The days are getting longer, the record setting snow has melted, the ospreys have returned to Chesapeake country. Spring cannot be far behind. Area shops report a busy winter and anticipate a busier spring.
Rob Hardy of Composite Yacht in Trappe, MD, reports a busy winter and early spring. “Hard tops and pipework continue to do well for us, and the paint booth stays booked. The most recent top we’ve done is about 300 square feet and features custom-made retractable sliding hatches. We have several builds under way and are also working on several repowers and spruce ups. One example being a Mabry 40 that is in for paint and a mahogany transom overlay. The tooling on the new CY32 is still slowly moving forward, and we hope to be close to having a hull mold by the time this issue is on the street.”
Dave Hannam with Classic Watercraft Restoration in Annapolis reports that he has been moving forward with the 1947 Chris-Craft U-22’s interior and fitting out all the system upgrades before installing the new sole and plans to drop the original “flag ship” back in. “The custom build DV8 2XS, the 16-foot Garwood, is in the last stages of completion, and all systems have been installed and tested. Once all the bling-bling hardware has been reinstalled, this baby is headed over to the upholstery shop for custom racing seats and a full cover for its christening in upstate New York later this summer. We have two boats lined up on the schedule: a custom built 17-foot woody from Western Ohio and another Chris-Craft coming up from Alexandria, VA, as sanding and varnishing continues getting some repeats ready for spring launch.”
The boatshop at the Patuxent Small Craft Guild at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD, is making good progress on the Smith Island Crab Scrape. The open skiff features low freeboard, a broad beam, and flat bottom that will be paired with an inboard electric motor in a departure from the original workboats with their internal combustion engines. The construction of the bottom and sides will not be planks, but marine plywood. Interested parties can stop by the museum boat shop any Tuesday or Saturday when the volunteers are at work.
Forrester Boatworks in Suffolk, VA, is currently building a 17-foot custom skiff as a spec boat that will be available for sale in the spring. The boat will sport a teak transom, teak helm pod, teak step pad, and an awlgrip paint job. The boat will be powered with a 50 E-TEC Evenrude outboard and will come with an aluminum trailer. A custom 21-foot center console is in the plans for the summer.
From St. Michaels, MD, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum shipwright Joe Connor reports that staff and volunteers have been working to reconfigure the boatyard in preparation for the historic restoration of the nine-log bottom hull of the 1889 bugeye
Edna M. Lockwood, which is powered by sail and a push boat. Demolition of CBMM’s pole shed completes in March, with all machinery and materials having been moved into an adjacent wired container workshop.
Edna’s loblolly pine logs have been secured, thanks to a very generous donation by Paul M. Jones Lumber Co. of Snow Hill, MD. With acquisition costs of the logs generously underwritten by individual donors, the 52-foot pine logs will be trucked up to St. Michaels and later submerged in the Miles River for preservation until the restoration project begins later this year.
From Philadelphia, PA, Chad Brenner of Classic Restoration and Supply/Vintage Supply Craft Boats sends us this update. “A 2005 25-foot Chris-Craft Launch is getting a new paint job, bottom, detail, and all the teak redone. Also getting ready to re-plank a 1933 18-foot Chris-Craft. Some of the other winter projects include a Glastron GT 160 getting new gel coat, a 1933 Garwood undergoing a full restoration. Also a Chris-Craft holiday is being worked on for a late spring delivery.”
Meg Roney of Mathews Brothers Boatworks in Denton, MD, reports. “We’ll deliver the first of our storage customers’ boats in early March with a flood of boats to follow! Due to a record number of indoor storage customers this winter, we have secured more indoor storage space for next year, We’re planning to have a brokered Mathews 40 at the Bay Bridge Boat Show in April, so come take a look. By the time the biggest rush of the spring season is past, we’re hoping to be started on the next new boat build. And finally, since our Nautical Flea Markets did so well last fall, we will begin to hold them again mid-spring.
The Mast and Mallet crew in Mayo, MD, is busy with two fuel tank projects this winter. “A 28-foot Pacemaker’s original round galvanized tanks were removed after dissecting the decks. We pulled all hoses and wiring as necessary, cleaned the bilge of filth, and repainted most surfaces. The round tanks were replaced with rectangular aluminum tanks coated with epoxy… Another boat, a 28-foot flybridge Cape Dory, had its diesel fuel tanks replaced and increased the volume by 12 gallons. In addition, the water tanks, and hot water heater are being replaced. The whole engine is also receiving new Soundown insulation throughout. The fresh water system will receive a Whale system installation. Seacocks and valves will be serviced along with new fuel lines. Good rehab for both boats.”
Lauren Distefano of Bluewater Yacht Yards in Hampton, VA, says, “Our crew is currently working on outfitting a 41 Regulator with hull paint, custom boot stripes, and a transducer installation. Fabrication and installation of a rocket launcher with four rod holders and six clearing rod holders, and powder coating the entire aluminum hardtop structure will complete the job. We are also commissioning a brand new Sabre 48 to include outfitting with a new Garmin package and varnishing all of the vessel’s teak. The Potomac Riverboat Company has brought us two of its several water taxi vessels.
Miss Mallory, a 65-footer built in 2003, and
Matthew Hayes, also a 65-footer built in 1994, for some spring maintenance to include bottom paint and painting the exterior decks. On
Matthew Hayes we are removing the old generator and replacing it with a new one. One of our many upcoming projects will be a 56- foot Viking yacht Seakeeper installation, updated electronics, soda blasting the bottom, and an all-over paint job.”
Bruce Sanders of Rappahannock Yachts in Irvington, VA, reports that winter boat storage, repair orders, engine replacements, paint jobs, and restoration projects have increased dramatically for 2016 since Lancaster County repealed the personal property boat tax on boats weighing five tons or more. One of the more intriguing projects is the restoration of a 1966 Naugus Typhoon, hull #22, designed by Carl Alberg and built by Naugus Industries in Salem, MA, prior to Cape Dory Yachts building the Typhoon. The project includes structural fiberglass replacement of the rudder and cockpit floor, fiberglass repair of delaminated deck, and bottom fairing as well as installing new bulkheads to provide water tight compartments.
Ed Glyphis of Eastern Shore Boat Works in Ocean City, MD, sends us this: “Our first 25 footer is on the water, rigged, and running great. The boat handled great, working on number two. The deck and gunwales are in and working on the fairing.”
Jake Glover of Ferry Point Marina in Trappe, MD, sums up a busy winter. “All of our winter collision and rot repairs have been completed. The re-powers are sea-trialed, tuned, and ready to go. A lot of soda blast, barrier coat, and bottom paint jobs are underway, some with blister repairs. Our ship’s store has been fully stocked and the Travelift serviced, and we’re looking forward to another great season!”
Jonathan Newton reports from Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD: “A variety of winter projects are winding down. A Kadey-Krogen 42 has a new cored foredeck of closed-cell foam, which replaced her previously spongy plywood core. A Grand Banks 46 is ready for seasons of enjoyment with freshly painted forward bulkheads. Electronic refits include a Garmin plotter package on an American Tug 34, led by Guy Dorval. Work is ongoing to the 65-foot buy boat,
Muriel Eileen, involving two new, solid wood sampson posts. Even after milling the osage orange to more manageable pieces, these five-foot posts were too large for our lathe, so Pete and Ernie made a routing jig to cut in the round profile where the lines lash, bored and reused the old pins, and topped with new hand-made lead caps on both. The posts will next be fitted and shimmed, before final fastening and painting.”
Mike Bickford at Campbell’s Boatyard at Bachelor Point in Oxford, MD, checks in: “With 15,000 feet of indoor, heated storage buildings at Bachelor Point, we’ve been busy with a variety of upgrades to our fleet of service boats. Several boats are planning to participate in the Newport-Bermuda Race and have commissioned work that will get them compliant and sea worthy.
“Our indoor storage space has allowed us to finish the seasonal bright work on many boats. And when it comes to diesel and gasoline engines, our techs are some of the best around. Cummins is our forte … we work on a huge variety of engines, including Yanmar, Volvo, Westerbeke, Yamaha, as well as IPS drives, stern drives, and outboard motors.”
Britt Lilly of Lilly Sport Boats in Arnold, MD, tells us that even racing boats suffer from the dreaded ethanol monster. “Typhoon’s fiberglass fuel tank had been leaking, and the ethanol in the fuel ate all the resin out of the glass. We cut the outer skin to remove all the core and glassed new core in place. After that we vacuum bag the rest of the needed layers of glass and reshape the bottom back to original shape and strength.”
by Capt. Rick Franke