exactly like
the originals, everyone did their best for ROANN. We want
this vessel to go safely to sea and to endure as an exhibit
vessel for years to come.
And, by the way, we think you’ll like the sheer.
Walt Ansel is lead shipwright on the ROANN project at Mystic Seaport
in Mystic, Connecticut. He is also an instructor at WoodenBoat School
and a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. See his article “The Bandsaw
Beveler” on page 30.
© MYSTIC SEAPORT, MYSTIC, CT PHOTOGRAPHER: KANE BORDEN
granddaughter Jennifer poured
harbor water from Point Judith on
ROANN’s bow.
ROANN , the lady of the hour,
was lowered gently into the Mystic
River. The checks in the oak shaft-
log that had worried us leaked
only moderately, and the lead trim
ballast brought her great, power-
ful bow down to reasonable trim
until we could complete our work
of fitting out interior, houses, deck
gear, spars, and rigging; work that
will consume about 3,000 more
hours of our time, with a hoped- for completion this fall.
Next summer we’d like to steam her to Maine for a
reunion of Newbert and Wallace boats at Maine Maritime
Museum at Bath. —WA
September/October 2008 • 57
AimeLeone_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 1:59 PM Page 58

BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

The Stewards of AIMÉE LÉONE

How decades of good owners spelled survival for an elegant cutter
by David D. Platt

T
here is a theory that the boats are in charge, and
that we who love them are really here to do their
bidding. In the case of AIMÉE LÉONE, a handsome
37' British pilot cutter built in the 1930s and still going
today, the idea makes good sense: this vessel, built by men
who cared deeply enough about her to do their jobs really
well, has endured thanks to the hard work and dedica-
tion of a series of owners who have sailed and cared for
her over the decades. They each brought special skills,
interests, and resources to bear, and each appreciated the
boat in his or her own way as long as they could, then
passed her along to someone else.
Launched at Dartmouth on England’s south coast in
1934, AIMÉE LÉONE sailed in the English Channel and
along the English coast, into the Baltic and to other west-
ern European areas for nearly 40 years. She survived
World War II and may have taken part in the evacuation
of Dunkirk in 1940. She was Bermudan-rigged from the
start, and her hull and decks were planked in teak. She
was given a near-vertical stem profile, a bowsprit, a saucy

British-built cutter AIMÉE LÉONE, launched in 1934, has enjoyed a long line of careful, thoughtful owners—and a long life
as a result.

58 • WoodenBoat 204
AimeLeone_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 1:59 PM Page 59
BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ
AIMÉE LÉONE’s warm and inviting interior. Although it’s been changed over the years, this space still evokes the
boat’s prewar period.
counter, comfortable (if narrow) accommodations, and
a roomy cockpit: a well-put-together combination of work-
boat and yacht design suited to the surly conditions of
her home waters.
She has had at least 14 owners. She has crossed the
Atlantic at least once, earned her keep at a sailing acad-
emy, spent time in Florida and the Caribbean, been rebuilt
twice, and had several changes of engine, as well as new
suits of sails and other replacements.
The answer to the question, “Is she original?” would
be complicated: In all likelihood the proportion of
her that dates from her
1934 construction is at
least as high as that of the
USS CONSTITUTION, the
“When needs arise, a boat of this
venerable queen of the U.S.
Navy that has undergone
quality imposes its expectations on
successive rebuildings since
the War of 1812.
whoever happens to be in charge.”
But I doubt if originality
has been the goal of AIMÉE
LÉONE’s many owners. Like a well-loved house, she has
been repaired, restored, modified, and for the most part
improved on over the years; the yacht that exists today is
the sum of 74 seasons’ worth of work to keep her afloat
and seaworthy.
A
IMÉE LÉONE had at least four English owners.
Her first, Roger Chetwode (1906–1940), an officer
with the British Army in India, kept her for only
a year and was later killed at the start of World War II;
her second, who owned her by 1946, made the first post-
war cruise to the Baltic from England aboard her, when
the place was still full of mines. She was sold twice more,
the record indicates, before being bought by Dick and
Sid Waterhouse, an American couple, in 1970. From the
U.S. and British documentation records I have assem-
bled a list of owners that I believe to be complete, but
since AIMÉE LÉONE hasn’t always been documented, there
could be gaps.
The Waterhouses moved aboard and spent nine months
preparing for their voyage across the Atlantic to Marion,
Massachusetts, where Dick was to begin teaching at Tabor
Academy in the fall. “It was a tidal lock marina,” Sid recalls
of the yard in Dover, remembering a disagreeable living
situation wedged between a pile of coal on one side and
a pile of road sand on the
other. When the wind blew,
coal dust or grains of sand
would settle on the boat. “It
made it hard to paint,” she
said. “So we let it [the teak
trim] all go gray.”
Sid, Dick, and Ian
Murray, a friend they met
at the Cinq-Ports Yacht
Club in Dover, set sail in early spring for France, Spain,
Portugal, Madeira, and across the Atlantic to Bermuda.
The Atlantic crossing took “28 days, 191⁄ 2 hours,” she said
with precision; longer than normal because their north-
of-the-trades course took them into the Sargasso Sea where
they were becalmed for several days. In mid-ocean, they
went swimming.
The rest of the crossing to North America wouldn’t be
as uneventful. Two days out of Bermuda on the way to
Newport, Rhode Island, a three-day gale reduced them
to bare poles and a trailing hawser to keep the boat headed
downwind. A huge wave struck AIMÉE LÉONE and nearly
capsized her. “We were right over on our beam ends,” Sid
remembers. The boat flexed somehow and the hatch over
September/October 2008 • 59
AimeLeone_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 1:59 PM Page 60
the main cabin popped out, leaving cabin and crew
exposed to the elements. Dick nailed canvas over the
opening; Ian took the helm; and Sid, sitting on the cabin
sole, began bailing out the green water (because the pump
had jammed, she was obliged to use a bucket). She then
provided everyone with whatever hot meals she could
manage. “We didn’t have time to be afraid,” she said when
I asked her about the experience 37 years later, adding
that she never lost confidence in the boat, which even-
tually weathered the storm without additional damage.
“The boat was fantastic,” Sid said. “She steered really
well, was really well balanced.” One morning on the
transatlantic trip, Dick discovered that a rope on the self-
steering rig had broken during the night. AIMÉE LÉONE
had held her course anyway.
At Tabor Academy they moved ashore to an apartment
on campus with a view of the harbor, where they moored
the boat. Teaching duties kept Dick away from the boat
more than he liked, and so he proposed that cruising
under sail become a “sport” at the school; his idea was
accepted and several students became regulars, readying
AIMÉE LÉONE for spring launching and then sailing
aboard her on weekends.
They kept the boat for three years, selling her only
after the old Lister engine quit somewhere in the vicin-
ity of Camden, Maine, on their way to Lubec where
Dick planned to enhance his woodworking skills at The
Boat School.
60 • WoodenBoat 204
WILL WEST (THIS PAGE)
Will West, a shipwright, owned AIMÉE LÉONE from 1989 to
2000. He conducted a thorough refurbishing, including replace-
ment of the iron floors with new ones of oak, and a new laid
deck.
I
first became acquainted with AIMÉE LÉONE in 1973
when a Colorado friend of mine, Bill Caile, bought
her in Camden from the Waterhouses. He still remem-
bers how he found her: “I stopped in about every harbor
and/or boat basin on the way to Camden looking for the
‘ideal’ old wooden boat. I didn’t find anything even close
to my budget. Finally, after over a week on the road, I
arrived in Camden. I was wandering around the side
streets looking for Page Marine Services [precursor to
the brokerage firm of Cannell, Payne & Page] when I
stopped and asked a fellow walking along the road if he
knew where I could find it. Turns out he, too, was look-
ing for Page Marine Services, and while we found our
way I learned that he had ghosted into Camden Harbor
the evening before on AIMÉE LÉONE after the Lister
single-cylinder diesel had seized. He was looking for PMS
to sell AIMÉE. Of course, he was Dick Waterhouse!”
After sailing AIMÉE LÉONE south to the Turks and
Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, Caile scratched his sail-
ing plans, sold the boat, delivered her to the new owner
in Rye, New York, and returned to Colorado, where he
went into the construction business.
The decades passed. Six more owners came and went.
I lost track of the little cutter, which spent more time in
Florida, the Caribbean, and New England. During the
summer of 2006 at Billings Diesel and Marine in
Stonington, Maine, I spotted an interesting-looking set
of spars and went over for a look. A long bowsprit, a taste-
ful paint job, and ample varnish drew me closer; notic-
ing her name I began to realize I was in the presence of
a very old friend.
She didn’t look all that old, in fact. Clearly, she had
undergone a very skillful facelift. The boat I remembered
from the 1970s had been weathered from stem to stern;
her only varnish in those days had been on her spars and
a small amount of trim. She had been as gray, in fact, as
the skies over the English Channel, looking very much
like the working pilot boats that had inspired her design.
AimeLeone_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 1:59 PM Page 61
WILL WEST (THIS PAGE)
The tearout phase of Will West’s rebuilding of AIMÉE LÉONE
revealed the boat’s massive and high-quality construction—
including the wooden rudderstock, which has since been
replaced with one of bronze. After six years of surgery, West
sailed the boat for a few years before passing her along to
Terry Rhoads, her current owner.
But in 2006 she had a coat of varnish over well-sanded
cabin trunk, coamings, caprails, hatches, and boom gal-
lows; her teak decks gleamed, and lots of other parts I
couldn’t see had been replaced. It took me a while to feel
certain that I was looking at the same boat.
I told Bill Caile in an excited e-mail (with photos) a
few days later that she looked “like a million bucks.” And
he, responding from Colorado after looking at my pho-
tos, assured me it was indeed the same boat he’d owned
all those years ago, and that he was thrilled to know that
AIMÉE LÉONE was still afloat and looking so youthful.
She has kept her old name. AIMÉE LÉONE, Bill told
me, meant something like “friendly lion” in French, and
no one has seen fit to change it. Very few boats of my
acquaintance can claim that distinction, and in this case
the name goes right back to the beginning at the Phillip
& Son yard in Devon, where she and a sistership, MER-
LIN, were both launched in 1934 and registered in
Dartmouth. The translation can vary a bit: Terry Rhoads,
her current owner, prefers “beloved lioness,” which may
be a reference to her first owner’s mother. Or it may be
a feminized version of a name referring to the original
owner’s father, an “old lion” British general during World
War I. Whatever the origin or the meaning, the name has
remained the same for seven decades.
T
he number of owners isn’t as interesting to me as
the evidence that none of them seriously neglected
or mistreated AIMÉE LÉONE over the years. The
boat I first encountered in 1970 was still strong and sea-
worthy—old-fashioned and weathered, perhaps, but not
hogged or leaky or showing signs of neglect. Successive
surveyors have given her good marks; insurance compa-
nies have underwritten policies when asked; when it was
time to make repairs, successive people had stepped up
and made sure the work was done. When needs arise, a
boat of this quality, with luck, imposes its expectations
on whoever happens to be in charge.
Even good maintenance can’t stop time, and by 1990,
age had taken its toll. Fortunately AIMÉE LÉONE had
fallen into the hands of a skilled boatbuilder, Will West,
who would spend six years rebuilding her interior, replac-
ing most of her iron floors with oak, replanking her decks,
and installing another in the series of engines that have
provided auxiliary power since 1934. Pictures taken dur-
ing West’s rebuild show a boat stripped down to her
frames, undergoing a restoration that many would have
abandoned long before it was complete.
West first encountered AIMÉE LÉONE in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, where a previous owner was living
aboard. The boat was in the water, mast out, under a cover.
She didn’t look particularly good, West recalls, but even-
tually, after someone had sailed her north to Essex,
Connecticut, West mortgaged his house and took the
plunge. He had her trucked to Freeport, Maine, where
he had a boatyard at the time, and began his rebuilding
project.
“I love old English cutters,” West told me recently, shar-
ing an album of photos taken during his rebuild. In this
boat’s case, it seems, he wonders if his love clouded his
judgment: “I was a certified marine surveyor and I went
out and bought a rotten old boat,” he recalls. “The decks
were leaking…I took her apart, and she kept coming
apart. The iron floors kept eating at her sawn oak frames.
Iron drifts had made every joint rotten. I reframed the
boat from the inside; took out the iron floors, replaced
them with wood. Replaced the bilge clamp, sheer clamp,
September/October 2008 • 61
AimeLeone_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 1:59 PM Page 62
BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ
all deck framing, garboards and first
strakes, some of the deadwood. New
decks. After I bought her I decided I’d
made a $20,000 mistake.”
But as a professional boatbuilder West
also knew he owned a craft of unusual pedi-
gree, built of materials that would be hard to
assemble today. “She was built at a time when England
still controlled the teak forests of the world,” he said.
So he kept going, and by 1986, except for the dead-
wood, much of her planking, her spars, and what he had
saved and reinstalled of the interior, the boat was largely
new. He cruised Downeast, coming to appreciate her bal-
anced sailing qualities, then kept her in Freeport, Maine,
for a few summers before deciding to part with her.
West listed her for sale in 2000 with Cannell, Payne &
Page, the Camden brokers who had handled most changes
of ownership since Bill Caile’s and Dick Waterhouse’s day.
Like so many occasions when distinguished boats go in
search of new owners, the 2000 transaction generated at
least one anecdote. Terry Rhoads, who lives in Denmark,
Maine, and summers on Vinalhaven, had been looking
for a boat, and while visiting friends in Boothbay Harbor
he spotted what he thought he wanted in the distance.
“Six months later Cannell, Payne & Page sent me a list-
ing,” he recalls. “It was the same boat.” He bought her
subject to a survey, which was carried out in a January
blizzard at Robinhood Marine in Georgetown, Maine.
The boat had been leaking, and the survey revealed
that more work needed to be done. Over the next two
years Terry Rhoads, who planned to keep the boat at
Vinalhaven, considered various boatyards before choos-
ing nearby Billings Diesel and Marine, in Stonington, for
the rest of the rebuild. The head of Billings’s carpentry
shop, Jim Foley, has wide experience with restorations.
With Rhoads he mapped out a multi-season project that
would eventually result in more new floors (some of them
bronze), a stiffened maststep, a new keel, a new rudder,
and 3,500 lbs of additional outside ballast.
“We solved the leak problem,” Foley told me in 2007.
“She was sailed pretty hard last year, and she’s been right
tight.”
The additional ballast was necessary, Foley said, because
AIMÉE was floating too high: changes in engines, the inte-
rior, tanks, or other things had apparently resulted in a
lighter boat that needed additional ballast. (A fact about
her past Foley hadn’t known about: at one point AIMÉE
LÉONE’s bilges were filled with lead pigs added by Sid
62 • WoodenBoat 204
Under Terry Rhoads’s ownership, AIMÉE LÉONE has undergone
a multi-season renovation that stiffened the structure,
renewed her finish, and added ballast to compensate for
changes in the boat’s trim over the years.
and Dick Waterhouse in the 1970s. The lead was cast from
discarded type from the Amsterdam [New York] Recorder,
the newspaper owned by Sid’s family.)
The new ballast was added outside, after the repairs
to the deadwood and keel were completed. “We
cast it flat,” Foley said. “Then we sprang it to the
rocker we needed, and fastened that on with
long bronze lag bolts up into the deadwood. We
had the boat hanging in the air from 4-by-4 tim-
bers, on six upright posts…you could walk right
underneath it.”
Billings also replaced the steering gear. The
tiller-steered wooden rudderstock, dating from
1934, had been compromised over the years by var-
ious configurations of engine and propeller shaft. Foley
replaced the timber with a new 4" bronze one, descend-
ing from the deck to the bottom through a new, heavy
fiberglass tube. He also built a new oak rudder. “It works
extremely well,” Foley said.
All of this work had required the removal of AIMÉE
LÉONE’s interior, for at least the second time.
Outside experts endorsed the results. “With the work
that was done in the ’90s and this recent work,” declared
Capt. Paul Haley of G.W. Full & Associates, “the vessel is
basically a new vessel.”
E
arly September 2007. At the invitation of Terry and
Carol Rhoads I ferry across Penobscot Bay from
Rockland to Vinalhaven, where they meet me in
their powerboat for a quick run to Widow Island, where
AIMÉE LÉONE now spends summers on a mooring or at
the Rhoads family’s float. We have time for a short sail, a
necessary ingredient for this story.
At the float we climb aboard. Admiring Will West’s fine
teak decks, the boat’s roomy cockpit, fine lines, and fresh
varnish, I lay hands on her long tiller for my first time at
the helm of this remarkable boat. The cutter’s bowsprit
is brand new, Terry tells me; the old one was damaged as
AIMÉE LÉONE sat on a mooring at Billings and has just
been replaced.
In a light wind we motor away from the float. Carol
seats herself on the afterdeck; Terry hoists mainsail and
jib; we kill the engine and fall off on a starboard tack. I
remark on the stiff rudder, which Terry reminds me is
new and somewhat larger than the one it replaced. It stays
where you put it; in this wind at least, there’s no hint of
weather or lee helm. Sid Waterhouse’s story of the boat
keeping her course with a broken self-steering rope in
heavy seas comes to mind. Stiff steering or not, AIMÉE
LÉONE moves forward at four or five knots with promise
of greater speed and responsiveness in more wind. She
has a very long keel, after all, and she tracks very straight.
After half an hour we go about and head home. Mission
accomplished; the boat’s abilities demonstrated at least
in part; the Rhoads family’s care and concern for AIMÉE
LÉONE very much in evidence.
AimeLeone_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 1:59 PM Page 63

BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

AIMÉE LÉONE near Stonington, Maine, June 2008.

A
life well lived is a series of stories; a boat well
appreciated seems to trail good stories in her wake.
As she survives, ages, and grows more distinctive
among all the other boats out there, AIMÉE LÉONE seems
to attract owners who are
more and more interested
in her history and the sto-
ries that accompany it. Dick “…the vessel that exists today is the
Waterhouse speaks of the
man who sailed her into the sum of 74 seasons’ worth of work to
Baltic after World War II
and avoided the mines; keep her afloat and seaworthy.”
Bill Caile remembers his
encounter with Dick on a
Camden sidewalk; Will West
shakes his head over his personal plunge into her restora-
tion; Terry Rhoads speaks of his serendipitous sighting
of her on a mooring, six months before learning she
would be his. Sid smiles at her memories (including the
storm at sea) and suggests it’s time to get everyone
together to share them.
And so, year in and year out, these owners have told
AIMÉE LÉONE’s stories, done her bidding. Miraculously,
the seemingly magic chain has never been broken, and
now she will sail on into the future, better than new, col-
lecting more stories as she does.
One story about AIMÉE LÉONE has moved me ever
since I first heard it 30 years ago. “She was at Dunkirk,”
someone told me, referring to the heroic rescue of British
troops who had been backed to the French beaches by
the Nazis in 1940. A fleet of small vessels—fishing boats,
ferries, pilot boats, yachts—put out from places like
Portsmouth and Dover and the Isle of Wight, heading in
It’s a powerful story of heroism, and it has followed
AIMÉE LÉONE through the years. But I’ve never been able
to verify it: The person who told me can’t recall where he
heard it; the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships
(www.adls.org.uk) doesn’t
include AIMÉE LÉONE in its
detailed list of participat-
ing vessels. Still, it’s very
possible she was there; a
thousand others like her
sailed across, some manned
by fathers and sons, putting
vessels and lives at great
risk. The rescue was suc-
cessful, a testament to the
spirit that saw beleaguered Britain through World War
II. In my mind I can see AIMÉE LÉONE at that terrible
place, her tall mast swaying, her bowsprit bobbing as she
stands offshore, waiting her turn to take desperate men
aboard and transport them home. It’s a great story about
a good boat. If it isn’t true, it should be.
David D. Platt is editor of The Working Waterfront, the monthly
newspaper published by the Island Institute of Rockland, Maine.
BENJAMIN MENDLOWITZ

a desperate race for France, in hopes they could save the

British Expeditionary Force from annihilation.

Terry and Carol Rhoads, AIMÉE LÉONE’s current owners, upon

the boat’s commissioning early last summer.

September/October 2008 • 63
Paper_Jet_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 9:54 AM Page 64
The Paper Jet 14
T
here are people in this world who see sailing as an
athletic endeavor. With specialized boats, they wres-
tle speed out of whatever wind is granted them—
real speed won by taking every ounce out of a hull and
adding every square inch to the sail plan. Changes in
wind pressure have to be anticipated instead of reacted
to; crews are tethered to masts with wires, so a good wipe-
out can launch them right into the mainsail with con-
siderable force. For these folks, blood on the deck is not
considered a badge of honor. It’s just expected.
On a slow and easy day, these so-called “skiffs” sail at
10 knots. On a fast and hairy day, with good enough crew,
they hit the upper teens or low twenties. It’s not possible
to achieve those speeds without commitment. There’s
some ego and quite a lot of pride tied up in taming such
a boat—or getting beaten up very badly trying.
Above—Dudley Dix designed the Paper Jet 14 as a training boat for those aspiring to high-performance skiffs. Three separate
rigs allow sailors to step up from a relatively docile single sail to the high-performance rig seen here—all with the same hull.
64 • WoodenBoat 204
by Dan Segal
Photographs by Billy Black
There is, however, a moment when everything is just
right—when the boat is flat and in the groove…when
every ounce of concentration is focused on the water, the
wind, your own body, the very delicate balance of it all.
The tiller extension feels like a feather barely pinched
between your thumb and forefinger, the mainsheet
becomes a source of connection to the wind itself. Every
tiny increase in pressure isn’t more struggle, but instead
results in more speed. The water is there only to push the
hull higher and faster. At that moment you are not sim-
ply harnessing huge amounts of power. You become
attuned—at one —with the physical universe. You can
bend it to your will, and it seems not just obliging but
eager, helpful.
The boat is the tool that puts you together with that
special place. More sail can carve out more wind. Less
Paper_Jet_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 5:23 PM Page 65

Bruised bodies (and egos) are par for the course in skiff sailing. Recovery is quick with the Paper Jet 14, with righting lines
secured to the hull's wings. Author Dan Segal is at the helm.

hull weight puts you in closer touch with the elements,
and allows faster acceleration. The better the sailor, the
more often she or he can get there. The intensity of
the experience is proportional to the dedication of the
individual, sail area to displacement ratio, hull shape, and
how much you weigh compared to how much the hull
weighs. There is risk in such sailing, and it is worth it.
Then you realize that you’re too low to make the next
mark. You head up and it all becomes a thrash again.
But that moment was so special, so filled with wonder,
that you want it back. And anything that deepens it is
worth doing. More sail, less weight. There’s a reason peo-
ple build boats that are no longer class legal. If this sounds
like addiction, then you understand.
These boats are not easy to sail. There are trainer
boats—mostly older one-design classes. Those used at the
local club don’t get kids (or adults) up to speed very fast.
The more modern ones are more difficult to sail—like the
single-trapeze trainer called the 29er. It’s a 14 1 ⁄ 2 - footer
with wings built into its hull and an asymmetrical ’chute.

At the time of this article's publication, there were two Paper Jet 14s in existence (twelve others are currently under construction.)
Author Segal met designer Dix for a demonstration sail at Newport, Rhode island, just days before the WoodenBoat Show at
Mystic, Connecticut. The pair continued to sail at Mystic, where most of the photographs in this article were taken. No doubt
there'll be a growing fleet of these boats by the time of next year's show.

September/October 2008 • 65
Paper_Jet_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 5:23 PM Page 66

This mini version of the 49er (the Olympic-class skiff) is

aimed at kids who want to learn how to sail skiff-style boats,
and it’s increasingly popular; in fact, it’s under consid-
eration as the women’s Olympic-class skiff. In some con-
ditions, however, it’s even harder to sail than its bigger
sibling, rather than easier. There almost needs to be a
trainer to learn how to sail the trainer.
Enter, the Paper Jet 14.

T
he Paper Jet 14 (PJ) is a skiff-style trainer with a
progression of three rigs, using the same spars, for
the same hull. Start with the main by itself, unstayed
with simple sail controls (think Laser). Progress to main
and jib with upper and lower shrouds and a two-person
crew (think Windmill). Substitute a longer top section
on the mast, expand the sail plan with a large, fully bat-
tened main, an asymmetrical spinnaker on a retractable
bowsprit, and hang a trapeze to hold it up (think 29er).
Add to all of that the fact that the boat is designed to be
quickly home built of 4mm plywood either from a kit or
from plans, and is relatively inexpensive.
There is little compromise, by the way, in the materi-
als or the fact that it can be home built. Let’s do some
comparisons:
A Laser is 13' 1" long, carries 76 sq ft of sail on an
unstayed two-piece mast, and weighs 130 lbs. The PJ is
13' 5" long; the smallest rig carries 77 sq ft of sail on an
unstayed two-piece mast, and weighs about 100 lbs. The
PJ is about a foot wider, but that’s all in the wings; it adds
up to more power.
A Windmill, albeit 2' longer than and almost double
the weight of the Paper Jet, carries 119 sq ft of sail in main
and jib. The smaller sloop rig of the PJ carries 109 sq ft Dan Segal sails the Paper Jet’s cat—or “Una”—rig.
of sail. The Windmill uses a lot of flare in its hull, rather He likens the boat’s performance under this single sail to that
than wings, for hiking power, but it’s still narrower on of a Laser.
deck by about 7".
Fully rigged, the PJ is lighter, and in some ways a more
powerful boat than a 29er (though it’s less single-minded). conditions, though none strong. In winds of 10–12 miles
Both boats have fixed wings that are built into their per hour, Dix loafed along at 9–10 knots with the big main
hulls. The 29er has an overall beam of 5' 10" on deck and and the ’chute. He is fairly new to skiff sailing, which is
a length of 14' 7". The Paper Jet is 5' 4" beam on 13' 5" the point. I was sailing a second PJ 14 that had just been
length. The 29er carries 134 sq ft on the wind and 161 sq ft built by Larry Foster at Howdy Bailey’s yard, also in
off the wind; the Paper Jet carries 146 sq ft upwind, and 210 Norfolk. My first time out in the boat, I was being a wee-
sq ft off the wind. The Paper Jet’s hull is significantly narrower nie and chose the rig with the smaller main and no ’chute.
at the waterline with significant flare in her topsides. Her The boat requires a very light, though precise touch. The
sheet-plywood hull weighs about half that of a 29er. foils are large and thin; once the boat is moving, steer-
The Paper Jet, properly handled, is one very fast boat. ing is very positive, and once the boat is moving fast, the
From simple numbers, it seems even more serious than rudder feels very large. Steer small.
the current crop of fast sailers. Yes, there was blood on The rig is fairly simple. The halyard uses a masthead lock
my deck when I sailed the PJ. and drops outside the mast to a mast-mounted cam cleat.
But in fact, the PJ 14 is new, so we don’t really know yet The mainsheet uses a rope traveler and comes to hand
what kinds of speeds it’s capable of. Mostly it’s been sailed from the floorboards. The jib furling line dead-ends on
by its designer, Dudley Dix. Dix is a fine sailor (see side- the mast support. The cunningham and clew outhaul both
bar), but he isn’t, shall we say, exactly in the demographic come aft to hand on both sides. The jibsheets are crossed
for the design. And the big rig is not quite perfect yet, and to cam cleats on the wings. All spinnaker gear is led aft,
has been in the boat only a month or so as I write this. of course. The hull is very sensitive to crew weight, both
Nonetheless, Dix claims that he has had reaches in the fore and aft, as well as athwartships. Sit a little forward
mid-teens or a little above, and I believe him. With time and let the Paper Jet lean on its leeward wing, let the sheets
and some rig tuning, it’ll be much faster. Dix has been fly, and it sits docile, if not quiet while you get acquainted
working with sailmaker David Baxter out of Norfolk, or get ready for the next move. When sheeting her in
Virginia, to get the rig just right. They’ve got the smaller the same 10–12 knots of breeze under this medium rig, the
rigs about perfect; the biggest rig is getting close. transition to plane was instantaneous and the demand for
We had the chance to sail the Paper Jet in a variety of hiking immediate. The acceleration was a gas.

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Paper Jet 14
Particulars
LOA 13' 5"
Beam 5' 4"
Draft
Board up 5"
Board down 2' 8"
Weight
Hull only 100 lbs
Rigged 150 lbs
Sail area
Lite rig 77 sq ft
Standard rig 109 sq ft
Turbo rig 146 sq ft
Turbo downwind
rig 210 sq ft

Stepping up to speed—
The Paper Jet's three sail plans,
with the Una rig (77 sq ft) at
top right, the Intermediate rig
(109 sq ft) in the middle, and
the Turbo rig (146 sq ft upwind;
210 sq ft off the wind) at left.

The Paper Jet 14 was

developed for amateur
construction, and kits are
available; Dix has agreements
with computerized milling shops
in nine different countries.

September/October 2008 • 67
Paper_Jet_FINAL.QXD 7/23/08 5:23 PM Page 68

On another occasion, with the small- too good a job of it. Still, it never felt out of
est rig consisting of just the smaller control. I might have had an easier time if
main, unstayed, in the forward mast- I’d pulled the daggerboard up an inch or
step, in very smooth water and not much two, International 14–style. A little more
over 5- or 6-mph breezes, the PJ 14 eas- wind would have been fun rather than a
ily transitioned to plane without hump, handful. Dix says the boat is designed for a
pumping the main, or really even pay- pair of young teenagers and an optimum
ing attention: the stern wave just sud- crew weight of about 200 lbs.
denly went silent as it separated from the Add the big rig, and things get more
transom and a shallow, hull-shaped interesting. Dix, at 165 lbs, singlehands the
groove lengthened in the water. Very PJ this way, but finds her something of a
nice. And that was hard on the wind. handful in winds over 15 mph or so. With
the two of us on board in 8–10-mph winds,

P
aper Jet’s hull is very clean and we never got on the trapeze. We were over
looks businesslike, though it’s soft- the optimum weight by 50–60 lbs, but it
ened by the use of bright-finished makes the boat quite docile—though still
wood at the maststep and rails. There is fun. There’s plenty of space for two, but
virtually no sheer, though the gunwale The Paper Jet's spars are there’s a difference in aesthetics: When the
line is canted a bit so that the bow is built of wood, and are hollow. boat is sailed light, the stern wave goes
slightly higher than the stern. The out- The wider, darker staves are almost flat once it separates from the tran-
board edges of the wings are virtually of cedar, the narrower lighter som. With the two of us on board, we left a
parallel. The hull is very fine and deeply ones are poplar. The buoyancy small roostertail. Not as pretty.
veed forward, quickly transitioning to a of the spars makes it difficult— The wings add deck space and make it
wide, flat planing surface; it’s obvious if not impossible—to turn the easier to transition to various hiking modes.
that this boat is designed to plane on boat turtle. Although in many skiffs the crew has to be
only the last few feet of hull when at full very careful to keep wings out of the water
speed. The transom is low and vertical, lest they trip the boat over them (or, more
and the deck just high enough above the waterline to dis- exciting at speed, cartwheel!), in the PJ 14 the fixed wings
charge water coming aboard. There are no gewgaws— actually seem to add leeward buoyancy—even some sta-
nothing there that doesn’t have to be there. The only bility. The wings warn of approaching capsize, and they
structure outside the enclosed hull space is the elegantly slow it down and help prevent it. It’s pleasant to stand on
arched support for the mast, and it has plenty of room a wing sailing in a light breeze; easy to look around and
underneath for the spinnaker retrieval bag and the stretch your legs.
retracted bowsprit. To people who like speed, this is a It is critical to keep the Paper Jet as flat as possible.
most beautiful boat: light, clean, simple, room to move Heeling tends to drop the fine bow into the water rather
around, nothing that’ll hurt much to fall on. It has the than keep it up and just kissing the surface. Heel further,
evil look of the best of this breed. The name of the boat and the leeward wing goes in; the boat can plane on the
comes from its simplicity: Without the mast-support arch, wing’s bottom surface in some conditions, but if a wing
Dix thought the hull looked like a folded paper airplane. goes into the water, it slows the boat considerably. While
And yet, this is a different take on the skiff concept. this doesn’t threaten to trip or cartwheel the PJ as it does
There’s more to it; this skiff has options. Speed is always other skiffs, if the wing is immersed deep enough, it will
one of them. But to learn a light, fast skiff’s ways, it can lift the rudder out of the water.
be throttled back. First learn the ways of a very light hull. Like other fast sailboats, PJ needs to bear off in a strong
Then build up to the speed. The Paper Jet has a forgiv- puff. Then the boat just takes off and flies, the hydraulics
ing side. It’s more approachable, less high-tech, prettier under her wide stern add to her stability, flatten her
than its cousins. There are a variety of places to sit, even out—making her go faster—and control is maintained
recline, if sailing in lighter breezes. It can be sailed com- with a wonderful rush to go along with it. Try to feather
fortably. These things are up in a puff, as you might
relative, of course. Very in a slower, heavier boat,
light boats move a lot. and the Paper Jet heels fur-
Paper Jet reacts very quickly ther rather than less, the
to small changes in wind wings go in, sharp bow goes
pressure. Don’t plan on set- down, bites in, and over you
tling down for a long stay. go. The wings make that cap-
Optimum crew weight size happen slowly, and
goes up with each rig, there’s no fun in it.
of course. At 145 lbs, in
12–14-mph winds, I was
working reasonably hard Despite its seeming complexity,
to keep the boat flat with the Paper Jet 14 goes together
the standard main and quickly from readily available
jib, though from the look material—as a quick inspection
of the photos I wasn’t doing of the rudder reveals.

68 • WoodenBoat 204
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Dudley Dix
D
udley Dix has had hundreds of boats built in 74
countries. A graduate of the Westlawn Institute of
Marine Technology, he’s a native of South Africa now
living in Virginia. He’s known in the Antipodes as a schooner-
man and, indeed, many of his better-known designs have
a traditional look and feel—with more modern under-
bodies. His Shearwater 45, a fin-keeled, clipper-bowed
schooner or cutter, won Traditional Voyager and Boat of
the Year awards at the 2001 Annapolis Boat show. That
said, he has designed multihulls, dinghies, ferries, sculling
boats, and production fiberglass cruiser/racers. A large
number of his designs have been for professional shops
around the world and in virtually all materials. But
most of the boats he designed and built for himself were
of moderate or light displacement, and virtually all of
them were plywood. One of these, a modern, moderate-
displacement multi-chined cruiser, won a Cruising World
design competition in 1979.
In 1995, Dix designed and built a 38' plywood boat to
race the Cape Town to Rio Race. It displaces only 8,816
lbs, of which 4,408 lbs are ballast. It was 17th to finish,
beaten by one multihull, a 44' catamaran, and it out-
paced a Swan 61, a BOC Open 50, and all the Farr 40s.
The boat has crossed the Atlantic three times, twice in
adverse conditions. Although intended for amateur
builders, it’s impossible to tell that these radius-chined
(see WB No. 154) boats are built of sheet plywood. They
look identical to cold-molded or fiberglass hulls.
Dix is an iconoclast. He pays little attention to the work
of other designers (though he credits Phil Bolger as a
major inspiration). He prefers to explore concepts that
are off the beaten track, such as the fast-building and
Once the boat is dumped, the sealed, hollow mast keeps
it from turtling. The lee wing floats her very high, and
righting the boat is made easier with righting lines under
the wings. It comes up easily. I dumped twice the first time
out. I was able to stay dry on the first one; the lee wing
kept her high and buoyant, and I just climbed over onto
the daggerboard as she went. On the second, I hadn’t got-
ten my foot under the hiking straps in time, and slid right
down the deck and off the boat. It was embarrassing, but
I’m sure it won’t be the last time it happens.
P
aper Jet is built almost entirely of 4mm plywood
with the exception of gunwales and spars. A ladder
backbone is set up, then bulkheads and transoms.
Stringers are set in for deck support. The interior of the
hull and the underside of the deck are sealed with epoxy,
the deck is installed, and the exterior is sealed. The solid
wood can come from the local hardware store, as do the
stainless shackles, saddles, and fastenings. There’s an
option in the plans for sail track to be made from plas-
tic pipe. The standing rigging is lashed to the hull rather
than attached with chainplates, which is easier on the
hull and the rig. Thumb cleats replace block hangers on
the spars. And the crosshead tiller extension is made from
light and flexible plastic pipe and bamboo garden stakes:
Dudley Dix, seen here sailing the first Paper Jet 14, cemented
his reputation as a designer of fast, light ocean racers. His
radius-chined construction (see WB No. 154) employs sheet
plywood but resembles molded, round-bilged construction in
its finished appearance; it's quite approachable by amateurs.
fast-sailing round-hulled plywood boats mentioned
above. His designs are extensively and carefully detailed.
To take the Paper Jet as an example, even the details of
the modified bird’s-mouth joints in the spars are speci-
fied. Typically, the buoyancy of the spars has been cal-
culated to keep a capsized boat on its side indefinitely
for easy self-rescue. And, Dix points out, they are light-
weight though resilient enough to be free-standing; the
artist in him notes how attractive the “contrasting colors
of poplar and cedar” are.
Dix lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife and
daughter. –DS
easier to fit between thumb and forefinger.
Dudley Dix figures speed doesn’t have to be expen-
sive. He spent about $2,750 on materials and gear through
the smaller sloop rig on the first Paper Jet, including $995
for a precut six-sheet CNC kit from Third Coast
Composites in Texas. (Kits are available for the other
pieces as well.) The bigger rig brought that up to about
$4,000. Dix wrote a detailed 50-page building manual
with about 200 photos. It took Larry Foster, a professional
builder at Howdy Bailey’s yard, about 311 hours to put
the hull together. Spars, finish, and rigging add another
80 hours.
I’ll be watching the impact this boat has on the high-
performance sailing scene. It’s simple, relatively easy to
sail, very good looking, inexpensive. Oh, and fast. Want
to get a little blood on a new boat?
Dan Segal, a former managing editor for Small Boat Journal and for
The Yacht magazine, is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. He
used to sail International Canoes, one of the crazy boats mentioned
above.
For more information on the Paper Jet 14, and to learn how you can
build your own, contact Dudley Dix at 1340–1272 N. Great Neck Rd.
#343, Virginia Beach, VA 23454–2230; 757–962–9273, fax
757–965–3573; www.dixdesign.com.
September/October 2008 • 69
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Taking Care of VETERAN

Under Nick Fahey, a classic Puget Sound
by Tom Jackson
purse seiner lives on Photographs by Neil Rabinowitz

N
ot so many years ago, an annual spring migration
would begin in southern Puget Sound towns like
Gig Harbor, Washington. There would be a flurry
of outfitting and net-loading along the piers lining
the waterfront. There might be a blessing of the fleet,
and soon the purse seiners, a great many of them
wooden-hulled boats that had made this migration for
decades, would begin filing out the narrow harbor
entrance one by one, heading north. Soon, they would
reassemble in and around the San Juan Islands, rafting
five or six deep at the commercial boat docks at such
ports as Friday Harbor and Anacortes, ready for the
salmon season. Almost everyone who ever saw the boats
admired them, and those who didn’t, simply didn’t know
what they were looking at.
The long, lean products of the Skansie Ship Building
Company in Gig Harbor were among the most admired,
not just by fishermen but by anyone who had an eye
for a boat. The yard built 96 purse seiners between 1912
and 1949. GENIUS, AVALON, FRISCO, SHENANDOAH,
ST. FRANCIS, VETERAN—these and many more were like
reliable old friends.
Workboats must be made to pay, and with the long,
slow decline of the salmon fisheries, they’re not paying

For more than 80 years, VETERAN has pursued salmon throughout the waters of Puget Sound, and particularly the area around
the San Juan Islands.

70 • WoodenBoat 204
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well these days. Some have gone to the bottom. Some

have been broken up. Fishermen often shake their heads
slowly when asked about the condition of an old favorite.
In Gig Harbor, the modest old Skansie family house in
the center of town, a brick home with a blue-painted net
shed just behind, is now part of a public park and a poten-
tial museum—but the dolphins just offshore that held
the much-photographed AVALON and GENIUS for so
many years are vacant. The handwriting’s on the wall:
this fleet’s day is done.
It’s unusual, therefore, that a longtime fisherman would
go to great lengths to keep up an old purse seiner. It’s
even more unusual that one would show up at the Port
Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in September, ordinar-
ily considered the height of the fishing season. In 2007,
that boat was VETERAN, a 1926 seiner built by the Skansie
yard. Purse seiners launch a powerful skiff off the after-
deck to drag a net in a large circle around a school of
fish. Floats keep the top line at the surface, and the net
is drawn together into the shape of a large bag by a “purse
line” at the bottom. The net is then hauled, bringing the
fish alongside close enough to be brailed into the hold.
Sixty-five feet overall, with an extreme beam of 16', and

Left—Nick Fahey has been a commercial fisherman most

of his life. When VETERAN came up for sale, he bought her
primarily because she was a boat he had long admired.
Below—Fahey still uses VETERAN for salmon fishing, but
dwindling runs have severely limited—and often eliminated—
fishing time.

September/October 2008 • 71
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:33 AM Page 72

Purse seining is a two-boat operation: a powerful

skiff, launched off the stern, tows the net away
from the boat to encircle a school of salmon.
Originally hauled by hand, seine nets on VETERAN
now come aboard by a large power block.
The expansive aft deck—today surrounded by
aluminum bulwarks instead of the original wood—
leaves ample room for handling the seine net.

drawing 7', VETERAN was remarkable not only

for being an active workboat in a fleet of plea-
sure craft at the Port Townsend festival but also
for her condition, fresh from a round of work
at Steelhead Marine in Port Townsend. Her
owner is Nick Fahey, a lifetime fisherman from
Cypress Island with an eye for a boat and a fish-
erman’s straight-ahead ways. In March 2008, I
visited Fahey aboard VETERAN at Anacortes,
Washington.

• Did you grow up in this area?

I was born in Seattle, but we always had this
property on Cypress Island, and so that was kind
of the focus of our family. It was an old home-
stead on 100 acres on a nice point on the west
side. That property has kind of been the focal
point of my life, since I was a little kid. I have a
small sawmill set up over there that I’ve been
operating for the last 30 years, and just barely
taking any timber out of it, selling it locally. I
would work that sawmill in the winter, and fished
one kind of salmon fishery or another in Alaska
and here, in the summers.

• Is that what you’ve been doing most of your life?

That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 30-some
years. I just turned 65. I did farm in Eastern
Washington for about eight years. I’m not sure
how that all happened. Then one day I was
plowing, and seagulls [which come over the
mountains sometimes during storms] were fol-
lowing the plow. I didn’t think about it at first,
but they just looked good to me, and finally I
thought, you know, it’s pretty neat over here,
but there’s no salt water, and I like the seagulls. So, we
packed up, sold the farm. But that was my main career,
salmon fishing.
People forget how important salmon fishing was in
these islands. I mean, this town was alive, the whole water-
front was alive, boats coming and going, or else every-
body was gone fishing somewhere. A lot of guys made
their living—and made a good living—just in Puget
Sound. That’s what, you know, ruined me, as a little kid.
I was on a couple of tenders as a little tiny kid, and just
thought there couldn’t be anything better than that in
life, probably. You’d see them fishing, and hauling fish
aboard, and guys yelling, it just looked like the way to go,
and I guess that’s where I went.
• Are you still actively fishing this boat?
I still fish this boat occasionally, but actually the fishery
is pretty much gone. Puget Sound at one time was prob-
ably the biggest salmon-producing area in the world, if
you included all of Puget Sound and everything that went
out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was tremendous. You
know, there are so many inlets and rivers, plus the Fraser
River and the British Columbia fish that come down
through the islands. So it’s kind of over.
• So, why are you doing this, with this boat?
I can’t help it. I don’t know, I just...I like the boat. I have
some other income, so I can afford to have it not make
money. I guess some guys fix up old cars, and airplanes,
and stuff. So, I’m just lucky I guess, to be able to do what
I want. I still go down, especially when the boat is
anchored up at the place there, I still go down to the
beach and just look at the boat and just kind of admire
the lines, and just the way it looks sitting there.

72 • WoodenBoat 204
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:33 AM Page 73
• How did you come to own her?
I was fishing in Bristol Bay, and got out of there, and was
kind of burned out on fishing. And then old Francis
Barcott died. [He had a heart attack and died on deck.]
I’d always admired this boat. He bought the boat from
Whitney Cannery. They had had it for, I’m guessing, 10
years. But before that, the Skansie family not only built
this boat but owned it for two generations of Skansies.
The boat was built for Peter Skansie, and I don’t know
how long he fished it, but then his son Vincent fished it,
I believe up into the ’70s. And since they owned the ship-
yard, I think they put some better wood or something in
this boat, because it just held up better. All the old fish-
ermen usually say, well, oh yeah, the VETERAN, that was
always a special boat. It had nice wood trim. Some of
them were built pretty rudimentary, those purse seiners,
and pretty bare-bones. But this one was kind of, I don’t
want to say a Cadillac of boats, but more care had gone
into it. And since the Skansie family had it for so long,
and it was in Gig Harbor, I think it just had good care.
That extensive work I did last year—new frames, new
covering boards, new guards, new sheer plank—you know
there’s always the fear that when you open up an old boat,
that there may be nothing to attach the new wood to.
The bent oak frames, 2"  3", were okay, but a lot of
them had split because rust from the fastenings had
expanded. So while the covering boards were off we drove
new frames, we put like 44 new frames in. But amazingly,
almost everywhere the wood was still hard and bright.
You know, 82 years—that’s a long time for wood.
The catch is brought alongside in a bight of the net, from
which the fish are brailed to the fish hold. A broad ring, clearly
visible here, holds the brailing net open. This set was a
demonstration—no salmon were injured in the making of
these photographs.
• She was built in 1926, right? It does seem that boats of this
particular period have something unique about their ways.
How would you describe it?
One of the things I’ve thought of is that they didn’t have
big, powerful engines in those days. They started with
gas engines, maybe 40 hp, maybe 60, they could just barely
beat the current when it was running hard. So they had
to make a boat that would go through the water nice. It
has to have a bow that can take some weather, and be
able to pack some fish, but not be too power-scowed like.
I think these boats are pleasing because they are grace-
ful. The lines are almost canoe-like. When you see this
boat out of the water, these lines are just so fair, you can
just see the water flowing easily by.
Also, these boats were built low to the water because
they [the fishermen] were pulling the nets by hand. Most
of that horseshoe stern isn’t in the water when the boat
is empty, so it isn’t dragging. You can load and load and
load these boats, and they just—they hardly seem to go
down. I don’t know what this boat will pack. I’ve never
filled it up. I think I’ve had it about half full, and thought
we had a lot of fish, but we were just barely down to the
bootstripe.
Every year they [the Skansies, who never built to lines
plans] changed their design. You can see the older boats
had less flare—the first ones had almost no flare in the
bows, then they started getting flare. This one has some
flare, not a lot. Then the newer ones, they started get-
ting more radical flare.
• What is the difference between this boat and the Alaska limit
seiners? They came later, didn’t they? And they were shorter
to limit the catch?
No, it was to limit the boats that came up from Washington
State to Alaska, to cut out this fleet of big boats that the
Alaskans felt were—and they probably were, you know—
cutting into the Alaskans’ harvest. Fifty-eight feet is the
Alaska limit. Most of the Alaskan boats were smaller at
that time because they would haul them out up there.
They did shorten the bows on some of these. There were
boats that were this size where they just cut most of the
bow off. Some of them don’t look very good, some of
them you really can’t tell, they just look kind of blunt.
• Why does it matter to fishermen that a boat looks good?
I don’t think some fishermen care. But yeah, there are
those that do care. Being a boat guy, I have an eye, that
I can look at a boat and just in an instant I can say it’s
pleasing or not, if it looks like a good boat or not. And
your friends say, “Why don’t you like that boat?,” and you
can’t even say, hardly. But there’s a lot of boats speeding
around here now that look more like turnips or beets or
something. I mean, they’ve got reverse sheer, the bows
are lower than they are amidships, they’re higher than
they are long, they’ve got a flying bridge on top of the
September/October 2008 • 73
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The svelte lines, below, of

SHENANDOAH, a seiner of similar
vintage as VETERAN, have been
documented by a U.S. National Park
Service surveyor for the Harbor
History Museum in Gig Harbor,
Washington. These are the only
lines known to exist of a Skansie-
built purse seiner. The boat itself is
also in the collections of the
museum, which has plans for a
new building in the historic fishing
town. The Skansies, who were
among immigrants from the
Dalmatian coast of Croatia who
introduced purse seining to Puget
Sound, never used formal plans.
The photo below shows
SHENANDOAH in her first con-

TACOMA PUBLIC LIBRARY

figuration, when nets were set and
hauled by hand.
At right, two purse seiners
take shape in the Skansie shipyard
on the Gig Harbor waterfront.
The yard built 96 seiners.

SHENANDOAH
Particulars
LOA 64' 19.5 m
LWL 58' 7" 17.9 m
Beam 15' 4" 4.7 m
Draft 7' 3" 2.2 m

LINES & PHOTO COURTESY HARBOR HISTORY MUSEUM, GIG HARBOR, WASHINGTON

74 • WoodenBoat 204
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/28/08 4:13 PM Page 75
At 65’ LOA, VETERAN’s hull is easily driven and economical to run. During her career, she has fished primarily in Puget Sound,
but perhaps also in the Cape Flattery area at the western opening of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The state of Alaska placed a 58’
length limit on purse seiners to bar such boats from its rich fisheries.
top house sort of a deal. They look like they should tip
over. Whereas in an old boat like this—I mean it rolls,
you know, but you always feel comfortable in it, even when
it’s really crummy. It has a nice feel to it, it goes through
the water, without slowing down too much.
• Have you been out in some nasty weather in this boat?
Not what I would call real nasty. I have in other purse
seiners, where you’re wondering, “Why’m I out here?
Aren’t I smarter than this?” And the skiff’s starting to
slide around on the back deck, but you’re kind of stuck
there. This boat may have fished out at Cape Flattery
when that was still open, which was up into the early ’50s.
That’s why these boats were built to take some weather.
They’re pretty tough boats.
• Do wooden ones handle differently in those situations?
I’ve heard guys say they’ve been in tough weather and
the VETERAN just goes by them sometimes. A boat with
a big, huge, flared bow hits the wave, and the whole bow
just jerks way up. It also slows them down, when you hit
a wave, like the front of a barge hitting a wave has a ten-
dency to slow it down. This boat sort of knifes a bit more
through the water. I’ve taken some pretty nice cruises on
her with some friends, and gone up to Desolation Sound.
And it’s a very comfortable boat to be on. It seems like
one of the beauties of this boat, when we’ve gone cruis-
ing, is all this open deck. We have a table out there in
the sun, and some kayaks.
• You say it’s still competitive as a fish boat. How is that?
Well, we can put a net out as fast as anybody. A lot of fish-
ing is just figuring out where to be, and how to get in
front of the other guys. But if you know what you’re doing,
you can do as well as anybody. It’s not going to be as fast
getting the net back in, because we don’t have the
hydraulics on here. I took the drum off because the power
takeoff just wasn’t beefy enough on this old engine to
run that net reel, especially when you’ve got a lot of net
on it. I snapped the shaft off of a [hydraulic pump], like
at least a 1 1 ⁄ 2" stainless shaft on the double hydraulic
pump—it just snapped it off, in a surge or something.
Plus, it’s not that hard to fish with a block anyway.
• You’re talking about the hydraulic power block at the end of
the boom?
The big power block, yeah. It’s easier on the net, but it’s
a little slower, and maybe you’ll miss a set once in a while.
And that could be quite a bit of dough, and in that way
the drum seiners are more competitive. A lot of it is if
you’ve got your nets hung right, and if you’ve got a nice
skiff with lots of power, and a lot of it doesn’t have to do
with the boat itself.
I don’t really care much about fishing anymore. It
seems like such a hassle now. Two years ago, it was sup-
posed to be a pretty good sockeye run. I’m talking about
the Fraser River, ’cause that’s really the only thing left
that’s viable. Towards the end of July, they said, well, stand
by, we may do a short-notice announcement of an
September/October 2008 • 75
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:34 AM Page 76

Right— When Fahey purchased

VETERAN, all of her deck structures
were painted gray and she had a
hydraulically operated net reel
mounted on deck. Fahey uncovered
the original woodwork in the
wheelhouse and took them back
to a varnish finish. He also removed
the reel. Remarkably, VETERAN’s
Douglas-fir hull structures and
planking were in very good shape—
they had never even been refas-
tened. Below left—Tim Hoffmann’s
Steelhead Marine in Port Townsend,
Washington, installed steam-bent
oak frames in the spaces between
the original frames to strengthen the
hull. Below right—New sheerstrakes,
covering boards, and guards went in
after reframing.

NICK FAHEY (THIS PAGE)

opening. So, you’re standing by. You’ve got to have a crew
kind of half lined up, or some extra guys you could get.
You get your net on board, and all your stuff’s ready. So
we wait around, and every couple of days there’s another
announcement. Well, there’s some test fishing, and well,
the results are looking better, then, well, now they’re not
looking so good. And we waited—or I waited, the other
guys were doing whatever they were doing—and finally,
I think it was like on the 28th of August, they finally gave
us six hours. That was the sockeye season. So you kind
of can’t do anything else. You’ve kind of got to be ready
and on top of it.
So here I am with the boat. But there are guys in this
town that fished as kids and have other professions and
other jobs, and they love going. I mean it’s like a party.
“Yeah, let’s go fishing!” And they’re good. These guys are
eager, they know what they’re doing. They’re old pros,
kind of, they fished Kodiak, they’ve seen a lot of stuff. And
God, the food they bring, “Oh, we’ll bring the food!” Oh,
Jesus! We eat like kings. So that part, it is fun that way.
• You had a prime position at the festival. It was great to see a
good workboat there.
I think a lot of people sort of felt that way, that there were
all these yachts, and just beautiful, beautiful sailboats,
just exquisite boats, and here’s the old VETERAN, this
tough old boat, but looking pretty good. And the lines,
you can’t deny those. Yeah, that was fun. A lot of people
were interested in the boat. I’m sure there were people,
yacht-type people, who probably just walked by it and
didn’t really look at it, but there were a lot of people who
were interested and who didn’t know anything about
fishing and didn’t realize how big fishing used to be.
• What is the engine?
It’s a D-13000 Caterpillar [diesel], 1,300 cu in. This one
cruises nicely at about 950 rpm. The maximum rated is
1,050 on this one. It has an hour meter at 5,000 or some-
thing, but who knows how many times it’s gone around.
It’s maybe 60 years old, and it’s rated at 115 hp. Well, by
today’s standards, in a 65' boat, people would say, well,

76 • WoodenBoat 204
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:34 AM Page 77
you might as well put an Evinrude on the back. But, it
goes 8 1 ⁄ 2, 9 knots and burns maybe five gallons an hour.
Compare that with any new 65' boat, which is going to
have more beam, and basically be a bigger boat, those
guys likely burn 15 gallons an hour and are maybe going
the same speed, maybe a little bit faster if they push it.
This engine was almost unrecognizable ’cause of rust
and grit and stuff. I painted and cleaned it up. I did have
to replace the head gasket on these first three cylinders.
On these Caterpillars, you don’t need any special tools,
but you need some big tools. The head must have weighed
250 lbs. It was a brute getting that out of there.
It’s a beauty of an engine. It takes a little whiff of
starter fluid to get it going unless it’s warm. It’s a gigan-
tic engine for 115 hp. A modern engine this big would
be 700 to 1,000 hp, probably. I think it weighs almost
8,000 lbs, with the reduction gear. Caterpillar started
producing this engine in the late ’30s. It’s kind of the
engine that really made Caterpillar; they sold a million
of these. It’s the same engine that was used in the D-8
bulldozer. There were probably a lot of them sitting
around after the war. We totally rebuilt the front half,
and when the guy checked the main bearings, he said
these main bearings don’t show any wear yet—after 60
years. He said they’re still at factory specs on the main
bearings, which seems amazing. A couple different guys
told me they never took one of these engines out
because it failed. They did it to get more horsepower.
At 900 or 1,000 rpm, it’s a very gentle-sounding engine,
and smooth-running. It’s a 3:1 reduction gear, and with
the big 54" wheel, it just scoots right along. And it can
tow like...I mean, the seine skiff we were using had a
250-horse Detroit diesel in it, and I could easily pull him
backwards.
Guys have said, hey, you should repower that, get some
speed out of it. And, yeah, maybe you could get a couple
more knots out of the hull, because it’s a nice hull, it’ll
VETERAN’s fo’c’s’le has
eight bunks. Together with
the captain and cook’s
bunks aft of the wheel-
house, she sleeps 10. At the
time of VETERAN ’s launch-
ing in 1926, nets were
hauled by hand, and a large
crew was needed. Her galley
was originally in the fo’c’s’le,
and the original stovepipe
collar is still in place. The
rungs of the fo’c’s’le ladder
were so worn that the lad-
der was turned end-for-end,
to allow more generations
of fishermen to wear out the
other side.
really go. But I thought, shit, if somebody gave me the
engine I wouldn’t be able to afford to trade it out. I mean,
can you imagine? You’d have to come in through the
bulkhead back here, into the fish hold, out, you’d have
to redo all the exhaust, all the controls, the wiring, the
engine beds would have to be changed.
• And then you’d be burning 15 gallons an hour.
Yeah, and going two knots faster. If it were still a really
viable fishery, and you thought that speed would make
you some money every year, then maybe you’d consider
doing it. If you had the cash flow going through, then
maybe you could justify it.
I had a lot of enthusiasm when I first got this boat. It
was a pleasure to clean all the crud and dirt off this engine,
and slowly get a section done, and then I’d get some paint
on it. I’ve done most of this stuff myself, I did all the
hydraulic work myself.
• And you removed the drum?
When I bought the boat, they still had the drum, which
was hydraulic, and the power block was hydraulic. But
the winch, the bilge pump, and the anchor winch were
all chain-driven. So the deck winch had one speed, and
to stop it you had to shut the whole PTO [power takeoff]
off because it was all directly powered. It was pretty awk-
ward, and it was tough on purse line, because a lot of
times you need to slow the winch down, or stop it, or back
it up a little bit. It had a big double hydraulic pump, so
I rigged that up to run the winch, and I did the same with
the anchor.
• The cost of the wood must have been a shock.
You don’t even ask. What you ask is can we get some wood
that will do this job and just forget about what it’s going
to cost, ’cause it’s going to be a lot. You kind of don’t
want to know.
September/October 2008 • 77
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:34 AM Page 78

Above left—The Caterpillar D-13000 has been a reliable

workhorse for VETERAN for more than 60 years.
Above right—Her simple accommodations aren’t original,
since the deckhouse has been reconfigured over the decades.
Right—The wheel and its bronze gearing are original, though
it now connects to a hydraulic steering system. Fahey found
the original builder’s plate in the fish hold, heavily painted
over, and cleaned it up for a place of honor.

• Do you harvest your own?

I was going to supply the wood, but then he [Tim
Hoffmann at Steelhead Marine] told me they don’t really
want to use Doug-fir. They use tamarack [also known as
larch and hackmatack]. I knew what tamarack was because
we used to use it for fenceposts over in Eastern
Washington. It’s tougher than cedar but has a lot of the
resins and toxins and stuff in it that apparently cedar
does. They don’t trust the Doug-fir they get now. The old
guys probably went up to the sawmill and said, well, we’ll
take that log, and not that one, but this one over here
looks like it’s got pitch in it. Whatever they were looking
for, I’m sure they got really good at finding the great
wood.

• Is much of the boat still original?

That was one of the things that really attracted me to this
boat—nobody had really monkeyed with it, at least from
the ’50s on. There was no shag carpet on the ceiling.
There was a lot of pretty bad stuff done to these boats,
at least in my opinion. We did change the steering to
hydraulic steering last year, we did that when we were
doing all this other work. We just used all the old mech-
anism here [the original spoked wooden wheel and
bronze gears] that used to drive the chains. and got hauled out, and we did everything from forward
It had never had any new frames put in it. I’m sure of amidships back to the stern. There were no extra screws
those were the original covering boards that we took off. anywhere in any of those planks. So it had been almost
It had never been refastened, even. When I first got the 80 years, 75 years, on the original [galvanized] fasten-
boat, I thought, you know, an old boat, let’s refasten it ings. The planking and caulking forward was so tight that
and do some recaulking. So we went up to Bellingham the guy said, “I don’t think we’d better go forward any

78 • WoodenBoat 204
VETERAN_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 11:34 AM Page 79
Fahey keeps VETERAN in Anacortes, Washington, not far from his family’s property on Cypress Island. During Fahey’s time with
the boat, its usual fishing grounds have been in Rosario Strait.
more because we’re having a hard time getting the
oakum and stuff out of here.” So they just stopped, in
that forward part.
This boat has 10 bunks. I think this is the original con-
figuration, probably two in the original cabin, eight in
the fo’c’s’le. The galley used to be in the fo’c’s’le, with
the old setup. Everything’s still there. The fo’c’s’le still
hasn’t changed, I don’t think. There’s a ladder down
there to come up on deck, and the top of the wooden
treads got worn so bad, they turned the ladder upside
down and put it back. And there’s pretty good wear on
the other side, too, so you know that’s probably original.
The boat does not leak. And you know, there are a lot
of seams on this boat. It leaks a little when I’m running,
a little water comes from somewhere up near the stem,
and there are probably some seams that are normally out
of the water that are open a little bit. I can see a trickle
going down on the keelson there. Nothing to worry about.
You hardly ever have to pump with this boat.
• You must think about rainwater a lot in this climate, too.
Rainwater is what kills these boats. I come down in the
winter and get the deck hose going. I used to try to do it
every week at least, so that there’s some salt getting worked
into the wood, and really flood the deck everywhere.
That’s probably why some of these fish boats have sur-
vived so long, because they’re kind of pickled. When
you’re fishing, you’re hosing the deck off after every set,
and it’s just salt water, salt water, salt water, just constantly
back there. And I don’t know if that deck hose just made
me feel like I was doing something up forward, but I’ll
tell you, it can’t hurt.
When we’re out on the marine railway doing the bot-
tom paint and stuff, and the guys in the shipyard will say,
“Jesus, this boat really looks good underwater.” It still just
looks all new underwater.
• What do you think’s going to happen to this fleet?
They’re going to be gone. They’re going fast. Every once
in a while one sinks and they haul it out and break it up
with a big excavator. There’s a few that are being taken
care of, by guys who must feel like I do.
Tom Jackson is WoodenBoat’s senior editor.
September/October 2008 • 79
Launchings204_14.QXD 7/23/08 10:20 AM Page 80

LAUNCHINGS
Edited by Karen Wales

T hese pages are dedicated to sharing news of recently

launched new boats and “relaunched” (that is, restored or
substantially rebuilt) craft. Please send color photographs of
your projects to: Launchings, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78,
Brooklin, ME 04616, or e-mail us at <launchings@wooden
boat.com>.
Include the following information: (1) length on deck;
(2) beam; (3) type, class, or rig; (4) boat’s name; (5) names
and contact information (include e-mail or phone) of designer,
builder, and owner; (6) port or place of intended use; (7) date
of launching (should be within the past year); (8) brief descrip-
tion of construction or restoration.

BILL WARM
Above—Bill Warm of Madeira Beach, Florida, recently launched this
Doug Hylan–designed Beach Pea. The hull is of glued-lapstrake
construction using mahogany plywood. She has a 13' LOA, a 52" beam,
and weighs 115 lbs. The boat is a gift for Bill’s wife, who aptly chris-
tened her MY BOAT. Plans are available from The WoodenBoat Store,
<www.woodenboatstore.com>.
BILLY BLACK

Above—George Butler and Kim Granbery at Reedville Marine Railway

built this trailerable pocket cruiser for Granbery’s sister, Joya Hoyt, to
use on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. BANTAM was built by “rack of
eye,” based on Butler’s previous work. She is 24'10" long with an 8' 2"
beam. The hull is white cedar on yellow pine frames encased in epoxy
and ’glass. Contact Butler at 804–453–6849.

WALTER WALES
Above—In a school program offered by the Maine Maritime
Museum in Bath, Maine, eight eighth graders from the
South Bristol Elementary School built two of yacht designer
Walter Wales’s PAL skiffs. Each skiff has an LOA of 9'6" and a
beam of 441⁄2". Instructor Kurt Spiridakis led this year’s class,
now in its thirteenth year. Contact the museum at
<www.mainemaritimemuseum.org>.

Left—IMI LOA (Hawaiian for “to explore”) is a 32' sprit-rigged

pinnace (longboat) with a 7' 8" beam, powered only by oars and
a suit of sails. Built by Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine,
IMI LOA is strip-planked in Port Orford cedar over oak frames.
PRISCILLA SIMPSON

Owned by Woods Maritime of Newport Beach, California, she

is sailed off the island of Hawaii and used in educational
programs.

80 • WoodenBoat 204
Launchings204_14.QXD 7/23/08 10:20 AM Page 81

Right—Led by Instructor Tim Lee, students at the

Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port
Hadlock, Washington, recently launched this reproduc-
tion of a 14' Davis boat, designed in the early 1900s for
the purpose of inshore fishing in Alaska. The boat has
red cedar planking over white oak frames on a sapele
backbone. Contact the Northwest School of Wooden
Boatbuilding at <www.nwboatschool.org>.

PETE LEENHOUTS
Left—EDISON is a finely crafted 17' barrelback runabout from Tom Wicke,
Steve Shoveley, and friends at Edison Marine, in Portland, Oregon. The
monocoque hull is constructed in African mahogany, fastened with epoxy
and bronze screws. With two 85-peak-hp electric motors powered by a
15,000-watt-battery pack, EDISON is able to attain speeds of up to 30 mph.
Contact Wicke at <www.edison-marine.com>.
TOM WICKE

Right—Blue Crescent Wooden Boats in Sun Prairie,

Wisconsin, presents ARMADILLO, built to Iain
Oughtred’s Badger design. She has an LOA of 19'
and a beam of 3' 8 1⁄2". Builder Pete Thompson used

PETE THOMPSON
1
⁄4 " okoume plywood for planking and mahogany,
Douglas-fir, and jatoba for structural members, semi-
gloss topside paint, and 10 coats of varnish on “the
pretty parts.” Contact Thompson at
<www.bluecrescentboats.com>.

Below—Steve London designed and built LOST CREEK X3, a 7' LOA
fly-fishing catamaran with a 54" beam. His boat (for which he has a
design patent pending) is made of 3mm-okoume plywood with
Douglas-fir and cherry trim. London can be found using LOST CREEK
X3 while fly-fishing on the lakes and rivers of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Contact London at <lostcreek.x3@comcast.net>.
STEVE LONDON

DIANA ANTONOVICH

Right—William Muirhead recently launched this Shellback Dinghy

designed by Joel White. SALTY PUP has an LOA of 11' 2" and a 4' 5" beam.
The hull is glued-lap okoume plywood and has mahogany trim. The tiller is
walnut salvaged from a fallen tree in the builder’s yard. Muirhead and
family sail the waters of Charleston, South Carolina. Plans are available
from The WoodenBoat Store, <www.woodenboatstore.com>.

September/October 2008 • 81
Launchings204_14.QXD 7/23/08 10:10 AM Page 82

LAUNCHINGS

Left—PEACE, a 15' LOA Chester Yawl with a 42" beam, was

recently launched by builder and owner Suzanne Lee Kolm.
A kit boat, PEACE is built in okoume plywood with mahogany
trim. Kolm intends to ride the tides along the shores of
Ipswich Bay and Plum Island Sound in Massachusetts. Plans
and kits are available from Chesapeake Light Craft,
<www.clcboats.com>.
NINA LEPAK

Right—LITTLE TOOT is a displacement mini-tug built by Clint

Skelton, Paul Goss, Haden McCrorie, and crew at Adix Boatworks in
Spain. This fairytale tug has an LOD of nearly 16' and has an 8'
beam. LITTLE TOOT was constructed in marine plywood and then
sheathed in epoxy and ’glass. Contact the builders at
<www.skeltonengineering.com>.

CLINT SKELTON
Below—Clyde Grindell introduces LIT’L SCOON, a Phil
Bolger–designed Light Schooner, with an LOD of 23' 6" and a
5' beam. Living in the Colorado Rockies, Grindell used spruce
and fir for most of the construction. Masts are lodgepole pine,
made from trees that had been cut for fire mitigation. Plans
are available from Phil Bolger and Friends, P.O. Box 1209,
BRUCE PLAZYK

Gloucester, MA 01930.

Above—BOGUS BATOID is a strip-built, human-powered

submarine that was designed and built by the father-and-son
team of Bruce and Martin Plazyk. This is a wet-type sub (one
that fills with water and is operated by a single, hard-pedaling
scuba diver). BOGUS BATOID has an LOA of 11', a beam of 30",
and an 8' wingspan. A linear pedal drive engages its oscillating
wings. Contact the Plazyks at <bruceplazyk@yahoo.com>.
LESTER JOHNSON

Left—Dave Stillman stayed away from the television all winter

long by building this wherry from a Pygmy kit. SALTY DOG is
14' LOA with a 48" beam. The hull is stitch-and-glue construc-
DAVE STILLMAN

tion, sheathed in 6-oz ’glass and epoxy. He added fore and aft
decks and trimmed them with laminated ash. All fittings are
bronze. He rows SALTY DOG on Long Island Sound. Contact
Pygmy Boats Inc. at <www.pygmyboats.com>.

82 • WoodenBoat 204
Launchings204_14.QXD 7/23/08 10:10 AM Page 83

...AND RELAUNCHINGS

Right—AMY CHRISTINA is a 24' couta boat, originally built by Alex

Lacco in 1946. Current owners John Jansson and John Counsell of
Rhyll on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia, gave AMY CHRISTINA a
new lease on life. Restoration included replacing her engine, center-
board case, forward coaming, mast, and bowsprit. She recently had
her first sail under full rig since 1960.

JOHN JANSSON
AUSTIN NALLY

Above—INNISFAIL, a 1939, 91' Mathis Trumpy, was meticulously

brought back to her original 1930s style by Moores Marine Yacht
Center in Beaufort, North Carolina. Restoration included replacing
the pilothouse and smokestack, restructuring and stiffening the
deck, and installing teak plywood in the main saloon. She is now
used for chartering. You can reach her owner Frank E. Lynch at
<www.yachtinnisfail.com>.

Right—It took Bruce Lockhart nearly three years to

complete the comprehensive restoration of his 1956 Chris-

BRUCE LOCKHART
Craft Continental. This classic runabout has an LOA of 23'
and an 8' beam. Power is a Chevy 350. Lockhart replaced
the bottom framing, stern framing, aft sections of the
chines, and part of the keel, topsides, and deck. Lockhart
enjoys motoring in South Bristol, Maine.

Hints for taking good photos of your boat:

1. If you use a digital camera, please shoot to the highest res-
olution and largest size possible. Send no more than five unre-
touched images on a CD, and include rough prints of all images.
We also accept transparencies and high-quality prints.
2. Clean the boat. Stow fenders and extraneous gear below.
Properly ship or stow oars, and give the sails a good harbor
furl if you’re at anchor.
3. Schedule the photo session for early, or late, in the day to take
advantage of low-angle sunlight. Avoid shooting at high noon
HARVEY LEVINE

and on overcast days.

Above—Dr. Harvey Levine (age 87) and his son Matthew lovingly
restored LEGACY, a 1953 Chris-Craft Sportsman runabout with an
LOA of 18' and a 6'4" beam. The 6,000-hour job included replacing
some topside and deck planks, restoring the 95-hp Hercules engine,
upgrading the electrical system, and applying 27 coats of varnish.
The Levines enjoy their LEGACY in Sarasota Bay, Florida, and the
Gulf of Mexico.
4. Be certain that the horizon appears level in your viewfinder.
5. Keep the background simple and/or scenic. On a flat page,
objects in the middle distance can appear to become part of
your boat. Take care that it doesn’t sprout trees, flagpoles,
smokestacks, or additional masts and crew members.
6. Take many photos, and send us several. Include some action
shots and some of the boat at rest. For a few of the pictures,
turn the camera on its side to create a vertical format.
We enjoy learning of your work—it affirms the vitality of the wooden
boat community. Unfortunately, a lack of space prevents our publishing all
the material submitted. If you wish to have your photos returned, please
include appropriate postage.

September/October 2008 • 83
Rocking_Boat_FINAL_revised.QXD 7/28/08 3:31 PM Page 84
Rocking the Boat
Old ways teach kids
new life lessons
T
here was a time not that long ago when a young-
ster with a sense of adventure could head for the
shore and look for a new direction in life. Countless
young men went shipping on the deep sea or in coastal
waters. Others boarded fishing schooners, and later drag-
gers, bound for the Grand Banks, or signed on to day-
fishing boats closer to home. Most found ways to support
themselves ashore, often learning trades that would be
useful among hundreds of shipyards and boatyards that
dotted the coastline. Perhaps just as important, young
people learned how to make their way in the world,
whether at sea or on land.
It is no secret that the fishing and shipping industries
have declined precipitously and represent much smaller
Above—Teamwork of the kind required not only to build boats but to move them in tight quarters is one among many skills
students learn at Rocking the Boat in New York City. This boat is MOMENTUM, a 16' melonseed skiff built at the school’s
construction shop at Hunts Point, the Bronx, in 2008.
84 • WoodenBoat 204
by Steve Rappaport
Photography by Joaquin Cotten
segments of the American economy than they did just a
few decades ago. Today, for most kids, especially inner-
city kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, the idea of
earning a living or learning about life from boats or
the water isn’t even on the horizon. Most lack an aware-
ness of boats or the sea, and few have any connection
with the water that, in a city like New York, surrounds
them.
A small organization based deep in the heart of one
of New York City’s grittiest neighborhoods is working
to change that by teaching high school kids to build
traditional wooden boats and to use them safely for
the environmental restoration of local waterways. The
organization is Rocking the Boat. Its goal isn’t to train a
Rocking_Boat_FINAL_revised.QXD 7/28/08 3:31 PM Page 85
Every Rocking the Boat launching is worthy of a celebration parade. RANGE, a 19' Rangeley Lakes boat, took a route through
Hunts Point Riverside Park to the Bronx River for her launching.
handful of inner-city youths to become apprentices in the
boatbuilding industry, but to help as many of those young
people as possible learn the skills they need to become
successful, productive adults.
“We’re building kids. That’s what we do,” said Adam
Green, Rocking the Boat’s founder.
R
ocking the Boat has its roots in a semester that
Green took off during his junior year at Vassar
College, a small liberal arts school located in
Poughkeepsie in New York’s Hudson River Valley. There
his studies were focused on folklore and storytelling.
Green spent his “semester abroad” as a volunteer at a
junior high school in New York City’s East Harlem—
one of the nation’s most economically depressed urban
neighborhoods. While there, Green led a group of 10
students who built an 8' wooden dinghy that they even-
tually launched in the school swimming pool.
A year later, Green was back in East Harlem, New York
City, with a bachelor’s degree from Vassar and his New
York teaching credentials in hand. An after-school pro-
gram at a local community college in the South Bronx
gave him another opportunity to run a boatbuilding
program, this time for high school students. By the end
of the school year, in the spring of 1997, Green and the
students completed what would be Rocking the Boat’s
first project—a 14' epoxy-and-plywood skiff based on a
Whitehall from one of Mystic Seaport maritime historian
John Gardner’s books.
Green’s qualifications for teaching boatbuilding were
scant, but not nonexistent. As a teenager, he worked as a
volunteer on the Hudson River sloop CLEARWATER, and
after his semester in New York, he “picked up books” on
traditional boats and boatbuilding, as he tells it, “and
started reading.”
During the summer after his college graduation, Green
took the first practical step in developing his boat-
building skills. He came to WoodenBoat School in
Brooklin, Maine, and took Bob Elliott’s course in dory
construction. Most of his fellow students were older than
he and already had some boatbuilding skills. The expe-
rience was a watershed for him, Green said.
“It was very powerful. I didn’t know what I was doing.
I realized I was completely ignorant and that there
was no reason why I shouldn’t be. I learned about boat-
building, but I also learned about learning.”
The results of that learning, and 11 years of experi-
ence, are evident in the current operations of Rocking
the Boat. Now based in the economically disadvantaged
South Bronx, the tax-exempt organization has a 2008
budget of $1.3 million, and 14 full-time and 10 part-time
employees. It relies almost entirely on funding from
corporate, government, and foundation donors.
The Boatbuilding Program is currently based in a
September/October 2008 • 85
Rocking_Boat_FINAL_revised.QXD 7/28/08 3:31 PM Page 86

What practical purpose is learning to use a jack plane to shape

an ash oar? The joy of doing a job right, earning the respect of
your peers, knowing the feel of a fine tool, making something
that you can hold in your hands and put to work...the list
could go long.

Students in the program build boats of traditional

design. They use traditional plank-on-frame construc-
tion techniques, including fashioning solid-wood back-
bones and steam-bending frames. The aim isn’t to produce
a crop of skilled boatbuilders but rather to give kids from
difficult backgrounds the opportunity to participate in
a process that is educational in its own right and “to cre-
ate something beautiful and functional from scratch.”
“We build traditional boats, but we’re not too hung
up on them being perfect,” Green said “They really are
built by the kids, and it’s through making mistakes that
everyone learns. We try to minimize them, of course.”

B
uilding techniques at Rocking the Boat have evolved
considerably since Green led the program’s first
construction of a Whitehall at the Bronx Com-
munity College in 1997. His experience with that boat
persuaded him that he had some learning to do. He took
a year off and worked as an apprentice on the CLEAR-
1,000-sq-ft shop. During the past decade or so, students WATER, and he also returned to WoodenBoat School dur-
have built 24 boats, most of them based on the Whitehall ing the summer of 1999 for a two-week boatbuilding
type. But in recent years they have also built a dory, a pea- course taught by Greg Rössel. “I had my own tools this
pod, a Cape Cod oyster skiff, a Rangeley Lakes boat, a time, and I had perspective,” Green said.
Colonial river ferry, and a melonseed skiff. The one thing Although Green started out as Rocking the Boat’s
these boats share is their historical connection to the chief (and only) instructor, he hasn’t actually built a boat
kinds of small working craft that once were common in since 2005. Instead, he has had to focus on the business
the waters around New York. Still, Green said, “what’s of running—and funding—a burgeoning nonprofit
driving our design choices” for the boats the program organization. “Since then, I’ve pulled back and con-
builds “is not history, but our present needs.” centrated on business. It’s exciting, because I’m still very
The Boatbuilding Program operates two semester- much connected to the kids and the programs.”
long after-school classes during the school year. Each For the past few years, Rocking the Boat has split its
class is divided into two sections, each with 10 students, operations between two locations. The office and
that meet twice a week for a total of seven hours. Each Boatbuilding Program were based in a storefront on an
class builds a boat from start to fin-
ish. There is also a seven-week sum-
mer program that pays students a
$575 stipend to work four days a
week on the grounds of Philipsburg
Manor, a living history museum at a
historic house in Sleepy Hollow, a
few miles up the Hudson River from
New York City. The students dress in
18th-century period costumes and
build a traditional boat. The students
also participate in a week of outdoor
adventure—often sailing on a tall
ship—that for many is their first
exposure to such activities.

Subjects like geometry that might seem

abstract in school suddenly take on real-
life meaning when the task at hand is to
puzzle out the complicated shape of a
stem rabbet or cut the transom bevels
for a 14’ Whitehall pulling boat.

86 • WoodenBoat 204
Rocking_Boat_FINAL_revised.QXD 7/28/08 3:31 PM Page 87
Putting Boats
to Work
T
he core of Rocking the Boat, according to founder
Adam Green, is boatbuilding. But the organiza-
tion has also developed four other programs serv-
ing thousands of inner-city schoolchildren. Although each
is independent, they all draw on resources and opportu-
nities afforded by the others:
• The after-school On-Water Program enrolls 20
kids each semester. The group is divided into two
sections, each spending seven hours, spread over
two days, developing maritime skills and working on a
variety of environmental restoration projects. A seven-
week summer session pays students a $575 stipend and
offers a weeklong outdoor adventure experience.
Using boats built in the Boatbuilding Program, students
learn small-boat handling and navigation. They also learn
how to swim and are trained in cardiopulmonary resusci-
tation and first aid. The boats are also used for some envi-
ronmental restoration projects on the Bronx River—a marshy
tributary flowing through a heavily industrialized part of
New York City. A few years ago, the river was essentially a
dead zone, but today it supports considerable wildlife. Birds,
beavers, and fish can all be found along or within its banks—
including a population of oysters planted to help purify the
water. Students from Rocking the Boat have helped marine
scientists plant some of those oysters. They also participate
in environmental restoration and monitoring projects in
conjunction with scientists in varied disciplines.
• Initially offered just to high school students, the On-
Water Classroom, which runs during school hours, was
expanded to include middle school students last year,
when it served more than 500 kids. That expansion
reflects Rocking the Boat’s commitment to serving the
community where it is located. The Hunts Point neigh-
borhood has two middle schools but no high schools.
Operating in conjunction with classroom teachers, the
curriculum is tailored to fit specific needs. The flexibility
extends to scheduling as well as content. The focus, though,
is to introduce students to maritime skills and to help them
connect with the natural environment of the Bronx River.
• Community Rowing enables Rocking the Boat to
make valuable resources—its boats and its experienced
students—available to the larger Hunts Point commu-
nity. Rocking the Boat gives local residents instruction
in rowing and boating safety and teaches them about the
social and industrial history of the Bronx River. Members
of the neighborhood can participate during scheduled,
weekend, and special-occasion sessions.
“The people in Hunts Point that have been looking at
the water for years finally got a chance to go out on it,”
Green said.
• Job Skills, established two years ago, offers a sort of
“post-graduate” work for up to 16 students who have com-
pleted and excelled in at least two semesters of either the
Boatbuilding or On-Water programs. “This is much more
intensive,” Green said. “We train the students in technical
skills, and help them go out into the world as successful
adults.”
Rocking the Boat’s small craft become on-the-water tools for
everything from community rowing to school environmental
classes. This flotilla rowed the Bronx River past one of New
York City’s largest metal and plastics recycling yards.
Students enrolled in Job Skills are considered appren-
tices, are paid at least minimum wage, and may stay in the
program for up to two years. Boatbuilding apprentices
help maintain the Rocking the Boat fleet, and in addition
some boatbuilding commissions may be generated as a
fundraising tool. Environmental restoration apprentices
work with scientists involved in projects on the Bronx River
and serve as environmental educators in the On-Water
Classroom and Community Rowing programs.
Particularly outstanding participants in the Job Skills
program—up to 10 a year who have shown exceptional
leadership or communication skills—have the opportu-
nity to become program assistants at Rocking the Boat.
As paid, part-time employees, the program assistants serve
as instructors and leaders during the school year and
summer classes.
As important as the technical education available in
the Job Skills program is, perhaps even more important
is the support program participants receive from the Job Skills
advocate. This staff member serves as guidance counselor,
career counselor, and mentor to students in the program.
Similar services are available to students in the Boatbuilding
and On-Water programs through a student advocate.
Both advocates focus on helping students in Rocking
the Boat programs to achieve the organization’s core
goal—becoming successful, productive adults. The stu-
dent advocate focuses on helping students stay, and suc-
ceed, in school and in teaching them life skills they may
not have opportunities to learn elsewhere. Job advocates
work with Job Skills apprentices and program assistants,
introducing them to college and employment opportu-
nities and helping them acquire the fundamentals—how
to interview for a job, how to behave as an employee—
they will need after leaving Rocking the Boat. —SR
September/October 2008 • 87
Rocking_Boat_FINAL.QXD 7/24/08 4:03 PM Page 88
Recognizing boatbuilding as one way to
bring important life lessons to inner-city
students, Executive Director Adam
Green founded Rocking the Boat
in New York City in 1997.
urban street five miles from the water.
The organization also has four other
programs with environmental, com-
munity, and job skills emphases (see
sidebar), all of which were based at a
community center site on the banks
of the Bronx River in the Hunts Point
section of the Bronx.
Late last spring, the organization
signed a 10-year lease on a 6,000-sq-
ft warehouse adjacent to the Hunts
Point center site. By this fall, Green
said, all of Rocking the Boat’s facili-
ties should be consolidated under one
roof. That “tremendous step in our development” will
make life much easier for Green and the organization’s
administrative staff.
“The biggest challenge now is running operations in
two places,” Green said in March. “It’s incredibly chal-
lenging. We built the program out to full scale in a
makeshift way. Now we’re getting the space to maintain
what we’re doing.”
According to Green, 70 students participate in the
Boatbuilding Program each year. While boatbuilding
is central to the organization’s four other programs,
it directly serves only a fraction of the kids reached by
the On-Water and the related On-Water Classroom
88 • WoodenBoat 204
environmental programs. Rocking the Boat serves stu-
dents from four of New York City’s five boroughs and
who represent Latino, African-American, West Indian,
Indian, Asian, South American, and African cultures.
Although the organization uses the boats it builds in
its other programs, Green stressed that that isn’t the
reason for building them.
“We’re not trying to build wooden boats to clean up
the Bronx River,” Green said. “ Those are our tools to
encourage young people to become responsible adults.”
Through its boatbuilding and other programs, Rocking
the Boat “is trying to do the work that hasn’t been accom-
plished at school, and oftentimes at home, for so many
of these kids,” Green said. One reason the programs work
so well, Green added, is that “the only reason anyone is
there is because they want to be.”
Eventually, all students leave Rocking the Boat, but
where they wind up may not have anything to do with
boats or environmental issues.
“The kids we’re working with are incredibly commit-
ted, but not necessarily looking to become wooden boat
builders,” Green said. “Many of them are shy and not
ready to leave the Bronx. They still need a level of sup-
port and guidance.” Rocking the Boat tries to offer that
guidance, but Green said it doesn’t try to “push” kids in
any specific direction. Instead, the lessons are designed
to “expose kids to a whole wide range of things” so that
they can pursue whatever direction they want.
Green said that Rocking the Boat’s students leave with
the realization that they might very well have more of a
future than a dead-end life on the streets of the South
Bronx. When students move on, Green said, they do so
believing, “If I can build a boat, I can do anything.”
Stephen Rappaport, an experienced sailor and boat owner, writes about
a wide range of marine issues from East Blue Hill, Maine.
There’s nothing quite like the thrill of launching a boat you’ve
built with your own hands. Like the boat itself, there’s no
telling where the skills these students learn at Rocking the
Boat may take them after launching.
Designs204_08.QXD 7/24/08 5:18 PM Page 89

DESIGNS

OCEANUS
Then and now Particulars
New OCEANUS
LOA 64' 3"
LWL 48' 3"
Design by William Garden Beam 12' 4"
Draft 7' 0"
Commentary by Displacement 38,000 lbs
Robert W. Stephens Sail area 1,304 sq ft

B ill Garden is the elder statesman of West Coast yacht

design. Wait—let’s revise that to read “boat design.”
Even this broader description is misleading, as Garden’s
far-flung career has spanned decades, included a fair bit
of hands-on boatbuilding, and thoroughly covered more
genres of boat design than most would even dare dabble
in. Since the early 1940s, he has designed elegant lapstrake
pulling boats and husky coasting schooners, working fish-
ing trollers and planing runabouts, burly tugboats and
obscenely gigantic motoryachts.
Now well along in years, Garden claims to be retired,
but a quick phone conversation dispelled any notion that
he’s consigned to the steamer chair and the checkerboard;
his keen wit and unstoppable energy preclude anything
so sedate. Relieved of the pressure of drawing up paying
commissions, Bill is free to doodle on anything he wants.
And he’s taken on quite a challenge—he aims to improve
upon a boat he designed more than half a century ago,
a boat whose admirers (and I count myself among them)
might well believe simply could not be improved. I’m talk-
ing about the mighty OCEANUS.
Bill designed OCEANUS as his own cruising boat in
1954. He meant for her to be a fast cruiser, easily han-
dled by a husband-and-wife team, and equally fast under
sail and power. Two words come to mind in describing
her: “moderation” and “simplicity.” Her hull is long,
light, and easily driven by the 1,145 sq ft of sail that Bill
settled on as the most a single watchkeeper would want

September/October 2008 • 89
Designs204_08.QXD 7/24/08 5:18 PM Page 90
DESIGNS
The original OCEANUS
Particulars
LOA 62'
LWL 48' 0"
Beam 12' 0"
Draft 6' 8"
Displacement 36,000 lbs
Sail area 1,145 sq ft
Designer Bill Garden drew the original OCEANUS as a fast cruiser for his own use. The slender and shapely hull has inspired
sailors for more than half a century.
to handle. Her sections are easy and pleasing. Her dis-
placement of 36,000 lbs leaves room for ample cruising
comforts, but her 48' waterline and 62' overall length
ensure that her long lines flow gracefully, terminating in
an absolutely stunning canoe stern. Her displacement/
length ratio is 145, startlingly low for a 1950s cruising boat.
OCEANUS’s underbody is a bit of a hybrid, exhibiting
a rather short fin keel with a very large skeg that protects
the propeller in an aperture, and a rather conventional
sharply raked rudderpost. Garden reports that the effects
of this underwater profile on the yacht’s balance weren’t
properly anticipated, and after her first season her rig was
shifted forward a couple of feet to correct a somewhat
excessive weather helm. And here may lie the seed of
the new OCEANUS.
Bill described to me how in her original trim, when
sheets were started on a reach in a breeze of wind, she
would simply gather herself up and fly, giving the crew a
“feeling of wanting to holler, it felt so good!” Once the rig
was shifted, the helm became more mannerly, but she
never again produced that excitement. It seems that Bill
has had fifty-plus years to mull over the causes, and is ready
to try to “recapture that wonderful feeling.”
With the new OCEANUS, Garden has worked hard to
shift the hull’s center of buoyancy aft, allowing him to shift
the fin keel aft as well without worry of the stern sinking
too low. This means he can place the rig in the same
position over the hull as in the original, with hopefully
the same delightful result. I hope someone will build
this boat and put his theories to the test. The running
lines of the boat—the waterlines and buttocks—are
extremely sweet and clean, but the run shows the effects
of the aftward shift of the hull’s volume. The buttocks rise
more steeply toward the stern than in the original, and I
fear this may suppress the feeling of breaking away that
the original boat instilled.
90 • WoodenBoat 204
In any case, the underwater profile of the new boat
shows the education of the intervening years: the fin
and rudder are separate and distinct, and the rudder and
its relatively small skeg will function well as a single foil.
Steering should be more precise and less labor-intensive.
The big, powerful rudder will form an asymmetrical foil
with its skeg, lifting the boat to windward decisively. The
propeller doesn’t enjoy the same degree of protection
as in the full aperture, but it’s well hidden behind the fin,
and should be fine in all but the most fouled waters.
The new boat’s sections are very similar to the old one’s,
and her construction method is identical as well—triple-
planked diagonal cedar over 2  4 longitudinal stringers.
This is a light, robust, and straightforward construction,
and when combined with slack bilges and lack of reverse
curvature in the garboards, is, as Bill said of the first boat,
“a real cinch to plank up—for a glue job.” The only change
Bill suggests is to replace the outer layer of Alaskan cedar
with Western red cedar, as it holds paint better.
The first OCEANUS’s layout was effective and stylish,
with a shapely doghouse (what some would today call a
raised saloon) providing light and air below through large,
carefully shaped windows, and sheltering the forward end
of the cockpit also. A roomy but simple cockpit could swal-
low a racing crew, but was effective for shorthanded sail-
ing as well, especially when Bill deployed his “secret
weapon”—a custom-crafted sheet winch driven through
a shaft by a Chrysler Crown electric starter, to enable him
to singlehandedly sheet home the insanely large 180-
percent genoa permitted by racing rules in those days.
The new boat sports a rather different style. Garden’s
concept recalls the luxurious look of the Landau tops of
automobiles of the 1920s and ’30s. His outboard profile
shows a distinct trim line running just above the large saloon
windows and sweeping down along the coamings as it
runs aft. This line defines the edge of the leather (or some
Designs204_08.QXD 7/24/08 5:18 PM Page 91
synthetic facsimile) sheathing that he envisions applied to
the saloon roof. The roof itself would be molded of fiber-
glass over a temporary form created by tightly stretching
canvas over a series of molds to create a “hungry-horse”
concave effect. The effect would be completed by a pol-
ished metal Landau bar on each side of the coaming. Some
will like it, some will hate it—but it will be eye-catching.
There’s plenty of fodder for dreams here—two remark-
able cruising boats, separated by fifty-odd years of noodling
DESIGNS
For the new OCEANUS, the designer
has moved the center of buoyancy
and the fin keel aft. The buttocks
rise more steeply toward the stern,
but the running lines remain sweet
and clean. Details of the stylish
house recall the Landau tops of
classic automobiles.
and doodling by one of the most diverse and prolific...well,
by Bill Garden. Enjoy.
Bob Stephens designs and builds boats at Brooklin Boat Yard, Brooklin,
Maine.
For more about the original OCEANUS, see WB No. 81, page 106. Plans
for the new OCEANUS are available from Bill Garden, Box 2371,
Sidney, BC, V8L 3Y3, Canada.
September/October 2008 • 91
InFocus_204_FINAL_Revised.QXD 7/28/08 1:32 PM Page 92

IN FOCUS

The Buzzards Bay 30s

Photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz
Text by Maynard Bray

Continuing last issue’s four-boat Buzzards Bay 30 restoration feature, here are
photographs taken at completion showing how beautifully simple and elegant
these century-old gaff riggers used to be, and once again are.

In June, three of the four newly restored Buzzards Bay 30s simultaneously slid down the Belfast, Maine, launching
ramp, each on its own trailer, all rigged and virtually ready to sail. They are French & Webb re-creations, while the
fourth boat, MASHNEE, rigged marconi, splashed into Lake Champlain a few weeks earlier from Vermont’s Darling
Boatworks.

92 • WoodenBoat 204
InFocus_204_FINAL_Revised.QXD 7/28/08 1:32 PM Page 93

Under sail for the first time since her June 22 launching is LADY M, one of the three boats identically restored by French & Webb.

September/October 2008 • 93
InFocus_204_FINAL_Revised.QXD 7/28/08 1:32 PM Page 94

IN FOCUS

Inside the sparse yet elegant interiors you get to appreciate the exquisite proportions of the yacht’s anatomy because most
of it shows. Even the stub ends of the varnished oak deckbeams have been left exposed.

Originally, in 1902, all 14 boats

of the BB 30 class came with cir-
cular bronze foredeck hatches
and lovely crank-operated
capstans set up to handle chain
Twin compasses swing on gimbals at the coamings’ forward ends. The companionway as well as rope anchor rodes.
drop boards slide in grooves so that the top board, when raised, engages and lifts the
middle one—a signal feature of this particular builder.

94 • WoodenBoat 204
InFocus_204_FINAL_Revised.QXD 7/28/08 1:32 PM Page 95

IN FOCUS

Narrow rectangular trunk cabins entirely varnished are a familiar feature of

Herreshoff yachts of the era. They’re basically a box with a crowned top. Identical Eyesplices, leathered against chafe,
windows and no curve or tumblehome make them unusually easy to build. secure the wire standing rigging aloft
where they’re held from slipping by
wooden hounds and half-cleats. Rigging
and sails are by Nathaniel S. Wilson.

Historical Arts & Casting of Salt Lake City, Utah, furnished this
folding lavatory, as well as the light and the bulk of the replicated
fittings on deck and aloft.

White oak cockpit sides contrast beautifully with the

surrounding varnished mahogany. Aft of the tiller sits
the man who tends the long and vital mainsheet, Photographer Benjamin Mendlowitz shoots regularly for WoodenBoat.
trimming and slacking the 1,000-sq-ft sail without
benefit of a winch. Maynard Bray is WoodenBoat’s technical editor.

September/October 2008 • 95
204_pg96-97-98.qxd 7/24/08 10:02 AM Page 96

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for a how-to-build (30WB) sail. #400-012 (50WB)
feature. #400-110 $80.00* $60.00*
(40WB) $75.00

17' Chesapeake Sea Kayak
by Chris Kulczycki
This expedition kayak features a high
bow for big wave performance. Hard-
chined, stitch-and-glue construction.
#400-141 $69.00
17'1” B.N.
Morris
Canoe
17' Sea Kayak, Endeavour
by Rollin Thurlow
Includes three dif- by Steve Killing
ferent construction alternatives: wood-strip plank- Six detailed plans pages include full-sized
ing, with frames; woodstrip frameless planking mold, coaming, and hatch patterns. She is
covered with ’glass; and Rollin’s specialty, wood and the featured boat in the Ted Moores book
KayakCraft. #400-140 $110.00*
canvas construction. #400-096 (40WB) $60.00

14' 6'' Whilly Boat 15' Catboat, 16' Haven 12½

by Iain Oughtred Marsh Cat by Joel White
Handsome double-ender by Joel White A handsome and
performs well as a Her 6' 11" beam popular daysailer
daysailer and beach makes for a big 15- based on the
cruiser. Clean, frameless, footer. Cold-molded, Herreshoff 12½,
glued-lap ply hull adds up lightweight, and modified for a
to ease of construction. trailerable. centerboard. #400-075
#400-104 (40WB) #400-095 (40WB) (40WB) $180.00*
$90.00* $90.00

27' Recreational Double Shell,
Kookaburra by Graeme King
A double version of the popular Kingfisher.
#400-135 (40WB) $90.00
18' Pulling
Boat, Firefly
by Ken Bassett
An entry-level 18' Lapstrake Pulling Boat, Liz
sliding-seat pulling boat. Provides rewarding by Ken Bassett Pure elegance. The tradi-
speed in an easily built plywood hull with tional lapstrake construction accentu-
enough stability to keep a beginner out of ates every detail, and will require skilled
trouble. #400-121 (40WB) $60.00 builders. #400-097 (40WB) $90.00

Runabout
Bermuda 28 STUDY PLANS
by Nelson Zimmer
19' 7" Albury Runabout The longest Instant Downloads of
by Doug Hylan
Built by eye in the Bahamas for the
runabout we offer,
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last 40 years. Doug Hylan’s drawings
allow for strip-planking or cold-mold-
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28' Canoe Yawl, by Paul Gartside Malabar, Jr.
Rozinante Displacing by John G. Alden
by L. Francis Herreshoff , with more than Carvel-planked,
Doug Hylan Hypnotically 18,000 lbs, outside-ballasted
striking canoe yawl ranks this is a big 29' cruiser with choice of
among the most admired boat. #400-084 three or four berths.
designs of our time. See (30WB) #400-004 (50WB)
WB No. 123 for more. $150.00 $150.00
#400-134 (40WB) $325.00

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September/October 2008 • 97
204_pg96-97-98.qxd 7/24/08 10:02 AM Page 98

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98 • WoodenBoat 204
WoodTech204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 12:06 PM Page 99

WOOD TECHNOLOGY

Separating Mahogany from Substitutes

by Richard Jagels

I n my last column, respond-

ing to questions from Alec
Brainerd of Artisan Boatworks
in Rockport, Maine, I compared
the properties of American
mahogany (Swietenia macro-
phylla) with some alternative
woods, namely African mahoga-
nies, sapele, sapo, and the
lauans (also known collectively 1) Swietenia (transverse) 2) Cedrela (transverse) 3) Swietenia (tangential,
as Philippine mahogany). Alec low magnification)
also asked, “How exactly can
one identify true mahogany so
as not to be confused with
Philippine or other species?”
This is a tougher question, but
one I addressed in 1983 (WB
No. 55). With some modifica-
tions, I will repeat the infor-
mation in that column here.
In addition to the above
woods, I am adding Spanish
cedar (Cedrela odorata), a Latin 4) Swietenia (tangential, 5) Khaya (tangential) 6) Shorea (transverse)
American wood that resembles high magnification)
mahogany and is often used
by boatbuilders.
Also, I need to add a correction. successful observation of details with The features that we will use are:
In my previous column I interpreted the hand lens. (1) Arrangement of Vessel Pores
the wood that Alec called “sepo” as Hand lens identification has dis- (transverse surface). This feature can
“sapo.” Upon reflection, sepo is much tinct limitations, and to become adept sometimes be seen without a hand lens.
more likely “sipo”; both would be pro- at separating a wide range of woods The large openings, or pores, seen in
nounced the same. Sipo is Entandro- using this technique requires months the transverse surface of a hardwood
phragma utile, and its more common or years of training and practice. may be uniformly distributed across
trade name is utile. My faulty inter- However, the procedure is useful to a growth ring (Figure 1), in which
pretation points out the serious flaws amateurs if confined to distinguish- case we say the wood is diffuse porous.
in using common names for woods. ing a very limited number of species. Or, the largest pores may be concen-
The procedure used by wood sci- I will describe here only the follow- trated in a band at the beginning of
entists for identifying wood involves ing woods: the growth ring (Figure 2), in which
cutting very thin sections and exam- • Swietenia spp.—American case we say the wood is ring porous.
ining them under the microscope. mahogany, also called Honduras (2) Arrangement of Rays (tangen-
This definitive method is the only one mahogany, genuine mahogany, etc. tial or flat-sawn surface). Ray tissue is
that holds up in a court of law. An • Khaya spp.—African mahoganies. composed of cells with the long axis
intermediate method requires only • Cedrela spp.—Spanish cedar, oriented in the radial direction; and
the use of a hand lens (preferably 10X cigarbox cedar, cedro, etc. hence, rays appear like spokes on a
or higher magnification) and a sharp • Shorea spp.; Parashorea spp.; wheel in a transverse section. This can
knife or razor blade to smooth the Pentacme spp.—Collectively be easily seen on a smooth end sur-
surfaces of wood. I recommend Bruce referred to as Philippine mahog- face of an oak log. On the tangential
Hoadley’s book Identifying Wood (The any or lauan, and separately as surface, rays are seen as short, vertically
Taunton Press), as it has great color meranti, red lauan, white lauan, oriented hatch lines. In oak or beech
photos of smoothed transverse sur- yakal, almon, tangile, etc. these can be seen with the unaided eye.
faces, also known as end surfaces, of • Entandrophragma cylindricum— In many other woods a hand lens is
North American woods and a few sapele, penkwa, aboudikro, etc. necessary. If these hatch lines are
tropical woods. Obtaining a smooth • Entandrophragma utile—utile, arranged in regular, slightly wavy
transverse surface is critical to the sipo, okeong, kosi-kosi, etc. horizontal rows, we say the wood has

September/October 2008 • 99
WoodTech204_FINAL.QXD 7/21/08 12:06 PM Page 100

WOOD TECHNOLOGY

heartwood of the two Entandrophragma

Mahogany Identification Key species is medium to dark reddish or
Read both choices at each number; continue to choice indicated at right until purplish brown. Separating old wood
you reach a statement that is true for your sample and is followed by a species. among these is more difficult, but
(1) Wood ring porous .................................................................................... Cedrela
planing or slicing a mahogany board
(1) Wood diffuse porous ........................................................................................(2)
should reveal the lighter color. I might
(2) Storied rays (ripple marks) ....... Swietenia, Entandrophragma cylindricum also note that Khaya and the lauans
(2) Unstoried rays* ............................................................................................(3) are more likely to have ribbon stripe
(3) Gum ducts in long, tangential arcs grain pattern thanSwietenia orCedrela.
of parenchyma .................................................. Shorea, Parashorea, Pentacme With some practice, storied rays in
(3) Tangential arcs of gum ducts absent**........... Khaya, Entandrophragma utile Swietenia can be seen without the use
* Khaya may occasionally have storied rays but they will be sporadic and irregular. of a hand lens, especially in the lighter-
** Khaya may occasionally have traumatic gum ducts, but these will be very sparse. colored, faster-growth material (Figure
3). Certain features are best seen on
storied rays (or contains “ripple marks”). are seen as tiny pores, which are smaller a dry wood surface while others are
Figures 3 and 4 show storied rays; than vessel pores, embedded in whit- often clearer if the surface is wetted.
in Figure 4 the nearly horizontal ish tangential arcs of parenchyma Experiment until you achieve the best
arrangement is highlighted with white (Figure 6). results. Practice first on well-identified
hash lines. Figure 5 shows the ran- The key above uses these features samples, if possible, until you are com-
dom arrangement of unstoried rays. to provide some separation among fortable that you can recognize the
(3) Presence or Absence of Axial the woods. However, we see that Swiet- key features. However, if large mone-
Gum Ducts (transverse surface). Gum enia is not separated from Entandro- tary stakes are riding on the outcome
ducts are long tubes or ducts that run phragma cylindricum, and Khaya is not of your identification, I would recom-
vertically in the stem and, therefore, are separated from Entandrophragma utile. mend contacting a reputable wood
seen as tiny openings or pores on the For these separations, we need to rely anatomist for a final verdict. The cost
transverse surface. In the Philippine on wood color. The color of Swietenia may well be worth it.
mahoganies, these pores are embed- and Khaya heartwood is reddish, Dr. Richard Jagels is a professor of forest
ded in relatively short arcs of paren- pinkish, salmon, or yellowish when biology at the University of Maine, Orono.
chyma tissue (consisting of soft, fresh, darkening with age to deep, Please send correspondence to Dr. Jagels to the
unspecialized, thin-walled cells) and rich red or brown. By contrast, the care of WoodenBoat.

Yacht Sails Rigging

BUILDERS OF HIGH-QUALITY HAND-FINISHED SAILS
Full-service sail and rigging loft
P.O. Box 71, Lincoln St., East Boothbay, Maine 04544
(207) 633-5071

100 • WoodenBoat 204

Review204_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 4:35 PM Page 101

REVIEW
PRODUCTS • BOOKS • VIDEOS • STUFF

The Six Metre—

100 Years of Racing
The Six Metre—100 Years of Racing, by Pekka Barck and
Tim Street. Bluewater Books and Charts, <www.bluewater
web.com/NauticalBooks>. 220 pp., hardcover, $140.
ISBN 978–952–5045–31–4

Reviewed by Chris Museler

A s a seventh grader in 1987, I distinctly recall the vision

of a dozen Six-Meters tied like a quiver of arrows to
a pier at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. I had drooled
over shiny maxi racers and new IOR 50-footers in my
young life as a bowman, but the sight of these Sixes, so
elegant yet ridiculously powerful, became a permanent
fixture in my memory.
I did not know what it was about these boats that made
them such an addictive attraction for me, especially since
I had never sailed one. I was young and they were like
candy.
It was probably this inspiration that drew me to TOTEM,
the 1930 Luders Six I owned, raced, and cruised for four
years with my wife, and the reason why, though I do not previously describe and why most people, not just sailors,
now own a boat, that I am heavily involved with organiz- are inspired by these diminutive, peculiar works of art.
ing the class in New England. My only issue with owning “The minute I saw SAGA, I fell in love with her. I thought
TOTEM was that I couldn’t decide if I enjoyed watching she was the most beautiful boat I’d ever seen. I loved her
her sail more than sailing her. Watching the sinuous wave shape, her sheer, her dainty transom, and her long, straight
of her wake was almost better than sailing, as you could counter… It was terrible. All I could think of on the way
soak in the big picture. back to the States were the lines of that darned boat. She
It is no surprise then that I had butterflies in my stom- literally haunted me.” That quotation from Cornelius
ach when I saw the nearly two-pound copy of Pekka Barck’s Shields accurately describes the basic appealing quali-
and Tim Street’s bible of the class, The Six Metre—100 ties of an International Six-Meter, and why, just over 100
Years of Racing. The vertical aerial shot of a bright-sided years after the first one hit the water, the class is actually
Six crashing through a wave and the shiny Six-Meter logo growing, albeit mainly with classic restorations.
that began to appear in the light as I moved around it The hardcover book itself is beautifully appointed
were drawing me in. I flipped to the chapter on yachts, with, as expected, pages upon pages of glossy, close-up
and the opening pull quote summed up what I could not shots of Six-Meters doing what they do best: sailing hard.

September/October 2008 • 101

Review204_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 4:35 PM Page 102
WOODENBOAT REVIEW
From a full spread of modern Sixes with 3DL sails
charging off a starting line to the image of the dusty
yellow-colored modern ST. KITTS sliding along upwind
with a white sand beach and palm-tree-covered hillside
as a backdrop, the visuals in this book are stunning.
The magical aspect, aesthetically, is the amazing col-
lection of period images of boats that have made their
mark on the class and the people who owned, designed,
and sailed them. Images of the boats of this time are pure
poetry, including those of the legendary Sparkman &
Stephens–designed GOOSE and the fine-lined TUTTI V,
a Gustaf Estlander design, under sail.
A half-page shot of the British-American Cup team,
including the hugely successful AMERICA’s Cup sailor
C. Sherman Hoyt, in 1923 taken on the S/S MAURITA-
NIA is a fascinating glimpse into the past, each owner
in a three-piece suit, straw skimmer hat, and pipe in
hand.
The impressive aspect of this book is that you see
images of the same boat racing in its heyday and also rac-
ing just last year. The timing of the book as it relates to
the current renaissance in the class is perfect.
It’s easy to just look in awe at the beautiful pictures
on your first gaze at this book, but the chapters and
text are tight little nuggets of detail that need not be
read in order. This fun arrangement is tempered by the
Kelly: A Father, A
Son, An American
Quest
Reviewed by Llewellyn Howland III
Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest, by Daniel J. Boyne.
Mystic Seaport, P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT 06355–0990,
hardcover. 242 pp. $34.95. ISBN 0–939511–23–1
J ack Kelly (1889–1960) was possibly the greatest oars-
man who ever lived. His son, Jack, Jr.—“Kell” (1927–
1985)—ranks only a stroke or two behind him. Between
them, with a handsome boost from Jack’s first cousin Paul
Costello, they dominated the world of competitive sin-
gle (and double) sculling for more than four decades.
They did so with consistent grace, good sportsmanship,
and rowing finesse. The Kellys’ rags-to-riches story is, and
no mistake, one of the most remarkable in American
sporting and social history. And the luck of the Irish has
stayed with them in Daniel J. Boyne’s warm and winning
new biography, Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest.
John Brendan Kelly, born and raised in working-class
Philadelphia, was one of 10 exceptionally talented chil-
dren of poor but literate and ambitious Irish immigrant
parents. Blessed with a good mind, a superb physique,
102 • WoodenBoat 204
different writing styles of the different authors that
interrupt the flow of the book. This is largely because,
as Pekka Barck recognizes in his foreword, the project
was halted a year before publishing when his hard drive
with all the book’s research crashed. All the material
was lost.
What happened after this disheartening blow was noth-
ing short of inspiring as e-mails went out and class mem-
bers volunteered to put the pieces back together. From
coordinating the list of every known Six-Meter created to
re-creating the designer and yacht profiles, this growing
family of enthusiasts passed their first big test as a group
with the successful release of this book. The list of various
acknowledgments is long and spread throughout.
Broken up into chapters including the rating rules,
racing, designers, yachts, and countries, the book attempts
to be both a grand coffee-table book and the definitive
book on the class. It does both, and it is easy to overlook
the change in styles as you pore over the fun details of
British-American Cups, Scandinavian Gold Cups, and
World Cups of the past and near past. Many images lack
captions, but it is fun to decipher their origins and the
yachts within them.
It is a Herculean effort to try to sum up William Fife’s,
Olin Stephens’s, Bjarne Aas’s, or Ian Howlett’s design
influence on the class in two to three pages apiece. The
and an iron will, though compelled by family circum-
stances to quit school in the eighth grade and appren-
tice as a bricklayer, Jack Kelly first made his athletic mark
as a boxer.
But while his quick temper and fists gained him the
respect of his peers, it was Jack’s fortunate proximity to
the Schuylkill River and its burgeoning blue-collar boat
clubs that brought him into the world of competitive
Review204_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 4:52 PM Page 103

WOODENBOAT REVIEW

authors, however, did something that has never been

done: they put it all in one place for us to see.
The introduction by Olin Stephens, designer of some
of the most successful Sixes of all time, is both technical
and brilliantly simple in its message. He gives his lifetime
of perspective by looking at the class as a continuous being
as opposed to a bunch of antiques being restored for the
sake of restoration. They are raceboats and are still racing.
There are a few oversights in the book, but nothing
can take away from the exciting compilation of images,
stories, and statistics, including two bar graphs charting
the number of Sixes built over time and the number reg-
istered by country.
In Barck’s and Street’s book, there is an image from
the 1920s in Finland of spectators in rows of folding
chairs watching as silhouettes of 18 Sixes race upwind
in an offshore breeze. It seems to me, and to Cornelius
Shields, that watching these boats sail is a rewarding,
inspiring experience in and of itself. The Six Metre—100
Years of Racing gives you the feeling those Finns were Karen Butler Photo
experiencing at that moment, since, in my estimation,
watching a Six-Meter sail is just about as exciting as SELF-TAILING WINCHES

WINCHES
sailing on one. Upgrading from a standard to
a self-tailing winch frees your
Chris Museler is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. He wrote about tailing hand and allows a
the issues of classic yacht racing for WB No. 201. single person to trim
or raise the sails. Either
manage light loads with one
hand, or use both hands to
deliver more power to a
Speedgrip handle.
rowing. His formative experiences on the Schuylkill, both
in team boats and single sculls, taught him what a long,
lonely river he—or any competitive oarsman, then or POWERED WINCHES
The touch of a button allows you to sit back while
now—must travel to achieve technical mastery, never a powered Harken winch does all the work. Upgrading
mind the self-discipline and stamina and cunning to excel to powered winches lets you perform high-load
in national and international competition. jobs effortlessly and sail larger boats
Yet Kelly experienced few major setbacks or detours shorthanded. In marginal conditions a single
electric winch can make the difference between
on his way to greatness as an oarsman. Between 1908 and sailing and motoring.
1916 he won some 55 races. In 1914 he won the national
NAAO championship in Association Senior Single Sculls ELECTRIC WINCH
(now called Senior Single Sculls), as well as in Senior CONVERSION
Double Sculls (now called Elite Double Sculls). From Harken winches
1914 to 1916 he won 13 races in succession. made after 1999
True enough, he did lose in the 1916 national finals. can be
converted
But as Jack’s indomitable mother reminded him right to electric
after the race: You’re not beaten until you stay beaten. With power (size
such words from such a mother, how could Jack go wrong? 44 and up).
Long days as a bricklayer and long daily workouts on
the river had certainly toughened Jack. They had also
taken a physical toll. At least in this respect Jack’s mili-
tary service during World War I proved to be a welcome
break from rowing. During his time with the American
Expeditionary Force in France, Jack briefly but success-
fully resumed his career as a heavyweight boxer. Only a
broken foot kept him from going against Gene Tunney
for the AEF heavyweight boxing championship.
A civilian once more and now the proprietor of a
rapidly growing Philadelphia construction firm, “Kelly
for Brickwork,” Jack won the NAAO Senior Single Sculls
(now the Elite Single Sculls) in 1919 and again in 1920.
At the age of 30, he was indisputably America’s leading
oarsman and well on his way to becoming a leading citizen 1251 E. Wisconsin Ave., Pewaukee, WI 53072, Tel: 262-691-3320
Fax: 262-691-3008, Email: harken@harken.com, Web: www.harken.com

September/October 2008 • 103

Review204_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 5:06 PM Page 104

WOODENBOAT REVIEW
14th Annual
Windjammer Weekend of Philadelphia. The time had come for him to compete
August 29,30,31 2008 for England’s Diamond Challenge Sculls—“for an oars-
man the closest thing to immortality.”

T he largest annual gathering of But it was not to be. Despite earlier assurances to the
windjammers in the USA, contrary, Henley’s Committee of Management rejected
reminiscent of the days when Kelly’s application. It was an ugly reminder that the war
to end all wars had not put an end to exclusion by class,
hundreds of coastal Schooners and race, ethnicity, or gender in Great Britain or elsewhere.
wooden masts lined the Camden, Henley’s Stewards could not have spoken more plainly
Maine waterfront. Festivities include: if they had said, “No Irish Bricklayers Need Apply.”
Fireworks, Schooner Tours, Chowder Yet even from this bitter fruit, Jack was able to squeeze
Challenge, Treasure Hunts, Sea Music nectar. Barred from Henley, Jack was enabled to com-
Pirates & Fun with a Nautical Flair. pete in the 1920 Belgian Olympics both in single and,
with his cousin Paul Costello, in double sculls. In the
deciding race for singles, which Jack won in world record
time, he rowed against none other than the winner of

photo © Annie Higbee/Imagewright

the 1920 race for the Diamond Challenge Sculls. That
same afternoon Kelly and Costello won the gold medal
for double sculls. Four years later, in the French
Olympics, rowing a double scull, they captured gold
medals again.
This, cruelly condensed, is Jack’s story. His son’s story
differs, of course, in dates and particulars (among them
education at a private school and at the University of
Pennsylvania—no “manual labor” there), but includes
“Kell’s” eight national single scull championships and—
how could it have been otherwise?—winning the Diamond
Come check us out! Challenge Sculls at Henley in 1947. Not the self-made
windjammerweekend.com

The traditional Maine sardine

carrier, Jacob Pike making the
Rockler’s Thin
rounds of Penobscot Bay from
station to station taking on fish. Rip Tablesaw Jig
and Bead &
Radius Bits
SIDNEY CULLEN, COURIER GAZETTE

THE JACOB PIKE NEEDS YOUR HELP

by Karen Wales
The Penobscot Marine Museum has a mission:
The plan is to restore this iconic old vessel, one of only a few of her kind
C raig Addis, an instructor at WoodenBoat School, told
me that, if one were to mill all the strips needed to
build just one Wee Lassie canoe, the combined cutting
still surviving, to seaworthy condition. Once again ready for duty, she
and routing operations would require each piece of stock
will ply the waters of Penobscot Bay along her former routes as a living to travel about a mile.
educational exhibit of Maine’s important heritage in the commercial Ripping thin stock presents danger and challenges.
fishing and boatbuilding industries during their peak years. Until now, the best way I have known to rip uniform, thin
You can help us in our mission with a modest donation of $75. And to pieces was to cut next to the fence, with the wide part of
show our appreciation we will send you an 8" X 10" photo print of the the board to the left side of the blade. To do this, I use a
Jacob Pike, like the image above. zero-clearance insert, a plywood-cutting blade, maybe
a shop-made splitter, and a wide and sturdy push-stick.
Send check or credit card to: (Janet Collins uses this accepted practice in her article
Penobscot Marine Museum on inlay in WB No. 202.) Still, it is safer to keep the bulk
P.O. Box 498, Church Street of the wood between the fence and the blade, with the
Searsport, ME 04974-0498 thinner portion to its left side. The new Thin Rip Tablesaw
(207) 548-2529

104 • WoodenBoat 204

Review204_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 4:52 PM Page 105

WOODENBOAT REVIEW

man Jack Kelly was, Kell “lived the first part of his life
thinking he was dad,” said Kell’s sister Grace, “and the
second part…trying to be like James Bond.” An equivo-
cal epitaph for a great athlete and fortunate son who died
of a heart attack while jogging at the young age of 58.
And what of Grace Kelly? The author assigns her only
a walk-on part in this biography. But he does include a
photograph of her congratulating Kell after a race. It is
quite enough to remind us that while various oarsmen
have won NAAO championships and the Diamond
Challenge Sculls, only one was the brother of Princess
WOODEN BOATS? YES!
Grace of Monaco.
Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest goes easy on YOU NAME IT
dates and statistics. It does not dwell on arcane points of Abeking & Rasmussen William Gardner Nevins
watermanship or boat design and construction. It is spar- A.C.F. Gardner Old Town
ing of detail (perhaps too much so) regarding Jack’s and Carl Alberg Gar Wood Olsen
Kell’s extensive business and political careers. Clearly, John Alden Laurent Giles George Owen
Daniel J. Boyne has written this book not to invade the pri- Angelman Thomas C. Gilmer Ownes
vacy of the Kelly family, but to celebrate Jack’s and Kell’s Colin Archer Goudy & Stevens Pacemaker
athletic achievements on the water—and the hopes and John Atkin Grady White F. Paine
values and skills and sacrifices that such achievements Benford Grand Craft Pembroke
reflect. In this he has succeeded abundantly. Likewise, mas- Besotes Grand Banks Penbo
Blanchard Greavette Penn Yann
ter designer Trish LaPointe has given the book a spacious
Brewer John Hacker Murray Peterson
and welcoming format. If the cost of such a format is the
Brownell William Hand Post
awkward placement of captions in the back matter, so be
Burger Hanna Nick Potter
it. For the most part, the images speak for themselves. L. Francis Herreshoff Phil Rhodes
W. Starling Burgess
William Burgess Nat Herreshoff Rice Bros.
The reviewer is grateful to Radcliffe crew coach Kate Woll for wise counsel. Butler Lyle Hess Richardson
Casey Higgins Riva
Century Hinckley Arthur Robb
Chapelle Hodgdon Bros. Rybovich
Cheoy Lee Hood Shepherd
Chris-Craft Huckins Shields
Colonial C. Raymond Hunt Edwin Shock, Jr.
Concordia Co. Hubert Johnson Skiff-Craft
Consolidated Morton Johnson Slickcraft
Correct-Craft Palmer Johnson Sparkman & Stephens
S. Crocker Kettenburg George Stadel
Crosby Knutson Olin Stephens
B.B. Crowninshield Lawley Sweisguth
Dawn Luders Thompson
Derektor Luhr's Tollycraft
Dickerson Paul Luke Bill Tripp
Ditchburn Lyman Trojan
Dodge MacKenzie Trumpy
Dunphy Mason Ulrichsen
Egg Harbor Matthews Viking
ELCO E. Monk Walsteds
Eldredge-McGinnis Moody “Wink” Warner
Fay & Bowen Morse Watson
Feadship Murphy Wheeler
Fife Aage Nielsen Wittholz
Gamage Fenwick Williams

WE INSURE IT!
Jig from Rockler allows strips to be taken smoothly and A complete insurance program designed and serviced by
uniformly from the safer side of the blade. wooden boat owners for wooden boat owners.
The Thin Rip Jig is easy to set up. A knob lets me lock
the jig into the miter track of the saw’s table, and the jig www.heritagemarineinsurance.com
has a graduated scale that lets me fine-tune my setting.
My favorite feature, though, is the ball-bearing guide that
1-800-959-3047
presses against the board as the board passes through P.O. Box 188 • Mystic, CT 06355

September/October 2008 • 105

Review204_FINAL.QXD 7/22/08 4:35 PM Page 106

WOODENBOAT REVIEW

the saw. This guide imposes almost no drag on the work-

piece and allows for precise, repeatable cuts. The Thin
Rip Jig stays put during the cutting operation; the fence
moves after each cut. (If you’re ripping multiple boards,
it’s best to do so assembly-line style: Make a single rip
on each board before moving the fence and repeating.)
I tested the unit against featherboards large and small.
The featherboards impose friction on the workpiece. The
Thin Rip Jig outperformed all comers. The holding
pressure is, as Goldilocks might say, “just right.”
It remains critical to use a zero-clearance insert when
using this jig. Thin pieces are some of the worst offenders
in tablesaw incidents, as they can fall between the blade
and the insert and then be shot out with surprising
 force. The directions posted on the packaging do not
adequately convey the importance of this need to users.
It’s there, but it’s not prominent; I’d like to see the tool
itself carry this warning. Still, whether you’re planning
to cut boards into miles of stripping for boatbuilding
or making a few delicate strips for intricate work, the
Thin Rip Jig is a smart way to carry out the job safely and
accurately.
In building the Wee Lassie and a lot of other strip-
built boats, whether large or small, the standard practice
these days is to mill the edge of each strip with a bead on
one side and a cove on the other side. That way, the strips
mate in a hinge-like configuration that eliminates gaps,
without beveled edges.
For cutting these profiles, Rockler offers dual-profile
router bits designed for cutting both the bead and the
cove. The idea is that you cut the bead, raise the bit,
and then cut the cove. These carbide-tipped bits, each
with a 1⁄2" shank, come in three sizes: 1⁄8 " (for 1⁄4 " material),
1
⁄ 4 " (for 1 ⁄ 2 " material), and 3 ⁄ 8 " (for 3 ⁄ 4 " material). I dis-
agree with the basic premise of the dual-profile bit for
this application since it is not a good idea to expose
more blade than is absolutely necessary. In this case,
when the cove profile
is in use, the bead pro-
file is exposed. This
exposed blade can eas-
ily hook, shred, and
catapult nearby mate-
rial, including outfeed
scrap or a passing fin-
ger. However, any of
these bits can be used
to cut the profiles on
strips if the operation
is done on a router
table with an appro-
priate zero-clearance
jig that covers the
exposed upper profile while the lower profile is in use.
Still, it would be my preference to use individual bits
dedicated to each cutting operation.

The Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig (item No. 36833) and Bead &
Radius Bits (item numbers 36195, 36992, and 32906) are avail-
able at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, <www.rockler.com>.

Karen Wales is associate editor of WoodenBoat.

106 • WoodenBoat 204

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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

Transatlantic with
Street
Transatlantic with Street. DVD. Produced and directed by
Gavin Shaw. Distributed by Bennett Media Corporation;
<www.bennettmarine.com>. 120 minutes, color.

Reviewed by Sally Erdle

I n many ways sailing across the Atlantic in 1985 was

more like it had been a century before than what it is
like today—especially if you were doing it aboard an 80-
year-old, engineless wooden boat. But some things about
sailing seem eternal: the
joy of a fair-weather sunrise
at sea after a long night
watch, watching dolphins
speed effortlessly in your
bow wave, the satisfaction
of learning seamanship
from an experienced and
patient skipper, the con-
flicting emotions of a long-
awaited landfall.
This DVD is a re-release
of the 1986 video made by
British advertising execu-
tive Gavin Shaw, who took
a three-month sabbatical
to sail 5,000 miles with
Don Street aboard the 44'
IOLAIRE from Glandore,
Antique Boat Center
1959
Ireland, to English Harbour, Antigua, via Vigo, Spain, 22' Riva Ariston
the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira, and the Salvage, Hull # A266
Canary, and Cape Verde island groups. $112,900.00
Street says, “We had no electronic navigation, only a Owner states
Brooks and Gatehouse RDF, a sextant and a radio to check that the boat is
time signals. There were no cruising guides: We knew noth- completely
restored.
ing of Porto Santo, the Salvage or the Cape Verde islands,
and very little of the Canaries. We sailed in and out of every- Sales, Service, and Full Restoration
where as we had no engine.” With no self-steering gear 5521 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45217
either, the crew of five took turns hand-steering, by tiller, Tel (513) 242-0808 • Fax (513) 242-0555
all the way. Shaw adds that IOLAIRE was a wee bit wetter www.antiqueboat.com • sales@antiqueboat.com
to sail than the modern craft his skipper refers to as “two-
string plastic bathtubs,” remarking that often “she feels
like she’s sinking out from under you.” (No fear: The tins
of food may have gotten rusty, but IOLAIRE had enor-
mous and regularly exercised bilge pumps.) As Shaw said
at the end of the trip, arriving in Antigua, “We felt more
like explorers than tourists.”
The DVD has a very “you are there” feel, giving a real
sense of what it’s like to do a long ocean passage on a
small boat. It’s a little too real sometimes—the format of
Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four… (three months,
remember) occasionally gets just as tedious as living
through a long voyage when nothing much of interest is
happening and you’ve run out of your favorite foods.
But, as in bluewater voyaging, with all its sidetracks
and slow spots, there are also moments of exhilaration
(207) 236-3561 www.gambellandhunter.net

September/October 2008 • 107

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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

HOW TO and transcendent natural beauty found nowhere but at

REACH US sea. Shaw has an eye for shots that capture the moment,
and the original background music by Craig Wrigley,
mostly acoustic guitar, adds to the overall aesthetic appeal.
TO ORDER FROM OUR STORE: The educational components of this DVD will be greatly
To order back issues, books, plans, model kits, clothing, or our
catalog, call The WoodenBoat Store, Toll-Free, Monday through
appreciated, especially those segments concerning sail trim.
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST (Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 Shaw’s clear line drawings show the various rigs (such as
p.m. EST.) “poor man’s twin headsails”) used on the trip, and Don’s
1-800-273-SHIP (7447) (U.S. & CANADA) voice-over explains them. Also throughout are seamanship
207-359-4647 (Overseas) tips that are just as valid today as they were 23 years ago.
24-Hour FAX 207-359-2058 Of the making of the original video, Shaw writes: “When
Internet: http://www.woodenboatstore.com
Email: wbstore@woodenboat.com
Don saw the JVC equipment we hoped would survive the
three-month passage from Ireland to Antigua, he said:
ON-LINE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: ‘Electricity, copper and salt water make green gunge.’
Internet: http://www.woodenboat.com However, electricity itself was in short supply on IOLAIRE
At www.woodenboat.com follow the link to WoodenBoat and cooling the skipper’s beer was the first priority for
Subscriptions to order, give a gift, renew, change address, or check the wind and water generators. Diverting enough power
your subscription status (payment, expiration date).
to charge the video batteries was one challenge. However,
TO ORDER A SUBSCRIPTION: death by green gunge was the biggest threat to the cam-
To order a subscription (new, renewal, gift) call Toll-Free, era on Don’s dear old boat. In ’85, a thousand gallons
Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., CT were hand pumped [from the bilge] every day when
Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT:
IOLAIRE was working in the Trades. We kept the filming
1-800-274-4936 (U.S. and Canada)
1-303-604-7442 (Overseas) equipment in an airtight case with a kilogram of desic-
Internet: http://www.woodenboat.com cating crystals which were dried in the oven after the
morning’s bread making. On deck, the camera was pro-
TO CALL ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION: tected from spray and rain by a strong but lightweight
If you have a question about your subscription, an address plastic hood. With this regime the camera and recorder
change, or a missing or damaged issue, call Toll-Free,
Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., CT kept working all the way and had successfully captured
Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., CT: 13 hours by the time Don’s Herreshoff bower anchor hit
1-800-877-5284 (U.S. & CANADA) the bottom in English Harbour.”
1-303-604-7442 (Overseas) Many viewers today, accustomed to television and film’s
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS: current fad for quick, choppy cuts (three seconds is now
Either call 1-800-877-5284 or write to our subscription depart-
a “long” shot) and a dozen car crashes per hour, might
ment (address below) AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOUR NEW find this DVD’s pace—well, as slow as sailing itself can
ADDRESS. Please don’t depend on your post office to notify us. sometimes be. Just ease your mainsheet. It’s worth tak-
Please give us your old address as well as your new when you ing 120 minutes to settle in with a favorite beverage or
notify us, and the date your new address becomes effective.
two, a big bowl of popcorn, and a few sailing buddies and
TO CALL OUR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING, take this historic yet timeless trip.
AND BOAT SCHOOL OFFICES: Sailing doesn’t lose its magic.
Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., EST:
207-359-4651; FAX 207-359-8920 Sally Erdle is editor of Caribbean Compass, a free monthly news-
paper covering marine and shore-based topics in the Eastern Caribbean.
TO WRITE:
For subscriptions: For anything else:
WoodenBoat WoodenBoat
Subscription Dept. P.O. Box 78, 41 WoodenBoat Lane
BOOKS RECEIVED
P.O. Box 54765 Brooklin, ME 04616
Boulder, CO 80322– 4765 <woodenboat@woodenboat.com>
Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for
OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTION OFFICES: Survival in Extreme Conditions, by Lin and Larry Pardey.
Australia and New Zealand Australia New Zealand Published by Pardey Books, P.O. Box 29, Arcata, CA 95518.
Boat Books Dollars Dollars
31 Albany Street 1 yr $55.00 $57.50
223 pp., paperback, 3rd edition, $22.95. ISBN–13: 978–1–
Crows Nest 2065 NSW 2 yrs $110.00 $115.00 92921–447–1. ISBN–10: 1–92921–447–2. New edition contains
Australia 3 yrs $150.00 $156.82 nine new chapters and builds on the Pardeys’ further cruising
Telephone: (02) 9439 1133
Fax: (02) 9439 8517 · Email: boatbook@boatbooks-aust.com.au experience around Cape Horn since the last edition was published.
Website: www.boatbooks-aust.com.au
Europe Holland/ Other EC United The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing
Germany Countries Kingdom Story of the Powerful River in the Atlantic, by Stan Ulanski.
Evecom bv
1 yr EUR 37.50 EUR 40.50 GBP 26.00
Postbox 19 Published by the University of North Carolina Press, 116
9216 ZH Oudega (Sm) 2 yrs EUR 72.00 EUR 74.00 GBP 50.00
The Netherlands 3 yrs EUR 105.00 EUR 107.00 GBP 72.50 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514–3808.
Telephone: (0) 512 371999 (CE tax included) 240 pp., hardcover, $40.00. ISBN 978–0–8078–3217–2.
Fax: (0) 512 371955 How the Gulf Stream was formed, how it changes, and its effects
Email: WB@evecom.nl
Website: www.evecom.eu on ocean life, climate, human history, and transportation.

108 • WoodenBoat 204

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WOODENBOAT REVIEW

In the Wake of the Dhow: The Arabian Gulf and Oman, by

Dionisius A. Agius. Published by Garnet Publishing
Limited, 8 Southern Ct., South Street, Reading, RG1 4QS,
U.K. 253 pp., hardcover, £35.00. ISBN 0–86372–259–8.
Covering the history, construction, and types of Arabian dhows,
this book includes many photographs and drawings, and an
extensive glossary and bibliography.
Seaborn, by Craig Moodie. Published by Roaring Brook
Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited
Partnership, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. 208 pp.,
paperback, $17.95. ISBN–13: 978–1–59643–390–8. ISBN–10:
1–59643–390–6. For young adults; a boy and his father sail their
catboat to the Gulf Stream on a lark and run into a gale.
Endless Sea: Alone Around Antarctica—as Far South as a Boat
Can Sail, by Amyr Klink. Published by Sheridan House,
Inc., 145 Palisade St., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522. 272 pp.,
paperback, $19.95. ISBN 978–157409–259–2. Brazilian
adventurer and author Amyr Klink took about six months to
sail his 50' aluminum boat, PARATH, from Brazil, below the
Antarctic Convergence, and back again to Brazil.
Messing About in Boats for 80 Years with Jack Sutphen, by
Jack Sutphen. Published by Classic Yacht Foundation, 120
W. Dayton, Suite B-6, Edmonds. WA 98020. 92 pp., paper-
back. ISBN 0–9702569–5–7. At age 89, Jack Sutphen put
together this book of photographs and memories of his extensive sail-
ing experience, which includes several AMERICA’s Cup campaigns.
The Life and Ships of Gardiner G. Deering: “Patriarch of
Maine Shipbuilding,” by Kenneth R. Martin. Published by
Tilbury House Publishing, 8 Mechanic St. #3, Gardiner,
ME 04345. 216 pp., hardcover, $60.00. ISBN 978–0–
88448–307–6.Gardiner G. Deering (1833–1921) built nearly
100 schooners in his career as a shipbuilder in Bath, Maine.
Herlinbåtar: Herlin Yachts, by Tore Herlin. Published in
Swedish and English by the Swedish Herlin Society,
Dalvändan 5, 139 54 Värmdö, Sweden. 2nd edition, 96
pp., hardcover. ISBN–10: 91–631–8440–0. Stunning col-
lection of the plans of Swedish naval architect Tore Herlin; cov-
ers the period 1904–1964.
The Complete Wooden Runabout Restoration Guide, by Don
Danenberg. Published by Voyageur Press, Quayside
Publishing Group, 400 First Ave. North, Suite 300,
Minneapolis, MN 55401. 432 pp., paperback, $34.99.
ISBN–13: 978–0–7603–3488–1. ISBN–10: 978–0–7603–
3488–9. Previously published as two separate volumes, this
guide covers hull surveying and repair as well as upholstery,
plumbing, wiring, engines, and more.

and a DVD

Zeb, Schooner Life: A film documentary about Zeb Tilton—the

place he came from, the life he lived, the legacy he left. Directed
by Gordon Massingham. Detrick Lawrence Productions,
140 Cooke St., P.O. Box 1928, Edgartown, MA 02539.
<www.zebtilton.com>. Zeb Tilton was a legendary schooner-
man from Martha’s Vineyard; this film combines archival footage
with interviews of modern-day Vineyard residents.

September/October 2008 • 109

Calendar204_07.QXD 7/21/08 11:59 AM Page 110
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
EAST
Continuing through October 4
Various events
St. Michaels, Maryland
The Boating Party, the museum’s fall
gala fundraiser, is on September 13.
Participate in Maryland’s Lighthouse
Challenge by visiting lighthouses
around the state on September 20
JULIAN POPKO
and 21. The Mid-Atlantic Small Craft
Festival, a premier small-craft event, is
on October 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, P.O.
Box 636, St. Michaels, MD 21663; 410–
745–2916 ext. 136; <www.cbmm.org>.
Continuing through October 4
WoodenBoat Classic Regatta Series
Various locations, New York
The final three regattas of the 2008
season are all in New York. On Sep-
tember 20, the Greenport Classic
Yacht Regatta will be held in Green-
port. Glen Cove hosts the Heritage
Cup Regatta on September 27. The
season closes in Manhattan on
October 4 with the New York Classic
Week Regatta. WoodenBoat Classic
Regatta Series, P.O. Box 188, Mystic, CT
06355.
Continuing through October 14
Lecture Series
Bristol, Rhode Island
The Herreshoff Marine Museum’s
monthly lecture series continues on
September 16 and October 14. Both
lectures are at 7 p.m. The museum
closes for the season November 2.
Herreshoff Marine Museum, 1 Burnside
St., Bristol, RI 02809–0450;
401–253–5000; <www.herreshoff.org>.
Continuing through November 6
First Thursday Speaker Series
Point Allerton Station, Hull, Massachusetts
Speakers had not been determined at
press time. Dates are September 4,
October 2, and November 6. Mass Bay
Maritime Artisans, P.O. Box 73,
Kingston, MA 02364; 617–462–7215;
<www.jonesriver.org>.
Continuing through November 15
Various Events
Hull, Massachusetts
The South Shore Youth Rowing Fall
Season begins September 15, with the
Endless Summer Waterfront Festival
held the following week on
September 20. The annual Head of
the Weir Rowing Race will be October
18 and the Pemberton Sprints will be
held November 15. Hull Lifesaving
Museum, Inc., P.O. Box 221, Hull, MA
02045; 781–925–5433;
<www.lifesavingmuseum.org>.
September
3–6 The Great Provincetown Schooner
Regatta and Yacht Race
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Four classes of all size boats race the
same course alongside two classes
of schooners. Seating on board the
110 • WoodenBoat 204
schooners is available for purchase
offering spectators a rare chance to
be in the race alongside the crew.
The Great Provincetown Schooner Race,
P.O. Box 559, Provincetown, MA 02657;
<www.ProvincetownSchoonerRace.com>;
508–487–3000.
13 Classic Boat Day
Duxbury, Massachusetts
Wet paint auction, on-the-water boat
show, races, and other activities. Event
information, Missy Batista,
781–934–7555 or <missyb@dbms.org>.
Duxbury Bay Maritime School, P.O. Box
263A, Duxbury, MA 02332;
<www.duxbayms.com>.
20 Classic Yacht Regatta
Southport, Connecticut
The Pequot Yacht Club’s annual
regatta is open to cruising sailboats
built in 1970 or before with a current
PHRF certificate, and the club is try-
ing to boost participation by wooden
yachts. Jeffery Priest, P.O. Box 935,
Southport, CT 06890; 203–382–9001;
<Socross123@aol.com>.
27 Wolfeboro Rendezvous
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Held at the public docks. Follow it up
with the Annual Fall Foliage Cruise
on Saturday, October 11. Event infor-
mation, rendezvous: Phil Spencer,
603–569–5038 or <lrwdnbot@metro
cast.net>; or Bill John, 603–569–5824 or
<John1948@metrocast.net>. Cruise:
Charlie Train, 603–569–4256 or <tdan
mar288@aol.com>, or Bill John as above.
Sponsored by New England Chapter,
Antique & Classic Boat Society;
<www.necacbs.org>.
30–October 5 New York Classic Week
New York, New York
Events include Concours d’Élégance,
Corporate Regatta, Statue of Liberty
Race, Classic Parade, and more. To
reserve a berth at North Cove, call
212–786–1200 or e-mail <info@The
NorthCove.com>. Entry forms are found
at their web site. Manhattan Sailing Club,
385 South End Ave., No. 7G, New York,
NY 10280–1003; <www.myc.org>.
October
4 Fall Boat Show and River Cruise
Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
An annual event held at the Long
Schooners HAZEL
HAWTHORNE, ALABAMA,
and PRIDE OF BALTIMORE
vie for position at the
start of last year’s Great
Schooner Race in
Provincetown,
Massachusetts.
Level Marina. Event information, Brian
Gagnon, 856–727–9264. Sponsored by
Philadelphia Chapter, ACBS, c/o Brian
Gagnon, 737 Mill St., Moorestown, NJ
08057; <www.acbsphl.org>.
11–13 Chowderfest
Mystic, Connecticut
Food, music, kids’ activities, and more
at Mystic Seaport. Mystic Seaport, 75
Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box 6000,
Mystic, CT 06355–0990; 860–572–0711;
<www.mysticseaport.org>.
15–18 Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race
Baltimore, Maryland
About 35 schooners are expected for
the annual race from Baltimore to
Portsmouth, Virginia. The race is dedi-
cated to the Bay’s maritime heritage
and preservation of natural resources.
The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race,
P.O. Box 8176, Norfolk, VA 23503; 757–
362–0001; <www.schoonerrace.org>.
SOUTH
September
19–20 18th Annual Smith Mountain Lake
Antique Boat Show
Huddleston, Virginia
At the Mariners Landing Resort and
Conference Center, Smith Mountain
Lake. Event information, Tim Weitzel,
540–297–5104. Sponsored by Smith
Mountain Lake Chapter, P.O. Box 332,
Moneta, VA 24121;
<www.woodenboats.net>.
TIM WEITZEL
Enjoy classic boats, music, food, and
on-water demonstrations at this year’s
Smith Mountain Lake Antique Boat
Show.
Calendar204_07.QXD 7/21/08 11:59 AM Page 111
27 Antique and Classic Boat Show
Raleigh, North Carolina
Sponsored by the Triangle Chapter
of the Antique & Classic Boat
Society, of the Raleigh, Durham,
and Chapel Hill areas, the in-the-
water show will be at Lake Wheeler
in Raleigh. Event information, Charles
Mansfield, 919–688– 3024 or <www.vin
tageboat.org>. Triangle Chapter, Antique
& Classic Boat Society.
October
10–11 Blue Ridge Chapter Annual Meeting
and Show
Chapin, South Carolina
Lighthouse Marina on Lake Murray.
Event information, Dennis or
Julie Moore at 706–376–1433 or
<julmor1@yahoo.com>. Sponsored by
Blue Ridge Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society, 123 Mr. Johns Choice Rd.,
Hartwell, GA 30643–2365.
10–12 Pickwick State Park Rendezvous and
Boat Show
Pickwick Dam, Tennessee
Friday’s festivities begin at 9 a.m.
Saturday’s get started at 11 a.m.
Event information, Ned Smith,
901–767–1635 or <nedsmithtn
@cs.com>. Sponsored by Dixieland
Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society,
3293 Hoot Owl Ln., Birmingham,
AL 35210; 205–956–9304.
18 Georgetown Wooden Boat Show
Georgetown, South Carolina
About 60 boats in the water and
exhibits on land at Broad and Front
Streets, with the first ever National
Boatbuilding Championship at 12
noon. The top local teams from each
of four cities currently on the
National Boatbuilding Challenge
circuit––Beaufort, North Carolina;
Belfast, Maine; Kingston, New York;
and Georgetown, South Carolina––
will vie for the national boatbuilding
title and attempt to beat the current
world record of 2:27:33. Event
information, contact Georgetown Wooden
Boat Show, P.O. Box 2228, Georgetown,
SC 29442; 877–285–3588,
<www.woodenboatshow.com>.
18–19 Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival
Madisonville, Louisiana
The festival has been billed as the
largest gathering of historic, antique,
classic, and contemporary wooden
sail, power, rowing, and steam
watercaft in the South. Lake
Pontchartrain Basin Maritime
Museum, 133 Mabel Dr., Madisonville,
LA 70447; 985–845–9200;
<www.lpbmaritimemuseum.org>.
25 7th Annual Wood Boat Show and
Cowboys on the Water
Plymouth, North Carolina
More than 40 boats are expected
for the event, now in its sixth year.
There is no fee to display your boat.
All events are free. Event information,
Darcie Tumas at <dreamlandtreasures@
earthlink.net> or 252–793–3677
The Dragon
SOMMERFLUGEL,
US10 leads
BARBAREE, CWB’s
Thunderbird #60
on a windward leg
of one of the
Saturday races
during the 2007
Norm Blanchard
WOOD Regatta on
Lake Union,
Seattle, in front of
the Ship Canal
Bridge.
or call Doward Jones at 252–809–3938
or e-mail <dowardjones@mac.com>.
Roanoke River Lighthouse & Maritime
Museum, West Water St., Plymouth, NC;
<www.roanokeriverlighthouse.org>.
CENTRAL
September
27 Geneva Lakes Boat Show
Fontana, Wisconsin
At the Abbey Resort. Event information,
Ted Cartner, 847–395–8902, P.O. Box
683, Antioch, IL 60002. Sponsored by
Blackhawk Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society; <www.blackhawkacbs.com>.
November
12–14 Spray Finishing Workshops
Toledo, Ohio
A three-day intensive workshop,
focusing on equipment and tech-
niques. Jaime Wineland, Workshop
Coordinator, Owens Community College,
Center for Development & Training,
P.O. Box 10,000, Toledo, OH
43699–1947; 800–466–9367,
ext. 7320; <www.owens.edu/CDT/>.
WEST
Continuing through October 11
Ancient Mariners Sailing Society
Events
San Diego, California
The annual Cruise to Glorietta Bay
will be September 20, the San Diego
to Ensenada Race on October 3, and
the last two 20 Guinea Cup Races
will be held on September 6 and
October 11. Ancient Mariners Sailing
Society, P.O. Box 6484, San Diego, CA
92166; 619–688–6961; <www.amss.us>.
Continuing through October 17
Third Friday Speaker Series
Seattle, Washington
The Center for Wooden Boats con-
tinues its series September 19 and
October 17, both at 7 p.m. in the Boat-
house. CWB, 1010 Valley St., Seattle, WA
98109; 206–382–2628; <cwb.org>.
Compiled by Robin Jettinghoff
CHRISTINE DAVID, CWB
September
12–14 WCHA Northwest Chapter Fall Meet
Naches, Washington
A gathering of canoe owners and
enthusiasts for a full weekend
immersed in all things canoe.
Held at Camp Dudley, Clear Lake,
14830 Tieton Road in Naches.
Wooden Canoe Heritage Association,
Northwest Chapter, 1097 Jackson Way,
Tsawwassen Delta, BC, V4L 1W5,
Canada; <www.geocities.com/nwwooden
canoe>.
13 Family Sleepover on the Star of India
San Diego, California
The imaginary voyage starts at
3 p.m. and runs until 9 a.m. the next
morning. For reservations and more
information, call 619–234–9153 ext. 124.
San Diego Maritime Museum, 1492 North
Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101;
619–234–9153; <www.sdmaritime.com>.
19–21 West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium
Port Townsend, Washington
Located at Fort Worden State Park
Conference Center. This year’s
theme is Women & Families.
Contact Nikki Rekman, PO Box 243,
Milner, BC, V0X 1T0, Canada;
<nikki@gopaddle.org>, 800–755–5228;
<www.wcsks.org>.
26–28 Norm Blanchard WOOD Regatta
Seattle, Washington
Held on Lake Union, the regatta
typically draws more than 50 boats.
WOOD stands for Wood, Open,
One-Design boats. Event information,
Vern Velez, <www.cwb.org>. The Center
for Wooden Boats, 1010 Valley St.,
Seattle, WA 98109; 206–382–2628.
October
18–19 Jessica Cup
San Francisco, California
Sponsored by the St. Francis Yacht
Club. Master Mariners Benevolent
Association, San Francisco, CA 94109;
415–364–1656;
<www.mastermariners.org>.
September/October 2008 • 111
204_Brokers.qxd 7/23/08 1:21 PM Page 112

BOATBROKERS
These fine companies have specific expertise
in the care and maintenance of Riva boats.

Sales, Service and Parts Alan Weinstein Associates Inc.

Alan Weinstein ·7490 NW 42nd Court
Lauderhill, FL 33319 · 954-747-1851
e-mail: tlviking@aol.com www.rivaguru.net
St. Lawrence Restoration Co. Inc.
Don Price · 411 Franklin St. · Clayton, NY 13624
315-686-5950 · e-mail: slr@boatrestoration.com
www.boatrestoration.com
Sierra Boat Co. Inc.
Herb Hall · 5146 N. Lake Blvd. · Carnelian Bay, CA 96140
530-546-2551 · e-mail: sales@sierraboat.com
www.sierraboat.com

Brokerage of quality used Rivas is available.

C U S TO M BU I L D I N G # DESIGN # R E S TO R AT I O N # B RO K E R AG E

“INTUITION” “LYRA” “PIP”

2006, Modern Classic Sloop, 43' 2004, Bridges Point 24 Sloop, 24' 2004, Haven 121/2. Joel White design, built by Eric Dow.
Located in ME. Asking $489,000 Located in ME. Asking $75,000 Located in ME. Asking $45,000

NEW LISTING
PHOTOS AVAILABLE
SOON

“SEARENITY” “TRACY KATE” “DOUCE AMIE” “SIRIUS”

1959, Vineland 32 Sloop, 32' 1989, Bridges Point 24 Sloop, 24' 1947, Phil Rhodes Sloop, 26' 1960, Lobster Yacht, 30'
Bill Tripp design, built by Vineland of Built by Eric Dow of Brooklin, ME. Only Located in ME. Asking $28,000 Rich Brothers classic.
Norway. Located U.S. East Coast. wooden version of this Joel White design. Located in ME. Asking $38,000
Asking $27,500 Located in MA. Asking $47,000

DESIGN NEW CONSTRUCTION, SERVICE & RESTORATION BROKERAGE

207-359-2236 207-359-2236 207-359-2193
design@brooklinboatyard.com swhite@brooklinboatyard.com brokerage@brooklinboatyard.com

P.O. Box 143, Center Harbor • Brooklin, ME 04616 USA • www.brooklinboatyard.com

112 • WoodenBoat 204
CP&P204R.xp 7/29/08 9:46 AM Page 113
Y.B.A.A.
MEMBER
CANNELL, PAYNE & PAGE
Y A C H
American Boathouse, Atlantic Avenue
P.O. Box 1208 • Camden, Maine 04843
207–236–2383 • Fax 207–236–2711
60' Custom Crowninshield/Lawley Sloop, 1903.
Completely rebuilt in ‘90s. An outstanding yacht & a rare
classic. Highly recommended. MD.
41' Custom Derecktor K/CB Double-Planked Sloop/
Cutter, ‘64. Extensive upgrades include new sails, spars,
rig. Outstanding performance & fun to sail. Highly recom-
mended. ME. REDUCED & OFFERS ENCOURAGED!
32' Joel White Double-Headsail Cutter, ’91.
Cedar/oak/bronze. Outstanding design built to very
high standards & exceptionally well maintained. Widely
admired & our highest recommendation. ME. Reduced.
34' Frank Loud Aux. Cutter, 1977.
Mahogany/oak/bronze. Westerbeke diesel. Sleeps 4.
Many upgrades. Recommended. MD.
40' Concordia Yawl, 1957. Mahogany/oak/bronze.
Yanmar dsl. Sleeps 4. Numerous upgrades over years.
Offered by knowledgeable owner. Highly recommended.
Near Camden, ME.
MOHICAN—66' Consolidated Commuter, 1929.
Thoroughly restored with exhaustive attention to original
detail. Recent cosmetic & mechanical re-fit. Superb original
example of classic. Highly recommended. Greece/Italy.
SAIL
16' HERRESHOFF 12 1/2 Gaff Sloop, 2007. Highly rec-
ommended. ME.
20' SANDBAGGER GAFF SLOOP, ‘02. MA. Reduced.
21' ALDEN/FENWICK WILLIAMS gaff-rigged aux. sloop.
Cedar on oak. Yanmar diesel. MA.
26' Stadel Pilot Sloop, 1951. Cedar/oak/bronze. Atomic
4. Handsome traditional design. ME.
35' Mod. Herreshoff NEREIA Masthead Ketch, 1966. Very
well equipped & upgraded. RI.
NEW LISTINGS WELCOME • MORE LISTINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
T B R O
Further details and more listings at
www.cppyacht.com
Email: info@cppyacht.com
COAST PILOT—64' Eldredge-McInnis Offshore Tug
Yacht, 1944 by Nunes Brothers. Fir/oak. 225-hp GMC.
Extensively cruised including round trip to HI, and as ten-
der to HOKULE’A’s Polynesian Expedition. West Coast.
PENOBSCOT—37' Mower/Hodgdon Bros. Universal Rule
“R” Class Yacht. 1932. Yanmar. Sleeps 4. Classic
racer/minimal cruiser. Recent refit. FL.
38' Matthews Classic Cabin Cruiser, 1928.
Mahogany/oak/bronze. Extensively rebuilt & well main-
tained by longtime owner. Sleeps 5. NY.
HILARIA—53' S&S/A&R CCA K/CB Yawl, 1966. Ford
diesel. Sleeps 8. Major refit 2006-08. Twice Mackinaw
winner. Finest possible pedigree. MA. Asking $450,000.
40' Custom Bluenose Boatyard Gaff Schooner, 1974.
Pine/oak/bronze. Proven voyager to Azores, Med,
Caribbean, & back. NS.
LAISSEZ FAIRE—50' Alden K/CB Ketch, 1961. Able &
comfortable. Thorough maintenance/significant upgrad-
ing including recent new deck & frame & plank replace-
ment. Reduced. FL.
35' Warner Cruising Cutter, 1980.
Cedar/oak/copper/bronze. Highly recommended.
36' International 600 Yawl by Henry/DeDood. Perkins
diesel. Mahogany/oak/Monel. Sleeps 5. REDUCED.
MA.
39' CONCORDIAS—Several 39 & 41 Yawls. Inquire for
prices & locations.
43' NIELSEN/WALSTED Double-Ended Ketch. Recent
major rebuild. Outstanding condition. Tasmania.
44' Scheel-Designed Fishers Island 44 PH Teak Ketch, ’62.
NY.
K E R S
BILL CANNELL
JIM PAYNE
DELILAH —47' Alden LADY HELENE Ketch, 1964,
American Marine. Mahogany/oak/bronze. Sleeps 4 in
roomy interior. Handsome, able yacht. MA. Asking
$300,000.
BERYL W—40' Alden/Morse Trawler Yacht, 1969.
Mahogany/oak. Cummins. Sleeps 5. Well-maintained
trawler yacht recommended as able cruiser. CT. Recent
price reduction. $70,000.
ROSIE—28' L. F. Herreshoff Rozinante, 1996.
Mahogany/oak/bronze, Port Orford cedar deck, teak
trim. Fine example of one of L. F. Herreshoff’s finest
designs. CT.
SEA ITCH—32' Atkin “Colin Archer” Double-Ended
Cutter. Alaskan yellow cedar/oak. Albin diesel. Sleeps 4.
Well-regarded coastal & offshore design. FL. $25,000.
(Plan shows ketch rig.)
43' Custom Hossman Argentinean Yawl, 1969. Tight-
seam planking on lam. frames, copper rivets. Proven pas-
sagemaker & excellent sailer. Well built &
recommended. Reduced. ME.
50' Elco Flat-Top Cruiser, 1926. Extensively upgraded.
Sleeps 7. Well-equipped and maintained. CT.
46' Scots Zulu Gaff Ketch. Completely rebuilt. Highly rec-
ommended. MA.
50' Rhodes/A&R Yawl, ‘51. Mahog/oak/bronze. Well-
equipped, proven cruiser/racer. VA.
52' S&S/A&R CB Motorsailer Dsl Ketch. MD.
POWER
36' Down East-Style Lobsterboat. Extensively upgraded &
re-powered. ME.
204_Brokers.qxd 7/23/08 2:50 PM Page 114

BOATBROKERS
TRISTAN — 1980 Friendship Sloop 25'.
Traditional and handsome classic.
Survey available. $19,500 (RI).
David Jones Yacht Brokerage
Classic Wooden Boats
P.O. Box 898 • Rockport, ME • 04856
207-236-7048 • www.davidjonesclassics.com SEA LARK — 1960 Matthews 42' double
cabin flying bridge cruiser. Very comfort-
able, survey available. $110,000 (CT).

NYLLA — 1954 Sam Crocker center DANIEL WEBSTER CLEMENTS — FIRE ISLAND BELLE — 1948 Wheeler ROSE OF YORK — 1952 Laurent Giles
cockpit schooner 36'. Immaculate con- 1997 Biloxi schooner 73' LOA. USCG 62' ferry converted to woodworking Cutter 38'. Proven passagemaker and
dition. Sleeps 4. $98,000 (ME). Approved for 49 day passengers, 20 shop and living accommodations. swift racer. Well cared for. $120,000
overnight. $1,200,00 (FL). $95,000 (CT). (CT).

DODSON BOAT YARD

www.dodsonboatyard.com

Sistership

Dame of Sark: 1961 39'10" Concordia Yawl. Hull #86 Bright hull & trim, 1956 39' 10" Concordia Yawl #44. $110,000
Full restoration services available. Please contact us to discuss your project.
impeccably maintained. Thoroughly rebuilt to highest yacht standards. $285,000
Howard Taylor CPYB • Dodson Boatyard LLC • 194 Water St, Stonington, CT 06378 300 Gulf Road, P.O. Box P-203, So. Dartmouth, MA 02748
Tel 860-535-1507 x114 • Fax 860-535-2163 • E-mail howardt@dodsonboatyard.com Tel (508) 999–1381 Fax (508) 999–0450 ramacgregor@concordiaboats.com

Watch Hill Yacht Services

3 India Point Road
33 High Street Westerly, Rhode Island 02891
Poole BH15 1AB, England 401-596-8815 watchhillyachts.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 330077

“Bavishing Reauty”, 40' Camden Shipbuilding/Malcolm Brewer designed and

built, 1946. Bristol condition - professionally maintained. Many upgrades. $95,000 (RI)

“Pilgrim”, 45' Sparkman & Stephens Keel/Centerboard Yawl built by Nevins, 1946
Exceptional condition. Complete refit, most recently centerboard trunk replaced by
Rebecca of Vineyard Haven Gannon & Benjamin. $240,000 (RI)
Classic wooden schooner, built 2001, 60'/18.28m on deck,
Angelique and silver and bali on white oak.
A yacht of “jaw dropping” beauty, built for the next 100 years!
Designed and built by Gannon & Benjamin, Martha’s Vineyard
USA – their designs are famous for their speed, seaworthiness,
practicality and simplicity. Accommodation for eight in four
cabins, she displays exquisite craftsmanship both above and
below deck. Conceived as his “dream yacht” by the designer,
to combine blue water cruising with classic racing “Hummingbird”, 68' Trumpy Motoryacht, 1971. Impeccable condition. Houseboat
(1st Classic Class in Antigua Classics 2002) she is fully MCA with galley up. Complete professional upgrade and refit including twin MAN 800HP
coded for charter, skipper maintained and carries a CIM rating. diesels with a top speed on plane of 20 plus knots, new Kohler generators and more.
With these upgrades, she is truly one of a kind! Price available upon request. (RI)
Price £ 925,000 Lying France
Additional photos and detailed information on our website:
email: info@sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk
www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk watchhillyachts.com

114 • WoodenBoat 204

204_Brokers.qxd 7/23/08 1:21 PM Page 115

BOATBROKERS
GOOSE
33' Buzzards Bay 25, 1999
Cold-molded, excellent condition.
$125,000

AQUILA
40' Hacker-Craft Custom
Lightly used unique picnic boat. 52' Malabar VI Schooner l924
$275,000
John Alden design #248B

BANDICOOT LIBERTY
For Sale
39' Abeking & Rasmussen CB
Sloop, 1962
Highest quality, fine sailer.
Asking $89,000
Requesting $180,000 USD
Serious offers considered
Ged Delaney – Broker, Ext. 125 One Shipyard Lane / PO Box 408
Doug Weber – Broker, Ext. 124 Cataumet (Cape Cod), MA 02534 • Classic
1 (508) 563-7136 www.KingmanYachtCenter.com
• Historically significant
• Manageable maintenance
• Numerous sail combinations
METINIC • Powerful and fast
YACHT • Beautiful
BROKERS
Member

Take advantage of 20 years of experience with the yacht business.

Whether your search is for buyer or boat, the process should be effective
and painless, even a pleasure. It takes time as well as experience to best
serve your needs. We give you both.

124 Horseshoe Cove Rd., Harborside, Maine 04642 • 207–326–4411

— Located at Seal Cove Boatyard —

LIBERTY at Sweethearts Classic Regatta 2007

Contact:
Robin Clair Pitts
9901 Estate Emmaus
St. John, VI 00830
Web site:
www.coralbaystjohn.com/Liberty.htm
Telephone: 340-779-4994
38’ Starling Burgess US1 Design. Built in 1944. A classic high Fax: 340-776-6136
performance daysailer to rival those from the chic manufac-
turers of today. Very good condition. $32,500. Email: randfpitts@yahoo.com
September/October 2008 • 115
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BOATBUILDERS
Dedicated to preserving
P E A S E B O AT W O R K S • C H AT H A M , M A
the traditional skills

Introduces a timelessly beautiful 26 foot center console… of wooden boat building,

repair, & restoration.

This new center console couples

info@peaseboatworks.com •
our 25 years of custom boat
building experience with the
desire to offer a traditionally
handsome vessel that is strong,
fast, quiet, and fuel efficient.
5 0 8 - 9 4 5 - 78 0 0

or over 37 years, Billings Diesel and Marine Service has

F provided one-stop service for yachts and work boats of all
sizes and types, specializing in yacht restoration. For engine
sales and repair, full woodworking facilities, AwlGrip, expert
painting and varnish work with heated work space and a fully
stocked marine store, call Billings.

116 • WoodenBoat 204

204_Builders.xp 7/23/08 3:10 PM Page 117

Now in our 53rd year!

One of the more experienced crews on the East Coast.
The result is quality workmanship.
STORAGE • REPAIRS • RESTORATION

BOATBUILDERS
Rhodes yawl, repowered and refinished Herreshoff Rozinante undergoing total refit

New constrution — 25' classic runabout Rozinante at the dock prior to sail away

Wet Winter Storage Available in Our Marina

• WOODEN BOAT SPECIALISTS •
• HULL REPAIR and MODIFICATIONS • AWLGRIP
• PAINTING and REFINISHING • REWIRING
• REPOWERING • ELECTRONIC INSTALLATION
• RIGGING CHANGES • CUSTOM FIBERGLASS WORK
• RAIL and LIFELINE INSTALLATION • PEDESTAL STEERING

Visit us or call. Your boat is our first concern.

70 MAPLE STREET • BRANFORD, CT 06405
(203) 488–9000 dutch_wharf_yard@sbcglobal.net
Visit us at: www.dutchwharf.com

September/October 2008 • 117

204_Builders.xp 7/23/08 3:10 PM Page 118

Tribute Performance Boats

BOATBUILDERS

Tribute, builders & designers of

high-performance wood & epoxy sportfish boats
15924 Assembly Loop
Jupiter, FL 33478 (561) 775-6060
www.tributeboats.com
info@tributeboats.com

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SEA ISLAND BOAT BUILDERS

SEA ISLAND SHIPWRIGHTS
Custom Boat Builders • Charleston, South Carolina

Just Launched and for Sale — Commuter 36.

Mark Bayne — Boat Builder/Shipwright
843-886-3077
seaislandboat@bellsouth.net www.seaislandboatworks.com

118 • WoodenBoat 204

204_Builders.xp 7/23/08 3:10 PM Page 119

Wooden Boat Repairs

Since1981
Since 1981
Plank and Frame Repairs

Interior Joinery

Cold-Molding

Annual Maintenance
Recent Projects Include:
• A total re-framing and re-decking of the 1923
R Boat “Nayada” (pictured above)
• Continuing restoration of the 1931 65'
Chesapeake Bay Buy Boat “The Mary
Jemison”
• Total restorations of: 1936 Chris-Craft Utility,
1940 Chris-Craft Barrelback, 1955 Chris-Craft
Capri, 1955 Century Speedboat
• And many more projects in
our two locations. Please
call or e-mail to inquire

BOATBUILDERS
about the boat that you
love 1-800-397-3442
• These and other fine boats
can be seen at
www.cwbw.com

435 Old Taughannock Blvd., www.zimmermanmarine.com

Ithaca, NY 14850 607.272.1581

The 1929 Fife Belle Aventure

remains in our fully climate
controlled restoration facility
for her extensive refit.

The Boothbay Harbor Shipyard

120 Commercial St.
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
207-633-3171
www.boothbayharborshipyard.com

September/October 2008 • 119

204_Builders.xp 7/24/08 12:58 PM Page 120

GANNON & BENJAMIN Ron Rantilla Rowing Systems

Forward facing rowing systems,
Marine Railway, Inc., • PO. Box 1095 touring rowboats, kits and plans
Beach Rd. • Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 www.frontrower.com
(508) 693–4658 • Fax (508) 693–1818 30 Cutler Street, Warren, RI 02885

PHOTO: LYLE ZELL

24' catboat, launched July
Other Projects:
• 36’ power boat, spring ‘09 launch
• 45’ sloop, 2009 launch
BOATBUILDERS

• Herreshoff 12 1⁄2, complete rebuild

Please contact us for custom designs
and traditional construction.
e-mail: gandb@gannonandbenjamin.com
web: www.gannonandbenjamin.com

CROCKER’S BOAT YARD, Inc.

15 Ashland Ave. ~ P.O. Box 268 ~ Manchester, MA 01944
978–526–1971 ~ 888–332–6004 ~ Fax 978–526–7625
www.crockersboatyard.com
Full service yard for wood & fiberglass yachts
Restorations a specialty

28' Crocker DesignDesign

28' Crocker #271 #271
All of Sam Crocker’s
All of designsdesigns
Sam Crocker’s
available at Crocker’s Boat Yard
available at Crocker’s Boat Yard

TRADITIONAL BOAT WORKS, INC.

New construction & repairs on wooden boats only.
Masts and spars a specialty.
Superb craftsmanship by skilled professionals, at reasonable rates,
in one of the few quality West Coast wooden boat yards.
Fully insured, references.
Current Projects include:
• PC – PUFF
• Rhodes 33 – THERAPY
• 55' mast for WHISPER
• Several classic projects available
(please inquire)
Christopher Dalton

Douglas Jones
3665 Hancock Street
San Diego, CA. 92110
Phone or Fax: 619-542-1229
doug@traditionalboatworks.net PACIFICA–49' S & S yawl built by HB Nevins in 1947.
www.traditionalboatworks.net Rebuilt by TBW in 2005-2007.

120 • WoodenBoat 204

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FRENCH
W E B B
& COMPANY, INC.

BOATBUILDING
&
CUSTOM JOINERY

21 F RONT S TREET
B ELFAST, M AINE 04915

BOATBUILDERS
207~338~6706
fax 207~338~6709
www.frenchwebb.com

J IMMY S TEELE ’ S D OWNEAST P EAPOD

Beetle Cat Boat Shop ®

Sole Builder of the Beetle Cat Boat A Fine Maine Tradition

Rows On

28' Hanley Catboat KATHLEEN on her Maiden Voyage

©OLIVIER BARNAUD

Custom wooden boat building and restoration from

traditional rowing craft to 30' power and sailboats. O riginally designed for lobstering close to shore, peapods are
beautiful, seakindly, and a dream to row. In a tribute in Maine
Boats, Homes & Harbors (March 2008), author Bill Mayher praises

WE OFFER: Jimmy’s Downeast Peapod for its “...sweet sheer and near perfect
balance between lightness and strength....”
• New Boats
• Used Boats Built for 40 years by premier peapod builder Jimmy Steele.
• Storage Still being built in Jimmy’s shop in Brooklin, Maine,
using his jigs, molds, and tools.
• Parts LOA 13' 6" • Beam 4' 6"
• Repairs New England white cedar planks on New England red oak frames
Beetle Cat & NEW Beetle 14' Catboat
• Maintenance From lines drawn by Captain Havilah H. Hawkins, Sr.

“Riding like a seabird on the water, it will rise to surprisingly big

Beetle, Inc. oncoming seas without taking water, or even spray, over the rails.”
—Maynard Bray, The Book of Wooden Boats
3 Thatcher Lane • Wareham, MA 02571
Telephone 508.295.8585 • Fax 508.295.8949 DOWNEAST PEAPODS
Rows quick Order your Peapod today: 207-570-8585 Tows slick
www.beetlecat.com
w w w. d o w n e a s t p e a p o d s . c o m

September/October 2008 • 121

204_Builders.xp 7/23/08 3:11 PM Page 122

Elegant & fast – no wake

Rumery’s Boat Yard Your choice of deck and cabin layout
Biddeford, Maine 04005 Rumery’s 38
(207)282-0408
www.rumerys.com
BOATBUILDERS

A full service boatyard

Inside storage, custom construction
Repairs & restoration of wooden &
composite boats to 50 feet

Introducing The Samoset 30

Custom Built, cold-molded, deep-V, Yanmar 440

SAMOSET BOATWORKS, INC. Sign up for our

106 Industrial Park Drive • Boothbay, ME 04537
207-633-8350 • 207-633-8351 (Fax) FREE
samosetboatworks@verizon.net • www.samosetboatworks.com
E-Newsletter!
Simply go to
www.woodenboat.com
and enter your email
address in the box
on the right.

Stay in touch
with ALL we do!
122 • WoodenBoat 204
204_Builders.xp 7/23/08 3:11 PM Page 123

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The West Point Skiff

Traditional pine strips and oak construction using SiBr throughout
16, 18 and 20 foot models available

BOATBUILDERS
Nichols Boat Builder LLC – Richard Nichols, Builder
300 West Point Road, Phippsburg, Maine 04562 7KHIRRWGRXEOHHQGHG3$/0$HQMR\VKHUÀUVWVDLO
www.westpointskiff.com (207) 389-2468

Because every wooden boa has a story

CUTTS & CASE

SHIPYARD
a full-service boatyard

DESIGNERS & BUILDERS Caring for classic wooden boats

OF and their owners since 1928
FINE WOODEN YACHTS • Restoration
• New construction
• Antique marine engine restoration

SINCE 1927

P.O. BOX 9
TOWN CREEK
OXFORD, MD 21654 Lake George, NY
518-668-5437 www.hallsboat.com
410-226-5416 ©2008 Hall’s Boat Corporation. All rights reserved. 004-0708

September/October 2008 • 123

204_Builders.xp 7/23/08 3:11 PM Page 124

An elegant personal launch for the

discriminating yachtsman or yachtswoman.

The Homewood Landing 24

by Annapolis Classic Watercraft

MP&G L.L.C.
Wood Boatbuilding & Yacht Restoration
BOATBUILDERS

866-263-9366
Inside SPARTAN
www.uncommonboats.com
ACW@uncommonboats.com 929 Flanders Rd., Mystic, CT 06355
860–572–7710 • Fax 860–536–4180

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Mike Kiefer, Boatbuilder

DAMIAN McLAUGHLIN JR.
GREAT LAKES BOATBUILDING CO. BOATBUILDER
7066 103 Ave., South Haven, MI 49090 • 269–637–6805
Wood Construction and Restoration to 50'
14' Whitehall Rowboat
This is the
finest row-
boat on the
water. Order
THOMAS MIGNONE

your dream
boat today.

Custom Boats and Yachts

Since 1970
Visit our website for more information: www.dmcboats.com
www.greatwoodboats.com

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Proud Builders of Arey’s Pond Catboats and Custom Boats.

• 14' Cat
• 16' Lynx Cabin
• 16' Lynx Open
• 16' Launch
• 18' Daysailer
• 20' Cruising Cat
• 21' Launch

(508) 255-0994 • 45 Arey’s Lane, Box 222, S. Orleans, MA 02662

www.areyspondboatyard.com

BOATBUILDERS
Portage Boat Works, LLC
Building New History
Fine custom built mahogany runabouts
30 years experience in correct restoration & repair

P
—Tennessee River—
hil Mitchell —
Wooden boat
P E N D L E T O
YACHT•YARD N
restoration and
repair. All makes
cruisers, runabouts,
and sail. Major hull
work, small repairs,
refinishing.
R e b u i l d e r s o f C l a s s i c Ya c h t s
—Call 865-603-1418— 525 Pendleton Point Rd. • Islesboro, ME 04848
1316 Indian Shadows Dr., Ten Mile, TN 37880 (207) 734-6728 • www.pendletonyachtyard.com

September/October 2008 • 125

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KITS & PLANS

the best boats you can build.™

Plans and Kits for Kayaks, Canoes, Rowing Craft, Dinghies, Sailboats, and More!
Stitch & Glue – Strip Planked – Guillemot Kayaks – Boat Building Supplies and Accessories

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND | 410.267.0137 | www.clc boats.com

126 • WoodenBoat 204

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NEW BOOK!
IN PURSUIT OF GLORY
by William H. White
Sail again with Oliver Baldwin in the US Frigate Chesapeake
as she leaves Hampton Roads, VA on a routine patrol. Any-
thing but routine, the ship is confronted by the 50 gun HMS
Leopard outside the Virginia Capes. The British ship is seeking
Royal Navy deserters and, when Commodore James Barron
refuses the British captain’s orders to produce them, fires into
the ill-prepared American frigate with disastrous results. This
lop-sided fight was one of the major contributors to the War
of 1812 which started five years later.
Following the ensuing court martial, Stephen Decatur takes
command of Chesapeake to enforce the Jeffersonian
Embargoes on the Atlantic seaboard with Oliver, Henry
Allen, and others from William H. White’s The Greater The
Honor. Oliver will experience more – though less disastrous – encounters with ships of the Royal
Navy, and ultimately, the start of the War of 1812.
6" x 9", 352 pages, hardcover, $38 postpaid US & Canada/$52 Int’l. Airmail.
or softcover $23 postpaid US & Canada/$34 Int’l. Airmail.

KITS & PLANS

A9/08

September/October 2008 • 127

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— Cradle Boat —
PARKER MARINE ENTERPRISES BABY TENDER
STOCK PLANS & CUSTOM DESIGNS Classic lapstrake elegance for
the newborn sailor.

BABY TENDER BABY TENDER II

Commuter 36 45" x 22" Classic yacht tender with davits. 46" x 22" Traditional flattie skiff.
Lapstrake planking on bent frames, Lapstrake planking, copper riveted.
copper riveted. Plans & Patterns $49 Includes rockers and davits.
Plans & Patterns $39

Bateau 25
VISIT OUR
WEBSITE
Catalogue of Cruising Sail . . . . . . . . .$30 FOR MORE
Catalogue of Sharpies . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25 WATERCRAFT
JOLLY BOAT ROCKER
Catalogue of Power Boats . . . . . . . . . .$20 48" x 23" Salty flatiron play skiff, for
the older sailor. Plans & Patterns $32
Catalogue of Small Craft . . . . . . . . . .$20
The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding . .$25 New book by Warren Jordan
“Jordan Wood Boats-
The Sharpie Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25 Boatbuilding My Way”
The Voyages of Fishers Hornpipe . . . .$35 A comprehensive manual of my
boatbuilding techniques, and the FOOTLOOSE
ideal companion to plans from 15' BEACH CRUISER Plans- $65
Postage included — Overseas add $5 Jordan Wood Boats. $29.95 plus $7
Sorry, we do not accept credit cards S&H. (Plans ordered at the same
Flat Rate Shipping $4.50
time as the book ship for free).

PO Box 651429, Vero Beach, FL 32965

parkermarine@bellsouth.net Jordan Wood Boats
www.parker-marine.com P.O. Box 194 • South Beach, OR 97366 • 541-867-3141
www.jordanwoodboats.com

Viking - 22' x 92" Beam. Center Console Fishing Boat.

Trailerable, Inboard, Outboard, Stern Drive. Plans &
Patterns $105, postpaid. # PB 226 CC. Pre-Cut Kit Available.

Wetback - 10' x 58" Beam. A Race Proven Real 3 Point Bel Aire - 24' or 26' x 8' Beam. Modern Deep V Hull Form. Ideal for
Hydroplane. For Competition or Just Fun. Class A, B, or C. High Speeds in rough, choppy water. Plans & Patterns $130, postpaid. #PB
Speeds up to 70 mph with 30 hp. Plans & Patterns $45, 248X. Pre-Cut Kit Available.
postpaid. Boat Kit $895, plus shipping. #CU 42.
Catalog of Boat Kits & Plans:
$5.00 — USA
$6.00 — Canada
$10.00 — Overseas Priority
Our Catalog of Boatbuilding Supplies is free.
Bobcat - 8' 5" x 56" Beam. Fast Little Hydroplane. Epoxy resins & glues, fiberglass, paints, flotation
KITS & PLANS

Easy to build. For adults or kids. All your friends will

foam, bronze and stainless fasteners, cable steering, Crown Cruiser - 24' or 26' x 8' Beam. A Classic Trailerable
want to run this hydro. Up to 15 hp. Plans & Patterns
books, and more. Model. Plans & Patterns $154, postpaid. #PB 70-72X.
$39, postpaid. Boat Kit $625, plus shipping. #SR 1.
Pre-Cut Boat Kit Available.

Cedar Strip Designs -We have everything you need to

build a cedar strip canoe, kayak or dinghy.
Plans & Patterns, station molds, cedar strips, epoxy, fiber-
glass and more. Order our Boat Kit
Hartley 16 - Length 16' 5" x 88" Beam. Hull Depth 27".
catalog for further details.
Draft 49". Plans & Patterns $49, postpaid. Frame Kit $380
(plus UPS). #C 30. (Other versions available from 12' to 28'.)

Mongoose -19' 8" x 86" Beam. Deep V racer. Speeds

over 60 mph with 200 hp. Excellent for racing or skiing. Pram/Dinghy - 6' x 42" or 8' x 48". Makes a fine rowboat, power up to 3 hp
or an excellent sailboat. Plans & Patterns: 6' row $27; 8' row or sail $29,
Plans & Patterns $72, postpaid. #KS 198. Pre-Cut Kit
postpaid. Boat Kits: 6' – $435 (plus UPS), or 8' – $645; 8' Sail version –
Available. (Cuddy cabin version also available.)
$960, includes mast, boom & rigging, less sail, plus shipping.

128 • WoodenBoat 204

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Kit Boat Kits — Kits of the 1950’s! You Can Build One!
Exact reproductions of the Chris-Craft Kit Boat

Call 800-554-BOAT (2628) or email kits@jamescraftboats.com

www.jamescraftboats.com

Build.

Paddle.

Escape.

www.pygmyboats.com

P YGMY
KITS & PLANS

rugged versatile
top rated ultra-light

P r o d u c e d b y t h e c o u n t r y ’s l e a d i n g w o o d e n b o a t k i t m a n u f a c t u r e r.
Designed by veteran wilderness paddler John Lockwood, built by you. t h e osprey

P y g m y B o a t s I n c . , P. O . B o x 1 5 2 9 , D e p t . 2 5 , P o r t T o w n s e n d , W A 9 8 3 6 8 • 3 6 0 . 3 8 5 . 6 1 4 3

September/October 2008 • 129

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DUDLEY DIX YACHT DESIGN

Different boats for different folks
Two small plywood designs, two very different reasons.

Cape Henry 21 for relaxed cruising

• Lapstrake plywood trailer-sailer

Didi Mini for hard-nosed racing

• Radius chine plywood.

Please visit our website

for more info.

1340-1272 N Great Neck Rd. #343

Virginia Beach, VA 23454-2230 dixdesign.com
dudley@dixdesign.com • T: 757-962-9273 • F: 757-965-3573
KITS & PLANS

THE WOODENBOAT STORE

The Nutshell Pram Kit

One of the nicest towing, rowing, and sailing
dinghies ever to hit the water has been built by
thousands of folks—and for many, it has been
their first boatbuilding project.
Take your pick: The Nutshell Pram comes
in either a 7' 7" or a 9' 6" version—whichever
best suits your needs and desires.
Plans are $75, and kits run from $1290 to
$1825. The kits include hardware, epoxy,
building jig, precision cut pieces from the
finest (hull is Sapele mahogany) materials.

For more info: Toll-Free 1-800-273-SHIP (7447)

or visit: www.woodenboatstore.com

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KITS & PLANS

September/October 2008 • 131

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CLASSIFIED To place a Classified Ad in WoodenBoat , visit our website <www.woodenboat.com>

or call our Classified Ad Manager at (207) 359–4651.
Deadline for the November/December issue: September 5, 2008
HADDEN BOAT CO. Wooden boat
construction and repair to any size;

BOATBUILDING sail and power. 11 Tibbetts Lane,

Georgetown, ME 04548, 207–371–2662.
CHARTERS
SHOPS JOHN M. KARBOTT BOATBUILD-
ING. Custom wooden boat building
and repair. Lobsterboat styles a spe-
ciality. WoodenBoat School instructor.
Member Massachusetts Marine Trades
Association. 789 Rocky Hill Rd, Plymouth,
MA 02360. 508–224–3709, fax
508–224–8560, <www.by-the-sea.com/kar
bottboatbuilding>.

INDEPENDENCE BOATWORKS—
specializing in outboard skiffs and
glued-lapstrake construction. P.O. Box
145, Defiance, OH 43512. 419–782–2876.
<www.independenceboatworks.com>.

REPAIR, RESTORATION, STORAGE,

and SURVEYS. Low overhead and low
rates, 35 years experience. MICHAEL WOODEN NORSEBOAT 17.5 now
WARR BOATWORKS, Stonington, ME, available! Beautiful, high-performance
207–367–2360. sailing and rowing cruiser with classic
lines. Professionally built or in kit form
HUNTER BAY WOODWORKING— for amateur constr uction. Tel:
Custom building to 45'. Traditional 902–659–2790, web: <www.norse
and modern construction. Instructor boat.com>.
for Hunter Bay Boat Project. See
WoodenBoat No. 195. Now building a
Lyle Hess 32' Bristol Channel Cutter. SAIL AS CREW ON A SQUARE-
Available for purchase. Lopez Island, RIGGER—Explore Europe, the
WA, 360–468–2915, <www.hunterbay Mediterranean, Africa, and the West
woodworking.com>. Indies. Challenge yourself in ways you
never thought possible. No experience
PISCES 21. Cold-molded daysailer NOMAD BOATBUILDING. Building, needed. Barque "Picton Castle,"
crafted to the highest standards for repair, and restoration to 20'. Traditional 902–634–9984, <www.picton-castle.com>.
long-lasting value and low maintenance. and modern construction. Victoria,
Also custom wooden boat building, BC, 250–884–1577, <www.nomad 10 1⁄2' & 12' SKIFFS—Traditional hand-
brokerage and full service boatyard. boatbuilding.com>. crafted plywood/oak, epoxy bonded,
Visit us on Mount Desert Island, Route stainless-steel screws. Rugged but light-
102, Bernard, ME 04612, 207–244–3374, weight. Easy rowing and towing. Stable
<www.ClassicBoatShop.com>. underfoot. $1,100 & $1,400. Maxwell’s
Boatshop, Rockland, ME 207–594–5492.
THE DORY SHOP—Custom-built small
boats and Lunenburg dories since 1917. SATTER’S RESTORATION—Traditional
Oars and paddles, too. Call 902–640–3005 wooden canoes and boats restored.
or visit <www.doryshop.com>. Quality woodwork, brightwork, repairs.
Branchville, NJ, 973–948–5242, <www.
MIAMI, FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA sattersrestoration.com>.
KEYS. 30 years experience building,
repairing, and restoring vintage and NORTH BROOKLIN BOATS—Building THIN AIR CANVAS AND WOOD—
modern boats. Nice people, quality “Sunshine” 10' 6" lapstrake dinghy. Florida. Custom canvas by Deb: Cushions,
workmanship, reasonable rates. Please Traditional construction. Rowing and covers, tops, enclosures. Woodworking
call 305–634–4263, <rmiller35@bell sailing models. Visit website for photos by Dan: Vintage restoration, repairs,
south.net>, or visit our webpage and inventor y. Brooklin, ME, cabinetry. 30 years experience both
<www.millermarinesystems.com>. 207–359–6550, 207–460–5814, <www.north fields. Highest-quality craftsmanship.
brooklinboats.com>, <eric@north Secure facility central Florida.
LOWELL BOATS—Complete wooden brooklinboats.com>. 772–463–8493.
boat restoration services and marine sur-
veying. GARY LOWELL, Greensboro, WINDEMERE BOAT COMPANY— REPAIR, RESTORE, BUILD. Structural
NC, 336–274–0892. <www.lowell.to/boats>. Now building John Brooks’s 12' and cosmetic repairs, interior and exte- SAIL MAINE ABOARD MAINE’S
“ELLEN” glued-lapstrake rowing/sail- rior. Call CT, 860–828–3832, ask for OLDEST WINDJAMMER, “Lewis R.
REDD’S POND BOATWORKS, Thad ing dinghy. <www.windemereboats. Fred Harrington. French.” Enjoy great sailing, lobsters,
Danielson, 1 Norman St., Marblehead, com>. PA, 724–775–8972. new friends, and fresh air (no smoking).
MA 01945. 1–888–686–3443, 781–631– CLASSIC YACHT RESTORATIONS. Sailing from Camden, 3-, 4-, and 6-day
3443. Classic wooden boats, tradi- FRIENDSHIP KAYAK—Custom kayaks “Highest Quality Hand Craftsmanship cruises with only 22 guests, May–October.
tional materials. <www.reddspondboat and canoes. Cedar strip or stitch-and- with an Artisan’s Eye.” Serving CT and Capt. Garth Wells, P.O. Box 992 W,
works.com>, <thaddanielson@com glue. E-mail <friendship.kayak@ RI shoreline. Mike Terry, 860–514–7766, Camden, ME 04843. 800–469–4635.
cast.net>. yahoo.com>. Phone: 207–354–0511. <www.yachtrestorations.com>. <www.schoonerfrench.com>.

132 • WoodenBoat 204

WBCLASS204_10_6.0R.xp 7/29/08
SAIL ON THE ALDEN CLASSIC
KETCH “Abigail.” Enjoy a daysail,
overnight, or week-long cruise with
experienced captain aboard this beau-
tifully restored and maintained 39'
wooden sailboat (see WB No. 167).
Sleeps four comfortably. Book now
for summer 2008. Brooklin, ME. NAVTECH MARINE SURVEYORS’
207–266–1667, <jibtopsail@gmail.com>. COURSE. Surveying recreational/com-
mercial vessels. U.S. Surveyors Association,
Master Marine Surveyor program. FL,
800–245–4425.
CLOTHING
RATTY’S CELEBRATED QUOTATION
with original illustrations featured on
our shirts and bags. Toll-free 877–637–7464.
<www.MessingAbout.com>.
EDUCATION
10:26 AM Page 133
CLASSIFIED
BUILD A DORY in Lunenburg, one-
week course at The Dory Shop, Sept.
15–20. Six openings. Call 902–640–3005
for details. <www.doryshop.com>.
MARINE MODELS
ENGINES
REBUILT CHRIS-CRAFT 6-cyl engines,
parts, manifolds, pistons, and bearings.
Also a few Chris V-8s. MITCH
LAPOINTE’S <www.classicboat.com>,
952–471–3300.
GRAYMARINE, CHRIS-CRAFT, Chrysler
engines remanufactured to the high-
est standards. All engines are test run
at our facility and come with a written THE FINEST wooden pond sailers.
warranty. We stock many models includ- Free brochure: 1–800–206–0006.
ing the Gray four–112 and the Sea <www.modelsailboat.com>.
Scout–91. We also have a large parts
MARINE ART department with parts for above engines,
also Zenith carburetors, Paragon, Borg
Warner, AC and Carter fuel pumps.
Van Ness Engineering, 252 Lincoln
Ave, Ridgewood NJ 07450, 201–445–
8685, fax 201–445–3099.
Bands in Gold & Platinum
Hand-crafted in Maine NEW 10 KW WESTERBEKE diesel gen-
erator, factor y seals, repair kit and
sound shield. $8,000, offers. TN,
865–671–2279, <ebh3@charter.net>.
1962 TWIN 6V-53 DETROIT diesel
engines, in-frame factory rebuilt in WOODEN POND MODEL KITS. Models
2006, original operating manual, two that really sail! Great fun in pool, pond,
binder shop manuals. Will sell sepa- or sea! Order toll free (U.S.)
rately, $4,500 each, offers. TN, 800–533–9030. Visa/MC accepted.
Brochure available 865–671–2279, <ebh3@charter.net>. Other kits and plans available, catalog
www.davidvirtue.com $1. SEAWORTHY SMALL SHIPS, Dept.
EPOXY COATED CARBON steel fuel W, P.O. Box 2863, Prince Frederick,
800.735.2058 tanks, 2  200 gallon. Custom built with MD 20678. <www.seaworthysmall
baffles and access ports. $800 each, ships.com>.
offers. TN, 865–671–2279, <ebh3@char
DRAWING OF YOUR BOAT and 50 ter.net>.
note cards with the art, $150. See
<www.baldwinstudio.us>. SABB AMERICA EAST, INC. Your sup-
ply center for new engines and parts
SHIP WEATHERVANES. Hand crafted, for all Sabb engines from Norway. 119
opulent, accurate, intricate, awesome. Lake Shore Circle, Leesburg, FL 34788.
Stainless steel. Authentically painted. Phone 352–589–2882 or 888–301–1706,
Incredibly striking. <www.majestic fax 352–589–7722.
weathervanes.com>.
MARINE ENGINE RESTORATION. BLUEJACKETS COME IN 3 SIZES!
Total engine remanufacturing. We can K204 fiberglass 33" R/C boat, $375.
machine for hardened valve seats and KLW207 planked 21.5", $112 “Down
re-babbitt bearings, plus all the usual East Boat.” K1023 Red Baron solid hull
machine and assembly work. DRAKE 12", $155 with tools and paint included.
ENGINES, INC., 2285 Ridgeway Call or visit for our catalog of over 60
Ave., Rochester, NY 14626. 585–723–1336, model kits, fittings, tools, and books.
fax 585–723–1078. Open all year long. Also specializing
in antique model restorations/repairs.
MARINE ENGINES AND PARTS: M-F, 9–4 year-round. Open Sat. in sum-
Chr ysler, Graymarine, Chris-Craft, mer. BlueJacket Shipcrafters, 160 E.
ATTENTION ICEBOAT SAILORS— Interceptor. Aftermarket thermostats Main St., Searsport, ME 04974,
Portrait Pride creates custom regatta and alternators. Carburetor, fuel pump, 800–448–5567, <www.bluejacketinc.com>.
celebration posters and elegant, full- water pump rebuilding. Duby Marine,
color portraits of your yacht or boat 254 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, UNIQUE MODEL BOAT KITS. See
from your own photographs. Visit our NY 14120, 716–694–0922, fax Freedom Song Boatworks at
exciting website <www.Por trait 716–694–0976, <dubymarine@choice <www.nemodel.com>, or call, ME,
Pride.com>. onemail.com>. 207–882–7154.
September/October 2008 • 133
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CLASSIFIED

12 INCH RADIO-CONTROLLED JAMES WHARRAM DESIGNS—Easy-

wooden model sailboat kits. Unique,
simple, construction, and great per-
formance. Free catalog. SCALESAIL-
ING, 1535 N. 36th Street, Sheboygan,
WI 53081. 920–208–6863, <www.scale
sailing.com>.
to-follow plans for the amateur builder.
Safe, seaworthy, catamarans 14'–63' in BUILD THE TANGO SKIFF
plywood/epoxy/’glass. Design Book
$28.50, including p&p (Canada $32).
Tel/fax: +(44) 1872 864792, Webshop:
<www.wharram.com>.

ELEGANT SCALE MODELS. Individually LEARN HOW TO BUILD your own

handcrafted custom scale model boats. cedar-stripped boat. Plans for dinghies,
JEAN PRECKEL, <www.preckelboats. canoes, row, sail, paddle, outboard.
com>, 304–432–7202. <www.compumarine.com>. AZ, 520– www.tangoskiff.com
281–2901.

VISIT <www.gaboats.com>. Monfort HANKINSON DESIGNS—Barrelbacks,

MOLDS FOR SALE
DO YOU HAVE A SET OF
HULL MOLDS?
Are they taking up valuable shop
space? Can't bear to burn them
after all of that careful work?
Would you like to sell them to
another builder? If so, advertise
them in our classified advertising
section, Molds for Sale! Please
visit our website, or contact Kate
for more information.
Associates. 25 designs. Plans, partial
kits, VHS or DVD. ME, 207–882–5504. 28 DESIGNS IN OUR $12 brochure—
tugs, cruisers. Available exclusively
from Glen-L Marine. Free online cata-
row, sail, power, 8'–26'. Free driftboat log at <www.BoatDesigns.com>.
PAUL GARTSIDE, LTD. Boat plans plans. 503–982–5062, <www.swan
for home builders. New catalog of boatdesign.com>.
wooden boats $10 US or CND.
MasterCard/Visa. PO Box 20059, Sidney, 13 PROVEN TAPED-SEAM designs
BC V8L 5C9, Canada. 250–656–2048. for oar, power and sail. 10'–26'. Free
<www.gartsideboats.com>. catalog. TRACY O’BRIEN MARINE
DESIGN, 360–748–4089 or <www.tracy
obrien.com>.

WoodenBoat Classifieds
P.O. Box 78
Brooklin, ME 04616
Phone: 207–359–4651
Fax: 207–359–8920
classified@woodenboat.com
www.woodenboat.com
CNC PRECISION-CUT MOLDS from
your plans that are quick and easy to
assemble. Self-aligning, self-plumbing,
notched, and numbered with built-in
strongback. For both amateur and pro-
fessional boatbuilders. CNC Routing &
Design, Camden, ME, 207–542–4753
or <tim@cncroutinganddesign.com>.
Please visit our website: <www.cnc
routinganddesign.com>.
PLANS & KITS
ATKIN ILLUSTRATED CATALOG—
newly expanded, illustrated, 135-page,
with more than 300 Atkin designs.
Famed Atkin double-enders, row-
ing/sailing dinghies, houseboats, and
more. $15 U.S. and Canada ($22 US
for overseas orders). Payment: U.S.
dollars payable through a U.S. bank.
ATKIN BOAT PLANS, P.O. Box 3005WB,
Noroton, CT 06820. <apatkin@aol.com>,
<www.atkinboatplans.com>.
CATALOG OF 40 SIMPLE PLYWOOD
boats, $4. JIM MICHALAK, 118 E.
Randle, Lebanon, IL 62254. <www.
jimsboats.com>.
BUILD N.G. HERRESHOFF’S
COQUINA, 16' 8" sailing & rowing
boat. Under license from MIT’s Hart
Nautical Collection, Maynard Bray and
Doug Hylan have produced a builder’s
package designed for both amateur
and professional builders. Plans—11
sheets of detailed drawings for both
cedar and glued plywood lapstrake
construction. Includes Herreshoff’s
original construction drawing. $200 +
$10 S&H. CD—550 photos and text
describing all aspects of construction,
$50 + $5 S&H. Study plans—4 pages of
small-scale drawings & photos, $10 + $2
S&H. Send check or money order to:
Coquina, 53 Benjamin River Dr.,
Brooklin, ME 04616.
FOUR SIZES. Information, $6 US.
BERKELEY ENGINEERING, 827
Paso Dr., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406,
<http://www.berkeley-engineering.
com>, 928–453–8840.
ORCA BOATS—Strip/epoxy canoes and
kayaks, plans, materials, courses, repairs,
and restorations. <www.orcaboats.ca>.
PIROGUE KIT $59.50, includes plans,
BC, 604–312–4784.
precut cypress stems and ribs. Price
includes shipping; Louisiana residents
add 4% sales tax. Sailing skiff and jon
boat plans. Boats designed for the
novice builder. UNCLE JOHN’S, 5229
Choupique Rd., Sulphur, LA 70665.
Visa/MC, 337–527–9696. Visit our site
<http://www.unclejohns.com>.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION plans
from the National Watercraft Collection,
H.I. Chapelle drawings, Historic American
Merchant Marine Survey, etc. Send
$20 check to SMITHSONIAN INSTI-
TUTION for 250-page catalog to:
Smithsonian Ship Plans, P.O. Box 37012, GRACE’S TENDER is a great intro-
NMAH-5004/MRC 628, Washington, duction to boatbuilding, sailing, and
DC 20013-7012. <www.american rowing. 8 ft, 55 lbs. Plans, DVD, kits
history.si.edu/csr/shipplan.htm>. available. Arch Davis Designs.
207–930–9873. <www.archdavis
designs.com>.
BOAT KITS—PLANS—PATTERNS.
World’s best selection of 200+ designs.
Catalog $5. Boatbuilding supplies—
easy-to-use 50/50 epoxy resins/glues,
fasteners, and much more. Free cata-
log. CLARKCRAFT, 16-42 Aqualane,
BUILD A BOAT AND CREATE Tonawanda, NY 14150. 716–873–2640,
MEMORIES to last a lifetime. Proven <www.clarkcraft.com>.
plans, full-sized patterns and kits make
it simple to build your dream boat.
Send $9.95 today for NEW catalog CD,
<www.Glen-L.com/offer8>. Glen-L,
9152 Rosecrans Ave./WB, Bellflower,
CA 90706. 888–700–5007.

134 • WoodenBoat 204

WBCLASS204_10_6.0.xp 7/24/08
POSITIONS
MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM has the
following available. Shipwrights—Full-
time positions, must be able to work
flexible hours/weekends (rotating),
possess driver’s and CT Safe Boating
licenses, knowledge of carpentry with
experience in boat maintenance, abil-
ity to communicate well with volun-
teers/visitors and the ability to work
unsuper vised. Job requires bend-
ing/lifting/climbing in all weather.
Shipwright Apprentice—Full-time, tem-
porary (one-year) position for indi-
vidual interested in hands-on wood-
working, boatbuilding, and historic
watercraft preservation. Must be will-
ing to work flexible hours and week-
ends on rotating basis, have knowledge
of application coatings, possess valid
driver’s license, have or willing to achieve
CT Safe Boating Certificate. Must be
able to communicate well with volun-
teers and visitors. Successful candidate
will receive Certificate of Completion.
For information or an application, visit
our website <www.mysticseaport.org/hr>
or call Human Resources, 860–572–5346.
We are an AA/EOE.
PUBLICATIONS
CLASSIC BOATING MAGAZINE—The
most popular and complete publica-
tion on antique and classic boats.
Subscription $28, Canada $36 USD,
overseas $78. Samples $6, Canada $7.50,
overseas $12.50. CLASSIC BOATING,
280-D Lac La Belle Drive, Oconomowoc,
WI 53066. 262–567–4800.
4:14 PM Page 135
WOODENBOAT issues: 43, 96, 105, 108,
110, 127–167, 170–202. $200, plus ship
ping. <awright@spacesavers.com>.
LIVING ABOARD magazine, dedicated
to enjoying your time aboard—week-
end, month, lifetime! $18/year (6
issues). Free sample issue. 800–927–6905,
<www.livingaboard.com>.
REAL ESTATE
CAROLINA WATERFRONT. Great sail-
ing! Great fishing! Great people! Near
Pamlico Sound on ICW. Spectacular
views! Homes, lots, acreage, on pro-
tected deepwater. Affordable prices,
low taxes! Call for free information.
CENTURY 21 Sail Loft Realty, Oriental,
NC. 800–327–4189, <www.sailloft
realty.com>.
MAINE OCEANFRONT, 7.42 acres,
near Bar Harbor, owner financing.
MUST SELL. $168,000. Electric, perked,
asphalt. MA, 978–897–2516, <elisha
_nyberg@yahoo.com>.
DAWSON CREEK, NORTH CAROLINA.
New, exclusive gated waterfront com-
munity on pristine Dawson Creek.
Private community center with marinas.
Homesites starting at $59,900. Financing
available. Coastal Marketing, New Bern,
NC.1–800–566–5263, <www.boating
property.com>.
MAINE OCEANFRONT—Blue Hill
and Downeast area waterfront homes,
land, and residential properties.
Enthusiastic professional service for
buyers and sellers. View listings at
<www.compasspointrealestate.com>.
COMPASS POINT REAL ESTATE.
207–374–5300.
CLASSIFIED
SAILS SERVICES
DOUGLAS FOWLER SAILMAKER.
Highest-quality, full-seam curve sails
since 1977. Traditional sails a specialty.
White, colors, and Egyptian Dacron in
stock. 1182 East Shore Dr., Ithaca, NY
14850. 607–277–0041.
HAVE TOOLS WILL TRAVEL. Wooden
boat builder will build, rebuild, or
repair your project on site or in my
shop. $20/hour. MA, 413–586–2007;
VT, 802–365–7823.
JASPER & BAILEY SAILMAKERS.
Established 1972. Offshore, one-design,
HAGERTY CLASSIC MARINE INSUR-
and traditional sails. Sail repairs, recuts,
ANCE Agency, Inc. The largest provider
conversions, washing and storage. Used-
sail brokers. 64 Halsey St., P.O. Box
852, Newport, RI 02840; 401–847–8796.
of classic and collector boat insurance
in the United States and Canada. Agreed
value policies, flexible navigation and
<www.jasperandbailey.com>.
transportation, restoration coverage,
no required lay-up. Hagerty Classic
FREE CATALOG of sailmaking and
Marine Insurance Agency, Inc., P.O.
canvas fabric, hardware, and supplies.
Box 87, Traverse City, MI 49685.
SAILMAKER’S SUPPLY, toll free,
<www.hagerty.com>, e-mail <marine
877–374–SAIL. <www.sailmakers
@hagerty.com>, 1–800–762–2628.
supply.com>.
NEW AND USED SURPLUS SAILS—
custom sails. Furling packages. Discount
Sunbrella. Unbeatable guarantee! Cash
for sails. Sarasota, FL, <porpoise
sailing.com> or 1–800–507–0119.
SPARS
SMALL CRAFT SAILS: Aerodynamic
designs in white, cream, tanbark, and
Oceanus. Bermudan, gaff, gunter, lug,
sprit, etc. Stuart K. Hopkins, Box 235,
Wicomico Church, VA 22579. Ph/fax
804–580–8723. <www.dabblersails.
com>. FINELY CRAFTED wooden spars; hol-
low or solid. Any type of construction.
ELK SPARS, 577 Norway Drive, Bar
Harbor, ME, 04609, 207–288–9045.
TRADITIONAL WOODEN MASTS
and spars, solid or hollow. All shapes
and construction. Custom oars hand-
crafted in Sitka spruce or fir. BC,
250–743–3837, <www.classicyacht
services.com>.
September/October 2008 • 135
WBCLASS204_10_6.0R.xp 7/28/08 4:04 PM Page 136

CLASSIFIED

SHAW & TENNEY, Orono, Maine— TARRED HEMP MARLINE. Several

Traditionally handcrafted spruce masts styles; hanks, balls, spools. American
and spars since 1858. 1–800–240–4867, Rope & Tar, 1–877–965–1800 or
<www.shawandtenney.com>. <tarsmell.com>.

WOODEN BOAT CHANDLERY

SUPPLIES

PORT TOWNSEND
TRADITIONAL BOAT SUPPLIES for
traditional boatbuilding tools. Take a
look at <www.tradboats.com>.

NEW ONLINE STORE

West Coast’s wooden boat
resource for
• Bronze Hardware
• Traditional Line
• Tools & Knives
NO ODORS! NO THRU HULLS! NO • Fasteners & Bits
CANOE HARDWARE: 1⁄2", 11⁄16", 7⁄8" canoe • Books & Gifts
HOLDING TANKS! <www.airhead
tacks; 3⁄8" oval brass stembands; clench- www.woodenboat.org
toilet.com>, <wboat@airheadtoilet.
ing irons; 3⁄16" bronze carriage bolts; chandlery@woodenboat.org
com>, 740–392–3642, P.O. Box 5, Mt.
canoe plans; clear white cedar. Catalog (360) 385–3628 ext. 101
Vernon, OH 43050. Port Townsend, Washington
$1. NORTHWOODS CANOE CO., 336
Range Rd., Atkinson, ME 04426. Order,
HERRESHOFF AND HAVEN 12 1⁄2 and
phone 888–564–2710, fax 207–564–3667.
others. High-quality bronze blocks with
ball bearings, cleats, fairleads, and
more. Carefully machined and finished
by hand. See our display ad elsewhere
in the issue. J.M. Reineck & Son, MA,
781–925–3312.
Beautiful Varnish
Naturally Easy

American Rope & Tar

www.tarsmell.com
toll free: 1-877-965-1800

COPPER FASTENERS and riveting GENUINELY MARINE LED LIGHTS,

tools, Nor wegian and English boat made by Bebi Electronics. <www.bebi-
nails, roves/rivets, rose and flathead, electronics.com>, <sales@bebi-elec
clench, threaded, decoration, and tronics.com>. US Agent–R. Ford,
more. 50-plus sizes and types, 3⁄8" to 6'.
727–289–4992, <rogersf@bebi-elec
Your leading source since 1987. FAER- tronics.com>. BRONZE WINGTIP NAVIGATION
ING DESIGN, Dept. W, P.O. Box 322,
lights with glass globes. Top and side
East Middlebury, VT 05740, 1–800–
mount, stern, and steaming. For full-
505–8692, <faering@together.net>,
line catalog of this and our other prod-
<www.faeringdesigninc.com>.
ucts, contact: J.M. Reineck & Son, 9
Willow St., Hull, MA 02045, Ph.
STOCKHOLM TAR. Genuine kiln-
781–925–3312, fax 781–925–8984,
burnt pine tar. It’s the Real Stuff. STARS AND STRIPES PENNANTS.
<Jim@BronzeBlocks.com>.
American Rope & Tar, 1–877–965–1800 Authentic historical design exquisitely
or <tarsmell.com>. handcrafted in the most durable fab-
rics. 4', 6', 8' and 12' sizes in stock—
CLASSICBOATCONNECTION.COM— other sizes and designs by custom order.
Your one stop source for all your clas- Custom design and fabrication is our
sic boat restoration needs. Call specialty. Also in stock, all sizes U.S., state, SILICON BRONZE—Corrosion resis-
507–344–8024, or e-mail <mail@classic foreign, historical, marine, and deco- tant. Excellent for boat repair, keel,
boatconnection.com> for free catalog. rative flags, banners, pennants, and frames, ribs, and chainplates. Plate,
accessories. 77 Forest St., New Bedford, rod, bar. ATLAS METAL, Denver, CO,
MA 02740. 508–996–6006, <www.brewer 800–662–0143, <www.atlasmetal.com>.
banner.com>.

MODERN MANILA. New Leoflex-X.

The latest rope technology. Looks great,
works hard. American Rope & Tar,
1–877–965–1800 or <tarsmell.com>.
CANVAS FOR DECKS and canoes.
Natural, untreated. No. 10, 15 oz., 96",
$17.50/yard; 84", 14.50/yard, 72",
$12/ yard; 60", $9.50/yard. Minimum
12/24V CABIN FANS—Teak, cherry, five yards, prepaid only. FABRIC WORKS,
or mahogany with brass/stainless brack- 148 Pine St., Waltham, MA 02453,
ets. <www.marinecabinfans.com>. 781–642–8558.
SOFT COTTON FENDERS and clas-
sic knotwork. For catalog, send SASE
to: THE KNOTTED LINE, 9908 168th
Ave. N.E., Redmond, WA 98052-3122,
call 425–885–2457. <www.theknotted
line.com>.
TOOLS
CAULKING IRONS. Traditional, ham-
mer-forged irons of any size or pat-
tern. GENUINE FORGERY, 1126
Broadway, Hanover, MA 02339. Phone/
fax: 781–826–8931.

136 • WoodenBoat 204

WBCLASS204_10_6.0.xp 7/24/08
UNSCREW-UMS, BROKEN-SCREW
EXTRACTORS. Remove damaged fas-
tenings. Minimal damage to wood.
Hollow tool uses stub as guide. Sizes
to remove screws from No. 2 to No.
24, lags, nails, and drifts. T & L TOOLS,
<www.tltools.com>. CT, phone
860–464–9485, <unscrew-ums@tl
tools.com>, fax 860–464–9709.
PLANER-SCARFER ATTACHMENT.
Convert your Makita 1900B, 1912B
to easy-to-use 8:1 scarfer in minutes.
Cut 3⁄8" plywood with 3 1⁄4" planer; 1⁄2"
with 4 3⁄8" planer. Complete units
available. JOHN HENRY, INC., P.O.
Box 7473-WB, Spanish Fort, AL 36577.
251–626–2288. <information@john
henr yinc.com>, <www.johnhenr y
inc.com>.
FeatherBow R
FeatherBow $29.95
R
• Bow with 10 to 35 lb Gauge
• Traditional Featherboard
• Single Feather for
Light Work
Fits Standard
3/4” Miter Slot
Includes 5 Push Sticks
R
FeatherBow Jr. $17.95 Patented
& Made in USA
• 2 Bows to Hold Work Down
FeatherBow.com • (860) 209-5786
Build your own Strip Built Boat
VACATION
THE BROOKLIN INN, year-round
lodging and fine dining. Town center.
Organic menu, local ingredients. Deep
wine list. Winter getaway specials.
<www.brooklininn.com>. ME, 207–
359–2777.
GUEST SUITE IN BROOKLIN, MAINE. e-mail <beanest@telus.net>.
Private entry, deck, and bath. Continental
kitchen. Six miles from WoodenBoat SLOW-GROWING, OLD-GROWTH mill on your own. E-mail: <friend
School and town. Reasonable rates by white oak (Quercus alba), up to 50' long ship.kayak@yahoo.com>. Phone:
the night or week; spring, summer, and and 42" wide. Longleaf pine (Pinus 207–354–0511.
fall. 207–359–2718.
CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT, heart of American elm, and larch. NEW 8647, <d.j.west@ns.sympatico.ca>. Visit
Paris, available for short term rental. ENGLAND NAVAL TIMBERS, CT, our website, <www.westergardboat
<JTRoseParis@aol.com>.
4:59 PM Page 137
WANTED
WANTED: MAHOGANY INBOARD
runabouts 16–28’, any condition. Paying
fair prices. Will transport. Mitch LaPointe,
3824 Sunset Dr., Spring Park, MN
55384. 952–471–3300.
WANTED: CARVINGS OF WHALES
and half-hull models. NH, 603–964–
4738.
WOOD
BOAT-GRADE HEART CYPRESS,
Atlantic white cedar, live oak, heart
pine, Douglas fir, and Sitka spruce.
6,000 board feet thoroughly air-dried
heart Southern black cherry. Random
lengths, widths, and thicknesses avail-
able. BARBER LUMBER SALES, FL,
386–462–3772, cell 352–870–1614, fax
386–462–7037, <dbarber3@cox.net>.
PREMIUM SITKA SPRUCE aircraft,
mast, and spar grade. Old growth
Douglas fir, yellow cedar (cypress pine),
and red cedar. Custom milling to order.
Cold-molded veneer, strip-plank bead-
and-cove. Classic Yacht Ser vices,
250–743–3837, fax 250–733–2046,
NORTHERN WHITE CEDAR cove-
and-bead strips. Also whole boards to
pilustrus) out to 50' long. Old-growth
white pine, 22'–28'. Black locust, HACKAMATACK KNEES, NS, 902-648-
860–693–8425. yard.ca>.
TEAK, MAHOGANY, PADAUK, pur-
pleheart, white oak, teak decking.
Complete molding millwork facilities.
Marine plywood. Custom swim plat-
forms. SOUTH JERSEY LUMBER-
MAN’S INC., 6268 Holly St., Mays
Landing, NJ 08330. 609–965–1411.
<www.sjlumbermans.com>.
September/October 2008 • 137
CLASSIFIED
TEAK LUMBER AND DECKING. Large
selection to fit your budget. Excellent
pricing on 3⁄8" x 11⁄2" decking. New World
Teak. CA, 805–901–5333, <new
worldteak.com>.
ATLANTIC AND NORTHERN WHITE
CEDAR, flitch-sawn, boat planking,
special orders. Long lengths, wide boards,
premium quality, fair prices. CT,
203–245–1781. <www.whitecedar.com>.
BURMESE TEAK VENEER. Very large
selection, .060 thick, various widths,
100" lengths in 16-piece flitch bundles.
Bandsawn in Germany, 1975. WI,
920–559–9585.
BOAT-QUALITY FLITCH-SAWN, 4⁄4, 5⁄4,
and 6⁄4 Vermont white cedar. Peter
Kitonis, Box 5, Elmore, VT 05657,
802–888–4807.
FLORIDA, 50+ SPECIES, domestics,
exotics. Retail, great sizes, selection.
Quality inventory. ALVA HARDWOODS,
FL, 239–728–2484, 1–888–894–6229.
BOULTER PLYWOOD—marine ply-
wood 4'  8' to 16', 5'  10' to 20' —1⁄8"
to 1" okoume, sapele, meranti, teak,
ash, khaya, teak and holly, teak and
rubber. Lumber—Sitka spruce, teak,
mahogany, green oak, ash, cypress, fir,
Spanish and red cedar, teak decking—
lengths up to 20'. Milling ser vices.
Nationwide deliver y. <www.boulter
plywood.com>, 888–4BOULTER.
MISCELLANEOUS
THE WEB’S LARGEST selection of
fossil ivory marlinespike knives—all
hand-etched with your favorite boat
and name. Personalized wine openers,
goblets, 14kt nautical jewelry, regis-
tered scrimshawed whale’s teeth. Find
your perfect nautical gift on our exten-
sive web site, or call for catalog! Rated
“TOP SERVICE” by Yahoo!
WBCLASS204_10_6.0.xp 7/24/08 4:14 PM
CLASSIFIED
BOATS FOR SALE
1930, 26' CHRIS-CRAFT Triple Cockpit.
Visit <ClassicBoat.com> to see our cur-
rent inventory, 1930s to 1950s, 16'–30'.
All at one location. We deliver.
952–471–3300, <www.classicboat.com>.
65' CLASSIC WORKBOAT, 1939, heavy-
built ex-trawler. Would make excellent
conversion. GMC 12-71, 12-kW gen-
erator, full electronics. $112,000. CA,
707–964–5423, <ancona@mcn.org>.
H-55 HERRESHOFF MARCO POLO.
Mahogany, oak, Sitka, teak, bronze. 14
knots, 6,000-mile diesel range. $215,000
or best offer. CT, 860–434–9414.
138 • WoodenBoat 204
Page 138
1990, 30' ALDEN/FENWICK WILLIAMS
CB YAWL. Built by David Montgomery.
See WB No. 105, page 110. Owner retir-
ing. $29,900. Brown’s Yacht Yard, MA,
978–281–3200.
42', 1956 MATTHEWS MARTINIQUE
Express Cruiser. One of two in exis-
tence. Extensive repair/restoration,
2001–2003. Original 331 Chrysler Hemis
(2), completely rebuilt. New teak decks,
cockpit, dinette upholstery, and VacuFlush
head. All original hardware and instru-
mentation rechromed. Sleeps four.
Located in Sandusky, OH. $50,000,
offers. For additional information, call:
330–482–1607 or 330–719–7785.
INTERNATIONAL 500 SLOOP, Robert
Henry design, built 1959 by DeDood,
Bremen, Germany. 31' 3" LOA, 23'
6" LWL, 11,500 lbs. Mahogany over
oak. Sleeps four in two cabins with
private head. Volvo 13-hp MD7A diesel.
Sweet-sailing, fast boat, great family
cruiser or classic racer. Hull in good
condition, cabin trunk needs work.
Out of water for five years. $6,000. ME,
<stephensbtlmk@verizon.net> or
207–374–2983.
THIS IS A SUPER-CLEAN BOAT, com- 239–334–4638, <guitreal@excite.com>.
pletely restored to all original with
some of the modern conveniences!
This 1936, 28' triple cockpit GarWood
features a monster V12 Scripps 903-
cubic-inch engine, in itself a showpiece.
WEST System bottom, electronic igni-
tion, and a few other features ensure
that this boat is as fun to use as it is to
look at. This is a rare opportunity to own 28' MONTEREY, built 1938 at Fisherman’s “RACHEL B. JACKSON,” 52' LOD,
a piece of history. Located San Diego, Wharf, San Francisco. Port Orford Maine built 1982 to sail around the
CA. Available for inspection. Call cedar on oak, fir decks. Repowered world. USCG-certified 30 passengers.
619–954–5353 for appointment, or e- 2006 with 50-hp Westerbeke diesel. Southwest Harbor, ME. Owners retir-
mail <todd@marinegroupbw.com> for Full covers. $8,800. Stockton, CA, ing. $295,000 <www.downeastsail.com>,
photos.
17' WITTHOLZ CATBOAT with trailer 30' MACKENZIE CUTTYHUNK bass-
boat, 1971. Excellent condition, pro-
and outboard engine. In excellent con-
dition. $9,000. Located Brooklin, ME.
NJ, 201–569–3787 or 201–568–1441.
fessionally maintained. Twin
freshwater-cooled Crusaders with less
than 300 hours after total rebuild. Full
26' MOTORSAILER “Nordsø”. Featured electronics, trunk cabin. Motivated
in WoodenBoat No. 74. New Westerbeke seller. $36,000. MA, 978–448–6796.
diesel. Includes Shellback sailing
dinghy. Both are in beautiful condi-
tion. $40,000. WA, 360–200–3544,
<esor.nairb@yahoo.com>.
1964, 30' BAYHEAD SKIFF. Rare, sur-
veyed 2003. Twin 426 Chrysler wedges.
Located in Sandusky, OH. “Erie Spray”
runs and looks great. Asking $45,000
for this classic head-turner. View this
boat at <http://www.ablboats.com
/details.asp?ListingID=80642>.
330–352–0978 or 330–296–4222.
“TIGRESS,” 1997 LYLE HESS Bristol
Channel Cutter 30. Honduras mahogany
on white oak. Sistership to Lin and
Larry Pardey’s “Taleisin,” exceptional
modernized version. $135,000. Monterey,
CA. View on the Web at <www.watson
villedentalclinic.com>, 831–254–7001.
59', 1965 ROYAL LOWELL Trawler.
Completely rebuilt. Equipped for
extended cruising and comfortable
liveaboard. Must be seen to be appre-
ciated. 732–899–8010.
36' CRUISING LOBSTERBOAT built
by Heisler & Son in 2000. Freshwater
boat. Epoxy-saturated pine on oak
39' ALDEN KETCH “Abigail.” frames. Teak decks and caprail. Mahogany,
Comfortable interior, great sailing boat, teak, holly interior. 140-hp diesel (400
major upgrades every year. Must see! hours), 8-kW gen, air, radar, GPS,
VHF, Loran, GPS, radar, main, staysail $159,500. MI, 906–484–4081. <rob
three years old. Call for more details, smith9@earthlink.net>.
you won’t be sorry. $115,000, all rea-
sonable offers considered. ME, 21' GAFF-RIGGED auxiliary sloop,
207–266–1667, <jibtopsail@gmail.com>. cedar on oak, 1987. Alden/Fenwick
Williams design, 6.5-hp Yanmar diesel.
1982 HERRESHOFF CAT-KETCH— $19,000. MA, 617–876–0071.
Cold-molded mahogany 31-footer, with
unstayed carbon fiber masts. 18-hp
Yanmar new in 1999, low hours. Well
maintained, much recent work. Fast,
beautiful, and easy to sail. $20,000. FL,
626–441–9004. 207–288–2216.
WBCLASS204_10_6.0.xp 7/24/08 5:15 PM Page 139

CLASSIFIED

29' NORWALK ISLANDS SHARPIE,

partially built. Out of time and money.
$3,500. <www.dillon-racing.com/nis29>.
MN, 218–682–2075.

52' LONG-RANGE TRAWLER, cus-

1968 BROWNELL 33. Excellent con-
dition. No leaks. Maintained by a pro-
fessional yachtsman. Vessel has had
two major refits. She is the epitome of
New England boatbuilding. Currently
winterized and hauled. Located in
Mattapoisett, MA. Huge price reduc-
tion, $68,000. Call Tina at Fairhaven
Shipyard, 508–999–1600, or my cell,
505–217–4458.
2008, STRIP-BUILT NS14. 14' varnished
planing sailboat. Karavan trailer. Ready
to sail. $2,900. Nashua, NH. Details at
<thomasstearns@comcast.net>.
“GREY EAGLE” IS A 22' RUN-
ABOUT/picnic launch built in
Marblehead in the early 1970s. She has
a subtly beautiful shape—a slightly
flared bow that transitions into con-
vex stern sections; bottom is a mod-
erate V. Her batten-seam construction
is executed in the finest materials: the
entire framework—keel, frames, seam Finished spring 2007. <sailbotr@earth aluminum trailer and all gear. Lovingly
battens, transom, and stem—are of link.net>, SC, 843–838–9708.
teak. Planking is Port Orford Cedar,
and deck beams and planking are of
teak. All fastenings are bronze. 170-hp
Mercruiser. Dual-axle trailer included.
$12,500. 207–359–4651; <matt@wooden
boat.com>. Penobscot, ME. Photos at
<www.woodenboats4sale.com>.
tom-built 1966, Maine. Mahogany on
oak, bronze fastened. Extremely reli-
able single 130-hp Perkins diesel engine,
with auxiliary engine belted to shaft.
OLDER COUPLE MUST SELL beau- Paravane stabilizers. 700-sq-ft sail.
tifully maintained, German-built 38'
Comfortable liveaboard. Accomodations
Rhodes sloop. Mahogany/oak, Volvo for seven. Recent survey and refit com-
diesel. $50,000. Contact John Weeks,
pleted. She is well-built, well-main-
NY, 518–563–2049. tained, and well-loved. $165,000. NY,
916–205–5877.
34' ALDEN YAWL, 1928. Built by Blaisdell
Boatyard, ME, and featured in Allan
Vaitses’ book Covering Wooden Boats with
Fiberglass. Partially restored and in sail-
ing condition with new sails, new
bowsprit, new standing and running
rigging, varnished spars and a good
Volvo engine. Interior incomplete.
$29,000. Located in Deltaville, VA. Call
Jonathan at 804–776–7575.
THE WEST POINT SKIFF, a newly built
16-footer “Sweet Sixteen.” Traditional
construction with white pine and oak,
silicon bronze throughout. Ready for
the water. $16,500. Other models avail-
able, see ad in WoodenBoat magazine’s
BoatBuilders section. ME, 207–389–2468,
CUSTOM 24 TRAWLER, new, 3-cyl, <www.westpointskiff.com>. 1912, 20' SUNFLOWER FANTAIL
25-hp diesel with less than 20 hours. LAUNCH. Totally restored, original
Mahogany plywood construction through- 22' PULSIFER-HAMPTON, built 2000. Elco electric power. Located Minocqua,
out. Sleeps three, head, galley, etc. Three-cyl. Yanmar, 404 hours. With WI. $36,000. 715–845–7727.
maintained by knowledgeable owner.
$39,000. NY, 516–297–8861.

1998, 61' STORY SHIPYARD custom

28' RALPH–STANLEY BUILT, cen-
terboard schooner, 1983. Stored and
maintained by Ralph Stanley. Magnificent
condition. NY, 718–768–2413.
1926, 42' ELCO FLATTOP. Hull rebuilt
1998. Located Myrtle Beach, SC. $45,000
or best offer. Call 843–458–3042.
cold-molded motorsailer. Over $900,000
to build in 1998. Located in Palm Beach.
March 2008 survey available. 2' 6" draft,
1939 CHRIS-CRAFT double-cabin twin 75-hp Cummins diesels with 12
cruiser. Completely restored. Winner hours, Northern Lights generator with
numerous ACBS shows including Best 400 hours, Hood roller furlers, water-
Cruiser, Antique Boat Museum, Clayton, 2001 HAVEN 12 1 maker, beautiful varnish. Receipts for
⁄2. Cedar on oak frame,
NY. $49,000. Specifications and pho- $88,000 from Palm Beach Yacht Services,
gaff-rigged, bronze hardware, with
tos, <grumpygadfly@aol.com>. Ed Inc., 3/2008 for motors and new cop-
trailer. Very good condition, garaged
Gallagher, Newburgh, NY, 845–565–0855. per bottom and varnish. Price reduced
since 2003. $25,000. Eastern Shore,
MD, 410–778–0877 or <c-engstrom@ from $440,000 to $399,000. Change of
SIMMONS 18' SKIFF, hull built at plans necessitates sale. Owner financ-
verizon.net>.
WoodenBoat School under tutelage ing possible for qualified buyer. Trades
of the late Ellis Rowe, now for sale— considered. Phone owner direct,
and ready for completion, as described 508–241–9955.
in three-part article by Ellis in WoodenBoat.
Firm price of $1,500 includes set of
plans and some high-quality marine
plywood. Available for inspection on
Deer Isle, ME. Contact me at 207–
348–2588 or via <bill.shaw@rcn.com>.

20' 6" CROSBY CATBOAT, cypress on 1963 CHRIS-CRAFT Constellation, 30'.

oak, cedar cabin, silicon-bronze fas-
tenings, spruce spars, 2GM20F Yanmar
diesel. Built 1982 from lines taken from
original Crosby Catboat “Dolphin.” On
mooring in Newburyport. MA. $12,900.
Steve at 978–462–5650 or <oz451@com
cast.net>.
Completely refurbished, hard top, new
carpet, upholstery canvas, all hardware
rechromed. Swim platform. Bottom
inspected and painted, 2008. Twin 185-
hp marine engines. Covered and well
maintained. Ready to cruise. $25,000.
TN, 423–894–2698.
“JUDY ” 1947, 26' Sparkman & Stephens
sloop, Knudsen–built. 100% restored/
rebuilt 1997, never launched. Cedar
on oak, mahogany house and trim, all
original hardware. Amazingly fast and
stunningly beautiful. Offered as new,
$89,000. NY, 516–297–8861.
52' MALAHIDE PH TRAWLER, 1968.
Oversized, massive construction, struc-
turally sound. Cosmetically first class.
Reliable Rolls Royce 150-hp diesel.
$89,000. Gray & Gray, Inc., ME,
207–363–7997.

September/October 2008 • 139

WBCLASS204_10_6.0R.xp 7/28/08 4:04 PM
CLASSIFIED
1941, 22 SQUARE METER. 41' Knud
HAVEN 121⁄2. Gaff-rigged, oak frames,
Reimers design, extensively rebuilt,
cedar planking, built last year. Used
very good condition both structurally
once. Bronze hardware by Jim Reineck.
and cosmetically. She is beautiful and
$18,000. Long Island, NY, 516–221–5699.
fun to sail. $49,000. 414-305-2541.
“RED ZINGER” is for sale. A 25' cat-yawl
described in Bolger’s Boats with an Open
Mind, Zinger is a great sailing boat.
Includes Yamaha 9.9 four-stroke with
low hours, heavy-duty flatbed trailer.
Topsides recently professionally painted.
$7,000. ME, 207–326–0663, <green
dolphinsby@roadrunner.com>.
L. FRANCIS HERRESHOFF–designed
41' yawl. Racer/cruiser. Full keel with
centerboard. Built in Mallorca, Spain.
Mahogany planks on hardwood frames.
“Mele Makani” presents the beautiful
lines, performance, build quality, and
interesting design details of a custom
Herreshoff design. She has an excit-
ing racing and cruising history. This
history and her build are documented.
Currently, in refurbishment—approx-
imately 65% complete. All the neces-
sary hull planking and frame repair
and replacement has been completed.
Additionally, the hull has been stripped,
treated, and repainted from the water-
line down. She is sound and in the
water at this time. Asking price has not
yet been determined. Offers that include
plans and ability to complete “Mele
Makani” will be given consideration.
For images and other additional infor-
mation, please e-mail a request to
<mcclewis@garlic.com>.
52' JOHN ALDEN MALABAR VI
Schooner “Liberty,” 1924. Classic, his-
torically significant, manageable main-
tenance, numerous sail combinations.
Powerful and fast; beautiful. Requesting
$180,000 USD, serious offers considered.
Contact: Robin Clair Pitts, St. John,
VI. Website: <http://www.coralbay
stjohn.com/Liberty.htm>. Telephone:
340–779–4994, fax: 340–776–6136,
e-mail: <randfpitts@yahoo.com>.
140 • WoodenBoat 204
Page 140
1958/59 CROSBY one-of-a-kind 40'
cruiser. 11⁄4" teak decks, double-planked
hull, flying bridge, twin 4-71 Detroit
aluminum block engines. Great boat
to restore. Asking $13,500. Call MA,
508–758–2222.
48' MONK CLASSIC, 1947. Twin diesels,
3 gal/hr at 7 knots, new electronics,
many recent upgrades, excellent live-
aboard. Vancouver location, <www.mv
nirvana.com>.
41' CARROLL LOWELL FB cruiser,
1991. A most handsome “Downeast”
cruiser, well regarded by Peter Kass.
Single Cat 435-hp diesel. Cruises eas-
ily at 12–15 knots. $248,000. Gray &
Gray, Inc., ME, 207–363–7997. SWEDISH-BUILT 36' YAWL, 1962.
New engine, recent teak deck, top con-
1958, 48'  15' CHRIS-CRAFT Bullnose dition throughout. See <www.classic
Constellation. Boat in OK condition, yawlforsale.com>. Phone NY, 631–
in water, engines run. Excellent live- 477–8153.
aboard. Asking $25,000. AR, 501–258–3877.
1938, 25' SLOOP. Blanchard built, Ben
Seaborn designed. Great daysailer or
camper. Award winner. Great shape.
Very nicely detailed. Yanmar inboard.
1928 HERBERT CROSBY 21' by 10'
Three-year-old sails. WA, 206–328–2768. 1956, 27' SHEPHERD HARDTOP, twin
catboat “Rugosa.” Cypress/cedar on
hemis. $119,000 offers. This rare
oak. Freshwater-cooled Atomic Four. Very
CLASSIC 68' WOOD HALIBUT Shepherd just out of major restora-
good condition. 2003 survey available.
SCHOONER, 1928. 343 Cat diesel, lots tion. The quality of workmanship and
$20,000. ME, <jthbrooklin@verizon.
of new wood, planks, breakbeam, deck- attention to detail is superb. Complete
net> or 207–359–5039.
ing. All-new wheelhouse and transom, specs and CD available. Contact Jim
lots of larch and purpleheart. Boat is St. Julien, e-mail: <CAPTSHEPSL
60% ready to go. Will take best offer 9@aol.com>, toll-free cell: 877–255–7520.
or may be willing to donate to school,
Sea Scouts, etc., for tax deduction. CLASSIC 1968 EGG HARBOR 43' 6".
Vessel located in Port Townsend, WA. Flying-bridge motoryacht, great live-
Call Mitt, 206–465–4914 or Jim, aboard. Completely restored. Must see.
978–283–0222. Just reduced. $110,000. Offers con-
sidered. MD, 443–907–7090.
1939, 46' PALMER SCOTT CUTTER.
Pictures and more specs at <www. 1989 WARNER GAFF CUTTER, 33' 
gafia.com>. $39,000. VA, 540–209– 5'  9' 9". Old-growth fir on oak, bronze
3540. fastened. World-cruise ready. <svsea
wolfsale.blogspot.com>, $39,500. AZ, SKIPJACK “KATHRYN,” 1901 National
1963 LYMAN 21', 230 OMC engine. 520–241–0526. Historic Landmark. Own a piece of
New block, heads, and manifolds. Make Chesapeake Bay history. 50' length,
reasonable offer. MA, 781–767–5626. 20' beam, 68' mast. Dacron sails and
equipment. Naval architect drawings
available. In sound condition. $60,000.
MD, 410–886–2249, <www.Skipjack
Kathryn.com>.
PETER FREEBODY 1999, 30' Slipper
launch. Built in 1999 in Hurley-on-the-
Thames, England. A truly elegant boat,
from one of the world’s most respected
boatbuilders. The pinnacle of style and
quality. Leather seating, V6 engine,
bimini top, convertible rain top, and
42' CUSTOM PEDRICK, 1982. Cold- full boat cover. The boat has been
molded, classic beauty built in Newport 52' ELDREDGE-MCINNIS offshore
owned by The Center for Wooden trawler, 1978. Spacious three-cabin
by Frank McCaffery. Hood furling mast, Boats for more than two years. It’s
electric winches, complete refit 1999–2004. interior, ideal liveaboard and hand-
being sold to raise funds for our many some “Maine” vessel. Single 350-hp
Recent survey available. Lying Oyster programs. Images of the boat can be
Bay, NY. $129,000. <rfagiola@shear diesel. $145,000. Gray & Gray, Inc.,
found at <www.cwb.org>. <Patrick@ ME, 207–363–7997.
man.com>. cwb.org>, WA, 206–382–2628.
WBCLASS204_10_6.0R.xp 7/28/08 4:20 PM Page 141
30' ARNO DAY PICNIC BOAT, 1973. NELSON ZIMMER 21' utility launch
Cedar on oak, Nissan diesel, 7 knots, (WB No. 43), completed ‘06. Cold-
1 gph. Redecked 2000, okoume ply- molded, red cedar/Honduras mahogany
wood, rewired 2005. $15,000. FL, hull by Jespersen Boatyard, Sidney,
904–338–5812, <rkgfla@yahoo.com>. B.C. Beta Marine 2-cyl diesel with V-
drive. Cabin, deck, cockpit, finished
to a high standard. Custom stainless-
steel/chrome hardware. Two 6'-plus
berths. Custom tandem-axle trailer.
Located San Diego, CA. Can arrange
delivery. $49,500. 619–223–4351.
42' CUSTOM SLOOP, wood/epoxy,
wing decks, 15' beam, 7.5' draft, 30-
1941, 34' CHRIS-CRAFT deluxe sedan hp. $40,000. See <windwalker2.com>.
cr uiser. 90% restored. New tran- GA, 912–826–1497.
som/bottom refastened 2000. Repowered
2007 (twin 5.7 MerCruisers). Located 1958 DUNPHY LAPSTRAKE, 17', built
in Southport, NC. $47,500. <gcolby in Oshkosh, WI. Structurally very sound,
1@ec.rr.com>, 910–371–9315. needs restoration. MI, 269–963–3117.
FARRIER TRIMARAN 720. Fully
equipped. Mast, sails, hardware, trailer,
Needs work, $3,500, offers. NJ,
609–501–1569.
1954 SHEPHERD 24'. Recent work
16' SAILING WHITEHALL, John completed: 5200 bottom, replanked, re-
Gardner design, built 2006, Atlantic built 331 Hemi and hydraulic V-drive
Challenge. 5' 2" beam, 250-lbs. Lapstrake,transmission, new rigging. Includes
cedar, oak, mahogany, bronze fastened. new aluminum trailer with disc brakes.
Sprit-rig with jib. Oceanus sails. $9,500 Interior floor is new, just needs to have
with trailer or best offer. E-mail seat bases built and upholstery done.
<cjschott2@charter.net>. Located in Milwaukee, WI. Call Mark,
262–389–0535, or e-mail <custom
13.7' SUTHERLAND TROUT pulling boatservice@sbcglobal.net>.
boat, 1990, optional gunter tanbark
sail, carvel cypress on oak, coaming,
bright deck, three bench seats. Wineglass
transom, leeboard, bronze rudder.
Excellent condition. $5,000. NYC,
718–816–8752. <tina@blissdesign.com>,
<www.blissdesign.com/?q=node/13>.
1947 WILBER KETCHAM PICNIC
launch, 30'. Beam: 8' 10", draft: 23".
Built in Amityville, NY. “Claribel,” orig-
inally designed in 1928. The keel laid
in 1941, but due to lack of available
wood during the war, completion was
delayed until after WWII. The hull is
cedar on oak frames. She is powered
1937, 32' RICHARDSON CRUISABOUT, by the original 1947 Buda 6-cyl, 85-hp
Chrysler Crown engine, hull #3277, engine, in excellent, rebuilt condition.
completely refinished interior and exte- She was totally and professionally rebuilt
rior 2008, new canvas on decks, all sys- from stem to stern and relaunched in
tems new or rebuilt, immaculate 2005. The cockpit comfortably seats
condition. Located Ottawa County, 14 with built-in benches and cushions.
OH. $64,000. Dwight Davis, 419–684–
The cabin contains legal head, galley,
9804. berth, and storage. A custom canvas
enclosure was made to keep occupants
11' DINGHY designed by L. Francis dry in inclement weather. Located in
Herreshoff as dinghy for Marco Polo Milwaukee, WI. Call Mark, 262–389–
schooner. With sailing rig. RI, 0535, or e-mail <customboatservice@
401–245–3137. sbcglobal.net>.
CLASSIFIED
38' CROCKER KETCH “Seneca,” built
by Sturgis Crocker 1954. 4-cyl Wester-
beke, five very good sails, needs inte-
rior work otherwise very good condition.
$8,000, must sell. MD, 410–957–1011.
RARE 1946 CHRIS-CRAFT Sportsman
25'. Older bottom restoration. In 2007,
revarnished with 12 coats and all new
upholstery, 300-hp, 350 Chevy with
Paragon hydraulic transmission. Top end
of motor rebuilt in 2005. Matching cus-
tom waterline cover. Includes road-
worthy trailer. Located in Milwaukee,
WI. Call Mark, 262–389–0535, or e-
mail <customboatservice@sbcglobal.net>.
BLANCHARD 33 NUMBER 2. Boat is
in the water, much restoration done.
Located Seattle, WA, 425–260–3509.
22' CHRIS-CRAFT CUTLASS. Needs
work. Sitting outside for five years.
Located in Woolwich, ME, 207–442–
8885.
RANGELEY BOAT 1930s. Barrett-built
17' double-ender. Very rough shape.
Photos available. Call Steve at 413–648–
21' GAFF-RIGGED SLOOP, 1985. 9545 or e-mail <spower@verizon.net>.
Handcrafted, fiberglassed, marine ply-
wood. Totally refurbished, brand-new 1950, 20' HIGHLANDER CLASS SLOOP
8-hp Mercury outboard. Includes trailer. #128. Includes main, jib, and all rig-
Full sail and canvas complement. Recent ging. As is, with trailer. Needs new mast,
survey, lovely daysailer. $15,000. CA. some hull repair, refinishing. Located
Call 949–495–3264 or <carpaul@sbc Walker, MN, by Leech Lake. Contact
global.net>. <dskeie@umn.edu> or call Dave at
612–332–1979.
LIGHTNING #6884. Cedar and mahog-
any hull, rudder, and steel centerboard.
Stripped and stored indoors, ready for
complete restoration. Located in cen-
tral New Jersey. Pictures available <fran
drew@comcast.net>, 732–382–8844.
1936, 36' ALDEN YAWL rebuilt, Perkins
diesel. Ready to paint and commission.
Includes 51' spruce mast and rigging,
1957, 22' McDONNELL BASS BOAT,
full set of sails, plus heavy and light-
cedar planked, 150-hp Palmer fresh-
air genoas. Free to a good home. Boat
water-cooled, in water, excellent con-
in Boothbay, Barters Island, ME,
dition. $15,000. CT, 860–917–3722.
207–633–2647.
1958 DRAGON, built by Borresen’s,
Denmark. Mahogany hull, teak decks,
on tandem trailer. Cleveland, OH.
Needs restoration, primarily frame and
planking repair. Call 216–513–7315 or
e-mail <joseph.mansour@sbcglobal.net>
for pictures.
23' WOODEN GARVEY WORKBOAT.
Hull sound. 4-cyl Chevy truck engine.
1992, 23' FANTAIL LAUNCH “Rose- Trailer. Located Gloucester, MA. <mont
gomerydhm@aol.com>.
bud.” Teak cockpit, deck, cabinetry,
seats, cushions new 2007. Anchor lights,
1946, 32' LOA, 5' draft, about 9' beam.
running lights, lighted compass, bilge
Unique. One of two sisters, built in La
pump, horn, bell, all working. Anchor,
Rochelle, France. Copper-riveted iroko
rode and line, eight life vests, swim
planking on oak frames. Laid teak deck.
platform, cockpit and full boat covers,
Oak keel, iron ballast. Needs work and
highway trailer. Westerbeke 12 ⁄2-hp
1
love. You take away. 207–326–9046.
engine, burns 1 quart/hour. MI,
<paulww@verizon.net>.
$28,000. Ted Lanham, 231–228–6205,
<lanham2@earthlink.net>.
September/October 2008 • 141
WBCLASS204_10_6.0.xp 7/24/08 4:15 PM Page 142

CLASSIFIED

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excluding @ and .com. WoodenBoat does not use abbreviations such as OBO, FWC, etc. Please spell out  Boats advertised for sale must
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WOODENBOAT CLASSIFIEDS
41 WoodenBoat Lane • P.O. Box 78 • Brooklin, Maine 04616
Phone: 207–359–4651 Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 4 pm Fax: 207–359–8920
Email: classified@woodenboat.com
Place your ad online at www.woodenboat.com
Rates expire November 5, 2008

142 • WoodenBoat 204

WB204_AdIndex.xp 7/24/08 10:57 AM Page 143
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
ADHESIVES & COATINGS
Brava srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rylard.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
C Tech Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bristolfinish.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Epifanes North America . . . . . . . . . . .www.epifanes.com . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover II
Interlux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.yachtpaint.com . . . . . . . . .Cover IV
Star 10, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.starten.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
System Three Resins, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .www.systemthree.com . . . . .Cover III, 37
West System, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.westsystem.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
BOATBUILDERS
Adirondack Guide Boat . . . . . . . . . . . .www.adirondack-guide-boat.com . . . . .122
Annapolis Classic Watercraft . . . . . . . .www.uncommonboats.com . . . . . . . . .124
Arey’s Pond Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.areyspondboatyard.com . . . . . . . .125
Beetle, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.beetlecat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Billings Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Boothbay Harbor Shipyard . . . . . . . . .www.bbhshipyard.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Cayuga Wooden Boatworks . . . . . . . . .www.cwbw.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Choptank Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.choptankboatworks.com . . . . . . .123
Crocker’s Boat Yard, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .www.crockersboatyard.com . . . . . . . . .120
Cutts & Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cuttsandcase.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Damian McLaughlin, Jr. Corp. . . . . . . .www.dmcboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Downeast Peapods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.downeastpeapods.com . . . . . . . . .121
Dutch Wharf Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dutchwharf.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Edgecomb Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
French & Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.frenchwebb.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Gage Marine Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gageboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Gannon & Benjamin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gannonandbenjamin.com . . . . . .120
Great Lakes Boat Building Co. . . . . . . .www.greatwoodboats.com . . . . . . . . . .124
Guillemot Kayaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.kayakplans.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Hall’s Boat Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hallsmarina.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Haven Boatworks, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .www.havenboatworks.com . . . . . . . . . .124
Laughing Loon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.laughingloon.com . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Moores Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatrepair.com . . . . . . . .120
MP&G, L.L.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Nichols Boatbuilder, LLC . . . . . . . . . .www.westpointskiff.com . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Pease Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.peaseboatworks.com . . . . . . . . . .116
Pendleton Yacht Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pendletonyachtyard.com . . . . . . .125
Portage Boat Works LLC . . . . . . . . . . .www.portageboatworks.com . . . . . . . . .125
Ralph W. Stanley, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ralphstanleyboats.com . . . . . . . . .125
Richard S. Pulsifer, Boatbuilder . . . . . .www.pulsiferhampton.com . . . . . . . . .125
Rockport Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rockportmarine.com . . . . . . . . . .123
Ron Rantilla Rowing Systems . . . . . . . .www.frontrower.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Rumery’s Boat Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rumerys.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Samoset Boatworks, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .www.samosetboatworks.com . . . . . . . .122
Sea Island Boat Builders LLC . . . . . . . .www.seaislandboatworks.com . . . . . . . .118
Seal Cove Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sealcoveboatyard.com . . . . . . . . .125
Shearwater Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.shearwater-boats.com . . . . . . . . . .122
Six River Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sixrivermarine.com . . . . . . . . . . .121
Tennessee River/
Phil Mitchell Boatbuilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Traditional Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . .www.traditionalboatworks.net1 . . . . . .120
Tribute Performance Boats . . . . . . . . .www.tributeboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Van Dam Wood Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.vandamboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Ventura Historic Ships . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wood-boat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Wooden Boat Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatshopinc.com . . . . . . .124
Zimmerman Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.zimmermanmarine.com . . . . . . .119
BROKERS
Antique Boat Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.antiqueboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Brooklin Boat Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.brooklinboatyard.com . . . . . . . . .112
Cannell, Payne & Page Yacht Brokers .www.cppyacht.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Concordia Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.concordiaboats.com . . . . . . . . . . .114
David Jones Yacht Broker . . . . . . . . . . .www.davidjonesclassics.com . . . . . . . . .114
Dodson Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dodsonboatyard.com . . . . . . . . . .114
Kingman Yacht Center . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.kingmanyachtcenter.com . . . . . . .115
Metinic Yacht Brokers . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.yachtworld.com/metinic . . . . . . .115
S/V Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.coralbaystjohn.com/liberty.htm .115
Sandeman Yacht Company . . . . . . . . .www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk . .114
Sierra Boat Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sierraboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Watch Hill Yacht Services . . . . . . . . . . .www.watchhillyachts.com . . . . . . . . . . .114
Wooden Boats For Sale Online . . . . . .www.woodenboats4sale.com . . . . . . . . .39
EVENTS
Family Boatbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.familyboatbuilding.com . . . . . . . . .38
14th Annual Maine
Windjammer Weekend . . . . . . . . . . .www.windjammerweekend.com . . . . . .104
National Boatbuilding Challenge . . . .www.nationalboatbuilding.com . . . . . . .39
Newport International Boat Show . . . .www.newportboatshow.com . . . . . . . . . . .9
United States Yacht Shows, Inc. . . . . . .ww w.usboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
32nd Wooden Boat Festival . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
WoodenBoat Design Contest . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
WoodenBoat Regatta Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
WoodenBoat Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
HARDWARE & ACCESSORIES
Atlas Metal Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.atlasmetal.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Barkley Sound Oar & Paddle Ltd. . . . .www.barkleysoundoar.com . . . . . . . . . . .37
ccfasteners.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ccfasteners.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Hamilton Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hamiltonmarine.com . . . . . . . . . . .26
Harken Yacht Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.harken.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
J.M. Reineck & Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bronzeblocks.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Jamestown Distributors . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jamestowndistributors.com . . . . . .36
R&W Traditional Rigging &
Outfitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rwrope.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Shaw & Tenney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.shawandtenney.com . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Trident Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tridentmarine.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
KITS & PLANS
Arch Davis Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.archdavisdesigns.com . . . . . . . . . .131
Benford Design Group . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.benford.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Biscontini Boatworks, Inc./
James Craft Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jamescraftboats.com . . . . . . . . . . .129
Chesapeake Light Craft, LLC . . . . . . . .www.clcboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Clark Craft Boat Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.clarkcraft.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Dudley Dix Yacht Design . . . . . . . . . . .www.dixdesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Glen-L-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.glen-l.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Jordan Wood Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jordanwoodboats.com . . . . . . . . .128
The Newfound Woodworks Inc. . . . . .www.newfound.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Noah’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.noahsmarine.com . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Nutshell Pram/WoodenBoat Store . . .www.woodenboatstore.com . . . . . . . . .130
Parker Marine Enterprises . . . . . . . . . .www.parker-marine.com . . . . . . . . . . .128
Pygmy Kayak Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pygmyboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Redfish Custom Kayak & Canoe Co. . .www.redfishkayak.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Waters Dancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.watersdancing.com . . . . . . . . . . .130
Wayland Marine, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.merrywherry.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
LUMBER
Hardwood To Go, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hardwoodtogo.com . . . . . . . . . . . .34
MUSEUMS
Penobscot Marine Museum . . . . . . . . .www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org . . .104
PRINTS & PUBLICATIONS
Calendar of Wooden Boats . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatstore.com . . . . . . . . . .20
Getting Started In Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Tiller Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tillerbooks.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Wood, Wind & Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.annetconverse.com . . . . . . . . . . . .35
WoodenBoat E-Newsletter . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
WoodenBoat Subscription . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
SAILS
Doyle Sailmakers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.doylesails.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
E.S. Bohndell & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Gambell & Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gambellandhunter.net . . . . . . . . .107
Nathaniel S. Wilson, Sailmaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
North Sails Cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.northsails.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Sailrite Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sailrite.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
SCHOOLS & ASSOCIATIONS
American Schooner Association . . . . .www.amschooner.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Antique & Classic Boat Society . . . . . . .www.acbs.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Atlantic Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.atlanticchallenge.com . . . . . . . . . . .8
Bates Technical College . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bates.ctc.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Center for Wooden Boats . . . . . . . . . . .www.cwb.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Great Lakes Boat Building School . . . .www.greatlakesboatbuilding.org . . . . .106
HCC METC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .honolulu.hawaii.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
International Yacht
Restoration School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.iyrs.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The Landing School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.landingschool.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Maine Island Trail Association . . . . . . .www.mita.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Northwest School of
Wooden Boatbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nwboatschool.org . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Sail & Life Training Society . . . . . . . . .www.saltsociety.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Traditional Small Craft Assn. . . . . . . . .www.tsca.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Westlawn Institute of
Marine Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.westlawn.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
WoodenBoat School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
MISCELLANEOUS
Downeast Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.downeastproperties.com . . . . . . . .23
Hagerty Marine Insurance . . . . . . . . . .www.hagertymarine.com . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Half-Hull Classics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.halfhull.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Heritage Marine Insurance . . . . . . . . .www.heritagemarineinsurance.com . . .105
Maine Built Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.mainebuiltboats.com . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Pusser’s West Indies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pussers.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
WoodenBoat Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.woodenboatstore.com . . . . . . . .96-98
September/October 2008 • 143
SAC204_05.QXD 7/21/08 11:07 AM Page 144

SAVE A CLASSIC

GREY DAWN LOA

GREY DAWN
Particulars
38' 0"

A Robb-designed LWL
Beam
Draft
27' 6"
10' 3"
4' 0"

keel-centerboarder Sail Area

Displacement
Power
676 sq ft
18,000 lbs
22-hp Yanmar diesel
Official No. 514326
Designed by Arthur C. Robb
Built by R & W Clark, Isle of Wight,
England

SHARON THONER (LEFT)/MAY NARD BRAY (RIGHT)

GREY DAWN is a CCA-era yawl designed by Arthur Robb and built by R & W Clark of England. She's been out of the water
for several years, and seeks a new owner who'll put her back in commission.

by Maynard Bray

T he handicap measurement rule devised by the Cruising

Club of America (CCA) reigned far and wide during the
1950s and ’60s and influenced what combination racing/
cruising sailboats looked like. Yawls of that era were favored
over sloops, and after FINISTERRE demonstrated a keel-
centerboarder’s advantage by winning the Bermuda Race
three times in a row, those shallow-draft buxom ladies became
the boats to have if you wanted to win. Keel-centerboard
yawls were sensible designs besides being competitive in
their day and have for that reason endured despite dra-
matic changes in rating rules and styles. GREY DAWN,
although English, not American, in origin, clearly shows
CCA influence.
Cruising in the thin waters of the Bahamas and
Chesapeake Bay gives this craft a distinct advantage because,
with the board up, she draws only four feet. She’s wide, but
not excessively so. You get decent performance, yet an ample
interior. A yawl I think is the best rig for a boat of this size and
type since you have more control and more sail-shortening
options than in a sloop. As for seagoing ability, GREY DAWN
has pretty much proven her prowess with three Atlantic
crossings, along with extensive cruising in the Mediterranean
and the Bahamas to her credit.
Her present structural condition I can’t vouch for except
to say that she hasn’t been pulled apart, so could be launched
and used without a great deal of work. A cursory 2002 sur-
vey pronounced her “average.” Equipment abounds,
although none of it is brand new. Sails are usable (with roller-
furling jib and roller-reefing main), rig is fine, spars are
good, engine looks good, there’s an autopilot, electric cap-
stan, propane cooking stove with oven, a propane cabin
heater, radar, GPS, etc. The aft end of her teak cockpit sole
has collapsed, but this looks to me like a local problem. Her
fiberglass-over-plywood deck looks strong and tight. From
what I could see inside her dark storage shed and from what
I remember when she was last in commission a couple of
years ago, GREY DAWN could use an overall cosmetic
upgrade, outside especially. Inside, she’s good enough to
move aboard and live in comfort.
For more information or to inspect GREY DAWN, which is located
in Sedgwick, Maine, contact owner Steve Thoner at The Granite Shop
(also in Sedgwick): phone 207–359–8595 or by e-mail <stoneit@
hughes.net>.
Maynard Bray is WoodenBoat’s technical editor.
Send candidates for “Save a Classic” to Maynard Bray, WoodenBoat,
P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616.

144 • WoodenBoat 204

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